LOVERS' MOON

PART FIVE

Hercules had heard Alani's shout of warning. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder just in time to see Iolaus fall. He hurled the bloody sword in his hand like a javelin, taking out the other man who was threatening Alani. That was all he had time to see, being a little busy with his own fight just then. The next time he glanced that way he saw Alani kneeling beside Iolaus and assumed she was trying to help. Unable to do anything else, Hercules concentrated on ending the battle. When it was over – the last of them fled – he went straight to Iolaus' side.

What he saw horrified him. Iolaus lay there unmoving, his face grey. Alani, knelt beside him covered in blood; her clothes were soaked in red. If it was Iolaus' blood, it was already too late. Alani's left hand covered the gaping wound in Iolaus' chest, her right was clenched into a fist over her heart. Hercules watched the scene with horror and despair. There was nothing, nothing at all that could be done for a wound like that. Iolaus would die.

He knelt beside Alani, reaching for her arm. "Alani, there's nothing you can do." And it hurt him so much to say that.

Alani didn't seem to hear him. Her skin was cool to the touch, and almost white. Her eyes were open, unblinking, focused on the dying man. She was trembling.

Hercules recognised what she was trying to do. For an instant he felt hope, and overwhelming relief. In the next moment he realised what the cost could be. Then he didn't know whether to feel fear, or hope. Had it been anyone else, anyone, Hercules would have torn Alani away to make her stop. But this wasn't anyone else, it was Iolaus. Hercules could not bear to watch him die. Again. But he could lose Alani, too. In an agony of indecision, Hercules watched, hardly daring to breathe.

He could almost see the power Alani was summoning, as an aura of silver light around her body. Her hand covering Iolaus' wound was shaking with the effort. The tension was unbearable. Then it happened. Just for an instant that barely perceived aura intensified to brightness. In the unnatural light it cast, Hercules could see clearly the ragged edges of the wound begin to close. And disappear. It was over. Except for the blood soaking into the ground, there was no sign Iolaus had ever been wounded. But he still hadn't moved.

Alani drew in her breath with a long sigh.

Seconds crawled by like years. Hercules couldn't move. Iolaus took a shuddering breath. His eyes opened.

"How do you feel?" Alani asked him, her voice rough.

Iolaus looked up at her. "Like I went ten rounds against a titan." He gave her what was almost his usual grin.

The relief was overwhelming. "Welcome back," Hercules said. He turned to Alani, in awe of what she had done, intending to thank her.

Alani collapsed.

Hercules caught her as she fell. "Alani!" Oh, gods, no. Her eyes were open, but unseeing. Hercules felt for the pulse at her neck and found it faint, slow.

"What happened?" Iolaus asked, trying to sit up.

"Healing drains the life-force equivalent to the wound being healed. She gave too much…" Hercules cradled Alani in his arms, slapped her cheek lightly, trying to revive her. "Alani! Please, what can I do?"

Alani took a breath, somehow managed to speak. "Life for life…" Her voice was no more than a whisper. Her body became limp in his arms. With the last of her energy she added, "I…don't have…my mother's strength."

"Then take mine." Hercules' response was immediate, with no thought for the possible consequences. Alani was his daughter, child of his body, child of his love. There was nothing he wouldn't give for her life. Including his own. Alani was too weak to respond. "Alani! Oh gods, Alani, there has to be a way." He took her small hand in his, terrified by the coolness of her skin. It reminded him of…

…Of Hecate's pendant, lying cool against his own skin. He lifted Alani's hand and placed it over the pendant, the symbol of the goddess she served. He covered her hand with his own. Hecate, help us. Help me. He knew this could be done, but not how. He didn't have Dione's gift, couldn't forge a link between them himself.

You are linked, son of Zeus. Your blood is in her veins. Use it.

Iolaus was watching them, helpless, uncomprehending. The grief and desperation on Hercules' face was hard to take. He saw Hercules bring Alani's hand to the pendant. Everything went quiet. There was a flicker of silver from the pendant and Hercules gasped as if in pain.

