“Time continues to flow, the people you meet will come and go, even you. There is no permanency. Eventually, you’ll be gone.”

She kneeled to the floor, tears streaming softly down her face.

“While you’re there, you’ll have them with you. You can’t touch them, or talk to them, or even see them. But up here…”

The gatekeeper pointed to the side of its skull.

“They’ll be with you. And you’ll feel it. You’ll feel it in your heart.”

The girl took a deep breath, looking up at the golem as it trembled.

“What do you choose?”

She stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked behind her, the walls of mount Olympus reaching upwards to the heavens. Stars and planets and nebulas rotating above the mountain like an expression of cosmic calm.

She saw her families home, perched atop the life tree.

Memories flooded her mind, an infinite expanse of time, her brothers and sisters and father. Her mother and the care she embodied.

She saw the palladium and the honored grounds. The younglings and the masters, sparring back and forth in a dance of fire. Sparks and flames bursting as they engaged in battle.

She looked to the top of the mountain and took in Zeus’ temple. The magnificent of its sprawling hallways and gleaming monuments, a beam of light pulsing upwards as it pulled energy from the heavens.

The golem grumbled as it slid to the side.

A marble path extended forward, tipping over the side of the mountain.

Far below, obscured by clouds, a blue and green marble bounced light from its closest star.

She turned back and met eyes with the golem.

“You were created for this. Trained for this. And you will find your way.”

She nodded silently and slid backwards.

Her body fell from the peak of the mountain. Memory, experience, and knowledge burned inside of her, igniting from her chest.

She let out a scream as her body immolated, sparks and flames pushing outwards from her insides.

Her eyes bled as she squinted towards the life tree she had called her home.

Her family…

What is family?

Her mind muddied as her body continued to howl.

What…is…

A roar of thunder resounded as she crossed the threshold from the heavens and into the realm of mortals.

And then, all she knew ceased to exist.

—-

The clouds parted and lighting struck, igniting a building in flames.

On the other side of town, a woman gripped her husbands hand, pushing out a final breath…

The baby cried as it’s mother looked down.

She was beautiful.

The woman smiled as thunder echoed in the distance.

“Let’s call her Xena.”

Her husband smiled through his tears and nodded his head,

“Xena. That’s what we’ll call her.”

She took one last look at her love, and down at her child, and then…she drifted off into a realm of infinite dreams.

The man scooped up his newborn child and raised her to the heavens, arms stretched towards the roof, he let out a roar.

Handmaidens scurried away as his bellow cracked the sky.

And that’s how Xena the Warrior Princess was born.

The end.

—

Authors Post Script:

My dad was confused after reading this story. He thought I knew stuff about Xena. I really don’t. I just made a bunch of stuff up and then said, “Hey what if this character was Xena the Warrior Princess.” And I looked up her picture and the picture was badass and I was just like, Sweet. This is about Xena the Warrior Princess.

So just to be clear, I don’t really know anything about Xena the Warrior Princess. I just made up this story and threw her in it because I think she’s friggen sweet.

Anyways,

Thanks for letting me share.

-Adam