"Thank you…father." Alani moved into his arms, resting her head against his chest. Hercules' arms tightened around her protectively, his eyes full of relief and joy.
A wave of the goddess' hand caused the vision to fade. Hecate began to turn away from the pool, once more aware of an uninvited presence in her domain.
"He's going to win, Hecate."
The goddess, wearing her maiden face as befitted the new moon, stepped toward the king of the gods. "You make it sound like a war." She waited for Zeus to reply, but he simply stood his ground, silent. "Your son and I are on the same side in this," she added.
"Never quite the same side. I just want you to know I am watching you."
Hecate laughed, a sound like silver bells ringing throughout the cavern. "Really, old man, anyone would think I meant your son harm. I'm not Hera, you know."
"No. Even Hera obeys the rules. And this time, so will you."
Hecate's eyes flashed anger. "Make me, old man." Their eyes met. It was a battle of wills thousands of years old, order vs. evolution, authority vs. independence. No physical battle, this, for the direct opposition of two such powers might have destroyed whole suns. The air around them crackled with energy, but both god and goddess held themselves in check, their battle fought by will alone.
Neither would back down. Simultaneously, each of them turned away. An understanding had been reached.
"I pay my debts, old man." Hecate's voice was like ice. "Even, if you recall, the one I owed to you."
There was a heap of flowers, pale blue, the stems long and thin, in Alani's lap, along with long grasses and leaves of several different varieties. Her fingers worked automatically, weaving all that greenery into a wreath. She worked quickly, with an ease that came from talent reinforced by many hours of practice. She hardly even needed to watch what she was doing, just glanced down occasionally. The rest of the time her eyes were on the river. She saw a fish, silver beneath the water, darting in and out of the reeds. A little further away, a brightly coloured bird sat on a stone outcrop. As she watched, it dived into the water, so smoothly it hardly left a splash, and seconds later came up again with a small fish in its beak. Had the fish even known the bird existed? she wondered. Or was it plucked from its home unawares, by a force it never even imagined?
She heard a rustling sound behind her and turned around to see Hercules approaching. Alani was beginning to feel she knew him. Dione had told her very little of this man besides his name, but she was learning. He was a remarkable man, a hero to Alani as much as he was to the many other people he had helped over the years. She was coming to understand, too, that Dione had kept the knowledge from her, not for spite, or to keep her in ignorance, but simply because words could not do him justice, and the memories were too personal to share.
"Good morning," Hercules said as she smiled up at him. The sunlight flashed on Hecate's pendant, resting on his chest. "How are you feeling this morning?"
The question was much more than a polite enquiry. "I am…better. Ready to travel," Alani answered. Her fingers stayed busy at the wreath in her lap. Making a decision, Alani looked up, meeting his blue eyes with a steady gaze. "That's Dione's amulet, isn't it?" She watched him nod, though she had already known the answer. "I think I'm ready to wear it now. That is, if you don't mind giving it up."
Hercules reached up and removed the pendant. "I never felt quite comfortable about wearing it. But are you sure, Alani? I won't take it back from you if you change your mind."
"I'm sure." Her hands left the now-completed wreath and she reached out to take the amulet from Hercules' hand. They didn't touch, but as the silver disk passed from his hand to hers she felt a shock of power. From the way his hand jerked back, Alani knew Hercules had felt it, too. She turned the amulet over in her hands. The disk itself was about the size of her palm, the edges worn smooth by repeated polishing. On one side was etched the triple moon symbol of Hecate, but that side of the pendant was usually against the skin, concealed. Not for secrecy, but because Hecate thrived on mystery, her presence rarely obvious. On the reverse side, three pale moonstones were set amid an abstract pattern of lines, circles and triangles. This was the pattern normally seen by others. To the uninitiated eye it was simply a decoration, but Alani knew that the apparently random pattern contained far more significance than that.