The colour was returning to Alani's cheeks. Her breathing quickened, then steadied to normal. She opened her eyes and gazed at her father. They looked at each other for a long, silent moment. Then she moved her hand from where he held it and laid her palm flat against his chest. "Are you alright?" she asked weakly.

Hercules smiled with relief when she spoke. "I'm fine, Alani." He helped her to sit up, still supporting her with his arm. "I have strength to spare."

Iolaus checked the rabbit he had spitted over the fire and moved it a little further away from the flames. He wanted it cooked, not charred. Iolaus had wakened with the dawn, which given the events of the night surprised him. He'd considered trying to get some more sleep, but his stomach insisted on breakfast instead. Catching the rabbit wasn't hard. He was waiting impatiently for it to cook, and feeling just a little smug because he was the one wide awake while Hercules was still sleeping: that really did make a change. He was trying not to think too much about the previous night, but couldn't get the images out of his mind. Someone had stabbed him through the heart…yet here he was, alive to tell the tale, with no sign of an injury. Just the memory of pain, the sickening cold of steel…

"Mm. That smells good." Hercules' voice, heavy with sleep, was a welcome interruption.

Iolaus turned to his friend with a grin. "Yeah. If it doesn't burn too badly I might even be able to spare you some." Hercules returned the grin, watching as Iolaus checked the rabbit again. "Are you OK, Herc?" Iolaus asked.

"Yeah, fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Hercules sat up, looking pointedly at their "breakfast". "Try turning it," he suggested.

"You think?" Iolaus turned the rabbit, then returned to the original subject. "Last night…if I understand it right, you gave Alani your strength." What really happened? he was asking.

Hercules didn't hear the unspoken question. "Not all of it," he answered. "I'm not sure I'd want to take on a hydra right now…but I'm not hurt, Iolaus."

Hercules looked around the campsite. They hadn't stayed at the site of the previous night's battle: none of them would have been able to sleep there. But they hadn't followed the river very far before making camp again. This was a nice spot: he hadn't noticed it in the dark. The meandering river curved at this point, creating a natural beach covered with small, rounded pebbles. There were flowers all over the riverbank. It would be a good place to rest for a while.

He had not forgotten the Chimera, back in Calydon. He had managed to stop it for one night, perhaps for longer, if it had really understood him, but Hercules knew that only Alani could control it fully. He didn't want to consider what might happen if it turned out that she couldn't. Either way, they had to get back to Calydon quickly. Then again…they had fought a hard battle last night and Alani had been exhausted before that. They would probably get there much quicker if they took some time to rest first.

Hercules told Iolaus what he was thinking. Iolaus glanced toward Alani. The girl was still sleeping. In the daylight he could clearly see the purple bruises on her arms and face, the scratches she had gained in her desperate attempt to escape Krassis, and the blood – most of it not hers – that saturated the borrowed shirt she wore. There was no way she could keep up the sort of pace he and Hercules would set. Reluctantly Iolaus agreed that a rest was a good idea. "How long, though?"

Hercules shrugged. "Depends on Alani. At least until afternoon."

Iolaus nodded. "That's long enough for me to find the nearest town. It should be downriver a couple of miles."

"What for?"

"Alani needs some decent clothes, Herc. Your shirt suits her, but you'll never get all that blood out of it."

"Where are you hiding your moneybags?" Hercules looked Iolaus up and down.

He laughed. "I've got a couple of dinars. I know that won't be enough, but I'll think of something. Maybe I can trade some work." He leaned over the fire, checked the rabbit again and decided it was done. With his dagger he sliced the meat, offering Hercules a share. "Herc…while she's still asleep, there's something you should know."

"What's that?" Hercules frowned at the tone of his friend's voice. Iolaus sounded uneasy, and that bothered him.

