The bard barely whispered, "I love her, too."
Perdicas flung his head back, looking at the ceiling. A stunned laugh erupted from his throat, "I can't
believe this!"
Gabrielle took a step toward the young man, but was stopped by a high pitched shriek piercing the back
of the temple. As the bard whipped around searching the shadows frantically, Xena moved in front of
everyone. With a hiss of metal on leather, she drew her sword and held it at ready. Suddenly the owner of
the shriek jumped out of a back alcove and ran toward the group.
Callisto. She looked positively overjoyed as she rushed the altar. Her sword was still sheathed, and her
fingers were splayed out. She came skidding to a halt when Xena aimed the point of her sword at the
blonde's heart.
The insane brown eyes widened, and Callisto put her hands on her hips. She wriggled her body into a
perfect pose and spoke to the warrior, "Put the sword down already."
Xena couldn't figure her enemy out, but she wasn't taking any chances with the woman. "Not on your life,
Callisto."
"Why I..."
There was an exasperated huff from behind Xena, "Mom!" Though the warrior just barely managed to
remain still, Gabrielle turned a stunned face to Joxer. She mouthed the word, "Mom?" as she saw him
standing there, arms folded across his chest. He looked pointedly at Callisto, "Fashion check."
The warrior queen glanced down and giggled, "Oh!" Gabrielle looked back to the madwoman who spoke
again, "Chill out warrior-babe." She raised a gauntleted hand, snapping her fingers. A shower of sparkles
filled the air around the leather-clad blond. When they faded away, another blond stood in Callisto's
place...one dressed in a gauzy pink negligee. "Oh much better. Black is so not my color!"
"Aphrodite!" Turning, the bard saw Joxer morph into the God of Love, "And Cupid?"
Aphrodite looked at Xena, who hadn't moved one inch. Then she glanced down to see the warrior's
sword. With the change in bodies, the blade became firmly lodged between two rather full breasts. The
goddess smirked at Xena, then gently lifted the tip of the sword out of its nest. The tall woman held it
numbly in her hands as it was moved slightly to the side.
Still holding the tip between her fingers, Aphrodite moved up to the armored figure. Her fingers slid up
along the length provocatively, "Nice sword, babe." She plucked the weapon out of Xena's hands, and
pressing her body fully against the warrior's, slid the blade into its sheath. She bit her lower lip and gave the
warrior a wink before sighing, "Too bad you're already taken." Then the goddess backed off a step.
A dark brow arched up lazily as Xena drawled, "Mind explaining what is going on here?"
Aphrodite pouted, "You know, Xena, you really need to lighten up a bit. This whole 'get right to the point'
kick is just not sexy."
Xena's eyebrow crawled the rest of the way into her hairline. With exaggerated slowness, she crossed her
arms over her chest and gave the pink-clad woman "the look."
The goddess held her ground a moment before huffing. "Oh all right, already. If you must know, it's not so
much a question of what's going on as what wasn't going on." She pointed between the warrior and the
bard, "Like you two." The two women in question just looked at each other and turned back to the blond.
Aphrodite's voice rose in pitch with frustration, "You two are the most clueless mortals I have ever met in
all eternity. What's a girl gotta do, spell it out on Mount Olympus? Cupie's had no better luck!"
At this, Gabrielle rounded on Cupid, poking him in the chest with her finger. "So the two of you just cast
some little spell?"
"Ow!" Cupid cried out, protecting himself with his arms. "Not cool! For your info., it wasn't like that. You
don't go shooting arrows at a love match that's already bitchin'. That was totally you two."
"Wait," Xena interrupted the explanation. "Where exactly is Callisto?"
"You mean Miss 'Couple People Short of a Menage à Trois?'" Aphrodite waved her hand distractedly,
"She's cooling her jets in that cell, same as always."
"You've been Callisto this whole time?" the bard asked.
"Hey, that wasn't my idea! I'm not into the leather thing...it chafes in all the wrong places." Aphrodite
glared as Cupid.
"Like I chose to be Joxer?"
"Hey, if I've gotta suffer, so do you, sweetcheeks."
"Stop bickering!" Everyone turned to Gabrielle, who was not happy. "You mean to tell me you murdered
an entire village just to get us together!?"
"Whoa!"
"As if!" The goddess kept going while Cupid sulked. She smiled innocently, "When the nymphs in the area
heard what was going on, they all wanted to help out. Everybody there was immortal."
Xena rolled her eyes. However, Gabrielle wasn't amused. When she looked at Perdicas, he shrunk back.
"And what was your role in this little farce?"
