Things That Shouldn't Be

by MaryE

The darkness was impenetrable, it surrounded and suffocated him. His eyes and nose and ears were filling with the animal feed that he was buried in. The feed bin was just large enough that he could stretch out full length even though he felt the deep need to draw himself up into a tight ball. He wanted to make himself as small as he felt. He was seconds away from shear panic and the only thing holding him back was concern for the friend who was hiding him. He would die for his best friend rather than put him in danger and if he were going to die he would do it as bravely as his 11-year-old heart would allow him. He permitted two small tears to be released from his eyes -- tears of mourning for his young self -- before he steeled himself to accept whatever the Fates had in store for him today.

It might have been the darkness enveloping him, or maybe it was the fear, that seemed to enhance his sense of hearing. He could hear the soft noise of his friend's whittling knife as it swept over the gnarled piece of wood they had discovered on their fishing trip the previous day. He could distinguish the soft breathing of the two sheep in the pen next to the feed box, from the slightly rougher snorting breaths of the cow in the pen next to that. And he could hear the noise of a horse and cart as it rapidly approached the little house and barn. He heard when the cart pulled up to an abrupt stop in front of the house and he heard when the heavy boots landed on the ground. The driver's shouting voice seemed so loud to him that it made his body vibrate.

He could hear the sound made by his friend's mother as she ran out onto the porch trying to calm the man who was shouting threats of death and mutilation aimed at the hapless child. He could hear as she assured the man in her most soothing voice that she had not seen the child in question yet today. She tried to get the man to focus and calm down but he refused to listen. He could hear as the man pushed past the small woman and searched her house from top to bottom, tearing apart the cabinets and searching under the beds.

The frightened child, with his heightened senses, could follow the progress of the man who was raging like a maniac through the house and back out onto the porch again. He could tell the very second that the man turned and started stalking towards the barn. The child could also tell that his friend never moved from where he was perched on top of the feed bin...not even one inch. Then, the most frightening moment of all was hearing the man's sword being drawn from it's sheath and the swooshing noise that it made when he cut it through the air in front of him as he entered the barn.

"Where is he...where are you hiding him you little bastard?"

The young boy remained perched on top of the feed bin. He kept his mouth shut, staring defiantly at the large man who was swinging the shining sword around in front of him.

"I'm talking to you, bastard. Where is he? Where are you hiding your little runt friend?"

The boy continued staring defiantly at the man, refusing to answer to the vulgar word the man had labeled him with.

"So, you little smart ass. You and your mother think you can keep my son away from me. Think again." As he shouted, he started stabbing his sword into the piles of straw lying around the floor of the barn.

"Now I see where my son is getting his defiant attitude from, you little bastard. Well, when I catch him I'm going to cut his defiant little tongue out of his head so he can't talk back ever again and I'll take one of his ears too. Teach him a lesson for ever listening to a fatherless brat like you." The crazed man swept his sword behind some planks of wood that were standing against the far wall of the barn.

The young boy carefully placed his whittling knife on the window ledge behind him along with the piece of wood he'd been working. He slowly climbed off the bin, squared his shoulders and pulled himself up to his full height, which was pretty impressive for a nine-year-old boy. The boy's mother came to stand behind him and gently laid a reassuring hand on her son's shoulder. He looked at the man who had a slight gleam of insanity in his cold steely eyes and matched it with his own steely gaze; then in a slow, anger-tinged voice he shouted, "I am not fatherless. I am Hercules, son of Zeus and you will know his wrath if you try to harm either my mother, myself or anyone else who is under the protection of our household."

"Son of Zeus...is that what your mother's been telling you, boy? You insolent cur."

The man seemed to become increasingly angry as he viewed the calm demeanor of the child who was standing his ground. He continued to swing his sword around, poking it into every hay pile and animal blanket. He brought the sword in an upswing very close to the young boy in an attempt to frighten him. He had used this same move any number of times before and had known grown men to crap in their pants as a result of it, but the boy did not move from his spot. He did not even flinch. The man might have been impressed under different circumstances - but this time it only served to egg his anger on to higher levels. He looked closely at the feed bin to the side of the boy and he swung his sword one more time. The woman screamed thinking that the crazy man was taking aim to kill her son but the sword stopped in mid swing and with a roaring shout, the man made a swift stabbing action instead. The sword slipped between the slats of the feed bin right next to the young boy's legs before Hercules even had a chance to stop it.

In the split second it took for the man to pull the sword out of the bin, the young boy could see blood running along its polished, razor sharp edge. Hercules knew he would have to do something fast so without thinking he jumped at the man with a strength that was doubled by fear for his friend. He knocked the man to the floor and disarmed him before he had a chance to notice the blood on his sword.

The boy grabbed the sword from the ground and holding it as if it were a javelin he threw it with all of his might out of the barn door and over the tree tops deep into the forest that adjoined his mother's land.

