Hercules and Iolaus both closed their eyes and listened to the air around them, but all Hercules could distinguish was the gentle percussion of waves crashing upon the beach accompanied by the whistling of the salty ocean air through the trees above them. Iolaus heard the same, but found the scent of the air to be happily distracting, and a smile spread across his face.

~ Every time I smell the ocean, it will remind me of her ~ Iolaus thought with amazement as he breathed in the salty scent. He let one eye open just enough to take a peek at Sorrow where she crouched by his side, and to his surprise, she was taking advantage of the moment to carefully appraise him, her deep desire for him smoldering in her sea-green eyes as she innocently admired his physique and handsome features. When her eyes finally lifted up to his face, he was looking back at her with both eyes open. She started guiltily, then smiled in silence as her cheeks were set aflame by his return grin. Without a word, Iolaus reached out and squeezed her hand gently, and by the time Hercules turned around to speak to them, they were both gazing back at him with rather overly-innocent looks on their faces.

Had there been time, the demigod would have laughed at them, but he barely allowed a chuckle to escape as he reported, "I think the coast is clear, but I still want to be sure no one sees us go in, so let's move quickly and stay close together."

"You got it, Herc," Iolaus nodded, his voice and demeanor now expressing the importance of this moment.

Hercules looked to Sorrow, "How about you - are you ready to do this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Sorrow proclaimed, fully assured that once she was inside the temple all things would find a way to right themselves again, and her marriage to Iolaus would be secured at last. To further show her resolve, she pulled the hood of her cape up and over her tell-tale features and ocean-blue hair.

Hercules and Iolaus exchanged nods of understanding, each knowing full well the gravity of the situation. Sorrow was their first priority above all other things, including reaching the temple, and the nod was that of companion warriors saying all that could and could not be said about friendship, life, love, courage, and death. They would live, and possibly die, in the next few minutes, and it was silently agreed that it did not matter what should happen to them so long as Sorrow achieved safe passage into the sanctuary of her father's temple. To cap off their silent exchange, they grasped each other's right forearms in a warrior's handshake.

Then, with a nod from each, the three made a quick dash out of the trees and immediately descended down a sandy embankment. Iolaus stayed close to Sorrow and was quick to reach out and catch her when the sand collapsed unexpectedly beneath her step. She silently telegraphed her thanks to him with a loving look, and he grinned happily in return as he set her to rights again. Hearing the scuffle of their movements behind him, Hercules hesitated but a moment to make sure they were both okay, and saw that they were advancing again with good speed.

Once on the beach, Iolaus let Sorrow take his hand as they skirted the forbidding rock piles that lay scattered along the base of the cliffs, following Hercules to the cave's entrance which was camouflaged by a short maze of tall boulders. The demigod navigated the path with little trouble until the narrow inlet to the temple appeared between two staggered boulders. He stood aside just long enough to let Sorrow and Iolaus through, then checked one last time to be sure they hadn't been followed before entering the cave directly behind his cousin and friend.

Sorrow now led the way as they passed through a winding, narrow corridor of stone. They passed a number of false doorways on each side of the passage, all meant to confuse those who might happen upon the cave by accident. Sorrow ignored the misleading entries and kept to the main corridor until she suddenly turned left and disappeared into one particularly dark portal. Iolaus and Hercules followed, finding the entire passageway to be pitch black as they moved through it. It was almost like moving through darkness itself, and to Iolaus' amazement, he took a step forward and suddenly found himself emerging from the dark corridor into the well-lit Temple of Poseidon. He blinked at the room that appeared around him incredulously, for he had seen no light to signal its presence prior to stepping out of the hall and finding themselves within the cavernous temple. He turned back just in time to see Hercules' large form suddenly emerge from the darkness as well, and he realized that the dark passage must be a trick to fool trespassers into thinking there was only a dead-end awaiting them.

The three now stood silently gaping at the cave around them, for the quiet they found there seemed to be contrary to their situation, and none of the three quite knew what to do next. Besides the tremendous altar set in the center of the room, the cave featured dozens of idols and other statues of sacrifice, along with a huge pool of water fed by an underground spring that provided Poseidon with his own secret entrance and exit to his temple. However, there was no priest to be seen.

"Where is Amatheus?" Sorrow whispered, afraid to speak any louder than that within the most holy of her father's temples.

"Who?" Iolaus questioned, his forehead wrinkling in confusion.

Hercules looked around as he explained, "Amatheus is Poseidon's highest priest and oracle - he is the keeper of this temple, and he should have been aware of our presence - "

"And I am," echoed an aged voice from somewhere toward the back of the cave. "You are far from home, M'lady Sorrow."

"Yes, I am, Amatheus," Sorrow spoke up quickly, throwing back the hood of her cape anxiously as she stepped forward. "Do you know why I am here?"

