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The Less Than Legendary Journeys

Imagos
by Randi DuMois

WARNING: This story is rated R for slash and language. There is nothing graphic, but if you don't want to read about people talking about slash, GO BACK NOW.

Iolaus crouched down to brush his fingers across the one clear track in the patch of damp ground at the edge of the forest. From the condition of the leaf mold and the depth of the print, the creature had passed this way after the rain this morning. "Well, they weren't wrong," he said, glancing up at Hercules. "The minotaur was here all right."

Hercules frowned, tapping his fingers on his belt. "What I'd like to know is how it got here from the mountains without anyone knowing about it."

Iolaus nodded. The minotaur would have had to pass through Thespiae or its outskirts and the panic would have started days ago. "Yeah, it doesn't make sense." He noticed Hercules was carefully keeping his back to the temple across the road and Iolaus couldn't help flicking a glance at it himself. They exchanged a look of mutual wry resignation. It was a little hard to concentrate with all those people staring.

The temple of Gaia was a big gray stone building, with an open, inviting portico across the front, set back across the wide tree-shaded clearing. Flowering vines climbed the walls and overhung the balconies and the big windows on the second floor, and more large trees shaded the attached barn and the gardens that covered much of the open area up to the road. The Sisters of Gaia, the travellers who had been caught out on the road, and the locals whose homes were small enough for a minotaur to easily smash had all taken refuge within the temple and the barn. Unfortunately they were all now clustered nervously on the portico, peering intently out of the windows, or hanging precariously off the balconies.

Hercules made the mistake of glancing toward the temple, causing a stir of comment and speculation to ripple through the onlookers. He sighed, shaking his head. "We might as well be stage center at the Theater of Dionysus during the festival."

Standing and brushing the loam off his hands, Iolaus nodded. "At least then there'd be dancing girls behind us to distract them." He followed the tracks back toward the temple, noting the length of the creature's stride. "Look here, Herc, there's more than one of them." He pointed to another partial hoofprint that was distinctly smaller than the ones nearer the trees.

Hercules let his breath out and studied the forest around them worriedly. "Great."

The tracks led across the road and skirted the edge of the temple's orchard, heading toward a pool of water at the far end of the clearing. After studying the ground, Iolaus shook his head, baffled. "They're both going back and forth to this old fountain a lot. I don't see what the attraction is."

The pool was perfectly round, surrounded by a low stone coping that was dark green with moss and chipped and cracked with age. If there had ever been any ornament in the center or pipes and jets to keep the water moving, they had been removed long ago. Iolaus supposed it had originally been built to water the gardens, but it was dark and stale and dragonflies buzzed over choking weeds; it must have been long ago superseded by some more convenient well. Why the minotaur wanted to drink from this pool instead of the natural ones formed by the clear stream less than twenty yards into the forest Iolaus couldn't guess. The one advantage of the place was that the pomegranate and plum trees and the lush gardens screened this spot from the view of the temple.

Hercules stepped up to the pool, eyeing it thoughtfully. He sat on his heels to scrape away the moss on the coping. "This is much older than the temple." There was writing carved into the stone, and Iolaus bent down to look, but so many of the letters had been eroded away that it was impossible to read. Hercules sat back, frowning. "It looks unpleasantly...ceremonial."

"Sacrificial ceremonial?" Iolaus asked, brows lifted.

Hercules nodded. "Could be."

"I'm not diving in there to find out if there's bones on the bottom."

Hercules pretended to look surprised. "Why not?"

They exchanged a grin, then both looked up sharply at a rustle from the orchard, relaxing as the rustle turned into tentative footsteps on the loam. "Guys? Guys," Salmoneus said, ducking to avoid the low branches. "Guys, can you go back out to the road, where everybody can see you?" He picked his way gingerly toward them, lifting his blue and red patterned robes out of the mud.

Iolaus snorted and glanced at Hercules, who got to his feet, brushing his hands off and shaking his head in amazement. "Salmoneus, in case you haven't noticed, we're tracking a minotaur," the demigod said.

"Well, can't you track it out in the road?" Salmoneus persisted.

"This is serious. Minotaurs eat people, Salmoneus." Hercules took the merchant by the shoulders and turned him around, steering him back toward the temple.

"Yeah, and it's not pretty," Iolaus seconded, following them back through the brush. Tracking the minotaur through the forest this morning, they had found the remains of one of its kills, an old man who had been out gathering herbs. He hadn't been a very big old man and there had been evidence of only one minotaur feeding on him, so both beasts would still be hungry. Iolaus and Hercules had collected what was left and brought it to the Sisters of Gaia for burial, and he wasn't looking forward to having to find the family to let them know grandpa wouldn't be coming home. Iolaus felt an inward shudder at the idea of coming across Salmoneus or anyone else he knew in that condition.

"All right, all right, I've got the message, I'm going." Salmoneus flapped his hands placatingly. "Just try to, you know, be more exciting. You guys have to learn how to please a crowd."

Hercules didn't dignify that with a reply. Exasperated, he pointed toward the temple. "Go, Salmoneus."

"Okay, you don't have to tell me twice," the merchant assured them, hurrying away up the path toward the temple before Hercules could point out he had had to tell him at least twice.

Hercules shook his head, staring worriedly after him. "There's no way he could have convinced the Sisters of Gaia that he had some kind of right to sell tickets or something to watch us do this.... Is there?"

Iolaus considered, biting his lip. "We'd better check later, just in case."

Hercules nodded, resigned. He ran his hands through his hair. "All right, let's get this over with. It's your turn to be the bait."

Pulling the scabbard off his belt and resting it across his shoulders, Iolaus shook his head as they started back toward the road. "No, I was the bait last time." It was going to be a tense situation, stalking two minotaurs through the dense summer undergrowth in these woods, and this discussion was in the nature of a warming-up exercise.