Hercules could see blood dripping from the corner of the feed bin so he kept close to the barn door in order to draw the man's attention to himself. The man struggled to his feet, rubbing his hands over his chest where the boy had impacted with him. He thought one of his ribs could possibly be broken.

The young boy shouted at him, "stay away from my mother and stay away from me. Don't come to my house any more or the next time you will have to answer directly to Zeus."

The angry man removed his horsewhip from his belt, unfurled it and let it rip towards the young boy. In one fluid motion, Hercules caught it in his right arm and pulled, causing the man to lose his balance and fall on his face at the boy's feet. This time the man knew his rib was broken and he could also feel that his wrist was either broken or dislocated. Before he could get back to his feet the young boy had him by the scruff of his neck and the belt of his pants and unceremoniously threw him into the back of the cart that he rode in on. The boy slapped the horse hard enough to make him take off at a gallop and they could hear the man's screamed curses floating back at them as the cart took off down the road at top speed.

"Mother, quick! Help me please," screamed Hercules as he ran back into the barn. That's the first time she noticed the blood dripping from the bottom of the feed bin.

"By the gods, what has he done!" she whispered feverishly.

They opened the lid and dug through the feed. They found the young blonde boy convulsed with pain but not a sound did he make. The blood was pulsing from a deep wound in the side of the boy's thigh.

"Hurry, son. Give me your shirt. I have to stop this bleeding right now."

Hercules tore off his shirt and watched as his mother ripped it down the middle; wadding one half into the wound and using the other half as a tourniquet above the wound to cut off the bleeding. She picked the small boy up and cradled him tightly in her arms as she ran into the house with him.

In case the crazy man returned Hercules threw some armfuls of fresh hay to cover the pool of his friend's blood that stained the floor under the feed bin. He would come back later to get rid of the blood-soaked feed. He joined his mother in the house and followed her instructions to build up the fire, heat some water and to bring her the knife so she could cut some bandages from her supply of linen. In between errands he stood next to the bed holding his friend's hand, watching his pale face and whispering words of encouragement. His friend still hadn't made even one small noise although the unbearable pain was so clearly etched on his small face.

Hercules could almost feel Iolaus' pain and tears were running silently and uncontrollably down his sun-kissed cheeks as he watched his mother minister to his friend.

After what seemed like forever, Alcemene called her son out of the room to give her some assistance. She didn't want Iolaus to hear what she had to say to her son about the seriousness of the situation. "I can't stop the bleeding, son. I need you to go and tell Erythia that Iolaus is here and that I need her help; then I need you to go into town and bring the healer as quickly as possible.

Now run Hercules. Run as fast as you can."

"Will Iolaus be okay, mother?"

"Pray that he will son. Pray that he will."

In the meantime, the man with the insane gleam in his eyes had finally taken control of his horse cart and he ran it right up the stairs of the Temple of Ares near Thebes. He jumped off the cart and, holding his broken wrist to his broken rib, he ran into the temple screaming at the top of his lungs, "Lord Ares, Lord Ares...I have news of great importance. I must speak with you about a grave matter, Lord Ares."

The god of war heard the screaming all the way up on Olympus and seeing that it was one of his generals calling for him he considered that it might just be important enough to interrupt his afternoon massage. In a flash of brilliant blue light the war god appeared before the trembling man and the deep voice of the god echoed around the temple, "well, well, well...General Skouros to what do I owe the great honor of this visit?"

"Lord Ares, I have come to warn you of a grave matter. There is a young boy living not too far from here who is claiming to be the son of Zeus. He's very dangerous. I was merely searching for my son but it seems that this boy has taken my son and is using him as his minion. He has completely turned the boy against me. He has unusual strength and he used it to control my mind and beat me senseless. Look what he's done to me...he's broken my arm and my rib and I'm one of your best warriors, Lord Ares."

"A mere boy did this to you, General?"

"Yes, and he could be a danger to you..."

"A danger to ME?!? I AM ARES, GOD OF WAR...who could possibly be a danger to me!?!" shouted Ares at the General who was now in the god's iron grip, about a foot-and-a-half off the ground and quaking in his boots.

"Forgive me Lord Ares, but he is no mere boy. You didn't see him. His look is unnatural especially in one so young. He could be a danger to you. Some evil force might have spawned the boy. I only came to warn you My Lord."

"No one just comes to warn me. Not even my Generals. What is it you want for yourself...for your reward?"

"Nothing, Lord Ares. I want only to serve you. I want only justice...but not for what's happened to me, Lord Ares...only for what's happened since my boy has been under the influence of this spawn of evil."

Ares slowly lowered the general back to the ground, releasing his hold on the quaking man and said, "This boy, he says he is the son of Zeus?"

"Yes, Lord Ares."

"Okay, General Skouros, you stay here and await my bidding. In the meantime I'll have my healers take a look at your wounds. I'll check this boy out myself."

Two priests came forward to escort the General to the infirmary at the back of the temple and Ares called his High Priest over to the altar to leave instructions.

