Chapter 14
Insects buzzed busily about in the sunshine that bathed the meadow. Jessa lay on her back in the grass, her head pillowed in Hercules’ lap. Her arms encircled his neck as she held him, bowed over, in a kiss. Hercules was struggling to break the kiss.
Finally, he was successful.
"Jessa!" he exclaimed as he panted for oxygen to relieve his dizzy head, "Did you forget to tell me about the part of your life when you were a pearl diver?"
Jessa just laughed and pulled him down for another kiss. Despite his previous protestation, he did not resist.
The insects continued to buzz about their business.
Hercules broke the kiss again, but he didn’t pull back far. As he gazed down at Jessa with adoring eyes, he stroked the fiery sparks that the sunshine lit in her hair. Jessa reached up to take a lock of his long, soft brown hair in her fingers. She placed the end of it in her mouth and began playing with it on her tongue. She grinned wickedly.
"Jessa!" Hercules admonished with a laugh, "You are so bad!"
Jessa just grinned wider and waggled her eyebrows at him.
Hercules laughed and leaned in for another kiss.
Suddenly, Jessa’s eyes grew big. "Hercules!" she cried.
He sat bolt upright and returned her alarmed expression. "What?"
Jessa scooted away from him on her hands and knees. "A bee!"
"What? Where?"
"One crawled into your shirt!"
Hercules was suddenly on his feet, doing an exotic dance as he flapped the fabric of his shirt, trying to dislodge the bee. Finally, he just pulled it off over his head and threw it from himself.
"It didn’t get me!" he cried, relieved. He looked at Jessa.
Her eyes were still big and round as dinars as she stood there, with both of her hands covering her nose and mouth.
"It’s alright," Hercules reassured her, "It didn’t sting me."
A muffled, snorting snicker escaped from behind Jessa’s hands.
Now Hercules’ eyes got big and round. "Why you little…"
Jessa squealed and ran for all she was worth.
She was fast, but Hercules’ legs were longer – he was gaining on her.
Jessa snagged a sapling with one hand. She let the force of her momentum spin her in a centrifugal arch around the sapling that was impossible to accomplish on foot. Hercules hurtled on past her, unable to stop or turn his massive frame. She had gained dozens of yards on him before he could skid to a stop and turn to follow her new course.
"There never was a bee – was there?" Hercules shouted indignantly as he began gaining on her once again. He grabbed for her.
She squealed again as he nearly got a hold on her jacket. "Now wait a minute!" she pleaded.
He lunged again. Jessa bolted across the grassy clearing, zigzagging like a jackrabbit, trying to shake him. Hercules continued the chase, relentless as a starving wolf.
The end was inevitable – he caught her. Hercules wrapped his arms around her waist and tackled her. Twisting in mid-air as they fell, he landed first, pulling her down on top of him. He then rolled over and pinned her to the ground with his body.
He punished her for her misdeed with a vicious and very thorough lip-lashing.
This time, they were both gasping when Hercules broke their kiss.
Jessa wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned up at him as she panted for air. Her face glowed.
Hercules’ grin softened to a smile. He shook his head. "It’s been so good having my little ‘genie’ back again."
But then his face turned reflective as he raised an eyebrow and scowled over to where his discarded shirt lay across the meadow. "Or is it?" he reconsidered.
Jessa gave a gasp of indignity and slapped him playfully on his now-bare chest. Grasping a fistful of hair in each hand, she pulled his head down and engaged him in a soft, yet fiery kiss.
By the time Jessa released him, Hercules was gasping for more reasons than just air.
"Still having doubts?" Jessa challenged him breathlessly.
Hercules just reached for her. She allowed his embrace to pull her to him.
Hercules’ kisses were earnestly inflamed with passion – he reached up under Jessa’s short jacket and groped for the ties that held her top in place.
Jessa abruptly jerked her head up, breaking their kiss.
"Wait!" she cried with alarm.
"Please, Jessa!" Hercules complained, as he urgently fumbled with the laces, "Not again! Not now!"
Jessa leaped to her feet.
"Jessa!" Hercules cried, frustration heavy in his voice, "It’s not funny anymore!" He sat up and made a grab for her.
She dodged him.
"No! Listen!"
Hercules now sensed the imperative tone in her voice. He strained to hear.
"This way!" Jessa cried as she set off running across the meadow.
Hercules leaped up and raced after her.
They burst through a screening of trees that separated the meadow from another clearing.
Beyond a low fence that encircled the pasture of a small farm, was a herd of milk cows. And desperately running across it, was the figure of a young woman – screaming – as a monstrous black bull chased her. A man burst from the door of the barn, dashed through the open gate of the pasture, and joined the chase.
Jessa, and then Hercules, hurtled the fence. Arms pumping, feet pounding, they raced across the field. The woman saw them and altered her course.
"Help me!" she shrieked, "Oh, gods above, help me!"
The bull was gaining quickly on the woman.
