It was morning before the lovers returned to the cabin. The others were up. In fact, they'd already had their first meal of the day. Ares raised his eyebrows at the lovers, Nemesis blushed, and Hercules chuckled.

"Anything left to eat?" the hunter asked. "I'm starving."

The empath kissed Ares' cheek, then the cheek of the former goddess. She put her arms around Hercules then lifted the little demigod up for a hug.

"What's this all about?" her more than brother asked.

"I just feel good this morning."

"I'll bet you do," the half god mumbled under his breath. Everyone still heard him. The healer laughed as she accepted the mug of tea the hunter offered her.

Before midday the healer sought a quiet moment in the meadow. She came alone deliberately. Sitting cross-legged in the grass she closed her eyes and opened her mind. She gave the earth's prayer to her mother then sent her mind to her son. Their communication was long. She always felt the tie of his mind on hers and she spoke in mind speech to him at least once each day. She let her love flow to him and felt his return to soothe her longing to be with him.

When she at last released his mind she sent her mind to her chosen father. Her touch on his mind was met with an instant response. Despite his age her chosen father's mind was strong and clear. The freedom the girl felt in their communication was like a salve to a burn. It gave her peace and soothed her mind. When she left her trance to end the mind's link needed to send her thoughts so far, she knew she would soon feel his mind on hers again.

Deepening her trance once more she sent her mind to Iphicles. While she couldn't actually speak in mind with him over such a long distance, she could get a sense of his thoughts and knew that all was well in Corinth.

When she returned to the hut she took Nemesis aside. "I do not wish to alarm you, but the simple truth is you will not make it through this winter. Even with our help there is too much to be done." The former goddess looked hurt. "I do not wish to be cruel, but you must understand."

The dark haired girl began to pace. "Aphrodite has always helped me before. That's the only way I've made it this long. I want to learn to be independent, but right now I'd gladly welcome her help."

"She will not be helping you this time," Sira whispered in compassion.

Nemesis turned quickly around to pin her with a hard stare. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because the help never really came from Aphrodite. It came from Ares."

"No!" The one word was filled with panic. She wanted to deny the truth of what Sira was telling her, and yet she knew it was the truth. It explained many things. She'd wondered, herself, how Aphrodite always seemed to know when she needed help the most. Besides that, Aphrodite wasn't the type to take on charity cases. She lived to share her love with others as she went through immortality with a self centered, spoiled, "me first", outlook. "How will we make it now?" the former goddess whispered.

"You must learn to rely on yourself."

"But how?" Tears spilled from the girl's brown eyes to stain her cheeks.

"If I could take you to a place where you would be welcomed and where Evander's differences would not put him in danger, would you go?"

"Is there such a place?"

"I believe so, yes. They can teach you how to survive and how to become independent."

"They wouldn't be cruel to Evander?"

"I believe they would not. I cannot guarantee there will not be times of tension, or that everyone will love you unconditionally. Still, you and Evander will not starve. It would only have to be for this winter."

"But if I go there and they are mean to Evander, what will I do?"

"Would you be any worse off than you are now?"

"Here, at least there's a roof over our heads."

"And no food or clothing to put under it. Still, the roof would be here if you wished to return. But that, I think we agree is not a solution. If you or Evander are not happy in the place I wish to take you, you need only touch my mind with yours and we will come for you. You may spend the winter with us in Corinth. Once the Queen's baby arrives we will be welcome to stay until the weather is fit to return here and continue your lessons on surviving in the mortal world."

The former executioner studied the empath's face a moment. "All right, Sira. I'll go with you and at least try this place you speak of."

Sira took her hand. "You have made a wise choice, my sister. It is the first of many you will make for yourself and your son. You have done well. The earth is pleased."

"Why do you call me sister?"

"Because you have touched in soul with both Ares and Hercules."

"But they're not really your brothers."

"They are my brothers in soul. The tie of soul runs much deeper than the tie of blood ever could. Open your heart, my sister. You will feel the truth."

The girl hugged the healer. She said nothing more, but her actions spoke louder than words. There had been mistrust in the girl's mind for the child of the forest and the things she could do with her mind. The fact that she was close to Ares had only made the distrust deepen. The barriers had now dropped, and with the lowering of them Sira knew friendship could and would flourish.

It was late in the day when the cottage roof was completed. The empath showed the men how to seal the spaces between the clay and grass bricks then insisted on making the trenches to lead the rain water away before it had a chance to soak into the clay. They'd changed the angle of the roof slightly. It must be tipped to help the runoff but it couldn't be too sharp an angle or the clay bricks might shift, especially this first winter before the grasses were given a chance to adhere to the roof poles. Poles were placed along the eaves of the roof to secure the bricks in place, with narrow gaps to let the water escape.

The empath was most pleased with the results of their labor. She'd stayed in the meadow to pray to the earth and to send healing to the soil they'd robbed.

Once the roof was complete the healer placed her hands on the sod and sent her mind to the earth. The relocated grass wound around the girl's fingers in welcome. "The soil and the grasses are happy to be here and to serve our friends. We have done a good thing."

Now Ares was anxious to go. His leg was much improved. The hut was secure. Still, there was no way of knowing how long they would be gone. The yosemin refused to leave until there was wood and food enough to last until they could return.

Ares or Iolaus hunted while Sira preserved most of the meat, showing Nemesis how to smoke or dry it. "Once there is snow, any meat you manage to get can be frozen. We do not have much in the way of vegetables, and many of the roots in the forest have been damaged by frost, but there should be enough to last a month or so. The dried peas and beans Falafel left for you will help a great deal. We are too high for acorns, which is unfortunate since the nut can be ground to make a meal fit for bread or thickening. Still, there are Priz bushes in abundance, and it can be used. Once you have ground the leaves and stems, you dry the pulp then grind it again. Mixed with a small amount of fermented dough it makes a good bread. It is not much good for thickening, however."

The former goddess looked blank. Sira took her to the forest to gather some of the bush-like plant. She took time to show her how to prepare it then left it in the sun to dry.

The men gathered wood and hauled it to the hut. Sira went with the hunter to the village, and trading wet reed baskets as well as dried reed baskets the healer had made in the evenings they were able to secure two heavy wool blankets. The hunter traded some arrows he'd made for a large sack of cornmeal.

They looked for Falafel so they could thank him for his generosity to Nemesis, but he was gone from the village. Taking the things they'd traded for, they made their way back to the hut in a quiet clearing near a small stream. The old yellow dog rose to greet them and the boy he loved came running to show the healer a new pebble he'd found near the stream.

They worked for nearly a week getting the hut as ready for Nemesis and Evander as they could. The former executioner still avoided Ares whenever possible, which wasn't always easy in the confined space of the small hut. The dark warrior was friendly with her but never pushed her for anything more than the uneasy truce the girl seemed to prefer.

The former god did spend time with his son. They fished together by the stream. Nemesis hadn't wanted father and son out of her sight so the demigod went with them. Not concerned that Ares might try to whisk the boy away, the demigod took the quiet time to catch up on his sleep.

Evander was still too young to stay at any one thing for long, but he did catch one fish. With his father to keep an eye on him the boy waded in the icy water. Ares watched him with a tolerant smile on his face. He would hate giving this up. If he did indeed find his temple and the hidden Ambrosia, he knew he would never be able to leave it behind and stay a mortal. Still, there would be regrets. He couldn't believe that Nemesis would relent and allow him access to Evander once he'd regained his godhood, and that, he admitted, hurt. Could I stay mortal? he asked himself. No, I want my godhood and I want my sword back. That is something I can't give up. But then I'll be giving up Evander. He went over it again and again, weighing one against the other. I want both, he confessed.

At times he almost hoped he wouldn't find his hidden stash of Ambrosia. It would eliminate his need to make a choice. Then again, he knew himself well enough to know he'd try to find another source of the fruit of the gods. It was part of his nature to want more than he had. To be bigger and better than others. He was well suited for the responsibilities that went with being god of war. When Sira's influence had made the first chink in his carefully constructed armor of evil and hate, he feared he'd lose his edge. That hadn't proved to be the case. In fact it had strengthened his focus, giving him new direction and a deeper insight into the pleasures of a battle fought well or a maneuver well planned and executed. The evil he'd always used to instigate war and butchery hadn't given him as much pleasure as pitting his wits and knowledge of battle against a worthy adversary.

There was something intoxicating about winning fairly, because you were the best and not because you used godly powers to cheat. He hadn't started a war of his own in a very long time. Not that he'd stayed away from a good battle when one was offered. He'd helped whichever warlord or general he felt had the best chance of winning, giving little regard to the right or wrong of the war itself. He'd found pleasure in showing mercy to those who lost. There was a certain satisfaction in releasing the prisoners once the war was over and the truce signed.

Sira's influence had mellowed his anger and hate, allowing him to put it into perspective, and therefore finding it useful as a tool to further his focus.

The healer had been to the stream to wash out a few things. The day was hot, the air laden with moisture from the clouds that hugged the horizon. Sira stepped into the clearing around the hut, her arms loaded with the clothing already dried by the warm sun. She looked up to see the three men she loved working with the wood they'd hauled to the clearing from the forest. All three men had removed their shirts. The empath stopped in her tracks to watch them. She loved to see the men she cared so much about like this. Perspiration glistening on their skin, their muscles rippling with their labor.

Iolaus with his chest smooth and hairless, his light hair glowing in the sunlight. Hercules, his chest broad, the brown hairs there curly as they descended to a "V" below his ribs. His powerful muscles drew one's attention and spoke quite clearly of his godly half. Ares, as broad in the chest as his brother. His arms bulging with power. His black hair and dark skin a stark contrast to the fair hunter he worked beside.

Sira heard a quickly in drawn breath and looked to her left. Lost in her observation of the sight before her she hadn't heard or felt the presence of the former executioner. She wasn't startled, only surprised that she'd been so absorbed. But then the former executioner of the gods was just as taken by what she saw as the healer was. As Sira watched the girl's profile she could read first shock, then hunger in the side view she was afforded. The former goddess put a hand to her chest which rose and fell in a quick rhythm, as if the girl fought for breath.

Nemesis turned toward Sira, not remembering she was there and not really seeing her now. Her face was flushed and beads of perspiration sparkled on her upper lip. Sira felt the thoughts in the girl's mind. Not because she had intruded, but because unwittingly the former executioner had thrown the thought out in a silent shout that almost hurt.

Ares! The child of nature smiled to herself. So, she is not as oblivious to my brother's charms as she pretends.

The former goddess raised her eyes to meet Sira's. The empath smiled at her. "Nice view, is it not?"

"I� I mean�"

The healer chuckled. "It is all right, my sister. You need not be embarrassed. I was enjoying the beauty of the morning, as well." Nemesis blushed and Sira chuckled again. Setting her laundry on the grass she went to the girl to put an arm around her shoulder. "I say again, do not be embarrassed. They are magnificent, all three of them."

The once goddess smiled at the healer. "It is rather warm today, wouldn't you say?"

The yosemin laughed. "Yes, I would definitely say it was warm today."

Sira was at last satisfied that things were as ready for Nemesis and Evander as they could be. She was sure there was enough to keep both mother and son supplied for a month. And if they should not find what they sought in that time? she asked herself. We will, she declared.

They planned to leave in the morning. Nemesis was nervous and anxious. She feared that in their absence Discord might strike again. It was a real fear. There was little to stop the goddess of war from spewing forth her wrath on the former executioner and her son. Still, Sira had sensed the goddess' fear of her powers as well as her fear of Ares. Until she learned to use the sword to advantage, she was little more than she'd been before. While she couldn't die, she could be made very uncomfortable. And what's more, she knew full well she would be under the watchful eye of the King of the gods. There had been nothing official from the most powerful god of them all, but it was well known that the yosemin healer was off limits to the gods' interference and manipulation. Moreover, the rumors were flying that Ares and Zeus had come to an understanding for the first time since the King of the gods' son had been born. Sira had sensed some of this from the goddess. If anyone needed to fear her, Sira would be the logical choice. In using her earthly powers to stop Discord, some of her own feelings and emotions were felt by the dark goddess. Discord must know by now that Ares cared for her and that she cared for the former god of war. The nature child was also sure it must have been a bitter pill to swallow to learn that a mere mortal had been more powerful than a god.

Nemesis was nervous for other reasons, as well. Despite her efforts to squelch her feelings for Ares, she'd found she liked the mortal he'd become. He was thoughtful and considerate with all of them. He was very good with his son, and the mother could sense her son's growing love for his father. She wasn't fool enough to believe Ares would remain the same once he'd regained his godhood. She knew he'd never be able to walk away from the responsibilities of the god of war. And she was convinced that once he again held the sword that gave the god holding it even more powers he would once again return to the arrogant, self centered, hate filled war monger he used to be. She feared for her son; not only for what Ares might do to him, but also for the heartache the boy would feel at his father's abandonment.

Evander came to his father, a pleading look on his face. The dark warrior picked him up. "What is it, little man?"

The boy lay his head back on his father's chest. "I don't want you to go. You promised we'd

look for pebbles."

They were all in the hut enjoying tea after a good meal. Sira's heart restricted at the boy's

words and the emotions behind them.

"I'll be back, Son. I'll only be gone a little while, then I'll come back, Then we can hunt for pebbles."

The boy shook his head. "You won't be coming back." Tears escaped from the corners of the boy's tightly closed eyes.

The former god of war took a quick breath. "I promise you, if there is breath left in me I will return, no matter what."

Anger stained the former executioner's face with bitterness at her once lover's declaration, but she said nothing.

The boy put his arms around his father's neck and kissed his cheek. Ares cleared his throat, then cleared it again. The healer reached for her mate of the soul's hand. Hercules looked away.

Nemesis bounded to her feet to leave the hut as tears filled her own eyes. Her son lay his head back on his father's chest and was soon asleep.

When Ares was sure the boy slept soundly he carried him to his bed and laid him gently on the soft blankets. He pulled a blanket over the sleeping form of his son then stood watching the boy for a moment. With a deep breath he turned away. Leaving the boy in the others' care he followed Nemesis into the night.

He found her near the tiny stream that supplied the hut with its water. "Nemesis?"

She turned on him. "You had no right to promise him that. You know I don't want you here."

"Why do you hate me so much?" His voice was little more than a whisper.

"Can't you see how hard all of this has been for me?"

"Yes, I think I can get a general idea, especially now. But I didn't take your godhood away."

"No. But you left me with a half god child to raise with no idea how to take care of myself, let alone him."

"I offered you and the child a home. I offered to restore your godhood. You refused both."

"Yes, you offered. But at what cost? You wanted me as your bed warmer and nothing else."

"It wouldn't have been like that."

"Wouldn't it?"

"No. I do have feelings for you."

"Well, that's not enough. I want�" Her voice broke and she couldn't finish her statement.

"What, Nemesis?" His voice was gentle. "What do you want?"

"I want�" Again her voice caught, then she rushed on. "I want what Sira and Iolaus have."

Ares turned to look out over the tiny stream and the grassy area beyond. "I don't know if I'm capable of that."

"Well, I know. You're not. Now you're trying to steal Evander from me." She began to shake with sobs.

"I promise you, I won't take him from you. He's your son too. I wish only to be able to see him; to spend time with him."

"He's all I have. He loves me unconditionally. He doesn't use and manipulate me."

"I understand."

"No, you don't. All my life I've been used. By Hera, by you."

"You're right; we used each other. But now we have a very unique son. For his sake we need to find a way past what has gone before."

"That will never be possible."

He turned to look at her but she turned her back to him. He could see her shoulders shake with emotion. "I swear I will not take him or try to turn him against you, Nemesis."

"And if you become a god again? What then?"

"I want to see him. I don't profess to understand the complexities of love or the tie of blood or soul. But I need him, Nemesis, and I think he needs me. I want to know I can see him."

"Yes, but only when it's convenient for you."

"You put these restrictions on us in the first place. You're right, I wouldn't always be here for him, but I want him to know I care about him."

He moved to place a hand on her shoulder but she jerked way from him. "Don't touch me," she cried openly.

"I meant only to comfort you."

"I find no comfort in your touch."

"No," he sighed. "But did you think that I might find comfort in yours?" He turned to walk back toward the hut.

She wheeled around in shock and disbelief. She'd felt the pain behind his whispered words and it had touched her heart. She didn't, however, make a move toward him. She couldn't. She didn't trust herself or her emotions right now. A great wrenching sob escaped her and she went to her knees in the late summer grass.

He heard her sob but he didn't turn. His emotions were too raw. If he went to her now he wasn't sure he could keep his hands off of her. The urge to take her into his arms was almost overpowering.

Hold me! her mind shouted. I need your love.

He entered the hut. Sira took one look at him and went to put her arms around him. He tightened his arms around her, drawing on her strength and comfort to steady emotions and nerves left exposed. She felt his sadness that he'd been unable to reach Nemesis. She also sensed his fear of what they might or might not find on their journey. But behind it all there was something else, something remembered. She almost wished it weren't there, but she wasn't really surprised that it was.

They left the clearing around the hut before the sun was fully up. If they traveled steadily today they should be able to reach the valley where the temple used to be by the evening of the second day. Whether Discord had left anything standing on the temple site was questionable. Ares knew all too well the depth of her hate and jealousy. How could he not? The same emotions had always been a part of him, as well. He'd always encouraged and nurtured these feelings in his half sister. That is, until he'd met Sira. As his own emotions and feelings had changed, he'd found the goddess he shared a mother with, annoying. Her insistence that she be given a chance at real power had become boring. He'd lain with his half sister with little regard for their blood tie, as was the habit of the gods. But he hadn't done it out of any deep feelings for her. Her hate and anger had at one time excited him, but no longer.

Discord had felt her older brother's rejection keenly. For her it seemed to start when he lied to her about Evander's origin. After she'd tried to steal his son he banished her to the catacombs. If it had been left to him she'd still be there. But Hera had objected. In a show of generosity Ares had called the dark goddess back from her exile in the labyrinth of caves and catacombs that could trap an unlucky god for eternity. Rather than being grateful for her release, she'd sworn vengeance. Going to her mother with a well planned lie she convinced the Queen of the gods to reveal her secrets for making Brossus into a poisonous mixture that would relieve any god of his powers and quite possibly his life.

Discord hadn't wanted Ares to die by the poison. She'd wanted the pleasure of taking his life herself. She'd hurt him, but she hadn't killed him. At the last, when he was too weak to resist her she'd been too frightened of the wrath of Zeus to follow through with her plan. Instead, she'd left him to die on his own, either by the illness the poison had brought to him or by exposure to a world he had no natural defenses against.

She'd been surprised he survived, and even more surprised that he'd come for his son. How could he hope to best her? She was a god.

Ares was sure feeling the powers the earth channeled through the empath and the love he had for the healer had only served to intensify Discord's sense of betrayal and rejection from the brother she both loved and admired. She would never give up, of that he was sure. And how could he be so sure? Because he was the same way. A slight must never go unchallenged. Judging her by himself he was sure he'd find very little of his former temple still standing. She'd known he had Ambrosia, and while she had no idea where it was hidden, he knew she'd search until she found it.

Her black painted lips were pursed in concentration. She looked about at the destruction she'd spewed forth in her anger and hate. There was nothing of value left now. Nothing that is, except the Ambrosia. I know it's here somewhere, she told herself. She kicked an unoffending silver bowl out of her way. How many times have you been here looking for it?

Think, Discord. Put yourself in his shoes. If you were Ares where would you hide it? You'd want it where you could keep an eye on it. She looked around herself again. Where did he spend most of his time? She moved to the platform where his throne had always sat, that is, until she'd splintered it with a few well placed lightning bolts. Going to sit on the stone step she willed herself to concentrate.

She liked the feel of the rough stone edges of the platform and the smoothed shiny surface where the thrown had sat. Running her hand over the rough sides she stopped suddenly. Moving her hand back then forward again, a wide, evil smile curled her lips.

Ares still limped slightly, but he'd been working with his leg, using things Hercules showed him to help rebuild the damaged muscles. They made good time, and if the former god was in discomfort he gave no sign of it. The morning moved toward a warm afternoon and they stopped for a time near a tiny brook. There were trees to shade them and provide wood for the fire. Sira had brought cooked venison with them from the hut and she served it cold with hot tea to wash it down.

The once god was nervous. He couldn't seem to sit for long in one place. He hurried the others along, dousing the fire and packing their things. No one really minded. They well understood his anxiety.

They left the trail to make their way through a small village. Sira wanted one more blanket. It was warm now, but who could tell how long it would stay that way?

As they entered the stalls they were hailed by a familiar voice. "My friends. It's good to see you again. Tell me, have you changed your mind about trying my fish and chips?"

"Sorry, Falafel," the demigod smiled at him. "But I am glad to see you. I wanted to thank you for helping Nemesis."

"It was my pleasure. She needed so much. I, on the other hand, was moving on and needed little. So tell me, did you find her son?"

"Yes, he's safely returned to her."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. So, are you headed to Pirgos?"

"No. Why would we be going there?"

"I just thought... Well, with the war and all."

"War?!" The hunter had only been half listening, but the word "war" had caught his ears. "War near Pirgos?"

"I thought you would have heard," Falafel nodded. "The valley is split right down the middle. The Rinulos family on one side, the Bricos family on the other."

"But they've been at peace for nearly a hundred years. I remember Cheiron telling us about the terrible feud between the two families that had gone on for years, spanning generation after generation."

"Yes, well, it seems they are at it again." The cook shook his head. "I hear much from the travelers who buy my excellent food. There is much unrest in the land. Warlord against warlord. Army against army." He shook his head again. "It's as if someone has stirred the pot with a rancid spoon."

Hercules and Iolaus exchanged looks. "Discord," they said together.

Ares turned away and the others followed. At a stall selling blankets a man was throwing a knife at a flat piece of wood painted with circles like a target. The former god watched him for a moment. "You're very good."

"I'm the best," the man bragged.

"I'd like to challenge you on that one. Best out of five?"

"You're on, stranger."

"If I win I need a good blanket."

"And if I win?"

"You get to keep your title as the best."

The man laughed. "Very well, it's a deal." He handed the knife to Ares.

The former god hefted it in his hand for a moment, getting a feel for the weight and balance of the well made piece. "It's a finely crafted knife."

"Thank you. I made it myself."

"If you can make knives like this, why are you selling blankets?"

The man laughed good naturedly. "It's my wife and her damnable sheep. She has far too many and insists on taking their wool then making these blasted blankets. Don't get me wrong. They're fine blankets, but the selling of them doesn't leave me much time to do anything else."

Ares smiled at him. "Well, I'm glad to hear the blankets are good ones. I'll enjoy using the one I plan to win." With that he threw the knife. It hit the center of the target.

The man whistled. "Not bad. But not good enough." The blanket seller retrieved the knife, and taking careful aim threw it. It embedded itself in the very center of the wooden target, as well. With a smug look the man once again retrieved the knife and handed it handle first to the former god.

Without really aiming the dark warrior's second throw followed his first to the center of the wooden circle.

The man narrowed his eyes at Ares then made his second throw. It was just outside the center circle, but not by much. "Damn, now that might cost me. But then again, you can't hope to hit the target dead center every time."

Ares took this as a challenge, and with little effort proved the man wrong.

"Well, I'll be damned all the way to Tartarus. You're the best I've ever seen." The man chuckled. "It was a pleasure to see you work." With a good natured pat on the back for Ares he motioned to his stall of blankets. "Help yourself, my friend."

"Thank you, I will."

"What's your name so I can tell everyone who bested me?"

"Ares."

"As in the god of war?!" The man was startled.

"No, just Ares."

The man scratched at his chin a moment. "Rather a cruel thing for a mother to do to a boy, wouldn't you say?"

"The name has gotten me into trouble a time or two."

The man laughed. "Wait until I tell everybody I damn near bested Ares in knife throwing." He laughed again. "It'll almost be a shame to have to set them straight on which Ares I mean." He patted the former god on the back once again.

They left the village, and skirting a deep ravine they took up the trail they'd followed since leaving the former executioner's hut. Sira slowed her pace and dropped back to where Ares walked, his bow ready for a shot at any game that presented itself.

"You rather enjoyed that back there, did you not?"

His face broke into a wide smile. "Yes." They walked on in silence for a moment. The dark warrior broke it. "Are you keeping a part of your mind for Nemesis and Evander?"

"Of course, my brother."

"We shouldn't have left her back there alone."

"Maybe you are right."

"This whole thing stinks. If we don't find the temple by tomorrow night, I'm heading back anyway."

"And the search for the Ambrosia?"

"It'll have to wait. They may well be in danger."

"And so might you."

"Are you suggesting I leave them in danger to search, the gods only know how long, to find Ambrosia?"

"If you were a god you could better protect them and yourself."

"Then they'll have to come with me on the quest, because I refuse to leave them unprotected while I seek to find the impossible."

Sira linked her arm through his. "Now I know your depth of feeling for them. I am very proud of you, my brother."

He gave her a sideways look. "So you were just testing me. I should have known."

"You have come a long way."

They continued on into the afternoon, stopping long enough to refresh themselves at a small trickle of water gracing a mossy cliff face.

The sun was but a remembered thing when they at last stopped for the night. There was no shelter, but the night was pleasant. There was wood and water so they contented themselves with that.

Ares lowered himself to an ancient log weathered and gray with age, then stretched his leg out before him. The healer knelt beside him and began to massage muscles left tight from the hours of walking. After a moment her hands became almost unbearably hot. Hercules and Iolaus set up the camp, and when the tea was ready the hunter brought a mug to both the healer and the former god.

Ares reached to take his with a nod by way of thanks. Sira sat back on her heels and accepted the other mug of tea as the hunter made himself comfortable on the log beside Ares. "So it seems the goddess of war hasn't wasted any time."

"It was inevitable, I am afraid," the healer offered.

"Why inevitable?"

"If for no other reason than to annoy Ares."

