Someone had at one time told him that ignorance was bliss; however, he’d experienced bliss first hand, and this definitely was the opposite...pure Tartarus. Iolaus sighed as he continued to look for a way out of the cave. He sat down in defeat as he realized that once again he’d gone in circles. “Here I am, the great hunter...renown throughout the known world for my old hunter’s tricks, able to track the most cunning thief around (Autolycus, you didn’t hear that), and I’m lost. Lost in this stupid cave. I’ve tracked snow geese in a blizzard with greater success. What is wrong with me?!” he asked in frustration.
“Oh, nothing really, just a little curse, Little Man,” snarled a deep voice in a dark corner.
Iolaus jumped up and reached for his sword. He breathed a little sigh of relief when Ares strode out of the darkness and walked dangerously close to him. “What do YOU want?” he grumbled at the god.
“Oh, I see how it is. Yes, you defeat Dahak with my little brother, vanish into the Light, and help save mankind. And you think this gives you the right to be irreverent, hmm?” he said with a controlled rage that never rose above a whisper. “Disrespectful little mole...And what gives you the idea that I can’t or won’t destroy you with a thought?” Ares grabbed Iolaus by the front of his vest and lifted him off the ground. He fixed his steely glare square into Iolaus’ rebellious eyes. The great hunter began to writhe in his grasp as torment after torment invaded his consciousness. Iolaus gasped at the last one and looked away. Ares laughed and dropped him cruelly to the ground. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. You’re brave enough to face me, but not enough to face what you’ve done.”
Iolaus covered his ears as the mocking laughter faded with the god of war. He looked bleakly around the cavern and drew his knees up to his chest. “This is not happening.. not happening. I can face ANYTHING you throw at me, ARES!” he shouted to the ceiling. “Anything..but this.” His voice trailed into nothingness as he tried to force down the pain, the remembrance, of his life as Dahak. He knew Hercules had forgiven him, though he’d come to believe what the demigod had told him. There was nothing to be forgiven. He’d never truly betrayed him. But Iolaus had been aware of all the pain and suffering the demon had caused. And he was helpless to stop any of it. What the demon did to Hercules, Jason, those people who opposed him, the Light helped him deal with those things. It was still hard to avoid those looks from time to time, but what he did...how he treated...mistreated her, he had a hard time forgiving himself over that. Nebula. Even the thought of her name crushed his heart.
None of the citizens remembered where he said he was going. The innkeeper swore he said something about meditating on the mountaintop, but that village didn’t have a mountain. Hercules knew. With a sigh, the demigod turned toward the small hill just outside the city and drew up his shoulders. He walked slowly to the hillside they’d laughingly called a mountaintop in their youth. In times of his deepest distress, Iolaus would return to this hillside outside of Corinth to sit and think. Sometimes, he made his most difficult decisions sitting cross-legged up there. The decision to run away from home, to join the Academy rather than face jail, to ask Ania to marry him, to go away to the east after she died...all of these were decided soberly on this “mountaintop”, and so with him so recently returned from the Light, it made sense that he’d seek comfort there.
“Hello, Brother. Iolaus told me to tell you that he’s on the ‘mountaintop’ again,” Iphicles said as he placed his hand on Herc’s shoulder. “He said if he didn’t come back in two days to send out the search party. Unless of course, we hear rumors of a beautiful shepherdess in the region, then he says give him a week. Man, I’ve never seen someone who could do that.”
“Do what?”
“Joke around and look so upset at the same time. Well, I’ve seen sarcasm and bitterness like that..but not like this, and I’ve only seen Iolaus looking this lost once or twice in my life. I assume you have?” he said with a sigh.
“Yes, I have, Iphicles. He tries to cover things up with a joke, but if it’s really bad, he heads for the mountaintop. I suppose I should let him be up there. Two days, huh? Well, Brother, I suppose I could use a nice bath, a royal banquet, and a change of clothes while these are washed. What do you say? Any room in that Palace of yours?”
“Well, of course, Herc. Bath’s okay, but you’ll have to haul the heated water to the tub; we have a problem with broken pipes to the palace. And the banquet, well, the main cook is off to meet her sister in Thebes. She did make up some good boar stew and fresh bread. And clothes, hmmm, I think Salmoneus left a toga or two around that would fit you. All my royal clothes are at the cleaners. Sure, you’re welcome to stay,” he said with a definitely nonregal giggle.
“So much for livin’ the good life, eh?” Herc said with a chuckle as he jabbed a light punch on his brother’s shoulder. “Uh oh. Don’t tell me, I’m guilty of treason and have to be thrown in the dungeon.”
“No such luck, Herc,” Iphicles replied with a shove himself. “You get to be seated next to the Lady Penelope from Thrace. You know her...there..”
