Dax: The Legendary Warrior

[Dustersincc]

This is the first installment of a proposed series that I have created based upon the television shows Hercules - The Legendary Journies and Xena - Princess Warrior. Although I use several established characters, in no way should these writings reflect the actual actors who portrayed those characters nor imply their sexualities.

Mount Olympus stood tall into the dark and gloomy sky. The black clouds surrounded it's peak, shadowing it in a cast of grey, indicating that a storm was approaching. Inside, another kind of storm was also on the rise. . .

Hera, the Queen of the Gods, sat in her throne room, her brown hair cascading around her shoulders. The grey robe she wore drooped loosely over her plump breasts as she exhaled a silent breath. She was waiting for someone and her patience appeared to be wearing thin by the way she breathed another sigh. She stood and walked over to her "wishing pond". A stoned bird bath with a small puddle of water in it, water that cast it's own secrets.

Behind her, a silent flicker of light lit up the corner, but was gone in under a blink of an eye. It was so quiet that it did not disturb the still of the air. Yet, Hera felt the presence.

"Welcome, Ares," she cooed with a half grin on her face. She didn't need to look back, for she was sure of who it was. "Nice of you to drop in."

The God of War stepped out from the corner shadows, a curious grin settling upon his face. Dressed in midnight leather and his black mane curled at the baseline of his shoulders, Ares approached Hera, who was now standing beside her wishing "pond".

"Hera," he addressed her while dipping into a slight bow. "I must say that I was -- intrigued -- by your invite. . ."

"I'm sure you were," she sniffed, sensing the sarcastic tone in Ares' voice. She turned to look at him and grinned even more. "I want your opinion on something."

"My opinion?" he replied with a raise of his eyebrow. "This should be interesting."

"Believe me," she said. "I'm sure you will find it very interesting."

Hera dipped her hand into the cool water of the "pond", and with her fingers, she twirled around ripples, creating a replica of a whirlwind. As Ares gazed inside, he could slowly make out a figure inside the water. It was of a boy -- no, a young man. He looked to be no more than seventeen or maybe eighteen years old. Handsome to the eye, his toned, bronzed skin reflected years of hard outdoor work. His light brown hair sat in an unkempt state atop his head. He wore an open vest that displayed the lack of hair upon his chest, and a pair of leather shorts that revealed just enough skin. They were looped around his waist by a thin leather strap, tied together on both sides, exposing smooth, clear skin down his hip. Then it was pulled rather tightly between his legs where the other two ends met. He also wore furry boots, laced together by strings, sitting rather comfortably upon his feet.

He appeared to be walking along a path. An outstretched plains area scattered off in one direction to the left of him, while a heavy thicket of woods were cluttered to his right.

"Hmmmm," Ares breathed. "I've seen him before. In my dreams. I've dreamt about him."

"You have?" Hera replied, sounding not at all surprised.

"I don't know who he is, though," Ares admitted. "Haven't been able to track him down."

"Have you tried?" Hera asked.

"No," he said with a smirk.

"Maybe you should," she suggested. "I want you to do something for me, Ares. I want you to send a couple of men down their to dispose of him."

Ares raised his eyebrow as he gave Hera a curious look. However, without getting a visual response from the Queen of the Gods, he shrugged off his curiosity.

"Ok," he simply said.

Ares raised his right hand and pressed his forefinger and thumb together. With a small rubbing motion, a small ball of bright, white light immensed forth. It became no bigger than his finger nail when he let the ball of light drop into the water.


***

Dax walked along the well-worn trail that stretched from the city of Athens all the way to the sea. Dax' home was settled right between the two, off the main road. He grew up in the city under the watchful eyes of both his mother Dianna (from close by) and father Autolycus (from afar) - the two had been seperated since his birth. With his mother being a princess, he grew up inside a very well protected castle. He had felt shrouded and almost claustrophobic due to the strict rules set with his guardians, so once he became of age he was more than relieved to live outside the confines of the city.

As he walked along, Dax noticed the subtle change in atmosphere. He stopped in his pace. Perking up his hearing sensitivity, he thought oddly about how all of the birds had stopped singing. It was his warning and he knew it. He didn't know how he knew it but he just did.

As he turned towards the forest, a crackle from the branches gave him his call. Three big, burly men slid down from the trees where they had been lying in wait. Instantly, Dax jumped back in preparation. The three men, with exemptionally long swords swinging in the sky, charged at him with vicious battle cries.