"Keep the General here and keep him busy. I'll be back in a few days after I've investigated this matter. It's probably nothing."

Ares returned to his quarters on Olympus and sank into his throne to contemplate what the General had told him. All of the gods knew that the 'Great Evil' would try to enter the world sometime during this century. He also knew it was foretold that they would have very little chance of defeating it. In fact, if they were not careful, this 'Evil' could spell the end of all of them...gods and mortals alike. The General could be a crackpot but Ares tended to think that wasn't the case. It would probably be a good idea to check the boy out and inform Zeus if he found anything amiss. He could use something like this to gain his father's favor. He prepared himself to go to Thebes to spy on the boy and his family.

Hercules ran up the road towards his friend's house but he slowed and quieted as he made his approach. He was afraid that Iolaus' father had returned to the house. If he found the General at home he wanted to have a chance to sneak away before he could be detected. He didn't see either the horse or the cart in the yard so he was emboldened to come closer. He snuck very quietly up the porch stairs and peeked into the kitchen window. He saw a woman lying on the floor in the doorway between the kitchen and the main room. He cautiously pushed open the front door and found it to be unlocked. What he saw scared him like he had never been scared before - not even in his worst nightmares.

Erythia, Iolaus' mother, was almost unrecognizable. She was unconscious, on the floor, in the middle of a very large pool of blood...her face a bloody mask. Both of her eyes were swollen shut and her nose appeared to be broken. A large clump of bright blond hair had been pulled out of her scalp and it rested in a pile next to her face. As Hercules watched he saw her arms twitch which made him jump back several paces and catch his breath; then he watched the shallow rise and fall of her chest and he knew that she was still alive.

Hercules backed out of the house and ran as fast as he could into the village for the healer. He brought the healer to Iolaus' mother first. His knew that his friend would never forgive him if his mother died and he could have done something to help. Hercules was still too young to understand that his best friend could be bleeding to death. It never even occurred to him that his young friend wasn't going to be with him forever.

He entered Iolaus' house with the healer and heard the man curse softly under his breath. "Damn Skouros - that man should be hung. She was so happy to be carrying this baby. 'Another son to make the General happy,' she said. Now look what he's done - he's killed his unborn baby and maybe even his wife."

Hercules hung his head as he heard the words. Iolaus was so happy he was going to have a baby brother. His mom said she could feel it...that she was going to have another son. Iolaus was preparing for the birth that was still several months away. He was always after Hercules to be carving toys and he was making plans to teach his brother how to walk and talk and to hunt and fish when he was old enough to understand. Hercules knew his friend would be devastated by this news...and then to possibly lose his mother too. It was too much for the young boy to bear and he wanted nothing more than to get home and hug his own mother close and not let her go. He started to back out of the door to run home when the healer stopped him.

"Hercules, where is Iolaus' sister? Shouldn't she be somewhere around here? I'm going to need some help."

"No, sir. His sister is staying with their uncle for the planting season. They needed the help. She won't be back for at least another month."

"Well then, my boy, run home and send your mother back here fast. Erythia is going to need all the help she can get."

"Yes, sir. Can I go now, sir?"

"Certainly, son. And don't forget. Tell your mother to hurry."

Hercules ran back home as fast as he could. Alcemene heard his footsteps on the porch and she ran out to greet him and the healer. When she saw that her son was alone she started to fear for Iolaus' life. She couldn't stop the bleeding and the boy needed professional attention immediately.

Hercules grabbed his mother into a fierce hug and with tears streaming down his cheeks he reported everything he had seen and heard at Iolaus' house. As worried as she was for her friend Erythia, Alcemene was doubly worried about the slim chance that Iolaus now had for survival with such a heavy loss of blood. The devastation that Iolaus' death would have on her own son was something that she had been trying to push to the back of her mind -- but now that Hercules had returned without the healer she couldn't hold the thought back any longer. As surely as night follows day, Alcemene knew that, as close as the two boys were, Iolaus' would be the one death that her son would never recover from. She started praying now in earnest.

She explained in more detail than she wanted to exactly why it was so important for the healer to come and treat Iolaus immediately. Hercules had never seen his mother so grave and serious in his whole life and it came to him that his friend's life depended on the presence of the healer.

He took off down the road like the Hounds of Hades were after him.

Ares had been checking out the house and spying on the activities and the conversations for the past few minutes. He realized that he would have total access to the house and its occupants if he disguised himself as a healer. Being a god certainly had its advantages most of the time.

The god of war transformed his appearance into that of an elderly man and he conjured up a horse and wagon that had run into a ditch at the side of the road. He saw the young boy running towards him at super-human speed and he shouted to the boy as he whizzed past, "help me, boy...please help me."

Hercules slowed and shouted back at the man, "Sorry, sir, I need to get the healer immediately. My friend is very badly hurt and mother can't stop the bleeding. I'll help you on my way back. I promise."

