"This is the stupidest thing I've ever done," grumbled the former king of Corinth to himself as he rummaged through Alcmene's hope chest at the foot of their bed. He cursed loudly, pulled his hand out of the chest and stuck his thumb between his grimacing lips. "Well at least that means I found the damn thing," he continued to grouse as he removed the splinter then dug into the chest one more time; this time pulling out a rather ornately-carved wooden box about the size of a dagger case.
Jason handled Alcmene's box in an almost reverent fashion as he left the bedchamber and hurried down the hallway to his study. He placed the box in the center of his desk; the only piece of furniture that he had brought with him to this house when he'd married Alcmene. It had belonged to his father, and his grandfather before him. A beautiful piece that now looked somehow complete with this newest addition. Jason was content. His desk would serve tonight's purposes well.
The former king took one last look around the room to make certain all was in order for this evening's activities. The Nemean lion skin that he'd taken from the wall in Hercules' old room now hung in place of the Corinthian banner that had been the backdrop to his desk for these past several years. On a table near the door he'd placed the demigod's favorite goblet filled with the light wine that his friend preferred above all others. A pewter bowl filled with a sampling of the late fruits from Alcmene's garden sat next to the wine and on the other side of the bowl was a candle that had been lit from the hearth fire.
Yes, this room was ready. Now he would only have to check that he'd closed and locked all of the windows and doors. He didn't want anyone to know what he was doing...ever...especially if it didn't work.
Jason pulled his favorite amply cushioned chair around to face the front of the desk. He went to the desk, unhooked the latch on Alcmene's box and opened it carefully. The box was lined with small, hand painted tiles set in intricate patterns, each pattern bordered with gold. Two solid gold candle holders were placed at either end of the box each supporting a brand-new, expensive, beeswax candle. He was ready to proceed.
Jason took the candle that had been lit by the hearth fire and used it, in turn, to light both candles with. He returned the original candle to the small table and picked up the bowl of fruit which he placed directly in front of the candle on the left side of the desk. The former king then returned to the small table next to the door and picked up the goblet of wine. He also brought this to the desk but he spilled a little drop on the tiles inside the box before he set it in front of the candle on the right hand side of the desk, exactly as he'd seen Alcmene do on several occasions during their marriage. "Gods," he thought, "I hope I've got everything right."
"Here goes..." he muttered as he took his seat and settled into the cushions in his best royal pose. Jason took a deep breath and called out in a low but urgent tone of voice..."Hercules!"
No response.
"Hercules, I know you can hear me. Answer me, my friend," continued the former king.
Again no response.
"Alright. If you don't want to answer me, or you can't answer me, that's okay. I'll just get on with what I was going to say and you can feel free to jump in at any time. There are two items I need to address with you. First...it's about your mother," began Jason who closed his eyes and rested his head against the padded back of the great chair.
He felt, more than heard his friend's entrance.
"Jason? What?!? What in Tartarus' name is going on here?!?" exclaimed Hercules as he scanned the room, taking in the new additions to the study's décor.
Jason's eyes shot open and a relieved smile played around the corner's of his mouth. "I didn't know if it would work, but it was worth a shot to get your attention."
"Why are you doing this to me? How are you doing this to me?" questioned his incredulous friend.
"It's called praying, Hercules. I was praying to you. Your mother once told me that Zeus said the gods hear all prayers but that they choose which ones to answer and which to ignore. You're a god now and it's the only way I could think of to get in touch with you. But so help me Zeus, if you ever tell anyone about this I'll never forgive you," replied Jason.
"An altar?!" exclaimed Hercules. "You've set up an altar to me? Have you lost your mind Jason?"
"Maybe I have, Hercules. But my plan did work. You heard me."
"I did...I heard your voice in the back of my head. I thought I was hallucinating." Hercules thought for a moment then continued excitedly, "it was almost like an ambrosia rush. Your voice coursed through my veins and left a pleasing vibration. You're my first..."
"Please Hercules," begged the former king. "I really don't think I want to hear this. Please stop."
Hercules smiled and approached Jason with his arm outstretched in greeting. "You went to an awful lot of trouble to summon me here, my friend. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Hercules," replied Jason.
"Iolaus? Is Iolaus alright?" queried the now anxious god who was just realizing that Jason wouldn't have petitioned him without good reason.
"Iolaus is just fine, Hercules," Jason assured the new god. "At least he was when he left here this morning," he added.
"You mean Iolaus didn't stick around with you for a while?"
"He stayed with me every day since your mother died last week Hercules. We hunted and fished and he helped me fix the stairs to the loft. Iolaus has been a great comfort to me. He offered to stay longer to help me get the place ready for winter but, in all fairness, I couldn't have kept him here when I saw the old restlessness come over him," Jason responded.
"I've been gone a week? I don't understand. It was only this morning that I left you and Iolaus."
"It's been a week Hercules. Maybe gods don't experience the passing of time like mortals do," Jason opined.
"Is there some trouble Jason?" asked Hercules.