"Well," the dark warrior offered, "if that's her game, it's working. She can gain nothing from a war between the Pirgos and Bricos families."

"Did all the wars you instigated gain you something?" Sira asked.

"Yes, or I wouldn't have started the wars in the first place. But I didn't start all the wars in the world, you know."

"But there was little to stop you from enjoying even those started by someone else."

"I refuse to defend myself. I know damned well what you're thinking. I did stop some wars, believe it or not. Others I didn't. There are many reasons why a war is fought. Some wars need fighting."

Sira smiled at him. "I am sorry, my brother. I should not bait you. But it did serve to convince me that you need to get your old job back."

"That's why we're here."

And if we do not find the Ambrosia? she asked herself. Discord must be stopped. But at what cost? At the expense of Nemesis and Evander's possible happiness? At the cost of Ares' own? And what of herself? She knew once he was the god of war again she would miss him terribly. Not that she wouldn't see him again, but he would not be here with her on the trail, fighting the good fight beside her and the others. She admitted now that had been in her mind. To be with him, helping to show him a better way; the earth's way. Ever the healer, she scolded herself.

He studied her face a moment. "Why so glum?" She shook her head. "I was also very evil at times, Sira."

"I know that. But not like the evil I felt from Discord."

"I was like that once."

"No," Sira shook her head. "Not in the time I have known you. Even at that first touch in the underground chambers at the old castle, you were not like what I have felt from your sister."

"Maybe. After the first time I lost my sword, I felt differently about things. Still, I was no saintly god."

"No. That I did not expect."

He smiled at her. "But you still find me likable?"

She smiled back. "Yes, I still find you likable."

"It must be my dashingly handsome good looks."

"Or your modesty."

Iolaus laughed. "You might as well learn now when to give in, my friend. You can't possibly get the best of her."

"I know. That's why I love her."

Sira looked up sharply. Something in the former god's voice, a quality to the timbre had caught her off guard. She searched his eyes. It was there, buried deep beneath his pain and loss. Suddenly the beauty of the early night was gone. Tears filled her eyes as he watched her.

"What, little one? What did I say to hurt you?" He leaned forward to wipe a tear from her cheek. She wiped the others away but they were right back. Ares gave the hunter a look of bewilderment.

The golden one knelt beside the healer. "What is it, Sira?"

"It is nothing. I am fine."

"Why are you crying?"

"I do not know."

He took her into his arms. "Silly little thing. You've just been over doing."

Hercules came to kneel on the other side of her. "There's food ready. Maybe she's hungry."

"I am," the girl confirmed.

"Then let's eat." The hunter rose and pulled the girl he loved into his arms. "After you do you're going to bed." Sira nodded meekly, which only concerned the hunter and the demigod all the more. It was very unlike the earth's child to be meek.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Sira," the dark warrior whispered.

"You did not." She held her hand out to him and he took it in a firm grasp. "Sometimes when I am tired my emotions get the best of me."

More often when your mind is being used by the earth for something, the demigod thought. He watched the healer for a moment. I wonder just what it is she's not telling us? He sighed. He knew his more than sister of the soul well enough to know it would do no good to inquire. She'd never confess until she was ready to do so, and somehow he knew she wasn't ready yet. He sent his mind to comfort her and to send her strength. That was something he could do with little effort and it just might help.

Sira looked up to smile at him. "Thank you, my more than brother," her mind told him.

He closed his eyes for a moment. Her mind formed the words more than brother, and yet he never failed to get a sense of her real thought. "My soul's other mate. My lover." He marveled again that these things were possible. How can I love her so completely and she love me the same? Why, when I say that, don't I feel revulsion that I've fallen in love and in lust with my brother's wife? And Iolaus was that. He'd started out as a childhood friend but become more than that long ago.

"You do him no distrust by loving me," her mind soothed him. "You flatter him. The man he loves more than a brother also loves his wife. He is glad, my soul. Please do not put restrictions on our love."

"I never could, my love. I never could."

When the meal was complete, the hunter told the healer to take to her bed. "But I wish to bathe first." She came to put her arms around him. "Will you bathe with me?"

He took her mouth with hunger. "But you need rest."

She whispered in his ear. "I need you more."

He buried his face in her hair. "I do need to bathe, myself."

She nibbled at his ear to send shivers up and down his spine. A blue-white light surrounded the lovers, filling the air and touching the others. The evidence of their love could sometimes be hard on those around them. Their need of each other was a reminder to the others of their own needs. Ares squirmed and looked away.

Iolaus took up their pack and a blanket, then hand in hand the lovers left the camp.

Ares squirmed again. The demigod chuckled. "A quick dip in the icy stream will help."

The former god looked up to see if his brother was kidding. While Hercules looked amused, Ares could see that he was quite serious about the benefits of cold water to relieve his discomfort.

"How can you be around them so much? Doesn't it sometimes get to you?"

"Yes, Ares, it does, more than you'll ever know. But not being with them is even more painful."

"What must it be like to have a woman love you with such frightening intensity?"

"It must be almost as glorifying as loving a woman as much as he loves her."

The former god nodded then rose. "I guess I need a bath."

Hercules chuckled. "I'll keep the fire going."

Morning came too soon for the child of nature. She hadn't slept well and dreaded the day that lay before them for this reason as well as others. She rose first to stir up the fire and add wood. Taking the pot with her she made a trip to the woods, stopping at the brook to fill the teapot on her way back to camp.

When she returned Ares was sitting by the fire. He looked up to smile at her. "Feeling better?"

She nodded as she set the pot of water in the coals to heat. "Did you sleep well?"

"Not really."

"I was afraid you might find the tension too much for you."

"There's so much at stake."

"I know, my brother."

"The thing is, one moment I hope with all I've got that the Ambrosia is there waiting for me. I can almost taste the exhilaration of being the god of war again. Then in the next breath I hope I never find it. Then I see myself with Evander and Nemesis."

"I know this cannot be easy for you."

"I want both, Sira. I want my godhood and the sword, but I want my son and his mother, as well."

"Then you must make both things happen."

"I can't see Nemesis even speaking to me if I'm a god again. I can't get past her defenses even as a mortal."

"She will come around. She loves you."

"I wonder. Maybe it isn't love at all."

"Trust me on this. It is love."

"Not like you and Iolaus share."

"No, not like Iolaus and I share. But a love all the same. There are many kinds of love a man and a woman can share. Each and every one of them can be rewarding and fulfilling and worth fighting for."

"Is it really possible to love more than one woman at a time?"

"Of course. I know of three that you love."

"Yourself, Xena, and Nemesis."

"Yes, and each of these loves is a good thing."

"If I stay mortal," he whispered," there will never be a time for us."

She came to stand beside him to pull his cheek against her as she petted his dark hair. "No, not as physical lovers, but the love will always be there."

"I'm not always so sure I can settle for only that."

"I know. It is not always easy, but to limit the love between us because of the physical need goes against the earth and our souls. Find your way with Nemesis. Whether you are god or man. Do it for Evander's sake, and learn to embrace the love we also share."

"I guess that is best. I don't want to give any of you up."

"No. That would not serve the earth's wishes well."

Hercules had heard their conversation. He hadn't meant to. He'd tried to close his ears to their conversation but found he couldn't. Maybe Sira was speaking to him as well. She'd told him many times that he should find a woman to care for. Would doing so take away from his love for her? He'd thought that it would, but perhaps he was wrong. She loved more than one man, but that fact diminished her love for each of them none at all. Ares was right; being around the healer and the hunter could be hard. Maybe it was possible to love more than one woman at a time. Now that he thought about it, he already did. He had deep feelings for Xena, as well. Damn! he thought. Why does life have to be so complicated?

Sira knelt before the fire to remove the pot of hot water with a forked stick. "Today we will see, my brother," she spoke to the former god. "I have sensed something out there. I believe your temple is at least still standing. What we will find there, I do not know. Try as I might, I cannot get a sense for the Ambrosia. Despite being found here on earth, I do not believe it is a part of nature."

"Maybe not. The story is it was made from something the titans found in the heavens. They thought it was beautiful, and in its raw form it is. They scattered it about the earth to bring them pleasure, never knowing what it was capable of. At least not until Zeus came along."

They left their night camp to begin the climb over the mountains that surrounded the valley where Ares' followers had built a temple to him. He'd always preferred this temple to any other that had been erected to him, or even to those he could make for himself. The ones made by man were still out there in the world. The ones he'd made with godly powers had disappeared with his godhood. The weapons of war he'd made with his powers were also gone. He wondered how many warlords were left scratching their heads over the disappearance of their weapons.

Hercules led them. Ares had always used his powers to return to his temple and wasn't sure how to find it without them. The demigod had been to the temple before. It was close to this place that he'd found Serena, and here, also, that he'd lost her. He knew she was there in the little village with her husband and daughter. He could find an excuse to visit her. No. That wouldn't be fair to her or to his memory of the woman he'd chosen to fill his loneliness at the loss of Deianeira. The Cronos stone had made changing history possible, but there was no going back now.

Sensing the demigod's thoughts, not because she tried to intrude but because he did nothing to shield them, the healer moved forward to walk beside him. "I'm sorry, my sister, I shouldn't have intruded on your thoughts."

She linked her arm through his. "Do not be foolish. It is not an intrusion to be needed by you."

The morning slipped into afternoon, and still the travelers continued on, stopping for water at a small spring but not bothering to stay to appease their hunger. Not one of them felt anything but the need to hurry. Whether it came from the former god's own nervousness or from their own desire to see this thing completed, none of them was sure. The healer passed out strips of dried and seasoned meat to them all then took a piece for herself.

The forest creature was lost in the beauty of the mountain they climbed and seemed not to notice the hours of exercise. Ares' limp had worsened, but he refused to mention the pain he felt, choosing to bury it beneath his stubbornness.

They crested the mountain ridge but couldn't see the valley below because of the thick stand of forest that clung to the gentler slope on this side of the mountain. They stopped at a small trickle of water that cascaded from a rocky outcropping to fill their flasks and rest for a moment.

Sira took a seat before the dark warrior and placed her hands on the leg he still favored. She looked up to search his eyes. She could sense his fatigue and pain.

He shook his head at her. "I can't stop. Don't worry, I'll make it."

She nodded and strengthened her mind's touch on him. She could at least take some of the pain to herself and send him energy while doing it.

The hunter joined her on the ground near the woman he loved. "I can take some of the pain if that will help."

Sira smiled at him. "You are sure?"

"I want to help."

Sira touched his mind, pulling his thoughts to her and helping him to relax. "Open your mind, my lover. Let it drift so that I may direct it. Yes, that is the way." Her mind's words soothed him as it lulled him into an entranced state. He drew a quick breath as the pain she led him to took hold of him. Helping him to back away a little from it the healer felt him relax once again.

"You must now keep a part of your mind for us. Keep your mind open and I will help you to maintain the link between the three of us."

They left the trickle of water splashing among the rocks, not concerned with the ways of gods and men, to descend a steep slide of damp earth and rock. They could have moved to either side of the drop off to avoid it, but they couldn't see an end in sight, and looking for one would only add miles to their journey. The hunter stayed close to Ares, offering him a hand over the roughest parts and the former god took the help with gratitude.

Once past the slide they broke through a screen of brush and trees to look down on a green and fertile valley nestled among the trees at the far corner of the meadow lands A stream reflecting the deep blue of the late afternoon sky showed as a silver thread curling and twisting through the middle of the valley.

Sira drew a quick breath of pleasure at the beauty of the valley. She took the former god's hand in hers. "Your home is in a beautiful place, my brother. If you had told me how beautiful, I might have followed you here to see it."

"I've always liked this temple more than the others." He tugged on her hand to stop her. "Is it still there?"

"It is. I sense the inside has not faired as well as the outside, but the temple still shines in the sun."

"Show it to me." She closed her eyes as she strengthened her touch on his thoughts. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opening them his breath caught in his throat. He'd been sure there would be nothing left of the temple he'd spent nearly a millennium in.

Who would have thought I could be so sentimental about a pile of stones? he scolded himself, feeling foolish at the emotions he couldn't seem to control.

The healer's mind soothed his. "It is your home. There is nothing foolish about needing it, especially now when you have lost so much. It will be here for you should you need it. That is enough to call to anyone." He turned to look at her, a pleading look on his face. "It is all right, my brother. I sense your fear to go further. But you are not alone in this. You are with family. We will face this together." She tugged on his hand and he started forward. They still had a way to go to reach the temple, itself.

Sira touched the minds of the demigod and the hunter so that they might also see the temple. "It's still there," the half god stated.

Ares shook his head. "Only a god trained in how to see through a godly shield should be able to see it. How do you do this, Sira?"

"I see with my mind's eye. There is a field of manipulation around the temple that deceives us into seeing something that is not there. In this case we see only the open meadow. But sensing the manipulation I look past it, willing my mind to look beyond what my eyes say is there. Then I simply give your minds direction. Knowing what you are supposed to see, your minds will allow you to see it."

The light was almost gone before they reached the entrance to the temple. Ares hesitated on the threshold. Sensing his anxiety the demigod went before him.

After a moment he returned. Ares searched his eyes. "It's a mess in there," his brother answered honestly. "If you tell me where to look I'll go for the Ambrosia."

"No. I have to do this for myself."

Sira took his arm. "But not alone. We will come with you."

He looked from the healer to the demigod, then the hunter. "Come on, Brother," the hunter smiled at him. "We're all in this together."

The former god was startled by the address the hunter had used in speaking with him, but he admitted he was also moved by the acknowledgment of the tie of soul the healer swore was stronger than that of a blood tie.

With a deep breath the dark one entered the hall that led to the temple's main room. He stood just inside the large central room looking about him at the destruction his sister's hate had unleashed.

His swords were gone. The swords he'd crafted himself without godly powers. She must have carried them away with her, knowing how much he would miss them. The throne of skulls he'd never really used but had been proud of was smashed beyond repair. Light filtered in through the openings that had been covered with thin transparent sheets of papyrus but now were open to the elements. The coverings had been sliced with a knife and hung now in tatters that moved slightly with the evening breeze. His throne was also smashed. The splinters and torn leather were strewn about the raised stone platform where it had always stood to welcome him.

He moved slowly into the room, making a path in the rubble on the floor with a leather clad boot. Sira looked to the hunter and he moved to take her hand.

Ares stopped before the raised stone platform in the center of the room. Its edges had been broken off and left in their natural state, but the top of the dais was smoothed to a high shiny black surface speckled with gray and silver crystalline rock.

Now that he was here he dreaded what he might or might not find in the hidden compartment concealed in the rough side of the stone platform. With a hand that shook slightly he ran his fingers along the edge to find the crack that couldn't be seen, only felt. Taking a deep breath for courage he slowly slid the compartment open.

The hunter, still linked with the former god gasped and reached out to the demigod to steady himself. The emotions that assailed him were raw and bleeding. Tears slid down the healer's cheeks and she moved to stand beside the former god, now man, who held a place in her heart and her soul.

She reached to touch him.

"Don't, Sira. I can't take it right now." His voice was harsh and raspy.

"You are not alone." He threw his head back, his eyes closed tightly. "Come away, my brother." She reached to take his arm but he jerked it away from her.

"No! Leave me." Sira stayed where she was but she made no more effort to touch him. "Just leave me here. Go help Nemesis and Evander." Still the girl stayed where she was. "I said go away!"

"I cannot do that."

He rose in a swift moment, all the anger that shook him now in his movement. His hand was drawn back to strike her. She looked him in the eyes, not moving. Hercules started forward but the hunter pulled him back. Slowly the former god lowered his hand, his own eyes searching those of the woman he called sister but loved like a man should love a woman. He reached out gently to wipe the tears from her cheek. "I'll be fine, Sister. Leave me here to deal with this in my own way."

"I cannot."

"I'll be no good to anyone now. Not until I saw this for myself did I know the depth of my despair. I can't live as a man. There's nothing for me out there. Nothing. I have no skills to survive. I have no talents beyond those of war, and you've taken that desire from me."

"I will not leave you here to face this alone. It would tear my heart to shreds. There is no hurry to find a place for yourself. There is time. Come with us. Together we will return to Nemesis and your son, and together we will find a way to turn this to our advantage."

"I'll be safe here. I can hunt to eat. Cleaning this place up will keep me busy for a time."

"I cannot go. If you care at all for me, then put your pain aside and make me and the others a part of this."

"I love you, Sira. Not like a man loves his sister. Not like I've ever loved anyone before. Which," he caressed her cheek, "is all the more reason I can't have you here seeing me like this."

"I see only a man who has lost his way and needs direction."

He turned away from her. Going to his knees beside the opening to the hidden chamber where his hopes had been and now were gone, he screamed. The sound filled the air with its pain and anguish, and the healer's own scream at the raw emotions that bombarded her followed so closely on his that the sound became one. The hunter doubled over. The demigod grabbed for him to lower him gently to the floor.

The child of the forest knelt beside her brother of the soul, reaching blindly for him. His free hand snatched at her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Unsure what to do the half god pulled the hunter to the others then sat on the stone floor beside them. The four of them were linked physically as well as mentally. Never before had Hercules felt the depth of his brother's pain and loneliness. It met a kindred flicker of compassion from the half god at his own loneliness at growing up different than others and at the desertion of his father. Now he understood that Zeus had been no better a father to his only legitimate offspring than he'd been to his bastard son conceived with a mortal woman.

He understood for the first time that the hate he'd always felt from Ares had come from jealousy more than any other emotion. He could see why the god of war had taken his duties so seriously and why he'd deliberately fostered his "bad boy" image. Now he also felt his brother's depth of emotion for the healer, and for his son and his son's mother.

Slowly the former god began to back away from his emotions. The gentle persuasion of the healer helped him. The hunter sat up but maintained the physical touch with the others. The healer kept her mind on the once god's, refusing to let go of him lest he fall once again into the depth of despair she felt from him. Sensing his emotions just as he went to his knees she'd thrown her mind out to grab onto his thoughts and steer them away from what she'd felt there. From what he'd been ready to do she would never fully recover. Not with her mind so closely linked with his. Not with his soul a part of hers. She'd also feared for the golden one. He, too, was linked closely with the once god, still taking some of the pain from Ares' injured leg to himself. He, too, would have been affected by the act the former god had given serious thought to.

The healer reached to the former god's hand and gently removed the knife he'd pulled just as her mind captured his. He gave it to her willingly.

"Not that way, my brother. Not the coward's way out for the world's greatest warrior."

He shook his head. "Not any longer."

"Yes, my brother. You are still the warrior. You are still needed here on my mother. You forget, we have a god to stop."

"What good will I be in that?"

"There will be a way, my brother. The earth has shown me that. There will be a way; you must wait for her to lead you there."

"I don't worship the same god you do, little one."

"Yes, you do. That is why the temple you love so much is in such beauty. It is the place your home sits that makes it special to you. You are a part of the earth whether you want to admit it or not. That is also why we are so close."

The girl reached out to run her hand around the stone drawer where the Ambrosia had once lain. She could get no sense for the fruit of the gods. She wished it were otherwise so she could leave the temple now, using her mind to find the substance that would make her brother a god once more. But it was not to be so easy. No matter, she told herself. The earth will find the way.

"Come away with us."

"Where? Where can I go that I'd be welcomed?"

"Back to the hut where your son waits for you. Then where from there, we will see."

"I won't be welcome there."

"Wait and see. But if not, then come to Corinth with us. I think King Iphicles and you will find a liking for each other. I sense what you are thinking. I am not saying it is a permanent solution, only a way to find your place here among mortals. You have too much to live for to throw it all away."

"What? What do I have to live for?"

"A son who has only just found the father he has missed all this time. What legacy will you leave him if you give up? He will have a hard enough time growing up as half a god without also growing up with the knowledge that his father could not take the rough with the smooth. Knowing that his father did not love him enough to be there for him. Do you want your son to grow up without a father's love as you have had to do?"

"There were times I hated my father for what he did to me."

"Is that what you want for Evander?"

"No, it isn't. No! I want to be a father to him."

"Then come back with us and fight for that right."

The former god turned to his half brother.

"She's right, Brother," the demigod nodded. "Come back with us. Evander won't find his differences easy to live with. Believe me, I know. Your love can help him with this. Besides, we're only now getting to know each other. I think I'd like to pursue things a little further."

Ares nodded. "Let's get out of here. Seeing it like this is too much." He rose and pulled the healer to her feet, then offered a hand to the hunter. "Sorry, Iolaus. I'd forgotten we were linked."

"It's all right," he smiled at the dark warrior. "Come on."

He started for the entrance to the temple and the others followed. Seeing how badly Ares limped the demigod put an arm around him, letting his brother lean on him for support.

The air inside the temple had been stifling despite the air that circulated through the open windows. The air outside the temple was cold and crisp, smelling of the late summer grass. The moon was full, shedding a silver brilliance to the valley.

"It really is beautiful here," Ares whispered. "Nights like these were my favorite. The moon on the stream makes it shine with an almost phosphorescent glow. It lends an eerieness to the night that appeals to me."

The empath smiled. "It will be here when you are ready to come back."

They recovered their gear then headed back toward the mountains. It was darker under the trees but the healer led them using her mind and her keen night vision to search out a trail. She knew going up the slide they'd descended to reach the valley would be difficult in the daylight. At night it would be impossible. With the direction born of her tie with the earth around her she found a game trail that led around the slide.

They kept going until they reached the water where they'd filled their flasks earlier in the day. Here the healer stopped. They'd eaten nothing of substance since morning, and she felt the weakness born of hunger. She led the demigod to a source of wood in the darkness under a stand of trees. When the fire was going it was the empath that started water to heat to make a stew of dried meat and beans she'd brought with them from the hut. With tea to warm them already made she took a seat beside the former god and began to heal his leg, leaving the hunter to tend the stew. Hercules brought in more wood then joined in the healing of his half brother.

It was past midnight before the healer halted the healing and they could eat. The child of the forest almost fell asleep in her bowl of the stew spiced with things the hunter found in the girl's pack. The hunter helped her finish then helped her lay down near the fire. Laying beside her he took her into his arms. Almost at once he felt her jerk as sleep claimed her.

The healer woke with the sun in her eyes. She didn't move, taking time to be sure she was well. She sensed the churning of her deeper emotions, but she was rested. She turned her head slightly to watch the forest around them. She could smell the earth around her and smiled. How different her life was from what she'd been born to. Still, she admitted she wouldn't want it any different.

She turned back to the hunter to find him watching her. At the look on his face she smiled. "What, my love?"

"I was just watching the pleasure on your face as you looked around you."

"It is beautiful here, but I was really thinking about our forest. No matter how many others we visit, it is still the best. I will always think of it as home."

"Do you miss it terribly? We could go back for a bit before we have to go to Corinth."

"The longing for our home is not a painful thing as yet. Not like when I first left the forest. But when we do return it will be good."

"I was kind of hoping we could spend a little time at the yosemin village with Hercus. I know you said you didn't really want to go there, but seeing our son would be good."

"No, I think the time has come. I cannot run from what I have become forever. We both wanted the yosemin life for our son as much as he wanted it. I think we should go." She sighed. "Our son has become what we wanted him to be. As a half yosemin he is more an earth's child than I am."

"I'm sorry, Sira," he whispered.

"No, my love. You have nothing to be sorry for. Can you imagine me returning to the quiet, secluded life of an apprentice healer?" She laughed and shook her head. "No, I would not give up this life. There is too much joy to be found in the world for me to ever wish to hide away in the healer's hall."

He smiled at her. "We've had some good times."

"I thank your gods and mine for bringing you into my life."

"Me, or the adventure?"

"Both, my lover, both."

"And to think I tried to turn you into a farmer's wife."

She laughed. "Come with me to the woods."

"Why?"

"So I can make love to you."

"It's cold out there."

"I will keep you warm."

"Promise?"

She slipped her hands to below his belt. "I promise."

He rose, pulling her and a blanket with him. "I'll hold you to your word."

"I will hold something also," she teased, and he laughed.

It was the healer who found a place for them. Among tall pines and heavy ferns she led the hunter to a grassy area fed light through a small break in the tree tops. She bent to spread the blanket over the grass, but before she could rise his hand caressed her pants clad buttocks.

"I love to see you working in these pants."

"I thought you liked me out of them."

She turned to melt into his arms. His lips on hers set her on fire. His tongue teased and excited her.

His hands went to the laces of her pants and pulled them loose with no trouble. Sliding the pants out of his way his hand slid under her woven moss garment to caress her. She drew a quick breath. His tongue seared her skin as he ran it along the cord from her ear to her collar bone. She put her head back to expose more of her flesh to his caresses.

He loosened her top and helped her remove it. Slowly he began to unlace her camisole. Cupping her breasts in his hands through the soft pale green cloth he took her mouth again.

Her kiss was demanding. Her hands fought to loosen his own lacings. His hands slid from her breasts to below her waist once again and she moaned.

He kissed the soft, white swell of each breast then ran his tongue between them to her ribs. Kneeling before her he kissed her abdomen, pulling her trousers further out of his way.

In a quick fluid movement she tossed her camisole aside. Her naked flesh seemed to shine in the sunlight that pooled in a circle around her.

Slowly he began to pull her undergarments over her hips. The fabric on her sensitized flesh sent shivers up and down her spine and she began to tremble. His tongue on her flesh made her whimper.

Taking her hands he pulled her down on the blanket. His eyes caressed her as they took in her nakedness. She could read desire in their deep blue depths that only intensified her own need of him.

He kissed each knee, trailing the kisses higher. Hovering above her he kissed each breast, caressing her with his hands and with his mind. His thoughts pulled hers to him then wrapped them around his own to form a bond of physical and mental desire.

His tongue on her inner thigh made her arch her back. She felt as if she must surely go mad. She was lost in a trance of physical feelings that seemed mirrored in her sensitive mind, as if the physical and mental were one.