"I'm a healer, boy. I'm traveling from Thessaly to resettle near my children in Corinth. If you help me, I can help you."

Hercules realized that this would cut almost an hour off of the time that they would have to wait for the other healer so he ran over to the wagon, spit on his hands and with hardly any effort at all he lifted it out of the ditch in one fluid movement. The war god was suitably impressed by both the demonstration of strength and the speed of the young boy.

"How did you do that, my boy? That was amazing."

"I have some special abilities, sir."

"I see that. Hop in child, it's my turn to help you now." They returned to the house at full gallop. Hercules helped the old man climb off the wagon and watched while he rummaged in the back of the wagon, pulling a healer's bag from under one of the blankets. They approached the house and Alcemene, who wasn't expecting her son to return so fast, was ready to greet him on the porch with a stern lecture.

"Mother, mother...look how lucky we are. I came across this healer just a very short distance away from our house. His wagon was stuck in the road and I helped him so now he's going to help us."

"How do you do, madam? I have truly come to offer my assistance. Where's the patient?"

Alcemene showed the healer to the boys' room and watched him closely as he worked on Iolaus, until she was convinced that the man really knew what he was doing. Ares had been inside so many battlefield hospitals that he knew the routine and he had also picked up several helpful tips from his cousin Aescelpus over the centuries so posing as a healer was going to be a piece of cake.

Ares wanted to use his godly powers to stop the bleeding but couldn't do it with the two eager faces watching his every move so he sent them both out of the room on errands for hot water and plenty of firewood. When Hercules and his mother left the room Ares turned to the small blonde boy on the bed and told him "I won't hurt you, boy, I promise but I've found that if you close your eyes and think about your favorite thing while I'm working my magic on you, you won't feel anything at all. Iolaus didn't believe him because he didn't think anything could take the hurt away but his mother taught him to respect his elders so he humored the old man and closed his eyes. He thought about going fishing with Herc as Ares passed his hand over Iolaus' leg and healed it just enough to stop the bleeding. Iolaus' eyes were squeezed shut and his face was scrunched up in anticipation of a great shock of pain he expected at the healer's touch.

Ares called to the boy, "It's okay, son, you can open your eyes now. It's all over." And Iolaus popped his eyes open and stared in disbelief as he looked down at this leg and saw that the open wound had stopped bleeding and the skin around the cut looked less angry than it did just one minute before.

When Alcemene returned to the room she could hardly believe it either. It was a miracle. The healer asked her to bring some hot water so he could make a soothing tea for the boy that would let him sleep a little bit while he stitched up the wound.

"You do very nice work, healer. I can't believe how swiftly you stopped the bleeding."

"Thank you, madam. I've had a great deal of experience on our country's battlefields. A wound like this is a common occurrence and I have a lot of practice taking care of them. You have a fine boy there. He was very concerned about his friend. He also told me he was concerned about the boy's mother. If you want to go check on her, I have things fairly well under control here. The boy should sleep for several hours after he drinks the tea. You could borrow my horse and wagon if it would help."

"Thank you, sir. I think I will take you up on your offer. While I'm gone, my son can show you where you can get cleaned up. Fresh towels are in the cupboard under the stairs."

"Thank you madam. You are too kind."

Hercules and the healer checked on the sleeping Iolaus one more time before heading out to the stream. Ares was pleased to get this time alone with the boy to feel him out, and to get a really good look at him.

They took off their shirts and began to wash the grime and blood from their hands and their faces. They both let the cooling water run over their heads and then they both shook the water from their hair in the same manner. They sat near the bank of the stream letting the sun dry them and this allowed Ares to get a really good look at the boy. Ares saw it immediately. The resemblance was remarkable. The boy looked at him with his father's eyes and his body reminded Ares of his own son Cupid at the same age. The boy Hercules was truly a son of Zeus and this is probably why Hera had been behaving worse than usual for the past few years.

'Maybe I can use this boy, my brother, in some way. His speed combined with that great strength would be assets. He could serve me as one of my Generals or, better yet, he could be a Warrior Prince. Yeah, I like that...it has a certain ring to it...Warrior Prince. I need to get an invitation to stay and learn more about this child.'

"Hercules, we need strong broth for your friend to hurry along his healing. Do you have any suggestions?"

"I could kill one of the sheep but mother was saving them for breeding."

"Can you hunt, son?"

"A little, my friend Iolaus is the greatest hunter in the whole world and he's taught me a few of those 'old hunters tricks'. I'm just not as good at using them as he is."

"Well son, in my day I was a fairly good hunter too. Let's see if I still have what it takes." The old man started to dig around in the great pockets of his breeches and pulled out a slingshot. "Here we go, boy. Now we're in business." In no time at all they had bagged a large wild game bird, prepared it and set it to cook in a large pot of water over the hearth fire.