"Excuse me? I still have a bite mark from a certain giant snake--"

Iolaus raised his brows, affecting a dubious air. "You're counting the giant snake?"

Hercules pointed to a jagged tear in the woven leather just above his knee as irrefutable evidence. "Why would I not count--" A sudden sound, a loud whoosh of air, interrupted him. They both looked around, puzzled.

It had sounded almost like a large tree falling, but there had been no thump when it hit the ground, and the wind was only strong enough to gently stir the leaves in the orchard. Baffled, Iolaus began, "What in Tartarus was--"

There was a loud splash from the direction of the pool and then a gravelly roar. Eyes widening, Iolaus looked up at Hercules, who was just as startled. They both ran back toward the fountain.

They pushed through the bushes to see a minotaur standing in front of the pool. It was a damn big minotaur, taller than Hercules and nearly twice as broad. The stench of it was heavy in the air. Iolaus drew his sword, tossing his scabbard aside. It would be nearly impossible to drive the blade through the armored hide over the creature's chest and back; the damn things were so tough they usually had to rely on Hercules' ability to beat them to death with a large rock. It glared at them, bull head lowered, working its hands, its narrow eyes devoid of anything but malice and rage.

Hercules moved to the right. "Here we go," he said, his expression grim.

Iolaus circled to the left so they could bracket the creature. "Where did it come from?"

His partner answered, "I don't know, but that pool had something to do with it. Its fur is still wet."

He was right, Iolaus saw. The thing's filthy fur and gray mottled skin dripped with water and slime from the surface of the old fountain. So it was hiding in the bottom of that pool? Iolaus thought incredulously. It took a swipe at him and he dodged backwards. Hercules shouted to draw its attention and it swung warily back toward him. It lowered its head to charge the demigod and Iolaus yelled, "Over here, ugly!" Its head swung back to him and the thing hesitated, a low rumbling growl growing in its chest.

Confronted with two tasty-looking buck humans, the creature's head swayed back and forth as it tried to decide which to eat first. If they were lucky they could keep it moving for a time, wear it down a little before going in for the kill. At least it's not talking, Iolaus thought. The ones smart enough to talk were awfully hard to beat.

They kept it moving back and forth for a time, Iolaus' quick movements and distractions allowing Hercules to get close enough to land several blows. Finally the minotaur lowed in frustration and whirled toward Hercules, charging him. Hercules twisted out of the thing's attempt to grab him and punched it across the muzzle as Iolaus rushed in, angling his sword for a hamstring stroke. The minotaur ducked Hercules' second punch, twisting away from Iolaus' blade with surprising agility. It caught Hercules with a backhand blow to the shoulder that sent him flying. Iolaus ducked a swipe from a clawed hand that could have taken his head off and did a rolling somersault to get out of reach, landing on his feet in front of Hercules to cover the demigod.

Hercules rolled to his feet and said grimly, "I think it's done this before."

"Yeah. It's been hunted, all right." Used to preying on shepherds or isolated travellers, minotaurs usually didn't know how to fight trained warriors. Iolaus could see he had managed to wound it in the calf, but that wasn't going to slow it down much.

It crouched, then charged them again. Hercules went low, throwing himself forward to meet it and butting the creature in the midsection. It staggered back, clawing at him, and Iolaus darted in, shouting and driving the sword in to the small vulnerable area at its neck. It jerked its head away and flailed one arm. Iolaus, expecting it to move toward Hercules again, misstepped and the blow caught him squarely in the chest.

It sent him flying and he landed on his back in the pool, losing his grip on his sword. He floundered and thrashed, then found his footing on the bottom, startled that the water was only chest deep. He splashed toward the edge, swearing.

Suddenly blue light exploded in front of him and he fell back, throwing his hands up to shield his face. He forced himself to look and saw the light was coming out of the pool itself, swirling around him like.... Like the doorway to the Sovereign's world. Oh no! Iolaus threw himself toward the edge of the basin, but he could already feel the pull of the otherworld passageway, dragging him down. Thrashing, fighting it with everything he had, he heard Hercules' shout of horror just before a roaring filled his ears and the water closed over his head.

Iolaus surfaced, sputtering and choking. He made it to the edge and dragged himself out, sprawling in the dirt and coughing up foul water. The passage you ran through was easier. He managed to sit up, pushing wet hair out of his eyes, one wild look around telling him he wasn't in Thespiae anymore. "I can't believe this happened again," he muttered incredulously. There had to be some heretofore unknown god of going to other worlds or involuntary transportation or something who had it in for him.

The pool was the same but there was no orchard, no gardens. The forest was bare and thin, the sky overcast and the air as cold as the high mountains of Arcadia. Instead of Gaia's temple there was a ruined building, covered with dead vines, and dry winter grass had buried the road. In some bizarre coincidence, a short distance away in the center of the clearing twenty or so warriors dressed in battered leather armor were fighting a huge minotaur, using long sarissai and weighted nets. The view was obscured by the dead trees and brush between the pool and the road, but he could see enough to know they weren't having an easy time of it. From their shabby clothes, ragged braids and motley assortment of weapons and armor, they were barbarian mercenaries.

Is that our other minotaur? Iolaus wondered. He looked back at the pool, brows drawing together. This is where that first one came from, then. It was why the two creatures were going back and forth from the woods to the pool. They were hunting near the temple and coming back here to this world to hide. He got to his feet, advancing cautiously forward for a better look. Herc and I were lucky to get the small one.