"Last night, before I was…hurt…" Iolaus told Hercules about the man Alani had killed: what he had seen of it. "I don't know what happened, Herc. It was as if he let her do it. He just sat there and watched her cut his throat."

"Hecate," Hercules said, frowning a little at the implications of the story. He had seen none of this. "Or, maybe Alani did it alone. She does have some power." He saw Iolaus looking at him worriedly and forced a smile. "I'll talk to her, alright! Will that make you feel better?"

"Probably not."

Not long after Iolaus left, Alani woke. She seemed much more relaxed in the light of day, smiling at Hercules when she saw him. Hercules offered her breakfast – the last of Iolaus' rabbit – and brought her a drink from the river. One thing he had noticed about Alani: she never started a conversation. It seemed she would rather sit in silence than be the first to speak.

So as he handed her the waterbag, he said, "I think we ought to discuss last night."

Alani nodded, looking down. "He was hurt trying to protect me. I couldn't…"

"That's not what I'm talking about," Hercules interrupted, realising she had misunderstood. "I mean the man you killed. How did you do it, Alani?" Being honest with himself, Hercules admitted he was uncomfortable asking. Alani might be his daughter, but she had met him for the first time yesterday. He didn't really have any right to play father to her. Then again, someone had to have this conversation with her. It may as well be him.

"How? With a knife."

"It wasn't just that, was it?"

Alani looked down, avoiding Hercules' steady gaze. "No, it wasn't," she admitted finally. "I…have some power. Hecate taught me to use it. These past few days…I was so scared I forgot, or couldn't concentrate. Last night I wasn't scared. So I used it."

"You weren't scared, and you have power," Hercules repeated. "Then you could have just stopped him, couldn't you? It wasn't necessary to kill him."

"I wanted to kill him," Alani said firmly, with just a trace of defiance. "He's one of the bastards who killed Dione."

That's what I was afraid of, Hercules thought, but didn't say it. Gods, this wasn't going to be easy. He remembered his own actions during that night battle: he had done the same as Alani – used his power to kill – and for identical reasons. Be honest, Herc, there isn't a difference. But that wasn't the point. "Do you think that the right thing to do?" he asked her eventually.

Alani's eyes widened as she looked up at him. "Of course it was! Don't you believe in justice?"

"Sure I do. In a court of law." Alani had never known that kind of justice, however; she probably didn't even know what a court was. And Hercules felt his own hypocrisy…his own standards of justice had brought him into conflict with the law more than once. He tried to put that statement right. "And sometimes killing is justified. But, Alani, you didn't kill him in self defence. So was it really for justice? Or revenge?" Alani opened her mouth to speak but he stopped her. "No, don't answer right away. Think about it."

Alani did think about it. She picked a long blade of grass from the ground and slowly shredded it to pieces while she considered. After a long silence she looked up at Hercules, frowning. "I'm not planning to hunt down the other two, if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not. They're both dead." She was avoiding the question and that was a bad sign.

"You killed them?" Alani didn't wait for Hercules to confirm her guess. "Then what gives you the right to tell me I was wrong? You weren't there, Hercules! How is it alright for you to kill, but not me?"

"It's not," Hercules answered calmly. "And I'm not saying you were wrong. I just want you to think about it. Something I learned the hard way: in the heat of battle, there isn't time to consider all the angles and make a wise decision. But when it's over, Alani, you have to be prepared to take responsibility for your actions. You have a power. Last night you used it – right or wrong – to kill. Is that how you want to use your gifts? Did killing that man make you feel any better?"

Alani shook her head slowly. "Nothing can make me feel better. Nothing will bring her back. It was something that had to be done, and I did it. That's all."

Hercules had to be satisfied with that.

Alani scooped up a handful of the clear water and raised it to her lips. It was deliciously cool, and she found herself automatically saying a prayer of thanks to the goddess. A light breeze blew across the river, stirring her hair as she leaned over the water, and making the flowers along the riverbank nod their heads. The movement caught her attention and she looked more closely at the plants.

