Iolaus' Path

by Ayelet

[This story takes place right after Hercules and Iolaus' first meeting in Hercules' back yard after Hercules' family was killed. The episode is "The Wrong Path". Iolaus came to call on Hercules, and found out about his family loss. Iolaus wanted to help Herc, but Herc would not let him. At the end of that scene Hercules walked away, leaving Iolaus standing in front of Hercules' house. The screen faded out. This is where my story starts, here goes...]


Iolaus remained standing in a complete shock. This was the one thing he feared most; the one thing he had hoped his friend won't have to go through- the loss of a family. Iolaus knew that feeling, knew it all too well. He remembered Hercules' comforting presence when he had lost his own family. All Iolaus wanted to do then was to die with them, and he knew his friend must be feeling the same.

Iolaus' thoughts raced in his mind. He wanted to be there for Hercules, to comfort him in his great loss, but how can you comfort a man who does not wish to be comforted? How do you comfort a man trapped in his own guilt? No, Iolaus knew that forcing his presence on Hercules right now would do no good to either one of them. He knew where Hercules was headed. He was headed to his family's favorite spot. Her favorite spot. Iolaus knew that, despite the rage, the anger, the shock, Hercules had to be alone for a moment, alone with his thoughts, his emotions and his memories. He also knew one more thing. He knew that if he ever wanted to be at Hercules' side to help him in his time of need, he had to face his own grief. The grief for his best friend's loss; the grief for Iolaus' own loss. For Hercules' family had been like Iolaus' own. Deianaira had been like a sister to him, and the children, well, they were the kind he hoped to have someday.

He went inside the house. Right from the door he could see the marks of the burn. His heart would not allow him to approach the big bed Hercules had shared with Deianaira; that would be invading his best friend's privacy. More than that, he felt as if he would defile a sacred place by going there, and all of a sudden he felt a chill going down his body. He went to the other side of the house, where the bed of the children stood. It was burnt, of course, but the fire hadn't touched the walls surrounding it, as if mocking Hercules' pain. On the floor near the bed a doll was thrown. He recognized it. Ilea's. She never went to bed without it. A sad smile crossed his lips as he remembered how many times Hercules had gone back to his place to bring the forgotten doll home to his daughter. His gaze fell on a piece of burnt cloth. Something was lying underneath it. He picked up the cloth and was shocked by what he saw. A small dagger laid there, roughly forged. On its blade three letters were carved: I, H, A. The first two were old and stained, but the third one seemed more recent. Iolaus knew what he saw; that was his birthday gift to Hercules on his 12th birthday. That was the first dagger he had forged by himself. It was obviously not a very good one at that, but it was forged out of true friendship. Then, the boys worked together to carve their initials on the blade. Back then, it was a token of friendship. Now Hercules had passed it on to his son, adding his initial to the ones already carved in the old metal. Tears threatened to choke Iolaus' throat. For a moment his mind was frozen. He lifted the old dagger, and slid his fingers over the old and new letters. The tears were no longer in his throat; they were rolling out of his eyes and down his face. He wiped the tears and slid the dagger into his pocket and turned to the door. When he reached it, he turned around to take one last look at the house. A sudden breeze hit his face. His mind created the words his lips could only whisper. "Rest in peace, Deianaira; I will take good care of him. I promise; I swear." As he whispered the words he felt the tears fall down his cheeks again. Not being able to stand the loneliness the house radiated, loneliness that was emphasized by his own vivid memories of the happy children, and more than that, the happy parents, he turned on his heels and ran down the path.

He did not worry about finding Hercules again; that would be easy. Making him laugh again, love again, that would be much harder. But he had promised, and he meant every word he said. The blond hunter came to a sudden halt. "I'll make him laugh again! Even if it will be the last thing I do!" He shouted at the sky, with a vague hope that the gods were listening. "You won't succeed, Hera. You'll pay for this until the day I die! And until that day, I'll make use of every day to make your existence as miserable as possible!!!" He fell silent. "I have to," he thought, "the world needs him." Iolaus started walking again, then came to a stop. His fingers felt the blade of the dagger. "No, I am the one who needs him, and even if he doesn't know it yet, I will make him feel again. Not just rage and hatred, I'll make him laugh and love again. He doesn't know it yet, but he is going to find out!"



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