Her cry of pleasure at the release of her need made him close his eyes with longing and he quickly removed his boots then his trousers. She watched every move he made, drawing a quick breath at his nakedness.

Returning to her he took her gently, letting her set the pace and rhythm. Her hips moved in a circular motion that drove him mad. When she would have sped their lovemaking to an end he made her slow down, not wanting the feelings to end so quickly; hoping they could join in the ultimate show of their love and desire for each other which had only grown over the years, rather than diminishing.

When at last he could wait no longer he again let her set the pace. She whimpered with each move her hips made. As his release came he called her name, letting his mind fall in on hers, and her own cry of release joined his to echo down the canyon.

Tears stained her cheeks and she pulled him down on her to hold his trembling body tightly against hers. She was entranced, her mind deeply embedded in his own. It was the hunter that helped her build the barriers needed to leave her trance behind.

As she left the trance she began to tremble. "Do not end it yet," she begged.

Not sure how she did it she helped him to fulfill her whispered plea and again they found release together. And when they had they both slept, not caring that they were exposed to the elements around them.

The demigod, searching for wood lifted the fronds of a fern to see the lovers sleeping, cradled in each other's arms. He looked away then looked back. There was something primitive and beautiful in their nakedness, and their closeness that touched his heart. The healer's golden mane surrounded them in shimmering paleness, adding to their untamed look. The sun shone down on them, as if to spotlight them.

He lowered the fern frond and moved quietly away to find wood for the fire elsewhere. He felt almost lightheaded by what he'd seen and what he'd felt in the air around the lovers. It sent a shaft of loneliness through him that took his breath away. Reaching out to steady himself with a hand on a tree trunk he gulped for air. It had been a long time since he felt this sickening depth of pain and loss. Then as quickly as it had come, it was soothed away by the healer's mind on his.

He felt her love rush in to fill the emptiness, and tears blurred his eyes. He knew she still slept, and yet her mind had felt his need and rushed to meet it. He knew he was ready to let his heart seek another, but he also knew he would never willingly give up what he'd just felt from the empath. He could never close his mind to that again. If there was a woman out there for him who could touch his heart and meet his physical needs, she must understand his love and need for Sira and her touch on his mind.

The earth's daughter had asked him not to limit their love for each other because of physical needs, and he'd said he could not. Now he knew how true that had been. Whether it was right or wrong to love his more than brother's wife, he was still confused about. By human moral standards it surely was. But by the earth's own guidance he'd found this love for her and knew the yosemin people felt much differently about such things. Whether right or wrong, there was damn little he could do about it now. He realized with a rush that left him nauseated, he'd let all his defenses down. All the defenses he'd built to shield himself from the loneliness of growing up without a father. His loneliness at the losses in his life. He no longer had a defense against the emotions that he knew could and would overwhelm him. He left his defenses behind to open his mind, his heart, and his soul to the empath. He depended on her to save him from the pain, and she had willingly given that part of herself to him in love and the bond of the soul.

He understood now that she had done the same for the hunter, and now for Ares. Three men who loved her and whom she loved bound together in soul by the earth, herself.

"Help me, my mother." He went to his knees to place his hands on the soil as he'd seen her do. "Help me find my way."

A feeling of peace washed over him to soothe and comfort him. His guilt at his feelings for the empath began to fade. His physical longing brought on at seeing her as he had, began to subside. His worry about what being so tightly bonded to his half brother might mean took its proper place in his mind. His deep feelings for the golden hunter which had moments ago seemed twisted, were put in the proper place in his heart and soul. The tremors of nausea left him to be replaced by a sense of peace.

He felt something on his hand and opened his eyes to see the colorful moth the earth had sent to give him a physical feel of her love. He stayed still, liking the feel of the earth on the back of his hand.

"Thank you," he whispered.

The moth moved on, not frightened by the half god, half man the earth had sent him to comfort, but simply to go about a moth's business. With a lighter heart the demigod rose and continued his search for wood.

It was turning colder as the morning progressed rather than warming. Dark clouds hugged the mountain top they must cross to reach the hut where a mother and son awaited them. A teasing breeze blew his hair into his eyes and he smiled. He found a pleasure in the touch of the cold wind on his face. I'm getting as bad as Sira, he decided. Then with a laugh at his own foolishness he returned to camp, his arms loaded with wood.

The former god handed him a mug of tea. "Where are Sira and Iolaus? Did you find them?"

"I found them."

"Well, are they coming, or are we staying here all day?"

"Make yourself comfortable, big brother. I don't think we'll be going anywhere today."

"What are they doing?" The demigod raised his eyebrows but didn't answer. "Oh. I should have known."

Hercules laughed. Reaching for the teapot he filled his own mug then offered to fill the once god's, as well. "More tea?"

"Might as well. We may be here a long time." The brothers exchanged looks then they both laughed.

When the hunter and the healer returned to camp they brought several rabbits the hunter had caught in his snares. Sira took them from the golden one and handed them to Ares.

"It is time you learned how to skin a rabbit. It is something you will need to know to survive."

He looked skeptical but followed her to the edge of the stand of trees. She showed him what to do then stood watching him as he tried to follow her lead. He turned slightly green when it came to gutting the little furry creatures, but he stuck grimly to the gory task.

They spent the day resting. The empath healed the former god's leg, massaging the muscles with a firm hand as her mind touched his with healing. Her earthly powers had sealed and mended the torn ligaments and tendons, but they remained weak and easily fatigued. The healer knew in time the muscles would again regain their strength if she were allowed to continue the healings. If she'd been free to do a transfer with him, his leg would be well now. But since he'd not wanted the transfer and she'd needed to be free so that they could return the little demigod to his mother, the healing of the leg must take longer.

The fact that the once god had no defenses against physical illness or injury in his sudden thrust into mortality also slowed the healing process, as did his insistence on using the leg long after it had begun to swell and cause him real pain once more.

The evening brought heavy clouds to the sky that brought night to the travelers sooner than expected. There was no shelter here among the trees, but they chose to stay anyway, hoping to beat out the rain the forest child said would come.

It began to mist during the night which brought a chill to the sleepers. But other than interfering with their sleep, the rain wasn't really a problem. The morning was cold and tiresome. The fire stubbornly refused to burn well in the damp air with only damp wood to fuel it.

Their blankets were wet, which made packing them a chore. While the others sighed in exasperation or grumbled in complaint the nature child seemed in contrast to draw strength from the heavy moisture laden air she drew willingly into her lungs.

They left their camp to make a start for the summit of the mountain they'd crossed to reach the valley and Ares' temple. The morning turned even colder and the others donned their cloaks. Not Sira. She seemed not to notice the chill in the air that made a white vapor of her breath.

They traveled slowly, since the former god's leg was stiff and painful once again. The demigod was concerned. If nightfall found them in the high country the cold would really be a problem. They trudged on, moving higher and higher, and now the misty rain turned to snow.

The half god was slightly in the lead but he turned to wait for the others. "We've got to get over the summit and make a start to lower ground before nightfall. If we don't we'll be in for one cold miserable night."

Sira took some of the former god's pain to her then sent some energy borrowed from the demigod to him and they picked up the pace.

Near the summit the world around them was frozen and white. The snow stopped, but rather than warming the late morning it seemed to make the cold even more penetrating.

Ares watched the yosemin walking barefoot on the frozen ground, no cloak to warm her, and shook his head. "How can you walk on this frozen ground with bare feet?"

Sira laughed. "It is so lovely here I had not noticed the cold."

"What is so lovely about snow and ice and being so damn cold your lungs hurt with each breath?"

"Look how the frost has formed around this rock. See how the mist clings to the mountain? We are walking in a cloud. We have ascended into the heavens. How can you not feel the wonder and beauty in these things?"

"You really do take pleasure in these small things, don't you?"

"Yes. But you have found pleasure in small things. You take pleasure in a battle. A physical one or one of wits. I saw the pleasure on your face when you watched Evander at play. I saw the same look when you beat the blanket salesman in knife throwing."

He nodded. "Perhaps." There was a sadness about the single word.

Sira linked her arm through his. "It will be so again, my brother. When your grief has aged and mellowed."

He said nothing. Still, the healer felt his mind on hers and knew he drew comfort from her understanding of his pain.

It was past midday before they made it over the ridge and started down the other side of the mountain. They finished the last of the roasted rabbit as they walked, not wanting to stop and risk being trapped for the night in the frozen world they now traversed.

The demigod put an arm around his brother to lend support and they kept moving. The snow had collected heavily in some areas and they were forced to find a way around it. It was too soft to walk through without sinking, and in the deep drifts it was impossible to know what hazards might lie beneath the smooth white surface.

It was late before they found a place to stop for the night. Their camp was by a river, its water turned white as it rushed down the mountain. Great granite boulders stuck their heads from the water as if in godly superiority, but the water simply ignored their rule and rushed on past to drop from a high rocky cliff in a shimmering crystal waterfall before once again taking to a rocky riverbank to continue its journey through the valley.

There was a shelf cut deep into a cliff face that offered partial shelter. With the fire built against a huge boulder conveniently placed by the hand of nature, the heat would be reflected back into the shelter to warm it even more. Trees felled in some long ago storm provided fuel for the fire; the river gave them water.

Ares went painfully to the ground, a rock at his back for support. He rubbed at his injured leg, a grimace on his face. Sira joined him and sent her mind to heal and comfort. She was fully aware that the former god's leg was worse as much from his emotional state as the physical state of the leg itself.

The mind could make a well body ill with its emotions, and any healing involved the healing of the mind as well as the injury.

Ares opened his mind willingly to the healer, pulling her offered love to him and surrounding himself with it like he might draw his cloak closer to warm his body. His despair ran deep, clouding his thinking and robbing him of the will to heal.

"Your mind grows strong in the powers of the earth, my brother. I am proud of you."

"And like the earth's children, I suppose I'll become a farmer, next."

He felt the humor in the empath. "No, I do not think you would make a good farmer. But perhaps a hunter of the village."

"So long as I don't have to skin what I kill."

"No, the women do that most of the time."

"Good."

Her mind caressed his with her thoughts and he began to relax. When the fire was ready the former god and the empath moved closer to it for warmth. The demigod continued to gather wood while the hunter started a meal.

They were still high up on the mountain and they knew the night would be cold and damp. A fire was their only real protection from the numbing, frost laden air.

The rain and mist had stopped for the time being at least, and the shelter of the cut in the cliff helped hold the heat around them. The warm food and hot tea did much to dispel the lethargic stupor the cold of the last few hours of travel had put them in. Still, they took to their beds early, sleeping close to the fire and to each other for warmth.

The world was still wrapped in a velvety black when the healer woke. She reached from under her blanket to put a couple of small branches on the fire. They'd all taken turns keeping the fire going. The demigod and the hunter had left their beds when needed to bring more wood close to hand where they could add it to the fire without leaving the warmth of their beds.

When the fire flared up the healer put more wood on then rose. With a blanket around her shoulders she broke the ice from the water in the pot and set it in the coals to heat. She could see her breath as a white vapor. The smoke of the fire clung to the ground under the weight of the cold damp air.

Putting still more wood on the fire she dug her moccasins from her pack and put them on, then traded the blanket around her shoulders for her cloak. As she worked she realized the demigod was watching her from his blankets.

She went to her knees beside him. "Morning, lay a bed."

"I'm not getting up. You know it's cold when my little yosemin sister puts shoes on."

She laughed at him then returned to the fire to remove the boiling water. She added the tea leaves, putting in a few more to darken the water and make the tea strong. She'd used water from the water skin to start another pot of water to boil, but it wasn't yet ready.

Pulling the cloak more securely around her she made a trip to the woods. Frost crunched beneath her suede covered feet and clung to the trees and bushes. The sky had cleared and the healer could see the last of the stars still stubbornly clinging to their hold in the charcoal gray sky. Looking to the east she could see a dingy yellow streak that promised the coming of the sun. It was still dark under the trees and she used her mind more than her eyes to find a secluded place for herself.

When she returned to camp she brought an armload of wood with her. Putting it near the fire she put more wood in the flames. The water was now boiling so she added the last of the grain they'd brought from the supplies Falafel had so generously given to Nemesis.

She took a mug of tea to her more than brother of the soul. He sat up to put the cloak he'd put over his blanket to cover him during the night on first then pulled the blankets tightly around him, before taking the offered tea. He wrapped his hands around the mug, enjoying the warmth of the dark brown brew through the pottery sides of the mug.

"I'll be glad when we hit the valley. It should be warmer there, anyway."

The healer looked around her. "I shall miss the mountains."

"Not me. I froze last night."

"I was not cold during the night, but it is cold this morning."

"Yeah, well, not all of us have a partner to warm our beds at night."

She gave him a mischievous smile. "You could have shared our bed. It would not be the first time."

His eyebrows shot up under his shaggy mane. "That could be taken wrong."

She laughed. "Only if you have a dirty mind."

"Some people do, you know. Can you imagine the stir if the four of us were caught sleeping all tightly wrapped together?"

The empath laughed again. "I guess it would not exactly be considered conventional, would it?"

Now the half god laughed. "No, I don't think it could be called that."

The healer stirred the cooking grain then set the pot off the flames. She dug their plates from the pack then set out wooden spoons and the honey.

"So, are you ever going to leave your bed?" the girl asked of the demigod.

"No. Not until summer."

She laughed and handed him a bowl of the cooked grain sweetened with honey then refilled his mug of tea. "Well, I am not going to wait on you that long."

"Damn."

Shaking her head she woke the hunter. "The first meal of the day is ready, my sleepy lover."

"What? Already? I just went to sleep." He snuggled deeper into the blankets. "Damn, it's cold."

"There is tea ready to help warm you."

"I don't want that until I make a trip to the woods, and it's too damned cold to do that."

"I could come with you and keep you warm."

"Now I like that idea."

Sira offered him a hand. "Come on, then."

He took her hand and rose, pulling his cloak over his shoulders as he did. Before she could get away he pulled the healer into his arms to hug her tightly. "Have that tea ready when I get back."

"I thought I was coming with you."

"I was only kidding. It's too cold to be dallying about out there."

"Chicken."

"I admit it. But I'd rather be thought of as a chicken than be frozen. When we reach the valley, I'll be all yours."

She laughed. "I may not care by then."

"Fine, there are other maids out there just wasting away for want of a golden hunter to warm their beds."

"You are such a dreamer."

He laughed as he made a dash to the woods.

"Don't worry, Sira," the demigod assured her. "I'll be here for you."

The girl nodded. "I guess I could do worse." She pretended to be serious.

"Oh, thanks."

They made the valley floor by midday. The morning had warmed enough that they'd removed their cloaks. Following the river they'd camped by, they stopped to break their fast on the last of the dried meat. The empath removed her moccasins, packing them away in her pack.

She sent her mind to Nemesis. She'd kept her mind on the former executioner and knew all was well. Now she hoped to reassure her that they would be arriving the next day.

She also sent her mind to her chosen father. His response was swift and welcoming. She stayed long in her communication with him then directed her mind to her son. In this she called to the hunter and the demigod so that they might also get a feel of the boy through their tie of soul and mind. She asked Ares to join them as well, but he shook his head.

The healer sensed his reluctance. He didn't feel comfortable yet, being included in her family. She realized he was also afraid that his mind's touch would not be welcomed by the boy. Sira knew this was not the case, but she didn't insist. As a god the dark one had never worried about how he might be perceived or welcomed. Now, however, he was apprehensive about his reception.

Pain and loss of any kind could and would leave its victim vulnerable. It was worse for the former god because he was so unused to emotions of any kind, let alone feelings of inadequacy. Vulnerability and inadequacy were not things gods needed to fear. But mortals had these fears, and now for the first time Ares had them also.

Hercus knew that his uncle of the soul, Ares, had lost his godhood. He'd felt sympathy for the former god, and he would have welcomed the touch of the dark warrior's mind on his. But Ares didn't know this.

They left their place of nooning, turning away from the river now to shorten their journey back to the hut hidden in the grove of trees. The rain had left the ground muddy, but by staying to high ground they were able to keep going. They traveled into the early evening before stopping in a small grove of trees for the night. There was no water here, but the water skin and their flasks were full. There was partial shelter under the trees and plenty of wood for their fire.

Ares had taken a wild turkey during the early afternoon. Sira heated water to scald the bird before plucking the feathers. She was looking forward to the rewards of the earth. She was hungry, and she knew the bird would taste good roasted over the fire.

In a secluded brush covered dip along the trail where she'd gone for privacy she'd found several roots not yet affected by the early frosts. These she would boil since they were getting old and a bit tough, but she knew with a bit of salt they would add much to the meal.

She'd left some of her own worry and concern for the former executioner of the gods and her son behind after using her mind to speak with Thysis. Now that she'd made the decision to visit the yosemin village where her chosen father and her son had been so welcomed she found she looked forward to it with a mixture of dread and excitement.

Darkness descended slowly over the blue domed sky, giving those who cared to look a brilliant orange and red sunset to please their senses. The child of nature stood away from camp, just past the grove of trees to enjoy the scene before her, painted with a master's hand.

The hunter came to join her, his arms around her as he stood behind her. No words passed between them but much was said, and as the last of the light faded they walked hand and hand out past the ridge they'd made their camp on and onto a secluded gathering of brush and small trees.

It was much later before they rejoined their companions near the fire. The cold had driven them to seek the comfort of the fire and their blankets. The hunter built up the fire before joining the feral wilderness creature who had captured his heart and soul so completely.

The onetime god was the first to rise. The cold left a nagging discomfort deep in the muscles of his injured leg that forced him to leave his blankets in an attempt to dispel the physical pain as well as the mental one caused by the constant reminder of his mortality.

He built up the fire then filled the pot with water to heat for tea. He felt the need of the stimulation Tassis root tea could give him.

Today they would arrive at the hut of his former lover, and the mother of his son. Apprehension burned deep inside him at the prospect. The one thing that kept him going now was the hope that he might be allowed to get to know Evander. Without that, there was nothing to make living his mortal life worthwhile. He loved Nemesis also, in his own way. She roused his protective instincts just as Serena had. There was something about their vulnerability that touched his heart. His feelings for the warrior princess also ran deep, but not because he wished to protect her as much as because she had so much of him inside of her. They'd made a good team at one time.

Then there was Sira. Here his mind became muddled. He knew he would never have a chance with her now, and the realization tore at him with knife sharp jagged shafts of pain. If he could ever have truly loved another being beyond all other human and godly things, that person would have been the earth's chosen one.

But like his godhood, she was lost to him. Ripped from him in violence and hate. With nothing or no one to hold his emotions together and nothing left to give him hope, why even try going on? What he'd attempted to do in his temple when he knew there would be no easy return to godhood still nagged at his mind as an end to the prospect of a life filled with loneliness and regret.

The healer left her bed. Going to stand before the former god where he sat on a log near the fire she pulled his cheek against her hip. Petting his hair she said nothing, letting her mind lead her in soothing him with love.

"The pain eases, my brother. I know of grief. You are right, it will never go away. But it does ease. You have not lost me, Ares. With each day that passes, we grow closer. Perhaps we will never share a bed together as lovers, but we will still share our love."

"I don't know if that is enough!" his mind shouted.

"Please, my brother. I cannot live without you. We have bonded too deeply now. My heart would shatter if you were to take the earth's most precious gift and throw it away."

He rose to pull her into his arms. His lips sought hers and she gave them willingly. His kiss became demanding and she parted her lips in invitation. Then the kiss changed to one of tenderness. After a moment he pulled away from her to pull her tightly into his arms.

"I'm sorry."

"No. Do not be sorry. That would spoil the love we share. You have done nothing wrong. Desiring me is not wrong. Our tie of the soul makes it a natural part of the feelings we have for each other."

"I can't give you up, Sira. I was willing to wait for you, when there was a chance we would be together. But now�" He didn't complete his declaration.

"Now we will love each other still. There can never be a physical joining of that love, but the love will only grow stronger because of this. Look past your physical needs. See what lies beyond. If you end your life, then you will miss out on the hours, days, weeks, months and years of our love."

"Would it really be like that? The love always there, never ending?"

"Yes, my brother. It has been so with us since the first, has it not?"

"Even before I touched you that first time I felt your energy in the air more than once. Even that had made me love you, but I didn't know what it was I felt for you. It wasn't until you opened my heart and my eyes to the other side of me that I knew I couldn't live without you."

"And you do not have to, even now. Even if we were parted, the love would still be there, warming and soothing us."

"Is that what it means to have a family?"

"Yes, my brother, that is what it means to have a family."

"How are Iolaus and Hercules going to feel about all of this?"

"I do not know, Ares. They know I care for you and would never turn my back on you. I think they are smart enough to know that I will insist on staying close to you until your emotions have had time to heal."

He tightened his arms around her. "You promise this will get easier?"

"I promise."

He nodded. "Then we'll try it your way for a bit and see what happens."

"And if Nemesis still refuses to let you near Evander?"

"I guess I'll find a way to live with that, as well."

"Now you sound more like the Ares I have come to love." She pulled away from him so she could see his face. Satisfied with what she read there she smiled. "Now, my brother, while we are so closely linked let me heal you. Our closeness will add much to the working of the earth between us."

He stretched out on his blankets once more and the empath took a seat beside him. Closing her eyes she placed her hand on the injured leg. He jumped at the intensity of the energy she hit him with.

"Easy there, little healer."

"Sorry. I knew the healing power was strong in me right now. That is why I wanted this time to use it on your behalf."

"Well, if kissing you helps build your healing energy, I guess I'll just have to try it every time you heal me."

"Then I will have to heal you more often."

He chuckled. "Liked the kiss, did ya?"

"You are a very good kisser, my brother."

"Then maybe there really is something to live for?"

She laughed.

They left the grove of trees to follow the ridge to the south. It took them in the general direction they wanted to go and kept the mud to a minimum.

They found a spring of water and filled the water skin and their flasks before moving on. The once god moved with more ease since the healing and they made good time.

They stopped just after midday in the shade of a giant tree, but they didn't stay long. Ahead of them lay the sanctuary of the tiny hut, and they wished to reach it before the shadows grew too long.

The old yellow dog rose from the door step to great them with a wag of its tail. Evander, sensing something came to the door. With a whoop of joy he ran to his father and into the dark warrior's waiting arms.

"I missed you, Father."

"I missed you too, son."

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

The former god looked up to watch the play of emotions on the boy's mother's face. "No, Evander, I didn't."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you. That means a lot."

"Now can we go looking for more pebbles?"

"Tomorrow, we will."

The boy kissed his father's darkly bristled cheek then held his arms out to the demigod. Ares handed him over with a tolerant smile then turned back to the former goddess.

"I hope it was all right to promise him that."

The girl hesitated. "Yes, it was all right. He's been asking about you."

"What did you tell him?"

"I didn't know what to tell him. I didn't know if you'd return, or not."

"I said I would."

"I don't always trust what you say."

He nodded. "I guess I deserved that."

"I sensed from Sira that you were close so I started a meal. Come in and rest until it's ready."

The healer had gotten her hug from Evander and now the golden hunter took the boy to toss him over his shoulder and carry him into the house where he tossed him on the bed and proceeded to tickle him. The boy squealed with delight and they all laughed.

Sira took the former executioner's hand. "You have fared well in our absence?"

"Yes, thanks to all of your efforts before you left."

"And have you given any more thought to what you and I discussed before we left?"

"I'll be ready whenever you say. I know you're right, that we can never make it alone here through the winter. We would never have survived this long without help." She turned to smile at the former god. He raised his eyebrows at her. "Sira told me it was you who sent Aphrodite to help us. I never knew it. Thank you for that."

"For the help, or for not knowing?"

"For both. If I'd known the help came from you, my stubbornness would have made me refuse it."

"I wish I could help you now."

She nodded then turned back to the healer. "You're sure of this?"

"Yes. It will be fine."

"What's this about?" the demigod asked.

"I have spoken in mind with Thysis. He has asked for and been granted permission for Nemesis and Evander to winter in the yosemin village that has so welcomed both him and Hercus. They can teach her what she should know to survive here even during a harsh winter."

The big man grinned. "And when did you cook this up, you little schemer?"

"It was Iolaus' idea, really. I just made the arrangements." The healer grabbed a bucket and headed out the door toward the river.

The demigod turned toward the hunter, a questioning look on his face.

The hunter shrugged as a smile played about his mouth. "All I said was Nemesis needed a lesson in being yosemin." The half god looked dubious. "I swear."

Hercules chuckled and patted his friend on the back. "A simple statement like that is all it takes with my sister."

They could have been ready to leave the next day, but Ares wanted the day to spend with Evander. Nothing was said about him staying with them or that he was also welcome in the yosemin village, and he was afraid to ask.

Nemesis still avoided the former god of war, and yet the sensitive mind of the yosemin hadn't failed to feel the lessening of her animosity to the father of her son.

The next day was warm and sunny. While the others made ready to leave on the morrow, Ares took Evander to the river.

"Come with us, Mommy," the little demigod invited.

"Yes, Nemesis, come with us," Ares joined his voice to that of the boy's.

The mother hesitated. "No. You two run along. Maybe I'll join you later."

Sira knew the former executioner wasn't pleased with the prospect of Ares being alone with Evander. It had taken some fast talking by both the demigod and the healer to get her to agree at all.

As father and son walked hand in hand from the clearing around the hut, Sira felt the panic that rose up to consume the former goddess. Reaching out she took her hand and pulled her around to face her. "You are doing the right thing. He will be fine. Ares will take good care of him." The anguish on the mother's face tore at the healer's sensitive heart. "He will not disappear with your son."

"You would know if he meant to try and take Evander, wouldn't you?"
"I would know."

"You'll keep your mind on Evander?"

"Yes, but it really is not necessary." The mother only nodded.

Nemesis kept herself busy making preparation for their departure in the morning. There really wasn't that much to pack. The food supplies were getting low again, and she and the boy didn't own much in the way of clothing.

The morning was almost over, and still father and son hadn't returned to the hut. Sira saw the former executioner watching the path that led to the river.