Alani glanced around her, looking for something to dig with and eventually retrieved a sturdy stick, about two feet long, from the cache beside the campfire. She began by digging up by the roots several plants with pale pink flowers and many sharp-pointed leaves, then rinsed her hands briefly in the river and started to gather the youngest, thin leaves from another.

"May I help?" Hercules asked. She hadn't heard him approach.

"You can if you can find a couple of flat stones, about the size of your hand."

Hercules stifled a smile at her authoritative tone and started to search the riverbank for what she wanted. "I know a bit about plants, but I don't recognise that one," he commented, watching her sort carefully through the leaves, selecting the ones she wanted and laying them out on the grass.

"It's karse. It's good for women in childbirth, but I'm just picking it because it tastes good. I'm not keen on unseasoned meat."

Her reply was interesting. She identified the plant as much by its use as by its taste or appearance, which suggested she knew a great deal more. "Here." Hercules produced a couple of stones that seemed to fit what she wanted. "What do you want me to do?"

She showed him the other plants she had dug. "Rinse the mud off, then crush the whole plant between the stones. It should turn into a pulp quite easily."

"What is it?"

She gave him a quizzical look. "A moment ago you said you know plants. And you don't recognise soapwort?"

He grinned, beginning the work of crushing the plants. "OK, you caught me. It's called trying to make conversation."

She couldn't resist returning that smile. "I have been a bit quiet, haven't I?" she admitted.

The conversation became a bit easier after that. Alani shared some of her expertise with Hercules: he had guessed right, she knew a lot about the properties, medicinal and otherwise, of the plants around them. When Alani declared her intention of taking a bath, Hercules told her to leave her shirt with him: he would try to get it clean. She went around the bend of the river for privacy while she bathed, taking a handful of the crushed soapwort with her. The plant was rich in saponin, a substance that would foam rather like soap when crushed and mixed with water. It had most of the cleansing properties of soap, too and left a pleasant, if faint scent. Alani washed her clothing first. She hated the thin garments Krassis had dressed her in, but they were all she had. She laid them out on the riverbank to dry and took her time cleaning herself, washing off the experience as much as the dirt and grime and blood.

Water was one of the many symbols of the goddess. It was one of the four elements that made up the earth, and symbolic of life in all its phases. The waters of birth; the continuation of life, for who could live without water?; and of death, too, for the underworld was surrounded by a river. It was cleansing and pure, and bountiful as the earth, for there was always water to be found somewhere. These thoughts passed through Alani's mind on a subconscious level. She didn't need to think about it, it was as automatic to her as drawing breath. The knowledge learned at her mother's knee served her well, and her long, thorough cleansing did more than refresh her: it began her healing.

Eventually, she dressed in the slightly damp clothes she had cleaned: they covered her body adequately, since by now she trusted Hercules just enough to know he wouldn't try to touch her. She returned to him none too soon. She had taken longer than he expected and he was beginning to worry.

"I don't think this will ever be quite the same again," she sighed, holding up the stained and still wet leather. Hercules had done his best with it, but repeated washings had served only to fade the bloodstains, not to get rid of them.

"I'm sure you're right," Hercules agreed. "Hopefully Iolaus will solve that problem for you. He said he would try to find you some new clothes." Hercules frowned: Alani's expression had changed at his mention of Iolaus. Come to think of it, she hadn't once asked after him. "What's the matter?" he asked her.

Alani didn't answer.

"I thought you liked Iolaus. Alani, what's the problem?" When he got no response Hercules sat down beside her on the riverbank. "Alani, you've been through a lot, I know. I realise you didn't get the best introduction to life outside Calydon, but don't let a few evil men convince you that everyone's like that. Most people have good in them. And Iolaus…he's my best friend. He's not perfect, but he's a good man. I promise you, he'd rather die than hurt you, or any woman."

