FADE IN

Close up of Darion's excited face. Pull back for a full-body shot of him as he starts to jump up and down.

DARION:
     Yesss!!!

He runs up to Ares and hugs him tightly, wrapping his arms around Ares' waist.

DARION:
     This is going to be the best birthday ever!!!

Ares looks uncomfortable, not knowing how to react. Gabrielle looks at them with a mix of amusement and concern while Ares looks helplessly at Xena.

ARES (pries Darion off him):
     All right. Enough of that. That's no way for a grown man to act.

DARION (puzzled but excited):
     A man?

ARES (grins):
     Sure. Ten years old--that's almost old enough to be a warrior.

Darion grins and juts out his chest, strutting a bit. Gabrielle shoots Xena a slightly alarmed look.

GABRIELLE (quietly):
     Maybe this isn't such a good idea...

ARES (smirks):
     Maybe not.

Darion looks from Gabrielle to Ares, obviously crushed.

DARION (to Ares):
     Oh, come on--you promised!

ARES (warily):
     I haven't promised anything yet.

DARION (to Gabrielle, almost crying):
     I didn't get a birthday party and you said I could have a surprise instead--it's not fair!

ARES (shakes his head, muttering under his breath):
     A grown man.

XENA:
     Come on, guys. Birthdays only come around once a year. I'm sure Darion would love a tour of Olympus.

DARION:
     I would, I would!

XENA (to Ares, raising an eyebrow):
     Well? It's not going to kill you, you know.

Ares looks from Xena to Darion and back to Xena.

Ares sighs, defeated.

ARES (grumbling under his breath, to Xena):
     I can't believe you're talking me into this. (louder, to Darion) All right.

DARION (pumps his fist in the air):
     Yes!

Pan to Gabrielle, who looks uncertain.

XENA (to Ares):
     I'm sure he'll behave...

DARION:
     I promise!

XENA (continues, to Gabrielle):
     And I'm sure Ares will, too...

GABRIELLE (looks meaningfully at Ares):
     Well?

ARES (innocent look):
     Don't you know me, Gabrielle?

GABRIELLE:
     I do. That's the problem.

ARES:
     Fine. (raises his hand and crosses his fingers in a sarcastic tone) I promise not to let the kid grow up too fast.

DARION (tugs at Ares' vest):
     Come on, let's go!

GABRIELLE (pats Darion on the shoulder):
     Have a good time, Darion.

DARION (grins):
     I sure will! (to Ares) Hey, can you show me one of your temples, too? That would be so cool!

ARES (sarcastic):
     Love to. But (looks at Gabrielle) not without permission from a higher power.

GABRIELLE (sighs):
     All right, all right...you can show him a temple.

Ares picks up Darion in his arms; Darion waves excitedly to Xena and Gabrielle, and disappears with Ares in a flare of blue light.

Xena and Gabrielle look at the spot they had been and then at each other.

GABRIELLE (chuckles, disguising her anxiety):
     I hope he doesn't get in trouble.

XENA (impatient):
     It's Olympus, Gabrielle. What trouble could there be?

CUT TO

Outside view of Olympus.

CUT TO

Inside. In a long hallway, Ares and Darion appear. Darion is chattering excitedly about something.

DARION:
     That was so funny the way you zapped that priest (points his fingers out) --zap! zap!--and made him run out of the temple whimpering!

ARES:
     Hey, no one steals from the God of War...especially not one of my own priests. (sighs) People have no respect for the gods anymore.

DARION:
     Well, you sure taught him a lesson, huh?

ARES:
     Oh yeah. I'm sure he'll never show his sorry behind in my temple again.

Darion looks around the hall at all the gold, the decorations and the ceiling, thrilled.

DARION:
     So, this is where you live? It's so...big!

Ares and Darion walk down the hallway.

DISSOLVE TO

Ares' chambers. The place is decorated much the same as his temples are with weapons and murals of battles on the walls, except this place is a lot brighter and isn't dirty. It's pristine. The walls are stone with silver flecks in them that shine in the sun and there are silver candleholders lined on all the walls.