"Indeed I do," Amatheus' voice almost laughed. "So, the God of War thinks he shall find his promised offspring through the Goddess of Lamentation, does he?" The bearded priest hobbled into view from a recess off to the left of the pool of water. He was clothed in heavy blue-green robes and leaned on a tall staff as he moved toward them, slowly working his way across the temple.

"Yes, Amatheus," Sorrow nodded. "But, my mother has said that my destiny lies elsewhere."

"And she is right," Amatheus nodded, his long white beard bobbing up and down as he spoke. He then eyed her companions quite closely, focusing on Iolaus in particular, and said, "You are already well-acquainted with your destiny, I see."

Iolaus and Sorrow both blushed at the comment, and exchanged shy glances.

"Never mind, M'lady," Amatheus patted the goddess gently on the shoulder. "Your father will surely put an end to this silliness, as soon as we find him - "

"Find him?" echoed Hercules and Iolaus.

Sorrow begged desperately, "What do you mean, Amatheus? Can you not call him?"

"It is a mystery, M'lady,"Amatheus shrugged, "Poseidon has not spoken to me in weeks - I can only assume he has business in another part of the world, or on Olympus itself. You see, even his highest of priests is not always privy to all knowledge of Poseidon."

Hercules stepped forward, "Surely there's got to be a way - this is sort of an emergency."

"Yes, I know," Amatheus nodded. "The minions of Ares are moving ever closer even as we speak, but the future is cloudy; what we all say and do in the next few hours will determine a great deal of the outcome."

"Great," Hercules breathed unhappily, foreseeing nothing but trouble ahead for himself and his companions. "So, what do we have to do to get Poseidon's attention?"

"Nothing," Amatheus replied simply. "If Poseidon does not wish to be seen, he will not be seen. However, I see that you bear the blood of a god, as well - perhaps one of your brothers or sisters would be willing to find him for us?"

Hercules shook his head slowly, "Not a chance, I'm afraid. They're all pretty much still upset with me for having to kill Zeus, so we can't count on them to back us up."

Iolaus stepped up, "What about Aphrodite? She's been pretty helpful so far."

"Yes, Aphrodite!" Sorrow brightened at the mention of the Goddess of Love, and slipped her hand over Iolaus' arm. "Surely she will help us - it is a matter of love, after all."

Amatheus nodded, "Yes, perhaps we can persuade her to intervene on your behalf, but we must go to her temple to ask this of her. We must also expect that she may desire to avoid her family's wrath, as well, M'lady."

"Not Aphrodite," Sorrow shook her head emphatically. "She will always choose love, and this is love in its purest sense, Amatheus - to not help us would be to deny her own purpose!"

Hercules shifted his weight uneasily as he commented softly, "I sure hope you're right."

At any other time, Hercules knew he could call upon his sister and expect to see her, but he knew she had already stuck her neck out pretty far for Sorrow and Iolaus, and he couldn't expect her to put herself at risk so openly. They would indeed have to go to her private temple and have Amatheus request her assistance, so it was quickly agreed that Hercules should escort the high priest to the nearest Temple of Aphrodite, which stood about an hour's walk from the shoreline. Iolaus would stay and hopefully protect Sorrow, who would be praying to her father in the meantime.

As Hercules and Amatheus set out on their journey, the demigod prayed also that they were not too late to salvage this situation and save Iolaus and Sorrow's hearts from breaking.

Lieutenant Meridius grinned happily as he watched the demigod and the high priest of Poseidon leaving the hidden temple. He was perched atop the same embankment where the three travelers had been just a while before, and he was gratified to see that Hercules was presumably leaving the goddess and his friend alone in the temple. Where the demigod and the old man were headed made no matter to him, for he at last knew where Sorrow might be found, and silently he waved a soldier over to his side.

"Yes, Meridius?" replied the soldier in a whisper.

"Run back along the trail we have just followed, and find Lord Testacles - he should not be far behind us. Tell him we have the goddess!"

"Yes, Meridius!" the soldier saluted boldly, then turned and immediately exited the bower of brush and trees.

Meridius turned his attention back to the temple and prepared to sit and wait, as did the men with him. Their orders were clear, and Meridius had no intentions of letting any of his men thwart his very life by revealing their presence to the goddess and her companions. They would wait til Tartarus froze over if necessary, for the God of War was now expected to be in the company of Lord Testacles when the backup troops should arrive, and while they waited each man wrestled with their own horrified thoughts as to which of the two they should fear the most if they should disobey orders.

Not long after Hercules left the hidden temple, Iolaus began to pace the floor distractedly while Sorrow tried to focus on her prayers to her father at Poseidon's altar. His rapid pacing and his anxiousness kept drawing away her attention until she finally gave up.