"They are all right, my sister," the empath assured her. "I sense them near the river. Why do you not go and check on them? It will make you feel better."

The girl looked nervous, then with a sigh she nodded. "All right, maybe I will. I'm no use to you here. I'm just too nervous."

Sira smiled at her. "You have done a good thing in letting father and son be together. And you have done much already today. Go and rest for a bit by the cool water. The earth is pleased with you, my sister."

The once goddess smiled at her. "I guess I'd better get used to that kind of talk, hadn't I?"

The empath chuckled. "Our mother will be pleased at your acceptance."

"Are you sure they're not going to be cruel?"

"Thysis feels they will not be, and he has been with them much. They follow the old ways but they do not live that far from a human settlement. They have grown used to those of a different race. There have even been marriages outside their culture. Thysis explained about you and Evander and the role Ares plays in all of this. They know that Evander has unique gifts that set him apart from either yosemin or human. They heard Thysis out with open minds and readily agreed to have you come for the winter and even longer if you chose to.

"There are prejudices in all peoples. I cannot say that you will be greeted enthusiastically by everyone in the village. Still, I think giving it a try is a good idea. Even if we are in Corinth, Hercules could come for you if you need to leave. For that matter, Thysis has agreed to help you should it be necessary. Hercus will also.

"You will not be alone there, my sister. You will be accepted under the protection of my clan banner. The clan of the wolf and the lion is respected in all yosemin teachings. There is also the tie of soul that you and I now share. The tie of soul I have with Ares and therefore you and Evander will be respected. As long as I am in the village, you as my soul sister, will not be turned away. And once they have granted you protection under the clan banner they cannot banish you. If you were to leave the village for any length of time then try to return on your own they could, if they chose, deny you access. But that is not going to happen."

"What if they decide Evander is a danger to them?"

"Because he has a strong mind, or because he is able to lift things with that mind? You forget, the yosemin people respect a strong mind. It is a sign of the earth."

"But if they decide they want us gone?"

"Then trust Thysis. He will take good care of you both. But it would take much to bring this about. There is something else you should know that might make you more comfortable. I am, as far as we know, the last empath left to the earth's people. My strength of mind is valued and coveted. Those of the village would not wish to do anything that might insult or alienate me. The clan whose banner you will be protected under is the oldest clan of all. Those who can trace their ancestry to it are given a place of honor in any village." The healer pulled her hair aside to reveal a light red marking on the back of her neck. "This is my clan marking. Each clan has their own. Children are given the mark within days of their birth and the marking is permanent. There will be no question that I am who I claim to be and there will be no question that you are my soul's sister. All will be well."

"I know you think I'm being foolish."

"No, Nemesis, I do not. I understand your apprehension. But I say again, you will not be alone. Thysis is an elder of the clan of the wolf and the lion. He is my chosen father. He has much authority in the village because of his strong mind. When we reach the village you must request protection under our clan banner. They must accept you if Thysis grants you that protection, and believe me he will. If they were to try and deny you sanctuary it would be the greatest of insults to us and our clan."

"But I don't want to stay some place where we're not wanted."

"It will not be like that. I meant only to help you to understand how the people might think. Wait, my sister. I believe, as does Thysis, that you will be welcomed. I will not leave you immediately. There will be time to see how the earth's children treat you and feel about you. Remember, they have welcomed my son with friendship and love."

"But he is yosemin."

"He is also half human. Humans and yosemins have always been enemies. Marriages between the two have always been frowned upon. Many clans would ostracize an earth's child were they to marry outside their race."

"Didn't you say that there had been mixed marriages?"

"Yes. This village seems more open minded about these things. Perhaps it is just the changing of the times or that they live closer to the humans than most."

"So there might be some who wouldn't respect you because you married a human?"

"Yes, that must be expected. The fact that he is my true soul's mate does help, but there would still be some who might resent my fall from the earth's teachings." The girl looked concerned and Sira smiled at her. "Do not worry. It was the earth that led me to him in the first place. Taking him as my mate was the will of my mother. There will be no open hostility."

"I really have no choice. If I can make it through the first winter, then maybe I can learn enough to get by on my own."

"They will help you." The former executioner nodded then looked again to the path that led to the river. "Go," the empath laughed. "Find them, and try to relax."

Nemesis found Ares and Evander sitting on a large boulder near the river. At her approach the boy waved. "Wait until you see what we found!" he called in his enthusiasm. The girl looked up at father and son. Ares wore a bemused look of pleasure on his face. "Come up with us, Mommy."

Ares rose to offer her a hand up. She hesitated a moment. She's not going to take it, the dark warrior cringed inside. The former executioner placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her up on the rock with them. He clung to her hand a brief second then released it. She searched his face a moment then dropped her eyes.

"Look at my pretty stones, Mommy." The mother exclaimed over his treasures, finding pleasure in his happiness. The boy turned to his father. "Show Mommy what you found for her."

Ares smiled as he pulled something from his pocket and held it out to the girl. She opened her palm and he placed a small, pale blue crystal in her outstretched hand.

"It's beautiful. It's so pale, it's almost clear."

"Father found it and wanted you to have it."

The former goddess looked up to once again search her former lover's face. "Thank you, Ares. It's beautiful."

"Its beauty reminded me of yours. That's why I wanted you to have it."

She smiled, thinking he was teasing her. Then as she watched his face she realized with a rush that he was quite serious. She blushed and dropped her eyes. "Thank you, "she whispered.

It was well past midday before the three of them returned to the hut. The former god of war carried Evander on his shoulders. The boy began to sing the song Sira had taught him.

"Where'd you learn that?" his mother asked.

"Aunt Sira taught me."

Ares smiled at Nemesis. "He sings it very well, too. Don't you think, Mom?"

"Yes, very well indeed." The former executioner almost added the word "Dad", but that would have been too intimate, she told herself.

She almost said it! the dark warrior's mind shouted.

The healer made a stew for their evening meal. She stirred it then went to the door of the hut to watch the treasure hunters return. All three of them looked relaxed and happy.

Sira smiled at them. "Well, did you find a treasure" she asked of Evander as his father sat him on his feet before her.

"Yes. Come see."

The empath followed the boy into the hut where he was spreading the stones and pebbles out on the table. She examined them each in turn, telling him what each one was called.

When she was done the boy smiled up at her. "It's a good treasure, isn't it?"

"It is the best. Even more so because mother earth gave it to you."

"Mommy, show Aunt Sira what Father gave you."

Nemesis seemed almost shy about sharing the crystal the dark warrior had given her. She took the metamorphic stone from her pocket and held it out to the empath.

The child of the forest started to take it then drew her hand away. "It is a good luck crystal. I cannot accept it from your hand or the good luck would be mine. The one who finds the crystal cannot receive the luck. It only passes to the one it is given to." Sira studied the stone as it lay in the girl's palm. "See the streak in the middle? It is not a flaw. It divides the stone to bring twice the luck. It needs to be blessed so that the luck will stay with you. Then for as long as you have the stone and no one else takes it from your hand, the luck will be yours. Once you pass it to another the luck would become theirs, and again the stone would need to be blessed to make the luck stick.

The yosemin closed the former goddess' hand over the crystal. Closing her eyes she began to chant in a sing song voice. The words were foreign, and yet beautiful. The healer opened her eyes to give Nemesis a warm smile. "Now the luck is truly yours. You should wear the crystal around your neck so that it receives sunlight. The sun helps the luck to be powerful. It will also serve to remind you of the giver of the luck."

Nemesis looked past the healer to smile at Ares. "Thank you."

He bowed but said nothing. He tousled his son's hair then left the hut. Sira linked her arm through the arm of the former goddess. "Come on, you can help with dinner."

"Do you really believe the things you said about my crystal?"

The healer smiled. "It is one of our legends. The things of the earth sometime hold powers we do not understand. Besides, what can it hurt? As long as you do not intend to test your luck by slaying a hydra or something."

Ares found his brother and the hunter near the woodpile. The former god took a seat on a log with a sigh. The demigod and the hunter exchanged looks over his head and the hunter shrugged. Taking up an armload of wood he headed toward the hut.

"So what's bothering you, Brother?" the half god asked.

Ares sighed again. "You leave tomorrow."

"Yes."

Well, here it was. He hated to ask, but he had to know. "Am I invited to this little shindig?"

Hercules smiled. "Of course you're invited. Did you think Sira would have it any other way?"

"What about the rest of you? How do you feel about one nasty dispossessed god tagging around with you everywhere you go."

The half god could feel the emotions behind the jauntily delivered question and he turned to study his brother's face. "You're welcome as long as you behave yourself. Should you try to harm Evander, Nemesis, or Sira, then you and I will face each other." The big man smiled at the former god to soften his declaration. "If you want the truth, getting to know my brother hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be."

"But you still don't trust me." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Not entirely. You and I have too much past history. But right now, Sira seems to need you as much as you need her." He shrugged to finish his thought.

Ares nodded then rose. "You won't believe me, I know. But for the record, I would never do anything to hurt Sira, my son, or his mother."

"Well, whether I fully believe you or not, it's good to hear you say it."

There wasn't enough room around the small table in Nemesis' hut for all of them to sit together. Sira dished up the stew and handed the plates to each of them in turn, letting them find a place to eat it as they may. Evander and his mother took the table, and after a moment's hesitation Ares joined them. He noted that the former executioner had tied the luck crystal to a leather cord then placed it around her neck.

When the meal was complete Nemesis insisted she be allowed to clean up since Sira had done the cooking. Ares offered to help and the girl accepted.

Evander and the others went outside to give them room to work. Sira had sent her mind to ask the men to suggest it so that Ares and Nemesis could be alone for a time without making it too obvious that was what they were doing.

The former god of war handed the former gods' executioner a plate and lightly brushed her fingers. Accidentally, or deliberately? she wondered.

She handed him a mug. Again their fingers touched. Deliberately, or accidentally? he wondered.

"You were very good with Evander today," she offered.

His back was turned to her. He kept it that way because it made it easier to talk to her. "He's a very special boy. You've done a remarkable job with him."

"It hasn't been easy," she whispered. "Even if no one were to see him use his powers, he's so advanced for his age that he stands out."

"I'm sorry. I had no idea. I�" He wasn't sure how to say what he wanted to.

"Thank you for the help you sent us through Aphrodite."

He turned now to walk up behind her. He wanted to touch her but feared the touch would frighten her and break the fragile bond that seemed to be forming between them. He squared his shoulders and forced himself to give her space.

I wish he would take me into his arms, she cried inside.

They left the clearing around the hut just as the sun made an appearance in the eastern sky. The sun would rise but a chill clung to the misty meadow they now passed through.

"A day of weak sunshine," the healer offered.

"Let me guess," Ares teased. "You love it, right?"

"Of course, my brother. Our mother gave it to us to enjoy. How can I but do so?"

Sira and Iolaus walked hand in hand through the damp grass. The little demigod rode his father's shoulders. He sniffed then wiped at his eyes and Nemesis looked up to give him a sympathetic smile.

The old yellow dog had refused to follow them on their journey. He'd come to the edge of the clearing but would go no further. He'd followed the boy beyond this point before, but he knew with the instinct born to his breed that the people he loved were leaving.

Sira knelt before him to rub the old ears and muzzle almost white now with age. Her mind on the dog's pleased them both. "His place is here at the hut where you found him. He will be here should you return."

"He was here when we came," the former goddess offered. "We've never fed him and he's always gotten by. I think he hunts at night."

"Yes, he will be fine here."

"But I want my dog," the little half god cried.

"He was never really yours, Evander," Sira whispered as she sent her mind to soothe him. "He is one of the earth's creatures, and therefore he is his own master. He loves you too, but his place is here."

"But why?"

"I do not know. I cannot really talk with mind to animals. Not like I can with people. I can get a sense of what is in their mind only."

"But he'll be lonely."

"It would be wrong to force him to come with us. He would be very unhappy. Would you want to do that to someone you care about?"

The boy had turned away to bury his face against his father's leather clad leg and the former god had pulled him into his arms. "She's right, Evander. If you really care for the dog, it's time to let him decide what he wants." Ares rose to put the boy on his shoulders. "Okay now, little man?"

The boy only sniffed. Not sure what to do, Ares turned and headed away from the clearing. Sira looked back to see the dog return to his place by the door of the hut. She couldn't help but wonder what kept him here. Could an old master he loved have died here and he stayed now out of loyalty to his first master? Had someone touched his mind and asked him to watch over the hut until they could return? They would never know, but leaving him behind was a hard lesson for such a little one to learn. The empath's heart bled for the son of her brother.

They took their nooning by a meandering brook in a peaceful little valley. There was no hurry to reach the yosemin village except there was no way of knowing what the weather might bring. The valley was damp, and bugs annoyed them as they ate their meal of dried meat and bread brought from the hut. They didn't stay long; moving on to leave the valley and take to high ground.

Sira had a direction from her father of the soul and needed no other to find the yosemin village they sought. Hercules led them however, his mind on the healer's to find the way they must travel.

Evander rode the big man's shoulders now. Ares walked beside Nemesis, and when they came to a rocky place in the trail, he offered her a hand through it. Sira noted that she took the offered hand readily. In fact, she almost grabbed for it.

The earth's chosen one felt a sadness slowly seep over her. What will happen to them, and to Evander should my suspicions prove to be true?

Suddenly she wished she could prevent what she was convinced was soon to be a reality. She wanted the fairy tale ending for these three people. With a heaviness of heart born of her love for her brother of the soul and her touch on the others' minds she feared what she wanted would remain nothing more than just that, a fairy tale.

They stopped for the night beside a small lake of deep blue water that spoke of its depth. The healer slipped out of her things to wade into the cold water. With a spasm of pleasure at the feel of the liquid earth caressing and comforting her she held her hands out to the hunter.

Tossing his pack aside he took a seat on the grassy riverbank to pull his boots off.

The demigod shook his head as he turned to Ares. "I guess it's up to us to make camp."

The dark warrior chuckled. "That's all right, as long as she catches us some dinner." His voice was loud enough for the healer to hear him.

"I will be happy to provide you with a dinner of the water mother's abundance. But first I plan to bathe and swim, so I hope you are not too hungry."

"I can wait, but not all night."

The girl smiled a coy smile. "Then maybe Iolaus should not join me, after all."

The former god blushed. Sira was so surprised by his reaction that she blushed, herself.

"I'll gather wood," Ares offered.

"Yeah," the half god nodded, "me too."

The healer and the hunter bathed, then the hunter left the water to the healer. Sitting on the bank he watched her as she fished. "I never thought I'd see the day Ares would blush."

"I did not mean to embarrass him. I was only teasing. I was not trying to seduce you by asking you into the water."

"Why not?"

The girl laughed. "Because we were being watched."

"Not into that funny stuff, huh?"

"What we do together is better done alone, when I can be myself."

"How about now?"

She threw a fish at him. Catching it easily he tossed it with the others on the bank, a boyish smirk on his face.

The meal of fish was well received, and when it was over the healer asked to be excused from the clean up so that she might find a quiet place to touch her father of the soul in mind. The others were happy to do the clean up and the child of the forest went to a grassy little glade beside a small trickle of water that fed the lake.

Sitting cross-legged on the grass she opened her mind to the earth and allowed herself to become entranced slowly. Her time with her father was well spent. Now, more than ever she knew the decision to take Nemesis and Evander to the yosemin village was the right one. The people of the village had set to work to build a hut for the former executioner's use. Thysis was enthusiastic in his wish to meet both the boy and his mother. The healer also realized the elder was looking forward to being together with Ares once more.

When Sira left the little glade to return to camp the evening was just descending. The night was cool and pleasant, and the nature child hated to leave the sweetness of the evening so soon.

She headed toward the lake instead. Her mind was on other things and she failed to sense her brother of the soul already there. Looking up from a screen of brush she drew a quick breath.

The former god stood bathing in the shallows at the water's edge. Sira started to turn away then stopped. He is so magnificent, she whispered to herself.

She loved the way his dark hair left a line down his chest before thinning just at his belt line. It thickened again as she looked lower. His broad chest gave a hint of his strength, as did the muscles of his arms and legs. His black hair hung in wet curls around his face to soften his features. He'd shaved the stubble from his cheekbones, leaving the goatee and mustache she liked to see him with.

She drew a ragged breath. The maleness of him seemed to scent the air and rob her of her senses. She remembered all too well what he would smell like and how the hair on his chest could tickle her finger tips.

She remembered the kiss he'd given her not that long ago. At first it had been animalistic and untamed. She could imagine him making love to a woman in the same way. Then his kiss had turned soft and seductive, his full lips soft on hers.

Not fully aware of what she did she stepped from behind the bushes and stood in the open to watch him.

He looked up to stare at her a moment. "Sira!" He jumped into deeper water then turned back to give her a disbelieving look. "What are you doing?"

The spell his magnificence had woven around and through her was broken. "I am watching your beauty. You really are splendid."

"Sira!"

"I could not help myself. But then, you have watched me bathe before."

He gave her a sheepish look. "Well, now that you've had your look, run along. I want to get out of the lake. It's getting cold."

"Then come out. I will not harm you."

He laughed. "I don't think I can trust you."

She nodded. "Maybe you are right. It would be hard to resist you." She put her head to one side. "Are all gods so. . . How do I say this? Joyously male?"

He blushed again. "Sira, you're a married woman."

"Yes, but that does not mean I cannot appreciate the beauties that I see around me."

"Are you going to leave, or do I have to leave the water and embarrass both of us?"

"You are very appealing when you blush like a school boy."

"Damn it, Sira. I really am getting cold."

She nodded. "I will go. I did not really mean to intrude on you. But having stumbled on your absolution I could not walk away." She turned to leave him so that he could leave the water.

"Sira?" She turned back. "I would have made you happy as my queen."

"I know that. I have thought about it from time to time. It could have been good to be with you." She started to leave again.

"There's nothing magical about being male that comes from the gods."

She turned back to smile at him. "Then it must just be Ares who is so wonderful."

He laughed at her. "You're incorrigible."

With a quick wave she left him to finish his bath. Maybe, she mused, they get it from Zeus. Both his sons seem to have been given more than their share of maleness and appeal. She laughed at herself then returned to camp, her heart lighter than it had been all day.

I would have made you happy as my queen. It was something to think about. Would she outlive the two mates of her soul? It was said that there could only be one soul mate. There could be another that was almost as close in soul as the one true mate. Sira was more than surprised that she had found both of these mates at the same time.

It was said that growing to love a mate with the same intensity as one of the soul was not possible. Now she questioned this. She had felt a special bond with the demigod from the first moment she'd felt the hunter calling to him, while laying close to death from a wound in his chest. She'd kept her mind to herself with Hercules as much as possible because he wished it to be that way. Then in Acubus when he'd lowered the barriers on his mind and invited her to be a part of it she'd felt a depth of feeling for him that had almost frightened her. But, she admitted, their true depth of feelings for each other hadn't come until she'd thought she'd lost her true soul's mate. Her Anmchara. Perhaps that had made the difference. But whatever the case, she'd become even more tightly bound to him than before. If that were not a growing of the feelings needed to become mates of the soul, then nothing was.

Would it be that way with Ares? She'd also felt a special bond with him from that first touch of his lips on the back of her hand in the underground chambers of the old castle. If she were to outlive both the hunter and the demigod and Ares were to make her a god so that her life could be spent with him, would she grow to love him as a soul's mate? These were questions she could not answer. She wondered if anyone could.

The demigod looked up to smile at her when she entered the camp. The frown between his brows deepened as he watched her and she blushed, knowing full well his overly sensitive mind knew what she'd been thinking. Sometimes he was too perceptive.

She took a seat at the feet of the hunter where he sat on a log near the fire. The half god rose and stretched. "Maybe I'll just take a quick bath," he announced. Sira looked up to study his face. She didn't want him to start something with Ares. It was not the former god's fault that she cared for him.

The half god left the camp, his pack over his back. Before he reached the lake he found Ares just returning. "So, what went on between you and Sira?"

Ares looked startled. "How did you know I'd seen her?" At the look on his brother's face he rushed on. "Nothing happened. She caught me bathing. And� Well�"

The demigod's features softened. "She took in the view, didn't she?"

Ares cleared his throat. "She wasn't the least ashamed of having done so, either."

Hercules laughed. "No. I'll just bet she wasn't."

"I didn't do anything, Hercules. I was too damned surprised at first. Then too embarrassed."

The half god laughed again. "I came out here ready to tear down your house. I got this quick jab of mind from our sister that spoke of you, and her feelings for you."

The former god looked uncomfortable. "I never left the water."

"I believe you. The thing is, we all seem to forget just how vulnerable she is to her feelings and emotions. The thing about her that makes her what we love also leaves her mind and soul open to destruction. Thysis has charged me with watching out for her. Not only physically, but also mentally. What she feels is so much more intense and so much deeper than you or I could ever hope to understand."

"You're telling me this because you think I would hurt her?"

"Maybe not intentionally, but the potential for harm coming to her because she loves you is great."

Ares was thoughtfully silent. "There's also something else we should consider. I've made many enemies, Brother. And one of those enemies is growing more and more powerful as we speak."

"I've thought of that."

"Maybe I shouldn't be here with you. I would never want to bring harm to Sira because of who or what I once was."

"But leaving, especially now, would tear her apart. Still, in time, looking for Ambrosia might not be such a bad idea after all. If you were a god once more you could deal with Discord."

"I would once again be the god of war, my brother."

"Yes, believe me, I'm well aware of that."

"The lesser of two evils?"

"The better man for the job."

Ares nodded. "Sira was right, you know. I didn't have to be so bloody or brutal to make a good god of war. I did that because I enjoyed it."

"And now?"

"Now? Now I don't know. Those things don't seem to have the same appeal to me as they once did. Now every time I'm into something like that I see her face before me, that disapproving look in her eyes. I remember something Jason told me about the joy of winning because you were the best and not because you cheated." The former god sighed. "Now, I just don't know."

"We have to watch out for her, Brother."

"Yes, we do."

The half god smiled at the brother he had hated at times, while always secretly fearing him. He would never forget the torture this man had put him through as a boy. He would never forget the role he'd played in taking Serena away from him. He still had nightmares of seeing the knife plunge into the golden hind's side so that Ares could have the hind's blood to kill him with it. But now he'd seen and felt a different and deeper side to Ares he would never have believed was there. He thrust out his hand to the dark warrior, who, after a moment's hesitation, took it in a firm warrior's grasp.

As the half god made his way to the lake a strong breeze seemed to brush past him on its way down the valley. Moments later it was followed by another. I hope this isn't blowing in a storm, he thought to himself. He looked to the sky, darkened now with the coming of the night. The stars shown down on him in a sparkling cleanness that left him with a friendly feeling but gave no clue to what the weather might hold for them tomorrow.

When the dark warrior returned to camp Sira looked up to study his face. He gave no sign of anger and she decided that if he had seen Hercules out there somewhere their words hadn't been heated, at least.

Evander had fallen asleep in his mother's arms. Ares lifted the boy carefully from the former executioner and just as gently put him on his blankets by the fire then took a moment to cover him.

Sira watched the once goddess as she watched the tender care the dark one took of her son. The healer smiled to herself. She'd seen disbelief, sadness, happiness. Whether the girl wished to admit it or not, Evander's father seemed to have a way with the boy.

The wind that had chilled the demigod as he bathed at the lake strengthened during the night to bring a chill to the morning. It gutted the fire and made cooking an annoyance. The healer had braided her hair tightly to keep it out of her face, but before the meal was complete tendrils of pale flaxen strands had escaped the braid to tickle her face with a teasing hand. She shivered as the wind hit her with a strong blast of cold that seemed to cut through her clothing to send icy fingers along her skin and raise the flesh.

They left their camp, staying below the ridge whenever possible since it offered their only protection from the strong forces blown down from a crystal clear cerulean sky.

The little demigod found the wind disturbing. He was out of sorts and refused to walk. Seeing how he struggled against the wind his father took pity on him and put him on his shoulders. But here he was hit with the direct force of the cold shafts of air and began to cry.

"It's okay, little man. Come on." His father pulled him down and carried him like a baby cradled in his arms. "Now, how's that?"

The boy raised up to kiss a bearded chin and touch his father's heart at the same moment. Ares looked up to search Nemesis' eyes. Their emotions filled the air. The healer turned away as tears stung her eyes. With the innocence of the child, mother and father had reached an agreement. Sira felt the barriers falling from the former executioner's mind and soul.

No! the empath screamed in her mind. Not more pain for her. If only I could change their destiny. Please, my mother, do not do this to them. Give them a chance, at least. No comforting response came to the girl from the earth and the empath felt a void that tore at her middle.

Then she gasped and dropped to her knees. The forces that assailed her were from the earth, but not in the response she'd expected.

The hunter knelt beside her. "Sira?" She turned eyes gone glassy to him, but she wasn't seeing him. "Sira."

She used him to pull herself up then stood turning her head from side to side, as if listening for a vague sound. Then she turned to the right and began to walk away. The hunter reached for her but she slipped out of his grasp and began to run.

"Sira!" the demigod called to her. Dropping his pack he ran after her. He knew he couldn't hope to catch up to her. Her speed was always better than his, and now the call of the earth seemed to have lent her even more agility. He pushed himself to run faster.

Ares took up his brother's pack then turned to the hunter. "What is it? What's happened?"

"The earth has called to Sira. Come on, she may need our help." He hurried after the healer and the demigod. The others followed.

Hercules came up to the earth's chosen one where she knelt on a ridge overlooking a village. The wind had blown the smoke and sounds away, leaving them no clue to what lay in the small valley just over the ridge.

He turned away from the scene below to pull the healer into his arms. The remains of the village lay in smoking ruins. Even from where they stood on the ridge the half god could see bodies laid out in a row well away from the burning huts. And they weren't just the bodies of men. Women and children were there, as well.