For a moment she hesitated. If she put the amulet on, now, of her own free will, there would be no going back. Despite Hercules' insistence that she must make her own decisions, she knew that this choice would remove several others. She looked down at the wreath in her lap and nodded to herself. She hung the chain about her neck. The amulet settled against the soft wool of her dress, its weight comfortable, almost familiar, as if it had always been there.
"Understanding is important to you, isn't it?" she asked, looking up at Hercules again.
He frowned, not sure he understood the question.
"Yesterday, you told me you don't understand Hecate. You like to know what's what. If you understand something, you can control it."
"I don't think that's quite fair, Alani."
"Isn't it? When was the last time you could just relax and go with events?"
"Uh…" Last time I did that, it almost got me killed.
She smiled at his hesitation, catching just a sense of his thoughts. "Tell me, Hercules, do you understand why the moon's path in the sky is random, while the sun always rises in the east? Do you know why there are stars? Why the wind blows?"
"I'm not a god, Alani. Only they can understand such things."
"The gods might understand them, Hecate is those things." Alani's voice took on an odd quality as she spoke, as if her voice was not her own. "She exists in the wisdom of the stars, in the pulse of blood and in the slow growth of trees. She is the mystery of the waters, the desire in the heart of a man…She owns no temples and demands no sacrifice, for all acts of love and pleasure are Her rituals." Alani paused for breath, and when she spoke again her voice was normal. "She can't be understood, Hercules. The closer you get to knowing Her, the less you will understand."
Hercules returned her gaze, feeling slightly uneasy. The same could be said, he thought, of Alani.
Alani broke away from his look, and lifted the wreath from her lap. Into it she had woven all her memories of the past few days, all of her anger, her fear, her grief. It was a symbolic act, not true magic as she knew it: creating from the horrors she had seen a thing of beauty. She stood up and gazed over the silvery water of the river. With a deliberate cast, she threw the wreath into the centre of the river. It landed on the surface with a splash, sank slightly, but remained floating, beginning its journey downriver. Alani murmured a prayer and turned around.
Her mood seemed to have changed like lightning. She gave Hercules a wide smile and walked back toward their camp. "Come on. We'd better get moving, hadn't we?"
The journey back to Calydon was a long one. Their day of rest had done them all good, but it was still a long trip for Alani. Both Iolaus and Hercules were used to travelling. Alani was eager to see Calydon again, and she knew that speed was important for another reason, so she tried to match the pace of the two men. By the time they stopped for lunch she was ready to rest for a week.
The serving girl in the tavern where they stopped was pretty enough to catch Iolaus' eye, and the hunter flirted with her over her jug of ale. She was obviously used to such treatment, and responded to his advances with tolerant humour. Iolaus made a game of trying to make her admit that something he said was funny, or interesting, or anything else he could take as a compliment. He had seen right away that the look of interest in her eye was for Hercules, not him, but since they wouldn't be staying, and Hercules never did return that sort of casual interest, he pretended not to see it and simply enjoyed himself.
Hercules was at least used to this sort of behaviour from Iolaus. This time he was pleased to see it: Iolaus behaving like his usual self suggested that there were no lasting consequences of his brush with death the other night. Iolaus usually managed to take everything in his stride, but there had been exceptions. Hercules was glad this wasn't one of them.
As Iolaus' remarks to the girl became increasingly outrageous, Hercules glanced at Alani, wondering how she was taking this. Alani was quiet, but didn't seem bothered. Then he remembered Iolaus' worrying report of the stories he had heard the day before. He asked the serving girl what he hoped was a casual question. At once, she took a seat between the two men and started to talk to Hercules, relating tale after exaggerated tale.
Iolaus shot him a "what-did-you-do-that-for" look, but refrained from voicing the complaint. Alani started to listen more closely. Eventually, they finished their meal and resumed their journey.
"I hope we're in time," Alani muttered aloud, as they reached the road.
"In time?" Hercules queried.
"The Chimera. After what that woman said…I just have an awful feeling we might be too late."
"Too late?" Iolaus repeated uneasily. "Alani, how much worse can that thing get? It looked bad enough when Herc fought it."
