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Xena: Choose Your own Adventure #2

By Allison

"How about left?" Xena grinned. "Yeah," Gabrielle agreed. It was all back to normal - right? They traveled down the road for about a mile until they heard a scream.

"Help me!" a child cried. Xena frowned. What was a child doing near the Caves of the Cyclops?

"Get on," Xena motioned for Gabrielle to get up behind her on Argo. Gabrielle nodded and grunted as she hoisted herself up.

"Yah!" Xena brought Argo to a canter as they approached the first cave. She stopped the horse and dismounted.

Xena unsheathed her sword and brought up her chakrum. She looked at Gabrielle. Gabrielle just shook her head. "I'll be fine. You should have been there when I talked a certain Cyclops out of eating me! Ha!" Gabrielle was silent as she felt the ground shake.

Her eyes went wide. Xena stood perfectly still. The same child's scream echoed again.

"Help me! No! Don't let him eat me!" the scream sounded like a boy's. Xena hoped that the boy would keep screaming, that way Xena could hear where he was.

"Help!" the boy drew out the word. Gabrielle got off Argo and walked over to Xena.

"It sounds like it's coming from up there," Gabrielle pointed to the next cave. It was on a steep cliff, and with one look, Xena clenched her teeth. "Polyphemus," she muttered, putting her sword back where it belonged.

"Who?" Gabrielle asked.

"The Cyclops who was blinded by Ulysses," Xena explained.

"Uh oh," Gabrielle said under her breath. Xena didn't respond. She jogged over to Argo and pulled out her rope. Gabrielle cocked her head to one side. Traveling with Xena was something new and different everyday. Xena tied the rope to her chakrum. Walking over to the steep cliff, she tightened the knot. She stood directly below the edge of the cliff. Xena tossed her chakrum accurately to a huge boulder that was sticking out over the edge. The chakrum caught the rock and made for a sturdy anchor.

"Help!" the scream cried again. This made Xena work faster. Gabrielle couldn't think of any way to help.

"Xena! What can I do?" by the time Gabrielle called out to her best friend, Xena was already six feet off the ground, using the rope to scale the cliff. The cliff was about fifty feet - straight up.

Xena grunted. "Watch Argo," she instructed.

"Yeah. Sure," Gabrielle agreed.

Time passed by slowly - at least to Gabrielle it did. She had feed and watered Argo so much, she felt as though the horse was going to explode. Gabrielle looked up at Xena. She was about five feet from the mouth of the cave. She pushed herself up and waved to Gabrielle, catching her eye.

"Gabrielle! I want you to go back to Darius and ask him to send a messenger to Kaleipus the centaur!" Xena called.

"Why?" Gabrielle asked, confused.

"Solan is in there! Tell Kaleipus to come and bring help!" Xena called. "I know it's Solan! I just know!" Xena answered Gabrielle's question before the bard could ask it.

Gabrielle nodded and ran off in the direction in which they came. All she had was her staff, and she figured that would be enough.

Meanwhile, Xena was creeping into the dark cave, unaware of what could actually be lurking in there.

She untied the rope from the chakrum and brought it above her head. She walked sideways into the cave, her back facing the stone wall.

"Help!" footsteps echoed throughout the cave. Xena narrowed her eyes, still getting used to the darkness.

She saw Solan. Her son was running around, avoiding the blind Cyclops. Solan looked like he was about to cry, but Xena still didn't say anything. The Cyclops had a huge stick in his hand, the end sharp and threatening.

"See this? This was the stick Ulysses used to blind me! This will be used to skewer you for my dinner!" the Cyclops' stomach growled.

"No! Someone will save me! Watch! My uncle will wonder where I am!" Solan screamed. Xena smiled a sad smile. He was so brave - for a ten-year-old, that is.

She wanted so bad to go in and immediately kill the Cyclops herself. But she thought of something first - which would be safer for both her and her son?

If Xena goes in right now to save Solan, go to chapter #36.

If Xena waits for Kaleipus to show up, go to chapter #37.