Sira turned to try and pull away from him and he tightened his grip on her. "Don't go down there, my more than sister."

She fought him. "Let me go. You know I must do this."

"No. Not until you're calmer." She slapped at him and he grabbed her hand to stop her. He gave her a quick shake. "Stop fighting me, Sira. Once you're calmer, I'll take you down there, myself."

She slumped against him, fighting to control her emotions. "There are children hurt down there. The earth called me to this. I have to respond."

"I know. I'll take you as soon as you've got a tight grip on your emotions. You won't be any good to those people like this."

The others came up to them. Ares took one look into the valley then turned away. Nemesis had a firm grip on Evander's hand and hadn't yet seen what lay below.

Ares stopped her before she could. "Don't look. Just back a bit in the trail, where we stopped for water; take Evander there and hide. Wait for us to come to you." She turned frightened eyes to him and he pulled her into his arms. "They've gone the other way. You'll be safe."

"What's happened?"

"A village has been attacked," he whispered for her ears only. He didn't want Evander touched by what he'd seen in the small valley.

The girl stiffened then melted against him. "Are you going down there?"

"I have to. There may be people who need our help." He released her and handed her his pack. "Just stay there and wait. I'll come for you."

The former executioner nodded then turned away. She handed a small pack to the boy then took up two for herself and headed back the way they'd come.

The hunter stood behind Sira where she rested in the half god's arms. Ares went to them now. "Is Sira all right?"

"She's entranced," Hercules supplied. "Go see if there's anything you can do down there. I'll take care of her."

The hunter and the former god started down the ridge that would lead them to the valley floor. Their thoughts were very different. The golden one's thoughts were behind him with the woman he loved. He knew what something like this would do to her. He wished he could spare her the pain. He wished she could just walk away, but he knew she couldn't. His heart was heavy for what she would suffer because of her strong mind. Now was when he hated what she was. Now when he was powerless to help her. When he couldn't protect her from what her sensitivity could do to her. He felt the comfort sweep over him like the strong wind that buffeted him still. Help her, my mother. She is your chosen child.

The dark man who walked beside him had very different thoughts. So this is what it's like through the eyes of a mortal? Pain shot through him. Pain at the waste and the devastation that awaited him in the valley. What is wrong with me? Where is the old thrill? How many times have you reveled in seeing just this kind of debauchery? How many armies have you led into a slaughter just like this one? How could you have gone through so many lifetimes, and yet until this moment never really be touched by what you thought of as sport? Bile came into his throat and threatened to choke him.

Iolaus turned to him. "Are you all right?" Ares searched his eyes for a moment then shook his head. "It's a little different from this side, isn't it?" There was no real sympathy in the golden one's words.

"I never knew. This is my doing. This is the price I pay for my evil and hate. I sense Discord there now walking among the dead."

Iolaus took his arm. "Get a hold of yourself. They need our help."

"There are children dead down there. What if one of them were Evander? Or Hercus?"

"I know, Ares. You have to put those thoughts aside. Detach yourself. That's what Sira is fighting to do right now."

"How many children have I killed, Iolaus?"

"Then if your life has been wasted until this moment, now is the time to change it. You can't change what has happened here and you can't change the world. Even if you were still a god you couldn't do that. Now we just have to do the best we can and try to help these people."

A woman screamed from somewhere in the village and the hunter turned to continue his descent into the valley. Ares followed in his wake.

Sira walked with her hand held tightly in that of her more than brother of the soul. Unwaveringly she made her way to a woman and a child near a burning hut. The boy was no older than her own son. The healer's mind unknowingly called to her golden haired child of the earth. His mind came to her with strength and love. Behind his mind's touch was that of his grandfather, and her chosen father. There, also, were the minds of others of the village lending her strength.

She knelt beside the boy. "I am a healer," she told the mother. "Please let me try to help him."

The boy's body was torn and bloody. The empath put her hands over the wound to send her earthly powers to stop the bleeding. The mother, still holding the boy, cried silently.

The forest child anchored herself to the earth and touched the boy's mind. There was life still there. The girl pulled his thoughts to her and sent him strength. After a time she removed her hands from the wound, keeping the physical touch with her bare feet against his side. The bleeding had stopped.

"Is he going to be all right, my sister?"

"I do not know, my more than brother. His life force is weak."

"Will you transfer?"

"I think if I could he would live, but then I would be of no help to the others."

As if sensing her thoughts the hunter ran up to her. "A man is bleeding badly and we can't get it to stop." The healer caressed the boy's cheek with a bloody knuckle then rose to follow the hunter.

She'd been trained for this. Trained to help if many were hurt. To transfer might mean the death of many rather than the death of one. Was it wrong to be drawn to the one and wish to heal them? Was she right to not limit the help she might give to many? The earth sent her comfort and she knew she was doing what her mother wished of her. But at what cost?

She helped Ares with the man who bled so badly from a deep cut in his leg. The hunter brought her pack to her. Once the bleeding had stopped she stitched the wound tightly to keep it from bleeding again.

She moved from one to another, doing what must be done and giving instructions to the people of the village on how to care for the wounded. She returned to the boy, taking time to send her mind and soul to him, willing him to live.

She watched for a moment as Ares took a blanket clad baby to join those already set out in a row of death. Tears stained her cheeks to leave streaks in the dirt, soot and blood that had dried there. The former god laid the child beside another body then bent to kiss one cold white cheek.

A sob tore from the healer's throat. She watched as Ares turned away to be ill in the early fall grasses that had sprung up after the first rains.

She loved him like a brother and would not have wished this for him. But if what she suspected were to become a reality, perhaps there could be a purpose in the insanity that surrounded them. She went to him and helped him to his feet.

He pulled her briefly into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Sira."

"This is not your doing."

"Yes, it is. I've heard the people. The warlord who did this did it in the name of Discord. She was here for this. Don't you see? It was a message to me."

"Or to me." He tightened his grip on her. She sighed. "Come with me. I want you to watch over the little boy. He needs your mind on his to help him focus. Will you help him?"

He nodded. "Yes, my sister, I will do what I can."

She took his hand and led him to the boy, now made comfortable on a blanket near one of the remaining structures not burned to the ground. The wind still beat at them. But it was sheltered here and this was where the healer had asked that the wounded be brought.

Nemesis led Evander to the shelter offered by the jumble of large boulders. Leaving their packs there she took him with her to return to the ridge to gather the rest of their gear. She knew she shouldn't. Ares had told her to hide and wait for him, but she'd hoped against hope she might see him and know he was all right. Being here shut away from what was happening in the valley would be hard.

She hurried back to take up the other packs then just as quickly took her son back to the rocks and made a place for them among them where their presence wouldn't be discovered unless someone were to look up and search for them.

Evander asked her over and over what had happened. Finally in desperation she told him some of the truth. His mind was too strong for her to lie to him. Too many times he'd known when she hadn't been completely truthful with him, and she'd vowed never to try and lie to him. He'd know that what she'd told him about his father was a lie. It hadn't really been, and yet the boy had sensed her true feelings for Ares and knew he didn't have all the truth. Less than three, at times he seemed more like a child of ten. Then at others he could be a baby, still. He'd seemed to go from infancy to adolescence almost overnight. Now, just in the last few weeks he had gone through another metamorphosis. The former executioner suspected it came from a growing awareness of his own mind's strength. Being around Sira had awakened her own strength of mind.

The gods' minds were always strong, while not always directed. For the first time Nemesis began to wonder if she might not have retained some of that strength of mind from godhood. Whether it was this or just the healer's influence, she admitted she'd felt the thoughts of the others on her mind.

"Did Father make this war happen, Mother?"

"No! No, Evander. Your father is no longer the god of war. The woman who took you away from me may well have had a hand in this, however."

"Why must there be a god of war?"

"There must be a balance between good and bad. Without evil no one would see the good, and never be able to appreciate it when it was there. The people who have never learned to focus their anger and hate, and believe me, Evander, all people have these things inside them, lose sight of right and wrong and become hateful and cruel. Those who have learned discipline grow even more focused. Unfortunately, the ones with this are usually the warlords and the criminals. The god of war makes the balance between the two."

"Is Father going to be all right?"

"Yes. Don't worry, he'll come for us when he can. He's helping the people of the village."

Ares sat at the boy's head, his hands at the boy's temples. He used the things Sira had taught him to try and hold the boy's thoughts. Sira left him there to help a woman left badly burned. She had covered the woman with a sheet then poured water over her to try and help relieve the pain of losing over half the flesh of her body. The woman's husband now kept the sheet wet with endless buckets of water.

Sira wished she could give the woman some of the white powder that would help to relieve her pain. But it was only a matter of time before the woman went to the earth, and the pain relieving powders could be used for others who still had a chance to live.

Midday came and went. The healer still moved among the wounded to lend assistance where she could. The hunter left for a time to return with a large buck. These people had lost their food and shelter. He couldn't do much about the latter, but he could do what he did best and bring them food.

Hercules came to check on Ares. He'd been working on a water tower. Some of the boards had burned and he feared the whole thing might collapse and cause the people even more grief.

The former god turned bloodshot eyes to his brother. "How's Sira?"

The half god looked to where the child of the earth knelt beside a man who rested near a hut still standing. "Exhausted. Entranced. In pain."

"I told her to go stay with Nemesis, but I don't think she even heard me."

"She can't. She's been called here by the earth. Believe it or not, it would do her more harm to leave here than to stay."

Ares nodded; he was too tired to protest further. "Will you stay with the boy? I need to check on Nemesis and Evander."

"I'll stay with him."

Ares left the boy reluctantly. He'd promised Sira he'd watch over him, but he knew he needed to at least check on the former executioner and his son. He knew it couldn't be easy for them to be cut off from what was happening beyond the pile of boulders he'd sent them to.

He hurried now, wanting to be in two places at once. He approached the boulders with caution. He didn't wish to frighten them. He didn't see them at first and his heart seemed to stand still. Moving closer he found a footprint and knew they'd been here.

"Father," the little demigod called down to him. "We're up here."

Ares took a deep breath of relief then climbed to the grassy area hidden among the rocks and boulders. Nemesis rose and melted into his arms.

"It's been terrible waiting out here not knowing what's happening. The wind made noises to frighten us. We couldn't have heard if you'd called to us because it roars so loud in our ears."

"I'm sorry, Nemesis. I know it's been hard for you."

"Are you all right?"

He sighed. His mind shouted, No! I'm not all right. I don't know that I'll ever be all right again. "I'm fine. Look, we're going to be there for a while longer. You're pretty sheltered here. Make camp just as you saw us do last night.

"Bring in some wood, fill the water skin and your flask. Keeping busy will help. I'll get back here as soon as I can."

She pulled back, ready to protest, but looking at the lines of fatigue on his face; seeing the blood stains on his leather pants and shirt as well as smeared across one cheek as if he'd tried to wipe his cheek with a bloody hand, she stopped.

I've been so worried about my own fear and discomfort, I haven't given a thought to theirs. "We'll be fine here. Don't worry about us. There's wood and water close. Evander will help. I can make a stew with dried meat and the last of the beans. It will be ready when you return."

He hugged her tightly to him, then putting his hands on either side of her face he gently turned her face up to him and took her lips. "Thank you," he whispered.

He left them reluctantly with a quick hug for the boy. "Take care of Mommy for me, okay?"

"I will, Father."

"That's my boy."

He hurried away. My son, healthy and well. What of the other boy who fights for his life in that nameless village? Maybe it's wrong of me, but thank the gods of Olympus it's him and not Evander.

The empath stood out just past the last burned hut to watch the night sky. The wind was gone now, leaving the smell of burned timbers and death hanging heavily in the air. How many people had she stitched or bandaged? How many burns had she treated? Her mind and soul were as numb as her tired body.

The night sky gave a promise of life and hope, while behind her was only death and desperation. It must stop. What Discord had done here must not be allowed to go on. Now the child of the earth had the answer to her prayer for Ares, Nemesis, and Evander to be given a chance.

Discord must be stopped, whatever the cost to her and to those she loved. She'd been called here to learn the will of her mother. Now she suspected it would be up to her to make her mother's wishes a reality.

"Why me, my mother?"

You are the chosen one. The words seemed to echo through her mind over and over.

"Take this from me, mother of the earth. Spare me this."

You are the chosen one, the chosen one.

Ares came to stand beside her. He searched her face a moment, lit now with the light of an almost full moon. With a moan he put his arms around her. "You've done enough, my sister. Come away from here."

"I have to help the boy. I think it will be safe to transfer with him now."

"Please, Sira. You've done enough."

"No." She'd read her brother's mind. "No, not the boy. I could help him now. We are still linked. I�" She stopped as she realized the boy's mind was no longer on hers. "No!" She screamed the one word as her mind shouted out in her pain and anguish.

Ares cringed at the force that hit him from her mind. He caught her as she started to fall, pulling her into his arms to cradle her against him like he might a sick child.

The hunter and the demigod came running up to them. "Sira." The hunter's voice was filled with anguish.

"She passed out, Iolaus," Ares tried to soothe the golden hunter.

He seemed not to hear him. "Sira. Sira?"

"She'll be all right, my brother. She's just exhausted. Let's get her to the boulders where she can rest."

"I felt her mind explode in mine, then nothing. What happened?"

"The boy."

"No," the demigod moaned. No one needed to tell him what this might do the empath. "You're right; let's get her out of here." He reached to take her from his brother's arms.

"I've got her." He turned away to make a start for the ridge. He had to pass the blanket covered bodies of a dozen people to make it to the path that led over the rim of the cup the village sat in. Soon, at least two more bodies would join the ghost shrouded line of dead. The boy first, then the woman who was burned so badly. She'd started having trouble breathing now, and Sira had said it was just a matter of time.

Two people who might have been saved if she'd been free to use her empathic powers to help them. Two people who might not have been hurt at all if he was still the god of war.

So now what? he asked himself. Somehow Discord must be stopped, and somehow he knew he must be the one to stop her. But how? He felt a comfort come to him. He had no idea where it came from.

You will be shown. In time you will be shown. The words seemed to fill his head. But from where?

He studied the healer's face, at peace now in her slumber. Surely the words hadn't come from her? Did I really hear them, or just think them?

When the former god laid the healer on a blanket beside the fire the hunter laid down with her to take her into his arms. Using his mind he touched hers. He'd been frightened by her mind's blast, then even more frightened to find she'd lost consciousness. Now his mind told him she was in the healing sleep and he breathed a sigh of relief. He left her long enough to eat some of the stew the former goddess had made then returned to his place beside the healer. He fell asleep, the girl he loved cradled in his arms.

Hercules sat beside them for a time. He, too, needed the reassurance that she slept peacefully now. He'd feared she'd fallen into such despair that she might not pull out of it. He found her entranced in the healing sleep, just as Iolaus had said she was. He was surprised, and, he admitted, a little apprehensive. For her to fall into this trance induced sleep, there must be an end to the healing for her.

As soon as Ares had eaten he curled up in a blanket near Evander. He felt exhausted, but he wasn't sure he could put the horrors of the day behind him enough to sleep. Still, he had to admit he'd found comfort from somewhere. Drawing on it without really understanding it he was soon asleep.

Morning came too early for all of them. The child of the earth still slept and they left her to it. The demigod and the former god gathered wood while the hunter went in search of their first meal of the day. Once they'd eaten, the men returned to the village. Some of the dead had been buried already. People were packing what might remain of their belongings and were making ready to leave. Some to find a new place to settle, others to go to families in other villages. Still others chose to remain to try and pick up the tattered threads of their lives and go on.

The men helped wherever they could. Most of the people greeted them with friendliness. Many thanked them. The demigod went to the woman whose son's dying had affected the healer so deeply.

"Let me help you," he offered.

"No! I don't want your help." The former god and the hunter looked up to see what had upset the woman. "All of you get away from me. It's your fault my boy is dead."

The demigod looked shocked. "What are you saying?"

Feeling the tension in the air Iolaus and Ares came up to them. "What is it, Herc?"

The woman went on as if she hadn't even heard the others. "It was that woman what killed my boy."

"Now wait a minute," the hunter began to object.

"She wouldn't leave him alone. Kept coming back to make sure he died." She pointed an accusing finger at the dark warrior. "You was with him, helping her to rob him of life. You killed my boy."

Ares started to turn away, but the hunter made a move toward the woman. Hercules put a restraining hand on his arm.

"Wait, Iolaus. She's out of her head with grief. She doesn't know what she's saying."

"I'll see that witch dead if it takes my last breath," the woman threatened.

"Let's just get out of here. They don't really need our help any longer." The big man pulled the hunter away.

"They treat us like this after what we tried to do for them?"

"Not them, just her. Grief affects people differently."

Ares was a little ahead of them as they started up the path to the rim of the lip. Now he turned back to them. "That's all Sira needs to hear right now."

The hunter nodded. "I say we move on; now, before she wakes up. We can carry her, and as long as we're careful she'll go on sleeping."

"Are you sure that's wise, Iolaus?" the demigod asked. "When she comes out of the healing sleep she may want to help these people, more."

"She must have found a peace with this whole damn thing or she never would have fallen into the healing sleep. Let's get her away from the pain and that woman's fury."

"It's early yet," the former god stated. "We can still gain a few miles. I say let's do it."

The half god still remained dubious about such a drastic move, but he agreed he didn't want Sira exposed to the boy's mother's grief. Well, he told himself, I guess we can always bring her back here if that's what she wants.

They returned to the rocks to pack their things and make ready to go. The demigod picked the healer up carefully to hold her against him. "All right, let's move."

He moved carefully out of the jumble of rocks then turned in the direction they'd been traveling. Taking a deep breath he willed his mind to relax and open to the elder of the clan of the wolf and the lion.

His mind was bombarded with questions about the healer. His thoughts explained immediately. "We need a direction, my father." He felt it at once and turned slightly south.

"Keep your mind for her, my son. She will need your strength."

"Why can I not spare her some of this?"

"It is not the will of our mother. She was sent to those people for a reason. Trust in the earth.."

They stopped not long after the sun had started its descent to the west. There was shade and water and they took advantage of it. When they moved on once more the hunter carried the healer. She snuggled closely to him like a sleepy child might do to its mother. It melted the hunter's heart. He'd been hurt by the mother's anger and hate more than he cared to admit. His love for the healer made it even worse. How could someone think her capable of harming another?

Tears stung his eyes. What will she go through when she wakes from this? His feelings of inadequacy ran deep. He should be able to protect her and keep this kind of thing from her, but he never had been able to. It was she who protected him. Her strong mind shielded him from much; giving him love and comfort to combat his negative emotions.

This was not the first time he'd felt the sting of inadequacy. Being with a bigger than life hero most of his life had given him plenty of opportunities to second guess himself. How many times had he felt he just couldn't measure up to the half god? He knew it did him no credit, but he admitted not for the first time that he'd always derived a prick of pleasure at the realization that he had Sira when Hercules did not. For once he'd outdone his childhood friend and companion in something.

And now the part of his soul that made him whole must be hurt again.

He knew the earth had meant for them to be together. He'd accepted this when he'd truly accepted the earth into his heart and found a way to accept the forest creature who'd stolen his heart and soul. It wasn't that he never felt jealous of her affections for others. He did. But he'd found a way to put that part of loving her into perspective. The earth had shown him the way. But in this he still had found no peace. The need to protect her from her own sensitive mind burned deeply within him.

He was left feeling vulnerable and lost at times like these. With her sudden collapse into the healing sleep he'd not been given her comfort and love to help him deal with the pain and anguish he'd been exposed to. It left him feeling ill prepared to help her when she woke.

How selfish I am! he thought. Here I say I want to comfort her, when what I really want is her here to comfort me. He felt the earth respond to his need even though the healer could not.

"I'm not worthy of her, my mother. Help me in this. You brought us together. Now help me to find a way to get past my human shortcomings and be the mate of the soul she needs to support her strong mind and her strong soul's touch." A butterfly landed on his shirt front and stayed to rest for a moment. The earth had sent a visible show of her love and comfort to help him. "Thank you, my mother."

It was Ares who provided their campsite for the night and brought in the rabbits to feed them. His skill in hunting had been so honed to perfection that losing his godly powers had done little to diminish them.

The empath still slept. Ares had carried her for a time. His leg still wasn't completely healed and he hadn't been able to carry her far, but it had given the demigod a break and had done much to relieve Ares' concerns for the healer. He knew little about her needs at times like these. The others assured him she was fine, but he was still concerned.

Holding her, he got a sense of peace from her that started the healing of his own emotions. Part of what had torn so deeply at his insides was the fact that there had been no reason to harm those people. No looting had been done, no slaves taken. The village had been attacked by Discord for the sole purpose of pricking him with her superiority.

The dark goddess knew where he was and had sent a message to him. Now he was doubly concerned for those he cared for and those they would soon be staying with. He knew his time was limited. Something must be done. As on the night before, his mind was filled with an appeal to wait for the proper time and place.

Maybe I'm going mad, he told himself. Hearing voices in my head. Maybe that's another side effect of Brossus. He felt something of the old anger stir inside of him. No, damn it. I'm not going to let her get to me. There will be a time and a place, and she will pay for her murder of innocent people. Death in war was one thing. To die fighting for what you believed in was a noble death. Fighting to save your home or those you cared for; this was a good thing. But to kill with no reason was wrong. It had taken him a long time to come to this realization. The thought of killing just to be killing now seemed to turn his stomach.

No matter what, there would always be anger and hate. There would always be wars and battles fought. Some for a good cause, some out of foolishness. There would always be those like the warlord Discord had used as a pawn in her little games who would kill for the pleasure of seeing the fear in the eyes of their victims.

His anger at what he'd seen and once welcomed himself swept over him to leave him shaky. In these strong emotions he felt some of what he once had felt; some of what he once was. I swear to the gods of the earth and the gods on Olympus, I will stop her. I will find a way. If I ever do once again become the god of war, I, Ares, will never again condone the senseless slaughter of innocent people for the sole purpose of entertainment.

With his declaration came a sense of peace. A sense of belonging. Let what happened in that village stand for something, he begged. Let my own pain at what happened back there make a difference.

The night was cool but not cold. The travelers took to their beds early, the hunter cradling the healer in his arms once more.

Ares put his blanket close to Nemesis' own and laid down beside her. They'd stayed close to each other most of the day, walking hand in hand at times.

The girl reached for his hand now and he took hers in a firm grasp. He wanted to pull her to him and take her mouth with his, but despite the fact that they'd grown closer, she still held back at getting too intimate. He felt a sense of urgency about their feelings for each other, as if they didn't have much time to explore each other and the feelings they obviously shared. But he feared if he were to push her she might bolt as she had before. He wanted this chance with her no matter what might come later. He realized this might be selfish and unfair to her, but this fact did little to change his mind about wanting to get to know her better.

I've always been impatient for things to be my way. Losing my godhood hasn't changed that.

They left their place of the night just as the sun burst over the horizon to dazzle them with a yellow brilliance. The demigod once again carried the sleeping yosemin. The strength his godly half afforded him made carrying her easy for him. She was light anyway, and the others spelled him at times. He liked carrying her. It let him feel close to her.

The healer woke reluctantly. She didn't open her eyes; letting her other senses help her get her bearings. She knew she was carried and by whom, and knew at once why they carried her. Should I have stayed to help those people? she asked herself. No. Not now that I know what I must do. This is best for the greater number. Her heart filled with pain. Because she must help the greater number, a boy had died. Because she must help the greater number, she must hurt three people she loved.

As on the night in the village, she wished she wouldn't have to be the one to make this happen. She no longer denied that it must be. She only wished she could put aside the earthly call. Perhaps I should have accepted Ares' offer of godhood. Maybe then I could have saved that boy. Perhaps I could stop Discord without fearing for myself. She knew she was being hard on herself. Much of her fear of confronting the now goddess of war wasn't so much because she feared for herself, but because she feared for those she loved. They would never let her do this alone, and therefore their lives would be in danger as well. It is not like me to question the earth. She remembered one other time she'd felt this same dread of the powers she'd been granted by the earth. After the people of her village had been killed. Then she'd wished the earth would spare her from its control. But then she had at least been a true child of the earth. And now? she asked herself. Am I still that? She couldn't deny that she hadn't followed much of the teachings of her elders. But then, even as the Dea of her village she'd protested the need of some of their dictates. The healers were segregated from the others of the village; held away from them behind the walls of the healer's hall. Even their time in the forest was limited by their studies. She'd always felt the studies should be held in the forest itself so that the children of the earth could see and smell the one they called upon to bring them the powers of healing. She felt that contact with the others of her village could strengthen the young apprentices' love and tenderness for others that made healing come naturally. Could Thysis be right, that much of what was taught hadn't come so much from the earth but from the earth's people's fear?

"Guide me, my mother." She didn't want to admit it to herself, let alone anyone else, but she was frightened of her reception in the village they now sought to find sanctuary in. Would her fall from the teachings of the earth's people be condemned? She was sure, being in the village would make the differences stand out in stark clarity. Would she be able to accept them, herself?

She felt the comfort the earth offered her and drew it to her. Slowly it seeped through her, bringing her strength and the will to greet the day.

She opened her eyes as she put a hand up to finger the healing crystal she wore around her neck. The crystal of her grandmother. Its pale lavender shade was that of the empath, just as the one she'd given to Winnie had been. She'd never had the chance to pass her crystal on to a Dea. Her time to choose the next in line to someday become an elder of healing had been cut short by the attack on her village. But then there had been no more empaths to pass the crystal on to and she would have had to find a clear healing crystal to give to the next healer. Only those with empathic powers could wear the lavender shaded prism of light. A healer without empathic powers must only wear a clear crystal.

She looked up into the blue eyes of her more than brother of the soul and read love and compassion there.

"You're all right now, my sister?"

Tears filled her eyes. "It will take time, my brother."

"I'm sorry. You mustn't blame yourself for what happened."

"No. But I do."

"I know. I wish I could spare you some of that."