By the time Alcemene returned, the broth was almost ready and there was very little left for her to do. She offered the healer the chance to stay with them overnight and she said she would prepare the other bed in the boys' room for him. Hercules eyes lit up as he heard her talking to the healer. "Mother, mother...does that mean I get to sleep with Iolaus tonight? Can we stay up late and tell each other stories? Please mother?"

"Iolaus is sleeping right now, Hercules. When we wake him up to feed him the broth we'll be able to tell if he's strong enough to stay up and talk with you. Can you help me set the table?" Hercules was anxious to find out about Erythia from his mother so he followed her to the kitchen where he gave her a clinging hug and told her he loved her. What her son had experienced this day was more than any child should ever have to and Alcemene held on to him for a while longer to impart the comfort he needed. She told him that Erythia would eventually heal but that the baby she was expecting had died.

Ares watched as the two moved about the kitchen and then when they returned to the main room to set the table for dinner. He could readily see what attracted his father to Alcemene. The woman was perfect...perfect in every way. 'Eureka! That's it,' thought the god of war. Hercules, the son of the king of the gods, was born of a perfect mortal woman. The boy had the strength, the speed, the stamina and the brains of a god yet Ares could not detect the aura of a god about the boy. Zeus had created the perfect secret weapon. That went a long way towards explaining the initial sense he had when he entered this house...that this was a breeding ground for warriors.

The small blonde boy, Skouros' son, had a uniquely fierce warrior soul the likes of which Ares hadn't seen for millennia. He could sense it as he healed him. He could also sense the presence of another son, a blood brother to Hercules whose warrior spirit was so strong that it lingered even though he was not physically present. Yes, Ares would have to do whatever he could to influence Hercules to be his friend.

After dinner the healer went up to the boys' room with Hercules and his mother. They woke Iolaus, fed him and checked on his wound, which was healing better than anyone expected. The healer claimed that he was very tired and wanted to sleep early so Alcemene prepared the two boys for bed at the same time. The healer pretended to sleep and used his godly hearing to listen to the conversation of the boys in the next bed.

The boys lay on their sides facing each other. Hercules put his hand behind his friend's neck and pulled him close so that their foreheads were pressed together and they whispered to each other so as not to wake the sleeping healer.

"You want to go first, Iolaus?"

"Not tonight Herc, I'm too tired. You go first."

Hercules told Iolaus about the old healer and how he caught the wild bird they ate for dinner with a slingshot. He told his best friend that he made the old man promise to teach them how to make their own and how to use them before he left for Corinth tomorrow. Hercules made plans for using this new skill on their next hunting trip as soon as Iolaus was fully healed.

"What story do you want to hear next, Iolaus?"

"I want to hear the story about why your mom had to go to take care of my mom today."

Hercules stilled...not wanting to go there again. Iolaus could sense the fear and sadness in his friend and he knew that something was dreadfully wrong at his house.

"Tell me now, Hercules or I'll put my pants on and I'll crawl all the way home if I have to."

Hercules told him the whole story, about finding Erythia on the floor and about all the blood. He told Iolaus about what the healer said when he first saw Erythia lying on the floor and he told his friend about what his own mother said after she came back from helping the healer. He told Iolaus that his mom went back to help some more right after she had put them into bed.

Ares listened to the story and he was surprised that the young blonde boy was still dry eyed and emotionally numb. Then he heard Iolaus speak and he understood why.

"It's time for me to tell my story now, Herc." Iolaus told his friend about the events of the day that led up to all of the violence on the part of his father. They had just eaten breakfast and Erythia was excitedly asking her husband if she could buy some material to start making swaddling clothes for the child she was carrying. She told her husband that she was sure this one was a boy. She told him because she thought he would be happy to have another son and that's when everything began to change. He screamed at her for wanting to spend money when it was tight, especially on a soldier's salary. He screamed at her for getting pregnant at a bad time because the birth would interfere with her ability to help with the harvest and he might not be home at harvest time either. He screamed at her because he didn't want to think about having another son if it were going to turn out being another useless runt like the one he already had.

At this point Iolaus almost choked on the words as they came out of his mouth. It was the first sign of emotion that the boy had shown all day. Hercules instinctively tightened his hand a little behind his friend's neck and waited for him to pull himself together to continue the story.

When he could talk again, Iolaus told Hercules about how his mother came to his defense, telling her husband how much a help he was at home and how good Iolaus was at hunting and fishing. The boy couldn't understand why his mother's words would so enrage her husband...but they did. Iolaus told Hercules about how his father jumped up from his chair and started to scream at his mother and beat her about the face. He told his friend about how he saw his father pull his mother's hair right out of her head. He told Hercules about how he tried to come to his mother's defense and how his father swatted him away like a bothersome insect. He told his friend about how his mother screamed at him telling him to run and hide and not come home for a while. He told Hercules how this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Then he stopped talking for a while and Hercules thought he was finished.

Ares grew angrier at every word the child uttered. He was the god of war and his whole existence centered on violence - but war was a controlled violence and he understood that - he championed that -- he promoted that. What he had no tolerance for were men (especially his own soldiers) who would engage in acts of violence against their families, men who were rapists and men who had no control over themselves.

