Joxer stood in front of the table and studied the materials that he and Gaston had gathered up to make the rockets, mentally making sure they had everything before turning to look at Gaston. "Did you get everything I wrote down on the list?"

"Oui," Gaston said as he indicated the long sticks and tubes lying in a pile.

"Good," Joxer nodded as he got some bowls from a nearby shelf. "Okay. We have to be real careful while we do this, otherwise this place is gonna blow sky high," he said as he began to slowly pour one of the ingredients into a bowl. "While I'm doing this, why don't you start putting those together?" he suggested, indicating the materials on the floor. He quickly showed Gaston how to assemble the bottom section of the rocket and where to put the fuse.

Gaston nodded and the two soon became engrossed in their work for a little while until Joxer looked up and pushed a lock of hair away from his eyes. "So... Gaston... How did you meet my mother?"

The older man looked up at Joxer with a smile on his face. "Ah, oui... It was a very bad day for Gaston."

"Wait a second! Meeting Mom was a very bad day for you?"

"Non, non! You didn't let me finish! You must let Gaston tell you the whole story."

Joxer found it was a little strange that Gaston spoke about himself as if he was somebody else but he didn't comment on it. "Sorry."

Gaston dismissed the apology with an extravagant wave of his hand. "C'est tout exact, mon ami. As I was saying, it was a very bad day for Gaston. I had just come over in a great ship to this land with Pedro. I had no job and no one would hire me. One day, I rode into your mother's village. The villagers... They make fun of Gaston because he is different."

Joxer's lips lifted up in a slight smile. "I know how that feels," he murmured as he carefully added in another ingredient, his nose wrinkling up at the resulting smell.

Gaston shook his head in disagreement. "I'm not sure you do, mon ami. Gaston is a stranger to this place and the people around here don't seem to care for strangers. But your mother - she is different."

"Mom always did have a kind heart."

"Oui, Joxer. She has a very kind heart and the moment that I saw her, I fell in love. I know it sounds strange, but I speak the truth."

Joxer nodded. "Was it love at first sight for Mom?"

"Alas, it wasn't. Jezda took pity on me and gave me a job. But I did my best to please her because I loved her," Gaston sighed. He gave Joxer one of the assembled tubes and watched as the younger man carefully began pouring the powder inside it.

"So when did Mom start showing her feelings?"

"It was during a storm - a bad one. We were alone in her house. The servants had left for the night. My Jezda is afraid of storms."

"Yes, I know," Joxer said, remembering how terribly frightened his mother used to be whenever a bad thunderstorm came through Athens when he and his brothers were little. "Could you hold this steady while I put the top on?" he asked. "Thanks. Go on," he added in encouragingly.

Gaston nodded as he held the tube. "I held her as the storm raged on that night and I knew that I had to tell her how I felt about her. So I did, and she told me that she felt the same way."

"Did you speak Greek or Gallic?"

Joxer and Gaston both looked up to see Jett leaning against the doorway, his face expressionless as he stared at the two of them.

Gaston nervously cleared his throat and said, "We spoke in our native tongue."

"Jett, how long have you been standing there?" Joxer asked.

"Long enough. I'm glad someone was there for Mom," Jett said as he straightened his posture. "Jox, Xena wants to know if you've got those rocket thingies ready yet. She said she can smell trouble in the air. She thinks we're going to see some action tonight - and it won't be pretty either."

"The first batch should be ready in another hour or so."

"Okay. I'll tell her." Jett then walked away.

Gaston looked at Joxer. "I think he will like me - eventually."

Joxer nodded, gazing at the empty doorway with a troubled look on his face. "Who knows? Stranger things have happened before." He sighed heavily before turning around and adding in, "Okay. Let's get this done."

Adora sat on the bench breaking up beans for supper when a pair of hands covered her eyes. "Guess who?"

"Um, let me see... Is it Uncle Hercules?"

"No! Better than him!"

Adora felt her lips beginning to twitch with suppressed laughter. "Better than Uncle Hercules, huh? Then you've just got to be my dad!"

"Oh, come on! It's me - Ioannes!" the boy groaned as he took his hands away.

Adora turned around with a huge smile on her face. "Hi, Ioannes."

"Hi Dorie... Where've you been lately?" he asked curiously as he sat down next to her on the bench.

