FADE IN

Ares walks toward the pot of stew, Xena beside him.

XENA:
     You're leaving?

ARES (looks over at her):
     Just for a while. (looking into the pot) There's not much, but there should be enough stew for you, Gabrielle and Darion--I salvaged what I could.

Pandion walks up to Ares.

PANDION:
     Lord Ares...we should be on our way if you're coming with us.

Behind them, the thugs have begun to stir.

Xena looks from Ares to Pandion and back looking uncertain.

CUT TO

Ares is standing next to Quirinus, his black stallion, who is already saddled and ready for travel. He puts a small loaf of bread in the saddlebag, then walks over to a rock and picks up his waterskin and hangs it over the saddlehorn.

On the edge of the campsite, Pandion and Nicos are waiting on horseback.

The thugs on the ground begin to stand. They see Ares and take off running. Pandion, Nicos, Ares and Xena see the men running off into the forest. The leader, who is the last to rise, points toward Ares, looking very menacing.

LEAD THUG:
     This isn't over.

He snarls, then turns and follows the rest of the men out of the camp. Pan to Ares as he sighs, shaking his head, then turns back to his horse. Xena walks up to him.

XENA (slightly saddened, touching Quirinus' neck):
     You don't want me to come with you? Together we could--

ARES (shakes his head, cutting her off softly):
     No.

She's taken aback slightly. He puts his hand over hers.

ARES:
     You need to stay and be there for Gabrielle. And Darion. Besides... Pandion is one of my followers. This is something I have to do on my own.

She nods slowly.

XENA (with a half-smile):
     Be safe.

She squeezes his fingers and then he raises her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

ARES (a little emotional):
     You too.

Ares lets go of Xena's hand and steps back. He turns, mounting Quirinus. He grips the reigns and turns the horse around.

XENA (with a playful grin, trying to lighten the mood):
     Don't go starting any fights, now.

ARES (innocently):
     Who, me?

They chuckle, then grow serious.

ARES:
     I'll see you soon.

Xena nods, and Ares gallops off. Pandion and Nicos ride off with him. She watches until they've disappeared amongst the trees.

XENA (quietly):
     See you soon...

DISSOLVE TO

Ares and Pandion are riding through the forest, Nicos riding with Pandion.

The trees are dense. Up ahead the glimpse of stone becomes visible through the leaves. Ares and Pandion ride toward it and a stone temple slowly comes into view. Ares slows Quirinus' pace as he rides up to the temple. It looks old and dilapidated, covered in green vines that grow through cracks in the stones winding their way up to the roof of the building. Shrubbery nearly covers the entrance. It looks like it's been abandon for years.

The symbol of the God of War--a black dagger with two long prongs on a red background--is painted on the wooden doors. The paint is chipped and nearly worn off completely.

PANDION:
     I guess when you leave a temple unattended for years it's not of much interest to Brygus.

ARES:
     So he's been taking my temples for himself, huh.

PANDION:
     Indeed. Destroying all of your possessions and replacing them with his own. In the last few months, he's taken six of your temples within seven leagues of here. No doubt he will take more before his reign is over.

ARES:
     So he thinks he's a god?

PANDION:
     I don't know--but he's a mortal with the ego of a god. Perhaps the most dangerous thing of all.

The sound of a vase breaking and men's laughter can be heard. Ares and Pandion turn toward the temple and see movement inside.

ARES (looks at Pandion):
     What was that you were saying about Brygus having no interest?

Pandion shrugs.

Ares dismounts and walks up to the door.

CUT TO

Inside the temple, the place is covered in dust and cobwebs. Broken vases on the floor, the weapons that were once on the walls are gone, and even the symbols of war--skulls, bones--lie smashed amongst the rubble.

Half a dozen of Brygus' soldiers--much like the thugs from before but these men are better-armed--are standing around, laughing, as one of the men pulls a dusty banner down from the wall--red and with the same dagger symbol--throwing it on the ground and stomping on it.

LEAD SOLDIER:
     To think the God of War used to call this place a sanctuary. Ha! Good riddance. As a god, he was a force to be reckoned with. As a mortal, he's nothing but a washed-up has-been.