The beast was half again as large as theirs, its horns longer and gnarled with age, its gray fur long and matted. It was partly entangled in a large net still roped to some kind of framework in the high branches overheard. It was obviously a trap, but who in their right mind wanted to catch a minotaur alive? Near the ruin in a large wagon stood the heavy iron cage they must mean to use to transport the creature.

As Iolaus drew closer he saw a group of women, some barely out of childhood, clustered together in a frightened huddle near the far edge of the barren forest. For a moment Iolaus couldn't think why they didn't run for safety, or at least take shelter further from the beast, but then he saw the stone block and the chain. They were locked to it with iron rings around their ankles. Great, these guys are slavers too, he thought grimly. Then he took in the position of the net and the place where the women were chained. The bastards are using them as bait, he realized, furious.

Another net fell over the minotaur as it howled in rage and one of the warriors hoarsely shouted orders. Iolaus' head snapped toward the familiar voice and he stared, trying to remember where he had seen the man before. He was big, wearing a breastplate and other pieces of metal armor, unlike the rest of his men. His head was shaved and his face scarred.

It's Darphus, Iolaus realized suddenly. He felt a sensation of cold that had nothing to do with the chill in the air. Darphus had been a lieutenant in Xena's army when she was a warlord. In the real world he was dead; Iolaus had watched Hercules and Xena feed him to the War Dog. Then Darphus turned, his eyes finding Iolaus. There was a frozen instant, then recognition lit the warrior's scarred features and he pointed, shouting, "Get him!"

Two warriors charged him and Iolaus dropped to the ground and swept his legs around, knocking his first opponent to the knees. As the man struggled up Iolaus jackknifed back to his feet and snapped a kick into his abdomen, then punched him as he went down. Iolaus ducked a thrust from a spear, snatched a knife off the belt of the fallen mercenary, spun out of range and threw it at the framework holding up the large net. The knife struck the rope binding the frame to the tree branch, snapping it. The framework collapsed, striking the minotaur and a mercenary unlucky enough to be in the way. The minotaur staggered and roared, tearing free of the net and scattering the warriors. Laughing, Iolaus grabbed the fallen mercenary's sword and ran toward the prisoners. The warriors were too busy to stop him, trying to regroup as they rushed after the creature.

"Iolaus!" Darphus shouted suddenly.

Iolaus looked and froze. One of the warriors had a woman by the hair, holding a knife to her throat. The woman was Gabrielle.

Not the Gabrielle Iolaus knew. Her hair was ragged and her plain smock and skirt were torn and dirty. But both her hands were gripping the man's arm and her eyes were desperate and determined. One of the women still chained to the block cried out and was hurriedly hushed by the others. They were all village women, though like Gabrielle they looked as if they had been living under harsh conditions.

"Surrender or I'll tell him to cut her throat," Darphus grated.

Slowly, Iolaus straightened. He dropped the sword and two of the warriors ran forward to seize his arms. Three others closed in after them.

Darphus jerked his chin at one of the men, who stepped forward to search Iolaus roughly, finding his knife under the back of his vest. "So, Iolaus," Darphus snarled. "You thought you'd ruin my minotaur trap?"

So there's a version of me here too, Iolaus thought, unsurprised. He had been sure Darphus recognized him. Was there a chance of running into himself or had his counterpart fallen into the pool too and gone...someplace else? He lifted his brows. "Your trap is so clever I'm surprised you haven't gotten yourself and all your men killed yet. You really are just as dumb as you look."

The beast roared from across the clearing where the rest of the warriors uneasily held it at bay with their sarissai. Darphus's face went white under the dirt and he stepped forward, raising his mailed fist. The backhand blow rocked Iolaus' head back. He tasted blood from a cut lip and gave the warlord his best annoying grin. "Why do you want a live minotaur? What are you going to do with it, start a circus?"

Darphus smiled, showing blackened and broken teeth. "I want it for a weapon. Since conquering Rome wasn't enough for the Great Warlord, I've got to have a way to hold on to the piece I've carved out of Boeotia and Megara. It's only fair."

The Great Warlord? Iolaus thought, trying to conceal his shock. This must be like the world that had almost come to pass when Callisto had killed Alcmene, where Hercules had never been born and Xena had become the Destroyer of Nations. So Hercules doesn't exist here, and while Xena was off conquering Rome, Darphus took the provinces right on Corinth's doorstep? He wondered where this world's Jason and Iphicles were, and what had happened to Niobe in Attica, just to the east of Boeotia.

The warrior standing at Darphus' right hand had been staring like Iolaus had three heads. In a low voice he said, "That's Iolaus? We should kill him."

At least I have a reputation here, Iolaus thought ruefully. He eyed the warriors around him but none of them moved, waiting for Darphus' order.

"Not yet, Baric." Darphus glared at him. "Take him inside, out of sight. If he tries anything, kill the girl."

Baric cast another nervous look at Iolaus and protested to Darphus, "We need to get out of here. The Warlord is too close. Since he killed Ares, there's nothing to stop him in all of Greece."

Killed Ares, Iolaus thought, nonplussed. How? And Baric had said "he" so it wasn't Xena. The mercenaries were staring at him so he lifted his brows and tried to look like he knew what everyone was talking about.

"We're not leaving without the minotaur," Darphus said through gritted teeth. He eyed Iolaus again, pure malice in his expression. "Besides, he's too valuable to kill. We can sell him to the Great Warlord." Darphus stepped forward and grabbed a handful of Iolaus' hair, yanking his head back. "No telling how much he'll pay for you. They say his spies have been searching for you from here to Messene."

Oh, great, Iolaus thought, rolling his eyes in annoyance. Baric was turning white at the very idea of bargaining with this Great Warlord. So I'm a popular guy. He told Darphus, "You do that." He remembered a personal detail about Darphus that Xena had imparted one night after a few two many rhytons of wine and added, "Maybe he'll cut your other ball off."

