This story is not intended to violate any copyrights held by MCA, Universal Studios, or Renaissance Pictures concerning Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. This story is for fun and no money was made from it.
“Hey, Hercules. You’re going the wrong way.”
Hercules turned around to see his sister waiting at the fork in the road.
“What are you talking about, Aphrodite?” he replied exasperatedly. “This is path back to Jason’s.”
“Curly isn’t there.” The demigod was next to the goddess in three long strides.
“What do you mean? Where is he?” he demanded.
“He went back to Acheron. He told Jason he needed to go and get word to Elissa’s brother.”
“Thanks,” Hercules sighed. He started on his way again, this time taking the left branch of the road. Aphrodite followed him, and he knew there was more.
“What is it?”
“I’m worried about him,” the goddess said softly. “After he did Hephie and me that solid, I felt really bad about that whole deal with the apple. I’ve kind of been looking out for him, when I can. He’s not a bad guy, for a mortal.”
“He’ll be ok,” Hercules told her tightly, not wanting to discuss it.
“I don’t know. When two people are as wrapped up in each other as those two were, once one goes, the other usually follows.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hercules exploded.
“Hel-LO! I am the goddess of love,” she reminded him in an annoyed tone. “Herc, I’m not telling you this to upset you. But I’ve seen it more times than I can count. Two people joined in soul cannot bear to be apart for very long.”
“I don’t care what you think you know,” the demigod said hotly. “Iolaus would never take his own life.”
“Not directly.”
“Explain that,” Hercules commanded, glaring at his little sister.
“He’s been hitting the wine pretty hard,” she confessed.
“So, he’s upset. He’s grieving and he’s hurting. Just because he’s drinking to ease the pain doesn’t mean he has a death wish.”
“He’s getting drunk and picking fights with guys three times his size. He’s passing out in the gutter with his money in one hand and a knife in the other. He’s can’t do it himself, so he’s leaving himself open for someone to do it for him.” Aphrodite was starting to get irritated with her brother’s refusal to believe her.
“You’re wrong. He’s going through some hard times now, but he’ll be all right.” Hercules was insistent.
“Well, maybe you can talk some sense into him. He won’t listen to me. Look, I have to go now. Sinis has been seen snooping around Olympus, so Zeus has called a meeting of all of us. I’m already late, but I just wanted to let you know where he was.”
“Thanks, Aphrodite,” Hercules said sincerely as she waved and vanished. Silently, he cursed himself for ever leaving the hunter. He had at first refused the young man who came seeking his help, telling the tale of a monster ravishing his village. But Iolaus had overheard and convinced him he needed to go and help the villagers.
“I’ll be here when you get back,” he had told the demigod, as if he knew his secret fears. Jason had promised to keep an eye on him, so reluctantly Hercules had accompanied the man back to Colchis. As was his duty, he killed the monster that had been terrorizing the villagers, but his heart was not in it. He was missing Iolaus at his back, and he was missing Elissa cheering him on from the sidelines. Nothing felt right anymore, now that his world had been up heaved.
He tried to curse Jason for letting the hunter go, but he could not. Iolaus was as stubborn as they came, and once he had his mind set to do something, there was no stopping him. He was a grown man, capable of living his own life, and Hercules knew Jason respected that. But, Aphrodite’s report had filled him with dread, and he quickened his step, just wanting to get to his friend and assure himself that everything was fine.
Hercules made excellent time, and was only a few miles from Acheron as the sun began to set. He began to jog the remainder of the way, trying to quell the frantic thoughts that were fluttering through his mind with each step. The demigod reached the path that led down to the great stone house that had been Elissa’s home, which she shared with Iolaus and had readily welcomed Hercules into, and at last he found himself at the door.
He knocked gently, pushing the door open when there was no answer and entering the house carefully. It was dark and dusty and shut up, as if no one had lived there in awhile. Taking into account what Aphrodite had told him, Hercules decided to go into town and search for his friend in the local tavern. But as he turned to go, his eyes became accustomed to the dim light and he spied a motionless figure sitting on the floor in front of the empty fireplace.