ARES (off camera, faintly yet booming):
     That's what you think.

The warriors looks around, startled by the voice that seemed to come out of thin air. A few of them look nervous. Suddenly, the door of the temple bursts open, so hard that it falls creating a plumb of dust. Ares slowly walks into the temple as the dust settles, looking cocky and sure of himself--strutting very much like the God of War would. His sword is drawn, lying it across his shoulder casually, tapping the hilt with his thumb.

ARES:
     That's my temple you're trespassing on.

The soldiers laugh.

LEAD SOLDIER:
     Your temple? The God of War is no more. (looking Ares up and down, mockingly) Without your powers, you're not that impressive, you know that?

ARES:
     We all change. (walks toward them, giving his sword a few good twirls) Sometimes for the better...

In a quick motion that only the God of War could be capable of, he swings and is able to simultaneously slice the lead soldier across the arm, leaving a large gash, and disarms him. The soldier's sword slides across the temple floor, stopping in a pile of rubble.

The soldier looks at the gash on his arm.

ARES (shrugs):
     ...sometimes for the worse.

Angering the lead soldier, he signals the attack. From the door, Pandion and Nicos can be seen walking up, looking in.

Ares counters the soldier's attack, dodging the blades and pushing them back. The debris under their feet makes it more difficult to fight on uneven ground, kicking up dust with each movement. Pandion and Nicos enter.

Ares knocks one of the warriors against the wall, and a metal shield still hanging from a hook teeters a bit but does not fall. Two other warriors attack Ares at once. He is able to disarm one of them quite easily while the other puts up more of a fight--ducking under Ares' blade and kicking Ares in the leg.

The lead soldier attacks Ares from behind, and Ares swings back, just as one of the other soldiers swings from the side. Ares dodges the blade and grabs the arm of the man at his side and twists his sword arm back nearly to the point of breaking it. At the same time, Ares uses his sword behind his back to deflect the blow from the leader.

Pandion attacks one of the soldiers and knocks him out, with Nicos' help who gives the soldier a swift kick to the head.

Ares twists the arm more until the man drops his sword and cries out in pain. Ares kicks him in the chest, then turns around toward the leader so that they are standing face to face. The leader swings and Ares deflects the blade. The leader charges forward and with a kick, pushes Ares back against the wall. The force causes the shield above him to fall. Ares leans to one side out of the way as it crashes to the ground.

Ares and the leader spar for a few more minutes. Ares' fighting skills are superior. He finally disarms the leader, knocking the sword out of reach and stepping on the blade.

ARES (moves in close to the leader's face, threatening):
     You tell Brygus...that the God of War is still in business whether he's immortal or not.

He knocks the warrior out with a swift punch to the face. The rest of the warriors lie unconscious on the temple floor behind him.

Ares looks up at Pandion and Nicos.

The glint of metal at the base of the stone altar catches Ares' eye. He finds a small gold ornate dagger, the blade chipped and unpolished, the gold of the hilt tarnished and many of the jewels that had been embedded into the hilt have been removed leaving only empty holes behind.

He picks it up, staring at it reflectively and with a look of recognition but as if he doesn't know where he's seen it before. Then he looks around at the temple that was once magnificent but now is nothing more than a shadow of its former self

ARES (somewhat solemn, turning the dagger in his hand):
     How the mighty have fallen...

Pandion walks up.

PANDION (slapping a hand on Ares' shoulder in camaraderie):
     Not today.

Ares looks at him thoughtfully.

CUT TO

Dusk. Ares and Pandion (with Nicos) riding through a forest.

PANDION:
     We'll be at the camp before dark.

ARES:
     So this temple you're trying to reclaim, which one is it?

PANDION:
     Your greatest and oldest temple. (pause) The one that stands on the hill of the Areopagus.

Ares stares at him, surprised and Pandion nods slowly.

