In the dim, grey light of early dawn, Hercules sat upon a great boulder with his chin resting on his fist, staring unhappily down upon the awakening camp of soldiers. Not far off behind him, sleeping fitfully next to the burnt-out campfire, lay Iolaus, the intricately-carved fighting staff clutched tightly in his anxious hands. It had been three days since Ares had kidnaped the young goddess, and they were no closer to rescuing her now than they had been when they first found the temple. It was against Hercules' nature to sit idly by while his brother wreaked havoc, but the circumstances of the situation had succeeded in holding both himself and the hunter at bay.

For one, Testacles' troops still lay camped all around the mid-sized temple, with patrols circling day and night without a single break in the rotations. And, when the troops weren't keeping watch, they were busy reveling in the continued rewards being given to them by the God of War, presumably as an incentive to keep them marching endlessly around the already well-fortified temple. With never-ending tables of food and eternally-full kegs of mead and ale at their disposal in tents that conveniently lined the walls of the temple, neither Testacles nor his men seemed the least bit tempted to seek out other campaigns of glory and conquest.

Hercules didn't want to admit defeat, for his best friend had never been quite so heartbroken in all his life, and he didn't like seeing the great warrior brought so low by the inability to act. However, as long as the troops continued to march and the sympathetic gods remained neutral on the matter, there was no way for the two heroes to make their way into the temple to find Sorrow and rescue her. It frustrated the demigod as much as it did the hunter.

There were bits of help here and there, though, like the veil of protection that Hercules sensed camouflaging their campsite, perhaps donated by Athena, and he suspected Artemis was responsible for keeping their snares full so they wouldn't have to stray far to hunt. There were probably other minor gifts from other gods that the two did not notice in the midst of their distraction, but Hercules made note to thank them all later. He would get Aphrodite to find out who all had helped so he might give them due credit when all was said and done. However, all the Olympian gifts in the universe weren't enough to turn the tide in their favor, and Hercules was beginning to fear that none of it would end well for Iolaus. Overall, something didn't seem quite right about the situation, but he couldn't put a finger on what it was. Something was definitely amiss, and he was running out of ideas even as Iolaus was running out of patience and hope.

The demigod sighed deeply and closed his pale blue eyes, feeling at a total loss as to what they should do now. Just watching the temple and waiting for a break in the troops wasn't doing any good for anyone, and trying to act in any way otherwise might get Iolaus and himself hurt or killed. The Son of Zeus was not afraid to admit when he was outnumbered, but he truly hated having to do so this time. Without an army of their own, there was no way he and Iolaus could set Sorrow free, and even so, what soldier would willingly stand against the God of War himself?

~ No, ~ he shook out his tawny mane miserably, knowing that they were truly defeated. Ares was going to get away with his misdeed, and there would be no one who could, or would, punish him. And Iolaus was going to be completely devastated.

"Isn't he just pathetic?" Aphrodite wailed pitifully as she materialized beside Hercules, her heart truly breaking for the sleeping hero as she gazed down upon him. Hercules turned on the boulder to see his pink-clad sister daub at her eyes with a lace handkerchief, and from the look of her, she had been crying for hours.

"Hey Sis, are you okay?" he asked gently, afraid something even worse had happened.

"No, I'm not okay!" she replied with a tone of disbelief. "How can I be okay!? Everything I've planned is ruined! Sorrow is shut away in the Halls of War, and Iolaus is here in Thessaly - "

"What!?" Hercules suddenly snapped to full attention. "Did you say Ares has Sorrow locked up in the Halls of War!?"

"Yeah, that's the worst of it! This is just a distraction for you and Iolaus. I didn't find out til just awhile ago that he had her in Thrace. If I'd only known two days ago, I could've . . ," Aphrodite's voice faded away.

"You could've what?" Hercules prompted.

Aphrodite didn't want to speak at first. She was as horrified as the rest of the Pantheon that Ares had apparently duped Sorrow into believing he was Iolaus, and she had no way to tell Hercules that wouldn't break his heart completely, and it would utterly destroy Iolaus. She ultimately chose to evade the truth and replied, "If I'd known, I could've transported you guys over there and helped you kick some butt! But instead, I was too busy arguing the point with the idiots on Olympus, and all the while Ares was getting what he wanted!"

Hercules' jaw dropped when he realized what she had just said, and Aphrodite slapped her hand over her mouth as she also realized that she had let the truth out in spite of herself. She would have gladly bitten out her tongue then and there if she didn't know she was going to need it later, and she immediately apologized, "Oh, Hercules, I'm so sorry - I didn't mean to let it slip that way!"

"Sorrow's pregnant by Ares?" Hercules asked lowly, keeping his voice down for Iolaus' sake.

Aphrodite shot a forlorn glance at the sleeping hunter and began to weep again as she nodded, "Apparently so . . . he pretended to be Iolaus, and she's so young . . . she didn't know . . ."