The smile left Adora's face. "I've been busy," she mumbled, averting her gaze away.

Ioannes reached out and touched her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but you should be getting ready just in case. Aunt Xena said that she thinks that something bad is going to happen tonight."

"I know. That's why I'm here. Stephanos and I'd like you and Eve to meet us at the olive grove right at the western edge of town."

"Why?"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Dorie! We could all die tonight, if she's right..." He rose to his feet then and turned away in embarrassment.

Adora stood up, leaned over and gave Ioannes a kiss on the cheek. "Okay, I'll get Eve. We'll meet you there."

Ioannes took Adora in his arms and kissed her soundly. "We'll be waiting," he murmured in her ear before turning around and heading for his house.

Adora smiled as she watched him leaving, absently reaching up and touching her lips.

"EWWWWW! That was so gross!"

Adora turned around to see Andy looking up at her with a disgusted expression on his face. Impishly, she suddenly grabbed him, picked him up and began kissing him before he could move away.

The little boy squirmed in her arms. "Oh, gross! Stop it, Dorie!"

"Andy, I think Ioannes loves me." She kissed him noisily on his left cheek.

Andy continued squirming in Adora's grasp. "Put me down! Ick! Cut it out!" he squawked when she kissed him again.

"I'm so happy!" Adora exclaimed as she whirled around.

"DORIE, PUT ME DOWN!" Andy screeched. "YOU'RE MAKING ME DIZZY!"

"Okay, okay..." Adora carefully put her cousin down. "Hey, aren't you happy for me?"

Andy's face scrunched up. "I guess so... Just don't ever kiss me again! Ewww! Girl cooties! Yuck! Ptooey!" He stuck his tongue out and ran off before Adora could say another word.

Adora smiled as she watched her cousin leave, feeling better than she had felt in days. She turned around then, the momentary euphoria changing to gloom as she sat back down to finish what she started. She knew that Eve would want to see Stephanos, but she was already in so much trouble with her parents as it was...

Gabrielle stuck her head outside the doorway just as Adora finished her task. "Are you going to be much longer with that?"

"Nope," Adora replied as she rose to her feet with the pot in her hands. "I just finished up."

"Great. Thanks, Dorie." Gabrielle smiled as Adora walked up the stairs to join her and she took the pot from her. "Could you set the table?"

"Sure," Adora agreed as they walked inside the house. "Mom...?"

"What's the matter?"

Adora sighed and shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important," she mumbled as she began putting plates on the table.

Gabrielle gazed at her daughter curiously, knowing that something was bothering her but decided not to press her for details. "Okay," she said with a nod as she put the beans over the fire after dumping water into the pot and salting them. "You know that if something's bothering you, you can always talk to me or your father."

"I know. Thanks, Mom." She went over to Gabrielle and hugged her fiercely.

"Mom... Dad?"

Joxer swallowed the piece of bread that he was chewing on and turned his head towards Adora. "What's the matter, Dorie?" he asked softly.

Xena and Gabrielle exchanged glances before focusing their attention on father and daughter while Eve gazed at her friend curiously.

He looks so tired, Adora thought worriedly - and it's all because of me. She sighed, temporarily lost in her thoughts before she said, "Ioannes stopped by here earlier..."

"And?" Joxer gazed at Adora curiously.

Adora blushed and bit her bottom lip. "He asked if Eve and I could meet him and Stephanos for a little while at the olive tree right at the edge of town... I, uh, was wondering if we could go." She sighed and looked down at her hands, which she was nervously wringing. "I know I've caused a lot of trouble these past few days and I'm still grounded, but..." She trailed off.

Eve put her mug on the table and looked down at her hands as she waited for the three adults to mercilessly begin chewing her and Adora out. As the uncomfortable silence stretched, she dared to look up at her mother for a split second and quickly averted her eyes when Xena impassively returned her gaze before turning towards the equally unreadable-looking Gabrielle and Joxer. Please! she thought desperately. Just get it over with already and...

"Okay."

"What?" Both girls whirled their heads around to look at Joxer with wide, round eyes.

The left side of his mouth lifted up in a tired half-smile. "You both seem rather surprised that we're giving you permission."

"That might just be the understatement of the year, Uncle Joxer."