"You do, my brother." She felt his mind on hers, and took comfort from the feel of his thoughts on hers.

The hunter came to her, his eyes and mind filled with compassion, and she reached out her hand to take his. He squeezed her hand. "Together, all of us will find a way to deal with the pain of what has happened. The earth is with us in this."

The healer closed her eyes a moment. Sometimes her Anmchara's perception was born of the earth and touched her deeply. "Yes, my soul. Together with the earth we will heal."

She sent her mind to her chosen father and to her son. Tomorrow she would be with them. She felt their love and strength flow to her. It did much to ease her fear of censorship from the other yosemins she would soon meet.

Turning her head slightly she found the former god of war walking slightly ahead of them, his hand holding firmly onto the hand of the former executioner of the gods. Evander rode his shoulders.

"Help him, my mother. Help the bond between them to grow so that it is strong enough to withstand what must come later. Bring the earth to my brother so that he will retain that part of you, and know you as the one." She felt calmer now. She had done what she could for them. Now it would be up to the earth.

She turned back to smile at the demigod. "You could put me down now, my brother."

"It's okay. I kind of like carrying you."

"I must be getting heavy."

"No, not really."

She smiled then turned her cheek to rest against his broad chest. She could feel the warmth of his skin through his leather shirt. His heartbeat was even and steady, and in these things she got a sense of his physical strength. She remembered those first few hours after she'd felt his mind through the mind of the hunter. She'd marveled at his physical strength. Then seeing him and the power he seemed to exude into the air around him, she'd been awed.

Her love for this giant of a man flowed to him and he looked down to dazzle her with a blue eyed smile. "I love you too, my soul sister."

The hunter moaned. "Are you two flirting with each other again?"

"Sorry, old friend. I can't help it. She gives good mind. And she can't seem to keep her mind off of me."

"I'll give you a piece of my mind if you do not behave," the girl chuckled.

"Don't tell him that, Sira" the hunter moaned again. "He loves it when you get rough with him."

"Something you and he have in common."

The demigod laughed. "She knows you too well, mighty hunter of the forest."

"It's best when she ties me up and uses her whips and chains on me."

"Stop it," the big man teased. "You're getting me all excited."

"You two are impossible, and I wonder at times why I love you both so much. But the fact remains, I do."

"It's our warrior like masculinity," the hunter clarified for her. "Women can't resist it."

"It's also our charm and good looks, Iolaus. Don't forget that part."

"Of course. That goes without saying."

The healer laughed. "Well, I am glad you cleared that up for me, I have often wondered what it was about you both that kept me around."

They found a place to stop briefly. There was water to fill their flasks and a place of privacy for the healer. She bathed as well, feeling the need after her two days of sleep. While she'd slept the healing sleep the hunter had washed the blood of those she'd healed away as best he could then dressed her in clean clothing. Still, she seemed to feel the crimson stain on her flesh. The cold water of the tiny brook they'd stopped by did much to wash away her churning emotions as well as her body's soil.

They stayed to have an early meal of roasted rabbit then moved on to take advantage of the travel time left to them. The healer sensed the distance that still separated them from the refuge they hoped to find in the yosemin village. With good travel for what remained of today and the same for tomorrow they should reach the village by tomorrow evening.

Sira walked beside the former executioner. "When we reach the village, we will be greeted by at least two of the village elders. The village leader will be there, as will Thysis. Of the others I cannot say. You must make your request for protection under the clan banner to my father. He is also an earth's father to Ares which makes it even more important that you show him respect."

Ares interrupted. "He's my earth father?"

"Of course. You and he bonded when you came with us to the Neberous forest to find Iolaus. He has loved you since that time."

The dark warrior said nothing for a moment. "Am I going to have to ask permission to be allowed into the village?"

"Only if you wish to stay and if you wish to be provided for on a long term basis. You will be allowed access to the village just as Hercules will be, because you are both my brothers and because Thysis is your earthly father. The request for clan protection entitles Nemesis and Evander to clan consideration. No one in a yosemin village goes hungry. No child is left without care. A home will be provided for Nemesis and Evander. Food will be given. Lessons in survival will be granted. Clothing, shelter, food. All of these things will be theirs under the protection of the banner.

"Our father was once of another clan. His clan right was stripped away from him to leave him with no claim to any protection or consideration. As an elder of my clan I granted him entry into my clan which made him the elder of the clan of the wolf and the lion. His mind is very strong. Stronger than most earth's people's. He is revered because of this and because he is an elder of the original clan. He is also revered because he is the father of the last known empath. Thysis has much pull with these people. His influence will act as a shield to protect Nemesis and Evander. More than this, he is a warrior. He would give his life to protect them and keep them from harm." The girl smiled first at Ares then at Nemesis. "Still, my people..." She stopped now. It had been a long time since she'd referred to the earth's other children as her people, but saying it felt right. "My people's beliefs are steeped in tradition and ceremony. Making the traditional request for clan protection will make a good impression on the elders who will greet us."

The former goddess moaned. "What if I mess this up?"

"You will not. I will be there to guide you with my mind, as will Thysis. Keep your eyes lowered whenever you address an elder. It is considered a bold affront to make eye contact with one above your station. With any others you may be bold. But with the elders try to keep your eyes lowered. You do not need to kneel before them, although kneeling is another sign of your submission."

"I'll never remember all this."

"Do not worry. It will be expected that you will make mistakes. You were not born to the earth. These people have had contact with humans and know they are bold and not easily given to submission."

Ares chuckled. "Wait until they get a load of me."

The healer turned pale at the former god's declaration. It wasn't what he'd said, but the way he'd said it and the emotions behind his words. Time was growing short for her.

"Sira, I was only joking. I'll behave myself."

She reached for his hand and he took hers with a firm grasp. "I know. I trust you, my brother. Even those who might think you bold could not fail to feel the earth about you."

"I can't worship your gods, my sister. I was a god of Olympus."

"I know that. I am not asking you to worship the earth, but whether you do or not, the earth now flows through you. It has been there since that first touch of my powers on you, but now you have opened your heart to it and my mother is pleased with you."

"Damn it, Sira. You're trying to turn me into some earth loving disciple of mud."

The healer laughed. "I meant the earth was with you in the strength of your mind and in the changes it has made in you. The anger and hate that have always possessed you are still there, but they have found the proper place in the earth to become a tool of wisdom, not of evil."

"Is that what's happened to me?" He was no longer teasing and the empath knew it.

"Yes. You are just now finding your true potential. The changes in you are awesome. They are commanding and inspiring, and I look forward to the changes yet to come."

The former god of war looked to the dark haired girl who walked beside him. "Somehow to me these changes seem frightening."

Nemesis reached for his other hand. "I like the changes, Ares." He smiled at her.

"You are wrong in what you are thinking, my brother," the healer rushed to relieve his fears. "You have told me that I am a warrior."

He brought his hand that she still held to his lips and kissed her finger tips. "And so you are."

"Then why would you fear you will lose the warrior's edge because you take the earth into your heart and soul?"

He chuckled. "You make a good point, little sister. A very good point."

She smiled at him. "Good. Now�" She turned to Nemesis, giving her further instructions on what would be expected of her tomorrow.

They stopped for the night near a spring. The water was brackish with minerals, and the healer chose to use the water in the water skin to make their tea and to boil the quail the hunter and the former god had provided in abundance.

While walking, the hunter had scared the timed birds into flight. The former god had raised his bow so quickly from his shoulder, loaded the arrow across the string and taken the first bird so smoothly that the hunter had shouted his praise and admiration. His own arrow had found a place in the breast of one of the feathered offerings of the earth. With bows now ready, they had found more of the topknotted little fellows.

At a good shot from the golden hunter the former god called his praise. "You amaze me, Iolaus. As a god I watched you. But then it was more as a warrior. Somehow I failed to see your true calling. You truly are the golden hunter."

Nemesis drew a quick breath, and Sira, still walking beside her threw her a quick look. "All right, my sister?"

The dark haired girl shook her head. "He's done it to me again." There were tears on her cheeks now.

"Not again. Still. You only fooled yourself that you no longer loved him."

"He'll hurt me again. I know it."

Now tears stung in the healer's eyes. "I wish I could deny this, my sister. But I cannot. There will be pain ahead for you. You must remember, what will come is not because he does not love you. It is because he does, that this will happen. Trust him and his feelings for you. Trust your feelings for him. You will need this soon."

The girl stopped walking and turned to the healer. "He's going away, isn't he?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"When he's like this. When he's a part of us like this I feel so deeply for him."

"I know. The same is true for me."

"He wasn't always like this. There was a time when he was all hate and anger and evil."

"I know."

"He loves you, Sira. More than he loves me."

"It is a different love, not necessarily a stronger one."

"When I went to him before. When I didn't love him yet, I believed there could only be one love. When I realized I'd fallen for him I still believed this. I wanted what you and Iolaus have. I wanted what Hercules and I almost had. But that's never going to be between Ares and I, is it?"

"No. But that does not mean you cannot love him, and he you."

"I think I'm beginning to see that. Seeing your love for both Iolaus and Hercules has helped me. Seeing how you love Ares has made a difference. There can be love without the all consuming tie of soul that you share with Iolaus."

Sira looked to where the demigod stood waiting for them. She knew he'd heard their exchange. "Yes, Nemesis, there can be love like this. And it is a good thing. The earth wishes love and companionship for her people. She wishes physical pleasures of the body to be important to us. If we but follow her, she will lead us to these things even if not to our mate of the soul." Sira took a deep breath and let it out slowly as her mind touched the half god's. "Then sometimes she brings us two mates of the soul at the same time."

The empath took the former goddess' hand to start her walking again. "It is important that we as the earth's children not limit our love for others. When there is no soul's mate or if we cannot be with our soul's mate, the earth still wishes us to find someone special in our lives."

Sira had meant this for Hercules and he knew it. Nemesis didn't, however. "So you're saying it's all right for me to love Ares even though there may never really be a total commitment for each other?"

"Yes. But Evander speaks of a commitment far more than any words or ceremony ever could. The yosemin people will think of you as mates, at least in promise, and they will condone this. But what is more important is that you condone it yourself."

"He really does love his son. I didn't think that was possible. That's another reason I ran. I didn't think he could love anyone but himself."

"He did not either." Nemesis laughed. "He took your son to hurt you and to use him to harm Hercules. But once he had touched his son, they bonded and that all changed. Think back to that time. Did it not seem that he gave up easily?"

The girl chuckled. "Yes. Now that you point it out, it does."

"He knew the boy was better off with you."

The former pawn of Hera chuckled. "I've been so foolish. It's so hard to understand emotions and feelings."

"Yes, my sister, it is indeed."

The meal was complete and the clean up done. Nemesis took Evander to the spring to bathe him and herself. Sira sat before the hunter as he combed her freshly washed hair. They'd bathed together in the cool waters while the others did the clean up. The hunter smelled clean. His hair, still damp, hung in curls behind his ears. The healer's mind and soul touched his in a caress of love that seemed to fill the air. Despite the healing sleep she was still tired from the use of her earthly powers in the ruined village. It was good to relax.

Ares rose to fill his mug with tea then stood fidgeting for a moment. "Tomorrow we part company."

The healer had sensed this coming. "Do not be foolish, my brother. You may try to deny the earth in you, but it is still there. You know that is not what she wants from you."

"If I go with you I'll be putting all of you, and that village in jeopardy."

"I do not see it that way."

"Have you forgotten already what happened to the other village?" His voice had risen.

"Sit down and let us discuss this rationally."

"Damn it, Sira."

"We have tonight to talk about this. You said yourself, you would not leave until morning."

"She's right, Ares," the demigod added. "I see why you're concerned, but I can't help but think you're supposed to be with us for whatever reason."

"The people of this village we seek are forewarned of Discord's evil and treachery. Since waking from the healing sleep, my mind has touched that of our new goddess of war. I will know if she means to harm us or the village. The collective mind powers of my people would be an awesome thing, my brother. Discord has not yet grown too strong to be stopped. She knows this and so do I. If she thought she could stop us, she would have done so before now."

"These yosemin know the potential for danger and they still would welcome us?"

"They are strong of mind and strong in the earth. They have not failed to sense the disquiet of the earth. There must be a solution to this. They may be farmers and craftsmen, but they are not sheep. They would fight if it became necessary. The earth is leading us to the village of my people. There must be a reason."

"You say the combined mind powers of these people would be powerful. If that's the case, how was your own village destroyed?"

"The sorceress that attacked my people was at least part yosemin, herself. She knew the things that would harm my people. We had no forewarning of her coming. She poisoned my people first so that they would be too ill to make good use of the earth's powers. Still, my people stopped her. Their collective minds hurt her and she ran. It was the illness that took the life from my people�" Her voice faltered and she reached up to touch the amethyst that hung on a leather cord around her throat� "Not the sorceress, herself."

"What's to prevent this same thing from happening again?"

"I would know, as would Thysis, if Discord tried. She will not be allowed to come close to us while we are under the protection of the earth and her people in the village. You must trust me, and the earth on this. I say again, you are being led to this."

"Yeah, well, I have a hard time believing in predestiny, and the earth's ability to bring about this destiny."

"I know. It is hard even for those born to the earth. I do not fully believe that our lives are set out before us in an unwavering course that we cannot change. I do, however, believe there is something in the way of a course we are destined to take before we find ourselves here on the mortal plane. I believe the earth can and will lead us to the course she wishes for us. That is not to say that this course could not or would not change as events we have no control over change. I say only, come with us now. Await the earth's directions, then make your decision as to what you wish to make of your life."

The words he'd heard in his head before once again tickled his senses. You will be shown.

Sira narrowed her eyes at her brother. "I have felt the earth in you, my soul brother. I am as surprised as you that it is as strong as it is, but there can be no denying what you just felt."

The former god sighed. "If something were to happen to you or your people because I'm there�" His words trailed off.

"I know," she nodded. "But it is not just you Discord wishes to hurt. It is me, as well. She has felt my mind's touch and seen that it is stronger than her own powers. She would want me eliminated."

The hunter began to pace before the fire. He hadn't been pleased to hear the empath's declaration of her own danger from Discord. "If you think the combined minds of your people could stop her, why not just call her to you and blast her?"

"Because, my soul's mate, we could not kill her. We could harm her mind, but then there would be no god of war. The balance would be lost. The powers of the sword would be unprotected. There are other gods who are even more evil than Discord. We cannot afford to leave the sword vulnerable to these gods."

"Then what in Tartarus are we going to do? Spend the rest of our lives hiding out in this village while Discord murders more and more innocent women and children?"

"Calm yourself, my soul. I never meant to imply that. I say only, let us await the will of the earth."

"You could take the sword, my sister," the dark warrior whispered. "At least for a time, until a god could be found to take your place."

The girl looked startled. "Me? I am not a god."

"But you have the powers of one. It's the mind's powers that activate the sword, not the immortality or the power of teleportation. The gods of Olympus have different powers than the yosemin, but not necessarily stronger ones. You could harness the powers of the sword."

"We will have to see about this, my brother. The earth must guide me." Hercules and Iolaus exchanged looks. Somehow this line of thought made them both uncomfortable. Sira smiled at the dark warrior. "Will you come with us, my brother?"

"For now. As you've pointed out, I seem to be drawn to this."

"Good." The girl nodded. "Now Iolaus can finish combing my hair." She held the comb out to the pacing hunter.

The dark goddess of war paced the floor of her temple. The little game in the nameless village had tickled her for a little while, but it hadn't had the results she'd hoped for. Frustration burned deep inside her. She'd hoped to bring Ares to her. If he came to her she could always claim she'd hurt him to save herself. Self defense was at least a partial defense. While Zeus hadn't approached her directly, the rumor mills were grinding.

The King of the gods wasn't happy. His only legitimate son had been robbed of his godhood and stripped of his title. Moreover, this was the son he was just getting to know.

Discord admitted she was frightened of Zeus. He wasn't her father, and he had been known to be very harsh on other gods.

If only I could command the powers of the sword. He wouldn't interfere if the true powers of the god of war were mine. Who would have thought it could be so difficult to use the power the sword commanded? Still, I am the goddess of war, and no one can take that from me. That is, except Zeus.

She threw a blast of godly power at an unoffending spider on the wall of her temple. I want Ares to pay. He has to come to me if he hopes to be a god again. I have the means to make him that if he treats me nice, or nasty depending on how you look at it. I don't understand why he hasn't seen the potential in this. I could so easily make him a god once again. Then at least he would have a chance to try for his title once more.

It has to be that damned yosemin woman. Once I command the power of the sword, she'll be the first to go. No mortal should have such powers, no matter what Zeus thinks. Or maybe. . . A chill ran up and down her spine. But surely not. Still, he could have given her Ambrosia. Could she be a god and not even know it?

The dark goddess began to pace once more, her mind lost in thought. She was trying to remember all she could about this godhood from a mortal thing. With a rush she realized it was quite possible for a mortal to be given godhood without them being the wiser. They would have no training in using the powers they'd been given, but powers they would have.

Damn, I can't hope to dispose of her if Ares has made her immortal with Ambrosia. Fear gripped her middle. She tried to push it aside before it could take hold of her. To acknowledge the thought that had just entered her head would make it all the more real.

She began to shake. I'm afraid of her. Me, Discord, goddess of war. I'm afraid of her.

She shivered. She remembered all too well what it had felt like to have her mind bombarded with the empath's powers. It had hurt. Something as a god she was not used to.

Could her mind power rob me of my immortality? Zeus didn't seem to find her a threat, and yet he had spread the word to leave her alone. Was it because he liked her, or because she had the power to kill a god?

But no. That couldn't be it. Or could it? Now her brother's seeming love for the empath made sense. He didn't love her. He was kissing up to her to save himself.

He doesn't need to come to me. He can just wait until she gets a hold of me then move in to take back the Ambrosia, the sword, and his place as the god of war.

No wonder he'd fought so hard to reach her. No wonder he stayed with her. I've been such a fool.

It was like the evil goddess not to believe Ares might really have feelings for a mortal. It was like her to judge others by her own narrow minded hatred.

She looked around her in fear. Would she come for me here? Damn! My only defense may be the sword's power, and I can't seem to make it work for me.

The King of the gods sprawled across a white leather high backed chair, his white robe, trimmed in the earth's gold hiding his powerful build. To look at him he seemed at leisure, but in truth he was anything but.

He was not a happy god. What Hera's daughter had done to his son sent anger deep inside him. He'd wanted to take the little upstart to task. The one thing that stopped him was Hera, herself. She didn't give a damn that her son had been hurt or that he'd been robbed of his godhood by her illegitimate daughter. Leave my daughter alone, she'd said. She's under my protection.

Maybe I can't go against little Miss Evil directly, but I can hinder her in this.

At least Ares is with Sira. Her mind power will protect him for now. As long as I can keep Discord from using the power of the sword, they have a chance to stop her. Who in Tartarus would make a good god of war in Ares absence, I don't know, unless Sira would be willing to take on the challenge. Once Discord is out of the way, I can get Ambrosia to Ares.

My dear wife isn't the only one with the fruit of the gods. He smiled to himself. Yes, Sira would make one damn fine goddess of war. Wouldn't that gall both Hera and her daughter? He laughed. Maybe this could be fun after all.

Not even Hera would risk going against the yosemin empath and the earth god she worshipped. Not when Sira is under my protection and the protection of Hades, Poseidon, and Demeter. It was wise of me to go to the other gods to enlist their help in protecting Sira. If I had done that for Deianeira and the children, they would still be alive. If I had done so for Serena, Strife would not have dared harm her.

Well, I let Hercules down in this, I admit that. But as for Sira, I won't make the same mistake. And now she protects both my sons. Something I seem unable to do. Maybe a little trip to the underworld to see my brother is in order. He might just have some ideas in this.

Zeus scratched at his chin. "Take care of them, my yosemin daughter. You may well be the only thing standing between them and Hera and her daughter."

The travelers left their place of the night to begin the climb into the mountains that would lead them to the yosemin village the elder of the clan of the wolf and the lion had found on his quest to locate those of the earth's people still remaining.

The day was warm and they welcomed the shade the tall trees offered. The empath felt a welcome in the forest where others of the earth had chosen to stay. The trees here were old on the earth, growing tall and wide with their age.

Their place of nooning was near a small stream that rushed over rocks to form a white mist in the air. The water was sweet and cold, and the travelers found relief for their thirst in the liquid earth.

Sira sent her mind to her chosen father, letting him know of their progress. She sensed his excitement at the prospect of seeing them all. It was met with a responsive chord by the healer. She missed the man she called father and she missed her son as well. Seeing them would be good.

Despite her apprehension at the prospect of confronting those still seeped in the traditions of old, she found herself almost giddy with the anticipation of being reunited with her loved ones. Especially now, when her mind and her soul were bruised and sore and before her lay a destiny she dreaded.

Nemesis came to the healer where she walked between Hercules and Iolaus. "Tell me again what I should say to Thysis."

Sira did so. "You do not have to worry, Nemesis. You will do fine."

"I can't help it. It sounds like this asking for protection under the clan banner is an important thing. I don't want to mess this up."

"My mind on yours will guide you. The asking of clan protection is important, but the words used to ask for it vary. These people practice the old ways, as did my own village. I have taught you the old way of requesting clan protection. In the time before the remembered time, when my people numbered many and they roamed the forests and the plains freely, they needed clan protection. The earth's children had enemies. Sometimes the only way to stop these enemies was for the earth's people to bring their minds together as one. Then they could confuse and frighten their enemies with false images. While the person asking for clan protection was granted the protection of the collective, the clan was afforded the added strength of yet another strong mind. Part of the request for clan protection is also a pledge to protect the clan who would house you. Your mind will become a part of the whole that makes the village strong."

"Will there be other healers in this village?"

"Yes. There are always healers. There are no empaths, but much healing can be done with the earth's powers without transferring the pain and injury of one to another. They keep to the old traditions here as well. There will be a healer's hall, presided over by the healing elder. There will be the Dea, or the one chosen to take the elder's place when she steps down, and there will be other apprentice healers who study the ways of the earth."

"You're sure they won't deny me this protection under your clan banner?"

"I am sure. Thysis will grant you his protection as the elder of the clan, and under that protection you will be welcomed into the village."

The girl nodded. "I'm so nervous. I want this for Evander and myself. It may be our only hope."

"Trust the earth, my sister. She will guide you."

It was late in the day when the smell of wood smoke and the barking of a dog gave warning of the village to the travelers. A boy and an old man approached them. The old one leaned heavily on a cane but his step was sure, his back only slightly stooped with age. Behind them came several others. The empath knew at once these were the elders of the village come to welcome them. She was a little surprised that the remaining eleven members of the council of twelve elders had accompanied Thysis to give welcome to them. She had expected Thysis of course, and the village leader. She'd been almost as sure the healing elder would be here, to greet her if for no other reason, but she hadn't expected the rest of the council to also come forth.

Thysis stopped to await the travelers.

"Go ahead, my sister," Sira told the former executioner. "You will do fine."

Holding Evander's hand Nemesis stepped forward. She went to her knees before the old one.

"I beg protection for myself and my son under the banner of my sister's clan, the clan of the wolf and the lion. I pledge my mind and my strength to the clan of which I make this request."

"In whose name do you claim this sacred privilege?"

"In the name of the earth, and that of Sira, empath to the clan and granddaughter of the empath, Questa."

"Arise, my clan daughter. Your request is granted in the name of the earth. May our clan be enriched by your strength."

The girl rose but kept her eyes lowered. Now Sira stepped forward to also kneel at her father's feet. "My father, in the name of the earth, I request that myself, my mate of the soul, and my brothers of the soul also be granted permission to seek shelter in your village. We have traveled far to seek the council of your wisdom."

"You and those of your soul are welcome to what shelter a humble servant of the earth may grant you."

The old one reached out to offer the healer a hand up. She took it and the offered hug from her father of the soul. "Your son has come to greet you also, my daughter." The elder made a wide sweep with his hand to indicate the boy waiting patiently beside his grandfather.

The healer turned to the boy. He lowered his head to show his respect. "My mother."

Sira longed to pull him into her arms but knew it was not something that should be done before the elders of the village. At least not until she had shown her respect to them.

She now turned to the two people who came forward. The man was tall for a yosemin male. He was sparse in build, his back straight, his shoulders held back stiffly. His thick cap of hair cut short rather than worn long as tradition dictated was almost white. The woman was, by comparison, short while also thin. Around her neck hung the clear crystal of the healer.

Sira, keeping her eyes lowered meant to kneel before them, but before she could they went to their knees before her. She turned a shocked look to her father of the soul.

"You are the earth's chosen one. You honor them by coming here. It has been many generations since an empath has been among them."

"You honor me when no honor is due. It is I who must kneel before you."

The old woman started to rise. Sira almost stepped forward to help her, but remembered in time that it was considered an insult to touch an elder without first requesting permission. "Let me help you, my mother."

The old one held her hand out to Sira and the empath helped her to her feet, still keeping her eyes lowered.

"Thank you, my daughter." Her voice spoke more of her age than her appearance. It had gone thin and reedy with the passage of time. "You are most welcome in our village."

The village leader also rose. "We are truly blessed by your presence in our midst. As your father of the soul has said, we have been long without an empath to strengthen us. Come join us in the village. We have set out a feast in your honor. There is plenty of time to meet the rest of those who turned out to greet you as the days go by."

"I have been most welcomed. Thank you." Now that the formalities were over the mother turned to her son and held her arms out to him. He came willingly forward to hug her.

"I have missed you, Mother."

At his whispered words the healer felt the sting of tears. "I have missed you also, my son."

The hunter picked the boy up to hug him tightly. "You've grown."

The child laughed. "And I have learned much."

"I'm very proud of you, my son."

When he set him back on his feet the boy turned to the demigod. "My honored uncle."

The demigod went to his knees and held his arms out to the boy. "I've missed you, my nephew. Your father is right; you have grown."

