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. This is the sequel to A New Beginning.

Forgotten
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Callisto had been wondering around for several weeks, thinking about what she should do in the future. She discovered that much had changed since her last death. She had saved some villages and some travelers, but none of them seemed too happy to have her around. She didn't really care. She was beginning to understand how Xena must have felt at first, though it was probably much easier for her, having Gabrielle around. She was surprised that she didn't miss the killing. It was still pretty hard for her not to just kill her opponents, but she was getting the hang of it.

Iocaste watched as the object of her chase was sitting at the fire, staring into the flames, seemingly oblivious of the rest of the world. Callisto. She had been searching for her for a long time, a part of her wanting to kill her, a part of her wanting to bring her to justice. She had been able to control the part of her that wanted to kill Callisto, but now that she saw her, she wanted to rip her heart out. She shook her head and pushed her anger aside.

She looked around and saw that her people were slowly making a circle around the fire. She was young, but she was a good fighter and she had won the confidence of the King, who gave her soldiers to go after Callisto.

She looked back at Callisto. She had heard many things about her, that she was dead, resurrected, a goddess, dead again, not to mention the latest reports that she was actually saving lives and helping people. It was very confusing and she didn't know what to make of it.

Finally, everyone was in position and she gave the order to start the approach.

Callisto noticed the army long before Iocaste gave the order for approach, but she chose to ignore them, having much more important thoughts on her mind. She finally found the approaching army too great a distraction and she got up and put out the fire. She looked around and smiled. The commanding officer of the approaching army had chosen an interesting tactics, one which would have worked with someone else, but not with her, there were too many people and they were not too good at hiding. One thing was clear to Callisto, the commander knew that she was dangerous and he or she didn't want to take any chances.

She soon spotted the commander, it was a young woman with blond hair and a leather armor. Callisto smiled, it was like seeing herself in the distance. She figured that the horses would be somewhere behind the commander and she started to run toward her.

Iocaste saw that Callisto had gotten up and put out the fire. She noticed that Callisto wore a similar leather outfit and that she was also blond. She saw her look around and she knew that Callisto knew that she was surrounded. She wondered what she would do. She didn't have to wait long as Callisto started to run toward her. She drew her sword and waited. In the distance, she saw her people starting to pursue Callisto.

Callisto ran toward the commander. She saw that her army was running after her and she felt the pursuers behind her. She smiled. In the old times, she would have stayed and killed some of them and the others would leave. But, she was in the do-gooder business now, or at least trying to be, and killing wasn't a part of it.

She quickly reached the enemy leader, who waited for her with her sword drawn. She noticed that the commander was staring at her, not quite sure how to feel. She realized that she was fighting rage. She smiled bitterly, she knew exactly how the woman felt. She drew her sword and deflected the blow.

"You want to rip me apart with your bare hands, don't you?" she said to the woman, staring straight into her eyes. "You want to make me suffer, don't you?"

The woman was astonished and Callisto quickly ran toward the horses, which she could already see. She quickly picked the best, she assumed it was the commander's. She saw the guards approach her. She deflected their blows and quickly dispatched them into the land of dreams. Then she ran toward the horse. She put away the sword and took her chakram. She threw it and cut most of the reigns. She caught the chakram and jumped on the horse, barely avoiding a strike from behind. She scared away the untethered horses and then spurred her own and rode away.

Iocaste was surprised by Callisto's words and it took her a few moments to pull herself together. She ran after her, but Callisto was already at the horses. She saw that some of her men wanted to follow Callisto, but she told them not to. She stared into the distance after Callisto. She was confused. She knew that Callisto was a ruthless killer, but she didn't kill the horse guards. She shook her head and ordered some of her men to catch the horses. She then gave instructions to her second-in-command, took a horse and followed Callisto.

Callisto rode fast, but there were no pursuers. She knew well that the woman would send scouts after her or, more likely, would go after her herself. She smiled, the woman reminded her of herself, although she was not so ruthless and she wasn't a killer, but she was very determined.

Suddenly, she noticed a fight in the distance. She looked back and saw the woman in the distance. She considered whether she should ride past or stop to help. She decided to help. Not that she cared about the travelers, it was just that she wanted to prove to the world that she was not completely evil.

She screamed her war cry and somersaulted over her horse's head. She landed in the middle of the confused fighters and she quickly knocked down two.

"Hello, boys," she said and gave them her best menacing smile.

