Hey peoples! Sorry for the slow update! Thank you so much for the kind reviews! I appreciate them and please keep them coming because reviews make me happy and a happy me writes better stories!! :D :P I’m sorry that the last chapter was dull but I was just trying to set down the premise of the story and to set up the characters for development. I promise it should get better in this chapter! Recommendations: Bands: Linkin Park. Books: Darren Shan Vampire Saga. Fanfics: Mine! :P Lol! Anyway, I’ll get started now! Please review! Happy reading! :D

Something Old or Something New?:

Neutral POV:

Gabrielle and Callisto were walking through a forest. They were on the way to the next town. Gabrielle wanted to go to a tavern to buy her more time. She had absolutely no idea what to do while they were waiting for Velasca to return. Callisto had been torturing her (as she always did) so she felt terribly uncomfortable. Also she knew that Callisto couldn’t be trusted so she couldn’t go and stay with the Amazons or with her parents.

There was a very awkward silence on the way to the next town. Gabrielle had nothing to say to Callisto and Callisto knew that Gabrielle was really intimidated by her so she chose not to speak, hoping it would make her feel less at ease. She was smiling to herself on the way to the next town; she could sense that Gabrielle felt very uncomfortable and loved every minute of it.

After what seemed like an age for Gabrielle they got to the next town. She got off her horse and headed for the nearest stable to put her in. Callisto stood near to the stables and waited for Gabrielle. She kept staring at her to make her feel very intimidated. She loved all of this psychological torture; the part she loved the most was that Gabrielle couldn’t do anything about it. Gabrielle had absolutely no choice but to stay with her, if she didn’t Velasca was going to give her a very painful and slow death, chances were that Callisto would do the very same thing after or if she killed Velasca. But at least she had some time to come up with a plan.

Callisto and Gabrielle started walking towards the tavern when a family suddenly caught Callisto’s eye. It was two parents holding each other’s hands and they had two little girls with them. They looked so happy and carefree, like Callisto and her family used to be. Callisto raised her hand to prepare a fireball when Gabrielle looked over to where Callisto was looking; she saw that Callisto was about to barbeque them.

“Don’t Callisto,” Gabrielle said softly standing between her and the family.

Callisto sighed.

“Why not?” Callisto moaned as she tried to get a fireball around Gabrielle.

“Because if you do then I’ll give myself up to Velasca,” Gabrielle said looking straight into Callisto’s eyes to show she was serious.

“Fine then,” Callisto said impatiently as she walked on, taking another look at the family that was so like hers.

They didn’t speak again until they got to the tavern. Gabrielle and Callisto found a table and they sat down.

“Can I help you ladies?” asked the bartender as he went up to the table.

“I’d like a chicken broth,” Gabrielle said softly.

“And you ma’am?” he asked Callisto.

“Nothing,” she said.

“Ok I’ll be back soon,” he smiled and walked away.

“Why did you want to burn that family?” Gabrielle asked.

“Why did Xena have to burn mine?” was Callisto’s reply.

“Fine then, but they were exactly like you were once. Why did you want to take that away from them?”

Callisto shrugged and smiled slightly.

“It’s what I do,” she grinned.

“I know that you were devastated after what happened to your family. But why become what you hated the most, why not fight evil?”

Callisto shrugged her shoulders again.

Then the man came with Gabrielle’s food.

“Thank you,” Gabrielle smiled as she took the food from him.

“So what are we going to do?” Gabrielle asked as she started eating.

Callisto shrugged her shoulders again and grinned.

“Velasca is weak; I hit her with a good shot, so she’ll be out for a week at least. So do whatever you usually do. I’m just going to keep an eye out for her.”

“Can’t you just pop in the check how I am then?”

“No, I’m not taking the risk of her killing you.”

Gabrielle sighed.

“Why do you hate me so much? I understand why you hate Xena but I never did anything to hurt you.”

“I don’t hate you Gabrielle. Well, a part of me does. And I do hate people in general but it’s not a personal hatred. You have everything that I ever had; loving parents, a sister that loves you and a best friend. I know you’re a good person but...in a way I was probably better, I was young and innocent. I’d never have harmed a fly. My family and I helped each other and everyone else in our village and then Xena came, she killed everyone that I ever loved and cared about. Your life is so like what mine used to be... for that I hate you.”

Gabrielle nodded. Tears were nearly escaping from her eyes but she managed to compose herself.

“Don’t get all emotional on me,” Callisto smirked.

Gabrielle paused for a moment and smiled slightly. She was wondering was Callisto opening up any bit.

“Is that why you went evil? You couldn’t control the evil and pain when you were young, so to cope with the pain you decided to control the evil?” Gabrielle asked softly.

Callisto shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, maybe but I don’t feel anything Gabrielle. Occasionally, and I mean occasionally I do but not much. Besides, killing is so much fun,” she grinned.

“But how did you change so drastically? If you were apparently like me how could you become so evil?”

“Picture yourself as a sixteen year old little girl. Your family is everything you have, everything you want. Now, watch your father get killed by soldiers, and your mother and sister burning. And just imagine the screaming. Tell me how that doesn’t give you incentive for revenge,” Callisto said softly. She started to feel something as she spoke about it; she could feel a lump in her throat and pressure in her eyes of tears trying to force themselves out. She sighed trying to force back the tears, it worked. Gabrielle noticed this but chose to let her alone. Soon Callisto’s feelings subsided.

Gabrielle didn’t speak after that. She didn’t want to push Callisto too far. Besides, she wanted to figure her out before ever trying to change her. She finished eating, paid and then she and Callisto left the tavern. Gabrielle walked a little away then she stopped and looked around. She still had no idea where to go.

“What’s this plan you have with Ares?” Gabrielle asked turning around to Callisto.