Then Iolaus spoke "He killed my brother and I'll never get another one. I know it. It's all because of him and I'll hate him forever, Herc."

"I know how sad you're feeling right now Iolaus. I have a brother, his name is Iphicles, but they came and took him away from me. And since I'm the son of Zeus that means I have lots of brothers and sisters but I've never even met them. I think everyone is ashamed to be related to me because no one ever comes to see me."

"Herc, who could be ashamed of you...why, you're practically perfect and you're the best friend anyone could ever have. No, I think maybe Zeus didn't tell your brothers and sisters about you yet because he's waiting for you to grow up a little. You know all the gods and goddesses are already grown up and maybe he's just waiting for you to get older so you can all do grown-up god stuff together."

The young blonde boy continued, "I can understand why my father would be ashamed of having a son like me. I'm so small and useless; I'll never grow up to be the man he wants me to be."

"Iolaus, don't say stuff like that. You are the best hunter for miles around and you're only 11 years old. Imagine what you'll be like when you're a man. You make things with your hands that are beautiful, like an artist did them and you can almost even beat me at running and wrestling. I might be stronger than you but you can do gymnastics better than anyone. Next to you everyone else looks so clumsy - especially me. And you are the bravest person I have ever known. You took a sword to the leg today and didn't even make a sound - I would have been crying for my mother if something like that happened to me."

"No you wouldn't, Herc. I wanted to cry out and scream but I couldn't. If I screamed it would have put you and your mother in danger. Skouros would have killed the both of you if he knew you were hiding me and I couldn't let that happen. I'd rather die than have anything happen to you."

"Iolaus, I can be your brother if you want me. I don't mean from the same family or anything like that - but sometimes when I think about it, I believe that Zeus might have let us meet and be friends so that we could be brothers-of-the-spirit. Sometimes when you go home I can still feel you with me - in here and in here," and the young boy pointed to his chest first and then to his head.

Iolaus caught his breath and earnestly whispered back, "you too, Herc? I thought I was the only one who felt like that. Sometimes I can even hear your voice in my head telling me stuff -- like not to forget my fishing gear or my scroll and quills for school."

"Wow, Iolaus, sometimes I do think like that before I leave the house to meet up with you. Weird, huh?"

"Yeah Herc, weird."

"Good night, Iolaus...I mean...Brother,"

"Yeah! I like that Herc. Good night Brother."

The boys slept like that with Hercules arm protectively around his best friend's shoulder and their foreheads still pressed together.

And Ares thought, 'no guys, it's not weird. The Fates have entwined your threads for some reason and I bet my father had a large role in that happening. I wonder what he's up to? Well, whatever it is - the warrior component is a very large part of it. Zeus is surrounding my half-brother with very strong and brave warrior souls. I even get the sense of a great warrior spirit around your mother -- a strong sense of royalty. It's almost as if Zeus were building his own secret army...that's it, an almost undetectable army! Zeus is creating a secret army to help me defeat this "Great Evil" that's coming. Oh, this is rich...I can use this...I can use you, Brother. We are going to be so close you and I. By the time I'm finished with you we will work together like a well oiled machine. I'll take care of you and your little friend. I'll watch over you and protect you and make you rich and powerful beyond your dreams and then when the time is right I'll come and tell you that I've been your protector. In your gratitude for saving your friend's life and for giving you riches and everything your heart desires you'll be my right hand and I'll be your mentor and together, Brother...together we're going to rule the world. Then maybe dear old dad can retire...like he should have done centuries ago.'

Ares thought to leave this old man's body softly snoring in the bed while his godly spirit made a visit to the house of Erythia. He would start to act on his plans to garner favor with his brother Hercules. He had already taken care of healing Iolaus, the small warrior-in-training. Now he would take care of healing Iolaus' mother. Ares would need her alive and well for at least the next several formative years.

In Iolaus' house, Ares floated invisibly next to Alcemene as she swept a cooling cloth over Erythia's feverish face. He could see the devastation that was wreaked on the beautiful blonde woman's face, guaranteeing that her delicate features would be altered forever. The woman's eyes were swollen shut, her nose was totally broken and spongy and childbed fever was starting to take hold.

As the god of war floated next to Alcemene he swept his hand over the woman on the bed and reversed the progress of the infection that was slowly sapping her life. He ran his invisible hand over her face (not curing it because that would be too obvious). But this way he could guarantee that proper healing would take place quicker than normal and that permanent damage would be minimal.

Feeling that he accomplished all that he could on this front, Ares let his spirit drift through the rest of the house. He caught sight of the meticulously cleansed remains of a boy fetus that was approximately 6 months along in development. It was lying in a tiny, makeshift coffin that sat on the kitchen table. Ares drew close and stretched out his hand over the coffin. He sensed that this child would have been one of the greatest and most powerful warriors of all time. This was further proof that his father was still continuing to build a secret army around Hercules. The war god threw his head back and screamed "NOOOOOOOOO!!!...Damn you Skouros you have robbed me of one perfect warrior...all warriors are MINE!!! This one was mine!!!"

