All the Way
by Frank Sinatra

When somebody loves you
It's no good unless he loves you
All the way

Happy to be near you
When you need someone to cheer you
All the Way

Taller than the tallest tree is
That's how it's got to feel
Deeper than the deep blue sea is
That's how deep it goes
When it's real

When somebody needs you
It's no good unless he needs you
All the way

Through the good or lean years
And through all the in between years
Come what may

Who knows were the road will lead us
Only a fool would say
But if you let me love you it's for sure
I'm gonna love
All the way
All the way

So if you let me love you it's for sure
I'm gonna love you
All the way
All the way

The small crowd stared hard at the frieze, then at the solitary figure lounging against the pillar next to it. "You're sure this is her, then?" the blonde-haired man said sharply.

"No worries Dude, saw it happen myself," the other answered glibly, stretching his arms behind his head

"Because we don't want to find out this is just an ordinary statue," Apollo went on, with an edge to his voice

"Hey chill out - it's the right one ok!" Hermes said huffily. "So you guys all ready then?"

The throng nodded and approached the statue as one, save for Aphrodite who held back with obvious reluctance. "Just remind me why we're doing this? I mean, sure, some of you were her favourites, but the rest of us got majorly bummed off by her!"

"Look, " Apollo breathed impatiently, "We're in a serious hole here - we need all the help we can get."

"Okay, okay," the Goddess conceded. "Just remember this wasn't my idea."

All the remaining Gods gathered round the petrified frieze and powered a steady energy source at the solitary figure in question, the carved lines slowly swelling out, and changing colour from grey to black as the figure gradually flickered into life, then collapsed onto the floor, leaving an empty mould on the frieze where she'd been. Apollo and Hermes helped her to her feet, her breathing heavy and laboured as she struggled to gain her balance.

"Well Mom, you're back in the game!" Apollo said gleefully as he fed her a piece of Ambrosia.

Xena's camp was a curious affair; Xena and Gabrielle's bedrolls side by side, Ares by Argo and Amber, and Eve by Xena's side, with neither of the two new occupants too pleased with the arrangement.

Eve was still having difficulty in overcoming the horrors of her recent past, especially as the presence of Gabrielle in the camp never failed to remind her of the chilling murder of Gabrielle's and Xena's best friend . Ares was finding out that mortality presented its own unique problems, but fortunately his temporary fall from Olympus a few years back had at least prepared him for the awkwardness of learning to cope with being a Mortal.

Such problems as the after effects of eating and drinking were now apparent, but the nearness of a small copse and several large trees was definitely a sight for sore eyes. His sweet relief behind the big cedar, was short-lived, however, as a buffeting wind and whoosh sound announced the approach of Hermes

"Hey! Can't an ex-God get any privacy around here?" Ares protested.

"Hey, Ares chill out," the Messenger of the Gods said affably. "Got hot news for ya from Upstairs, y'know?"

"What hot news?" the mortal God retorted irritably. He'd never seen Hermes as anything more than a mere Godling - a lowly one at that - and saw no reason to start respecting him now. "I thought Olympus was done and dusted?"

"Naah, you've been misinformed - there's been a Cabinet reshuffle and everything's cool again," Hermes answered ignoring the scornful tone.

"So who's filling in the gaps then?" Ares asked, interested, despite himself. "And more importantly, who's ruling the roost? Can't imagine the rest taking kindly to that airhead Apollo taking over!"

"Apollo? As if!" Hermes snorted in disgust. "Nope, your Ma's back in charge; seems Zeus thought putting her into a frieze on his offering statue in Olympus might dissuade the other Gods from siding against him in future."

"A fine plan - pity that my beloved brother killed him before it worked out," Ares said sardonically

"Yeah, whatever. Lemme see now," Hermes shrugged, ticking off his fingers. "Apollo's got your job, Triton's the new God of the Sea, Persephone's Goddess of the Underworld, Velasca's the new Huntress, Mnemosyne got Wisdom and War, there's some Mortal taking over at the Forge - "

"You have got to be kidding," Ares said in disbelief. "That psycho as Goddess of the Moon and Mnemosyne as Wisdom and War? She's a mere memory woman, what does she know about War and Wisdom?"

"Wisdom enough to stay out of that pointless attempt to kill Xena," the Messenger observed. "And Discord wasn't exactly well-known for her subtle qualities, was she?"

"Pffftt! It'll be civil war within a week!" Ares said confidently.

"Hera'll keep 'em in line, she always has before," Hermes replied airily. "Well, gotta blow - showing some kewl new Goddesses around upstairs!"

He gave a wolf whistle and whooped with delight as he sped off back to Olympus, leaving a scorching trail and a thoughtful ex-God of War behind him. Ares turned away from the tree and jumped when he saw Xena standing before him.

"Well? What did Hermes want?" she questioned him sharply.

"Maybe the way of peace isn't going to win after all," he answered enigmatically.

"What do you mean by that?" Xena said warily, her hackles rising in challenge.

"You didn't really think the Olympians were going to take a minor setback as the final curtain, did you?" he asked rhetorically. "New faces, old hands!"

"If they want a fight, I'll give it to 'em!" she snarled in response. "And this time, I'll take them all down, temples and all!"

"Whoa, Xena!" Ares said disarmingly with a cheesy grin. "Hera's no fool, she knows you can kill us-them-," he corrected himself "so they're not going to tangle with you, at least not by design."

"Just whose side are you on Ares?" Xena snapped, slamming him against a tree.

"Ooof!" he cried out in pain as he crumpled against the cedar under the force of her throw. " Ease up on the strongarm tactics already - I'm not a God anymore!"

"Yeah, I know - what a pisser!" Xena growled unsympathetically, her eyes flashing with anger.

"I'm on the same side I've always been - Mine!" Ares snapped back defiantly, picking himself up from the floor and glaring hard at the Warrior Princess.

"Well, you're honest at least," Xena admitted. "So why did you save Gabrielle and Eve? If you'd let Eve die, you could have stayed a God forever and saved the Gods!"

"Because of you," he said simply. "I couldn't give a stuff about my family - I've tried to be topdog long enough - but you, you were always my girl, even when you were fighting against me, the power, the passion, the glory; if it meant a choice between you and my clan, you win every time."

"Yeah, right!" she hissed at him "We've been on a constant war footing against each other, since I left your side. Hardly the actions of two people in - 'love' " she said, spitting the word out with distaste and disgust.

"True," he nodded in agreement. "But we've had dozens of opportunities to kill the other - and we haven't, have we?"

Xena pulled on his shoulder as he turned away, her eyes narrowed to gimlets, searching for the sight of a falsehood on his face, but saw only reproach. She frowned as he shook himself free from her grip and tramped off to his sleeping spot by the horses, but halted at her voice again.

"So when the chips come down you'll be on our side and not the Gods'?" she persisted.

"Xena, it's my job to see the chips stay up!" and he smiled a knowing smile before slumping down in his spot by the horses, ignoring a growl from the Warrioress in response.

The camp shrank into silence once more, and Xena was satisfied of no further disturbances from mortal or Olympian forms.

A face twisted in bitterness and hatred watched the now still scene, through a portal. "When you and your kin are dust, we'll forgive. When we are no more, we'll forget," the figure muttered grimly, and the portal cleared once more.

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