"Keep running!" Jessa encouraged her. She altered her course slightly so that the desperate woman would pass her by at a tangent. Tearing off her jacket, Jessa began vigorously waving it and yelling at the top of her voice.
"Over here!" she screamed, "Over here you poor excuse for a Minotaur’s cousin!"
The enraged bull bellowed and charged her.
Jessa spun on her heels and ran.
The woman fell weeping into Hercules’ arms.
Jessa could not spare a look over her shoulder – she didn’t need to – she could feel the hot breath of the bull on the back of her neck. She threw herself to the ground. She hit the ground rolling – carrying herself out of the way of the bull’s pounding feet – but not his horns.
The bull hooked her with one horn and tossed her violently into the air. Jessa spun dizzyingly for a moment before gravity reasserted itself and she plummeted down again – right onto the back of the bull.
The bellowing animal skidded to a stop and began bucking. Jessa grabbed a fistful of the bull’s hide and hair. One hand held high over her head, and with an ululating battle cry, Jessa rode the bull as he bucked, twisted and circled.
Suddenly Hercules, charging like a bull himself, hurled himself on the animal. Throwing one arm under the beast’s thick throat, and grabbing the horn furthest from him with the other hand, Hercules wrenched at the bull’s neck, twisting it.
The bull was forced to stop his bucking as he struggled to keep his feet. Jessa leaped down from the animal’s back and, grabbing its tail, added her force to Hercules’. Bellowing, the bull toppled over onto its side. Jessa threw herself onto its neck to keep it from regaining its feet while Hercules released its horn.
With one punch to the forehead, the bull fell unconscious.
Jessa collapsed to the ground on her knees – forehead buried in the grass and arms wrapped about her abdomen. Her back heaved with great sobbing gasps.
"Jessa!" Hercules dropped to his knees by her side put his arm around her hunched back.
"Oh, gods!" she barely managed to gasp, "Oh gods, it hurts!" Her sobbing gasps wracked her body.
"Where Jessa! Where did the bull gore you! How bad did he get you!"
"Oh, no! No!"
"Jessa!" Hercules pulled at her until she fell onto her side. He frantically tried to pull her arms away from their grip around her waist. "Jessa! Let me see!"
He finally managed to pull them away.
As Jessa writhed on the ground on her back, Hercules ran his hands over her abdomen, trying to find the wound.
"Stop it!" gasped Jessa, "Stop it! You’re just making it worse!"
Hercules ignored her and continued his examination. He was totally confused.
"Where is it, Jessa? I can’t find it!"
"No, no, no!" she cried, "It’s alright!"
"What?" Hercules was completely perplexed.
"Oh, gods!" Jessa sobbed, "You should see the look on your face!" She rolled back over onto her side again and went into another fit of apoplexy.
"Jessa!" Hercules challenged, "Do you mean you’re not hurt!"
"No! No, I’m okay!" She was struggling to get her hysterics under control.
"Jessa!" Hercules cried, "This isn’t funny! I though you were hurt!"
"I’m sorry! I’m sorry! It’s just that it was all so funny! I mean, first that bull flipped me on its back – and then when you punched it – ker-blam!" she lost control again.
Hercules climbed angrily to his feet.
"Come on Jessa, get up."
By the time that Hercules helped her to her feet, Jessa was once more in control – but she was still grinning.
When she saw the look on Hercules’ face, however, her expression lost all traces of amusement. She cupped her hands on his face.
"Oh, I’m sorry! I really didn’t do that on purpose! It all just struck me as so funny when it was all over!"
Hercules couldn’t remain angry with her – he heard the sincerity in her voice.
He put his arms around her and hugged her.
"It’s alright – I’m just glad you’re not hurt."
The farmer they had seen run from the barn skidded to a halt beside them. His expression was total alarm.
"We’re okay!" Hercules assured the man.
The man ignored them. "My prize bull!" he cried.
Hercules and Jessa exchanged looks.
The man dropped to his knees by the limp animal. He took the great beast’s huge head into his lap.
"Damien!" the farmer wept, "My poor, sweet baby!"
"No, really!" Jessa dryly reassured him, "We’re just fine!"
The farmer looked up at them. "What have you done to him!"
Jessa just dropped her jaw and stared at him.
The woman who they had rescued arrived.
She pounced on the man with flying fists of fury.
"Denys you drunken lout!" she shrieked.
The man cowered under the barrage of blows.
"No, no Thera my love!" he cried, "I haven’t touched a drop all day!"
"Liar!" the woman screamed as she switched tactics to kicking him, "You always forget to close that gate when you’re drunk!"
The bull suddenly heaved a cavernous groan and rolled over to its knees.
"Damien, baby!" the man cried out with relief, "You’re alive!"
The woman shrieked and hid behind Hercules.
"Stop him! Stop him!" the woman screeched, "That thing is a murderous monster!"
Hercules stepped forward and raised his fist for another blow.
"No!" the farmer pleaded. He threw himself at the bull, wrapping his body and arms protectively around the animal’s head. "Don’t hurt him!" He pulled a rag out of a pocket and tied it around the bull’s eyes. "He’ll be calm now!" he promised.
