By JinXavier
Warning: This story contains scenes of graphic consensual sex between a man and a woman. If you are under 18, or this is illegal where you live, please read no further.
This story definitely requires a TISSUE warning. In fact, I'd even suggest you have a box of them close at hand. If you're not in the mood for a sad story, I suggest you come back at another time.
The character of Iolaus belongs to Universal Studios and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement is intended.
Editors note: This story was written for me as a private gift but it is way too good not to post.
Ronan managed to slip from the great hall that stood in the center of the Amazon village without drawing the attention of her sisters. She moved through the deserted streets without making a sound, then eased into the shadows of the forest surrounding her adopted home. She took to the trees at the first opportunity, moving swiftly across the branches until at last she reached her destination.
She dropped from the trees to the grass on the bank of a small stream that cut through the forest in the heart of Amazon lands. This was her favorite place in the whole world. Her sanctuary. Her refuge. Everything about this spot was special to her. The animal sounds of the night, the chuckling of the water over the stones in the stream, the moonlit sky overhead with its sprinkling of diamond-like stars. But the reason she favored this one site above all others was that it was the secret trysting place for her and the only man she had ever truly loved.
Away from her sisters and completely alone at last, Ronan at last let go of the shackles that had been holding her emotions in check. She fell to the ground and buried her face in the thick soft carpeting of grass that grew along the banks of the stream, weeping copiously. She began to make harsh animal sounds of grief, pouring out her anguish at the loss she'd suffered but could never share with her sisters.
Ronan had always kept her most personal thoughts close. None of the Amazons knew her deepest desires and dreams. Most of them did not even know her origins. She had not had an easy life. Her family had been poor, and each and every one of them had to work from sun-up to sundown to produce a meager living from their small farm. She had thought things couldn't get worse until she was captured by slavers at the age of thirteen, raped and beaten by them, then sold into captivity. She'd remained a slave until she was sixteen, at which time the Amazons had attacked her master's estate in retribution for his hunting on their lands. She had been discovered during the raid and released from her bondage. She had healed with her new adopted family and learned to fight and defend herself. Never again would she allow herself to be taken in such a fashion. She had managed to close off all feelings and desire for the male of the species, until she met a certain blond hunter who managed to worm his way into her heart.
Tonight the Amazons had mourned Iolaus' passing in a somber ceremony. Ronan had been forced to keep a tight lid on her feelings although her entire being had ached to howl her distress throughout the solemn rite. Only here, alone, in their special place, could she properly grieve for the man who had taught her that her heart was not a dead thing, but an organ capable of the greatest emotion bestowed upon mortals. Love.
Her keening wails at last began to taper off to harsh sobs. Her entire body ached from first holding in, then letting out, her crippling grief. She lay in the soft grass feeling an emptiness inside her she knew would never leave her now.
"Ronan?"
She sat up, startled at the sudden sound, but for some strange reason she felt no fear. The voice seemed to have come from all around her. She glanced around, trying to locate its origin, but she could see no source.
"Here."
She turned and focused on the dark trees behind her. A figure stood there, a figure that resembled a man, but he was surrounded by a glowing nimbus of light that waxed and waned like the moon above her head. Ronan's breath caught in her throat in wonder.
"Iolaus?" she breathed. Her heart began to pound in superstitious awe as the figure took a step toward her. The corona followed as if a part of him, and it reflected golden highlights in his blond curls and sparkled in the deep blue of his eyes. Ronan studied the man closely. He was dressed like Iolaus. He smiled like Iolaus. He held himself proudly like Iolaus. Could it be?
"It's me," he said in answer to her unasked question.
"But how?" she whispered, afraid to believe her sight but praying to the gods that some miracle had been wrought. "We were told you were dead."
Iolaus came to stand before her, and Ronan was amazed at what she saw on his face. She didn't think she'd ever seen such perfect bliss before. Iolaus looked calm, serene and at peace in a way she'd never dreamed was possible.
He reached down and took her hand in his, the soft smile never leaving his face. His other hand came up to lightly touch her cheek. "Oh, Ronan," he said. "I wish I had time to tell you of the wonders in store for all of us." He sighed softly, a faint whisper of sound. "But I've only been allowed a short time to tie up the last threads of my life."
"Are you . . . ?" she began, but stopped, her question unfinished. He didn't SEEM dead. He seemed more real to her now than ever, even with the bright glow surrounding him. She tentatively reached out to touch him. He was solid enough, and as she laid the flat of her palm against the strong muscles in the bare chest revealed by the opening in the vest he habitually wore, she could feel the strong thudding of his heart.
"Yes," he answered, although she'd never completed her question. "I AM dead. But I've been allowed to retake my mortal form for just a little while."
"Why?" she asked, struggling to comprehend this amazing occurrence.
Iolaus' smile widened and became so full of joy that it seemed to glow as brightly as the light surrounding him. "I wish I could explain it to you, but I'm not sure I'd ever be able to find the right words. But I can tell you this, Ronan. Just as there is a great evil in this world, there is also a great good, a higher being, one more powerful than all the gods of Olympus combined. He, if he even IS a he, is the perfect embodiment of all that is good in this world and all the worlds beyond." He laughed softly, the sound caressing her body like the warm wind that wafted through the forest. "It's beautiful, Ronan. One day you'll see, and you'll know happiness beyond your wildest imaginings." He took a step closer to her so that their bodies were just a hair's breadth apart. "He allowed me a small amount of time to finish a few tasks I had remaining on this plane of existence. I have to go back soon, forever. But before I left for good . . . " he trailed off, and a single tear formed in his eye and broke free, leaving a glistening trail down his cheek. "I had to come to you, my Ronan, and say good-bye."
"Iolaus," she breathed, then took that extra step and came into his welcoming embrace.
