Chapter 1

Ali's POV

I am working on my scrolls. I know how to read and write like most of my age mates. I still can only hear Zoe and the voices of the Gods and Goddesses I adjusted though. Laria still spends extra time with me, and Nellie is still my Special Helper dog. Rosie my little sister is a year old now. She can walk but she didn't like to. She prefers to crawl. Mama says it's because she's not steady on her legs yet, I don't get why our cousin Vander, could walk and run like right after he was born Zoe says it's 'cause he's a centaur. It's almost summer's end and we're traveling on Argo, and Kari to Grandma Inn, because I need Nellie. Mama is driving Kari who is pulling a cart with me, Rosie, Nellie and Zoe in the back. And Mommy is riding Argo. We couldn't bring my coin but Mama told Mommy with the baby, and the Dog a cart would be best and Zoe volunteered Kari, So we took the cart. Rosie is sitting in a special seat that, Laria built to keep her safe in the cart, and we even have some bags in the cart. We are three days away from the village. Mommy and Zoe were out hunting, and Mama was tickling Rosie's belly. Nellie was at my feet. I'm glad she could come, Kallen couldn't. he had to stay behind, Zoe got mad she wanted her Dog to come too, but Mama said her Dog wasn't a helper Dog and didn't do anything Mama and Mommy couldn't do.

Gabrielle's POV

Ali was writing, Rosie was laughing, Zoe and Xena came back with rabbits and birds butchered and ready for the stew pot. They put down their weapons and put down the butchered birds and rabbits.

"All ready for you my bard….."

Zoe went over and put her hand on Ali's shoulder, Ali brought her head up. "Hey, Ali, why don't we search for vegetables?" Zoe said. "You and Me…."

"That sounds like a great idea." Xena said She looked into Ali's eyes. "You know Mama's stew is always better with Mushrooms or Radishes why don't you two go see what you can find…..see if you can find dessert while you're at it."

"Okay, Let's go." Ali said. Zoe grabbed an empty sack and took Ali's hand, and they went to searching. Nellie at their heels.

"I feel bad for Ali, it must be hard to function outside the village." I said. "For her, We haven't left since we lost her hearing, we were going to after the baby was born last year but we had that rash of rain storms and I didn't want to leave the village with the baby she less than a month old."

"I remember. She's been protected in the village since she's lost her hearing with exception of the few trips Aphrodite has taken her on, and when she's with her Lovey and she can hear everybody….."

"Yes, apparently Fire God is really funny, and nice."

"Zoe likes him too. Although she thinks Artemis needs someone…."

Zoe's POV:

"Are you okay, Ali?"

"It's hard, Zoe. Outside the village."

'I know it is, but we'll be at Grandma's inn, soon….."

"In a Week….."

"That's not so long before they got us, Mom and Mama spent years on the road." I knelt down and dug at some mushrooms, Ali saw some birds eating berries and went to pick them. I approved. After we got mushrooms, a small onion, Radishes, beans, and enough berries for three pies. We added the Mushrooms, Radishes and Beans to the stew the berries would be part of dessert, breakfast and would be saved for a snack on the road the next day. Rosie was eating the stew with her fingers, we had a nice but very small stream by our campsite. Mom always found us a stream, or pond or something, she was good at that. Ali was being Quiet again.

"Stew's delicious as usual Mama." I said

"Thank you sweet girl."

"Yum Yum." Rosie added.

"Thank you, Rosie." Nellie was enjoying her own stew.

"Mommy?" Ali finally said.

"Yes, Ali." Mom said with her hands since it was too dark for Ali to see her lips but the fire and moon were bright enough for her to see her signing and she was fluent in sign language Laria made sure of this.

"Does Grandma know I'm not the same?"

"She knows, she knows the fever took your hearing and you're able to read lips, and you speak with your hands, and that you have a special dog that helps you."

"Mommy I'm scared it's safe in the village, except those two times it wasn't." I was about to say it really wasn't.

"Zoe." Mama told me in a warning tone. I closed my mouth.

"Mama…." Rosie said. "Berry…."

"Not yet Little girl." Mama said. "We need to finish dinner first."

"Dinner all done, Berries.' She insisted.