Gabrielle chuckled at Eve's remark, but her face quickly grew serious as she looked at the still-astonished duo. "We're saying that it's okay for you to go because you asked us. You didn't try making up some kind of story or just simply sneak away when none of us were looking to get what you wanted," she explained.

"Right," Xena agreed with a nod. "I won't say that I'm not worried because I really feel that something's going to go down tonight, but we want you know to that we trust you to ultimately make the right decision and be responsible for your actions."

Adora's face lit up like a Roman candle as she rose to her feet. "Thanks!" she exclaimed, hugging her parents and Xena before sprinting over to the door and practically jumping over the threshold. "C'mon, Evie!" she said eagerly, sticking her head inside the doorway.

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" Eve laughed as she joined her friend after enthusiastically embracing the others. "Thank you!"

"We won't be long," Adora promised.

"That's good, because I'd hate for us to have to come after you."

"PAPA!" Adora rolled her eyes in exasperation and yelped when Eve unceremoniously grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down the stairs.

"We'll be back around sunset!" Eve yelled over her shoulder and took off in a dead run, Adora hot at her heels.

Joxer waited until they could no longer hear the girls' excited chattering before he leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I hope we did the right thing." He turned in the direction of the open doorway, his features etched in concern.

Gabrielle reached out and affectionately ruffled Joxer's hair. "I think we did. Let's face it, Pookie. They're not little kids anymore. We can't protect them from everything, no matter how much we want to," she murmured before kissing him on the cheek.

Joxer returned the kiss and smiled sadly. "I know. It's hard to let go, though."

Xena nodded thoughtfully, her eyes quickly darting towards the door before she stood up, picked up her supper bowl and looked down at her longtime friends. "C'mon. We've got a lot more work to do," she quietly reminded them. "The others should be coming over shortly to talk strategy."

Gabrielle and Joxer rose to their feet to clear off the table as Xena walked out the door.

"Wait up, Evie!" Adora gasped. "What's a jog for you is a full-fledged run for me!"

Eve came to a halt in the middle of the pathway and laughed, her blue eyes gleaming. "Sorry Dorie," she apologized as her much shorter friend caught up to her. "I guess I got carried away with myself."

"Uh huh," Adora replied with a mock glare that made Eve laugh. "Let's go. There's not much time that we can spend with the guys before we have to go back."

Eve glanced up at the sky and nodded. "We better step on it then." She began walking as quickly as she could down the path. About ten minutes later, they reached the outskirts of town and saw Stephanos and Ioannes waiting for them by the olive tree.

Eve felt her eyebrows rising curiously as Ioannes impatiently paced back and forth while Stephanos leaned against the tree trunk watching him. Eve raised her hand and waved to them. Ioannes stopped his pacing long enough to wave back while Stephanos pushed himself away from the tree as he returned the wave.

"Ioannes looks like a nervous wreck," Adora murmured in an aside as they approached the two.

"He's not the only one that's feeling like that," Eve replied.

"No kidding!" Adora softly exclaimed and smiled as the boys walked over to greet them.

"I'm so glad that you were able to come," Stephanos murmured as he took Eve's hands in his. His eyes shifted towards Ioannes and the gentle smile on his face changed. "So very glad..."

Eve gasped painfully as Stephanos' grip suddenly tightened to a near bone-crushing grasp. "OW! Let go! You're hurting me!"

"Hey! What are you doing to her?" Adora demanded. She began walking over to Eve, who was struggling to free herself and squawked in surprise when Ioannes reached out and grabbed her by the arms, wrenching them behind her back. "Let me go!" she yelled, whipping her head around to look at him.

"I don't think so, whelp!" Ioannes replied with a wide smirk.

Before either girl could respond, Ioannes' and Stephanos' eyes glowed eerily. There was a blinding flash of light and the last thing that they saw and heard before falling into unconsciousness was that their boyfriends' bodies began changing and harsh women's laughter rang out.

Xena pushed her hair away from her face before looking down at the parchment that had the village's map drawn on it. "Okay. The northern wall is probably the most vulnerable due to the forest just a short distance away."

"Lots of places for people to hide and set up ambushes," Jett remarked curtly.