Darphus' eyes bulged and his face reddened, to the point where Iolaus hoped the man would have some kind of seizure. The grip on his hair tightened, making Iolaus' back teeth hurt, then Darphus whispered, "If you weren't worth more to me alive...." Finally Darphus released him, stepping back. "Take him inside."

Baric gestured to the warriors holding him. Iolaus flicked a glance at Gabrielle; he was trapped while that knife was at her throat. He let the men haul him toward the ruin.

As they drew closer to it Iolaus realized with a shock that it was a temple of Gaia, the same one that stood in this spot in his world. There was no mistaking the round doorway, a feminine phallic symbol that marked Gaia's aspect as a fertility goddess and the mother of the world. The plaster and paint had worn off the cracked stone walls and the porch had collapsed, the caryatids lying broken and half-buried in the debris, but it was the same structure, set at the same angle to the road. The heavy wooden doors had fallen to either side of the entranceway and leaves and dirt almost covered the steps. "What happened here?" Iolaus said, not realizing he had spoken aloud until one of the mercenaries shoved him.

He ignored the provocation, too busy turning over the implications of this. He wondered what condition Thespiae was in, or if the town was even there at all. He had assumed Darphus was here to besiege it, but if this temple had been abandoned for years....

Inside the cella much of the roof had collapsed, leaving the hall littered with broken tiles, the wall paintings faded and streaked, the withered remnants of vines draped like curtains. At the far end the altar stone had cracked in half. From the stench that hung over the place and the droppings mixed with the dead leaves and dirt, he could tell the minotaurs had been using it as a den.

"In here," Baric said. The man's face ran with nervous sweat, but maybe he wasn't looking forward to wrestling the minotaur into that cage. At least some things are the same, Iolaus thought. Darphus is a crazy moron in this world, too.

They led him to one of the smaller chambers off the cella, where heavy beams had kept the ceiling intact.

"Keep her out here," Baric said to the warrior holding Gabrielle.

"She gets hurt," Iolaus told him, meeting his eyes, "you die first." He didn't look at her, not sure if these men were aware they knew each other or not.

Baric stared at him, wet his lips nervously, then gestured for the mercenaries to take him in. This room had been in use recently too, though not for the purpose it was originally intended. Hooks had been driven into the walls and the beams overhead and there was a pile of chains on the floor. Baric pulled a set of manacles out of the pile, tossing it to one of the other warriors. "Put those on him, loop it over the beam."

Iolaus weighed the odds again. He could see the warrior still had a firm hold on Gabrielle, the knife still dangerously near her throat. He didn't resist.

The man locked one manacle around his wrist, threw the chain up to catch on the beam overhead, yanking Iolaus' arms up to snap on the other manacle. He was drawn uncomfortably up, supporting his weight on his toes. It would be damn painful if he had to stay like this for too long. "What are you afraid of, Baric?" he said conversationally. He considered asking why the Great Warlord wanted him, but Darphus didn't seem to know about the otherworld doorway and Iolaus didn't want him to find out. They had enough problems at home without worrying about invasion from this place. It was bad enough the minotaurs were using the real Thespiae as a hunting ground.

"Not you." The warrior tried to sneer at him but it wasn't too convincing. He told one of the others, "You stay here. Watch him, but don't get close."

Iolaus watched them leave, then leaned on the chains thoughtfully, testing the strength of the manacles and the beam. His clothes were dripping filthy pond water onto the equally filthy floor. The man who had chained him up hadn't quite followed instructions and had looped the chain over a hook on the beam and not the beam itself. Baric was so unnerved he hadn't noticed.

At least this place didn't seem to be like the Sovereign's world, where everyone was the opposite of what they were in the real world. Darphus thought Iolaus was here to stop him from using the minotaur as a weapon, and that sounded like a great idea to Iolaus, so he had that much in common with his counterpart at least. And this Darphus didn't seem any different from the real Darphus, except for not being a dead invincible servant of Ares, and Gabrielle still seemed like Gabrielle. The Great Warlord who was evidently hunting for him was a nasty complication, but hopefully Iolaus would be long gone before that became a problem. He wondered if the man had really killed Ares or if that was just a rumor. Who could it be? The Blue Priest, Nestor, Sisyphus maybe?

He let his breath out, wishing the guard would get bored and come within reach or step outside to relieve himself so Iolaus could get on with it, but the man just stood there like a stolid lump. Iolaus yanked on the chains in annoyance. He was going to have to rescue Gabrielle, the other girls, and the damn minotaur before he even tried to make the doorway in the pool work again.

Iolaus wondered why Hercules hadn't tried to come after him yet. He would have had to deal with their minotaur first, but there had been more than enough time for that. Unless.... I just hope he's not wounded. Iolaus hadn't seen what had happened after the blue light appeared. If it had distracted Hercules at the wrong moment.... Frustrated, he said aloud, "Dammit, I don't have time for this." The guard flinched and stared warily at him.

Time passed and the light began to go gray and dim as twilight fell. Iolaus stretched as best he could, trying to relieve the tension in his shoulders and back. The guard, who had about as interesting a personality as a caryatid, refused to respond to any provocation, including a long insulting monologue on his ancestry and personal habits.

Then from outside the minotaur roared, the sound echoing through the temple. Men shouted, horses screamed in terror, and Iolaus heard a loud metal clang as something heavy struck the cage bars. He swore under his breath, hoping Gabrielle and the other women were all right. He could too readily imagine Darphus feeding one of them to the creature to calm it down. The guard was shifting uneasily too, glancing into the cella. Then he moved to the doorway, craning his neck to see out the front of the temple.