“There once was a lady from Thrace Who thought everything a disgrace She’d grumble and groan about life all alone With a pinched up expression on her face,” Herc finished.
“Oh no...thanks a bunch now I get to hear about her poor lot in life, vicious rumors, and malicious gossip all through dinner?”
“Well, that sounds like a just punishment for punching on the king,” laughed Iphicles.
“Um, Brother, I feel a need to meditate on the mountain,” sighed Hercules. They walked off together in good humor punching, and wrestling around as if they were 11 years old again. As the demigod entered the palace, he turned back toward the mountain and sighed.
Iolaus felt sick to his stomach. He tried to remember how long he’d been in the cave. “Iolaus, sometimes your curiosity is going to get you in big trouble. What am I saying? It already has. You couldn’t just meditate, could you? You had to investigate the sound in the cave. Sheesh, the old masters would have told me off big time.”
“Of course they would have, Little Guy. Avoidance, I believe they call it,” sneered Ares as he popped back in to torment the hunter. “Yes, you would never have entered these caves if you really wanted to meditate. The truth is..”
“The TRUTH? You’re going to lecture me on the truth? Please Ares, that would be like Zeus lecturing me on fidelity,” he said in disgust. His head snapped up as he heard boots crunching across the pebbled floor of the cave. He ducked just as Ares kicked out at him. The tip of the boot caught him on his shoulder, and Iolaus felt like it shattered into a thousand bits.
“Well, now, Little Guy, feel like showing a little respect?” the god laughed menacingly. Iolaus tried to open his mouth, but decided to try breathing deeply before he passed out. “Yes, that’s better. And by the way, it’s dislocated...not shattered. Now where was I? Yes, the truth. You were easily distracted because you don’t want to think about her, do you?”
“Shut up,” Iolaus hissed through the pain. This time he couldn’t duck in time, and his other shoulder felt the full wrath of the god of war.
“Now, THAT’S shattered. Let’s see, whom were we talking about. Yes, that feisty morsel, Nebula. She’s wasted on you, you know. I could really use her as my second in command, smart, brave, doesn’t take lip from anybody...and speaking of bodies, that Nebula has one that won’t quit. Of course, you could tell me all about it, couldn’t you?” he laughed.
“You..leave...her out..of this. Don’t even speak...her....name. Mighty dog of war!” he spat out.
Ares crouched in front of his face and sneered, “Oh Little Guy, you still don’t know with whom you’re dealing, I’ll talk about her all I want. Hey, wanna see her now? She’s on a ship, taking a...oh baby...takin’ a shower. Mmmm...mmmm...mmm whatta woman! I’m sorry, you already know that...or wait, was that Dahak that already knows that? See ya,” he growled cruelly as he vanished.
“Nebula,” Iolaus moaned.
Hercules sat all through dinner listening to Lady Penelope’s criticism of the entire court. This maiden wore her virginity like a badge, this one wore her gowns too low, this other one wore her chiton too short, and scandal of all scandal’s, there was a blond man who flirted endlessly with all of them two nights ago.
Hercules cleared his throat, “Um, that would be my best friend, Iolaus.” He watched the old biddy choke on the stew and awkwardly take her leave of the group. He smiled at his brother who was in deep conversation with the virgin with the badge. The demigod raised his eyebrows and whispered, “Now, where did that come from.” He sighed again at what Iolaus would have told the woman. He probably would have come up with something hilarious, put her in her place, and give those poor women she gossiped about some future ammunition against her. “Iolaus...what are you deciding up there?”
Iphicles excused himself and his brother, and they retired to Iphicles’ private quarters. As they relaxed in the sitting room, the king became brother again and handed Hercules some wine. “Now, tell me about your latest quest,” he said propping his feet on his desk.
Hercules sighed, “Well, nothing much actually..the same old stuff.”
Iphicles started laughing, “Wait a minute, you call vampires, traveling to Egypt, being possessed, and cursed Amazons the same old stuff? Man, Iolaus IS a better storyteller than you are. I’m sorry, Hercules. You are just TOO modest.”
Hercules chuckled lightly as he drank his wine. “If you want to know the truth, Iolaus is the one who’s too modest. He tells these fantastic tales...yeah, yeah, yeah, they are all true, but he never focuses on what he really did. Especially since..,” tears formed in the demigod’s eyes as his words were choked off.
Iphicles leaned forward and rested his hand on his brother’s shoulder again, “I know, Hercules. I know how hard on you this whole thing was, but he’s back. You should just be thankful for that. We all know how much he does..how much he contributes to your partnership. It’ll be okay now.”