She quickly knocked down another and then the bandits fought back. They were no match for Callisto and after she knocked them down over and over again, the bandits lost their interest in the travelers and split. Callisto looked at the travelers and saw that they would all live. She also saw the fear in their eyes. She didn't care. She looked back at the road and saw that her pursuer was now very close. She decided to wait for her.

She put away her sword, went to her horse and waited.

Iocaste could see Callisto in the distance and she could also see the fight. She was very surprised when Callisto stopped and helped the travelers. She was also surprised when she saw that all bandits were still alive. She saw that Callisto returned to her horse and was confused when she didn't mount it. Apparently, she was waiting for her.

Iocaste rode on and when she got closer, she slowed down. Finally, she reached Callisto and she stopped.

"So," Callisto asked, "what's your name, hm?"

Iocaste was surprised.

"Iocaste," she said.

"Mhm. And whom did I kill?"

Iocaste was surprised and Callisto could see the rage in her eyes.

"My family," Iocaste said, barely restraining herself from attacking Callisto.

"Thought so. And now you want to make me suffer."

"I want you to pay for your crimes."

"I'm sure you do, sweetie, I'm sure you do. Doesn't it just wanna make you scream that I'm in the do-gooder business now? I know I did when I heard that Xena had reformed."

"You, reformed?"

"Yes, I know, it sounds impossible, doesn't it? Well, life's a bitch," Callisto said and grinned. "So, how big was your family, hm? Just parents or did you have any siblings? Maybe uncles and aunts? Grandparents perhaps?"

Iocaste screamed, angry, and dismounted. Callisto smiled.

"That's it, get it out," she said and took her sword.

Iocaste attacked and Callisto defended herself. The travelers watched, confused, as the two women fought. Callisto quickly noticed that Iocaste was pretty good, but that she was no match for her. She did try her best, though.

"Not bad," Callisto said when Iocaste backed off, tired. "You should keep your feet wider apart, you'll be more stable."

Iocaste attacked again and Callisto easily defended herself. Callisto played with her for a while and finally knocked her out. She stared at her for a few moments and then left.

When Iocaste woke up, the first thing that surprised her was the fact that she was still alive. She looked around and recognized the travelers. She asked them where Callisto had gone and they told her. She mounted her horse and followed Callisto. The road soon split up and Iocaste tried to figure out where Callisto had gone. Finally, she just picked one of the two paths and followed it.

Somewhere along the other path, in a small village, Callisto was having lunch. She noticed that the people around her were very nervous, but she didn't care. Suddenly she realized that they wanted something from her, but that they were afraid to come closer and talk to her. She grinned inwardly and let them sweat a while longer.

Finally she looked at the man who seemed their leader.

"Come here," she said.

The man looked around, fear evident in his eyes, and then pointed at himself.

"Me?" he asked.

Callisto grinned.

"Yes, you."

The man reluctantly approached her.

"What do you want?" Callisto asked him when he got close enough.

The man was confused, because he wanted to ask her that question.

"Well, we heard that you were helping people," the man said reluctantly.

"Bad news travels fast, doesn't it?" Callisto said and sighed. "Oh, well. Yes, I do. I suppose you need my help. Am I right?" she asked and looked at him sweetly.

"Y… Yes," the man confirmed.

"Thought so. And what is the problem?"

"There is a group of bandits terrorizing this and the neighboring villages. Every time the King sends his army, they disappear. We were hoping that you could do something about it."

"Do you know when they will come next?"

"We think that tomorrow morning."

"Plenty of time," Callisto said and returned to her food. "Something else?" she asked when the man didn't leave.

"Well," the man said and gulped, "how much do you want?"

"How much? Dinars?" Callisto thought. "Well, you can buy me this lunch, the dinner and the breakfast. Well, maybe also another lunch tomorrow. And, of course, a room for tonight." She noticed that the man was confused. "Is that a problem?"

The man shook his head.

"No, no. We just thought that you would want more."

"Well, if you insist, you can send someone to take care of my horse. You know, some food and water and maybe brush him. He'll also need a shelter for tonight."

The man nodded.

"No problem."

"Good. Anything else?"

The man shook his head.

"Good. I'll talk to you later about the details."

The man nodded and left and Callisto returned to her lunch.

When Iocaste got to the first village along the second path, she noticed a fight in progress. She spurred her horse.

