SquidgeWorld Archive

Reasons
by Adalisa
marioz@spin.com.mx
http://members.tripod.com/luxshine

Thebes never seemed darker to Hercules than it was that day. It was as if Helios had refused to see the day, now that Iolaus...

But he wouldn't think of it.

Hercules wouldn't think of the arrow that had pierced Iolaus' chest as his friend shielded him. Of the coldness that had replaced his friend's natural heat. Or that Hades had not answered his calling, even when the demi-god had yelled for his uncle until his voice was gone.

Of falling asleep without noticing, waking up to discover that the nightmare that had filled many of his nights was once again a grim reality.

And to find that his friend's body had disappeared.

At first, Hercules tried to fool himself, telling to his grief-stricken mind that he had dreamed the whole battle, that he had not been with Iolaus, and his friend had not died in his arms. But his heart knew otherwise. There was a painful empty space in his chest, that remind him with every beat that his friend was no longer at his side.

A day later, he heard from a traveler that Iolaus' body had appeared on Thebes, in Hera's temple.

That broke something inside Hercules. All his life, Hera had been a constant menace for his loved ones. Deiyaneira, his children... Iolaus had died twice at hands of monsters sent by her. But after Alcmene died, he had managed to finally defeat her. His demonic stepmother was forever trapped in Tartarus.

Whoever had placed Iolaus in one of her temples, had done so to hurt the demi-god, and Iolaus with one last mockery, and he was not going to allow it.

If he couldn't save his friend's life, at least he would make sure that his body was not used as a grim trophy.

The Son of Zeus took no notice in the fact that the temple was not guarded, and seemed almost deserted. Hera's temples were usually full of foolish people who believed in the goodness of the goddess of Childbirth and Marriage, people who could not believe the true evil of Hercules' stepmother.

Thebes temple was empty, and for a moment Hercules believed that it was so because the people of Thebes would not worship a goddess who had killed one of their children. But if that was so, then someone should have come and retrieve the body.

"There is no one here because they respect my grief." The voice was heard before Hercules reached the main altar, and he stopped in his tracks. He knew that contempt voice, but he had never heard it so... somber. And he never expected to hear it again.

"HERA?!!" His heart pounding madly in his chest, Hercules ran to the altar, to find not only the still body of his best friend, his soul, but also the hated figure of his stepmother, sitting near the body.

"Your presence is not welcome here, bastard of Zeus." She turned to meet his eyes, and Hercules was shocked to see the changes in her. The last time he had seen her, before she had fallen in Tartarus, the Goddess was deadly and powerful dressed in dark green silk, holding her crown and her position as Queen of the Gods with a pride that shone in her eyes. Now, she was wrapped in black veils, barely showing her face. She was wearing none of the jewelry that Hercules had always associated with her, and in her figure there was no sign of the fire that had burned within her since the beginning of time. If Hercules hadn't known her better, he would have thought she was mourning. "Leave now, and I will not hold more ill against you."

"I will not leave him here, Hera! I don't know how you escaped from Tartarus, but I will not allow you to defile Iolaus' memory!" Hercules stepped closer, but Hera did not move. She simply entwined her fingers with Iolaus' hand and looked at him with contempt.

"I am the Queen of Olympus, foolish halfling!" She sneered at him, and her eyes glowed with the colors of peacock feathers. "Did you really believed that my brother would not allow me to leave his kingdom, when I cannot die?"

Hercules had been ready to defend himself from any attack that she might send his way, and thus was very surprised when he realized that all what she had done was appear a chair behind
him. "You kept yourself hidden this past year? Why come back now, when no one needs you, when no one fears you anymore?! Why couldn't you leave the world free of your evil forever?!!"

"If you are going to insult me, at least sit down." Hera didn't even pay attention to Hercules to see if he had followed her orders. She was focused on Iolaus, and the demi-god was starting to feel very unease about it.

Minutes of silence passed and Hercules couldn't take it anymore. When he heard that Iolaus' body had appeared in Thebes, he had been sure that someone had done so trying to hurt him. Hera herself had tried many times similar things, only to spite him, only to make him suffer for his father's sins. A heartless monster that had killed every one of those he loved without a second thought...

"Is that what you think of me?" Her voice broke his line of thoughts, and he found her staring at him, sadness reflected in her green eyes. "...I believe it is time to solve this rift between us once and for all, Hercules."