"Iolaus, what's wrong?" Sorrow asked gently, stirring him out of his deep thoughts and revealing his extreme agitation.

"Everything, Sorrow!" he answered unhappily as he continued to pace. "This entire situation is wrong! First, you having to run away from your home; then, all of us being hunted down by Ares' goons; and finally, we get here and the priest can't find your father - none of this is right!"

Sorrow frowned, sensing an uneven but strong mixture of emotions from him that confused her, and she asked uneasily, "But, what can we do otherwise, Iolaus? Only my father can stop this."

"Maybe not," Iolaus bravely replied as he finally stopped pacing and took hold of the iridescent goddess, helping her rise to her feet. Now, gazing deeply into her concerned eyes, he confessed, "There's another way we can stop Ares, and I think you know what it is."

Sorrow initially opened her mouth to speak, but was afraid that her idea for ultimately thwarting the God of War was entirely different from his, so she did not know at all what to say. Seeing that she was hesitant to agree, Iolaus went on. "Marry me, Sorrow - be my wife?" he suggested and asked at the same time, holding her hands tightly in his.

"Marry you? Are you sure?" Sorrow argued gently, although her heart was racing with the excitement of her first marriage proposal. "I mean, I know we love each other, but we come from such different worlds - "

"That doesn't matter anymore, Sorrow," Iolaus excused her argument. "What does matter to me is you, and if I let this moment pass me by, I don't know that I'll ever get another chance."

He paused to get her reaction, and Sorrow's blushing silence seemed to encourage him, so he continued his troth, "I know I'm not doing this properly, and I know your father will most likely kill me for it, but we have no more time to spare, and my feelings for you are never going to change - I love you, Sorrow; always have and always will."

It was at that moment that Iolaus did the once-unthinkable. Still holding onto her hand, he dropped to one knee and looked up at her with begging eyes, and asked with great sincerity, "Sorrow, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Sorrow felt her heart swell with love and pride at seeing her childhood hero proposing to her so properly, and she could not help but smile with great joy at him. She was also so overwhelmed that she was unable to answer him just yet.

Iolaus took her smile as an encouragement, but could not account for her silence, so he continued nervously, "I know I have nothing to offer you as a troth, like a ring or a bracelet - "

"Hush, Iolaus," Sorrow ordered fondly as she knelt down before him, putting her fingers over his lips in a loving gesture. "None of that matters to me - all I need to know is that you love me, and I know I've been in love with you almost all my life. To marry you and become your wife would make me the happiest goddess on Olympus, Iolaus!"

"Then, I take it that's a yes?" Iolaus questioned nervously.

"Yes, Iolaus," Sorrow confirmed joyfully. "Yes, I will marry you."

Instantly elated, Iolaus leapt to his feet and pulled his bride up with loving possessiveness. He had no need to ask her permission in order to seal their engagement, for Sorrow willingly threw her arms about his neck and pulled his lips to hers in a desperate sort of embrace. A moment later she realized how forward she was acting in her father's temple, and she broke the kiss as she started to withdraw from him shyly. But, before she could, Iolaus easily pulled her back into another embrace that far more reflected their mutual passion for each other.

Not long after, Sorrow began to feel much more bold, and she pulled away from him and took hold of his hand, saying playfully, "Come with me, Iolaus - I have something to show you."

"What?" Iolaus queried with a suspicious grin while following along easily.

"Just come with me," she tempted him further, "I'll show you."

Iolaus let her lead him onward, and she took him directly up to a wall of rock. He was just about to comment on the impossibility of going through the stone wall when he saw Sorrow step right into the midst of it. To his amazement, he followed her through the seemingly solid wall as though it were water, finding that it solidified again behind them once they were through.

Sorrow had led him into another cave, which turned out to be a hidden bedchamber that could only be worthy of the daughter of Poseidon, and she said with a little nervousness, "This is my ‘hideout', as my father calls it. Only he and I - and now, you - know about it."

"Lucky for us," Iolaus commented sincerely, thinking more in terms of keeping her hidden away from Ares, but he soon learned that Sorrow had more romantic notions. Indeed, the room was truly conducive to such thoughts, being hidden away as it was and furnished with, above all, a great bed made from the giant shell of an ancient oyster. Before Iolaus could protest, Sorrow began leading him to it with desirous intentions.

"Sorrow, wait - ," he suddenly set his feet and refused to go any farther.

"What?" she asked innocently, her face reflecting the happiness and passion she was feeling.

Iolaus saw her evident love for him, and began to blush involuntarily as he answered, "I was sort of hoping to marry you first . . . I think we should wait for that, don't you?"

Sorrow frowned in spite of Iolaus' honorable sentiment, and explained, "But, Iolaus, the only person who can perform the ceremony is my father's High Priest - "

"And he just left with Hercules to go find your father," Iolaus finished her thought in mild exasperation, sitting down on the edge of the shell bed in defeat. "There's no way we can elude Ares if I can't marry you, Sorrow."