Iolaus leaned on the chains and tried to look helpless, or at least bored. The guard stared at him, brows lowered suspiciously. Iolaus held his breath. The man looked back toward the door, then stepped out into the cella.

As soon as the guard was out of sight, Iolaus grabbed the chain above his manacled wrists and hauled himself up until he could reach the beam. Curling his body upward, he hooked one knee over the beam, letting it support enough of his weight so with his free hand he could lift the chain off the hook. Free, he dropped lightly to the ground. His wrists were still manacled together but he had at least two feet of slack.

He flattened himself against the wall near the door, thinking come on, come on. He could hear the guard's boots making the dry vines crackle as he crossed the floor of the cella again. As the man stepped through the door Iolaus looped the chain around his neck and pulled tight. Choking, the guard tried to pry it loose, dragging him across the room, swinging him into the wall. Iolaus held on grimly, planting a knee in the man's back when he started to go down, keeping the chain taut until he collapsed on the stone floor.

Hurriedly Iolaus disentangled the chain and reclaimed his knife from the guard's belt. He inserted the tip into the lock and carefully probed, then popped it open. He wrenched the manacles off and picked up the guard's sword.

He slipped out of the room, crossing quietly to the temple's entrance and crouching at the edge of the round doorway. In the twilight he saw they had recaptured the minotaur and somehow wrestled it into the cage. The creature squatted there, just a large furry lump in the shadows, its red eyes glaring malevolently through the bars. A couple of mangled bodies lay in the dirt near the wagon, but both were Darphus' men. The others were rounding up the nervous horses.

The captured women were still chained up across the clearing, three warriors standing guard over them. Two warriors were trying to drag Gabrielle to join them and not having an easy time of it. With nothing but her own natural stubbornness, she was making them earn every single step. As Iolaus watched she caught one in the eye with her elbow, knocking his helmet off. When he dropped her she wrapped herself around the leg of the other one, biting him through a gap in his armor until he shouted.

Darphus must have used her as bait to lure that thing into the net, Iolaus thought. The bastard. Staying low, he eased out the door and crouched behind the rubble of the porch.

Darphus and Baric were standing across the clearing, speaking with a new group of warriors who had just arrived. One of them evidently told the warlord something he didn't want to hear; Darphus hit the man in the head with his knife hilt, sending him staggering. He shouted at the others but they were too far away for Iolaus to make out the words. A distraction, I need a distraction, he thought, looking around the clearing. His eyes fell again on the caged minotaur. Hah.

While all eyes were on Darphus or Gabrielle, Iolaus made it over to the heavy wagon. The minotaur snorted as he climbed up into the bed, the creature's restless movements masking any noise he might have made. Iolaus crept along, crouching low, glad the iron mesh was too small for the creature to get a paw through. The minotaur eyed him hungrily. He reached the cage door and saw he would have to stand to draw the bolt. He risked a look over the side of the wagon and saw that they had finally managed to get Gabrielle over to the other women and were trying to get a leg iron on her. Several men were bringing a team of horses out of the woods, heading toward the wagon.

Just in time. Iolaus stood and yanked on the bar. One of the warriors spotted him and shouted a warning but the cage door flew open and Iolaus swarmed up the bars. The minotaur burst out, making a grab for him just as he hauled himself atop the cage. He felt its claws graze his thigh, but unable to reach him it spun around and leapt down from the wagon, roaring at the approaching men.

The clearing suddenly boiled with confusion, the mercenaries shouting and running, the minotaur swiping at them and howling, the horses rearing and bolting. Iolaus jumped down from the cage, grinning at the chaos. A warrior rushed him and he parried two wild sword blows, then stepped inside the man's guard to punch him in the face.

From across the clearing he heard Baric shouting, "Darphus, we've got to go! It's the Warlord himself, coming here! If he finds us--"

Darphus shouted incoherently but caught a horse and swung up into the saddle. He rode off into the woods as Baric called for retreat and the surviving mercenaries scrambled for the other horses or gave up and ran into the forest. The minotaur apparently decided to call it a day too, taking one last swipe at a fleeing warrior, it galloped away up the road.

Iolaus ran toward the chained women, the few mercenaries who were left ignoring him as they tried to help wounded comrades or catch the last few horses. Gabrielle had a rock and was pounding on the lock that attached the linked manacles to the stone weight, while the others wrenched and pulled at the chain.

"Gabrielle, move!"

She threw a startled glance over her shoulder, then scrambled out of the way. Glad he wasn't doing this with his own blade, Iolaus swung the sword back overhead and brought it down on the chain.

The links snapped and with cries of relief the other women pulled on the chain, dragging it through the rings in their ankle manacles. Gabrielle jumped to her feet, squinting at him in the dim light. "How do you know my name?" she demanded.

Iolaus blinked, taken aback. So she didn't know his counterpart and her presence here was just some strange otherworld coincidence. "Uh, lucky guess," he managed. He stumbled as several young girls flung themselves on him in gratitude. It was a nice distraction but Iolaus could already hear hoofbeats from up the road. That's got to be the Warlord. "Not now, ladies," Iolaus said, disentangling himself and shooing them toward the forest. "You need to get out of here. How far away is your village?"

"Not far, we can make it!" A girl with short blond hair told him. "Come on, Gabby!"

Calling thanks, the others ran for the woods. Gabrielle took a step after them but hesitated. Turning back to Iolaus, she said, "Maybe I should stay and help--"

He had to laugh. She was still Gabrielle, no matter what had happened here. "Just go home, and hurry!"

"Right." She nodded, took a couple of steps away, then looked back again and said, "Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Go!"

The hoofbeats from down the road were louder and the last of the mercenaries had vanished. Iolaus took cover in the brush as Gabrielle and the others fled deeper into the dark woods.