"alright you've eaten enough stew let's get you cleaned up, but you need to wait for your sisters. Nellie, you want the rest of the baby's stew?" Nellie Barks and Mama puts the bowl down in front of her on her way to bring Rosie to the stream. Nellie starts in on it. After dinner we all have Berries, then we wash the bowls. And set them aside, we get ready for bed, and all sleep close together in our firs. The next day we pack up and get on our way, By Noon three days later we're in a village, We've been in this town before, many times, but not this inn, We stop and check in the Inn when it starts raining. Argo, and Kari get checked into the Stables. And we go to the Inn. I'm Holding Ali's hand, and Mama's carrying Rosie. There's a woman Mama's age behind the desk.

"Welcome to Thera's Inn, I'm Thera. What can I do for you?"

"We need a room big enough for all of us" Mama said. "And Access to a bathing room."

"I have a room with two big beds on the second floor there's only one bathing room, it's on the first floor, the two older girls can share, the baby can sleep between you and the dog better sleep on the floor…."

"That's perfect thank you." Mama then went about getting a good price. I sometimes forgot her skills. After she got a good price, and agreed to tell stories in the Inn, for coin, we went up to the room. I laid on the bed it was at least clean-ish, it didn't smell and it was bug free, not all inn's could say the same. We went to the bathing room and cleaned up, Mom Kept us in the room, while Mama told stories, and we were put to sleep without Mom, I told a story to Ali and Rosie. And Mom Sung to me. The next day we left after breakfast. It was hard with all the mud, horsed may be okay in the mud, carts not so much. But we managed to make it to a safe place to camp for the night. That night though, Rosie just didn't want to go to sleep, she had some kind of Melt down. Ali went to sleep easily, but the rest of us were subjected to Rosie screaming and carrying on. Besides actual Gods, Ali can only hear Demigods and me, since I'm on the same level as a demigod. So she does hear Callie. At least that's how Dida explained it. So she was couldn't hear Rosie's ear splitting screeching.

"Mama I thought she outgrew this.' I said covering my ears.

"Xena we have to do something she's going to make herself sick."

"Mama she's all red….." Gabrielle patted her back and a large amount of gas escaped from both her mouth, and her bottom. Then she quieted down. "That must have been painful…..she's all quiet now, I didn't think she need to be burped anymore."

"It happened because she got so upset." Mom said. "Rosie why'd you get so upset?"

"No like tunder."

They looked outside it was thundering and lightening out. "Baby, Nothing bad will happen to you." Mom said coming over and rubbing her back.

"No like it, it loud." Rosie cries. Rosie eventually fell asleep, so did I. the rain had stopped and we continued on the road. I was entertaining everyone with a story, an Amazon version of Cinderella I cooked up, instead of a ball it's a skill challenge, instead of Prince it's a Princess, instead of a fairy Godmother it's Artemis, there's no singing mice, and so glass slippers, and Cinderella isn't Amazon she's just a villager being mistreated by her stepfather and stepbrothers.

Mom spoke up. "I know that story, a similar one anyway I heard it in Chin…."

"it's old fairytale, I just changed the details….."

Rosie piped. "Zo, 'nother story."

"Alright, how about Dida's favorite, used to tell me this story all the time; the real history of the Amazons."

"I'd be interested of that too." Mama said.

"Well, maybe I shouldn't….." I teased….

"Oh, yes you should." Mama said.

