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Home Unknown	By : katecooley Category: S through Z > Xena Views: 15190 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Xena, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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I'm baaaaack! Hope everyone had a good holiday! Same junk as before. See part one for all the jargon.

Part VIII - Yearning, Learning, and Keeping the Home Fires Burning

"Here. Let me take a look at that."

"It�s fine, really. I�ve had worse."

"If you sit still, you won�t even have this."

"I�m really� It�s OK. It�ll go down eventually."

"Joxer."

How someone, even a god, could sound so stern and so sexy at once was beyond Joxer�s comprehension. But then again, this was Ares so he figured it was all too possible. It was also all too persuasive, though he couldn�t be sure if it was the growly part or the purr that made him sit still and behave for at least a little while.

Either way�

His head was throbbing too hard to really enjoy this, which almost killed him. The chance to be sitting in the Hall of War on a cushy little ottoman while the God of War himself fussed over you was only going to come around so often - once in a lifetime, he assumed. To be waylaid by an aching, screaming knot on your head and a bout of the dizzies� well, it just wasn�t fair. As it was, all he could muster was matching Ares' stern look with the best one he owned.

"I'm just a little rattled, that's all," Joxer managed to not fidget as those large, sword-worn hands examined his noggin for any further damage. "I'll be fine in a day or two."

"You ran face-first into one of the shields Hephaestus made for me. The big one. You're lucky you're not scrambled," Ares sent a little boost of power through his fingers, healing the concussion Joxer would have been plagued with for at least a week or two. He ran a fingertip over the bump and made it sit back down.

"I misjudged the distance. I didn't think I'd wheeled around that far," the purr in his voice was out of his control. The God of War's touch was so soothing, it was all Joxer could do to keep from just oozing onto the floor.

"So, that little stunt was planned?" Ares couldn't keep the smile away, his fingers creeping along Joxer's scalp to 'check for any other injuries', feeling that soft brown hair tickle his palms in the nicest way anything had in a while.

"Kind of. And just for the record, it's harder when you have to try and stumble."

***

Ten Minutes Before

The colors. Oh, the colors. He understood why he needed to keep his eyes shut on one of Hermes' jaunts, but since Aphrodite asked so nicely, he worked at keeping them open. It had done the job before, so why not now? He just hoped that wherever they finally stopped, the owner wouldn't mind the mess too much.

All that flying and zipping was starting to get to him. Walking would be boring from now on when he knew how this could be. His whole body tingled with the residual energy and his cock and balls throbbed like crazy. What a rush!

But, of course, all that ended when they screeched to a halt inside a beautifully dark temple, threads of red winding through black marble and weapons on the walls between lush tapestries. As before, everything slammed into focus too quickly and the slick, polished floor made him skitter even worse than before, which was actually good since he'd promised the Goddess of Love that he'd do this for her.

The twin dark gods of the House of War were there, waiting for them. Eris was halfway through a growly greeting when Joxer lurched and grabbed his airborne chaperone by the too-short chiton. For balance. Right.

"Easy duzzit, Jox! I tol' ya to - YAG!" Hermes' polite scolding turned into a yelp as he was unceremoniously flung a few feet in the right direction. All he had the chance to see was pale and black and wide-set blue eyes before he collided with a leathery soft obstacle. "OOF!"

"Hey, Look out, Shiny Ass!" As was her way, Discord had planted her feet in that wide, defensive stance that worked so well for her in battle. So, when she was bombarded by the lanky messenger god, she was ready for the impact. It still knocked her back a few steps, but she remained upright as Hermes grappled with his own balance� and her shoulders. Those godly sandals slipped about and she wondered when her brother had gotten around to waxing the floor. That seemed a little more domestic than his usual� Her musing took a sharp turn as Hermes' feet shot out from under him and he grabbed onto the one thing he could to keep from hitting the floor.

Her breastplate.

"Little help?" Hermes croaked as he tried to right himself again with no luck.

"Oh, I don't know. You seem to be doing OK for yourself." Her fists met her hips solidly and she scowled down past the offending hand� which was a lovely warm thing nestled between her pale breasts. His other hand found her waist and curved against it, fingers tightening against her. But it didn't seem to help him straighten out any. "Oh, for the luvva� here." She grabbed him under his armpits and hauled him north, noting the hot breath that got blown across her skin as he rose.