The doors open and Ares and Darion walk in, Ares closing the door behind him.

Suddenly there is a bark and Horace comes running up to Ares and stands up, putting his paws on Ares' legs.

DARION:
     This is your dog, right?

Ares nods. Darion pets him on the side and Horace gives him a quick lick.

DARION:
     I think he wants to play.

ARES:
     He always wants to play. He's incredibly needy.

Ares looks down and gives Horace a quick pat on the head, then a large bone appears in his hand. Horace barks happily as he takes the bone from Ares' hand. He wags his tail and prances proudly toward the back room with the bone between his teeth.

Darion walks around the room. There are some chairs and a large black and red couch, along with a large wooden table draped with black fabric along one of the walls.

DARION (awed):
     Cool place! It's...it's even bigger than the emperor's palace in Rome!

ARES:
     Well, I would think so! You know, a god is still a little more important than an emperor.

There is the faint sound of swords clashing. Darion perks up and looks around the room. He walks toward a big chair near the wall in the back, with what looks like a round mirror in front of it. There is a light flickering in the mirror. Darion cocks his head and moves toward it, curiously.

Zoom in on the mirror--we see that it's a portal which shows a battle going on.

Pull back to show Darion as he approaches and cranes his neck to get a better look.

Pull back on Ares. He raises his eyebrows, sighs and shrugs with a sarcastically regretful expression, then extends his hand and shuts the portal down as if with a remote, turning off the picture just as a warrior is about to get stabbed through the chest. The screen goes black.

DARION (looks back at Ares):
     What was that?

ARES (smirks):
     Oh...something Auntie Gabrielle wouldn't appreciate.

Darion walks up to the portal, examining it. It's just like a black mirror.

He looks up, the camera following his eyes. Above him on the wall is a mural of Xena fighting off some enemies, chakram in hand, a wicked grin on her face.

DARION:
     Wow! Xena... (turning to Ares) Hey, did you know--(he puts his hand on his belt) I have a chakram too? (He proudly shows Ares his wooden replica chakram) Just like Xena's?

ARES:
     That's, um--great.

Suddenly Ares perks up as if he has heard something, and straightens up.

ARES:
     Wait here, kid.

DARION (looks at him):
     Why? Where are you going?

ARES:
     I'm needed somewhere else.

DARION:
     Ooh, can I come with you?

ARES:
     Um--no. Not a good idea. (pats Darion on the head) Don't go anywhere.

Ares steps back from Darion and vanishes in a flash of light. Darion stares at the spot where he vanished.

DISSOLVE TO

Xena and Gabrielle are walking through a quiet forest, leading their horses behind them.

GABRIELLE:
     You know, it's funny...

XENA:
     What?

GABRIELLE:
     I've almost forgotten what it's like when it's just the two of us.

Xena gives her a somewhat troubled, defensive look.

XENA:
     Things haven't changed that much.

GABRIELLE (thoughtfully):
     Yes, they have. I have Darion...and, well-- (chuckles) Ares is around a lot. (after a pause) And Haimon-- (she trails off, lost in thought)

XENA (gently):
     Gabrielle...you're my family, you know that. Nothing is ever going to change that.

Gabrielle is silent for a moment. Then, she turns almost brusquely toward Xena and smiles at her.

GABRIELLE:
     I'm glad things have turned out the way they have.

Xena gives her a thoughtful look and nods.

CUT TO

Ares' chambers. Darion is walking around the room, looking at everything, interested and curious, looking at the weapons and battle murals on the walls. He is holding the wooden chakram in his hand occasionally tossing it in the air and catching it when it comes down.

Darion moves further around the room. There are some drapes of fabric hanging in front of an open door that leads to a small back room.

DARION (curious):
      Hmm...

He moves the fabric away from the door, walking into the room. Inside, there is a large ornate wooden table draped with black velvet. On the table are scattered maps and a pitcher of wine with a goblet that is half full.