"Yep," Hercules agreed, glancing over in Jett's direction before turning his own attention back to the map. "Hopefully, the roadblocks that we set up earlier will give us more time to prepare. These townspeople are farmers and businessmen, not trained soldiers."

Gabrielle nodded grimly. "There's also a good chance that if something happens, our attackers will be just as untrained as they are." Her lips curled up in a smile as she glanced over at Joxer. "Plus, we've got something they don't have - those rockets."

"Do you think you've made enough of them, Little Brother?" Jace asked, his lack of accent betraying his anxiety.

"I used every last bit of ingredients that I could find in the village to make the black powder," Joxer said wearily. "And would you please stop calling me that?" he continued irritably. His shoulders slumped forward when Jace's face fell into an unhappy pout. "Sorry. I'm just really tired."

"Don't worry about it." Jace dismissed the apology with a wave of his hand.

Her eyes still fixed on the village map, Xena then pointed to the main gate entrance. "All right, then. I've got Autolycus and Iolaus..."

A sharp, agonized wail interrupted Xena from going any further.

"JOXER!" Gabrielle yelled as she just barely managed to catch him before he fell to his knees.

Jett and Jace's faces turned pasty white and they both gasped, clutching at their foreheads.

"Joxer, look at me!" Gabrielle shouted hoarsely. From the corner of her eye, she could see Melody and Pierre forcing their spouses to sit down and pushing their heads between their knees before they fainted away. "JOXER, FOCUS AND LOOK AT ME!"

"I... can't..." Joxer mumbled.

"Can't what? Tell me what's wrong, damn it!" Gabrielle shook him a little.

Joxer's head lolled back and forth limply for a few moments before his eyes finally managed to focus on Gabrielle's face. A single tear fell down his cheek. "She's... gone."

Gabrielle blanched. "What do you mean, she's gone? Who's gone?"

Joxer's eyes closed briefly as he raised a shaking hand over his heart. "I... can't feel Dorie. It was like... a part of... me... was ripped away," he choked out.

Xena's face turned chalk-white. "Eve..." she whispered. Without another word, she ran outside and headed off in the direction the girls had gone earlier.

As Eve slowly regained consciousness, she came to the realization that she was in a dimly-lit room. She also realized that she was chained by her wrists and ankles to a table.

"It won't do you any good to try and break free, mortal," an icy-calm woman's voice informed her when she began struggling to free herself. "Even I wouldn't be able to break free from them. Those were made by Kai."

"Where am I? Who are you? Who in Tartarus is Kai?" Eve's questions shot from her lips like bullets.

"You'll find out soon enough, O so-called Bringer of Peace."

"Where's Adora? What do you want with us?" Eve demanded, her chains rattling as she moved around on the table, her head whipping back and forth as she tried to see who was speaking to her.

There was no reply.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Is there anybody in here?"

The silence stretched.

"Adora? Where are you? Answer me, please! DORIE! DORIE!"

Eve's panicked screams dully echoed back to her ears.

So cold, was Adora's first thought as her eyes slowly opened and gained focus. She found herself propped up against a wall and seated on a small cushion. She raised a trembling hand to her face and drew it across her eyes. She hissed as pain suddenly ricocheted through her body and made her double over. It felt like someone had tried pulling her in half and had very nearly succeeded in the task. C'mon! I've gotta stay focused... Need to find Evie and get out of this place...

Adora blinked several times as she lifted her head up so she could take in her surroundings, which consisted of four stone walls, a long table that had very suspicious-looking stains on it, the cushion she was sitting on and a couple of torches placed in stands.

She also saw that she was directly facing an open doorway that led out into a dimly-lit foyer.

Using the wall as support, Adora managed to rise to her feet on shaky legs but nearly slid back down when her knees began trembling like leaves. She breathed heavily and closed her eyes, trying to regain her balance and calm down.

"I see that you're finally awake."

Adora's eyes grew round at the sound of that smooth voice - a voice that had haunted her nightmares for years. Slowly, she raised her head to look up into a darkly handsome face and black eyes that glittered with barely-contained power. "Oh no..." she breathed.

"I'm pleased to see you as well, my daughter."

Adora's eyes flashed as she snapped, "I'm not your daughter! Joxer's my father and Gabrielle's my mother."