Even though the women in the house could not hear the god of war's cry to the heavens...the halls of Olympus shook with his rage.

Ares caught sight of a small movement at the corner of the coffin. He could see the tiny soul of the unborn child floating above the body waiting for Charon to spot it and take it across the Styx. Ares took the small spark of life into his large, calloused hand and he felt the innate power it contained. He reasoned that since it was one of his generals who caused this travesty...and because it resulted in a painful experience for his little brother and his brother's friend...then the least he could do would be to re-cycle this little soul. It worked out well for all involved. He would eventually be able to tell Hercules and Iolaus that he had saved the baby's spirit and they, in turn, would be eternally grateful. And he was sure that he would run into this great and powerful warrior spirit again and it would be dedicated to him instead of Zeus.

Ares took the small soul and merged it with his own godly spirit for safe keeping until he could take it to the Fates for rebirth.

The god of war returned to Alcemene's house and slipped back into the body of the old healer where he waited for dawn. Early the next morning true to his promise he taught the boys how to make slingshots and he showed them how to use them for hunting.

The healer climbed onto his wagon and waved goodbye to the beautiful Alcemene and the two boys. When he had ridden a respectable distance from the house he dematerialized and returned in a flash to his temple near Thebes. The High Priest came scurrying over and bowed low before his god.

"Lord Ares, welcome back. What is your bidding?"

"Pour some wine for us, good priest. Congratulations are in order. I have a new brother. This is a good thing priest...a very good thing."

"Congratulations, My Lord Ares! Shall I tell the rest of your servants?"

"No...no, not yet. This is to be our little secret for a while. Everyone will know soon enough. Now leave me. I have planning to do."

"Yes, Lord Ares," and as the priest moved to leave, the god of war stopped him.

"Priest, I want you to summons General Skouros and tell him that Ares, god of war made him a promise that justice would be served...and it will. Tell him that his faithful service has earned him a trusted position at the head of my troops on the front lines."

The priest looked at the god with shock on his face, "Lord Ares...if the General has served you well..."

"Priest...are you assuming to offer criticism to a god? No? I didn't think so. General Skouros has earned himself a permanent position on the front lines. He is to be kept so busy that he will never have time to go home again. Do I make myself clear, Priest?"

"Yes, Lord Ares, perfectly clear."

As the priest bowed low and turned to leave, a flash of blue light appeared and took form next to the god of war.

"Hermes, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit."

"Not pleasure this time Ares. Zeus wants to see you right now."

"It's not a pleasure anytime, bro. Ohhhhh, Daddy wants to see me. Should I be shaking in my boots Hermie?"

"Shaking in your boots...peeing in your pants...I'll leave that up to you Arry...just make it fast," and with a wave of his hand Hermes disappeared followed by an irritated God of War.

"You are interfering in matters that do not concern you, son," Zeus abruptly began the meeting without even a greeting.

"Hercules is my brother. This IS something that concerns me," replied the God of War.

Zeus immediately showed his displeasure at the direction the conversation was taking by demanding, at the top of his lungs, that Ares stay away from the boy. Zeus said that Ares had no business near them and from this day forward he has put his personal protection on the group.

"Warriors are my domain Father. That's why you made me the God of War or are you getting too senile to remember an important point like that. Why are YOU trying to interfere in something that should be my business? Tell me, were you hoping I wouldn't find out? Why are you being so secretive about your pre-adolescent army of super warriors?"

"This is something that is entirely my affair. I am ordering you to stay away from Hercules and his friends, and to keep your nose out of my business. You will obey me or I will permanently remove your godhood for defiance. Do you understand me, Ares?"

"Yes Father, I understand you perfectly and I will obey you," Ares said but he thought 'at least for the time being, until they've grown up some. But you, Father, you better be watching your back every minute.'

The God of War prepared to leave but Zeus called him back. "Ares...wait....what have you done? I sense another spirit about you."

Ares had almost forgotten. He told Zeus that he was trying to rectify a grave wrong perpetrated by one of his generals. Zeus asked him if he took the proper precautions before he merged souls with the little one. Ares assured his father that he was always careful. Zeus let him go but remarked that if Ares didn't know what he was doing with a soul merge that it could be a dangerous thing. But Ares had stopped listening to his father and he left in a puff of black smoke that matched his mood. 'This isn't over yet, Zeus. Not by a long shot.' he thought as he departed.