“Iolaus?” he questioned. The hunter did not stir. Hercules moved quickly across the room to kneel in front of him. He reached out to put a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Hey, Herc,” Iolaus said, barely audible. A chill ran up the demigod’s spine. The eager, playful voice that he was so used to had been replaced by a cold tone, devoid of any emotion. Those animated, twinkling blue eyes that could always see into his heart and mind were now fragments of ice, staring blankly through him as if he weren’t even there. The hunter’s flesh was cold beneath his touch, and the slump of his shoulders told the story of a man in utter torment. His body was still alive, but inside he was as dead as his beloved Elissa. Hercules squeezed Iolaus’ shoulder gently and rose to build a fire. When the small flames began to dance and crackle around the logs he’d added, he left the house to gather water. He filled a small pot over the fire and began to take inventory of what few supplies were in the house, quietly disposing of the empty wine bottles that were strewn around the floor. There wasn’t much to work with, but he found a few herbs to make tea, and when it was ready he thrust a mug into the hunter’s hands.
“Iolaus,” he pleaded. “Please drink it. It will help.” His friend still sat motionless, holding the steaming cup in his hands. “How long has it been since you’ve eaten? Or slept?” Still no answer. Hercules was desperate, and decided it was time to get tough. “How can you do this to Elissa? What would she think if she saw you here like this? You know she wouldn’t want you to...”
“She’s haunting me, Hercules,” Iolaus interrupted. A dark shadow came over his face momentarily, then he was expressionless again.
“What do you mean?” the demigod asked worriedly.
“Elissa’s haunting me. She comes to me every night, asking me why I didn’t protect her. Telling me that I killed her. That if I hadn’t loved her, she’d still be alive.”
“Iolaus,” Hercules said carefully. “That really doesn’t sound like anything Elissa would ever say.”
“Then I’m going crazy,” Iolaus replied woodenly.
“I don’t think so. I think someone is trying to drive you crazy. Sinis, probably. Or maybe Ares.”
“That makes me feel so much better,” the hunter said sarcastically.
“Don’t worry,” Hercules comforted. “We’ll get to the bottom of this and put an end to it. Right now, I really think you should eat something.” Iolaus shook his head slightly. The demigod sighed and went out to the garden to see what he could find anyway. He was hungry, and maybe once he had something prepared he could get the hunter to change his mind. Amongst the wild flowers and shrubs of Elissa’s garden, he found potatoes, carrots, and onion. Enough for a meager stew. Tomorrow he could get supplies and even hunt for some meat. Maybe Iolaus would go with him. Yes, a hunting trip would be just the thing for both of them.
Hercules did his best with the sparse provisions, and handed a bowl to his companion., who managed little more than a few bites. He just needs more time, the demigod reassured himself as he cleaned up his dinner preparations and stoked the fire.
“Fortune came to see me,” he heard Iolaus whisper. Hercules turned and sat down in front of his grief stricken friend “She offered to take the memories of Elissa from me, but I couldn’t do that. Her memory is all I have. No matter how much it hurts now, I don‘t ever want to forget being with her.” He closed his eyes. “I miss her so much.”
For the rest of the night, Iolaus talked and Hercules listened. The hunter poured out the anguish that was in his heart. Everything he had loved about the healer, what he missed, the guilt and anger he felt over her death, and his fears about having to go on in a world without the gentle soul that had become entwined with his own. Hercules offered what he could in way of comfort, but he knew that Iolaus would have to work through this on his own. At least he would be here, from now on, to lend his support in whatever way he could.
It was well into the late hours when Hercules finally bid goodnight and went off to bed. Iolaus remained by the fire, saying he preferred to sleep out there. The demigod did not have to be told that the bed the hunter had shared with Elissa held too many raw memories to be at all conducive to sleep right now. Iolaus also declined the other bed, promising that he would be better able to sleep in front of the fire.
Hercules had not been asleep for very long when he was awakened by voices. Instantly alert, he leapt from his bed and rushed out to find Iolaus. The hunter was on his knees in front of a ghostly apparition of Elissa.
“You promised me we’d be together forever, Iolaus. Why didn’t you save me?” the figure sobbed pitifully.
“I tried, Elissa. By the gods, I tried. I’d give anything to change what happened,” Iolaus exclaimed hysterically.
“You told me you loved me. You swore to me you’d never let anything happen to me. But you let me die. You promised to keep me safe, but your love killed me. I’ve been waiting for you here, and you haven’t even tried to save me. You don’t love me, do you? If you did, you wouldn’t have left me to rot in the underworld. I’m dead because of you. It’s your fault.”