"Now that you have killed all those who mean something to me?! What kind of sick game are you playing Hera?!" The demi-god could not stop his anguish from showing. He wanted to end the games, and take Iolaus's body to a safer place.

"Do you know why Zeus made the law that says that a God cannot kill another God?" Hera asked, as if she hadn't heard him. "At the beginning... I loved my husband, and I'd like to believe that in his own way, he loved me. After Ares and Hebe were born, the Fates gave us a grim prophecy...One of my children would die at the hands of one of Zeus'... And since in those days he hadn't been unfaithful, he thought that his law would be enough to keep brother from killing brother..."

"What?" Hercules was stunned. As unthinkable as it was, he understood Hera's pain.

"Then Athena was born... His' daughter, his alone..." Hera continued, not paying attention, as she stroke Iolaus' golden hair. "And I had Hephasteus... I feared. That was the beginning of the end between us. Before, I could ignore his flirting and lust towards others. But when he conceived a child... The Fates' old warning was ever present in my mind."

"Hera... I still don't understand..." Now, the demi-god sounded almost palliative. He had took a seat, and was looking at his stepmother as if he had never seen her before.

"Don't you?" The Queen of Gods smiled sadly, and turned to see him again. "I hated mankind because Zeus kept breeding halflings... As if he had forgot the warning. But he thought, mortals can't kill gods, our children are safe, Hephasteus is safe.... His words didn't apace my fears, though... Every time I knew a new bastard was born, I looked at my grown sons and daughters... and saw them die in my mind's eye."

Hercules began to say something, but Hera held up her hand, as if asking him for time.

"I meet Skourous in a battlefield, near Illion... He was praying to me, asking for strength to keep his marriage vows, asking that his wife wouldn't break hers. And I... I don't know what happened. After centuries of hating mankind, I found a man who drawn me to his company... I behaved no better than Zeus did, seducing Skourous, and making him break the vows that he had made in my Temple, in this very place. I was so ashamed of my behavior, that I erased his memories of our encounter..."

"Hera, are you telling me that..."

"Please, Hercules... let my finish..." Even when the Son of Zeus didn't want to believe her words, he couldn't deny her pain, and thus, he kept silent. "You are the first one to hear my story... and if you interrupt me, I don't think I can continue... "

Hera kept stroking Iolaus' hair, and a ghost of a smile appeared in her face. "I loved Skourous then... I, who had despised mankind since the moment Zeus set eyes on a mortal girl for the first time, fell in love with a warlord. And he loved me, even if I made him forget later. But our love was not fruitless. After I left him in his wife's arms, I found myself pregnant... Still ashamed, I hide from everyone's view... Those nine months I lived alone, in one of my long forgotten temples, waiting for my child to be born..." As she spoke, Hera caressed Iolaus' cold cheek, her features softening with the memories. Hercules could not believe his eyes, the vain goddess replaced with a caring mother... a face so much like his own mother's. "I was terrified at first, not knowing how would he be... I still was scarred in my pride for Hephasteus' lameness and Typhoon's monstrosity... I was sure that the Fates would punish me again for my sins. But Fates are meaner and wiser than what we all believe. Their punishment was far worse... as I soon learned. No one helped me with childbirth, no one heard my screams of pain... but all that was forgotten by me when I could hold my child in my arms. I loved my little mortal son with all my heart. His blue eyes, his golden hair... He was even more beautiful than Apollo... He was my golden hope, my little sun"

"Iolaus is..." Hercules didn't finish his phrase, remembering his promise. Still shocked to the core for the incredible revelation.

"My son, yes." Hera turned to see him again, tears showing in her green eyes. "Now can you see, Hercules? I was about to feed my little sun for the first time when the Fates appeared. They told me that my son was to live a mortal's life, unaware of his heritage , as punishment for my unfaithfulness to Zeus... Only if I promised not to actively help him, this could change. I couldn't go against them... and relinquished my baby to the mortal wife of his father. That day, I became patroness of Thebes... promising myself that I would watch over my son until the day I could make him immortal."

"But... then..." Hercules was without words. He couldn't conciliate his memories with what he was hearing. "Why, Hera? Ever since I can remember, you've been trying to kill Iolaus and me! When did you changed your mind?!!"