A war party rode into the clearing, reining in as they reached the temple. There was at least thirty of them.

Iolaus crouched lower, cursing under his breath. He couldn't see much detail in the dim light but from the motley assortment of weapons, they must be more mercenaries. It's sure not the Hoplite garrison from Thebes, Iolaus thought wryly. The leader seemed to be a big man in a lionskin cloak. That had to be the Warlord himself. The lion's head formed a hood, disguising the man's features from this angle, but Iolaus did a double take, for a moment thinking there was something familiar about that figure. Nah, you're hallucinating, he told himself. He watched the man swing down from his horse and cross in front of the temple in long strides to stand over the mangled corpses the minotaur had left behind.

As the warriors dismounted and fanned out to search the clearing and more torches were lit, Iolaus realized two of them were centaurs. He frowned, startled. Centaurs would never hire out as mercenaries, at least in his world. Huh. Maybe....

Then a female voice called, "Search the temple!"

Iolaus' blood froze in his veins as he recognized that hateful voice. Callisto. His grip tightened on his sword hilt. Eyes narrowing, he watched her swing down from the saddle. One of the men lit a torch, the flare of light illuminating her form, and Iolaus snarled silently. She was dressed in leather armor and a fur cloak, her blond hair pulled back in braids, but the sharp profile was the same. Impossible to tell if she had managed to become a goddess in this world, or if-- If she had given herself to Dahak.

The shock of that thought was like a plunge in icy mountain water. Dahak might still be alive in this world.

Iolaus' eyes flicked to the pool where it lay hidden in the deep shadow at the edge of the clearing. If Dahak raged unchecked here it would explain Gaia's ruined temple and the barren forest, the story about the Warlord killing Ares, and why Darphus dared march an army to the center of Greece.

He had to make a run for it. It would be better to wait for full dark but if Callisto was a goddess or had Dahak's help, she could find him wherever he hid. He eased up into a low crouch and made his way along the edge of the trees, careful to move as silently as possible through the dry brush. Most of the activity was concentrated at the temple and the woods around it. When he was opposite the pool, Iolaus rose and bolted across the road. With luck....

"There!"

Swearing, Iolaus put on a burst of speed and reached the dead brush at the edge of the old orchard. A soft weight struck him, cords wrapping around his legs. He fell heavily, yelping in surprise. He rolled over, realizing it was one of the weighted nets Darphus' men had left behind. Ripping at the cords, frantic to free himself, he thought this may have been a really bad idea. Suddenly the big man in the lionskin cloak stood over him. Iolaus jerked back with a gasp, his eyes taking in studded leather armor, a heavy sword, a gold belt buckle that gleamed even in the bad light. He's.... He can't be.... The Warlord pushed the cloak's hood back and Iolaus saw his face. It was Hercules.

The recognition was mutual. "Iolaus!" the man said, his tone thunderstruck.

Not again. Tearing at the net and scrambling backward, Iolaus only managed a strangled yelp in reply. The net gave way to his frantic efforts and he made it halfway to his feet when the man leaned down and seized his arms, jerking him upright. Iolaus opened his mouth to gasp out a last curse before his neck was snapped and got as far as "You--"

Then a mouth was pressed against his, warm and hard, roughly forcing his lips apart. He tasted the other man's sweat and thought Oh, shit. He went limp, letting his head fall back, and when the Warlord pulled away, startled, Iolaus rammed his knee into his groin. The grip on his shoulders loosened and he knocked the man's arms away and twisted free. Flinging himself into a backward roll to get out of reach, he came to his feet and caught up his fallen sword. A warrior grabbed him from behind and Iolaus threw him forward over his shoulder, directly into the Warlord's path, forcing him to stop short.

Iolaus spat and wiped his mouth off on his gauntlet, rapidly assessing the situation. One warrior and a centaur blocked his way to the pool and more were fast approaching. It was time to get serious. He ducked a blow from the centaur's mace and whirled to block a swordthrust from the warrior. He parried a second blow, spinning into it to ram his elbow into the center of the man's chest, sending him flying backward. The centaur loomed over him and Iolaus threw himself under his hooves, rolling clear as he reared up in surprise.

Someone called out, "Sir, it's--!"

"I know that!" the Warlord shouted. "Get back, all of you. Don't--"

Iolaus, tossing aside another warrior who had tried to tackle him, thought, So here Hercules is the Great Warlord. The conqueror of Rome, with Callisto at his side? That sure explains why everything's gone to Tartarus, he thought grimly, flinging himself clear of another centaur's attempt to toss a net over him. He kneecapped the next warrior that came at him and spotting a clear path toward his goal, ran for the pool.

He was only ten feet short of the rim when the ground flew up and hit him in the face. He struggled to his hands and knees, the world reeling. Lifting a hand to the sudden burst of pain in his temple, his fingers came away wet and he realized someone must have clipped him with a missile from a sling.

Shouting men surrounded him and hands grabbed at him. He tried to fight but his arms and legs wouldn't obey him and the most he managed was wild flailing. He heard Callisto shouting and the clump of warriors around him suddenly backed away.

He looked up and saw the Warlord looming over him. Iolaus shouted "No!" and made a wild leap toward the pool. The abrupt movement was too much and everything went black.

***

It was full dark when Xena rode up to the temple of Gaia. Torches lit the portico and the balconies and people were clustered in anxious knots on the porch and along the road. She had expected activity since a minotaur hunt was in progress, but an uneasy hush hung over the place that set her nerves on alert. Oxen and mules lowed apprehensively from the barn, people spoke in quiet nervous voices. It should be over, she thought, frowning. They should be celebrating by now. Argo snorted worriedly and Xena patted her shoulder. "Easy, girl."