Walking around, Darion wanders into a far corner of the room and sees a row of niches in the wall, with a small statuette in each niche.

DARION:
     What's this?

He starts to pick up the statuettes one by one, examining them curiously.

As he picks up one of the statuettes, there is a sudden noise. Darion looks up, alarmed. A panel in the wall slides open silently.

Darion gasps and steps back, the statuette dropping from his hand with a clatter.

Then, overcome by curiosity, he moves back toward the opening in the wall and peers inside. There is a steep stone stairway leading down, with a dim glow of red coming from below.

DARION (fascinated):
     Cool...

Hesitantly, Darion steps through the opening and starts making his way down the stairs into the glowing red darkness.

CUT TO

Ares' temple. Ares is standing in front of a king, his arms folded across his chest, looking unimpressed and impatient.

KING:
     So, you see why we need your help?

ARES:
     Yeah, I see why. I just can't believe you're asking for it again. (Off the king's speechless shamefaced look.) This is the fourth time you and your neighbor have gone to war. And every time you ask for my help, I comply. This feud hasn't gotten any better so I say that it's time I let you work it out by yourselves. I've got better uses for my time.

KING:
     But Lord Ares--

The king doesn't get the chance to finish what he is saying because Ares disappears. The king looks after him, disappointed.

CUT TO

Darion is walking down the stairs. The red glow gets brighter as he gets further down into the room. Darion steps off of the stairs and looks around. He stares at the red glowing aura and walks toward it slowly. As he gets closer to the light he finds that the red glowing is coming from a black sphere that is sitting on top of a stone pedestal. A red glow occasionally flashes inside the black sphere. Darion stares at it, transfixed.

CUT TO

Ares appears in his chambers on Olympus. He looks around but doesn't find Darion. Ares sighs.

ARES:
     Exploring, huh? (chuckles) Boys will be boys. (He walks around the room, looking) Kid?

CUT TO

In the dark room. Darion picks up the sphere and examines it.

At the bottom of the sphere is a hollow imprint in the shape of an Ares rune symbol.

Looking around, Darion sees a silver rune symbol on a chain--it looks like Ares' old pendant--hanging from a peg in the wall.

DARION:
     I wonder what this does...

He walks over and picks up the pendant.

CUT TO

Ares' chambers.

ARES (looks around, then raises his voice):
     Hey, kid!

Still no answer. Ares stares at the empty room, starting to get worried. He glances at the room where Darion had been exploring and walks in. He stops and looks around.

Pan to the corner. Ares sees the open panel in the wall.

Zoom in on Ares' face. He looks very concerned.

Ares strides toward the corner and sees the statuette lying on the floor.

ARES (worried):
     Oh, great...

CUT TO

In the dark room. Darion hesitates, obviously curious but scared.

Finally, his curiosity getting the better of him, he presses the pendant to the imprint on the sphere--just as there is a flash of blue light behind him.

ARES (yells off-camera):
     What do you think you're doing!

Darion jumps, startled, and whirls around to find Ares standing behind him. At the same moment, a red and white fog starts to rise from the sphere. Darion shudders and drops the sphere and the rune symbol.

In slow motion, the sphere falls to the floor, shattering into a million pieces. Darion looks down at the shattered pieces as the red and white fog rises and grows thicker.

Ares rushes up to Darion and forcefully grabs him, pulling him away from the fog.

DARION (frightened and ashamed):
     I--I'm sorry--I didn't mean to...

The fog grows thicker. Lightning goes off in the fog as it swirls around the shattered sphere. There is a bright burst of red light and when the light and smoke clears, a woman stands it its place, stretching her arms.

She is a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and green eyes, wearing a silver outfit revealing her midriff and a silver headpiece with beads hanging from it. She looks around the dark room, curiously, and then her eyes land on Ares. A grin appears on her face.

WOMAN (seductively):
     Hello, Ares.

We move in on Ares who is still holding Darion close to him. Darion looks nervous. Close up of Ares' face. He looks troubled and wary as we:

FADE OUT

END OF ACT ONE