The boy hugged him tightly then turned to the former god of war. "Uncle Ares. I am glad to see you again. I am sorry for your misfortune. Still, it has brought you back here and that is a good thing. Your visits of before were far too short. I would wish to get to know you better."

Ares smiled at the boy. Without asking permission or waiting for the dark one to make the first move the boy hugged him. When the boy stepped back he smiled at his uncle of the soul then turned to Evander. "This is your son, my uncle?"

"Yes. This is Evander."

"Welcome to the village, Evander." The little demigod smiled at Hercus from behind his mother's dress. "Do not be shy. I think you and I are going to be good friends."

"Do you like to collect pretty rocks?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Do you, also?"

"Yes."

"See? I told you we were going to be friends."

The travelers turned to follow the elders to the village. Sira addressed the former god of war. "So you have been here to visit Hercus before."

"Yes."

"You said nothing."

"I wasn't sure you would approve."

"Why would I not?" He raised an eyebrow at this. "You gave your word you would not harm him."

"Yes, I did, but you accused me of breaking my word as far as Hercules is concerned."

"And so you did."

"I didn't consider Hercules your family."

"You knew how I felt about him. Our tie is stronger than that of brother and sister. I find your excuse inadequate."

He chuckled. "I figured you would. Would you accept that I was lost in my anger and forgot for a moment my promise to you?"

"Yes, this I would accept. I feel the truth in this. Please do not let your anger blind you to your promise again." She smiled to take the sting from her words."

"As if I could do much to harm him now."

"Things do not always remain the same, my brother."

As they stepped through the line of trees that surrounded the clearing around the village they were met by two columns of apprentices waiting to welcome them as honored guests. On their right were the apprentice healers of the village standing in a stair-step in age from the oldest to the youngest. Sira knew at once the oldest was also the Dea.

She was a beautiful girl. Her hair hung down her back to below her knees in a rich brown silken vale shot with highlights of gold. Her eyes looked up briefly to get a look at the empath then lowered quickly when she knew she'd been caught. Sira had been afforded a glimpse of brown eyes alight with curiosity.

The Dea looked up again, but this time it was to watch the demigod. Slightly behind the others he stood out in the sunlight tall and strong. Sira smiled at the look that came into the girl's eyes at the sight of the half god's magnificence.

Realizing she'd been staring, the Dea blushed and once again lowered her eyes. Sira noted the demigod's eyes also took in the slender beauty who stood so still at the beginning of the column of healers.

As the travelers passed, the Dea shot a quick look at the demigod's back, watching as he walked on past her sisters.

"This is a great honor, " the empath stated. "Did you put the people up to this Thysis?"

"I had nothing to do with it. You are the chosen one. In honoring you they honor the earth."

"Why did they not ask to meet the rest of our group?"

"Because they are with you, and therefore welcome as one of the earth's own. Through their minds they know them already."

"I still thought it was rather rude."

The elder of her clan laughed. "Ever you speak your mind. Shall I tell Fahr you feel this way?"

"Fahr is the village leader, is he not?"

"Your mind has answered this question. You know full well he is."

"When you tell him I thought he was rude, also please tell him his mind betrays his true feelings."

"Behave yourself, my daughter. Your mind is too perceptive for these earthly souls."

They were led to tables set out in the clearing in the middle of the village. The Dea came forward to show them to their seats. She moved with an easy grace that spoke of the earth, and the empath felt a spark of friendship toward the healer. In yosemin years she looked to count maybe seventy five to eighty. She was only slightly taller than the empath. Her skin was dark, as if with tan. Sira noticed again that the demigod watched her closely.

When the girl had shown them to their seats she started to turn away. "Wait, healing sister." The girl stopped. "Thank you for honoring us. As the Dea we should be honoring you."

The girl looked startled for a moment then lowered her eyes. "No, chosen one. I have done nothing to earn your respect." Her voice was low and soft, and the empath was reminded of a soft spring breeze blowing across the meadow near her hidden cabin in the forest.

"I feel the earth in you, healing sister. That in itself should command our respect. What is your name?"

"I am called Dasay."

"Come, sister Dasay, and meet the others you honor."

The girl looked embarrassed but she turned to the hunter as Sira did. "This is Iolaus, hunter of the clan of the wolf and the lion, and soul's mate to me."

The girl bowed her head to the golden one. "I am most humbled to meet the mate of the soul of the earth's chosen one. Your greatness is spoken of at the council fires. Father Thysis had told us of you."

The hunter looked surprised. "Thank you, healing sister."

Next Sira introduced the Dea to Nemesis and Evander, then turned to Ares. "This is my brother of the soul, Ares. Mate to Nemesis and father of Evander."

The girl kept her eyes lowered. "You and your mate are most welcome in our village, brother to Sira."

Ares inclined his head at the girl.

"This is my more than brother of the soul, Hercules. The Dea blushed, keeping her eyes lowered. "You honor us, brother of Sira."

"As you do us, Dea." He tried to catch her eyes but she refused to look directly at him.

"Now if you will permit," the girl stated, "my sisters and I will serve you."

"Thank you, Dasay," the empath smiled at her.

The meal was served as others of the village came to honor the empath. "Are they always this generous to strangers in their welcome?" the half god asked of Thysis.

"No. It is to show their respect to Sira and the rest of you."

"Just what have you been telling them?" It was an accusation as much as a question.

"Only the truth. They know of your, shall we say, adventures. A favorite is the tale of how Sira healed the earth. I must say I have been asked to repeat that one the most."

"And how much have you embellished on these tales you have told?" the empath asked, a smile playing about her lips.

"I had no need to embellish, my daughter." The healer sensed the truth in what he told her.

"I do not deserve this kind of reverence, Father."

"But you do, Sira. You are the hope of our future and the tie with our past. You are the earth's chosen one and the last of the great healers. The earth's people cannot honor you enough."

"I think you put them up to this and I will get you for it."

"Just enjoy it, my daughter."

"Adulation is not always easy to live up to."

Ares laughed. "Are you kidding?"

"I am quite serious. I cannot live up to these people's expectations, any more than I could live up to the expectations of those people on the island where we found Venin. I am but one person, no better or worse than any other."

"Humph," came from her father of the soul. "You really believe you are not more powerful than the rest of us?"

"To put me in reverence because the earth works through me is foolish and takes away from the earth. It is the earth that should be held in reverence, not the earth's servant."

"This whole conversation could almost sound like a bid for attention, my daughter. That is, if I could not feel that what you say you really believe." The girl looked hurt. "I did not mean to hurt your feelings. You truly are humble, and I find it a refreshing thing in one so powerful. Do not take offense."

The girl lowered her eyes. "No, Father, perhaps you are right. Perhaps I have become arrogant and self important." She looked around her at the earth's people. "Maybe coming here was a good idea. If I can find humility in the simple beliefs of my people, the time here will be well spent."

"You are tired, my daughter. I know you blame yourself for things you have no control over. It was not my idea to so honor you, but I did not see the harm in doing so. Now I think perhaps letting you rest and find the earth would have been a much better idea."

The healer rose, and making her way past the Dea she left the clearing. The hunter rose to follow her. "She blames herself for that boy's death. You're right, my father. She hasn't had a chance to be with the earth."

"Then go find her and take her to the river, my son. The earth is strong there."

The hunter followed the healer from the village. Thysis turned to the Dea. "You see, my child? Even the earth's chosen one sometimes questions herself. It is a part of the sensitivity needed to be a healer."

The girl blushed. "I was not aware you knew of my feelings of late, my father."

"Your mind is strong, my child, but you have yet to learn how to hide all of what you feel. Come sit with us."

"No, my father. It would be improper."

"It is even more improper to disobey me. I feel the need of your company. Come take the chair beside me."

The girl did as she was told. It put her next to the half god. He rose to pull her chair out for her and she blushed. She's as timid as a temple mouse, he thought.

Thysis smiled at her. "Stop fidgeting, my daughter."

"I am most uncomfortable, my father. You see how the people are looking at me."

"They are just envious that you have been honored. But as the Dea you should be. This village seems to need a lesson in our old traditions." He scratched at his chin. "Maybe I will have to give them one."

"Please do not, my father."

He chuckled. "You take things far too seriously. Here, talk to my large friend. I wish to speak with my son, Ares." The old one turned to the former god.

The demigod couldn't hide his smile. His mind touched that of the old one. "You're not very subtle, my father."

"She has not caught on."

"So you read my mind and know I've wanted a chance to talk to her."

"Really? I was not reading your mind, my son, but hers. Remember, she has been taught to be shy and demure. Do not frighten her."

"I'll be careful."

The hunter found the healer sitting on the grass near the river. He took a seat beside her and she reached to take his hand. "I really do not deserve the honor they bestow on me."

"I know you truly believe that."

"I cannot live up to their expectations."

"The only expectations you should try to live up to are those of the earth and of your heart."

She turned to bury her face against him and he put his arms around her. "I am not always sure I can do this either."

"I am. I know where this comes from. Thysis is right, you are tired."

"I keep seeing that boy's face before me. He should have lived."

"Are you questioning the earth's will?"

"I do not know anymore."

He began to rock her. "Look how the grass has turned to comfort you. The earth is sending you a message. You are still her favorite. Let the earth heal you, my soul."

"You have grown in the ways of the earth, my mate. You are well suited to side me in the earth's endeavors."

"You're being a healer again. I know you sensed my own feelings of inadequacy and are now trying to make me feel better. But this time it's about you, not me."

"I cannot help myself, my mate. Do you really mind?"

"No. I love you for it." He took her lips and she gave them eagerly.

Her hands slipped beneath his vest to feel the warmth of his skin on her sensitive palms. "Make love to me, Iolaus. Here in the grass, while the earth is strong in both of us, take me."

He didn't answer the healer in words, but he did give her an answer. And as they loved each other the healing began for the earth's chosen daughter. The grass caressed her nakedness to send comfort to one of its own. The soil beneath her warmed to welcome her and her mate of the soul.

The demigod tried again to meet the eyes of the Dea but she refused to look at him. She contented herself with watching his hands. They were strong well shaped hands, the cords showing slightly as they moved back toward his wrists from his fingers. They were clean, the nails short and free of dirt. She found it hard to breathe and she looked away.

"The food is very good, Dasay. Thank you for the meal."

"It is tradition that the healers feed honored guests and that we provide for them during their stay."

"I thought the healing apprentices always stayed secluded in the healer's hall."

"Not always. We do have lengthy lessons there, but now that we have guests to serve we will be allowed out more."

"I'm glad to hear it. I hope I'll see more of you."

The girl blushed again. "You honor me."

"You are the hope of your people."

"Sira is right. It is not always easy to live up to these things."

The big man laughed. "You're as humble as my more than sister."

She looked up briefly to search his eyes. Her look was met with an earnest look of his own. After a moment she lowered her eyes again. Her eyes are beautiful, he thought. Too bad she refuses to look at me.

His eyes are so blue. I wish they would look at me as they look at his more than sister of the soul. Her sensitive mind had read much in his claim of soul's tie to the empath.

The empath's mind led her and the hunter to the hut that had been provided for Nemesis and Evander. They had stayed in the forest near the river until late. They would have stayed longer but the hunter was cold and they'd brought no blanket to warm them.

The former god sat on a bench near the door of the newly constructed mud brick hut set slightly apart from the others of the village.

He gave them a tolerant smile. "They've been asking for you."

The girl sighed. "I was afraid of that."

"It's all right. Thysis made your excuses."

"Why are you still up, my brother?"

"I slept for a time." He shrugged. "I just couldn't get back to sleep after waking up when Hercules came in."

"He was out late also?"

"He and Thysis were deep in conversation when I went to bed."

The girl smiled. "They are very close."

"Our father is an easy man to get close to."

"He admires you also."

"Are you feeling better, my sister?"

"Yes. The earth and her hunter have made me feel much better."

The dark one chuckled. "There's a mat on the floor for you two and plenty of blankets. Everyone has been very generous."

"Do not stay out too long, my brother. The night holds a chill."

"I'll be in after a bit."

"The night is comforting, is it not?"

"Yes, my earthly sister, it is. I say again, you're turning me into a worshiper of mud, just like you have Iolaus and Hercules."

The girl laughed. "Goodnight, mud worshiper."

"Goodnight, forest creature."

The demigod had heard their exchange. He was curled in his blankets but he wasn't sleeping. He'd talked with the Dea only briefly at the meal. She was so shy it wasn't easy to strike up a conversation with her. When he left Thysis' hut he'd also found a comfort in the night and walked out toward the forest. In doing so he'd passed the healer's hall. There sitting on a bench near the large wooden structure that housed the healers of the village sat the Dea.

"Dasay. Is everything all right?"

"Yes, brother to the empath, all is well. It was warm and stuffy in the hall so I came here to be with the earth."

"I'm sorry I disturbed you."

"You did not."

"May I stay and talk with you?"

"If you wish."

He took a seat on the grass near her. "The night does seem to hold a magic."

"The stars are very bright despite the brightness of the moon."

"The fiery rock in the sky god is burning strongly tonight."

"You know of our legends?"

"Only what Sira has told me."

"He must love the earth very much to try and hide his own pain from her by turning his back to her each day."

"Yes, he must."

"Has Sira shown you the yosemin maiden in the sky?"

"No, she hasn't."

The girl went to her knees beside him then pointed to the darkened dome above them. "You know where the large drinking gourd is?"

"Yes."

"And where the star that never moves is?"

"Yes."

"Then look just beyond it. See the girl's long hair hanging down behind her? She looks as if she is suspended in air as she lays on her back."

"My people say that is a fallen warrior in the stars." He wasn't looking at the sky any longer. He'd turned to watch her sitting beside him.

"Warrior or yosemin maid, it is beautiful."

"Yes, it is." She turned to look at him. He couldn't see it on her face in the dim light but he knew she was blushing.

"You have a mate?"

"No."

"But your soul is tied to another." It was a statement, not a question.

He looked away. "Yes."

"You must be very lonely."

He turned back to look at her again. There had been no censorship in her statement. "At times I am."

"I, too, feel loneliness. It is not easy being the Dea."

"You have no man who is special in your life?"

"No. That kind of thing is discouraged."

"Why?"

"Because I might someday find my mate of the soul. Also, because I am supposed to devote my mind and my energies to becoming the best healer I can."

"What if you never find your mate of the soul?"

"Then most likely I will never take a mate."

"That isn't fair. There can be love without the complete tie of the soul."

"Yes. That is the best that most of us can hope for. For most it is considered acceptable. Not so for a healer."

"I don't understand."

"We have stronger minds, so the chances of finding our soul's mate is greater. For the Dea especially, it is frowned upon, because we are the hope of the healers in our village. We must sometimes be mated with a male of strong mind to try and produce strong minded children. If we have taken a mate or gone into promise with another we would not be free to mate to produce strong children."

"Good grief! We're talking about a life here. A person with feelings and emotions and needs, not some baby making machine."

"We would be mated with only one of strong mind, not passed around the village producing offspring like you change your shirt." Her voice was teasing, and he found he liked the sound.

"But you would be forced to live the rest of your life with a man you didn't love."

She sighed. "I know."

"Can't you tell them to go to blazes?"

She chuckled, and he liked that sound also. "Yes, but it would put one in disfavor."

"So let them marry for convenience, and see how they like it."

"Preserving the strength of the earth's powers in our people is important."

"At your expense?"

"It is what is better for the greater number. And love may come with this person in time."

"Ask Sira what forcing a strong minded healer to mate with one she didn't love caused."

"You refer to her grandmother. It is true, that ended in disaster. And yet, look what the mating of the two minds produced."

"I guess it must be a decision each person must make for themselves. But I still say secreting you away in the healer's hall so that you can't find a mate is wrong."

"It does make one lonely."

"You deserve some happiness in your life."

"There is always happiness."

"You know what I mean."

She turned to look at him again. "I believe I am beginning to. Now I must go. It would not be considered proper for us to be here together."

He got to his feet. "I'm sorry. I don't want to get you in trouble." He offered her a hand up. When her hand went into his he felt a shock of energy between them. He held her hand longer than was needed to help her to her feet. She removed it gently.

"It was good to talk to you. I feel more at ease now. It should help me to sleep."

"Then it was worth the risk. Goodnight, Dasay." He turned to make his way to the hut.

The Dea stood watching his back. He looks so powerful. I wonder what it might feel like to have those arms around me.

The big man turned restlessly in his blankets. Damn, I can't get that girl out of my mind.

The empath was the first to rise. She built up the fire in the mud brick stove. Taking a bucket she went to the large wooden barrel outside the hut to fill it. She was greeted with calls of good morning and waves of friendship.

Not bothering to heat the water she took the bucket aside and made her absolutions. The hut was simply one large room with a stove and fireplace built into one wall. No bed or furniture occupied the room yet, but knowing the generosity of the yosemin people the healer was sure these things would come. There were mats and rugs on the floor and woven moss curtains at the windows. The door was simply a piece of soft worked leather tacked to the door frame and left loose to cover the opening.

The healer turned her back to the room to bathe, not really concerned by who might catch her in the natural act of caring for her body.

When she'd dried off she pulled a loose fitting woven moss dress over her underthings of unbleached moss then turned to find the former god of war watching her.

She smiled at him, not in the least embarrassed by his gaze.

"You've lost weight, my sister."

"There has been much that has lessened my need for food."

"I'm sorry." His words were whispered.

"Thank you. That is very thoughtful."

He rose to come to her and pull her against him. There was nothing of the lover in his hold on her. He'd meant only to comfort her with his love.

"I'll string up a blanket across one corner to give you and Nemesis some privacy."

"Thank you."

"I was a little surprised when it was made clear we were all to share this one hut."

"We are all family. Families share a home."

"I guess I still don't understand this tie of the soul thing."

She chuckled. "Would you like me to make tea?"

"I'll do it. You just sit at the table and look beautiful."

"I guess I can do that. There is water in a barrel outside the door."

He didn't bother to put a shirt on before taking up the pot and leaving the hut. He was given several admiring looks by female passers by and ducked back into the hut with a rush, a slight pink color in his face.

"Your beauty was well received, I take it."

His blush deepened. "Don't yosemin men know how to make love to their wives?"

Sira laughed. "Yes, but the earth's people admire the perfection of the body more than some."

The others soon joined them to share the tea the former god had made. A light tap on the mud brick wall outside the door gave notice of a visitor.

The demigod moved to pull the leather covering aside.

The Dea stood on the threshold. She bowed to him. "My sisters and I have come to honor you with the first meal of the day."

The half god stood watching the girl in the full light. Again he was struck by her beauty and poise. The healer noted the look on her brother's face then turned her eyes to watch the girl still standing in the sunlight. Rising she went to the door.

"Please enter, sister healers. Your honor touches us deeply. Welcome to you and the earth."

The Dea stood aside to allow her sisters to enter the hut. Before she could do the same the empath took her arm. "Welcome, my sister."

The young healer looked up to smile at the empath. "Melay means to ask you to visit the healer's hall. If she does will you come?"

"I would be honored. This is a bit daring, is it not?"

The Dea smiled. "You are the empath. Your mind's touch on ours may well teach us much. You are truly of the earth. To ask you to honor us is the right thing to do."

"Is this why you make your own personal appeal for me to visit?"

Dasay shook her head. "I asked you because I would like to get to know you better. I think we could be friends, and I would very much like to be that."

Sira hugged the girl. "I believe our strong minds have already made us friends, my sister."

Both girls heard the demigod saying something and looked up. The young healer kept her eyes on the big man, a look of longing in her eyes and the empath was hard pressed not to smile.

"He is magnificent, is he not?"

"Yes. Oh, yes." The girl blushed at her boldness, her eyes lowered once again and the empath did smile.

Sira's father of the soul joined them before the meal was over. He was shown to the table by one of the girls then offered food. He declined the offer. The empath knew her father had been up for a long time. He seldom slept, stating that at his age sleep wasn't as needed. And besides that, his time here on the mortal plane was now short. "Why waste what is left by sleeping it away?"

The apprentice healers were quietly respectful to all of their guests, but they treated Sira with the same reverence due an elder and she found it rather annoying. She also noticed that while some of the older girls had no trouble meeting the eyes of both Hercules and Ares, they treated Iolaus with the same lowered eyed subservient behavior they showed to her.

When the healing apprentices left the hut the hunter watched them leave, a look of annoyance on his face. "What was that all about? They treat me like some kind of old man."

Thysis chuckled. "You are the soul's mate of the empath. They treat you with respect because of your soul's tie to the earth's chosen one."

"What's all this 'hope for the future' stuff?"

The demigod was watching the empath and saw her blush at this. He raised an eyebrow then narrowed his eyes at her. He said nothing, but he had a strong suspicion just what the young healers had meant by their reference to Sira being the hope for the future.

"It is just another show of respect, my son. Do not take offense."

"Well, this old grandpa wants to spend some time with his son. Is that possible, oh mighty teacher of the earth's chosen one's son."

"Yes, of course. Hercus is at the meadow now. He has voiced his desire to become a hunter and is there practicing the skills needed to become that. Go join him. He is as anxious to be with you as you are with him."

Iolaus offered Sira a hand up from the bench she sat on. "Come on, Granny. Let's go see our boy."

The healer took the offered hand up with a smile.

Hercules also rose. "You really should treat the 'hope of the future' with more respect, my friend," he scolded the hunter.

"You're right." He lowered his eyes and bowed to the empath. May I carry you to the meadow, oh mighty one?"

Sira shoved at him. "Behave yourself. Let us all join Hercus in the meadow. I would love to watch him at practice."

Nemesis declined the offer. "I've been invited to join Dasay in a lesson on preparing grain to store during the winter, and one of the younger healers has agreed to watch Evander for me. If I'm ever going to be able to make it on my own, I have to start somewhere."

"You are wise, Nemesis. Take this time to learn. We will miss your company, but you have made the right decision."

"Well," the former god stated, "I'm coming. I want to see my nephew in action."

"I, too, will accompany you," the elder announced. "The company is much better than my own."

The young apprentice was shyly pleased that his family had come to watch him and the other apprentices at their practice. He talked his father and two uncles into showing their skills and into giving pointers to the young boys. Their master was cordial with his welcome and made no objection to the men showing the boys a few things.

They all seemed to get into the spirit of the thing and there was much laughter. Others of the village came to watch also and were soon drawn into the fun.

The hunter came to pull Sira to her feet. "Come on, show the boys how it's done."

"No, Iolaus. That would not be proper."

"Please, Mother?" Hercus joined his plea to his father's "Father says you have learned much. I wish to see for myself."

"Perhaps another time."

The demigod snorted. "Chicken. Afraid to be shown up, are you?"

The healer raised her eyebrow. "I would not wish to make you look bad."

"Put your arrow where your pride is and just try to make us look bad."

A young man stepped forward to hand her his bow. "Try mine, chosen one. It is about the right size."

The girl smiled at him and accepted the bow. Taking her position she laid the arrow across the string and took her aim. The arrow embedded itself in the dead center of the target.

Ares whistled and handed her another arrow. "Let's see you do that again."

The healer obliged, sending her arrow to split the first one still in the target. Just as swiftly she took another arrow, and seeming not to aim sent it to quiver in the center of the target as well.

Hercus cheered. Hercules bowed. Iolaus laughed. Ares went to his knee before her to kiss her hand.

The empath blushed and handed the bow back to the young apprentice who had generously offered it to her. He took it with a look of shock on his face. He turned it over slowly, looking at it as if he was afraid the empath had enchanted it somehow.

"I feel ahead with my mind to find my target," the healer offered. "The earth sends it true."

A hush had settled over the meadow where there had been laughter before. Sira's blush deepened. She took a seat beside the elder where he sat on a fallen log.

She looked around her. "Have I done something wrong?"

The elder chuckled. "It is not expected that a healer might also make a warrior, or that a healer would find such pleasure in using weaponry."

"So my joy at my success shows, does it?"

"Very much so."

"You know what they say; pride comes before the fall."

"Take it from one who has always been given to the sin of pride. The fall only comes when the pride is bigger than the earth's own pride in us. You have nothing to be concerned about, little healer."

"I guess I should not show them my skills at hand to hand combat."

The old one laughed. "Maybe you should. It is time our people learned that being able to defend ourselves is a good thing."

"I am surprised at the things being taught here. There is more than hunting skills being shown to these boys."

"Yes. Clanis and I feel the same about this. The yosemin people must learn once again to defend themselves from outside forces if we are to survive as a race."

"Clanis is the boys' instructor?"

"Yes. He is only part yosemin. His mother was of the earth, his father a soldier in the army of Corinth. The son took his place beside his father, but when his mother died he chose to come here to see what his mother's life had been like. Here his differences were welcomed and he found the earth. He is a good man. He and I have fought long and hard to get Fahr and the council to agree to this training."

"Fahr was not pleased with the council's decision to teach the young boys these skills, was he?"

"Your mind has told you the answer. Fahr would have us stay farmers, hiding out in the hills ready to flee at the first sign of trouble. Do not get me wrong. He is doing what he truly believes is the right thing for the village and his people. He is, however, not always looking at the bigger picture." The elder sighed. "Despite his faults he is a good leader."

The girl nodded. She could sense that there was no real love between the village leader and her father of the soul, but she made no reference to the fact. "We traveled to Corinth recently."

"Yes, I know of your latest exploits. Did you think I would not have followed your deeds with my mind?"

She smiled at him. "We passed the site of a long abandoned yosemin village."

She felt the old one beside her stiffen. "What did you find in this village?"

"Not a great deal. We did not stay long. It had been a sizable village. I believe it may have been attacked since there was evidence of burned wooden structures, while the surrounding forest seemed unharmed for the most part. It was a very old site. But still I thought you might remember it."

"Northeast of where Corinth is now, along the river?"

"Yes."

"I remember it. You are right; it is an old site."

The healer studied his face for a moment. "What is it, my father?"