Dax leaped into the air. He grabbed his ankles and somersaulted over the assailants heads and came to rest on the ground behind them. He had retrieved two daggers that had been hidden in his boots and by the time the three men turned to face him again, the daggers were already airborn. Two of the men fell to the ground with a thud, while the third continued his approach.

Dax kicked his foot up and with a wide swipe, the sword flew from the attacker's hand. Dax then thrust his palm into the man's throat, causing him to fall backwards to the ground gasping for air. As Dax stepped to him, the attacker pulled out a dagger and shoved it forward. Dax grabbed the man's hand, twisted it with a snap and lunged it into the assailant's own chest. It was all over within 30 seconds.


***

"Interesting," Ares said as he stood next to Hera with his hand cupping his bearded chin. "I haven't seen moves like that since. . ."
Hera interrupted him. "You said that you've dreamt about him," she said. "So have I. Which means only one thing."

Ares looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "And that would be?" he finally asked.

"He's a danger to us," she answered. "The dreams are warnings. He must be destroyed."

"How can he be a danger to us?" Ares asked with an intimidating giggle.

"Because it's in his blood."

The God of War straightened his stance as the seriousness overtook his face. "Who is he?" he asked with caution.

"His name is Dax," she replied. "He is the son of Hercules and Xena."

Ares' mouth dropped open as he fell into a state of shock.


In a time long ago. . .
And a land far away. . .

A man was born. . .
Half mortal - half God. . .
His incredible strength. . .
Was overpowered only by. . .
The gift of his heart. . .
His name was Hercules.

And a woman
Once cruel. . . once ruthless. . .
Her sins of the past. . .
Were placed behind her. . .
In exchange for the goodness. . .
Her name was Xena.

Together and seperately. . .
They defended mankind. . .
Against the harshness of the Gods. . .
But now they've gone. . .
They've left behind a legacy. . .
And his name is Dax.


Dax: The Legendary Warrior


The slap of the heigh echoed throughout the small plantation that Dax had made for himself. The land was settled on about three acres of clear, flat plains, with vegetation growing in an organized fashion in one small corner. Off behind the settlement was an even bigger stretch which contained corralled horses and two cows feeding off the wild grass out there.

Dax' house was a small one, built by himself. It consisted of only one bedroom, a living room and a kitchenette area. It was cozy for just one person but could be expanded if there was ever a time when a family might come into his life. A barn of equal size rested opposite his home. This was where Dax spent most of his time. He took care of his horses and cows and made sure that they were well-fed and groomed at all times.

He was shirtless, and he seemed oblivious to his muscles rippling throughout his skin as he slung the fresh bound of heigh from his wagon down onto the ground before starting the not-so-difficult task of hauling it into the barn. Dax was not like other men he'd known. Manual labor came easy for him. It wasn't so much that he was a hard worker, but he actually enjoyed it and he always assumed that that was why he seemed to have more enduring agility.

His chest was tight and well-defined. Hardened by the life's labor he'd been used to yet softened still from his youthfulness. Without warning, however, his daily routine was suddenly interrupted. The prickles of hair on the back of his neck stood on end. The sudden sensation caught him totally by surprise.

It was a strange feeling that he couldn't explain, so unlike the feeling he had gotten earlier when he was bombarded with the three attackers. Before, he had noticed the sudden stillness in the air when the birds had stopped singing in response to the intruders in their trees. This one was different and it made him turn to gaze out toward the land behind him.

The birds were still in their song among various trees scattered around his farm. The horses and cows were grazing off in the distance, swatting at flies with their tails. The light wind ruffled his feathery brown hair, not so differently than it always had. But something was still wrong. He felt it but couldn't quite explain it. And the hairs on the back of his neck continued to rise in warning.

"Well, it's nice that you inherited one thing from your mother," a voice said in Dax' ear directly from behind him.

In a startled daze, Dax spun around to see himself face to face with a stranger who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The poor lad jumped back in fright, tumbled over a plantation fork lying on the ground and fell flat on his rear.

"Wha--what?" he spat out in disbelief.

"Your mother could always sense when I was around, too," Ares said.

Dax quickly raised himself to his feet as his eyes looked the man dressed in black over a couple of times.

"You're Ares, aren't you?" he said. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Ah, so you've heard of me," Ares declared with pride.

"Only from what the townspeople have said," Dax replied. "Why are you here? What do you want from me?"

"I merely want to chat," Ares assured him with a gleam in his eye. "A chance to meet with you."

