There were no guards within the main hold of Ares' Macedonian temple, and Iolaus found himself unchallenged as he stood before the empty marble throne at the back of the sanctuary, truly surprised to find neither Ares nor Sorrow evident. He'd at least thought the God of War himself would be there to intercept them in person, but it was not going to happen - at least not yet - and that greatly amazed him. Hercules had followed Iolaus into the temple just moments later, and was also astonished that his brother was not present to counter their impromptu invasion.

"Where are they, Herc?" Iolaus asked anxiously, his eyes searching every inch of the main room for clues as to Sorrow's whereabouts. On first inspection, he saw absolutely nothing but a myriad of dark hallways leading away from the temple sanctuary.

"He could have her down any one of these Halls, Iolaus," Hercules answered with a touch of regret, for there were any number of hallways opening off of the central sanctuary of the temple, and each hall opened onto rooms that led to literally hundreds of sub-halls and corridors, and each room and hall were loaded with armor and weapons of every type and variety made since time immemorial. Zeus had taken him through each hall back when Hercules was a young boy, and he regretted that he was now hard-pressed to remember the intricate system of passageways. It had been too long.

However, remembering turned out to be wholly unnecessary, for a small sound coming from the left side of the temple easily caught their attention. It was but a fraction of its original decibel, but it was enough to alert the instincts of two expert hunters still being blessed by Artemis, and the two heroes took off at full speed down the particular hall from which the sound seemed to emanate. As they rushed through the dark initial entry of the hall, the sound continued to build until they heard Sorrow's deeply sad wail echoing in a chamber full of weapons.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Iolaus stopped in his tracks, daunted by the despair that was so evident in her cry, and by the sudden appearance of three separate hallways leading out from the armory. However, the wail seemed to be unnaturally reverberating off the walls of the first corridor, and instinct set his feet to moving again with the demigod in close pursuit.

The hall led into a small antechamber that was lit by torches set in sconces hung on the wall, and their light fell upon a huge, wooden door set with parts and hinges that could only have been forged by the God of Fire himself. The door stood slightly open, but a huge, rather complicated lock hung loose on a large Hephaestian bolt set into the face of the door. The latch was pushed aside on its hinge set into the wall, further evidencing that they were indeed going in the right direction.

"This is it, Iolaus!" Hercules quickly confirmed as he inspected the heavy lock. "Aphrodite told me about these doors and locks Ares commissioned from Hephaestus not long ago - they were apparently designed to keep a god locked in, and everyone else locked out."

"Sorrow!" Iolaus gasped in full realization, just now beginning to see that Ares' actions had obviously been planned from the start. What he had considered to be a mere, unforeseen complication in their courtship turned out to be a calculated plot against them, and the knowledge of this fueled his desperate anger and desire to find his true love. Iolaus ripped open the door and ran straight into a short, dark hall that led immediately into yet another torch-lit antechamber and door. This door also stood open, with another rather interesting lock effaced with three rows of gemstones hanging from the bolt. They tore through that door without hesitation, and found themselves in yet another armory filled with row upon row of magnificent shields and complicated weapons arranged uniformly upon ancient, wooden racks and displays.

Had it not been for the bickering now going on between the three gods, the two heroes might have had to search the entire room for their next move. However, with the argument to guide them, they merely followed the raised voices to the door of the cell in which Sorrow was being held. Ares had left this door standing completely wide open so that all three were easily visible from outside the cell.

When Iolaus caught sight of Sorrow's blue curls, he took off at a fast sprint toward her without thinking, and shouted, "Sorrow!"

"Iolaus!" she cried out as she recognized his voice, and all three Olympians spun around to see the one true love of her life running toward them at full speed. However, just as Iolaus entered the cell, Hercules caught up with him and wisely grabbed him by the vest, holding him back without much effort.

"Wait, Iolaus!" the demigod pleaded. "You're no match for Ares!"

"That's right, Short Stuff," Ares taunted insidiously. "With but a thought, I could have you incinerated, and don't think I won't enjoy it!"

Ignoring their advice, Iolaus struggled against Hercules' strength and demanded, "Let her go, Ares - you have no right to keep her from me!" His face burned with the depth of his intense anger, and his ire grew even more when he spied the milky streaks of tears running down Sorrow's face, along with several pearls scattering the floor. "Sorrow, are you okay!?"

Sorrow started to speak, but Ares slapped a stifling hand over her mouth, "She's fine, thank you very much!"

"Ares!" Iolaus growled, and strained again to pull out of Hercules' grip.

"Iolaus, stop this," Hercules begged. "Can we just please discuss this rationally? Ares, why are you holding Sorrow against her will?"

"Why am I holding her?" Ares echoed in musement, not removing his hand from Sorrow's mouth. "Well, let's see . . . Remember the day you let Xena have her child? The day you killed our father?"