Epilogue:
Ares had taken to brooding in his quarters for almost a week after his loud encounter with Zeus. It seemed that the only one who paid attention and cared about the tension on Olympus was Aphrodite. She tried to get Ares out of the angry funk he'd fallen into. It took quite a bit of convincing on her end -- but Ares finally permitted her to give him a soothing massage on his temples. As Ares laid back with his eyes closed and his head in her lap she noticed that he was carrying another spirit around with him and she questioned him about it. Aphrodite voiced the same concern that Zeus had. She asked him if he had ever performed a soul merge before and if he had taken all the proper precautions before he'd done it. The topic only served to further irritate the war god so she decided to drop it and talk to him about it later after he had been calm for a while. Besides, she reasoned...Ares was a big boy and he'd had the same training that she had. Of course he'd have taken precautions.

As soon as Aphrodite left, and while he was still thinking about it, Ares decided to pay a visit to the Fates and have them take the tiny soul he'd been carrying around. They could prepare it for rebirth. Besides, now that both Zeus and Dite had mentioned something about precautions he should have taken, he started to get a little unsettled. He didn't fully understand why -- it's such a very small soul and it had only been with him a week -- how damaging could that be.

Ares entered the chamber where the Fates were weaving the Tapestry of Life.

"Approach, son of Zeus. We've been expecting you. You have a favor to ask of us."

"Correct, Ladies. I have with me a small soul belonging to an unborn infant. Due to a grave mistake on the part of one of my Generals this little one was prevented from fulfilling it's allotted lifespan.

I wish to rectify this injustice."

"Where is this small soul, Lord Ares? The one you wish to give new life to? The one who would be reborn?"

"It's here, I had it merged to my spirit to keep it safe. Take it Ladies."

"Did you take the proper precautions? Have you ever attempted this before? Are you prepared for the separation?"

The three Fates reached out and touched the God of War. One on his head, one on his right arm and one on his chest. They chanted ancient words and their hands began to glow. Ares began to feel something so deep and disturbing that he wanted to throw himself on the floor and scream but he was fused to the spot where he stood, frozen like a statue. Being a god he had never experienced physical pain before and what he was going through now felt like flesh and bone and organs were being ripped from his body. When the Fates removed their hands Ares slumped against the wall, unable to catch his breath.

"We thought you took precautions. Now you are no longer whole. A piece of your soul has torn off. A piece of your soul is with this little one. A piece of the little one is still with you. You should have taken precautions."

The Fates held the small glowing soul in their outstretched hands and lifted it high over their heads. "This little one will be reborn. Into mortal body, into mortal form. Have you anything to add before it's gone?"

Ares gained control over the fading pain and tried to concentrate on the words the Fates were speaking. He now realized that when the Fates separated the infant soul from his that a piece of himself went with it. He could feel it, like a gaping hole in the center of his being. That's what everyone was concerned about. That's what he was supposed to take precautions against. Too late. It hurt like Hades but he would never admit to it...never.

The Fates were waiting for his answer and Ares held up a hand in a bid for just a little more time to gather his thoughts. Well, if this small soul contained pieces of his spirit he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he would meet up with this perfect warrior spirit again and when he did the two of them would form an alliance that was unbreakable because they already had a tie of the soul. Ares would bide his time but he wanted this small soul to have every advantage that mortal life had to offer. He was ready now to talk to the Fates.

"Ladies, I would like to add that this soul is very special and I would appreciate if you would treat it that way. This child should be nothing less than royalty and should have the best in warrior training. That is all, now you can take care of the rest." Then Ares thought 'It's been too long. I think it's about time I paid my mother a visit,' and with a flash, the God of War dematerialized leaving the Fates alone with the small soul.

"Lord Ares wishes a royal birth. Lord Ares was arrogant with us. Lord Ares wasn't prepared. Measure the thread and tell me who is next. Cyrene of Amphipolis is heavy with child awaiting a soul. Go get them, Princess." And the Fates threw back their heads and laughed and laughed until tears coursed down their cheeks.

Back in Thebes -- Hercules and Iolaus sat on the porch of Alcemene's house practicing with their slingshots. They heard the sound of booming thunder but there wasn't a cloud in the sky nor were there any lightening bolts to accompany the almost deafening noise. The boys stopped what they were doing and stared up at the sky until the noise came to an abrupt halt.

"What do you suppose that was, Iolaus?"

"I don't know Herc, but my mom always told me that when you have thunder without lightening it's the laughter of the Fates and it's always a momentous day when the Fates laugh.

The End.



Some images, characters and other things used in these works are the property of others, including but not limited to Renaissance Pictures and Universal Studios. Everything else remains the property of the artist or author. No money will be made on anything appearing on this webpage and no copyright infringement is intended. This site was created by fans for the enjoyment of other fans.

For information on reprinting text and/or artwork (including privately owned photos, photo manipulations, and other images) from this website, please contact IolausianLibrarians , who will assist you in contacting the original creator of the piece. Do NOT reprint, republish, or in any way link to items on these pages without obtaining permission from either the original creator of the piece or the webpage owner. A written one-time use statement may be issued to you at the discretion of the artist or the author. Please respect the legal and artistic rights of our contributors.