Hercules shook his head, “I don’t know Iphicles. If he’s up on the mountaintop, he could be deciding to leave again. He could be planning a trip back to the East again. I don’t have Deainira to lean on in his absence this time. If he leaves...”
“Hey, quit borrowing trouble, Hercules. That’s my job. He’s not going anywhere, he could be deciding to...I dunno...cut his hair all off, get three new earrings, be in a play. There are a lot of things he COULD be planning. At any rate, Brother, if he does decide to go off somewhere, you’re not alone. You can lean on me. I’m still your big brother, you know?” Iphicles said as he gently shook his shoulder.
The demigod took in a deep breath and smiled, “You’re right, Iph. I’m glad I have you to talk with. I used to rely on Mother to get me to look at all sides, and it looks like you got that part of her. Come on, I’ll arm wrestle you for the better bed.”
Iphicles burst into laughter, “Oh no, brother, that may have worked when we were younger, and I was trying to prove something. No, no, no, I don’t HAVE to arm wrestle...I have the best bed in the palace. But I will throw darts with you for the best seat at breakfast.” Iphicles wriggled his eyebrows up and down and nodded toward the target on the wall. He reached inside his desk and pulled out the darts. Handing one to his brother, Iphicles said, “You go first, Herc.”
Later that evening, as Hercules headed down the lonely corridor, he stopped at a window that overlooked the hillside. “Iolaus, be safe, my friend...my brother,” he whispered as he held out his hand. “Man!” he grumbled to himself, “I can’t believe I have to sit next to Lady Penelope AGAIN!”
Iolaus laid on the cold damp cave floor. He knew it had to be night because he could hear the rustling of the bats as they flew toward the entrance. “That’s it,” he said quietly as he shuddered. “I’ll follow them.” He tried to get up, but his hands were useless as they hung to his side. He was grateful that he couldn’t feel his arms at the moment, and he only briefly considered that Ares may have caused massive nerve damage. His only thought was trying to sit up so he could stand up to follow the bats out. He almost did it until he heard that maniacal laughter again.
Ares appeared to him again and nudged him down. When Iolaus hit the floor again, he almost blacked out, but Ares sat in front of him poking his broken shoulder. When the hunter hissed, his eyes flew open and he wanted to strike out at Ares. “Oh, Little Guy. Angry are we? Well, you couldn’t follow those bats anyway; they’re too fast. Besides, I just saved you...they’re rabid. Now you just lie there like a good little hero, and consider all that you’ve done. I know your nightmares, Iolaus. I know why you have trouble sleeping. Have you ever wondered if she has nightmares? What does she see when she closes her eyes at night? Yes, I can see in your eyes that you’ve never considered that.”
“Ares, “ he gasped weakly, “just go away. I know what a jerk I’ve been. I know exactly what Dahak did to her...how he exploited her. I know how helpless I was to stop it. I’d give anything in the world not to have hurt her that way, “ he sobbed from his emotional hurt rather than his physical damage.
“Ahh, so that’s why you haven’t been to see her since you’ve been back?” he asked with a smirk. “Oh little guy, you’re pathetic. You don’t deserve a warrior like she could be. I, on the other hand, would be happy to be there when she cries out in the night. She’s heard rumors you know...rumors that you’re alive, but she won’t let herself believe them.”
“Ares, Herc and I..just haven’t had..I mean,” he stammered.
“Oh, you have time to go to Egypt, but not to find your ‘lady love’? Yeah right. Nice try Iolaus,” he laughed. “Perhaps if you saw one of her dreams?” Ares waved his hand in the air, and Iolaus saw a vision of himself and Nebula standing at a window. It was himself, and yet it wasn’t. There was an underlying cruelty in his eyes.
“Dahak,” he gasped quietly. “No, Ares, please.’
“Oh, Little Guy doesn’t want to see what damage he’s done? Well too bad,” he sneered.
Iolaus watched in horror as Dahak told her that she’d told him in a hundred different ways that she loved him. He shuddered uncontrollably to see him kissing her, holding her closely in the night. Suddenly the dream began to transform into a nightmare. His fingers turned to fire as he scarred her face. She screamed as he made the mark of exorcism on her chest. “How do you like this, my Dear?” growled the deep disturbing voice. “He doesn’t really care about you. Just a one night stand...just as Hercules said. What a prophet that man is.”
“It wasn’t me. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t me,” he repeated frantically. “Don’t listen to him, Nebula. Don’t listen!”
“Oh yeah, Iolaus, it wasn’t you finding her when you got back from the light either. Where was it you wanted to go...to find Nebula? Wait, I believe you told Hercules you wanted to go to Thrace,” he laughed again as he disappeared.
“Nebula, what have I done to you?” he passed out with the vision of Dahak crouching over her in bed.