Alani stopped walking and stared at Hercules. "You fought him?"
"I wouldn't call it fighting," Hercules said, with an annoyed look at Iolaus. "It was about to kill someone: I had to do something. I just kept it occupied until I could calm it down."
Iolaus snorted with laughter. "Sure looked like a fight to me!"
"Tell me what happened," Alani insisted.
Hercules' first sight of Calydon wood brought with it a rush of memories, pleasant and unpleasant. He glanced toward Alani, suddenly aware that she would be thinking much the same as he, and for the first time he wondered if bringing her back to face those memories was the wisest thing he could have done. Alani's expression was unreadable, but Hercules saw her lift a hand to the silver pendant she wore, as if for reassurance.
Calydon was an ancient woodland. To Iolaus' eyes it looked as if it had been untouched since the creation of the world. In his experience, woodland should show at least some sign of human management: if not the remains of trees felled for firewood or building, then paths created by travellers, or local people gathering deadwood for fuel, or hunters. Here in Calydon the trees came together above their heads to form a thick green canopy, blocking out most of the light; and the ground beneath their feet was soft loam, not worn pathway.
Iolaus automatically looked for signs of the life that would permeate a forest, and found it everywhere: he identified signs of rabbits and squirrels, several different game birds, porcupine, the distinctive tracks of deer, and predators as well, foxes and wolves. Yet, while his hunter's instinct noticed these things, for some reason hunting was the last thing on his mind. Somehow it did not seem appropriate, here.
"This place feels weird," he muttered.
Alani turned back to him: she had been walking ahead of the two men. She seemed nervous, skittish, but she smiled at his words. "The forest doesn't like unnecessary bloodshed," she said.
Alani hadn't intended to sound mysterious, but her reply irritated Iolaus. Rolling his eyes, he said, to Hercules, "The forest?"
Hercules shrugged. You did ask, his look said. "Alani, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked the girl, seeing her start again.
"Nothing," she said quickly. "I'm just imagining things." But her voice was shaking, a little.
Hercules caught up with her and made her stop walking. "What are you imagining?" As he touched her she jumped, stifling a cry. "Alani, stop," Hercules said firmly. He waited until she looked up at him. "Now, calm down. Tell me what you're feeling." Hercules spoke gently, and his presence made her feel safe. Focussing on that helped Alani to relax.
"I…I'm afraid," she said hesitantly.
"Of what?" he asked gently.
"I don't know! It's too bright! Fear…sadness, no worse than that… Where are they?" The words came in a torrent.
"They?" Hercules repeated. Then suddenly, he understood. "Alani, those aren't your feelings. What are you picking up?"
"Not…not my…" She looked around like a scared rabbit. Then, "Oh, Dark Lady! The Chimera! Please, I can't… I can't do this…"
"Someone's hunting it?" Iolaus guessed. After all the trouble it had caused, it was not surprising news.
"Alani, stay calm." Hercules spoke quietly, trying to reassure her. "You're not alone. I'm here with you. We'll do this together, OK?"
She nodded silently.
"Fine, then. Which way?"
Alani turned around slowly, stopping when she was facing downhill. "This way." She broke into a run.
Hercules was about to follow her when Iolaus pulled him back. "Herc? Since when did we fight to defend monsters?"
Hercules gave Iolaus an exasperated look. "Since it was this one. Now, come on. Let's go." He followed Alani.
Alani reached the scene just in time. With no thought for herself, she ran between the hunters and the Chimera. A wave of her hand diverted an arrow already in the air. "Stop it!" she shouted. Alani hadn't had time to call on her goddess, nor to summon power. It was just there when she needed it. "Stop," she said again. Standing there before the beast, she looked terribly young, vulnerable. Yet her voice held an authority that belied her age, and her stance was confident.
Hercules' heart almost stopped when he saw her dive into the path of the arrow. He was close, but too far away to stop it. Then he saw the arrow actually change course in the air. By the gods…
Alani addressed the hunters again. "You must stop. You have to leave Calydon, now. I can only warn you, I can't be responsible if you stay."