When she got to the village, the first thing she noticed was that the fight seemed to be concentrated around one person, Callisto. Iocaste was surprised when she realized that Callisto was defending the village, not attacking it. She noticed another thing, namely that Callisto was fighting with a staff, probably a handle of a fork. She dismounted and joined the fight.

With two excellent fighters against them, the bandits quickly decided that this village was not safe anymore and they left.

When they started to run, Callisto looked around and then at her makeshift staff.

"No wonder Gabrielle likes it so much," she commented. Then she looked at Iocaste. "Decided to join the party?"

Iocaste didn't respond and Callisto could see the mixed emotions in her eyes.

"Isn't life a bitch, hm? You want to kill the demon and the demon suddenly became an angel. Well, almost. Happened to me too, you know, and it really pissed me off. It made my job easier, though."

Iocaste stared at her angrily. She wanted to kill her, but she knew that she didn't stand a chance.

"You'll pay, Callisto," she said.

"Do you think I care?"

Iocaste bit her teeth and watched as Callisto walked away. When she was gone, Iocaste looked around and saw that there were no dead bandits. Somehow she wasn't surprised. Although she hated Callisto, she had to admit that she hadn't killed anyone lately and had actually helped people.

Several days later Iocaste had rejoined her army and was pursuing Callisto again. It didn't take her long to find her as she knew exactly where to find her. What also helped her was the fact that Callisto had the bad luck of encountering the main group of the bandits whose friends she had beaten up a couple of days ago. Iocaste noticed that Callisto was using a staff and not her sword and that she was losing the battle. Although many bandits were lying around, unconscious, they had many friends, who kept replacing them. Iocaste immediately ordered the attack.

Her army spurred their horses and quickly reached the battle site. The bandits tried to run for their horses, but they were too slow and were forced to fight. Iocaste's army was better than them and the bandits soon surrendered.

Iocaste herself then confronted Callisto. Callisto stared at her for a few moments and then dropped her staff.

"I surrender," she said and coughed some blood.

"Your weapons," Iocaste said.

"Oh," Callisto remembered and took off her sword, her dagger and her chakram.

She stepped away and let Iocaste pick up her weapons.

"It's called a chakram," she explained when she noticed that Iocaste was staring at it.

Iocaste didn't respond. She turned to her second-in-command.

"Tie them up and search them for weapons. Then see if they need medical attention. And send someone for the wagons."

The man nodded and left.

Iocaste put away Callisto's weapons and carefully approached her. Callisto turned around and put her hands behind her back so Iocaste could tie them up.

When Callisto was tied up, Iocaste checked for any hidden daggers, but Callisto had none. Then she started taking care of her wounds.

"Why are you helping me?" Callisto asked after a while.

Iocaste didn't respond.

"I killed your family, remember? Don't you want to let me bleed slowly to death?"

Iocaste bit her teeth.

"Tell me, was it me or one of my men who killed your family, hm?"

"Shut up."

Callisto smiled.

"Getting angry, are we, hm?"

Iocaste took her dagger and put it on Callisto's neck.

"Shut up or I'll kill you."

Callisto smiled.

"What makes you think I care, hm?"

Iocaste was surprised.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"What makes you think I want to give life a second chance? Well, third actually."

Iocaste stared at her, confused, for a few moments and then put away the dagger and concentrated on the wounds. Callisto left her alone.

A couple of hours later, the wagons arrived and Iocaste had the bandits packed in like sardines. She saved an extra wagon for Callisto and she had her tied down spread-eagle, making sure she couldn't escape.

In the evening, Iocaste posted double guards and didn't let the prisoners out of the wagons nor did she give them anything to eat. She only allowed some water to be passed around. She sat at the fire for a while, thinking about Callisto. Finally, she decided to talk to her.

"Having second thoughts?" Callisto asked when Iocaste didn't immediately start talking.

Iocaste didn't immediately respond.

"Why didn't you use the sword?" she finally asked.

"I don't know, I chose not to."

"Then why do you carry it around?"

"A force of habit, I guess, not to mention that it can come handy sometimes."

Iocaste thought.

"I heard that you've been dead, a goddess, dead again. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand."

"Which part?"

"None."

"And I thought it was all common knowledge. I guess I was wrong."

"How did you die the first time?"

"Xena let me drown in quicksand."

"And how did you…"

"Hera pulled me out of Tartarus."

Iocaste was surprised.

"Hera? Why?"

"She wanted me to kill Hercules."

"What?"

Callisto smiled.