Hercules started to reach for her hand. It was a natural gesture to him, but he saw the flicker of fear in her eyes and she drew away from him. Her unconscious rejection hurt, but he wasn't going to push it. Alani might never trust him completely. He withdrew his hand and tried to talk to her again. "You know, you saved his life last night. Iolaus won't forget that in a hurry. Neither will I."

"You saved my life," Alani said.

"That's different. A father is supposed to protect his children." His response was automatic, but no less true for that, and with the words came the familiar stab of pain: grief and the insidious guilt that would never fade.

Alani looked up at him, a question in her eyes. Tentatively, she covered his hand with her own. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

"Nothing. I…" Hercules tried to dismiss it. He hadn't thought his feelings were so obvious.

"Don't lie. This is the second time I've felt this in you. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But please don't lie."

Her small hand covering his was warm and comforting. He didn't have to tell her. There were very few people who would have the courage to ask…and if anyone deserved to know, Alani did. Even though she had never known them, they were her family, too. Hercules took a deep breath and began to speak. He told her about Deianeira, and their children. He talked about the home he had tried to build for them, about the kind of life he had wanted to live. He told her about the way it had all ended: Hera's fireball, Hera's revenge. It wasn't as difficult to tell as he had expected. He didn't look at her while he spoke, just kept his eyes on the slowly flowing water. Alani listened in silence, her hand still covering his.

The story ended, his voice trailed off. Alani gazed up at him, unspoken sympathy filling her eyes. "Why?" she asked. "Why would Hera do that?"

Hercules smiled bitterly. "She doesn't like me much."

"That's obvious, but why?"

"Did Dione never tell you who my father is?"

Alani shook her head, confused by the apparent change of subject. "No. Does it matter?"

"In this case, it does. He's Zeus."

"A god?"

"Uh-huh. He's my father, but my mother is mortal. That's one reason Hera hates me. Not the only one." Hercules tried to explain. He had never exactly gone out of his way to make Hera like him. He talked about some of his early adventures: he had seemed to find Hera involved rather too often. He had never – could never – just stand by and do nothing while she and the other gods played games with people's lives. Hera wasn't the only god who did that, but she was one of the worst. Mortals were nothing but tools to her, and her amusements caused no end of suffering.

Following his own heart had a cost. As his fame spread, as men came to know Hercules, son of Zeus, as a hero, Hera's hatred for him grew. Maybe if he just lived out his life as a farmer and no one ever heard of him…but that was kidding himself. He could not possibly be other than he was, and Hera couldn't stand that the living proof of her husband's infidelity was so well known, so celebrated…so loved.

Alani was not sure she understood. Hercules' attitude made no sense to her…where was his respect for the gods?

It was a question Hercules had heard many times before. When Alani asked it, though, he couldn't just dismiss it. He owed her a fair answer. "I don't think they deserve respect simply for the sake of their power, Alani. I know the gods. They don't help us, they just use us." Hercules looked at Alani's frown. He wasn't getting through, here. "Look, it comes down to attitude. Like…well, the men who took you from Calydon. They didn't see you as a person. You weren't worth anything to them except a few dinars. But you know that was wrong, don't you? You know you're someone special, a unique person, that you have rights, and deserve respect." Alani nodded slowly. Hercules went on, "That's the same thing that's wrong with the gods' attitude. They don't see people as individuals, just a group called 'mortals'. So they don't care. I don't think they deserve respect for that."

The comparison made Alani uncomfortable. Hercules was making sense, and Alani didn't want to agree with him: her upbringing didn't allow it. Her brow creased with concentration as she tried to find a hole in his argument. Hercules waited for her to speak.

Eventually she said, worriedly, "I guess I understand why you feel that way. But it doesn't seem right. What about Hecate? Do you think she's the same as Hera?"

