DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR'S NOTE: All Xena stuff is the legal property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fiction. All other characters that appear belong to me. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include this copyright notice and disclaimer. There is some subtext in this story. If this kind of stuff is illegal in your place, if you're under 18 or if you find the notion of two women being in love offensive, then get a teddy bear and read a fairy tale.

Atalantae
By Kristjan Brezovnik

It was a big village, almost a town. Callisto looked around and then stopped an older woman.

"Where can I find a blacksmith?" she asked.

"At the end of this street. You can't miss it."

Callisto led her horse down the street and quickly found the place. She tethered her horse and went to the door. It was locked. She looked around, but it seemed that no one was at home.

"Where is the blacksmith?" she asked a boy who got out of the house near by.

"In the tavern."

"And where is the tavern?"

"Come, I'll show you."

Callisto left her horse tethered and followed the boy to the tavern. The boy then left and Callisto entered. She looked around, but none of the men looked like a blacksmith to her. She went to the bar and asked the proprietor, who pointed at a table. Callisto looked and saw a woman.

"The woman?" she asked the proprietor and the man nodded.

Callisto went to the table and looked at the woman appraisingly. She had a feeling that the woman was a warrior. She was surprised when she felt a strange sensation in her stomach. She suppressed it.

"Are you the blacksmith?" she asked.

The woman looked at her.

"Yes," she said.

"My horse needs new shoes."

"Sorry, can't help you right now."

"I can make you," Callisto said threateningly and put her hand on her dagger.

The woman looked at her appraisingly and then smiled.

"I'm sure you could try, but the fact is that I'm out of iron. I expect the next shipment in two or three days. You'll have to wait until then," she said and returned to her food.

Callisto stared at the woman, surprised. She knew that the woman must be a good fighter if she wasn't afraid of her. She also noticed that the woman's concentration wasn't solely on the food, but also on her. She considered her options.

"Can I leave my horse at your place?" she asked, trying not to sound threatening.

The woman looked up.

"Sure, but you'll have to pay for the hay or take it out to graze."

"I'll take her out."

"Fine with me."

Callisto thought.

"Will you return to the smithy when you're done here?" she asked.

"Yes."

Callisto sat down and waited. She looked around the tavern, but her mind kept returning to the beautiful blacksmith. Callisto shook her head, angry, but her eyes still glanced at the woman. She noticed that the woman had been watching her and that she quickly looked back at the food. Callisto was confused and she looked away.

The woman soon finished her meal and paid. She looked at Callisto and Callisto followed her.

"My name is Atalanta," the woman said when they were outside.

Callisto looked at her and felt that strange sensation in her stomach again.

"Callisto," she said and looked away.

"Callisto?" Atalanta asked and Callisto could sense that the woman was ready to defend herself if need be.

"Yes."

"The Warrior Queen?"

"Yes," Callisto confirmed.

"I've heard about you."

"Nothing good, I assume," Callisto said coldly.

"Well, that depends on the person."

Callisto was surprised.

"Are you saying someone actually had something good to say about me?" she asked.

"Just one, actually. Gabrielle."

"Gabrielle?!"

Callisto laughed, but her face quickly became serious and she looked away.

They quietly walked to Atalanta's smithy.

"A beautiful mare," Atalanta observed when she saw Callisto's horse. She went closer and examined her shoes. "Hmm, you sure waited long before you decided to pay a visit to a blacksmith."

"I didn't have time."

Atalanta glanced at her, her eyebrows raised, but didn't comment.

"I'll take the shoes off so they won't hurt her. Unsaddle her."

Atalanta went to her house and Callisto unsaddled the horse. Atalanta quickly returned through the smithy and Callisto's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when she saw Atalanta's muscular body. Atalanta, who had removed the dress she had worn in the tavern, smiled when she saw Callisto's reaction. Callisto felt herself blushing and she turned away, angry at herself and also confused.

"Have you decided where you'll be staying? I need to know so I can notify you when the iron arrives."

"I'll make a camp outside the village."

Atalanta looked at her, surprised.

"Why don't you stay at the tavern?"

"I don't have enough money and I don't like being around people."

"Oh." She thought. "You can stay at my house, I have a spare room," she offered and felt herself blush.

Callisto looked at her and noticed the blush. She was confused both at the offer and at the blush. She considered the offer and decided that it was better to sleep in a bed than in a bedroll.

"As I said, I don't have enough money."

"I didn't say it would cost you anything."

"Oh. Okay."

"Come."

Callisto picked up her stuff and followed Atalanta into the house. Atalanta showed her to the room and Callisto put down her gear. Then they returned outside and Atalanta took the horse into her stable.

"I'll take off her shoes now. You can go about your business."

Callisto nodded.

"I can hunt for the both of us while I'm here," she offered and frowned at herself.

Atalanta looked at her, surprised. She considered the offer.

"Okay."

Callisto left. She was furious at herself. There was something wrong with her and she had no idea what it was. This made her even more furious. She went out of the village and screamed. Then she found an isolated spot away from the main road and practiced.