“Elissa, please!” Iolaus begged, tears coursing down his pale cheeks. “I love you. Please, don’t leave me!”
The fading figure caught sight of Hercules and flashed him an evil grin before it disappeared completely. One thing was for sure, it was not Elissa, even though it had her face and voice. The demigod was convinced it was Sinis. Hot rage washed through him. It wasn’t bad enough that he had killed the poor girl, now he was desecrating her form to torment Iolaus further. This was something that Hercules refused to tolerate, and Sinis would soon learn just what happened to those that pushed the son of Zeus too far. But first he had to attend to his friend. The hunter had collapsed to the ground, unconscious, and Hercules carefully gathered his limp form in his arms. He was shocked at how much weight Iolaus had lost, picking him up with no effort at all. The demigod wasn’t sure how, but he had to turn his friend’s mindset around immediately. If not, he was going to lose him.
Hercules wearily rubbed a hand across his brow. He needed to sleep, but he couldn’t let himself rest until this was over. Iolaus had never really regained consciousness, but had succumbed to a fever that was threatening to consume his weakened frame. The demigod had tried everything he knew, but nothing was working. How he wished Elissa was here. The thought made him chuckle humorlessly. If Elissa were here, Iolaus wouldn’t be in this state.
Hercules rose from his place at his friend’s bedside and went to sit by the window. Dusk was beginning to fall. Birds were chirping and fireflies were starting to glow in the warm evening air, but the demigod felt no peace or serenity on this beautiful night. Looking up at the stars, he felt his heart ache. He was so used to defeating everything he came up against. No matter what Hera or Ares had thrown at him, he usually came through it without a scratch. What he couldn’t take down with his fists, he could talk down with diplomacy. He just wasn’t used to feeling this helpless.
But now, there was nothing he could do. Nothing but wait and hope. And pray. Hercules often thought he would cut out his tongue before he would ever ask the gods for help, but he didn’t have any other choice. He was desperate. Iolaus was dying, and that was something that he simply could not let happen. He begged Zeus to be a father to him and help now, when he needed it most. He begged Aphrodite to help her “sweet cheeks”. He begged Artemis to help a fellow hunter. He begged Demeter to help, reminding her of how he’d helped her when Persephone was kidnapped. He called to Hestia to watch over him. He begged the muses. He begged Prometheus. He bargained with Ares. But all of his prayers went unheeded. His divine family had turned their backs on him, just like they always had. Cursing all of them, Hercules hid his face in arms to hide the tears of disappointment that were welling in his eyes.
He awoke with a guilty start, never having meant to fall asleep. Stretching to relieve the stiffness that had settled into his muscled form as he’d crouched by the window, Hercules made his way back to Iolaus. He was still hanging on, but it was clear that the fever was winning the battle. Trying to keep calm, Hercules gathered the water bucket and ventured out to the spring. A bright moon shone down as he walked through the garden, and he had the strangest feeling of deja vu. Something was coming back to him, a dream he’d had. Hercules reached the spring and paused thoughtfully. Without quite knowing why, he kept walking past the spring, around the pond, and further through the garden. He stopped abruptly, and there it was. A tiny Asphodel plant, glowing ghostly gray in the moonbeam that illuminated it. He remembered seeing this in his dream, and hearing Elissa’s voice in his head, telling him what to do with it. None of the gods had bothered to answer his prayers, but the young healer who loved Iolaus as much as he did had heard him. With a small smile, he gently plucked the small plant from the ground and tucked it securely in his shirt pocket. He made a quick stop at the spring to get the water, and then reentered the house.
Hercules didn’t think he could take much more of this. Iolaus was still slipping away from him, and the waiting was killing him. The Asphodel wasn’t working, and he was about to go out of his mind.
“Elissa,” he whispered. “Help him.”
“I’ve done all I can. The rest is up to you,” came the soft voice from behind him. Hercules whirled around to see her luminous form smiling sweetly at him. This was not the apparition that had been tormenting Iolaus; it was really the healer. In spirit, if not in the flesh.
“Elissa!” he exclaimed. “How...?”
“There’s no time for that. I cannot stay for long.” Already he could see her image was beginning to fade. “I can’t help him now. The Asphodel will work only as long as he wants to come back. He’s given up on life.” She moved closer to the bed to gaze lovingly down on her brave warrior. “You have to bring him back, Hercules.”