"I will never forget it," Hercules replied lowly without even a hint of an apology. "I did what I had to that day."

"This is not about you, Brother," Ares continued. "It's about the Fates and their part in the events that went into play on that day."

Hercules looked to the silent Lachesis and nodded soberly, "Aphrodite told me that Poseidon is punishing the Fates for the decree they made."

Sorrow looked to her mother with great shock in her eyes. She had been aware of the decree - the beginning of the "Twilight of the Gods" - which had been put into effect by the actions of Zeus and Hera during the birth of Xena's daughter, Eve - a gift of the unnamed Hebrew One God who was to replace the Olympians one day. Sorrow had simply accepted the decree as part of her future existence, for all things must come to an end one day. Why should it not be the same for the gods of Olympus? But here was Hercules, indicating that what was happening to her now was a result of that occurrence and the decree that followed. However, how she should have become a pawn of punishment in this situation was beyond her comprehension. She pulled Ares' hand from her mouth and asked, "What is Hercules talking about, Mother?"

Ares pulled her backward into him again, effectively silencing her, and he answered for the stoic Fate, "Your father, being quite displeased with your mother and her two sisters for their part in this little decree of theirs, gave me leave to punish them in any way I saw fit. So, in honor of my late mother's wishes, I have chosen to take you, Sorrow, to be my wife, and effectively ruin your mother and Aphrodite's little plans for you and that waste of human space over there. Whatever they were hoping to create from such an . . . unnatural . . . union, I have no idea, but it will never come to pass now, thanks to your daddy!"

Sorrow and Iolaus looked to each other in confusion, neither completely sure what that creation was to have been. Sorrow had an inkling that the child she was now carrying might be just that - the one especial thing that they were supposed to create from their love, and it gave her a small bit of comfort to know that at least one part of her mother's purpose had possibly been carried out in full. However, she was still dismayed at the sound of the situation. Her father had gone back on his word and given Ares the go-ahead to take his daughter in return for the Fates' decree, and on top of that, she had gone and made a losing bet that had sealed her destiny for good with the God of War.

"So," Ares continued, his voice becoming more and more bitter, "I suggest that you two get out of here and leave me and my wife alone. We have a baby to plan for!"

"Baby!?" echoed a distraught Iolaus, and Sorrow became so angry that she ejected her elbow backwards into Ares, knocking the wind out of him and doubling him over. When he let go of her to grab his mid-section, she ran into Iolaus' waiting arms and embraced him.

"I'm so sorry, Iolaus - he made me think he was you!" she cried into his vest, and he held her as close as he possibly could, knowing now that it was truly hopeless. Ares had succeeded in intercepting their destiny and making it his own, and now hearing her words, he knew he had been outmatched and beaten by the God of War before the battle could even begin. Ares now possessed the one thing Iolaus had wanted most in the world, and the despair he felt as he held her was incredible.

If she had not been feeling her own despair, Sorrow would have been appalled at his level of unhappiness, but together they were one as they shared their misery and prayed helplessly that this would not be the last time they would ever touch. Iolaus also breathed in her scent, striving to memorize it, and he held her tightly until he felt Ares' hands prying Sorrow loose from him.

"As touching as this all is, I'm afraid I must take my wife back now," Ares taunted without sympathy as he pulled Sorrow away. "Now, Hercules, would you be so kind as to escort your friend out of my Halls of War?"

"Ares, come on," Hercules stepped forward and reasoned. "Sorrow obviously doesn't love you. Why would you want to keep her when she has no desire to stay?"

"Oh, she did have the chance to be set free, believe me," Ares grinned. "Too bad she didn't know what she needed to in order to win the little bet that would have secured her freedom!"

"What's that?" Iolaus looked to Sorrow in desperate curiosity, hoping against hope that a loophole might be found in whatever Ares was alluding to now.

Lachesis stepped forward this time and explained, "Sorrow was unaware of her ability to cause sadness in the lives of humans. She was mistaken in believing that her power lay only in the easing of sorrow, and Ares took advantage of that fact."

Sorrow looked to him sadly, milky tears filling her eyes anew, "In truth, Iolaus, it is because of me that sadness has come to your life - it is because of me that your heart is broken now!"

"No, Sorrow!" Iolaus protested. "You've brought only joy and happiness to me - it is Ares who has ruined our lives, not you!"

Sorrow looked to the extraneous three people in the room and begged, "Please, this is hard enough as it is . . . may we please have a few moments of privacy." She then added for Ares' benefit, "To say goodbye?"

Lachesis quickly embraced Sorrow and kissed her on the cheek, saying sadly, "I am so sorry I could not preserve your destiny with Iolaus, my child." She then whispered into Sorrow's ear, "Take care of the child, regardless of its parentage - the child is worth ten of the father!"