Everything was okay at first, but her mind quickly drifted off and she found herself thinking about Atalanta. She felt that strange sensation in her stomach again, like butterflies, and she stopped, angry and confused. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. Then she started practicing again. She imagined she was fighting a horde of mercenaries, killing them one by one. It appeared to work.

When she was done with practicing, she went hunting and when she caught two rabbits, she returned to the smithy. She heard from the outside that Atalanta was working and decided to take a look. She went in and immediately stopped when she saw Atalanta all sweaty, swaying the heavy hammer like it was a simple stick. Callisto got the same weird sensation again. She stood there, staring at Atalanta, for a while. Suddenly, she realized what was going on. She was shocked for a moment and when she was about to leave, furious, Atalanta noticed her.

"I see you took care of our dinner," she said and smiled.

Callisto jerked and looked at the blacksmith, confused. When her mind finally comprehended what Atalanta had said, Callisto looked at the rabbits and then back at Atalanta. She was confused when she realized that her anger seemed to have vanished.

"Yes," she said.

"Will you prepare them or shall I?"

Callisto just stared at the blacksmith for a few moments before replying.

"I'll do it," she said a bit dreamily.

"Are you okay?" Atalanta asked.

Callisto jerked and looked into her eyes. She was surprised and confused when she saw concern there.

"Yes," she said. "Where shall I put them?"

"I'll show you."

Atalanta led the way and Callisto followed her. She was annoyed when she found that her eyes kept glancing over Atalanta's body. She forced herself to look somewhere else, but her mind kept running pictures of Atalanta.

"Hang them there," Atalanta said when they got to the kitchen.

Callisto jerked and looked. She hanged the rabbits and than looked at Atalanta questioningly.

"I have some more pots to fix," Atalanta said. "I'll be in the smithy. You okay?" she asked when she saw the strange look in Callisto's eyes.

Callisto jerked again.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

Callisto nodded. Atalanta rose her eyebrows and left. Callisto stood still for a while, not knowing what to do. Finally, she decided to go to the smithy and watch Atalanta. She sat on a bench and observed Atalanta as she did her job. It was amazing to Callisto. She could probably toss Hercules around like a little boy, she thought. Those muscular arms could fight any monster. Even me, she thought. It was like watching Hercules in a woman's body. Only Hercules is an idiot. Callisto grinned as she remembered her encounter with Zeus' son.

Her grin quickly faded as she observed Atalanta's beautiful sinews. She looks like a work of art. Callisto froze, surprised. It was happening again, the strange feeling in her stomach, the strange thoughts and emotions, the loss of control. Callisto thought about what could be wrong with her.

Suddenly, she realized what it was. I'm falling in love! She didn't move for a moment, shocked, and then ran out. She heard Atalanta call after her, but she ignored her. She ran out of the village, to the spot where she had practiced earlier.

"Aphrodite, you little whore! Show yourself!"

For a moment nothing happened and then the Goddess of Love appeared.

"Hey, babe, what's up! There's no need for calling names."

"What's going on?! What did you do to me?"

Aphrodite looked at the warrior, confused.

"Moi? What are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!"

"You mean you and Atalanta?"

"Yes."

"Oh, that. Sorry, I had nothing to do with it."

"Then who did? That stupid Cupid?"

Aphrodite laughed at the rhyme.

"Nope. He told me that he won't waste an arrow on you."

"Ares."

"Uh uh. He's too busy in Britannia. It seems that some chick named Boadicea is kicking Caesar's butt." Aphrodite laughed. "You know, Callisto, you falling in love with anyone was the last thing on my mind. Anyway, it seems that the impossible has happened, you did fall in love. Now that will be a story to tell."

"Shut up! Can you make it go away?"

"Sorry, that's entirely up to you. By the way, Atalanta is also in love with you."

Callisto gave her a blank stare.

"What do you mean?"

"You mean you haven't noticed? For daddy's sake, she's risking her life falling in love with you and you didn't even notice?" Aphrodite shook her head. "May be you should talk to her. Anyway, see ya."

The goddess vanished and Callisto stood there like frozen for a while. Then she started walking.

Atalanta had already returned to her work when Aphrodite paid her a visit.

"He-lo," Aphrodite said and took a good look at the blacksmith, who stared at her, confused.

"Aphrodite?" Atalanta finally asked.

"The one and only!"

"What can I do for you?"

"Ah, finally someone that is willing to do something for me. That would be nice, for a change." She paused. "Anyway, I'm not here because I need your help, I'm here because you may need mine."

Atalanta was confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Callisto."

Atalanta blushed.

"What about her?"

"Well, it would seem that she has a major crush on you and it's bothering her big time."

Atalanta was surprised.

"She's in love with me?"

"Oh, yes. Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

"Well… I did notice her odd behavior, but I didn't know it was because she was in love with me."

"She is. Trust me. She was really pissed, because she thought that I had something to do with it. Now that I told her that I'm innocent, she's even more pissed. I'd be really careful if I were you."

"Why?"

"She kills anyone who might care for her or vice versa." Atalanta gulped. "No sweat, babe, I'll stick around for a while and make sure she doesn't do something she might regret. I'll be seeing you."

Aphrodite disappeared and Atalanta stood still, confused.