"I never changed my mind, Hercules." The words were cold, firm and sure. "I was just protecting him, in the only way I could. When you were born, and I witnessed your strength, I wanted nothing more than see my son away from you... But even after he left Thebes, and was on his way to become one of Hermes's protegees, you still found him and steered him to your side. At the Academy, at War, at your works... Iolaus never turned his back to you... and I couldn't do anything to stop him... I saw the friendship between you grow, and his happiness was so great that almost eclipsed my fears... He married Anya... and I became a grandmother again... It was as if all my worries had been for nothing, that he was not destined to die under one of Zeus' bastards' hands. I went to the Oracle, prayed for an answer... and had the same grim response. But this time, the Fates were even clearer. My Iolaus' life would end in your arms. I was almost mad with grief then... because my child could die every day he spend in your company... And when Anya died... when their son died... I wanted to bring him to Olympus, defy the Fates and keep him safe from everything."

"It was then when he went East..." Now the demi-god couldn't recognize his own voice. He was starting to believe Hera, even when it didn't made any sense... Still, he knew that the Goddess couldn't be faking her grief.

"Oh, yes... I was sad, but glad... because if he was not with you, he was safe." Again, the mournful smile graced her features, and she stood, looking intently at her sworn enemy. "Even so, that peace didn't last. He came back, to see you married with Deyaneira... Still ready to be at your side no matter what... And for that, he did not only died once... but four times!" Now, her tone was accusing and Hercules stood as well, ready to defend himself against the mother of his best friend. "My son's blood is always in your hands, and for that, Hercules I will never be able to forgive you."

"Why do you blame me, Hera? It was your Enforcer and your snake demon the ones that killed Iolaus! You are the only one who...!"

"Who do you think placed that slave girl in the temple so she could guide you to Iolaus?! True, I killed your wife and children because I couldn't forgive you for the pains you have caused to my son. You deserved to suffer for that, and I assure you, their deaths were quick and merciful. Still, I hoped that you would stop your heroic trips, stay in Thebes, finally realizing what..." She paused, and looked at her son, fleetingly. "Even when the Fates wouldn't let me save Iolaus, they allowed me to protect you against the She-Demon, made her movements slow. And I could have destroyed you when you fought against the Enforcer, but instead, I choose to wait, and beg Helios to stop his path in heaven until you could bring my son back to life... Only so you could hurt him again and again."

"And when Dahok came?! Where were you?!!" Hercules didn't hold off his rage. One thing was hearing Hera's shocking revelation and other being accused of being his best friend's killer. "Where were you last week, when Hades didn't hear my calls?!"

"I was powerless to stop Dahok... especially when he took Iolaus's body. I couldn't bring myself to attack him... and you killed him again. Never thinking back... never stopping to wonder why he always follows you. But I know why he did, and for that, I cannot hate you. Not anymore."

"What do you...?"

"You speak too much, and you never listen. Only one of my children knew of his feelings... he confessed to her in a cold, starless night... and I heard because I always watched over him, unable to help." She waved her hand, and a green glowing enveloped Iolaus' body. Hercules watched immobile, wanting nothing more to stop it... but sure that Hera wouldn't hurt her son. The glowing became too bright, so bright that the demi-god had to close his eyes and when he opened them, Iolaus' body was no more. On the cold stone of the altar only the hunter's necklace prevailed, still glowing. Hera picked it up, kissing it gently. "When the arrow pierced his chest, the Fates came and saw me... They told me that even when Iolaus could live again, his destiny was still to die. I couldn't let him suffer again... not if you are still blind. I am breaking their rules, but playing their game. It is up to you to finish."

"Hera... I do not understand...."

"Inside his amulet, my son is sleeping... His soul, his spirit, won't know that time has passed since he died this last time..." With those words, Hera handed Hercules the amulet, her eyes grave, her smile serene. "But he won't awaken until you know your heart. Until then... protect this with your life Hercules. Protect my son where I could not."

Hera disappeared in a green glow, and Hercules was left alone, feeling the pulsating warmth in the metal that should have been cold, knowing that the Goddess he had despised all his life was telling the truth.

Slowly, almost reverently, he put the amulet around his neck, sighing softly upon feeling the warmth against his skin.

He would find out what Hera meant by telling him to 'know his heart', have Iolaus at his side again...

Then he would never let him go.

The End

Notes: I love Iolaus, and don't ask me why, I always sided with Hera. Poor woman, she suffered a lot!