"Thanks, cookie." His feet rose off the floor again, not wanting to tangle with that slippery surface a second time, and he hovered in front of her. Close to her. For a short moment, their eyes met and Hermes was just shy of doing something he may or may not have regretted later when a loud clang broke the mood.

Unlike Hermes, Joxer didn't find a warm body to break his momentum, which was a shame considering the fourth person in the room. His payload delivered, he careened around, feet sending him in a million different directions, everything around him a blur. It was like traveling with Hermes, only without that comforting, warm feeling. This was all nerves and uncertainty and dark whorls that darted around him until�

He saw it. Saw it and couldn't do one blessed thing about it. It was like a big metal bull's-eye on the wall and he was heading straight for it. It took an eternity to reach it, every second full of dread.

"Oh shit."

***

-end flashback-

"I should've known Dite was involved in that," Ares chuckled, still massaging Joxer's scalp. "It all but smacks of her usual subtlety."

"Mace-and-chain subtlety maybe," Joxer chuckled, not even a tiny bit aware of just how deep and lush his voice was at that moment. He only knew that he should enjoy the attention while he had it. There was no way he'd get a repeat performance. Especially not after getting caught out like this. "I'm sorry, by the way."

"Heph can bang out that dent easily enough. No real harm done, though I'll let you know whether the same can be said for Eris' dents." Ares gave a big sigh and let his thumbs caress the back of Joxer's head. "I'm going to have to have a long talk with Hermes, aren't I. It just figures that it's someone from Intellect."

"No, I mean about working for Aphrodite. I tried to tell her no, but she wasn't listening."

"Surprises abound," Ares' deep laugh rumbled through the two of them and the rest of the room as well. "She grabbed you, didn't she?"

"Uh-huh." faintly, Joxer began wondering if Tartarus ever had a warm season. He'd hate to ever be cold again, especially after being this warm. He could feel the God of War's heat burning against his back, though an inch or two of space still sat between them.

"Gave you the old Cleavage Facial Treatment, cooing and giggling and wriggling all over?" Joxer nodded again, slowly, as that insane, comforting touch traveled down his neck to his shoulders. Please don't look at my lap. And if you have to, please don't kill me. I can't help getting hard, not when you're touching me like that. And please� don't stop.

Since he wasn't technically praying, Ares remained none the wiser, though a seep of tepid energy leeched back through their connection, driving straight to his groin. Touching Joxer, after all, wasn't just clinical necessity. "Tweaked your chin, gave you that wink?" Unable to help himself, Ares tugged on the dangle of Joxer's ear gently as that head nodded again.

"I'm sorry�"

"Joxer, let me ask you something." Slowly, the former-warrior-wannabe turned in his seat to face the god perched behind him. An amused grin met him. "If I can't resist that kind of attention from her, I can't very well expect you to, can I?"

"You're not mad?"

"There are worse offenses than doing a favor for the mother of my children. And hey," Ares shrugged one shoulder and beamed wickedly. "It wasn't me she was after."

Joxer giggled a little, imagining what being the target of Aphrodite's professional concentration must be like, never mind her personal affection. "Will Discord be all right?"

"She could use the distraction. Polyphystos is proving to be more trouble than it's worth." Ares nodded, a measure of gravity merging with his amusement. "Which brings me around to you. I'm going to be saddled with that mismanaged nightmare of a conflict for a while and could use someone to look after things for me. Since you've been doing such a good job for Strife, do you think he'd agree to lending you out for a little while?"

"To you." Joxer's head began spinning again. "To take care of the Hall of War. Me. Joxer-me."

"It's not all that complicated, actually. Just see to the place, keep things tidy, chase out any power-hungry relatives who might happen by� the usual." Ares waved his hand dismissively, as if there were anything at all normal about any of it. "I should be finished by winter solstice, but I'll need to have Discord with me."

"Shouldn't Strife be the one to take care of things? I mean, he is your� right hand? Lieutenant? Second in command?" Being picked ahead of gods for an honor like this made Joxer a little nervous. And he'd gotten along so well with Strife that he didn't want to screw up any� friendship? Was that it? Was he friends with the God of Mischief? He'd certainly been treated as such so far.