“What can I do?,” he asked helplessly.
“Talk to him. Remind him that life is still worth living. Tell him that you need him, and his time has not yet come. He’ll hear you. Bring him back.” The healer’s image had now completely vanished, and all that was left was a faint echo of her voice. “Talk to him. Tell him I love him. Bring him back.” Her words died away and Hercules was left sitting alone, wondering if he had dreamed the encounter. For long moments he sat silently, watching as Iolaus writhed in a restless sleep and listening to the sounds of the hunter’s ragged breathing.
“Your life depends on me talking you into coming back, and I can’t think of one thing to say,” Hercules said quietly, a smile creeping over his lips. “I really don’t know what Elissa was thinking. She knows as well as I do that once you have your mind made up to do something, there’s no changing it. You’ve always been as stubborn as a mule. Remember that time when we were on our way to the festival in Thrace. You were completely convinced that I was going the wrong way and you bet me a hundred dinars that ...” For the next few hours, Hercules bombarded Iolaus with memories of their past adventures.
“And you never did exactly tell me just how you came to be stained purple,” Hercules laughed, then immediately sobered. “You really came through for me there. If it hadn’t been for you, I would have ended up under Queen Parnassa’s control, pledging my loyalty to Hera. You’re always there for me when I need you. I can always count on you to watch my back. There’s no one else on this earth that I trust more than you, Iolaus. I know sometimes you feel overshadowed by me, but you are a great warrior and fighter in your own right. People love you, and although you don’t believe it, they will remember you and all the good you’ve done long after you’re gone. All the people you’ve helped over the years will make sure of that.”
“You are a true hero, Iolaus. You are my hero. I wish I could have told you that before. It’s not easy for me to say things like that. I’ve always admired your ability to admit your feelings and the way you could always tell people just what you felt. I admired so many things about you. Your strength, for one. I may have the strength of ten men in my body, but you have the strength of fifty in your heart. Whenever I got beaten down by grief or guilt over my family, or my anger or regret over Zeus, I would look to you. You always could lift me back up and set me straight again. And whenever I felt like giving up, I would look at you and think, if he can do it, I can do it. Your enthusiasm and passion drove me on. You are my inspiration, every bit as much as I am yours. Are you listening to me, Iolaus?”
There was no response from the hunter.
“Come on, buddy, you've never given up at anything in your entire life. Don't quit on me now."
Still nothing.
Fine, go ahead and die then. You know it won’t be long before I show up at Hades’ door to drag your sorry butt back up here. I’ve done it before, and you know I’ll do it again. I didn’t do that for my family, or Serena, or even my own mother. But I can’t let you die. I need you Iolaus. I know you want to be with Elissa again, but she loves you and she’ll wait for you. It’s not your time yet, and she doesn’t want you to throw the rest of your life away. There’s still a lot for you here. There are fishing and hunting trips, people to help, monsters to slay, adventures to be had. Please, Iolaus. Don’t leave me yet. I’ve lost so many, and I can’t bear to lose you now. I need you. Please, Iolaus, I love you.” Hercules could no longer hold back the tears, and he dropped his head to the edge of the bed as he cried like he hadn’t done since he was a child.
“Why don’t we take a break for a minute and get a drink?” Hercules suggested. They hadn’t been working long, but Iolaus was still a little weakened from his recent illness and the sun was hot as it beat down on them. Silently, the hunter climbed gracefully down the lattice arch he was repairing in the garden and walked over to where the cold spring water bubbled out of the ground. They both filled up their water skins and sat down in the shade.
“I‘m all right, Hercules,” Iolaus said, taking a long drink of water. “You can stop shooting me those concerned glances.“ The demigod smiled guiltily at being caught.
“You’ve just been so quiet today. Are you sure nothing‘s wrong?” The hunter toyed with the cap to his water flask for a long time before answering.
“She came to me again last night, asking why I didn’t save her,” he admitted. Hercules’ heart sank. In recent weeks, as Iolaus had recovered physically, he began acting more like his old self. He was still deeply grieving, but the situation had looked far less hopeless than it had when the demigod had first arrived in Acheron.
“Iolaus, it isn’t her. It’s Sinis, trying to get to you.”