PANDION:
     It was Brygus' crowning achievement to take that hill. At night, he captured the temple and stripped it of its ancient, sacred artifacts, setting them ablaze in a bonfire so large that the glow from the flames could be seen from the neighboring city of Plataea, some say. King Actaeon sent his army to reclaim it but many lives were lost. Brygus' army was more powerful than they could imagine. Actaeon's devotion to you was strong but the safety of his people and his city was more important. So he sent word to followers of yours all over the southern part of Greece, hoping that those still devoted to you and the cause would be able to rise up and bring Brygus down.

After a moment of soaking this in, Ares nods slowly, chuckling a little.

ARES:
     Looks like I may have more work cut out for me than I thought.

PANDION (nods slowly):
     Brygus' main purpose has been to destroy the reputation of the God of War.

PANDION:
     Our numbers are a lot less than what they used to be when you were still a god, and we've suffered a lot of defeats over the last few months. When Actaeon put me in charge of this army, I was prepared to do whatever it took to build up a force strong enough to get the Areopagus back, and ultimately to defeat Brygus. (smiles) With you here now, leading us, we will not fail.

ARES (slows his horse):
     Leading?

PANDION:
     Of course. I am giving you command. It's what the God of War is best at, right?

Ares stares at him then nods slowly.

CUT TO

A small, makeshift campsite set up at the edge of the forest. Ares and Pandion ride in. There are half a dozen men surrounding a campfire, preparing a meal. Beside one of the tents, there is a wagon with two large horses. The men look up to see Pandion, Ares and Nicos ride in. One of the men, an older, scruffy, blonde man, turns around when he sees them. This is Zarek.

Pandion stops the horse and Nicos dismounts, coming up to Zarek.

ZAREK:
     Did you get it?

NICOS (nods, holding up the scroll):
     I did.

ZAREK (smiles):
     That's my boy.

Zarek pulls him into a brief hug which the boy seems to protest but goes along with it anyway.

NICOS:
     It could have ended worse than it did. Ares saved my life, Dad.

Zarek looks curious.

ZAREK:
     Ares. The...former God of War?

ARES (grins, walking up):
     Is there any other?

ZAREK (genuine):
     Thank you for saving my son. (pause) I--didn't expect to see you during this war.

ARES:
     Neither did I.

PANDION (walking up):
     He can be of great help to us.

ZAREK (nods slowly):
     He can. More than half of this army are former worshipers of yours. Some top ranking generals, most simple foot soldiers, but all devoted to the cause. (slaps a hand on Pandion's shoulder) Pandion, here, was one of your most elite generals in this province.

ARES:
     And what about you? Where do you sit among the ranks of my followers?

ZAREK:
     I gave up worshiping the God of War long ago. I had seen too much of war. Nearly lost my life during a battle on the night my son was born. I realized that my family meant more to me than the life of a warrior. I haven't raised a sword in your name in...over 16 years. (pause) But this...is different.

Ares looks around at the camp.

ARES (to Pandion):
     This can't be the entire army.

PANDION (chuckles):
     Oh no. There are about seventy more where these came from. We're traveling to a nearby village of loyalists to retrieve a stash of weapons and armor we liberated from one of your temples two weeks ago, just before Brygus took control of it. We hid them for safe keeping until we could return.

Zarek looks at Pandion.

ZAREK:
     While you were out, we've had news of the village of Arcan.

PANDION (cautiously):
     And?

ZAREK:
     It's been wiped out, just like the others.

PANDION (troubled):
     The more villages that come under attack, the more soldiers we lose--either to fear, or to the need to protect their own families. (takes the scroll from Nicos) With this, we may be able to stop him before he can do any more damage. (looks at Ares) And with Ares leading us, we cannot fail.

Ares looks at them as they slowly begin to chant "Ares! Ares! Ares!" and pumping their fists in the air with vigor. He begins to smile, soaking it in.

CUT TO

Inside a tent. Ares stands next to Pandion with a goblet of wine in his hands, sipping it occasionally. There is a map lying on the table that has circles in some places on it, some with "X's" through them and others without. Ares, Pandion and Zarek are hovering over it.

PANDION (pointing to the map):
     The Areopagus lies north of here. These are the villages that have been destroyed. (indicates the "X's") If there's a pattern to these attacks, we haven't found it yet.