Callisto walked down the road. She was in turmoil. She was furious, confused, sad and afraid.

"Well, well, what have we here."

Callisto jerked and looked around. She saw that she was surrounded by a small group of bandits and she was surprised that she didn't notice them. She grinned evilly and then smiled innocently.

"Hello, boys," she said sweetly and looked at the sky. "Isn't it a beautiful day for a blood bath?" She cocked her head and looked at the bandits again. "How about you do me a favor and fight real hard, hm? I'm really in a mood for a little massacre."

The bandits looked at each other, confused, and Callisto attacked them. She killed two and wounded another before the bandits started to fight back.

"Oh, come now, little boys in diapers fight better than you," Callisto teased them.

The bandits attacked her all at once. She flipped over them, killing one while still in the air.

"If you can't fight better than that, I will have to torture you," Callisto said with an evil glee. "And believe me, I will enjoy every moment of it."

The bandits attacked again, this time more carefully. Callisto played with them like a cat with a mouse, wounding them a little from time to time. Finally, she got bored and finished them off within a minute. She stared at the slain bandits and smiled, satisfied.

"There's nothing like a little massacre to improve a girl's mood," she said and cleaned her weapons. "Now to finish off another affair," she said when she was done and started to walk back to the village.

Atalanta was still working when Callisto returned and she didn't hear her enter. Callisto stared at her for a few moments, thinking, and then she pushed her emotions aside and her eyes became full of sadistic glee. She took her dagger and approached Atalanta. Atalanta heard her and turned around.

"Callisto…" she started, but stopped when she saw the blood, the dagger and the strange look in Callisto's eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Callisto grinned.

"I'll be fine in a moment," she said.

"You're going to kill me?" Atalanta asked and started to back off.

"You learn quickly."

"Why?" Callisto didn't respond. "Because I'm in love with you?" Callisto stopped, surprised. "Yes, I'm in love with you," Atalanta confessed, blushing, "and I know you're in love with me."

Callisto stared at the gorgeous blacksmith for a few moments, fighting back her emotions.

"Well, that will be one short love," she said and smiled insanely.

"Do you think you can just end it like that? It will hurt you even more."

"What do you know!" Callisto screamed at her furiously.

"I know what it's like to be in love with someone and not being loved back."

"Oh, really? And who is that lucky person."

Atalanta blushed.

"Hercules."

Callisto stopped and laughed.

"Hercules! The man is an idiot."

"At least everyone loves him."

"Yeah, as long as he helps them. The moment he retires and needs help himself, there will be no one to help him. He's a hypocrite, just like the people he helps."

"Well, at…"

"Enough!" Callisto yelled and ran toward Atalanta.

Atalanta backed off. She dropped her hammer, not wanting to hurt Callisto, and defended herself with her bare hands. She was good, but Callisto was better and she soon knocked her down. Callisto approached her to finish her off when a god appeared in front of her. It was Aphrodite. She looked at Atalanta and then back at Callisto, shaking her head.

"Tell me something, Callisto," Aphrodite asked, "if Xena hadn't killed your family, would you have done it instead?"

Callisto stared at the goddess, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, I've heard that you keep whining how you miss your family and all and here you are, trying to kill everyone that might substitute it and maybe make you happy. It seems to me that you like being miserable."

Callisto stared at the goddess murderously.

"Get lost, you whore, before I decide to kill you," she said acidly.

"Oh, for daddy's sake, make up your mind! Do you want to be happy or not?"

Callisto thought, confused. She realized that Aphrodite had a point. What did she want? She knew she wanted to be happy, but it scared her, she was afraid that the happiness might be taken away from her. She stood like frozen for a while. Then she jerked and looked at Aphrodite. She stared at her for a moment, glanced at Atalanta and then looked back at Aphrodite. She wanted to be happy. She had a right to be happy! But she was afraid to be happy. She looked at Atalanta for a few moments and then quickly left.

Aphrodite turned to Atalanta.

"Go after her. I'll protect you."

Atalanta quickly got up and followed Callisto.

Callisto was walking fast and Atalanta had to run to catch up with her.

"Callisto," she said, but Callisto ignored her. "Callisto!"

Callisto stopped and looked at her furiously. She felt the urge to kill the object of her affection, but something was holding her back and she just stared at the blacksmith. Atalanta offered her her hand. Callisto stared at it for a few moments.

"Why do you love me?" she then asked.

Atalanta was surprised.

"I don't know," she said. "I just do."

"I'm a monster."

"No, you're not. You're just afraid."

Callisto wanted to spit at her that she was not afraid, but she realized that she was.

"Let me take care of you," Atalanta said and offered her her hand again.

Callisto stared at her. All the walls she had built around herself over the years seemed to be falling apart, leaving the little girl behind them exposed. She was scared. Atalanta noticed the change in Callisto's behavior and the fear in her eyes. She stepped closer and slowly hugged her. Callisto stood still for a few moments, scared and not sure what to do. Finally, she slowly hugged the blacksmith back. She realized that she felt safe in those muscular arms. Safe and loved.

Aphrodite watched them, invisible, and smiled. She just loved happy endings and she decided to make sure Ares won't spoil this one.

The End