It was Hercules' turn to be uncomfortable. He sighed heavily and looked up at the sky, thinking about that. No, Hecate was not 'the same'. Yet…

"Alani, that's not an easy one to answer. I just don't understand Hecate. She's everything that most people fear: darkness, the unknown, a queen of the underworld. She's everywhere, sees everything, but hardly ever makes her presence felt. Hecate won't acknowledge any authority, and that makes her dangerous. But…"

He had to stop there, to try to arrange his thoughts. The simple truth was that Hecate had no place in the world Hercules knew: the well-ordered world of the gods where Hades ruled the underworld, Zeus the sky, Poseidon the sea. She was outside it, beyond his experience. Yet even if he had realised that truth, Hercules couldn't have found the words to express it. After a long silence, he shrugged, mentally giving up and hoping Alani wouldn't press him further.

"I have never known Hecate to do harm," he conceded. "That's a pretty good place to start."

It was mid-afternoon when Iolaus returned. The hunter was carrying a bundle (too large to contain only one dress) in one hand and a pair of pheasants, recently killed, in the other. Hercules and Alani were sitting near the river talking, and Iolaus managed to get quite close to them before Hercules turned around and saw him. Proudly, he showed off his purchases: he had found something for Alani: a simple dress of woven wool, dyed dark blue. He had also, somehow, bought blankets for all three of them, as well as some bread to go with the birds he had hunted.

Iolaus was just waiting for Hercules to ask how he'd managed it. He was kinda pleased with himself: Herc would never guess.

Hercules looked suitably impressed. "How did you do it, Iolaus?"

"Oh, it was nothing." Iolaus gave a "modest" grin. "Just call it an old hunter's trick." Hercules was looking at Iolaus, and didn't see Alani pale at those words. Iolaus saw it, though and it took some of the pleasure out of the joke. Oh, well done, Iolaus. Subtle, or what?

"Yeah, right." Hercules returned the grin, then looked at him more seriously. "Come on, Iolaus. How did you do all this with three dinars? I just know you're not going to tell me you've been stealing."

"Me? I'm shocked, Hercules. I met someone in town. An…old friend – of yours."

"Salmonius again?" Hercules raised an eyebrow. "I thought he'd still be in Attica."

"Not Salmonius. A different friend. Autolycus."

"You're telling me this is stolen?"

"Nah. Don't you think stealing blankets is a little beneath the King of Thieves? I borrowed money from him."

"That's a neat trick."

"Yeah." Iolaus grinned. "You owe him thirty dinars."

"Uh…I owe him?"

Iolaus spread his hands, put his most innocent look on his face. "What can I say? He wouldn't lend me a penny. But he trusts you." And suddenly it became too hard to hold back his laughter. After a moment, Hercules joined him.

When their merriment died away, Iolaus changed the subject to food. With Hercules' encouragement, Alani took over the cooking herself…after having told Iolaus what she thought of his unimaginative culinary skills. Besides karse growing along the riverbank, Alani had found wild carrots, some spring fruits and other fresh vegetables growing all around. Both men could manage to pluck and gut the birds; Alani stuffed the cavities with the mixture she had made from those vegetables, then wrapped both pheasants in leaves and cooked them directly on the coals of the campfire they had kept burning all day. The leaves kept the meat from scorching, and the end result would be delicious.

While they waited for their meal to cook, Iolaus broached a more serious subject. There had been only one topic of gossip in the town he had visited: the depredations of the beast of Calydon. "…No one could talk about anything else, Herc. I guess the stories have got a bit exaggerated, but it sounds bad."

Hercules' face was grim. "We're a long way from Calydon, yet. Are these stories about before we got there? Or after?"

Iolaus shrugged helplessly. "I couldn't tell. Everyone said 'last night' but that's the way these stories get told, isn't it? I'm hoping that what you did worked."

"No." Hercules shook his head. "What I did wouldn't have lasted long. Maybe until now, but…"

"Are you talking about the Chimera?" Alani interrupted.

"Was that not clear?" Iolaus said.