“I know it isn’t her. She would never say those things to me, but it doesn’t matter. Everything is true. I did promise to keep her safe, but I couldn’t save her. She was killed because of me. If she hadn’t loved me, she’d be alive. I guess 'forever' turned out to be no time at all.”
“Nobody, least of all Elissa, blames you for what happened.”
“I was actually starting to think that I could make it without her,” Iolaus said bitterly. “I actually believed that I could live my life and make her proud until we could be together again. But how can I put it behind me when I’m forced to relive it every night?”
“We’ll stop Sinis,” Hercules vowed. “Then we can all try to go on with our lives.” Iolaus just shook his head defeatedly and rose to go back to work. The demigod followed him with a heavy heart. Not only did it hurt him to see his friend in such pain, he knew Iolaus was wrong. Hercules knew it was himself that had killed Elissa. If he hadn’t loved her and the hunter, Sinis wouldn’t have killed her and he wouldn’t be tormenting Iolaus now. Two more people had fallen victim to the curse that came with being Hercules. And none was a harder burden to bear than that.
The pair exchanged few words as they finished the day’s work and headed back to the house. Iolaus was leading the way, and as he stepped through the door, he reeled back and cried out. Hercules pushed him aside to see the apparition of Elissa, lying on the floor in a pool of blood with a gaping wound in her chest. She reached out bloodied hands to the hunter.
“Iolaus, help me. Why didn’t you protect me?” she moaned. Hercules rushed forward in a fury, but at his approach, the figure vanished.
“I swear by everything sacred that I will see you in Tartarus, Sinis,” he yelled into the air. But his anger was suddenly replaced by fear as the sound of steel made him turn around. Iolaus had drawn his sword from his scabbard and was pointing it directly over his heart.
“Iolaus, what are you doing?” The calmness of his voice hid the rising panic that was flooding through the demigod.
“I can’t take this anymore, Hercules. I can’t live like this. It’s too much.”
“Iolaus, you don’t want to do this. Just stop and think about it for a minute.”
“It’s too late.” The hunter fixed his haunted eyes on his friend’s horrified ones. “I’m sorry.” He raised the sword for a fatal thrust as Hercules lunged toward him. A bright light flashed through the room, sending Iolaus and the demigod flying in different directions. Hercules sat up to see the god of war standing smugly over the hunter’s still form. In an instant, he had his half-brother by the throat.
“Ares, what in Hades did you do to him?” he growled through clenched teeth.
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I just saved his life,” the angry god spat, knocking his brother’s hands away. “Or did you want him to become a human shish kabob?” Hercules shot a glance at Iolaus, who was slowly getting to his feet.
“Are you ok?”
“Never better,” the hunter groaned.
“Since when do you care if he lives or dies?” Hercules quietly demanded of Ares.
“Normally, I don’t,” the god replied. “But if he offs himself now, he’ll miss the reunion with his woman, and we can’t have that now, can we?”
“You’ve got about five seconds to explain yourself,” the demigod threatened.
“I called in a few favors with Hades, and he agreed to let the girl come back.”
“Why would you do that?” Iolaus asked, dumbfounded.
“She saved me, I save her. We’re even.”
“So then you can kill us with a clean conscience, all debts paid. Is that it?” Hercules asked with a smirk.
“There is of course, one minor detail,” Ares continued, ignoring his brother. “She ate the food of the underworld, so before she could return to this realm, she had to drink from the River Lethe. It purified her, but unfortunately it has that nasty side effect of erasing the memory.”
“Where is she?” Iolaus demanded.
“She’s out there somewhere, making a new life for herself,” Ares said with a wave of his hand indicating the general area of Greece. “Happy hunting, boys,” he said with an evil laugh as he disappeared into a shower of sparks.
“I should have killed him when he was mortal,” Hercules grumbled, only half joking.
“She’s alive,” Iolaus whispered, the situation just now dawning on him. “Herc, she’s alive!” His enthusiasm quickly became panic. “We have to find her. Oh gods, she could be anywhere. How in Hades are we going to find her?”
“Take it easy, Iolaus,” Hercules comforted. “We’ll find her. And the sooner we start looking, the sooner you’ll be with her.” The hunter ran to pick up his sword, unable to keep the giant grin from his face.
“She’s alive,” he whispered to himself as he followed Hercules out the door. “Somewhere.”
Disclaimer: No ghostly apparitions were harmed during the writing of this story.
Chapter 10: Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
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