Reactions And Resolutions
Chapter 1
by DQiscool
Standard disclaimer: Xena, Gabrielle and all other characters that you recognize belong to MCA/Universal Pictures.
Chapter 1
Iolaus hurried down the path to Thebes, hoping to reach Hercules before the word of mouth did. Xena was dead, Hercules wouldn’t take that too well. He soon reached his destination and realized that he was too late. He could tell from the looks of the town. Hercules had gone on the rampage. Houses had holes in the walls and people had broken bones that they were nursing. Of course, all those hurt were low lifes and thieves, but they weren’t worthy of Hercules’s rage. Chairs were broken inside the inn and animals were loose. Iolaus ran all the way to Alcemene’s house and could hear the cries almost a mile away. When he got there, Alcemene was outside. Iolaus merely looked at her and she nodded, confirming that her son was in the house. Iolaus grimaced at the sound of glass being thrown against the wall. He took a deep breath and entered the house. Hercules was practically mad with anger. He was currently throwing a chair against the bed which was broken. The ceiling had a gaping hole in it the size of the Nemean lion. "Hercules, calm down," Iolaus said slowly.
Hercules merely gazed through his friend not quite seeing him there. "No!" Hercules yelled. He picked up a pitcher and threw it at his friend.
"It’s me, Iolaus!" The small man said. He just managed to duck in time to avoid an unwanted concussion. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair and straightened his purple shirt which was falling off.
Hercules wouldn’t listen though. He was almost incoherent. The only words Iolaus could make out were "Xena! No! Dead! My fault!" Not always in the same order.
"Hercules," Iolaus tried again. "I know about Xena. I ran into Gabrielle on the road. She told me all about how it happened. Xena was saving some villagers and a man cut loose a rope. The rope had been holding a huge tree trunk which swung out at one of the children. Xena managed to shove the girl aside but it hit her and threw her up against a tree killing her. Not instantly though," He added.
"Iolaus," Hercules said confused. "Gabrielle?" He then asked. "Xena’s dead," He added.
"I know," Iolaus said trying to step towards his friend. Hercules merely yelled again at the movement, thinking it was an enemy, and threw a chair at his friend. Iolaus dived out of the way and managed to hide behind an upturned table. It gave him a chance to look at the house. It was a total disaster. Broken glass, pieces of wood, and other unidentifiable things were everywhere. The bed was in shambles and tables were all upturned, some split in half. Chairs were broken into little pieces and only a few were left standing. It looked like a tornado had struck the house. Hercules must have thrown a large object through the roof because the sun was shining through a massive entrance there as well as in all four walls. Iolaus almost kicked himself for arriving so late.
Once the demi-god ran out of things to throw he fell to his knees from exertion. He was sweating and tired. He was utterly worn out. Iolaus made his way towards his friend cautiously. Hercules merely looked at his friend with nothing in his eyes but pain. He must have taken some of the pain out on himself since he had blood in his hair. "My fault," Hercules muttered and then passed out. Iolaus ran to his friend and sat him up in his arms.
"Alcemene!" Iolaus called. Hercules’s mother came into the house the moment Iolaus called. She took one look around and then at her son and she was at his side tenderly caressing his cheek.
"He must have loved her very much," Alcemene said.
"Yes, he did. He didn’t do this for Deanrea," Iolaus added.
"He never mentioned her except for that time when she took you. He was very secretive about her and his feelings," His mother said lovingly.
"I know," Iolaus said. He and Alcemene then lifted Hercules up and carried him outside. They weren’t sure what to do. If they woke him he might be in rage still.
"When did you learn of her death?" Alcemene asked looking up at Iolaus her green eyes sharing her son’s pain.
"About a week ago," Iolaus said.
"He just heard yesterday. He was in the tavern in town and some men came in. They said that the Warrior Princess had been killed and good riddance. Hercules flew into rage and beat them up pretty badly. Messed up the place good. He then asked how she died and they said they didn’t know. He came back here and started to tear the place up. All he would say was that Xena died and that he didn’t get to tell her something," Alcemene explained. Iolaus told her how Xena had died and she cried for her son’s loss.
Meanwhile Xena and Gabrielle were walking down the road to Athens when Gabrielle remembered something. "For the love of Zeus!" She exclaimed. Xena stopped her horse immediately and asked what was wrong. "Iolaus," Gabrielle began.
"What about him?" Xena asked calming down knowing that Gabrielle wasn’t hurt.
"Before I met up with the amazons, I ran into trouble on the road. Some men wanted your body and we fought. Iolaus showed up and helped. I told him about your death and he said he would go find Hercules before the word of mouth did," Gabrielle explained.
"So Hercules and Iolaus think I’m dead?" Xena asked confused.
"Yes," Gabrielle replied. "We should go tell them you’re all right. They don’t deserve all that pain and not to know that you’re back. Think if it was Hercules who died and they didn’t tell us that he was back," Gabrielle explained.
"Any idea where he is?" Xena asked.
"Iolaus said he was visiting his mother," Gabrielle remembered.
"Thebes," Xena said. "Come one. We better hurry," Xena said. She offered Gabrielle her hand and she reluctantly took it. Gabrielle hated riding horses, especially Argo who was so tall. Gabrielle got situated behind Xena who then nudged her horse into a gallop. She knew about Hercules’s temper, and that if Iolaus hadn’t reached him someone else migght have. She didn’t want to waste any time getting there to put her friends at ease. She hoped that they would make it in time.
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