"No." She looked at Hercules, frowning. "What's happening? The Chimera wouldn't hurt anyone. Not outside the wood, anyway."

Hercules tried to explain. "That's not quite true, Alani. There has to be a guardian in Calydon – at least, that's what Hecate told me. When Dione died, and you were taken away…" He stopped, silenced by the horrified look on Alani's face.

"Oh, the poor thing!" she exclaimed. "No wonder he's angry. I hadn't thought…he hasn't been alone for a hundred years." Alani closed her eyes for a few moments, thinking. "But…you said he's killed? Outside Calydon?"

"Yes, he has," Hercules confirmed. "I think…when I talked to it, I…" Words failed him.

Alani smiled. "His communication can be a little overwhelming."

Alani's understanding made it easier. "I think he was looking for you…or for the men who killed Dione. He thought it was his fault, somehow."

Alani nodded. "I guess that makes sense. But how can we stop him now?"

"I was hoping you'd know the answer to that." Hercules tried to hide his sudden fear.

Alani bit her lip. "I can take him back to Calydon…but he's not supposed to taste blood outside the wood. I'm not fully trained, Hercules. I'm not sure what to do if…"

Hercules took a deep breath. "Well," he said, as much to Iolaus as to Alani, "don't worry. We will stop him. One way, or the other."

It wasn't her silent sobbing that woke him. It was her pain. Hercules glanced over to Alani's blankets and found them empty. He found her just a little way from their camp, sitting on the trunk of a fallen tree with tears pouring down her cheeks. Hercules sat beside her and she looked up at him.

"What is it?" he asked her.

She shook her head, wiping her wet cheeks with her hand.

"Come on, Alani. Talk to me."

"I – I can't do it."

He frowned, not sure what she meant. "Do what?" he asked gently.

"Go back. Do what you want. Be what everyone wants me to be." There were fresh tears standing in her eyes.

Hercules reached for her hand, pleased that this time she didn't flinch away. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"Yes I do!" she countered. "You need me to stop the Chimera hurting people. And once I'm there, I won't be able to leave. Hecate won't allow it." She paused, looking down at her feet. "I was born for this. I don't have a choice."

"Listen to me." Hercules waited until she met his eyes. "No one is going to force you to do anything. If you don't want to go near Calydon, I'll take care of the Chimera myself. And when I've done that, I'll make sure Hecate lets you make your own choices."

"You can't fight Hecate!"

Hercules smiled crookedly. "You don't really know any of the other gods, do you?" She shook her head: no. "Well, I've fought Hera all my life. I've fought Ares and Discord and Strife. Believe me, Hecate won't be any different." While his words were confident, Hercules wasn't exactly sure they were true. He would fight for Alani, regardless, but Hecate's power was at least equal to Hera's, and at least twice Hera would have killed him if Zeus had not intervened. And since Hecate would pay no attention to Zeus…

Alani was silent for a long moment, mulling over what he'd said. Then she pulled her hand away from his. "It's useless. I don't understand this world. Where would I go?"

"I can think of a few places, if it's what you really want." Hercules said. Alani wasn't looking at him, and he was trying to hide a frown. She had not yet admitted what was really bothering her. Hercules had a rough idea of her problem, but unless she could tell him, he wasn't really able to help.

"Could I…could I come home with you?" she asked him hesitantly.

"There's nothing I'd like better, Alani. But I don't have a home any more, and even if I did, I wouldn't be there very much. I'm sure we could find you somewhere. You could live with my mother, maybe."

"Does she live alone?" Alani asked hopefully.

"No, she's married to a man called Jason. He's a good man. You'd like him."

She shook her head again. "Don't want to be around men."

Now we're getting somewhere. "Alani…what's this really about?" Hercules asked, now sure he knew.