Hercules stood up and gathered Aphrodite into his brotherly arms, feeling every bit of her sadness as she wept for the couple and all the plans she'd made for them. It was not unexpected that Ares would try to take advantage of Sorrow while she was in his possession, but to resort to such low means to fool her into believing he was her greatest love was beyond the pale. It was akin to rape in Hercules' consideration, and it was a concept he had battled with in his own mind and heart many times when considering his own genesis. It was dishonest at best, and he was disgusted anew with his brother.

"Oh, Hercules, how can we ever tell him?" Aphrodite sobbed into his yellow shirt of chamois. "He'll just die inside . . . he'll just curl up like the cute little human he is and die!"

"I'll figure out something," Hercules delayed the responsibility and pulled away from the goddess just a bit. "Regardless of that, we swore to protect her, and that includes now. We've got to get her out of the Halls of War and back to Mount Olympus where her mother can see to her, since her father obviously won't speak up - "

"Oh, that's the worst of it!" Aphrodite wailed again. "He's upset with the Fates over this ‘Twilight of the Gods' thing they've decreed, and so he's deliberately ignoring what's going on here. He's just letting Ares have Sorrow to punish Lachesis!"

Hercules sighed with irritation. He had grown weary with the games the gods played on humans long ago, but this was one of their own kind being taken advantage of, and it made him feel even more rage that Poseidon was punishing Lachesis by giving his youngest daughter to Ares. It wasn't fair to Sorrow, and it wasn't fair to Iolaus to have their destinies affected so out of petty selfishness.

"Then, we'll definitely have to save her ourselves," he said grimly.

"Afraid so, Baby Bro," Aphrodite sniffed and nodded unhappily. "But, I can cut you some slack and take you both directly to Thrace."

"Thank you, Aphrodite, that would save us quite a bit of time and effort. Just let me go wake up Iolaus - "

"No, let the poor thing sleep," Aphrodite stopped him. "He'll never even know he was moved."

She waved her hand in a circle, and in but a moment, the Thessalonian landscape around them dissolved into nothing, then reformed again as Thrace. The camp was moved in its entirety, fire circle and all, and Iolaus did indeed sleep straight through.

Sorrow had lain her head on the table and cried into her crossed arms until she fell asleep sometime after midnight the night before. As dawn broke outside, the infernal light began to grow within the sealed room, and she began to awaken slowly. After some time, she lifted her head lethargically and struggled to open her tear-swollen eyes. The gentle glow was still dim, yet she winced in pain at its level of intensity. As she did so, she inadvertently moved her arms and caused a small pile of tear-shaped pearls to scatter across the table and spill onto the floor. They made a great clatter as they hit the stones and bounced away before settling.

Sighing sadly, Sorrow reached out for a cup that stood empty on the table, and with but a thought, it filled immediately with steaming hot tea. Slowly, she lifted it to her lips to take a sip, but slammed the cup back down again as she bolted from the table, now wide awake as she felt the quick rise of sickness into her throat. She ran for the potted plant again, barely making it before she began to retch. She was much more violently sick than the day before, but Sorrow took it as a good sign.

In her mind, morning sickness for a goddess could only signify that a human child was developing inside of her, and that gave her tremendous hope for her destiny with Iolaus. She tried hard not to consider that perhaps her child was indeed Ares', and that her body was merely reacting to the potential violence of the offspring growing within. If she could only speak with her mother, she could find out for sure and act accordingly; but, as she could not, she would have to wait out the birth and see for herself. In her heart, though, she was certain that the child she bore did indeed belong to Iolaus, and Sorrow allowed herself to encourage an ever-increasing bond to the baby for that reason. Any other possibility simply had to be dismissed.

Creeping back to her chair again, Sorrow wondered vaguely what Ares would do when he discovered her child might actually be Iolaus' progeny, and then she considered with great purpose as to his presence altogether. Ares had left her sometime during the night, after she had long since gone to sleep. ~ He's probably off gloating to everyone on Olympus, ~ she sneered to herself. She truly hoped that, since he believed his deceptions had done the trick, he might actually leave her be until the baby was born.

But that was not to be. Within minutes of her final thought on the matter, Ares stepped through the door and into the cell most casually, like a husband coming home for the noon meal.

"Good day, my Sweet Sorrow," Ares greeted her fairly warmly as he approached the table, not noticing the pearls he sent flying with every step. "How are you feeling?"

"Awful," she replied bluntly, wishing her visage could accurately reflect her feeling of illness.

"You're allowed - it is your first pregnancy, after all."

"Oh, gee, thanks," her voice dripped with sarcasm. "You don't know how much that means to me."