Iolaus wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He whispered her name as he buried his face in her hair. They stood entwined in the silver moonlight, their hearts beating in the same rhythm, and then his lips descending upon hers with a tenderness that was almost heartbreaking. His mouth explored hers, softly, sweetly, and his hands began to roam over the familiar terrain of her body, the texture of his skin rough from years of hard work and hunting, but amazingly gentle.
Ronan's hands began a journey of their own. She traced the strong muscles in his arms, then pushed his vest from his shoulders so that she could see his beautiful chest revealed in all its glory. He copied her movements by unlacing her bodice, then dropping it to the ground. His hands slid up from her waist to cup her full breasts, holding them reverently in his palms as if weighing them. He bent his head, and his tongue darted out to tease one stiffened tip while the thumb of his hand lightly brushed the other. She moaned softly as at last he took her nipple into his mouth and began a light suction.
Ronan felt a familiar wetness growing between her thighs and an even more familiar ache deep inside her body. Her knees became unhinged, but Iolaus caught her before she could fall and eased her gently down into the grass, his mouth never leaving her breast. He suckled her gently, and an inferno ignited in her nipple and blazed a heated path down into the pit of her stomach. She breathed her lover's name as he transferred his lips to her other breast, and she stroked his fine blond curls lovingly as he began to suck once again.
The ache was growing stronger inside her, and Ronan began to tug on his curls, trying to pull his mouth back up to hers. He complied, kissing her deeply as he moved his body partially on top of hers. Ronan began to fumble with the opening of his leather pants, suddenly more than anxious to see him, to touch him, to have him inside her. He broke away, then slid her leather skirt down over her slim hips and gazed down at her form with an expression of pure adoration on his face. He reached down to help her unfasten his pants, then slipped them off as well so that they were both rendered naked under the dark bowl of the night sky.
"So beautiful," he whispered as he began to kiss his way down her body. He traced each line, each curve, as if storing up memories to take away with him. The journey seemed to take a lifetime, and by the time he reached the part of her that needed him the most, Ronan felt as if her body had lost all physical substance and changed into some form of liquid. Iolaus gently parted her legs and moved between them, and she tensed in anticipation as she felt his hot breath brush her thighs. She held her breath, waiting, and then his tongue slipped out and dipped inside her, tasting her, pleasing her as only he could. He feasted on her until she was breathless from pent-up desire, and suddenly the world around her shattered into a million colors as an unbelievable orgasm exploded through her body, leaving her shaking and gasping but still wanting more.
He kissed his way back up her body, again taking his time until she was almost screaming with her need, but at last his lips reached hers. He covered her body completely with his then pulled back so that he was looking deeply into her eyes as he positioned himself above her. His eyes bored into hers as if trying to divine her innermost desires as he slowly entered her.
Ronan couldn't hold back a gasp as he filled her completely. Iolaus paused to allow her body time to adjust to him, and then he began to move within her, slowly at first, drawing out each stroke to prolong her pleasure. Ronan matched him, and she tried to urge him faster, but he continued to take his time, building the sensations within her to previously unreached heights.
At last his speed began to increase until they were both panting and sweat began to coat their bodies, making them glisten in the pearly moonlight. Ronan closed her eyes as he seemed to penetrate to the depths of her very soul, but he whispered, "Look at me," and she complied.
She gazed into his beautiful blue eyes, and suddenly it was as if she WERE him. She caught glimpses of what could only have been his past. Striking at a hydra, only to have two heads replace the cut one. Being turned to stone at the touch of the She Demon. Building a wall with Hercules. Fighting at Jason's side. Entering a glowing tear in the fabric of space and traveling into a strange alternate world. Then finally, soaring across a room and straight into the path of a flying dagger that penetrated the strong warrior heart.
Ronan cried out at the remembered pain. Iolaus' eyes never left hers as he breathed, "Stay with me." Their gazes remained locked as her mind intertwined with his. For the first time in her life, she realized what it meant to be completely joined to another person, and as Iolaus began to move inside her even faster, she felt their souls unite, and she screamed from the ecstasy of that union. Her body erupted in another climax at the exact same instance as his. She felt the heat of his seed entering her, but she also felt it leave his body, just as she felt her body contracting around him, but also the taunt muscles squeezing his shaft. They were no longer two beings, but completely one, a linking that could never be broken. Not by time. Not by space. Not by death.
Iolaus cradled her in his arms afterward as tears poured unchecked down her face from the intensity of their lovemaking. He whispered her name over and over as he stroked her hair until she finally regained some control. At last he sat up, pulling her up with him. His eyes were on the horizon, and his head was cocked as if he were listening to some inner voice that she couldn't hear.
"You have to go now, don't you?" she asked.
He turned his bright eyes her way, and she noticed that the glow that surrounded him had begun to increase in intensity. He nodded, his eyes sad, but at the same time she could sense some glorious expectation at what lay before him.
He pulled her close and kissed her deeply. "It's time," he said softly. "But before I leave, I have to tell you this. I love you, Ronan. You are part of me, and I will never forget you. One day, you'll join me in the light, and we'll be together. Forever." He hugged her tightly, kissed her one last time, then stood and began to walk away from her.
Ronan watched him go, her tears flowing freely again. He looked back once and raised a hand in an abbreviated wave, and then he turned and continued to move away from her. His form seemed to grow more transparent with each step until she could see the trees through his body.
"I love you, too," she whispered softly as he finally disappeared completely from her sight. Strangely, she did not feel a loss. Iolaus had given her a great gift that night. One of hope. For she knew now that this life was but a way station. There was something on the other side. Something beautiful. And she knew that someday, they would be together in that place, one being, one soul, perfectly joined, forever.
The End
Good-bye Iolaus. We'll miss you!