ZAREK:
     Even if there is, we have no way of knowing where he'll attack next.

PANDION (shakes head):
     No.

ARES:
     Maybe we don't have to. (Pandion and Zarek look at him) We go to these villages and prepare them--keep men stationed in each village to ward off attackers if and when it happens.

PANDION (shakes head):
     You haven't seen what these attacks are like. They hit like some natural disaster, annihilating everything in its path.

Ares looks troubled.

ZAREK:
     We figure Brygus has been the cause of these attacks as he's the only one around here powerful enough to do something like this, but we don't know what his purpose has been. Many of these villages had no affiliation with the God of War. It's all so random.

ARES (firmly):
     Whatever the reason, we'll stop him.

CUT TO

Day. Ares, Pandion, Zarek and the rest of the men are riding through the forest. Nicos is driving the wagon.

Pandion looks over at Ares silently, clearly something is on his mind.

ARES (noticing Pandion's look out of the corner of his eye):
     Yes?

PANDION:
     Nothing, I was just wondering... Why didn't Xena come with you? I've...heard you two have been spending time together. I figured she'd--

ARES:
     Xena has her own duties, just as I do. I told her I needed to do this on my own.

PANDION:
     You mean, you needed war--and she couldn't be a part of that.

ARES:
     What are you talking about? She's fought in plenty of wars--still does.

PANDION (quietly):
     But you feel its pull...in a way she never will.

Ares is silent for a moment.

ARES:
     Maybe...

They hear the sounds of fighting. Ares and Pandion ride on faster while the others follow. Nicos stays with the wagon.

CUT TO

In a clearing, five warriors in simple brown leather are fighting back against twelve soldiers in silver armor--Brygus' men. Two of the warriors are older men with graying hair and the other three are younger ranging from late 20's-early 40's. Ares and Pandion arrive in the clearing and attack Brygus' men, Ares' soldier's following.

Ares takes on two of Brygus' men while Pandion and the other men take on the rest. Ares dodges their blades and Pandion and his other soldiers can hold their own well. Ares parries a sword maneuver from one of the men and stabs another with his sword. As he pulls his blade out, he hears the shout of one of the younger men. He looks up and sees one of the older men fighting back against one of Brygus' soldiers. The older man is able to parry the sword thrusts but is clearly growing weaker. Ares knocks out the man he is fighting and charges forward but is stopped when an eager young soldier of Brygus jumps in his way, grinning and twirling his sword. Ares is forced into another fight.

Pandion and the other men are busy with their soldiers. The older man has his sword knocked from his hands and is pushed to the ground. The soldier of Brygus moves toward him and holds out his sword.

YOUNGER WARRIOR (seeing the old man on the ground):
     No!

The younger man runs up and pushes himself in front of the older man. He looks up at the soldier.

YOUNGER WARRIOR:
     Please. Don't hurt him. We'll leave, if that's what you want.

BRYGUS' SOLDIER:
     Sorry. Not how it works.

The soldier grabs the young man by the collar and lifts him to his feet, tossing him aside like a used rag. He turns to the old man.

OLDER MAN (begs):
     Please.

Ares breaks through the men he is fighting and rushes forward just as Brygus' soldier brings the sword down onto the man, stabbing him in the stomach. He screams in pain, and the young man screams as well, charging forward. Brygus' soldier turns and without a thought, slashes the young man across the chest. He falls down, landing on top of the older man, their wounds bleeding profusely. They both die.

Ares watches this, clearly shocked and disturbed. One of Brygus' soldiers charges Ares, taking advantage of his distraction, and slices him across the arm. Ares turns to face him--but just then, Pandion stabs the soldier and he dies.

In a quick, angry motion, Ares turns toward the soldier who had killed the two men. With one swipe of his sword, he slices it across the soldier's throat. The soldier brings his hands to his neck, blood seeping out through his fingers, and falls to the ground. Ares watches the soldier gasp and die and then looks once more at the two fallen men as we:

FADE OUT

END OF ACT ONE