Ares grinned in amusement and goaded her further, "My, my, the Goddess of Lamentation does have claws, doesn't she? Indeed, you're nothing like I thought you were. In fact, if I had known what a spitfire you were in bed, I'd have come to collect you much sooner!"

The obviously antagonistic tone of his voice caused Sorrow to look up at him squarely, and she addressed him seriously, "Ares, let's talk reality for a moment. I'm pregnant; we both know it, and I'm sure you've already broadcast it from Macedonia to Crete. However, you're obviously not going to get permission from the Pantheon to marry me behind my father's back, and I'm obviously not going to ever let you do . . . this . . . to me again. So, why don't you just let me go? I promise - I'll let you have your child when it's born, no questions asked. What do you say?"

Ares stood and studied her silently for a long time, weighing her words and considering his response before speaking. He wasn't quite sure what her purpose was in offering this deal, but he was willing to do some extra probing to get at the heart of the matter.

"You want to be with Iolaus, I presume?" he ventured.

"He is my destiny, Ares."

"Yes, that's true, he is your destiny. However, he does not know what I know."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"That the greatest joy of his life will become his greatest sorrow," he reported smugly.

Sorrow narrowed her eyes at him, wondering what angle he was attempting to play, and yet hesitant to find out. His games were legendary, and she had already proven that she was obviously not up to his level of skill, and she was certainly too naive to out-think him. Keeping this in mind, she forced herself to query, "How so?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Sorrow rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation, "Obviously not."

"I take it your parents never told you about yourself, then?" Ares asked with an air of cryptic omnipotence. "They never told you about the curse that you carry?"

Sorrow stifled an indignant laugh and shook her head in disbelief, "What curse?"

"The curse of your name, my Sweet Sorrow," he replied, seating himself triumphantly on their bed. "As I am War, you are Sorrow itself."

"What in the name of Tartarus are you talking about?" she demanded incredulously.

"It's really very simple, Sorrow - you are not only the patron Goddess of Lamentation, you are Lamentation itself. Not only are you able to ease sadness, you are also quite capable of causing it. Whatever you touch, whatever you desire, whatever you love - all can, and will, come to sadness!"

"You're lying!" she countered, the pink of her face beginning to darken.

"For your sake, I wish I was."

Sorrow fell silent for a moment, feeling a boiling hate beginning to churn inside her - a hate like she had never known, and she hissed, "Wasn't it enough that you forced me to leave my home; that you chased me all over the countryside; almost killed Iolaus with the actions of your men; and impregnated me by pretending to be him? Why do you have to lie to me now?"

Ares lifted a questioning eyebrow at her, "I take it that you want me to prove it to you?"

"What do you think?"

Ares allowed a triumphant, sly smile to spread across his face as he directed her attention to the full-length mirror mounted on the wall, "Observe, your greatest love . . . turned to sorrow!"

He pointed to the mirror, and when she looked to it, the glassy reflection seemed to melt, then churn and twist until the silvery picture settled again to reveal Iolaus, sleeping next to the firecircle that had been moved to Thrace without his knowledge. Ares knew they were now there. He'd felt Aphrodite's presence immediately, and he swore he could smell Hercules from leagues away. For the time being, it worked to his advantage to have them there, and he used the unwitting sleeper now.

Sorrow peered at Iolaus as he slept, and almost gasped in surprise and horror. His face appeared gaunt, as though he hadn't slept well in days (and he hadn't), and the way he clung to her carved quarterstaff, as though he were clinging to her in his sleep, almost broke her heart. Even more, the full sense of his unhappiness radiated out to her from the mirror, and overcame her so that she almost sobbed aloud for him.

"See your lover?" Ares pointed to the mirror insidiously. "Feel his unhappiness? See his despair? You caused his sadness, Sorrow."

"No - I only loved him!" Sorrow retorted angrily. "You are the one responsible for this!"

"I truly wish I were, Sorrow," Ares replied as he waved away the vision of the sad warrior. "But the fact remains: you are a goddess, and he is a mortal. So long as you continue forcing this unnatural union, it will result in nothing but sadness and devastation for both you and your human lover." Ares pointed to the mirror again as he turned back to her and accused, "See? Iolaus has known you less than a week and already he is more unhappy now than he's been since his beloved wife died."

"This is all your doing, Ares, not mine!" she cried out in return. "You have ruined my life!"

"You keep telling yourself that, and maybe someday you might actually come to believe it," he smirked as he waved away the image of Iolaus. "However, if you want to know the real truth, you might never have even met the love of your life if it weren't for me."

Sorrow closed her mouth on her next comment, for even as he said his piece, she recalled what Iolaus had said by the river just days before - something about her mother, Lachesis, having put Iolaus in her path so she might meet up with him. She had realized then that her mother had indeed preordained that encounter with the handsome hunter, but now she had to wonder just how much of Ares' presence had been voluntary in this situation, and how much had been fate, pure and simple?