I smiled, "alright, back along a long time ago, Back when there were only tribes, and weapons were made of sharpened rocks fastened to sticks, spears and the like, A Tribe women as their men had been wiped out, needed a savior, a shaman their only surviving male used a magic to bring their savior from the future he was given help by the Titan Phoebe he managed to bring her from the future, she was scared 15 year old girl and not a warrior. But she had some things going for her. She was smart, tenacious, more than a little clever and she various skills the tribe could use, but the moment she arrived she just screaming in panic she didn't magic existed and the local tribe of cannibals attacking last time she checked she was in the uncle's office looking at an artifact. Samsara, Ephiny's direct ancestor, a legendary Amazon warrior, but hardly anyone's idea of an example of patience knocked her out and asked her tribal leader of this was their savior. Samsara was getting even angrier than usual, they asked for a savior not someone with no skills, she couldn't hunt, she could barely cook, she had strange clothes, and spoke strangely, of course Samsara had been angry since her father had been killed. The savior a girl named Cyane was called the Utma the savior, and she taught them how to tame and ride the horses in their area, and Samsara grew more and more bitter and angry. In the end they defeated their enemy and pledged to become the Amazons a tribe of women devoted to helping people, Samsara and Utma were odds for many years, as were their followers. The followers of Samsara's way of thinking wanted them be Warriors only out for blood and Vengeance and the Utma wanted them to be a people of honor and peace, to constantly helping those who couldn't help themselves. Three mortal generations later, Phoebe handed the reins over of her precious amazons over to Artemis from Grandmother to granddaughter. Many generations later, the tribe had grown into a large nation the size of a small city state in it's own right spread into several small tribes throughout Greece that still communicated with each other during the war with troy Zeus had ordered his daughter to get her Amazons involved they were one large tribe in Greece, and a She had refused to get her chosen and beloved people in a war they had no business being in, Zeus and Ares especially were furious she disobeyed and they plotted and her tribe was split up, Some of the tribes were began traveling far from Greece's shores and the ones that remained stopped communicating with each other for many years. Eventually the tribes in Greece at least, and the Northern tribe that sat on the border with Thrace, began communicating but the other tribes that had went other countries had not, and the few rebel tribes that stopped using Amazon ideals, or had become nomads were harder to communicate with and the fact that her once proud people and complete people were so broken hurt the Goddess but there was hope in a Young girl who would one day go lead her tribe a Young Princess who would one day be Queen, she would unite the tribes. The heart of a bard, the spirit of a warrior, the mind of a scholar, and the cleverness of a Chess master."

"that's a great story, Little one." Mom said.

Gabrielle's POV

"Mom can I ask you a question." Zoe asked.

"What?" Xena answered.

"Well, the more I think about the more I realize that wisdom, intelligence, and cleverness are all different things."

"This is true."

"But if Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom, well, I've never met her but she wise, or is just smart, because neither of her sisters mentioned that she was very clever."

Aphrodite appears, Xena from stops Argo, I stop the Kari from my seat behind her in the cart. "You can say that again, Junior Sweet Pea."

"Lovey Lovey." Rosie said.

"Hi, tiny little sweet pea." Aphrodite said.

"Morning Lovey." Ali said

"Aphrodite this is as good a place as any to stop for lunch, we're having fish would you like to join us?"

"I'll join you but I'll not having fish." Aphrodite said. She snapped her fingers and a dining room table with fancy comfortable leather chairs and a high chair were there. Half an hour later the fish was caught and being cooked, My family was enjoying Aphrodite's company, and My mothers were enjoying the wine, and Ali, me and Rosie were waiting for the Cakes she snapped up for dessert we loved with Dida visited. She said that Ali was destined to be not only a great Amazon Historian and Bard but a great mortal Match maker, because she gave her enough of her mojo and smarts to get the job done.

"So I'll do your job?"

'No not exactly, your not a God, you can't make things happen that aren't there, but you'll recognize it when love, or like is there and you'll help people get together. I have been choosing several dozen mortals every generation for a while now, always women and give them the skills, and a little mojo so they can make with the matchmaking. I can't be everywhere at once. Even if I am a Goddess. That's where the village Match maker came into being. Not every village match maker is one of my chosen, but many of them are. At Ali definitely is. She can recognize when two people belong together whether just for a little while forever, and she has the skills to make help them get together."

"What 'bout me?" Rosie said playing with her fabric doggie.

"You have a little bit of me, and Arte in you. But mostly you're just a normal little girl, you'll probably have many skills like your Mommy, and have your Mama's ability to talk, but your special in your own way. Because you can be anything you want. Your sisters have things they have to do, you don't."

Rosie giggled I don't think she understood. We had lunch and the cakes and nutbread Aphrodite snapped up, then she left and we went back on the road. The next few days went quickly and before anyone knew it we were in Amphipolis. We took care of the horses and cart and got everyone inside. We went through the backdoor, and met Cyrene in the kitchen, She hugged us.

"Grandma!" Ali and I yelled and ran to her. She hugged us. She lifted Ali and hugged her tight. She placed Ali on the kitchen table.

"Hello, Ali. It's good to see you." Grandma said making sure Ali could see her mouth. "I missed you Dear heart."

