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I voted for the second option. I'm convinced that Ares is not Xena's father. And if he was, I probably wouldn't ship X/A. But I'm not 100% sure. It's interesting that only about half of us are positive that we would not be shipping X/A if she was or might be his daughter.

Why do I think he's not her father? Well, frankly I think the rewritten ending of The Furies makes it pretty clear he isn't. And I thought so the first time I watched the episode, when I was not yet in the fandom and did not yet really ship X/A, though I'm sure I had a shipper somewhere in me dying to get out. (Of course, back in those days, I thought shipping was something you did to packages, not people. ) Re Ares' feeble defense: to me it looked more like he didn't even take the claim seriously because he thought it was so ridiculous. The way he looks at Xena when she starts with the "daddy" spiel reads, to me, something like an understanding and appreciation of her brilliant plan.



It's certainly not an "Oh s**t, I've been busted!" look.

I don't think that the fact that his question is focused on what she thinks implies that incest wouldn't bother him. To me, it came across as more that he definitely knows he's not her father and just wants to make sure that she doesn't really believe it. In fact, the way he says "You don't really think I'm your father, do you?" is almost casual -- again, I think he's treating it as almost too ridiculous to discuss seriously.

I agree that Xena's answer does not contain an unequivocal "no," but in the final scene with Cyrene it's quite clear that she thinks her father is Atrius and the possibility that it might be Ares doesn't even really cross her mind.

Another bit of indirect evidence -- in The Quill Is Mightier when Ares is having his little chat with Gabs about their mutual admiration for Xena, she says, "Well, how about what she pulled off with the Furies?" and he replies, with unabashed enthusiasm, "That was brilliant!" I would think that if Ares knew he actually was Xena's father, he'd be a little more uneasy on the subject. It's also pretty obvious that neither Gabrielle nor Cyrene harbor any suspicions about Ares being Xena's father.

I think that X:WP Ares would be bothered by incest. As Aresbitch has pointed out in this thread, there is nothing sexual between him and Aphrodite (in contrast to mythology -- although in myth, as I recall, 'Dite actually wasn't Ares' sister), and he is intensely uncomfortable when she starts to grope him in her zonked-out state -- even though sibling incest is far less of a taboo than the parent/child kind. (In a number of cultures, brother/sister incest was not only tolerated but actually encouraged under some circumstances; I can't think of a single instance of father/daughter or mother/son incest being culturally condoned.) It's also significant that once Ares learns that Livia is Eve, his interaction with her becomes completely desexualized -- the only physical caress he bestows on her after that is a very paternal kiss on the forehead. ETA: Forgot to add that my explanation for this. I think that in the brief period between Eve's birth and Xena's ice cave burial, Ares started did on some level start thinking of himself as being a father figure to Eve.

I also don't agree that there are no lines Ares won't cross when it comes to Xena -- actually, I think that there are very definite "rules of the game" between them, at least after Ten Little Warlords. I would also note that up until Season 5, Ares is focused primarily on "winning" Xena as a warrior, not as a woman -- though of course the sexual subtext is there.

Actually, I would argue that if Ares was Xena's father and had no qualms about incest, it might have been in his interest to disclose his paternity to her. I'm sure he would think that if she knew she was bound to him by blood, it would be a pretty powerful inducement for her to join him as his champion -- not only out of loyalty, but because that knowledge would make her feel that she shared his darkness. Obviously the disadvantage would be that, under those circumstances, she might agree to join him in battle but not in bed. However, Ares -- who tends to greatly overrate his power as a manipulator -- would probably be confident of his ability to eventually convince her that the incest taboo was mere human law which the God of War and his demigod daughter could easily rise above. (All that beyond-good-and-evil Nietzschean crap he was spouting on the cliff. )

Also, for me, Xena's interaction with Ares definitely does not support her harboring any suspicion that she is his daughter. If she did suspect it very deep down without admitting it to herself but was nonetheless sexually attracted to him, I could see her flirting with him, touching him, maybe once actually breaking down and kissing him on the mouth. But making out with him the way she did in AUS? lying on top of him naked? biting his nipple? no way. If she's willing to go that far, I'm not sure it would be that much more of a leap to actually have sex with him.

I actually don't see any father-daughter vibe in their interaction even aside from the sexual element. It feels much too equal.

Would I still ship them if I thought they might be father and daughter? well... I think I might have allowed myself to be persuaded by the "it's different for gods" argument. Or ship it strictly as a doomed, twisted, never-to-be-consummated love/hate, lust/hate relationship. But I don't think I'd be writing or even reading fanfiction in which they are together as lovers. And since I definitely like both reading and writing such fanfiction, believing that Ares is Xena's father would definitely impinge on my fan experience.

I also agree that making Xena a half-god would cheapen her achievements, particularly as a female hero.