Sorrow smiled softly as she reached out to gently caress his face, "We can always marry when the priest returns, Iolaus."

Iolaus looked up at her in surprise, getting the gist of her statement and understanding most of all that which she did not say - she wanted to consummate their love then and there, before they had received Poseidon's blessings, and before he could marry her properly. It wasn't that he didn't want to make love to her, for he had thought of nothing else for the last three days, but he owed it to her to let her be certain that this was what she wanted before taking her innocence. He reached up and took hold of her hand, asking seriously, "Are you sure, Sorrow?"

"I trust you, Iolaus," she answered simply, her eyes confirming her complete willingness to become his wife in body before taking their official vows as she added, "and, I want you."

Hearing her say it thrilled him to his very soul, but with Sorrow, Iolaus had wanted to do things in the right order, and now that was something they would have to wait on. Doing things correctly would take time, and time was just not a luxury they had at the moment. Ares could show up at any time and take possession of Sorrow, and Iolaus couldn't bear to let that happen. Yet, he didn't want to take that which was not rightfully his before getting her father's permission. However, Iolaus had no chance to consider any other options before Sorrow leaned down to kiss him, slipping her free hand within his open vest as she did so. He gasped in surprise as he felt her burning touch upon his skin, but easily settled into her caresses as she expressed her desire for him so lovingly. As their kiss deepened, Iolaus felt himself naturally collapsing backward onto the bed as Sorrow advanced upon him. She moved in until she had him fully pinned to the bed beneath her body.

Despite the necessity of it at the moment, Iolaus' mind could not center on anything but Sorrow because his body was so intently focused upon finally possessing her, and Sorrow didn't stop even once to consider her vast innocence. All she knew was that she loved Iolaus with all her heart, and she wanted him to be the first and only man to ever make love to her.

With nothing to distract them this time, Iolaus and Sorrow slowly progressed their lovemaking into a true joining of souls. She clung to him with great trust throughout the experience, and Iolaus lovingly fulfilled her desires with complete attention and adoration. Yet, even as they consummated their love, Iolaus could not help but marvel at his incredible luck. He was simply amazed at the way she had taken total command of his heart without having displayed any of the wiles most women - and, most goddesses - employed to attract human men. No, Sorrow had only been herself the whole time, and somehow for Iolaus that had been the strongest of aphrodisiacs. As he made love to her, he gave great thanks over and over that she had returned his feelings, and she showed him great proof of that when she gasped to him, "Oh, Iolaus, I love you so much . . ."

The impassioned proclamation elated Iolaus deeply, and he smiled in triumph as he dove for her lips hungrily in response. They were locked together in a tight embrace when they finally reached the summit of their passion together, experiencing in tandem the ultimate joy and ecstasy borne of their love and desire.

In the sweet exhaustion of their lovemaking, Sorrow easily fell asleep in the arms of her lover, but as Iolaus held her close, he could not cease considering the myriad of emotions and thoughts that had resumed flooding his mind. There were so many things to worry about, and yet, he was so deliriously happy at this moment. He was overjoyed at having her for his bride, but he could not resolve the chain of problems that lay in wait to sabotage his every thought of happiness.

He was certain of but one thing - Sorrow's love for him, and his love for her, and he tried very hard to make that the central thought of his mind. However, he still felt badly that he had not had the opportunity to marry her before they consummated their love, and he knew he would not feel truly safe until she was finally his bride. Until Amatheus pronounced them "man and wife", Sorrow would be on the run from Ares, and he would be on the run with her. Ultimately, he wanted all things settled and done with so he could finally take Sorrow home.

Home. That was another problem entirely, for Iolaus truly did not know what would be best for Sorrow. He understood what her world was like within the realm of Olympus, and he had absolutely nothing to offer that could possibly equal what she already had. He was certain that he would build a home for her on his ancestral land near the home of his mother and stepfather, but he had to wonder if that would be enough for Sorrow. She seemed to intimate that all she needed was the safety and comfort of his arms, but Iolaus wanted to be able to offer Sorrow more. He smiled to himself sadly as he realized that all he truly had to give Sorrow was exactly what Aphrodite had told him she wanted - his love. But, he had that in abundance, and it only seemed to increase each second in her presence. He could not help but know that the same had been happening for Sorrow.

Despite all his misgivings, Iolaus resolved to continue believing that Sorrow had been born to be his wife, and that he had been born to love her forever. Only by trusting in their destiny could he find any solace in their current situation, and accept that he hadn't taken something that was not his by making love to her. Feeling less anxious, Iolaus raised up a little and kissed the top of her head lovingly, then closed his eyes as he settled in to join her in a Morpheus-induced dream scape.