"I missed you too, Grandma. I have a little sister, now. Her name is Rosie…..and she gots blonde curls, and Green eyes."

"I see that thought she had black hair."

"It turned blonde as she grew, I'm surprised it's curly though." Xena said

"Your younger brother had curly hair, your nephew has curly hair but it's black like Toris, and Lyceus smile as well, He has so much like Xena, of course he has Toris's nose, and ears. And Greer's eyes….."

"where are they?"

"Well, Greer is at the market selling the fish Toris caught, Toris is back out on his boat, and Lyceus is around here somewhere…"

Three year old ran in crying "Grandma, Grandma I gots a splinter in my finger….."

Zoe's POV

"I'll fix it Lyceus this is your aunt Xena and Aunt Gabrielle, and your cousins Zoe, Ali, and Rosie." She lifted him up and put him next to Ali, and got her healer's kit. I knew getting out splinters were about 100 times worse now then it was in the future. Grandma and Mom patched up, Lyceus. Mama and I went to see Aunt Greer at the market while Grandma fussed with Ali and Rosie, Lyceus came with us because he wanted to see his Mommy.

"Mama." I said holding Lyceus uninjured hand.

'Yes, sweet girl."

"When I get big, instead of a sword I was thinking of using Sais like you."

"Well, we have another set in the weapons hut. No one uses them, most of the amazons don't like them very much though Your Mom and Eponin are both masters at them. You'll need to be trained, but if that's what you want, that's your choice. Staff, Chobos, Bow and Arrow and Sword are all weapons that we have no choice but to learn as Amazons but once we're adults we're not required to use them as our chosen weapons."

"I understand."

"In fact since your Mom's gift to the tribe a lot of our Amazons are choosing to use more of the exotic weapons to wear, as long you're trained properly in the basics, staff, chobos, sword, bow and arrow, you can choose whatever you want or nothing at all as personal weapon. You'll notice that a lot of the Amazons in the village don't wear or carry weapons every day."

"When we going to see Mommy?" Lyceus said

"We're almost there." Mama said

"There she is!" I said. "Aunt Greer!" I waved.

She smiled but she was with a customer and had to continue her deal. After she was finished we closed the distance between us and Greer scooped up her son and hugged him.

"Mommy!"

"Hello Gabrielle, Zoe."

That Nice at dinner, We ate then the little kids went to bed. Then Mama and I told a story together using Romeo and Juliet as a basis. Dida did like to keep me informed. She may not like me to watch too much movies or TV, but I did watch some, and she did keep me informed of art, literature, history, philosophy of the past anything she thought my help. Which is why we owned all the seasons of buffy and Angel, and let me watch them whenever I wanted. She also owned Once Upon a Time, which was I enjoyed, and Warehouse 13 Which was fun. She liked strong Women. But she also kept it relatively age appropriate so she kept a lot of the Crime Dramas and such out of my reach. After that one story Mom took me upstairs and tucked me in, and Mama stayed downstairs and told more stories. I was happy we were visiting Mom's stories.

"Did you have fun telling the Story, Little one?"

"Yes, Mom. Do I have to….." I yawned…."Go to sleep….."

"I believe so, Little one….."

"I can't believe I've been with you and Mama almost four years."

She smiled. "It's hard for me to believe myself." She ran her hair through my hair which I always took down and one of my mothers brushed out before bed. "Do you regret anything?"

"Yeah, everything that got me a spanking….."

"Almost?"

"I can't remember every spanking, Mom if I can't remember how can I regret it?"

"Good point, I see you getting very sleeping, Little one and We have a big day tomorrow."

"Alright, Mommy….." I said as I felt myself drifting off.

Xena's POV

I smiled as I kissed my oldest on the forehead, I missed Ali, then checked the baby and kissed her then I went downstairs and listened to my wife tell some stories about our adventures. My mother was happy she was making some serious coin from her tales. I decided to help my mother serve drinks and bus tables. Toris and Greer were doing the same but it was really busy. I smiled, I missed my family. The kids were all asleep, and My Wife was doing what she loved, and we were all together. I was happy to be with my family even if I knew we'd have to go back to the village and our life there. I was happy their too, but it was nice to visit.

A/n: Next up more on the family visit.