"Yes...no...it's nothing I can put my finger on exactly," began the former king. "Two things actually. First, I'm getting an uneasy feeling about your mother. It's nothing firm, just a feeling that something is wrong and I can't seem to shake it. I'm just afraid that she's not resting easy."
"Zeus and I looked in on her this morning in the Elysian Fields and she seemed just fine, Jason," the new god remarked.
"But remember Hercules, what you thought happened this morning was really several days ago for us." Jason sighed and continued, "I don't want you to think I'm crazy but your mother and I had a unique connection of sorts. I have heard that it usually happens to people who love each other and who are attuned to the other's feelings. Sometimes I swear that she could read my mind, and sometimes I hers. It even worked over long distances like when I'd be in the marketplace and think I'd hear her telling me she'd like to have fish for dinner. I'd pick up some to take home with me and your mother would be so happy when I'd arrive home with the fish. She'd tell me that she'd been thinking about having a nice fish supper while she was working out in her garden and I must have picked up on her thoughts somehow."
Hercules gave a quick laugh, "Jason...that's hardly proof of a psychic connection..." He sobered quickly when he realized that he had first hand experience with this type of 'special connection' Jason was talking about while he was in the vortex with the Sovereign.
"Scoff all you like, Hercules. But I'm telling you, I'm getting unhappy vibrations from a soul who's supposed to be living in Elysia. And I'm not crazy!" asserted Jason.
"Okay...okay, I would never insinuate that you were anything but 100% sane my friend. I believe there may be something to these feelings of yours and I promise to check in on Mother on a regular basis to alleviate your concerns," avowed the demigod.
"Thank you my friend, I'd really appreciate your keeping an eye on Alcmene. Now I'll be able to rest again," said Jason who was well pleased with the answer to his 'prayers.'
"You said there were two matters. What's the second item?" queried Hercules.
"Oh, right. It's about Iolaus, Hercules. We spent this past week together and I know it's not really my place to say anything but he seemed to be filled with an uncertainty...not knowing what to do with his life now that you've left for Olympus. That's not like him. I thought, well maybe...maybe the two of you had some unfinished business."
"I'll take a look in on Iolaus right away. I did leave rather abruptly and I realize that we needed to talk more about my decision to go with Zeus. You know Jase, I've always taken it for granted that Iolaus is a hero in his own right, strong and able. I have the deepest faith in him to think things through then go out and carve his own niche in this world and make it a better place. I just didn't get to tell him all this before Zeus took me. Maybe it still needs to be said."
With a final shake of the hands, Hercules disappeared in a flash of gold and bronze sparkles. Jason blew out the candles in his study, closed the door and all but ran down the hall to his bedroom where he was looking forward to the first full night of sleep in over a week, putting his faith in Hercules to keep a close eye towards the well-being of his mother's spirit.
"This is the stupidest thing I've ever done," Iolaus whispered to himself in the darkness as he pulled the thick blanket more closely around his shoulders, trying to find a comfortable sleeping position on the floor of this cold and unfamiliar room.
His mother's house was small and this tiny after-thought of a room was being used by his step-father as a library/study.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I ever think it would be easy to come back home? What did I think I would ever accomplish by it." Iolaus slowly ran his right hand from his furrowed brow, past the frown on his lips to his chin where it lingered in thoughtful pose. "Pandion said my mother has been hurting every day because of my being gone. Now my mother's hurting because I'm here and I don't have all the right words...all the answers to her questions. I don't know how to make it all better. If I leave again while things are up in the air like this it will just heap new hurt on top of old hurt and she'll suffer more."
The smell of old parchment and fresh ink lingered in the air, serving to evoke memories of his days at the Academy, the last time he had been around so many scrolls at once. His mind traveled back to a time when he would sit in the great library with Hercules as the demigod studied. Together they poured over scrolls about the great wars and studied geography, maps and math, but what they learned about each other and from each other during these study sessions was more important to the conduct of their adult lives than all the printed words in the world.
"I've always known that Hercules has had his Olympian destiny to follow and I know people will be better off with him as a god where he can look out for their interests. So I suppose it's purely selfish that I wish Hercules were still here. It was always easier to sort things out when I had Herc to talk with."
"I guess my current circumstances are fitting though. It's like a birthright almost. Jason became the king of Corinth, following in his father's footsteps. Hercules became a god, following his father to Olympus. And me...I became a failure of a son, following my father's path straight out of my mother's life," Iolaus sighed.
"I've only ever wanted to make my family proud of me, to respect the man I've become but today my mother told me that she doesn't know me well enough to be proud of me. She's right too. I'm certainly not feeling very proud of myself for making some wrong decisions when I was young, for staying away for so long, for not taking better care of my own mother."
"Maybe I just need to take a little time to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I'll go over to the neighboring town in the morning and see if they have any work available for the next couple of weeks. I'm going to need some dinars and a place to stay while I try to make things all right with my mom. Besides, Iphicles' ship won't be coming in to port until the week before Solstice." Iolaus tossed from side to side, as the cold and his thoughts made the hero more and more uncomfortable. "Jason was right. It should be one of us who tells Iph the news about Alcmene's death. That's something that can't be left to a stranger. I'll give him the news and Jason's invitation then spend the Solstice with them at Alcmene's house like Jase asked me to. Hopefully, by that time I'll have figured out where I'm going with my life. But I still feel unsettled by all of this. Damn! What would Herc say?"