"You're saying that it was because of you that I met Iolaus?" she finally asked.

Ares shrugged, "You have to consider the possibility, my Sweet Sorrow."

"Meaning that you're supposed to be some great catalyst to my life, right?"

Ares only smiled mysteriously, and Sorrow stifled another incredulous laugh, almost unable to comprehend his high capacity for self-absorption and over-confidence.

She shook her head in disbelief, "You are so completely self-deluded, Ares. Do you truly think none of this was meant to happen, but for your interference?"

"Well, what can I say?" he grinned with triumph. "You met up with the guy because of my interference in your destiny. Otherwise, you'd still be living at home, running about the world comforting old widows, and returning home again to those three boring sisters night after night."

No longer able to contain it, Sorrow burst out laughing, "Oh, Ares - you are deluded! I mean, has it never occurred to you that maybe you were meant to push us together all along? Didn't you even consider for an instant that perhaps you were only a pawn in my mother's game?"

Ares didn't like what he was hearing, but he did not let the smile fade from his face. He was, in truth, quite taken aback by the very suggestion that he could be so used. Indeed, it had not even occurred to him once that perhaps it was he who was being played for a fool - that by trying to claim her, he'd only ensured that she would end up in the arms of her human lover. Ares did not want to even entertain such an idea, and certainly did not like it, but he refrained from saying so.

"Regardless," he forged on anyway, "that does not change the fact that you are currently in my power, and you are pregnant with my child. Odds are that Iolaus won't even want you once he learns this, not to mention the fact that you're obviously the one who has made him so extremely unhappy!"

"You're never going to make me accept that, Ares."

"I wasn't trying to. And, I don't have to! The truth will prove itself by and by."

Sorrow fixed him with a serious, no-nonsense eye and declared, "Yes, it will, Ares. I only hope that you'll be man enough to release me when you've finally been proven wrong."

"Care to make a wager on that?" he grinned, so very certain of the outcome.

Sorrow laughed again, "I might be naive, Ares, but I'm certainly not stupid! I'd never benefit from making a wager with you."

"Sure you could," he teased, laying back against the pillows comfortably.

"How?" she pressed.

The question caused a sly smile to spread slowly across his face, which only made Sorrow even more wary of him, and he said, "I will bring your mother here - that is, if I can pry her away from that damned spinning wheel - and you can ask her yourself."

"Okay," Sorrow nodded, "but where's the wager?"

"The wager? Oh, that's the best part," he lured with his voice. "If you are right and your mother proves that you're not a disaster magnet, that you and Iolaus are going to live ‘happily ever after', then I'll set you free. You'll be at liberty to do as you please. I will want my child when it is born, but otherwise, you will be free to be with Iolaus."

"And, if she backs you up?"

"You will stay here with me, of course."

Sorrow didn't like that option in the least and ventured, "And, what if I escape?"

Ares pursed his pouty lips and said wickedly, "If you're mine, and you escape, I promise you that the first thing I will do is hunt you down as I did before. And, when I find you, I swear that I will thoroughly punish any human that dares hide you, and that includes your dear, sweet Iolaus!"

"No!" she flat-out refused. "You have no right to punish anyone, least of all Iolaus!"

Ares laughed treacherously, "Sorrow, you of all people should know that I do as I please!"

"Yes, I know, which is why I don't trust your offer."

"Oh no, Sorrow, I sincerely promise to you that I'll hold to my word - "

"You've never lived up to any of your words before - why should you start now??

Ares shook his finger at her and scolded, "Keep talking, Sorrow - but you're just stalling me, and stalling the truth. Stop arguing and accept my wager!"

"Fine - let's do this, then!" Sorrow spat as she vaulted from the chair. "Get my mother here and prove me wrong, Ares - if you can!"

Ares smiled more charmingly than ever before, and said, "Your wish is my command!" And he disappeared in his usual flash of white light, leaving Sorrow with a tantalizingly open door that she confoundingly knew she could not reach.

Sorrow's mind raced as she contemplated how she could escape right then and there, and she used her impaired powers to force the heavy door to swing open just a little farther. Looking out into the antechamber, she saw only row upon row of Hephaestian weapons and armor clinging to wooden display frames. The sight of them caused her to gasp in great dismay, for she suddenly realized that she could not possibly be in Ares' Thessalonian temple. She knew instinctively that she was gazing upon Ares' private stash of weapons, and that could only mean one thing - she was being held in the Halls of War, and that meant she was actually hundreds of miles from Thessaly, and hundreds of miles from Iolaus. She had thought all the while that he had been near, waiting for his chance to rescue her, and the truth was that he was likely still in Thessaly, trying to figure out what had become of her and how he might find her again.

"Damn you, Ares!" she growled, her eyes beginning to glow bright green.

On to Chapter Seventeen, Part Two

Back to The Power & The Passion