"Well, I hate to disappoint, but I'm not exactly a follower of yours," Dax deadpanned.

Ares roared with laughter as the boy stepped back a foot, unsure of what might come next. "You are your mother's son," he stated.

He approached Dax where he could see the fear pronounced in the lads hazelish-green eyes. The God of War smiled as he reached his hand up and placed it on the side of the boys face.

"You have your mother's eyes," he said weakly as he caressed Dax' cheek. "Soft yet full of -- spirit!"

Ares' deep brown eyes then lowered to Dax' uncovered chest. His hand dropped to the lads smooth breast. Turning his palm outward, Ares rubbed the back of his hand across the surface, slightly grazing across the left nipple.

Dax' eyes closed as he suppressed an unexpected groan. The feeling of his body being gently touched like this stirred an emotion deep inside the young fellow.

"You have your father's body," Ares then said in a more starched tone. "But. . ." he paused as his voice became soft again, "that can be overlooked."

Dax continued to keep his eyes clsoed as Ares stepped around behind him. The God of War ran his eyes down the backside of the lad where he let out a slight moan.

"At least you have your mothers. . ." he began.

"What's all this talk about my parents?" Dax asked while stepping away and turning to face the man. There was a sense that he really didn't want to know the answer but was now too curious not to ask.

"Oh," Ares sighed with a shrug. "You might say that we were close at one point."

"I don't believe you," Dax stated, holding his ground. "My parents would have nothing to do with the God of War."

Unexpectedly, Ares roared with laughter. "My dear boy, I. . ." He stopped as a sudden realization came over him. "Who are your parents?"

"Princess Dianna of Athens and Prince Autolycus of Thebes," Dax replied.

Once again, Ares burst into laughter as Dax stood there, dumbfounded.

"That explains it!" Ares shouted with his laugh.

Dax refused to reply. Instead, he just allowed Ares to come down from his fit to let him continue.

"That explains it," he said again as he wiped a laughter tear from his eye. "That explains why you were hidden from me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dax stated with full seriousness.

"Your mother is a nose-high princess who doesn't know the difference between a jack ass and a horses rear. And your father is none other than a self-proclaimed King of Thieves! Don't you think there's something wrong with all of that and the skills you possess in a good fight? Surely you didn't inherit it from them!"

"A good fight?" Dax repeated. "Was that you earlier?"

"Not me, but I instigated it. Yes."

"What for?" the boy asked.

"To test you," Ares replied matter-of-factly. "To see if you really were who we thought you were."

"Am I?" Dax questioned with sarcasm.

"Oh yes. And more!"

"What are you talking about?" the lad finally asked with a sense of annoyance in his voice.

"I think it's time you found how who you really are and where you really came from," Ares said with a satisfactory smile on his face. He stepped to Dax and wrapped his left arm around his shoulder. "I hate to break this to you, kid, but your parents are not who you think they are. Allow me."

With that, Ares raised his right hand and a bright light engulfed the two, causing them to disappear from the very spot they were standing.


***

"What's this?" Dax asked in a mock tone as he looked around at his new surroundings.

It was a huge hall, semi-dark, lit by only a few torches spread out along the stone walls. There were shields and swords and engravings carved between those torches, obviously set up as some sort of recognition.

"Do you know what this place is?" Ares questioned as he visibly shivered at his own knowledge.

"Of course," Dax replied. "It's the Temple of Hercules."

"Yeah," Ares muttered with another shiver.

"I've been here before," Dax said. "Several times. When I was little." He stepped forward and looked to the far end of the room. There, upon a pedestal, stood an eight foot stoned figurine of Hercules. He was dressed in his golden shirt, with his chest exposed down to the top of his naval. Brown leather pants sheathed his legs, meeting furry boots on the feet, much the same as Dax'. The semi-long hair cascaded down just past his broad shoulders as he stood there, with a smile, as if proud to be made of stone. "Why did you bring me here?" he asked without looking at Ares.

"This, my dear boy, is your true father," Ares stated. "He seeded your mother sometime before his demise. I have a feeling of when that was, since I was there. One of the few times your mother -- didn't -- notice me."

Dax slowly climbed the stairwell that led to the platform where the statue stood. He recalled Hercules being so tall when he was just a boy. But now that he was grown, the figure, although still impressive, wasn't as tall anymore. Dax reached up and placed a hand on Hercules' arm. He slowly let it run down the length before pulling away.

"Hercules was half God and half mortal," Ares explained. "Which made it impossible for mortals and immoral for Gods to kill him."