Sorrow nodded in complete and full understanding as her mother pulled away again and promptly dissolved in a shower of scarlet and gold sparkles.

Hercules was immediately there to take Sorrow's hand and squeeze it as he begged her pardon, "I'm so sorry I wasn't able to protect you and Iolaus - "

"Please, do not blame yourself, Hercules," Sorrow interjected with deep sincerity. "How could you have known that my father was behind this? And if my own father will not help me, what could you have possibly done, my cousin? But I do thank you for taking care of me, for teaching me about the world, and for giving me the courage to face my fears and let Iolaus love me."

"You're entirely welcome," Hercules smiled wanly, wishing he could do something more for his cousin and his best friend. "Take care of yourself, and please, never hesitate to call on me if you should ever need me."

"Thank you, Hercules," Sorrow squeezed his hand once more before releasing it, and she turned to the war god. "Do you mind, Ares?"

Ares shrugged without concern, "Why not? You're not going anywhere anytime soon! But, don't try any funny stuff - I will be back."

"How could we possibly forget?" she retorted with deep sarcasm. Though he felt slighted, he chose not to engage her and vanished in his usual display of flashing lights.

When he was gone, Hercules moved toward the door, "I'll be out here if you need me."

"Thanks, Herc," Iolaus called after him just before taking Sorrow back into his arms. "Are you okay, Sorrow? Ares didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, not beyond impersonating you," she replied. "That was the worst thing he could have ever done to me, Iolaus. So many nights I thought you had found me, that it was you who came to me, promising you'd find a way to get me out. Then, when I figured out I was pregnant, he revealed himself to me, and his laughter was so horrible and cruel, Iolaus. How could I be so stupid!?"

"No, you were deceived, Sorrow," Iolaus excused, unwilling to let her take responsibility for Ares' actions. "You did nothing to be ashamed of, and I will get you out of here!"

"No, Iolaus!" she gasped anxiously and pulled away to beg him. "He will kill you if you ever come back here, I just know it, and I couldn't go on knowing that you'd died because of me!"

"But, I can't let you remain a prisoner here, Sorrow!" he protested.

"You have no choice, Iolaus. I lost a wager to Ares, and now I am bound by my honor as a goddess to stay with him. And, he has sworn to kill you if I do not obey him. I could not bear to lose you, Iolaus - I love you far too much to let you lose your life trying to free me."

Iolaus opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again in frustration and impotence. He wanted to argue. He wanted to rip her binding chain from the floor and set her free. He wanted to punish Ares for taking what was not his, and for impregnating her with his evil seed. Iolaus desperately wanted to yell that Sorrow was to have been his wife, the mother of his children - not the consort of a childish god who only wanted to punish others through his actions. But, all he could see was the futility of such efforts. They would not undo what had been done, or take away the child that now grew within Sorrow. He had to give deference to that small life, for though it might not be his, it was still mostly hers, and Iolaus knew he would love it no matter what transpired from that moment on.

"Okay," he finally managed to agree, though it tore his heart out to have to do so. "I will go in peace, but I will be leaving you here unwillingly, do you understand?"

Sorrow smiled softly, yet sadly, "I wouldn't have expected it any other way."

How Iolaus found his way out of the temple corridors later was a mystery, but he eventually showed up in the main sanctuary of the Halls of War after Ares returned and promptly dismissed the hunter from the cell. The huge door had slammed closed behind him, and he was forced to accept that he would never see her again. After those last few moments in her arms, Iolaus knew he would never love again, either, for he had left his heart with Sorrow, and had taken away only sorrow in return.

"Iolaus, are you okay?" Hercules asked when he finally laid eyes on the ashen hero, who stumbled out of the dark hallway as though he were dazed. The demigod reached for Iolaus to steady him, but the hunter waved off his help.

"I'm fine, Hercules; let's go."

"You don't look fine to me, Iolaus."

"I want to get out of here, Herc," Iolaus deflected the remark with rising irritation, and he began walking toward the doors they'd left standing wide open upon their arrival. "And I don't ever want to come back!"

Hercules looked to the hall that originally led them to Sorrow, then back at the exiting warrior, knowing what had set off his friend's anger. Sorrow had sent him away for his own good, and Hercules easily recognized the signs of Iolaus' broken heart. He knew that Sorrow had ultimately done what was right for Iolaus by letting him go, and he saluted her courage for doing so. There was no way to win this situation, and Iolaus would surely come to see that someday. He might one day even learn to love another the way he'd loved Sorrow. But, not now.

And in Iolaus' heart, not ever.

On to Part Second, Chapter Nineteen

Back to The Power & The Passion