"I know...I know. Hercules would say 'trust your instincts.' He'd say 'play it straight from your heart buddy, and you'll be okay.' Now I just have to know what's in my heart. Truth be told, there's not much room in there as it is...not with the big guy taking up so much space," Iolaus softly chuckled to himself. "Thanks buddy...wherever you are. You've still got my back even when you're not here."
'But I am here, Iolaus,' thought Hercules to himself as he studied his partner's expressive face. 'I just don't think I can let you see me or hear me right now. It's almost like the time Nemesis told me I couldn't help you with the hydra. This looks like one more battle you're going to have to deal with on your own.'
'I wonder how you would react if you knew I was here and that I can hear your concerns? Would you hate me for it?' It was a possibility that caused a deep frown to come to the new god's face. 'I wish I could tell you how strange it feels without you by my side on Olympus. Only one day has gone by since I left you at Mother's house...well it seems like only one day to me...but I miss you my faithful brother.'
As a god, Hercules didn't need any sleep but he did need time to think. And what better place to sort out his thoughts than the place in the whole universe where he felt the most comfortable, where he'd always done his best thinking...in the quiet hours of the night listening to the slow and steady breathing of his partner as he slept.
Maintaining his invisibility, Hercules laid on the carpet next to his brother of the soul exactly as he had at thousands of campfires over the years. He stretched out his legs, put his hands together under his head and lost himself in deep thought. After a time, the new god stood and declared to himself, 'Hades has the underworld, Poseidon has the seas and Zeus has Olympus. If I'm to be the protector god of mortals it's only logical that I should live among them. I'll talk to Zeus. That way Iolaus and I can...but maybe Iolaus won't want to be partners and travel with me anymore. I mean, I haven't given him much reason to have faith in me and my motives for wanting him with me, to trust me not split up our partnership again. If he doesn't want to travel with me any more...I'll have to accept that, but I have faith...that our paths will meet frequently.' Then turning to face the sleeping hunter he thought, 'you're a hero, Iolaus. You always have been. You always will be. I know it. Jason knows it. Now all we need is for you to believe it yourself and let others who touch you see it too. Your mother may not see it yet but, given time, she will. Just know that I'm proud of you, proud of the man you are. I promise to be back to see you soon and to say the words.'
"This is the stupidest thing I've ever done," Hercules growled loudly as he sat heavily on the chair next to the roaring hearth fire in his mother's house.
"Hercules, you can't brow beat yourself like this over an honest slip in judgment. Zeus had us all fooled. He took advantage of your good nature while you were at a low point in your life," Jason offered his long time friend in a placating manner. "But it did work out in the end. You saved Olympus just like your father knew you would. He had faith in you alone above all the gods. And you proved him right to trust you."
"Don't honey-coat it, Jason!" the demigod grumbled. "I've done some stupid things in my life. And this time takes the cake. Going off to become a god. Chasing after my father like I was a teenager again. The sad thing is, every time I mess up it hurts the one person in my life who deserves it the least...Iolaus. Sometimes I think he's better off without me around. Then he could get on with a normal life..."
"Hercules, think about what you're saying. 'Iolaus' and 'normal' in the same breath. It doesn't fit," the former king chuckled as he tried to lighten the moody atmosphere that had descended on this house since the demigod literally dropped off of Olympus back into the everyday world of mortals.
"How can I ask Iolaus to trust me enough to take me on as a partner again. I know that if I were in his place, I wouldn't take me back," the demigod uttered ashamedly.
Jason took in the dejected figure of his good friend and, laying a warm hand on the sloping shoulder he said, "the day you left with your father to go to Olympus I watched Iolaus closely. He excused himself and walked tall, with a firm steady gait as he made his way to the barn. And as I watched his retreating figure it was with renewed admiration and pride. He believes in you and your life's mission so completely that he's beyond an ego about it. Iolaus has faith in you to do the right thing for all humanity. He always has."
"Before Iolaus left here I asked him to go to Corinth the week before Solstice to meet Iphicles' ship when it docks. Someone's got to tell your brother about Alcmene's death and we thought it should come from one of the family instead of from a perfect stranger. I asked Iolaus to tell him and to bring Iphicles back here so the three of us could be together this Solstice. It won't be a time for celebrating...but it's still a time when families should be together. I think we need this reunion. Now, I'm not going to tell you what to do, Hercules...or even offer you friendly advice more than telling you to play it straight from your heart. Think about what you're going to do but have some faith in yourself to do what's right."
"Thanks Jason. I've already thought about it and I know what I want to do...what I have to do. I've got to get going," said the demigod with a renewed purpose.
"Hercules?"
"Yes, Jase?"
"It's your turn this year to bring the plum puddings and brandy wine."
The end
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