An amorphous dark shape appeared at her left stirrup, resolving into two Sisters of Gaia in deep green robes before Xena's hand tightened on her sword hilt. One pushed her hood back and moonlight touched hair white with age. The Sister said, "Warrior Princess."

Xena relaxed a little. "Yes."

The priestess pointed off the road, into the deep shadow of the gardens. Xena could see a glow of torchlight past the gnarled branches of the trees. Xena nodded. "Thank you."

She nudged Argo off the road and into the gardens. She could smell minotaur now and knew that was what had disturbed the mare earlier. Dismounting, she dropped the reins and picked her way toward the torchlight, leaves crackling underfoot, her stomach tight at the thought of what she would find.

She stepped silently through the brush into a small clearing ringed by fruit trees. Several torches on tall poles had been driven into the ground to light it. She was surprised to see Salmoneus, pacing and muttering to himself. His robes were dripping wet and stained with slime. A short distance past him Hercules stood in front of an old well or fountain, staring into it. Lying nearby was the corpse of a minotaur, dead a few hours at least. She saw Iolaus' sword, propped against a rock, but no sign of Iolaus.

Salmoneus jumped when she stepped up beside him, gasping with relief and clutching his heart when he recognized her. "Xena! What are you doing here? How'd you find out so fast?"

"I didn't." Gabrielle was visiting a friend who lived nearby and Joxer wasn't due back for another couple of days, and Xena had found herself at loose ends in Thespiae. She jerked her chin toward Hercules. "I heard they were here hunting a minotaur. What happened?"

"Well, thank the gods you're here," Salmoneus said in a low voice. "He's out of his mind -- well, not literally." He added darkly, "Not yet, anyway."

Xena took a grip on the collar of Salmoneus' robe and pulled him close. "What. Happened."

Unperturbed, Salmoneus explained, "We're not sure. Apparently, that pool's some kind of passageway to another world, and Iolaus got knocked into it by the minotaur and disappeared. Hercules said it was a blue swirly doorway. Does that make sense to you?"

"Oh, shit." Xena let go of Salmoneus' collar and stared at the pool, her brows drawing together.

"That's the general consensus. Hercules can't figure out how it works, which is odd, because apparently minotaurs were using it." Salmoneus shook his head, studying the demigod with helpless concern. "He's tried everything. We've been over every inch of it, inside and out, and the ground around it."

She stepped past him and crossed to Hercules' side. He was dripping wet too, slime and scum from the surface of the stagnant pool staining his vest, a weed trapped in his hair. He was also wounded, long deep scratches on his arms from a minotaur's claws. The cuts weren't bleeding anymore but they didn't look as if they had been tended, either. He acknowledged her presence with a sharp intake of breath and a nod. Xena studied the fountain, biting her lip. She said, "Not something on the bottom?"

He moved his head in a quick gesture of negation. He said, "I thought it had to be something he touched when the minotaur threw him in, but I've been all over this thing. Salmoneus looked too."

"You could have missed something. It would be easier to look if we drain the water."

"No. The water might be part of what makes it work."

"Hmm." He was right. Xena had seen a lot of strange things in her time but this was a new one on her; they couldn't afford to do anything drastic. She stepped forward and sat on her heels, trailing her fingers through the water. It smelled, and tasted, like ordinary stagnant water. She flicked the drops away. "What about Gaia? It's her fountain."

"I couldn't get her attention. I've never seen her before; she's not a very...social goddess. The High Priestess is still trying." He shook his head impatiently. "This fountain is older than the temple. In the brush over there I found a stone cover, broken in half. You can see the lip along the edge where it fit over the top."

Xena's fingers found the indentation along the rim of the stone basin and she felt a coldness travel up her spine. "They built a temple here to guard this pool." Gaia was a direct daughter of Chaos, older than the Titans, a slow-moving earth goddess, interested in growing things and fertility. She wasn't an Olympian, and she didn't treat mortals as playthings. For all Xena knew, she might not even have a human form; you never saw any statues of her. Her priestesses would be a perfect choice for the guardians of something powerful and dangerous.

Hercules indicated a string of illegible letters along the side of the basin with the toe of his boot. "That must have been a warning."

From behind them Salmoneus said, "Or the directions how to make it work. Remember, that time-travelling fragment of the Cronos Stone came with instructions."

Being reminded of the power of the Cronos Stone apparently didn't do Hercules any good. He rubbed his hands over his face and took a deep breath. "Don't panic," he muttered.

Salmoneus lifted his brows, bewildered. "I'm not panicking."

"I was talking to myself."

"Oh." The merchant gave Xena a significant look, jerking his head toward the demigod and nodding meaningfully until she glared him down.

Hercules was still staring at the pool. "There's got to be something.... If it's a doorway that was only open for a limited time...."

Xena wet her lips, looking up at him. "We need Autolycus." The King of Thieves was good at this kind of thing, though maybe "good" wasn't the word for it. Autolycus had a driving, compulsive need to open locks, figure out mysteries, get to places where he shouldn't go. And if a friend's life depended on it, he would puzzle out the pool's secret or die trying.

"That's right," Salmoneus seconded, hopeful again. "He's a paranoid freak, but he's great at this kind of thing. Have you ever seen where he lives?" He shuddered theatrically. "Everywhere, little gadgets and devices, all in pieces. It was the most deeply frightening experience I ever had, and since I've met you guys, I've had quite a few."

Hercules took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. Let's send for Autolycus. Maybe I'm just not seeing what's right in front of me."

"I'll go," Salmoneus volunteered.

Xena caught his eye and jerked her head slightly toward Hercules. "Let me go. I've got Argo with me and I can travel faster." Whoever stayed behind would be mainly here to hold Hercules' hand, and Salmoneus was a lot better at that than Xena.