Teutales thundered, "I AM YOUR FATHER, NOT THAT PUNY VESSEL THAT BORE YOU! HE IS NOTHING BUT A WORTHLESS HUMAN THAT NEVER SHOULD'VE SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY!"

"He's one hundred times the man that you ever could be."

Teutales slowly regained his composure and placed his hand on her cheek, gently stroking it. "My dear daughter, I'm a God, not a mere mortal, and you are destined to do great things. You are the daughter of the God of War."

Adora shuddered the second he put his hand on her cheek and tried to move her head away. His touch made her feel sick inside. "I don't care what you say! I'll never be your daughter," she gasped.

Teutales smiled grimly. "You have no choice in the matter. I have the power to bring that darkness that you try to hide inside your soul out." Before she could avoid him, he reached out and pressed both hands against her face, squeezing down hard.

Adora gasped and try to pull away from his grasp. "I won't! You can't do this! Joxer and Gabrielle are my parents! Xena is my aunt! Eve's my best friend and I'll protect her in any way that I can!"

Teutales felt a surge of power run through the girl's body - a power that he knew he had to get control of by any means he found necessary - but not yet. He had to weaken her spirit first. He slowly released his hold on Eve's face but gazed at her for a long time before he spoke again. "You are strong, but I am stronger than you, and you will yield to me - in time." He disappeared in a black cloud of smoke, leaving behind a faint scent of ozone in his wake.

Adora slowly sank down to the floor and immediately began shaking, her breath coming in sharp, harsh gasps. Gotta calm down! I have to find Eve so we can get out of this gods-forsaken place! She opened her eyes and gazed blearily at the doorway that led to possible freedom - and to Eve. "It might be some kind of a trap, but I've got to try," she murmured. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself as she slowly rose up and headed for the doorway.

Two pairs of eyes watched Adora as she walked from the room and down the hallway. "Keep an eye on her, but do not interfere unless you have no choice." Brigandu turned to look down at her companion, a short and squat gargoyle-like creature.

The creature bowed low, its wings spreading out briefly before uprighting itself and closing them behind its back. "It will be as you say, my lady."

Brigandu nodded as her servant left.

"Stop that screaming, foolish mortal! Your friend is gone. She is no longer in this world. Her father has her." A tall and very beautiful female goddess with long red hair and gray eyes appeared before Eve and stared down at her disdainfully.

Eve swallowed hard as she looked up. This was not the same goddess that had spoken to her earlier. "Joxer is her father," she managed to say calmly although she sensed that she was in great danger. She could feel it emanating off the goddess in waves.

Aer snorted. "He was only a vessel and a mistaken one at that. The assassin was supposed to be the vessel," she sneered.

"But at that time, Uncle Jett..." Eve's voice trailed off.

"Yes. At that time, he still had the desire to kill and he would've continued to do so if the acolyte hadn't made that foolish mistake."

Eve's face grew expressionless. "When my mother..."

Aer laughed heartily. "Do you honestly think that I'm afraid of your mother, mortal scum?" she asked, her left eyebrow rising. "Your idle threats mean nothing to me."

"You better be."

"'You better be!' Brave and foolish words, scum," Aer replied mockingly as she lowered her head down so that her nose was almost touching Eve's. "I'm not afraid of anyone, human," she said in a low voice that made Eve shudder.

Eve's blue eyes hardened. "You will be once my mother finds us."

Aer stared at the girl with a faint smile on her lips for a few moments before she disappeared in a flash of orange light.

Eve waited a few moments before she began struggling with her bonds again but gave up a short time later, exhausted from the chains' weight. From the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow on the wall. "Who are you? Show yourself!" she demanded.

A hand that held a large, intricate key in it came into Eve's field of vision. She jerked her head up to see another woman looking down at her and reaching towards her left wrist. Without a word, the woman unlocked the cuff and reached for her other hand.

Jett slowly rose to his feet, Melody supporting him. "What do you mean, Dorie's gone?"

Joxer stared at him wearily. "I can't feel her anymore."

Jett looked at his brothers. "We have to try and see if we can contact her."

Jace shook his head. "I'm not sure that we still can. It's been a long time since we've done anything like this."

Jett turned to him. "We have to try."

Joxer nodded. "Jett's right. We might have a shot at finding her and Eve if we work together."