"That beast is a killer!" one of them growled, hefting a spear.
Alani frowned. "That may be so. But think about what you're doing. You feel threatened, you want to kill what threatens you. That's no different from what he's been doing."
"We're men!" another protested. "It's an animal. A vicious animal."
"He is not an animal. He thinks and feels, just as you do." Alani clutched Hecate's amulet firmly. Hecate, mother of my spirit, I invoke your name, your power. She looked sternly at each of the hunters in turn. "I offer you my word, he will cause no more deaths, no more suffering. Please, leave Calydon before you come to harm."
The hunter holding the spear hefted it again, prepared to throw. "We won't come to harm, little girl."
Hercules and Alani both reacted in the same moment, but in very different ways. Alani stepped back as the spear left the man's hand. The pendant on her breast flared to incandescence and the ground where her feet had been exploded into flames. Hercules leapt forward to intercept the flying spear. He caught it, turned it around and cast it back toward the hunter who threw it, aiming, not for the man, but an inch or two above his head. The spear buried deep into the tree trunk behind the hunter. Alani's pillar of fire took him by surprise and he almost lost his balance trying to avoid it.
"Listen to her," Hercules told the men. "I know you've suffered, but she really can keep the beast in check. You don't have to do this." He was aware of Iolaus stepping up to his side.
"Hercules?" One of the hunters recognised him. "I thought you were on our side. What are you doing."
"He's trying to save your butts!" Iolaus told them. "You can't kill that thing. She's not gonna let you."
The hunters took some convincing. Alani's wall of fire had frightened them, but it was fear that had driven them to attack in the first place: fear alone could not deter them. But none of them wanted to fight Hercules. Several broken weapons later, they seemed to get the point. Only when the danger was over did Hercules realise Alani was no longer there. Neither was the beast she had tried to protect.
His first thought was of Dione's fate, and Hercules knew an instant of terror. Almost immediately, though, he realised he would have heard if anything had happened to Alani. She must have left on her own, or with the Chimera. Either way, of her own choice.
"Herc. This way." Iolaus pointed to the tracks in the loam.
Hercules nodded and followed his friend. Trust Iolaus to get there before him. They found Alani crouched among the gnarled roots of a tree: an oak so ancient its trunk was hollow. She was cradling a small animal in her arms, slowly stroking its head, speaking softly to it.
"Alani, are you alright?" Hercules asked, offering a hand to help her up.
She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. "Are they gone?" she asked.
Iolaus grinned at her. "I don't think they'll be back in a hurry. That fire trick of yours really scared 'em." And me, too, he was thinking. In that moment she had reminded him a little too much of Callisto.
"Then we're fine," Alani said. She set the animal she was carrying on the ground. At first sight it looked like a badger: same rough black and white fur, the right size, almost the right shape. But there were differences. Before either man could ask the obvious question, the creature started to grow, transforming before their eyes. It took only seconds. Alani stood before the Chimera, placing her palm flat against the rough hair between its eyes. A slow smile touched her lips. Then the huge creature turned away and trotted off into the forest.
Alani almost laughed aloud at the stunned surprise she saw in Hercules' face. "He has three shapes, Hercules. I thought you knew. Hecate works by threes."
Hercules had learned over the years to keep a tight rein on bad memories, not to let them interfere with what he had to do. So as they approached the cave – he would always think of it as Dione's cave – it was Alani he thought of, not himself. He need not have worried. They could see the cave for some distance before they reached it: this was the one part of Calydon where regular human use of the same route had created a visible path. Its entrance was dark.
As they came closer to the cave, however, Hercules caught sight of the flash of silver that accompanied Hecate's appearance. It almost felt familiar to him. Alani had seen it, too, and she quickened her pace, leaving both men behind in her haste to reach the cave. Alani paused at the cave's entrance, waiting. The figure of a woman emerging from the cave was visible to them all.