"What do you mean -- immoral?"

"Well, there's a little stipulation written somewhere that Gods can't kill other Gods," Ares said with a shrug before going on. "Anyways, I despised him with all my passion."

"I imagine you did," Dax stated as he turned to face the God of War. "Hercules was for the greater good whereas you. . ." he stopped as if afraid to go on.

"No," Ares corrected. "That wasn't it. Well, that was partly it but not the sole reason."

"Then explain more," Dax practically demanded as he returned down the steps.

"Hercules was the bastard son of my father, Zues and a mortal named Alcamene. Because he was only a half God then he was free to live in the normal world. Zues saw that as a strength. He saw it as a way to bring mortals and Gods closer together. Although I was his firstborn with his wife, Hera, he always put Hercules first. He even tried to tempt him into taking over the throne when the day would come when Zues stepped down."

"Did it work?" the boy inquired.

"No," Ares snapped in a harsh tone. "The strength that he saw was nothing more than a pitiful weakness. In the end, it corrupted Zues and killed him."

Dax froze in his steps as he saw the bitterness escape from Ares.

"Hera has hated Hercules from the day she found out about him," the God of War continued. "As did I. I wanted to see him dead more often than I could count."

"How did he die?" Dax asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Ares replied with a roll of his eyes. "There was a big fight between Hera, Zues and Hercules. I was out to lunch. Anyways, the good became the bad. The bad became the good. Zues was killed. And Hercules disappeared. Nobody knew what happened to him. The story goes that he was killed, too."

"That's certainly the story," Dax stated with a nod. "But I'm sure there's more to it than that."

"Oh, I'm sure there is also," Ares agreed. "But I could care less about the specifics as long as he's dead."

"So, if what you're saying is true. . . about Hercules being my real father, how did you find me?"

"Hera was the one who discovered you," the God answered as he stepped up to meet Dax face to face. "She sent me to kill you."

"To kill me?" Dax repeated in a strong voice that was obviously faked.

"That's right."

"So, what's stopping you, Ares?" Dax challanged. "Is it the fact that I'm also half God?"

Ares gave a slight chuckle. "You need to watch that mouth of yours, little man. It reminds me of someone I used to be very fond of. And no, you're not half God. You're probably like only a quarter of a God or something. I haven't really checked into those dynamic yet."

Dax turned around to face the statue of Hercules once again. "Then go ahead and kill me," he stated in a brave voice. "I have no defense over someone like you."

"On the contrary, my dear boy," Ares whispered as he ran his index finger up the length of Dax' right arm. "You are building defenses the more I get to know you."

Fully aware of the caressing from Ares, Dax still did his best to hold himself steady.

"Now," the God of War continued, "it's time for you to find out who the other half of you is." With a flicker of light, they both were gone.


***

Dax now found himself standing before a sitting figurine of Gabrielle, dressed in her red mini-skirt and half top, clutching a staff in her right hand.

"You've got to be kidding!" he stated.

"Hehe! No," Ares corrected him. "If you were the offspring of that irritating blonde then I'd have no problem doing away with you." Ares pointed directly behind Gabrielle to an almost lifelike replica of Xena, standing at a stance with her sword in hand.

Dax' mouth dropped open as he slowly approached the statue. His eyes were even with her knees, right about where her round shockram hung from her belt loop. Her whip curled up on the other side of her hip. Her leather chest plate glittered with bronze. Her black hair sat upon one shoulder. Her face beamed with pride.

"Mother?" he whispered in shock.

"Yes. Well, no," Ares corrected him again. "Not the mother that you know. Amazing similarities, though. I can see why she left you in the care of Princess Dianna. Have you ever been here before?"

"No," Dax replied silently. "Is this Xena?"

"Yes."

"I've heard stories about her. I never knew there was a temple for her. Where are we?"

"This isn't exactly a temple since she wasn't a God," Ares explained. "It's more like a shrine. And we're in India, by the way. She was most revered here."

Dax walked around the pedestal, studying the woman more closely.

"What have you heard about Xena?" Ares asked.

"Only that she was a lot like Hercules," Dax answered. "She fought for the good, also."

"Xena was more than that," Ares stated. "Much more. In fact, she used to be a baddy. Which was why I held her in such high regards. I enjoyed her work. She made it her life to begin wars and to start riots and to kill as many people as she could."

"That's not this Xena," Dax stated.