"Ah." Salmoneus nodded, catching her meaning. "Oh right, that's true, you better go."

Xena got to her feet, pulling her baldric over her head. "First, let me take a look at the inside. Maybe I'll find something you two missed." She couldn't get it out of her head that it was a switch or something that Iolaus had hit by accident when he fell in. It seemed the only logical explanation.

Hercules nodded, looking away with an annoyed snort and rubbing the bridge of his nose. Yeah, Xena thought as she dropped her scabbarded sword and stepped up on the rim. By morning he's going to be a bitch and a half. Then he would start muttering sarcastic comments aloud, acting as if the intended targets couldn't hear him. Xena couldn't figure out if Iolaus' presence alone was enough to keep that from happening or if Iolaus just spent a lot of time telling Hercules to shut up.

She leaned down, slipping off the edge into the cool water, feeling the disturbed scum wash over her legs as her boots touched the bottom. She turned to run her hands over the inside of the stone basin. Suddenly blue light flared up at her and a powerful force yanked at her from behind. It spun her around helplessly and she made a wild grab for the edge as her feet were swept out from under her. Then a more powerful grip seized her wrist and Xena clung to it with all her strength, realizing Hercules had managed to grab her flailing arm. Closing her eyes she turned her head away as foul water filled her nose and mouth.

Abruptly she was flung clear into clean night air. She landed heavily on something soft, like a wet bundle of laundry, which she identified as Salmoneus when it made a strangled noise of distress. She rolled off him, twisting around in time to see Hercules leap into the maelstrom of blue light that whirled over the pool. Xena threw herself forward, snatching up her sword and lunging toward the pool.

The blue light went out, as abruptly as a snuffed candle.

Xena slid to a stop, her momentum almost enough to pitch her in headfirst anyway. Hercules stood in the center, looking around in baffled anger. Incredulously he said, "It just stopped. I could feel it start to open, and it just stopped." He slammed both fists down on the surface, sending up a huge splash. "DAMN IT!"

Xena shook her head, baffled and beginning to lose her temper with this motherless pool too. Salmoneus struggled to his knees, and she caught his arm and hauled him to his feet. His voice hoarse, he said, "It's like it only takes who it wants." He stopped, alarmed. "Oh, you don't think...."

Xena stared at him, then looked down at Hercules. "That could be it."

Hercules sloshed to the edge, staring at the merchant. "Something controlling it." He leaned on the edge of the basin, his hands knotting into fists again, his eyes bleak. "The minotaur could have been a trap, to lure us here."

Xena shook her head slightly. She wanted to be sure of this. "Wait. Maybe it's because you're a demigod."

Hercules slung himself out of the pool, frowning at her. "Because I'm a demigod? Why would that--"

"How should I know? Why do these damn things happen in the first place?" She turned to Salmoneus. "Were you both always in the pool at the same time?"

He shook his head, gesturing that notion away. "No, no, we were each in it for a while alone, while the other searched the ground around it."

Xena frowned at the pool. "But we know it'll work for me." She slung her baldric over her shoulder, settling her sword back into place and checking the set of her chakram at her hip. "I'll go through and find Iolaus."

Hercules snorted in exasperation, throwing his hands in the air. "Xena, I can't let you do that. If it is a trap, and something is controlling it-- Or if it takes you to the Sovereign's world--"

"Everybody will think I'm a psycho freak slut." That had been the most flattering description Iolaus could manage of her otherworld counterpart. Maybe I can run into the bitch and kick her ass. It would be that poetic justice Gabrielle was always on about. Xena grinned at Hercules. "It'll be fun."

He let out his breath, studying her determinedly from under lowered brows. Xena's mouth twisted in annoyance. She demanded, "Why shouldn't I go? He'd go after me. Tartarus, you'd have to stand on him to keep him from throwing himself in there--" Even as she said the words, Xena registered the glint in Hercules' eyes and realized that was just what he planned to do to her.

She ducked under his grab and threw herself into the pool, landing near the center with a large splash. The blue light burst into life immediately, as if it had been waiting for her, like something cheated of its prey and determined not to lose it again.

She heard Hercules jump in after her, but knew he was too late as she felt the powerful force drag her down.

***

Iolaus came to, dizzy and sick, on the back of a horse. Everything was fuzzy and had an unnerving tendency to tilt to the right. His hands were bound in front of him and he was leaning back against the warm solid bulk of the person riding behind him. An arm around his waist, as unyielding as an iron bar, kept him from falling or flinging himself off. He knew instantly who it was.

The arm imprisoning him tightened, though not to the point of pain, and Iolaus made his tense muscles relax, letting his head loll back against his captor's shoulder and his eyelids close to slits, making his breathing slow and even. Every nerve in his body told him to fight but it was time to play dead for awhile, at least until his aching head stopped spinning. All right, think of a way out of this.

It was night and the full moon had risen, illuminating the road and the barren forest. The rest of the war party was riding in a loose formation around them. Squinting, Iolaus thought he recognized Callisto on one of the horses ahead, the moonlight glinting off her pale hair. Their pace was an easy walk; they hadn't had time to go far from the pool, then.

The air was biting cold and it was deathly quiet, except for the soft hoofbeats of the horses and the creak of saddle leather and harness. This country should be lush and teeming with life, but it felt empty, and there was something unnaturally hollow and dead about the night. He thought of Dahak and dead gods and an involuntary shiver went through him.

The warlord pulled the edge of the lionskin cloak over him. It covered his bound hands, and it might allow him to work at loosening the ropes without alerting the man. The movement of the horse would mask small motions, but he had to careful.

Fingers moved through his hair, and Iolaus thought make that very careful.

***

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The Less Than Legendary Journeys