"Well, I can tell you right now, Ares isn’t here."

"How do you do that? You’ve never said," Gabrielle asked.

"I don’t know how I do it. It’s like . . . I don’t know. I can’t explain it. How do you know you can throw fireballs? I just ‘feel’ him, somehow."

Gabrielle started to make obvious wisecrack, but decided not to. Instead she asked, "What about Aphrodite? Have you ever ‘felt’ her?"
 
"No. Only Ares.  But what about you? You’re a goddess now. Gods can sense each other. Or they could when they were alive. Can’t you tell if anyone’s around?"

Gabrielle closed her eyes, concentrating.  After a few minutes, she opened her eyes. "I can sense something. I can tell you’re here, but neither one of them. But I know where their Halls are."

And without thinking, she took Xena’s hand and with a flash they were in the Great Hall of Ares.

"Next time, how about a little warning?" Xena said, surprised and irritated.

"Sorry, but I wanted to get us here while I still had the, uh, whatever, feeling, I guess."

Looking around at all the swords, spears, battle-axes, maces, daggers and shields mounted on the walls, it was evident it was Ares‘, all right.

"From the dust, I’d say it’s been a while since he was here," Xena commented as she swept a clean trail across a dusty tabletop with her fingers. "Five, six months, maybe.’

"We could clean it up for him," Gabrielle volunteered.

"Why would we want to do that?" Xena asked, perplexed at her friend’s obvious ludicrous suggestion.

"Why not? It would sure throw him for a loop, trying to figure out who did it."

"He’d just guess it was Aphrodite, trying to drop a few hints about his lousy housekeeping."

"I suppose so. Do you want to see Aphrodite’s Great Hall?"

"Might as well. There’s nothing to keep us here."

Just as Gabrielle reached out for Xena’s hand, there was bright blue flash of light and a shower of sparks. And in the midst of it, Ares appeared, sword in hand, ready to do battle with whoever had violated the sanctity of his residence.

"Xena?" Ares exclaimed, confused. "Gabrielle? How did you two get here? Aphrodite? Are you here?"