"Oh yes it is," Ares replied with a smirk. "But then, alas, my terminally ill half-brother made it his business to corrupt her. Therefor she was changed -- into something -- good. I still had a thing for her, though. And countlessly tried to bring her back to the. . . bad side."

"Obviously she refused," the boy said.

"Yes," the God of War replied. "But that never stopped me."

"She's very beautiful," Dax commented.

"That she was. But that wasn't what attracted me to her," Ares said as he stepped up behind Dax. "She had spunk. She had a fire within her. A special fire that no other has ever had. I saw it in her moves. I saw it in her eyes. She had a will within her. A strong will." Ares placed his hands upon Dax' bare shoulders. One continued on down his chest towards a nipple. Dax turned to face him, pulling slightly out of Ares' grasp.

"And this is why you can't kill me?" the boy asked in a statement.

"For so long I've wanted someone to stand by me," Ares explained. "I've wanted someone who was as strong as I. Someone who was as ruthless. I've needed someone to share my temple with. Someone who could live up to the task of being with the God of War. I've yet to find that someone."

Dax stared directly into Ares' powerful eyes. He felt the connection. It was strange to him but he still felt it.

"With the right shaping, and the right molding," Ares continued, "it's not too late to find that someone." He raised his hands to Dax' face. "It's not too late," he repeated as he leaned closer and planted a small single kiss on Dax' lips.

Failing to resist, Dax allowed himself to get locked into an embrace as Ares' hands roamed around Dax' backside. The boy was lost. He felt like he was in a dreamworld. He knew and understood what Ares was and what he represented. But the fact that he was a God and a very handsome one, still was exciting to him.

Ares kissed again and this time Dax returned the motion. "You even kiss like your mother!" he exclaimed in passion.

Dax remained silent, unaware of what to say. But apparently his body was already saying it. Ares' eyes shifted downward and he smiled at the boy's erect state. And then an even bigger grin spread across his lips.

"You're a virgin, aren't you?" he stated with wide eyes. Dax didn't reply. He didn't need to since his facial expressions already had. "Oh, let me have you," Ares begged as a bed suddenly appeared directly behind Dax. "Please, let me have you."

The lad silently fell back onto the bed as Ares climbed on top, returning to kissing the boy on the mouth, and on the cheek, and down around his neck. "You don't know what this would do to me," Ares beamed as he slid to one side. He stopped in an effort to get his own breathing under control.

Dax, meanwhile was clearly excited. His breathing was rapid, he appeared almost delirious. And his erect member was still at attention. Ares placed his hand across the smooth chest of the young lad. He rubbed his palm across it, carefully touching each nipple.

"It would be so perfect, my dear boy," he said as he leaned forward to gently kiss one of the nipples. "Having you as a virgin. Then taking you as my partner. It's all a God ever hoped for." His hand slid downward and inside the leg seem of Dax' shorts. It quickly found the lad's hard cock, already seaping precum out of it. He stroked it a few times, creating a moan from the boy, which caused Ares to kiss him on the lips once again. "All you have to do is say yes," he said. "Let me have you. Tell me yes and I can change you right now."

Dax moaned again as Ares pushed back the cloth around the lad's groin area. His cock bounced straight up into the air and Ares ran his thumb around the moist head. "Just say yes," he whispered between the kissing.

"I can't," Dax said as he fought to regain control.

"What?" asked Ares. The mood suddenly shifted.

"I can't," he repeated. "I just can't. Please, get off."

"Why not?"

"I - I just can't. Get off, please!" Dax slid out from underneath Ares, whose mouth was hanging open in disbelief. As he stood, Dax fixed his shorts to try and cover his still rock hard penis. "This is not right," he explained as he looked at the statue of Xena. "If what you said is true. . ." Tears began to well up in his eyes as the seriousness of what he'd been told was now finally starting to sink in.

"Alright, alright," Ares replied in a more sympathetic tone. Then he sighed. "I suppose this has been somewhat of a rush to you." He stood up to approach Dax and positioned himself directly in front of the boy. "Give me your hand."

Subconsciencely, Dax held out his hand. Ares took it and placed it on his own crotch. It was semi-hard, Dax could feel, and he was also amazed at the size it felt through the black cloth. He didn't attempt to pull his hand away.

"I've never been this direct with anyone," he said, "with the exception of Xena. I am willing to wait. But I won't give up." With that, he leaned in and kissed Dax on the lips again, this time, thrusting his tongue into the other's mouth. And, with a flash of blinding light, Dax woke up, alone in his bed, back in his house.


Until next time. . .