"Is that…?" Iolaus asked quietly.
"Hecate," Hercules confirmed. He watched Alani enter the cave with the goddess. "I think we should wait here, Iolaus."
Hercules couldn't relax. He tried to listen to Iolaus, to make the right answers as he talked, but his thoughts were elsewhere. His eyes kept returning to the mouth of the cave.
"Herc, if you're worried about her, go up there," Iolaus said suddenly. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Hercules tore his eyes away from the cave. "That's not it," he told his friend.
"You could have fooled me."
"Really. I know you don't trust Hecate – neither do I, completely – but no god will harm one of her own worshippers. I'm not worried."
"Then what's wrong with you? You're as restless as a colt."
"Memories, that's all."
"Talk to me, Herc."
"The last time I was here, I found Dione dying. It's not a pleasant memory. When she showed me what had happened to her…"
"Showed you? What do you mean?"
"Dione had…a gift. She… I don't know how to explain. Have you ever had a recurring nightmare?"
"Sure, when I was a kid."
"Right. Did you ever try to tell someone? You know how words just can't explain why it's so scary?"
Iolaus nodded, not sure where Hercules was going with this.
"So imagine that instead of trying to talk about it, you could take that nightmare and give it to someone else: make them see what you saw, feel what you felt. That's what Dione could do. Except it wasn't a dream, it was her memory."
"That's…that can't be possible."
"Believe me, it is. When I found her, she was too weak to talk. She couldn't have told me what she needed to say. So she showed me. She…gave me those memories. It's not an easy thing to deal with." Hercules' eyes were distant. "I don't know what I was expecting to find when I came back here. All those years ago, the time we spent together was…peaceful. Wonderful. Now all I can think of is the way she died."
"She meant a lot to you, didn't she?" Iolaus said quietly. He had been thinking of Hercules' relationship with Dione as a youthful one night stand…now he realised it had been much more than that, even if it hadn't lasted.
"She was like no one else I've ever known," he said. Then he turned to his friend with a playful grin. "There haven't been so many women in my life that I forget some of them."
Iolaus caught the change of mood with some relief. "Hey, that's not fair! I haven't forgotten a single one!" he protested, just slightly too loudly.
"Oh yeah? Let's see…" Hercules ducked to avoid Iolaus' friendly punch, and both men started to laugh.
Alani emerged from the cave a different person. She was robed now in white, a woven belt of silver encircling her slim waist, the silver pendant shining just above her breasts. Her hair had been brushed and styled, held back from her face with a mass of curls cascading down her back. Suddenly she looked much older. Even her bearing was different, more confident, more serene. For just an instant, when he saw her coming, Hercules thought she was Dione. The impression didn't last long, but he could see a great deal of her mother in Alani. He remembered how quickly Dione could change: one moment she would be as distant and mysterious as the goddess she served, the next almost like a child seeking reassurance; she could be stubborn and independent, yet in her passion was more honest, more giving than he would have thought possible. It seemed Alani would be much the same.
Alani walked up to Hercules and took both of his hands in hers. "I want to thank you, Hercules. Not just for saving me, but for being there for Dione when I wasn't. You did everything right, Hercules. I wish words could tell you…"
"You don't have to," he interrupted her gently.
She nodded, turning to Iolaus. "I owe you more than thanks," she told the surprised hunter. "I know you're not comfortable with what I am, but when I needed help you still risked your life for me."
Iolaus shrugged, a little embarrassed by her praise. "I couldn't do anything else," he said.
"I know. It's because you couldn't that I survived. I won't forget it, Iolaus." Alani smiled, her eyes taking in both men. "You're welcome to stay here, for as long as you wish. I hope you will stay, at least for a few days. But for tonight…I have to ask you to leave me alone here. There are things I should do…for Dione, and for the Chimera. You can sleep in the forest. I promise you'll be safe."
"Are you sure you want to be alone?" Hercules asked her uncertainly.
Alani shook her head. "No. But I will be alone here for a long time, Hercules. I have to get used to it."