"Well, I did poison his family, but he managed to trap me in the cave of the Tree of Life and he saved his family. Hera wasn't too happy."

"And how did you get out?"

"Xena saved me."

"Xena?" Iocaste asked, surprised.

"Yeah, well, another goddess threatened her p… friend and she needed an immortal to help her fight the goddess. She offered me ambrosia in return. Of course, she tricked me in the end and trapped us in lava. It's pretty hot down there, you know, almost like in some parts of Tartarus."

Iocaste thought.

"And how did you get out?"

Callisto thought.

"Well, this friend of Xena's, her name is Gabrielle. She had the bad luck of having a child by some stupid god and it so happened that this child had divine powers and was evil." Callisto smiled. "And she named her Hope. What a joke. Anyway, Hope got me out."

"And how did you die the second time? I mean, you were a goddess, weren't you?"

"So I thought. I went to Xena and told her to kill me. She had Hind's blood, you know. She did, but the Fates took away my godhood just before I died and so I went to Tartarus." She grinned. "Again."

"And how did you get out?"

"Zeus and Hades had some major problems with Ares and they needed my help."

"Zeus and Hades needed your help?" Iocaste asked, surprised and in awe.

"Sure. I had to get close to Ares and steal his Hind's blood. Since then I've been trying to view the world from Xena's perspective."

Iocaste thought.

"Enough about me," Callisto interrupted her thoughts. "What about you?"

Iocaste was confused.

"What do you want to know?"

"Who are you?"

Iocaste thought.

"My parents found me in the bushes and they took care of me."

"Your parents? The ones that I killed?"

Iocaste bit her teeth.

"Yes. The only thing left from my real family is my mother's necklace," she said and showed Callisto her necklace, which was hidden behind her upper piece of armor.

Callisto looked at it and jerked. She had no idea why, but she knew it had something to do with the necklace. She took a deep breath.

"And how did you get to command an entire army?" she asked, trying to forget the necklace.

"One of the King's generals noticed my fighting skills and he suggested I join the army. I did and I was soon promoted. Finally, the King gave me a part of his army and sent me after you."

"After me? My, I'm flattered."

Iocaste didn't respond.

"So," Callisto inquired, "I suppose I'll have to stand trial?"

"Yes."

Callisto closed her eyes and Iocaste returned to the fire.

In the morning, the entire camp was woken up by a blood-curling scream. Everybody looked around, but there was no attacker. Iocaste looked at Callisto, she knew that that was no war cry. She got up and went to her. She noticed that Callisto was all sweaty and that her eyes were wet.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Callisto opened her eyes and looked at her.

"Yes," Callisto said after a while. "You know, this was the first nightmare I've had in quite a while. I've almost forgotten how it feels to have one."

"What did you dream about?"

"None of your business," Callisto said and closed her eyes again, trying to relax.

Iocaste stared at her for a few more moments and the left.

The army was moving fast for the whole day, Iocaste wanted to reach the palace as soon as possible. During the lunch break, she checked up on the prisoners.

"Can I see the necklace again?" Callisto asked when Iocaste passed by.

"What?" Iocaste asked, surprised.

"Your necklace."

Iocaste looked at her necklace and then back at Callisto.

"Why?"

"I'm just curious."

Iocaste took it off and showed it to Callisto.

"Turn it around," Callisto said when she examined the front side.

Iocaste turned it around and saw a strange look in Callisto's eyes as she read the inscription.

"Thank you," Callisto said when she was done.

"You recognize the necklace?" Iocaste asked.

"No," Callisto lied.

"You're lying," Iocaste said.

"Why would I?"

Iocaste didn't know the answer. Callisto closed her eyes again and Iocaste left.

In the evening, Iocaste's army stopped again for the night.

In the morning, Callisto was gone. Iocaste stared at the empty wagon with mixed emotions. Finally, she ordered the army to move on.

When they got to the palace, she reported to the King. She included all details, including that Callisto had apparently changed. The King listened carefully and then thought.

"I will leave Callisto alone for now."

"What?!"

Iocaste was astonished.

"It seems to me that she is changing. If she is, she could do much good, like Xena."

"Yes, my lord," Iocaste said.

"Good. You may return to your quarters."

"My lord, I wish to quit your service," Iocaste said.

The King was surprised.

"Why?"

"I need to go after Callisto."

"To capture her?"

Iocaste bit her teeth.

"No. There is… something I need to talk to her about."

"I see. Well, in that case, you may go."