He pulled up on the short, tattered rope that was tied to the bull’s halter. The bull stumbled unsteadily to its feet.
The now-docile bull followed the tugs of the farmer as he led the errant animal back to the barn. Thera accompanied him all the way with continuous cuffs and a caustic commentary.
"You love that monstrous beast more than you love me!"
"No, no my dearest love!"
"I should serve that thing up for your supper tonight!"
"You can’t mean that!"
"Yes I do!"
"But I need him for the plowing!"
"You don’t need all of him for the plowing!"
"You can’t mean…"
"Yes! If that beast gets out one more time, it’ll be mountain-oyster stew! And I can tell you it’ll be a toss-up between just whose goes in the pot!"
They disappeared into the barn.
Hercules raised his hand and waved.
"You’re welcome!" he said.
Grinning and shaking his head, he turned to face Jessa.
Her eyes were round as dinars and her chin nearly scraped the ground as she stared in shock after the young couple.
Hercules broke into uncontrolled, uproarious laughter. It was now his turn to say:
"You should see the look on your face!"
Jessa looked at him in shock for a moment, but then joined him in laughter.
Putting their arms around each other, they turned to leave.
"Wait!" a voice called.
They turned back around. The woman was running toward them with a bundle in her arms.
"Please forgive my manners!" she pleaded when she caught up to them, "I was just so upset!"
Hercules smiled at her. "It’s alright."
"Thank you both so much! We haven’t much, but please accept this as a token of our thanks – both mine and my husband’s."
She opened the cloth bundle – inside was freshly made cheese and a loaf of bread.
Hercules accepted the bundle with a smile.
The woman threw her arms around a surprised Jessa and hugged her.
"What you did, dear, was a very brave thing," Thera said with tears in her eyes. "I owe you my life," she placed a hand on Hercules’ arm, "Both of you."
She gave them one last warm smile and turned back to the barn.
After she had disappeared inside, Jessa turned to Hercules. She put a hand over her heart and looked up at him with a look of wondrous awe.
"Is this what it feels like?" she asked him.
"What do you mean?" Hercules replied.
"Is this what it feels like to – to be a hero?"
Hercules cocked his head and gave her an odd smile, wondering if she were serious. He could see from her face that she was.
He touched her face. "Yes, I suppose it is," he said with a gentle smile.
Jessa’s emerald eyes sparkled brightly at him. She grabbed both of his hands in hers – forcing him to drop the bundle – and spun him around, laughing with child-like glee.
"It feels wonderful!" she cried.
Hercules laughed as they orbited each other. Jessa’s glowing face filled his heart with aching tenderness. As he pulled her into his arms, her eager lips reached for his.
When the long, sweet kiss ended, Jessa looked up into Hercules’ blue eyes and stroked his face.
"Gods, how I love you," she whispered.
Hercules pulled her into another embrace – cradling her head to his chest. His eyes squeezed tightly shut and he swallowed past a sudden tightness in his throat.
"I love you too, my genie."
There was a sudden bellowing.
"Uh, oh," Jessa said as they both whirled to face the barn again.
The farmer and his wife came pelting out of the barn and, each grabbing a side, they slammed the doors shut. The farmer then quickly secured it with a board. He and his wife leaned against it with all their weight as it shook and heaved to the sound of hooves smashing into wood.
"Not again!" Jessa said to Hercules with exasperation.
"No, wait a minute," he said, "Look."
The bellowing subsided and the barn grew quiet.
"Now that the barn is dark," Hercules told her, "The bull will stay quiet."
The young farming couple saw them and waved to them once more in thanks. Then they turned to walk, arm-in-arm, to their farmhouse.
"I can’t believe they’re the same two people we saw just a few minutes ago!" Jessa exclaimed.
Hercules smiled at her. "There are different kinds of relationships. I think there’s hope for them yet."
"Maybe," Jessa grudgingly conceded, "But I don’t hold out much hope for that bull’s ‘oysters’!"
Hercules winced and then laughed. He bent over and scooped up the food bundle.
"Come on," he said putting his arm around Jessa’s waist, "We have a jacket and shirt to retrieve.
As they strolled amongst the quietly grazing milk-cows, Hercules looked down at Jessa. "So, now you’re a bull rider?"
Jessa gave him a crooked smile and shrugged her shoulders.
"I grew up around horses, remember? Horse – bull – what’s the difference?"
Hercules looked at her askance.
"Only two sharp horns and about a thousand pounds!"
"Like I said – what’s the difference?"
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"So – she wants to play ‘hero’ does she?"
Ares stood by the vision pool. In one hand he held an ornately decorated goblet fashioned out of pure gold. He was moving his wrist in circles so that the wine within the goblet swirled.
"Well then, let’s give her something to really be a hero about."
Ares took one more sip from the goblet and then stretched his arm out over the pool. He tipped the goblet, and allowed the remaining wine to pour slowly into the pool, fouling its waters.
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