Suddenly it all spilled out. Hunters in Calydon. Dione raped while they made Alani watch. The abuse she suffered before they sold her. Krassis and his awful desires. She wanted to die. She would die before letting anyone touch her again. Ever. Yes, she knew they were evil men and yes, she knew that not everyone was like that. But the fact remained, it had happened. Alani was terrified of a world where such things were allowed. She was scared of Calydon, too, because Hecate would require her to accept a man one day. She couldn't. She wouldn't.

Alani wept.

Hercules understood. Unfortunately, this wasn't something he was equipped to deal with. He wanted to hold her, to comfort her while she wept, but he was afraid that would make it worse. Alani was learning to trust him, but he was still a man. Eventually, he said the only thing he could think of: "Dione wouldn't want you to feel this way."

Her head jerked up, eyes flashing. "What would you know? You don't know what they did!"

He felt tears sting his eyes. "I do know," he said quietly. "I know exactly what they did to her." He repressed a shudder. Those memories would be with him forever. "She showed me, Alani," he added.

"Then how can you say those things?"

"Because it's true." How could he make her understand? "Alani…I know you've been through a lot. And I know words don't mean much. But…Dione wouldn't want you to miss out on joy." He was searching for the right words, with no idea if he would find them. "I don't know if you can believe me, after what you saw. But with the right person, when you're ready, it can be wonderful. It really can."

"You would say that!" she flared. "You're a man!"

Alani couldn't have hurt him more if she had cut out his heart. Hercules' mind instinctively shied away from the implications of those words. Gods, if she really felt that way he had no chance of reaching her. He'd thought she was coming to trust him…

He tried to speak and found his voice rough with emotion. "Alani…do you think that's how you came to be born? Do you really believe I would have done anything Dione didn't want? Hurt her? Forced her?" He was afraid she would say yes. Terrified.

Alani seemed to read that fear in his eyes. She looked down, suddenly contrite. "I don't…I mean, I didn't mean it like that," she mumbled.

Hercules risked touching her: he reached for her chin and turned her to face him, looking into her eyes. "Yes, you did."

Slowly Alani nodded. "Yes, I did." Her voice was barely audible. She looked away again, ashamed.

There was a way, Hercules realised suddenly. He didn't stop to consider it. If he had, he probably wouldn't have done it. He asked her, "Alani, do you have your mother's gift? Can you share my thoughts?"

"I think so…"

"Then let me show you something. Please, look at me."

Hercules hurried out of the cave to meet Dione as she struggled up the path, dragging a heavy bundle of wood. "You could have called me," he chided gently, taking the bundle from her. The weight was nothing to him, and he carried the wood under one arm while he slipped the other around her waist.

Hercules slid into her warm embrace at last and she welcomed him eagerly, with cries of pleasure. And as their bodies joined, so did their minds. Dione opened to him with perfect trust, and, like the first time, his pleasure was somehow doubled, a sweet agony of sensation as he felt her orgasm building along with his own. She didn't want gentleness now and he thrust into her hard, deeply, exactly as she needed. He pulled back and thrust again, and again. Her pleasure rose to match his and he could hold back no longer. The orgasm pulsed through them both, he cried out her name, his godly seed pumped forth into the fertile soil of her womb.

"Was it really like that?" But Alani already knew he couldn't have lied. Not that way, mind to mind.

Hercules smiled gently. "It really was. I loved Dione a great deal."

"Thank you…father." Alani moved into his arms, resting her head against his chest. Hercules wrapped his arms around her and held her there against him, not speaking, simply overjoyed that she could feel safe with him. By the gods, he loved this child. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. His arms tightened around her protectively. He felt rather than heard her tears begin to flow again, and knew, somehow, that this time her tears were for Dione and not for herself. Tears that would heal.

After some time, Hercules tried to speak to her. Receiving no reply, he reached down and gently tilted her head up. She was sound asleep. Hercules lifted her in his strong arms and carried her back to her blankets. In the morning he would take her home.

In the sky above them, a new moon was rising.

End of Part Five