With Gabrielle, Pierre and Melody helping them, the brothers made a circle and held each others' hands. They closed their eyes and concentrated, sweat pouring down their faces. A glow of light briefly surrounded them before disappearing as quickly as it appeared. The three broke their grip, gasping for breath as they staggered forward.

"We have to try again," said Joxer when he was able to catch his breath. He looked at everyone else in the room. "Maybe if we all join together, we might be able to get enough power to contact Dorie."

"Good idea," Hercules said. He, Melody, Pierre and Gabrielle joined the brothers and they formed another circle. The air in the room grew heavy as everyone concentrated.

"We need Xena!" Gabrielle exclaimed when nothing happened.

Joxer slowly shook his head. "Even if everybody in the village was here, it still wouldn't work. They're beyond our help," he said sadly as he drew Gabrielle into his arms.

Xena raced to the olive tree. "Eve! Adora! Where are you?" she yelled, her head whipping back and forth as she looked around for any signs of a struggle.

"They're not here."

Xena whirled around and grabbed Ares' vest. "Tell me what you did with them, you bastard!"

"What? No hello and how you've been?" Ares replied lazily as he slowly pulled her hands away from his vest. "I don't have them. I have no idea where they are."

"Don't lie to me, Ares! You might not have them but you know damn well where they are! Now tell me or I'll..."

Ares made a tsking noise. "Temper, temper," he said before disappearing in a flash of blue-white light.

"ARES!" Xena yelled, clenching her fists together. "DAMN YOU!" She closed her eyes and breathed heavily to gather her composure. When she opened them, she saw something glittering on the ground a short distance away from her. Cautiously, she walked over and picked up a pin that had a large sapphire in it. "Dorie..." she breathed. She turned around and began running back towards Gabrielle and Joxer's home.

Eve watched in stunned silence as the woman - another goddess, she slowly realized - unlocked the chains.

"Quickly, child! You must leave!" the goddess said urgently.

Eve stared at the goddess as she slowly rose to a sitting position on the table, rubbing her wrists to get the feeling back in them. "Who are you?"

The goddess shook her head. "Please, child. You must leave here!"

"Not without Dorie! I'm not going anywhere until I find her!"

"Go now, child. I will see you again soon. Now, please hurry before you're caught!" The goddess disappeared in a shower of golden sparkles before Eve could say another word.

Adora had a feeling someone was watching her and she stopped in her tracks. "You better show yourself or else!" she said sternly, although her heart was pounding like a sledgehammer in her chest. Her dark eyes darted back and forth as she tried to detect who was there.

"Please don't harm me! I'm only doing what my lady told me to do," a high-pitched voice shrilled back.

Adora's head turned in all directions as she tried to figure out where the voice was coming from. "Then you better show yourself before I come and get you!"

A small grayish colored winged creature that was almost the same color as the stone wall in the room stepped forward, making Adora screech in fright and fall onto the floor. "Please! I mean no harm!" it squeaked, holding its arms up before it and cowering before her.

Adora's eyes grew round as she stared at the odd being. "What... Who are you?"

The creature bowed before Adora. "My lady, I am called Behlem. I am the humble servant of the Lady Brigandu."

Adora frowned as she slowly rose to her feet. "Brigandu? Who's that?"

Behlem cleared his throat. "She is your grandmother, my lady."

Adora blinked. "Why are you following me?" she asked after a few moments of tense silence.

"To watch you, young mistress. You're not supposed to see me."

"Well, you blew it big time, buster! Now tell me how to get out and find Eve and contact my father."

"I do not know where Eve is and your father was just here."

Adora's eyes screwed shut. "Joxer is my father!" she said through clipped lips. Her nostrils flared as she gazed down at the terrified creature.

Behlem covered his head. "Please don't hurt me!" he squeaked, his black eyes round with terror.

Adora sighed as she squeezed the bridge of her nose. "Get up. I won't hurt you," she said wearily.

Behlem's face brightened at Adora's words. "I will help you, young mistress! I will be your humble servant," he said as he straightened up to full height, which was about at Adora's kneecap.

Adora shook her head. "I don't want a servant, but I'll take any help that I can find. Come on - Behlem, is it? Let's get out of here."

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