"Well, he is the best at what he does, that's for certain. And aside from Eris, I wouldn't want anyone else with me on the field of battle." Ares stood up and motioned for Joxer to do the same, waiting for the mortal to slowly find his feet. "But between you and me, I'd rather not come back here and find he's traded the place for magic beans. He's a good kid, but his attention span is shorter than Dite's best dress."

Joxer smirked as he followed his god, who led him through a door in the main hall. Another cavern of a room sat beyond it, this one filled with more functional furniture, though still upholstered in black and leather and studs. A long table spanned one wall's length and comfortable chairs and seats dotted the rest of the chamber, including some Bliss-sized items. And while the usual black marble dominated the décor, this part seemed homier that the outside temple's receiving room, more welcoming. Someone lived here. The same someone currently showing it to him.

"See, nothing complicated. I'd just feel better with someone keeping an eye on things."

"But what if someone does do something? Like another god? They'd fry me in two seconds and then do whatever it was they wanted to anyway."

"I wasn't just going to leave you here without protection, Joxer," Ares scolded him, though not harshly. "That would defeat the purpose of having you stay."

"What if I screw something up?" Joxer eyed the room nervously. Whether or not he'd been doing a good job for Strife, this was different. This was The Hall Of War, power base and home bunker to the God of War. As innocuous as the room looked right now, he could see great potential for calamity.

"Joxer, trust me. There's nothing you can do here that I won't be able to fix when I get back." Ares led him to another door that revealed a long corridor with many more doors. "Bedrooms are down here. Pick whichever one you like to sack out in. The bathing chamber is at the end of the hall. You should be able to figure that out easily enough. Everything is pretty self-explanatory around here. I can't stand the fuss some of the others bother with."

Joxer nodded, the words 'bathing chamber' filling his head with joy. He wondered if it was like the one at Cupid's. A bath didn't sound too terrible - that had always been a weakness of his. Any inn he'd been in had seen the blessing of a dinar from him for use of their tub.

"And actually, there's really only one thing you really need me to show you, and it's better if we get it out of the way now. Then I won't have to worry. Kneel down." Joxer complied, wondering if the god had a mental link with him. He'd been thinking that there was something he could show the immortal from that exact position. Ares whistled loudly through his fingers, a sharp, piercing note. And then waited, looking up the hallway of doors and listening. Nothing came. He rolled his eyes and whistled again with no response. "Tell anyone I did this and there will be carnage." This time, he squatted down and gave a couple of beckoning notes before� *kissykissykissy* Here pup! Here! C'mere wigglypuppy! Daddy's here! *kissykissykissy*

The shock of watching Ares give smoochy air kisses and call off in a syrupy, silly voice was nothing compared to watching what responded. Joxer made sure to remember what door it came out of, a great grizzled-gray lumbering beast with a spiked metal collar and teeth that would make monsters and soldiers alike cringe. As the animal galumphed up the hallway for its master, tongue lolling and ready for great slurpy kisses of its own, Ares stood before getting a face full of them, scratching the creature between the ears affectionately. A huge tail waggled behind it and whimpering happy noises came out of that cavernous mouth.

"Joxer, this is Graegus, the Dog of War. He's a bit of a baby when I have to go out, so he may sulk around a little at first. He'll get over it. But you two should be introduced so he doesn't think you're an invader or an offering." a hand on the dog's collar, Ares led it over to Joxer, who was still kneeling. An enormous wet nose snuffled against him, ruffling his hair and scurrying to learn his scent. "Greaggie, this is Joxer. He's a friend. Don't eat him." After a minute or two of examining and sniffing, those canine eyes, red like the fires of Tartarus, focused on Joxer's own brown ones. Without warning, that tongue flashed out and slurped up the side of his face.

"Good. He likes you. I hate having to chain him up. He always manages to pull free and wreck the place." Ares scrubbed a hand through his dog's massive head. "So, do we have a deal?"

Wiping his face dry with his sleeve, Joxer found his feet again. "Of course. I can't say no to my god, can I?"

Ares waited until Joxer walked back into the main common room to smile. He meant it to be wicked, but there was an edge of giddiness to it anyway. "I'll have to remember that, won't I?"

-tbc-
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