"Thank you, my lord."

"If you ever return, you will be welcome."

"Yes, my lord," Iocaste said, bowed and left.

Several days later, Callisto felt that she was being watched. She knew exactly who it was and why she came. She wasn't exactly looking forward to meeting Iocaste, but she knew that she had to get it over with once and for all. One way or another.

She was staring at the fire, thinking about what she could say when Iocaste came to her. She ignored her.

Iocaste carefully approached the fire, her sword ready, but Callisto seemed intent on the fire. Finally, Callisto looked at her.

"So, you came," Callisto said after a while. "I thought you would."

Iocaste slowly came closer.

"What do you know about the necklace?" she asked.

Callisto smiled.

"Nothing."

"You're lying."

"Why would I?"

"I don't know, but you do."

Callisto smiled again and looked back at the fire.

"Tell me!"

Callisto ignored her. Iocaste took her sword and put it to Callisto's neck.

"Tell me," she demanded.

Callisto looked at her.

"If you kill me, I won't be able to tell you anything."

"Then I'll just kill you to avenge my family."

Callisto laughed.

"What's so funny?" Iocaste asked, confused.

"Oh, nothing," Callisto said and giggled.

Iocaste bit her teeth, angry, and put away her sword. She considered what to do for a moment and then sat on the other side of the fire. She observed Callisto, who was staring at the fire again, her face serious. She was confused. She could see in Callisto's eyes something that she couldn't explain. In spite of the laughter there was something in Callisto's eyes that reassured her in her belief that Callisto knew something about the necklace.

Finally, Callisto looked at her and stared at her for a while.

"I know the necklace," she said after a while.

Iocaste gulped. She was very curious and she didn't want to say anything that would make Callisto change her mind. Callisto stared at her for a while longer.

"It was mine," she said.

Iocaste stared at her, shocked.

"You're lying!"

Callisto shrugged and returned to staring at the fire. Iocaste stared at her, feeling betrayed. She didn't want to believe Callisto, but she had a feeling that she was telling the truth. She stared at the woman who claimed to be her mother, the very same woman who had killed her adoptive family and whom she had chased and hated for so long. It was really disturbing her. She finally decided to find out what had happened to her and why she had left her in the bushes.

"What happened?" she asked and gulped, afraid of what she might hear.

Callisto looked at her. She stared at her daughter, considering whether she should tell her the truth or not. She finally decided that she deserved the truth. She took a deep breath, not too happy about having to think about the bad memories.

"One day when I was little, younger than you are, Xena attacked my village. My family died in the fire." She paused. "Several days after the attack, I left the village. I ran across some men from Xena's army and they raped me." Callisto paused again and bit her teeth. "Nine months later I gave birth to you," she continued. "I was alone and in the bushes. I don't even know for how long I lay beside you. When I finally pulled myself together, I cut the cord and crawled away." She paused. "I think I was afraid of you. I think I wandered around for several days before I completely suppressed the memory of the rape and of giving birth to you. I concentrated on my revenge and I trained until I finally became what I am now." She paused again. "When I first saw your necklace, the memories started to come back and I dreamed about the rape and your birth. When I saw the inscription on the necklace, I knew that you were my daughter."

Callisto stared at her daughter for a while and then looked back at the fire. It was weird having a family again. It was exciting and it terrified her at the same time, not to mention that she didn't know how Iocaste felt about it.

Iocaste stared at her mother, not quite sure how to feel. For a moment she thought that Callisto didn't care, but then she realized that she was probably so hurt that she just suppressed her emotions. She wasn't quite sure whether Callisto knew how to feel either. She knew one thing, though, she wanted to spend more time with her, find out more about her and sort out her own feelings.

"Mom," she finally said.

Callisto jerked and looked at her daughter. She stared at her for a while, surprised by the sound of the word.

"Yes?" she finally asked, her face serious.

Iocaste hesitated.

"I'd like to travel with you."

Callisto was surprised and she felt another feeling. It took her a while to recognize it. It was happiness. Still, the doubts lurked in the shadows.

"Why?" she asked.

"I want to find out more about you. I want to sort out my feelings."

Callisto stared at her daughter for a while and then smiled.

"Sure," she said.

Iocaste smiled too.

"Thank you."

"Oh, when we're not alone, call me Callisto. Okay?"

"Yes. Mom."

Callisto's smile widened. She hesitated for a moment. Then she got up and joined her daughter.

The End