“Okay then, I’ll put the information into your mind,” Callisto said as she walked over to Gabrielle and put her hand on her forehead causing Gabrielle to flinch. There was a slight glow and Gabrielle fell back slightly. She now knew the idea.

“Are you sure that’s going to work?” Gabrielle asked.

“It has to, I’m a god, he can’t ignore it. As long as he does it.”

“And when he does you can follow him back to wherever he and Xena are staying, maybe to Mt. Olympus? Then I can talk to her.”

Callisto nodded.

“Sounds ok but how can I trust you?”

“You’ve no choice,” Callisto grinned.

Gabrielle sighed as she sat down at the end of a trailer and thought about what she was going to do. Callisto came and sat down beside Gabrielle to annoy her, it worked too!

Gabrielle sighed and put her head in her hands. She thought hard and eventually came up with an idea.

“I’ve an idea,” Gabrielle said after a while.

Callisto grinned; she assumed Gabrielle would try to send her on some retreat to make her good again. She chuckled slightly at the thought.

“What if we fight Xena’s army at her raids? You’re a god, you protect us from the army but let them live. We can try talking peace. If we do that a few times she’s bound to talk to us, maybe I can get her on our side?”

Callisto thought for a moment.

“It’s a good idea but you seem to forget I don’t fight for justice.”

“But she can help us take out Velasca, she could protect me while you fight her, with Xena on side we can’t lose.”

Callisto thought about it again and nodded.

“Yeah I guess you’re right. And that way we don’t have to worry about Ares,” she said softly.

“Do you know where she’s planning to strike next?” Gabrielle asked.

“No, but we can find out where she hits next and she’ll go to a town near there, conquerors like to go in lines, not go sporadically like your average warlord.”

Gabrielle nodded and stood up. She walked over to the stables and got her horse; she hopped up on him and went back over to Callisto. She was wearing a big grin on her face, a psychotic grin.

“What now?” she asked, frowning worrying about what Callisto might say.

“Nothing, I’ll show you later,” Callisto grinned as she started walking away.

Gabrielle sighed; she began to worry again about what Callisto might do.

Callisto stopped walking of a sudden and grinned.

“You know gods know when we’re being talked about right Gabrielle?” Callisto said.

Gabrielle nodded.

“Well, looks like Xena is planning to go to Corinth. News was that I was seen there, she’s hoping to bump into me actually, and apparently she has a proposition. What do you say we pay her a little visit?” Callisto grinned looking at Gabrielle.

“What kind of proposition does she have for you?”

“She wouldn’t say, looks like we have to go there, and you can give your ridiculous peace message.”

“A message of peace is not ridiculous!” Gabrielle insisted.

“Oh really, well I’m so sorry Gabrielle!” Callisto grinned as she spoke sarcastically.

Gabrielle sighed deeply as she started to ride her horse quickly out of town; Callisto disappeared and reappeared right beside the horse as she ran beside it.

“You’re getting sick of me aren’t you?!” Callisto grinned.

Gabrielle stopped the horse.

“I’ve been sick of you since I’ve met you!”

Callisto grinned.

“Yeah I guess you’re right, I did kill your husband after all,” she chuckled.

“Will you stop saying that?!”

“Fine then Gabrielle, I’ll stop reminding you that I sliced open your husband which caused him to die in agony and you didn’t do anything about it,” Callisto grinned.

Gabrielle grabbed her staff from a rope on the side of the horse and hit Callisto with it. She was crying at this stage. Callisto laughed as the staff didn’t hurt her.

“Will you stop doing this!? I can’t take much more of this Callisto! I’m considering just giving myself away to Velasca! At least that way I’d at least die eventually!”

Callisto paused for a moment. She suddenly felt guilty. She hadn’t felt anything remotely like guilt since Cirra, which was when she accidently pushed her sister who ended up cutting her knee. She frowned slightly; she didn’t understand really what she was feeling. She hadn’t had feelings in so long. She decided to ignore them.

“Look don’t go to Velasca, I’ll lay off,” Callisto said softly. She tried to drown out her feelings but the guilt wouldn’t go. It wasn’t that she was changing it was just that Gabrielle had a way with people; like with Xena, she helped her become a good person, that was up until she married Peridicus. When Gabrielle went away with him Xena was never the same after she came back.

Gabrielle noticed this in Callisto but didn’t say anything.

“So we’re going to Corinth?” she asked.

Callisto nodded as she started to walk on.

They travelled silently for a while, Callisto had managed to drown out her feelings by making them anger and taking it out on a few villagers that they passed. When Gabrielle wasn’t looking Callisto would incinerate them. After she killed a few people she felt back to normal. Well, her version of normal anyway. They stopped a few times for a rest, still not speaking. There was less tension than before. As soon as it came to be the evening Callisto and Gabrielle arrived in Corinth. Xena’s army was already there, ready to attack. Xena grinned evilly as Callisto and Gabrielle approached.

Callisto stood up in front of Gabrielle and Xena’s army. She grinned up at Xena who looked just as evil as Callisto.

“Hello Callisto,” Xena grinned.

“Xena, so tell me. What is this proposition of yours? I’m intrigued,” Callisto grinned.

Gabrielle looked up at Xena and felt terrible. She had never seen Xena like this, not face to face. Any fear that she had when she was with Callisto just grew.

Well that’s it for this chapter! Okay, I intended for the story to take off in this chapter and it didn’t exactly work out! I wanted to set the characters up for further development! Could you pretty please review because reviews make me happy and a happy me writes better stories and comes up with better ideas!!! Haha! ^_^ Okay then, I’ll update soon and the story will most definitely take off in the next chapter! I just decided the plot halfway through this chapter! Lol! Anyway, please review and I’ll update soon! Thanks for reading! Love you all! Bye peoples! ^_^ xXx!