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "This village you speak of was once mine." The empath gasped and reached to take her father's hand. "The destruction you found there was the direct result of my pride and foolishness."

"I am sorry, my father. I had no wish to bring up something so painful."

"The earth has forgiven me, and I work still to forgive myself. It is not so painful now to remember. While there I was unhappy, and yet now when I look back I can remember happy times. It is funny how the passage of time dulls the pain and heightens the joy."

"It is the earth's way of giving us something to look forward to."

The healer removed a small leather pouch from her waist pack. Emptying the contents into her skirt she reached for a tiny pale blue bead. "There was a string of these tiny beads embedded in the soil. I took only one to remember the girl who had once worn them. Would you like to have it?" She scooped the other things up to return them to the leather pack then looked up to see why Thysis hadn't answered her. He went to his knees before her, his hands spread wide to the earth. "Father!" The empath went down beside him to take his shoulders. "My father."

Hercus ran to them. "Grandfather, what is it?" He sent a pleading look to his mother.

"My father." The girl sent her mind to the elder intent on healing him from whatever had afflicted him. She found his mind muddled and foggy.

"What is it, Sira?" The men had joined them. The concern in the demigod's voice tore at the healer's sensitive heart. She knew how close the half god and the elder of her clan were.

"I am not sure."

Thysis reached for the big man's hand. "Help me, Hercules. I wish to return to my hut."

"Thysis are you all right?"

"Please, I wish only to be in my home, to rest."

The half god helped the old one up then steadied him with an arm around him. "Are you ill, my father?"

"Later, my son, later."

The old one leaned heavily on the demigod and Ares stepped forward to take the old one on the other side. The elder looked at them each in turn then moved his eyes to the hunter. "My three strong sons." He turned slightly to see Hercus still on the grass looking frightened and pale. "My grandson. Closer than the tie of blood, our bond has grown." Now he looked to the empath. "And my daughter. The one to bring the earth back to me. The one to make me whole."

Tears streamed down the girl's face. "What is it, Father? Was it the reminder of your village?"

"Later, when I have rested. Then we will talk."

The men helped the old one to his hut. Hercus was the only one he would let stay with him. "I am not ill. I need rest; nothing more. Sira, Melay wishes you to visit the healer's hall. You should not keep her waiting."

"But I can help you to rest."

"No, my daughter. I do not require a healing. Indulge an old man and run along."

The empath joined the men outside the old one's hut. Hercules turned quickly around at her approach. "Is he all right?"

"He seems to be. I think he was in shock from something I said. You remember the old yosemin village we found near Corinth? It seems that used to be Thysis' village. Maybe the memories were too much for him."

The hunter put an arm around her. "You mustn't blame yourself. You had no way of knowing the village was once his or that he would react so strongly to the reminder."

"I still feel I am missing something."

The girl started to return the leather pouch to her waist pack. With a gasp she stopped. Pulling the hunter's hands out she emptied the pouch into his hands then shifted the assortment of stones and pebbles she, like little Evander, had collected. She took the tiny blue bead between her thumb and pointer finger. The demigod steadied her as she swayed on her feet. Now she understood. She longed to talk with Thysis. She understood now what had brought forth such a reaction from him. But for now perhaps rest was the best thing for him. He needed time to think. Time to remember.

"Sira?"

"It will be well, I believe. We should let Thysis rest. Hercus will call if we are needed."

She held open the leather pouch so the hunter could return the contents to safety. When the top was tied securely the girl returned it to her waist pack once more. "I think I will do as my father suggests and visit the healer's hall. It would be rude not to."

Hercules sighed. "You're not going to tell us what this is all about, are you?"

"No. It will be up to Thysis if he wishes you to know."

"But you've figured it out, haven't you?"

"I believe so, yes."

"He is going to be all right?"

"Yes. I am sure he will be all right." Hercules gave her a skeptical look and she smiled to reassure him. "I will check on him soon."

The empath went alone to the hall of healing. Males were not welcome most of the time, and despite the people's show of respect to her family she knew those she loved would always be considered outsiders. Therefore they would be even less welcome in the sacred hall of healing.

Sira stopped outside the hall to ask first the earth's permission for her to enter. Getting a sense of comfort from her mother she called softly.

Melay herself answered the call, pulling aside the leather door covering. The empath lowered her eyes. "Please, healing mother, may I enter?"

"In whose name do you ask?"

"In the name of the earth, from which all healing comes."

"You may enter in the name of the earth, chosen one."

The empath hesitated now. This had once been her world. The air from the hall smelled familiar. The dimness beyond the door sent her mind scurrying back to her own years as the Dea of her village. With a visible squaring of her shoulders she stepped over the threshold. Now she could see the young apprentices sitting on mats on the floor near a high backed chair of wood and suede.

"We were in lessons. If you would like time with the young healers I will leave you with them."

"I had no wish to disturb your lesson."

"It is well, healing daughter. The girls have wished to speak to you. I will send for the Dea. It would be a shame if she were to miss your visit."

So, the healer told herself, she does not approve of my being here, after all. But I am here now, and I will stay at least for a short time.

Dasay came hurrying in from the curtained off hall that led to the sleeping quarters of the apprentices. "Forgive me for not being here to greet you, chosen one. My time with your soul sister seemed to speed by. Then I heard that Father Thysis had collapsed. Hercus says he is resting and does not wish to be disturbed."

"It was not so much a collapse as a reaching out to the earth. He will be fine."

The girl breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the earth he will be well."

The healing elder cleared her throat and Dasay jerked with the prick of her conscience. "I am sorry, my mother." The healer bowed to her teacher. "I did not mean to be rude."

"You seem to have a nasty habit of doing just that despite your claim to innocence."

"I am sorry. I was so concerned for Father Thysis."

"I asked for no excuse. Try not to be rude further and introduce your sisters to the empath."

Even Dasay stiffened at the rude address the old one had used in reference to Sira. "Yes, chosen one, come forth and meet those who devote their earthly gifts to the pursuit of healing."

Sira bowed to the elder then turned her back on the woman. Rudeness deserved rudeness in return, the empath decided. Then she felt remorse. It did no good to be just as bad as the one who offends. It is not so much that I mind her address of me, but her treatment of Dasay.

The Dea led the empath to the chair where the apprentices waited patiently. Melay stood over them as the introductions were made. Sira found herself wishing the elder would find another occupation for the moment. She felt uncomfortable with the disapproval that seemed to radiate from the healing elder.

After the girls had been introduced the old teacher inclined her head to the nature child and left the room. Sira relaxed visibly. "So, are there any questions you would like to ask of me?"

Dasay sat forward. "How is it that you can transfer?"

"It is just so."

"Could you teach others to do this?"

"It is not a thing that is learned. It is either given by our mother, or it is not."

The Dea sighed in disappointment. "How would I know if I were given this gift?"

"In a healing when you are entranced and you have opened your mind, your heart, and your soul to the earth and to the one in need, then it will simply happen. You must let your compassion build and blossom, and if you are an empath the transfer will come."

"But we have been instructed to put a safeguard on our love and compassion in the healing to protect ourselves."

"No!" the empath shook her head. "No, you must not limit yourself. Healing comes from your willingness to be open. To be willing to give of yourself, no matter the risk. The closer you are to the one in need, the greater the healing powers of the earth."

Dasay sat back to study the healer's face for a moment. "What if in being too open, one were to give too much of one's self?'

"You are speaking of a physical closeness." The Dea blushed and nodded. "Yes, there is always that risk. But much healing can be done when the physical bond between you and the one in need is met. Still, there are many reasons why this may not be desirable. The physical forces can be strong, but they can be set aside to complete the healing. Unless the earth wishes you to be in soul with the one you heal, it will not happen."

"What if we give into our physical needs then find when the healing is complete we do not care so much for this one?"

Sira smiled. "Then you would have a problem. You must set aside the physical need from the need to heal. They are two different things, my sister. Trust your heart to tell you which is real and which is not."

"What if we find our mate of the soul?"

"Then the earth has truly blessed you. It would not take a healing to tell you this. If it does, then this is not your soul's mate."

"And if we were to fall in love with a mate that was not our soul's mate because of the bond of healing, then we were to find our soul's mate?"

"The people must always wonder, when taking a mate if they will someday find the mate of the soul who also searches for them. It is a risk we must take to keep the race alive and to bring us happiness. There can be much love and joy in the mating of one you love, even if they are not your true soul's mate. No earth's child but knows of the risk. It must be up to each person's own heart to decide if they are willing to take the risk or if they would rather live a solitary life.

"Remember, if the one you have mated with is good and pure in the earth, they will understand your tie of the soul and find a way to make you, your soul's mate, and themselves happy."

"You are speaking of the sharing of mates?"

"It is a fact that this may be the only solution. I know this should only be considered as a last resort. But having felt the tie of soul to one and the touch of a soul's mate to another I can assure you, giving up either is not an easy thing. The sharing does not have to be a physical one with the mate. I do not believe one could keep the physical needs from the relationship with the soul's mate, however. But the earth would have brought these three people together, and therefore must surely understand even a physical relationship between the three."

Dasay looked shocked. "This has not been practiced for a long time," she whispered.

"But is it against the earth, or your heart and soul? Look deep, my sister. Who are we to question the earth? You must be sure. You must feel the earth working through you in this."

"But it is not always easy to know when it is the earth calling to you, and not just your own desires."

"Yes, there can be difficulty in finding the balance. But as healers you have the strongest minds. Use them. Your training here should be more than how to meditate or become entranced with the earth. It should be more than lessons in which offerings of our mother heal which things. Your time here should be spent in the pursuit of a oneness with the earth. Speak with the mother. Still your mind to her call, then follow what your heart tells you is right."

"There have been many restrictions put on us as healers." The other girls nodded at this.

"What kind of restrictions?"

"We are not allowed to mingle with the others of the village long enough to find a mate if we chose. There have, however, been a few girls who did find one they wished to be with. As apprentices they were not allowed to do so. One girl left the healer's hall, giving up her pursuit of healing. Another girl stayed, but was so miserable that she became bitter and resentful."

With the insight her earthly powers gave her the empath knew who this embittered healer was. Despite being left scarred from the indifference of superstition and fear, she now put the same foolish restrictions on the girls she taught.

"It is important to have time to be alone and to meditate. From this comes your closeness to the earth. Keeping prospective healers secluded has some advantages, and I firmly believe the girls need the time away from the outside influences of the village. I do not, however, believe you should be held prisoners behind the walls of the healer's hall. Discipline is the key to being one with the earth. The discipline of the hall is vital. Still, to keep you from happiness and love is foolish and unfair. No wonder the yosemin people are losing their young healers."

The Dea nodded. "How was it in your village?"

"Much the same as in yours. The healers were allowed time away from the hall. There were times some of us were asked to take mates not of our heart to produce strong minded offspring. But not since the time of my grandmother was this forced on any healer. We were allowed to find a mate for ourselves, just as the others of the earth were."

"It is said in voice that we can refuse the elder's request that we take a mate for the purpose of strengthening the earthly powers of the people. But I do not believe this. I have seen this with my own eyes. I was very young. But I remember the Dea. She was strong of mind, and beautiful. She was asked to mate with a man of another village to produce a strong minded child in the hopes that an empath might be made. She refused to do so. She was pressured and badgered and treated badly. For three years she was never allowed to leave the healer's hall."

"Where is she now?"

"She went to the earth by her own hand."

The empath sat back in shocked silence for a moment. "You remember this? It is not just some tale you girls have heard?"

"I remember. She was so good to me. She used to sit in her room, her knees pulled up under her chin and cry. I can remember asking her why did she not just mate with this man and have it done? She said she did not love him. In fact, she loathed him, and to be with him physically would make her ill. She said she would rather die than bed with him."

The empath nodded sadly. "And that is exactly what happened."

She had heard of this kind of thing before. In her own village her grandmother had been forced to take a man she did not love. In time her grandmother had at least learned to like the man who fathered her child. But there must surely have been times when the one being forced might go on hating the one they were mated to. How miserable life for them must be. Once mated with the one, they would not be free to pursue love with another. In some cases not even if they found their true soul's mate. Even if they had only gone into promise, once a child was conceived they must either take the vow of mate or leave the child with the stigma of illegitimacy. If they chose to do this and stayed in promise only, they would be outcasts in their own village. They might part from their mate and find love with another, but they would always be looked upon as tainted in some way.

People could be cruel. There were times when those of the earth left one mate for another. In a mutual agreement there would be no real harm. Some might be less friendly, but they would not be ostracized. But once a child was born to a couple they not only risked their own happiness by the break up, but also the happiness of the child. The child could and would be treated badly because of the sins of its parents. More than once, those no longer wishing to stay together simply left the village to go their separate ways. A woman alone with a child would be welcomed in any village and her sins forgiven if she were a good mother to the child.

The empath had long thought this whole thing foolish. People not tied deeply enough in soul could fall out of love with each other. Doing so showed their foolishness in having mated in the first place, but it did not make them dirty and unclean. It did not make their offspring something to avoid.

Thysis was right. If the earth's people were going to survive, they must find a way to put their fears and superstitions aside and look into their hearts instead.

Many had. But in every village there were those given to nastiness and unhappiness who seemed bent on making others as miserable as they, themselves, were. These were the people who kept to the old ways of punishment for any who strayed from the norm. They could not see past the body's physical needs to the needs of the soul. They were the ones who would find fault with one of the earth's children for finding their mate of the soul once they had been mated with another. Rather than see the impossibility of turning one's back on the call of the soul, they would punish the one so blessed by the earth.

It was these kind of people that kept her grandmother from returning to her village and confronting her people when she first found her soul's mate. Had she been free to bring her mate to the village, together the collective mind of the earth's people could have stopped the sorceress before she became so powerful. How many lives could have been saved? Sira felt the old stirring of indignation at injustice and prejudice fill her throat with a bitter taste. They profess a love of the earth, then they try to deny the working of the earth in others. The earth was love and understanding, compassion and comfort. The hypocrisy of her people stirred old wounds she thought had healed. Now she understood better her chosen father's annoyance with the yosemin people. No wonder so many of the earth's children had left the fold, as it were. The strong minds of the earth's people made it even harder to hide their feelings about things. Disapproval, censorship, and rejection were strong emotions not easily hidden. They were the kind of emotions that cut deeply into their victim to eat away at their soul like a malignant growth, leaving the object of these negative emotions deformed forever.

"Chosen one?" The empath had been silent for so long that the Dea was getting concerned.

Sira looked up to smile at her. "I am sorry. I was thinking of the foolishness of many of the earth's children."

"Do not let Melay hear you say that."

"She already thinks of me as some kind of sea toad. I do not think it could get much worse."

The girls laughed. But not Dasay. "It is just that she takes things so seriously. She has a deep sense of what is right or wrong."

"Spoken like a true apprentice and the Dea of the village." Dasay started to protest but Sira rushed on. "Do not get me wrong. I admire this about you, my friend. There is much about me to find objectionable if you were to judge me by the narrow minded superstitions of our people's long ago past. It was wrong of me to undermine what your teacher and elder has told you is right and just. Forgive me, my sister."

"Forgive me. I did not mean to imply that you have sinned against the earth. If what you have chosen to do with your life were so objectionable, the earth would not be so strong in you. And I, for one, can feel its strength there as well as see it shining about you with a blue glow."

Sira smiled at her. "You are strong in the earth, my sister."

"When did you first know you were an empath?"

"They say that even before I could walk I would cry if there was an illness or injury in the village. When I could crawl I would go to someone hurt or sad. I was but one summer when I went to the healer's hall to take up my apprenticeship, but I was six summers before it was known that I was an empath.

"One of the other girls from the hall was my special friend. She was older and very strong of mind. We were bonded. She was a free spirit and often slipped from the hall to spend time in the forest. She fell from a tree and was injured.

"I knew at once my friend had been hurt, but the healing mother did not want to believe me, even though she could not find the girl anywhere. I disobeyed her and went after my friend. It was my mind that led the others to us. They took her to the healer's hall, but refused to allow me to help in the healing.

I insisted. I went to my grandmother for help. She was no longer among our healers because of what she had done. Not so much by the elder's decree, as by her own. It was a self punishment she inflicted on herself. Still, she had some influence with the council because her mind was so strong. She went to them for me and I was at last allowed to help my friend. Almost at once the transfer just happened. I had not the vaguest idea what I was doing, but we were bonded. It just happened."

"What happened then?"

"It caused quite a stir, to say the least." The girls laughed. "My friend was healed, and the rest, as they say, is history." The empath smiled at the apprentices.

"It could have been very dangerous for you."
"Yes, it could have been. But I had my grandmother to help me. She knew well what to do

in a transfer."

The Dea sighed. "To be an empath. There can be nothing greater than to give one's life to the earth as an empath."

"I wish I could bring this to you, my sister. It must come from the earth. Still, much healing can be done without empathy."

"I know. It is surprising, however, how few opportunities there are for healing here in this quiet little village."

The empath laughed. "Be glad this is the case. You would not wish ill on your fellow villagers."

"No, but it does not leave much room for learning."

"Yes, I have learned much since leaving the confines of the healer's hall."

The Dea placed her hand on the forest child's hand. "My sister, will you stay here and help us? Will you teach us to be better healers?"

Sira was shocked by the request. She studied the faces of the young girls. She let her mind drift for a moment. She sensed her mate of the soul here in the village near her. She could feel her more than brother of the soul. She could feel Ares as a part of her. Her son, her chosen father. What of Alcmene and Jason, Iphicles and Reyna? These were now her family. With these people she belonged now, not here in the sleepy little village so like the one she'd started her life in.

She knew what the villagers meant by calling her the hope of the future. They hoped someday she would mate with a strong minded yosemin and produce another empath. She didn't have the heart to tell them that this could never be. Not while she was with her mate of he soul. Not once he was gone, for then she had already chosen another.

"I am sorry, my sister. I cannot do this. This is no longer my life, any more than it was my grandmother's once she had come home. There is a glory and a freedom in the forest that you cannot find here. There is a new aspect of the earth and her will among her natural beauty. My destiny lies elsewhere. If I am to be the earth's chosen one, she will have to find me on the trail somewhere, for that is my life now."

"We had hoped to convince you to stay with us. You could open the book of clan. You could train the healers."

"I understand, my sister, and we are that now, are we not?"

The Dea once again took the empath's hand. "Yes, Sira, I think perhaps we were that even before we set eyes on each other. I have felt your strength of mind for a long time through Hercus and Thysis. When you were so in need after the village you found attacked, I sent my mind to you. Yes, empath, we are sisters."

"Then try to understand why I must be free to be myself."

"I do. I wish only that I, too, could be this. I would gladly pass the title and responsibilities of Dea to another."

"No!" the empath sat forward. "No, Dasay. You are their only hope. It is you who will show them the future of healers. You, who will teach the children with love and compassion. You, who will see the value in the smallest of things and make even those not of the earth know the earth at last. You have the depth of compassion to be all these things. Your people need you."

"But they need you, as well."

"Yes, and I serve them also, my sister. Just not as a healer closed away in the healer's hall."

"Then why could I not also be the hope for my people but from outside the healer's hall?"

"You could do much to show the people that this could be so. There are many changes that must take place, my sister. Men should be allowed to be healers. Many of them have stronger minds than the women. Not empathy, perhaps, but a healer's mind and soul. The healer's hall should be opened to all.

"The apprentices should be allowed to roam the forest to find their place with the earth. They should be allowed to love others as they choose. There should be no restriction on their contact with the others of the village as long as their lessons are completed. No other apprentice is segregated from the other villagers. No other child is told they are not free to love and find a mate. Do you not see? These were things I wanted for my village. I fought for these things. I believe in these things. From what you have told me here today, I know you feel the same. I was not given the chance to make that difference in my village, but you will have."

"This is much that you expect of me."

"Yes, much indeed. But you are strong enough to do this. Search your heart, my sister. Feel the earth there. You will feel the truth in what I have said. Now I must go. I wish to check on my father."

The girls left the empath willingly enough. They had been confined a long time and Sira couldn't blame them for wanting to move about.

The Dea walked Sira to the door. "May we talk again soon, my sister?"

"Yes, there is much we would find to talk about. It will be soon."

The Dea stood watching the empath make her way toward the clearing in the center of the village. She felt excited, and yet somehow depressed. Her excitement came from the empath herself. The energy that flowed around her was stimulating and intoxicating.

With a sigh she turned back to the room and stood looking about her. She knew she should find her teacher. It would be the right thing to do. She moved through the healer's hall and on through to the sleeping chambers beyond. She didn't stop, however. She went on through the wooden door that led from the back of the hall to the small grove of trees near the outdoor healing shelter and to the bench where she'd sat last night while talking to the demigod. She didn't go to the bench this time. Instead she took a seat on the grass where he had sat, and closing her eyes she willed her mind to relax. She felt the need to be close to the earth.

Disappointment burned deep inside of her. Disappointment that it seemed very unlikely she had been granted the powers of empathy. Dasay hoped Sira might be able to stimulate the earthly powers she'd been granted and somehow awaken empathy within her. She'd hoped there might be a chance for her to step down from her role as the Dea. She knew her feelings did her no credit, but if the empath had been willing to stay in the village and become the healing mother then she might never have to assume the role, herself. It wasn't that she didn't wish to be a healer. The need to heal burned deep within her. It was more that she felt ill prepared to assume the guise of the teacher, elder, council member, and mother to the other girls who also devoted their earth given powers to the pursuit of healing.

Perhaps being an elder healer and helping the empath would have been good. There were usually other elder healers to help in teaching the young apprentices. There had been only Melay here in her village now for nearly ten years, when the last of Melay's sisters had gone to the earth and none yet ready to assume the role had been left. It was then that Dasay had been chosen as the Dea. She possessed the strongest mind, but also she was the oldest. Should something happen to Melay, then the young apprentices would not be left without a healing mother to teach them.

Dasay understood this. She had willingly accepted the role of the Dea. It wasn't that she had no desire to help the others of her village. She simply lacked the confidence to feel secure about what lay ahead for her.

Then, too, she longed to find someone to fill her loneliness. She had no family of blood tie here in the village. Her mother had died while trying to give birth to a second child. Her father had gone to the earth three years later from a fever. Dasay had always wondered if the fever had been self induced in some way by her father's unhappiness at the death of his mate. While they hadn't been mates of the soul, their love had been deep and lasting.

Dasay had not gone into the hall of healing as an apprentice until she had known twelve summers. She'd stayed with her parents, bathed in their love for her and for each other. Even now, she could still remember the feel of her parent's love for each other as a tingle of energy that surrounded them.

She missed that closeness and bond. She wanted that for herself. She admitted there had been no young men here in her village that aroused an instant response in her. She hadn't had much contact with the men considered eligible for mating, but she knew most of them at least in passing. Still, given a chance to meet and talk with them might start the spark she'd hoped to find.

The elders of the village seemed determined to keep her from this. With a wave of depression she realized the only male who had sparked more than a casual interest in her was the empath's more than brother of the soul. She blushed now as she thought of him.

She remembered how he'd looked as he'd walked to the clearing. Her eyes had been drawn to him as if she couldn't stop herself from admiring his magnificence. He was so large and so firm, like nothing she'd ever known before. The yosemin males were short as a rule, seldom much taller than the women. While many of them were powerfully built, none of them could boast the build the demigod seemed to wear as a natural part of him.

That was it. He looked natural and comfortable with the bulging muscles that attracted her to watch his arms and hands. His strength suited him. He seemed almost unaware that it shouted to others, calling attention to his easy stride and the male beauty that seemed to fill the air around him. The girl's blush deepened.

How foolish I am being, she scolded herself. He is taken. His heart and soul belong to the empath, just as surely as Iolaus' do. Dasay was perceptive enough to sense this from both Hercules and Sira.

Moreover, he is not yosemin. He has no clan standing beyond the empath's claim on him. Her people would never sanction even the vow of promise between them. She was almost as sure he would not. Some said the vow of promise was nothing more then asking for permission of the council to lay in a physical way with someone. The vow of promise had been used at first to help propagate the yosemin race when their numbers had dwindled so dangerously. Now some did see it as an excuse to have a physical relationship with another while never really making a commitment to that person.

The vow of promise could just as easily be reversed by those with no reverence to the real meaning of the vow itself. Without really knowing him or knowing why she felt so strongly about how the half god might react, she knew he would never take something like this casually. If he were to agree to being with her it would not be for the sake of a physical relationship.

The girl sighed. She wasn't sure if this insight into the man she found so stimulating made her happy or disappointed. Would she willingly give her body to a man if there was no commitment between them? Yesterday, before she'd looked up to see the giant of a man walking toward her she would have said no. And now? she asked herself. I want love, but I want him also.

The empath went in search of the hunter when she left the hall of healing. She, too, felt depressed. She needed to be close to the other half of her soul before checking on her chosen father in person. She'd sent her mind to her son and knew Thysis was much improved by his rest. Still, she needed to speak with her father, but hoped to be in good spirits when she did.

She found the golden one at the hut, and seeing her face he pulled her into his arms. "Everything all right, my soul?"

"No."

"Is it that you miss this life? Did going to the healer's hall make you homesick?"

"Good grief, no. I have no desire to return to the life of a village healer. That life is no longer mine. The destiny the earth has chosen for me has not yet been fulfilled." She sighed. "Just as I feared, I do not fit in here. What these people expect of me, I cannot give."

"Just what is it they want? I feel it in the air, myself. It's as if they're asking you to do something without really saying it."

"They would wish that I would mate with a yosemin of strong mind in the hope of producing a strong minded child. They would hope that I would take on the role of the healing mother and stay here to teach the young healers. They wish me to open the book of clan and reveal its secrets."

The hunter stiffened. "How could they be so unfeeling of you and your desires? Have they no respect for our tie of the soul?"

"I would not have to love the man they chose for me." She smiled at him. "They think more of once you have gone to the earth, my soul. Although sharing of a female with more than one male to produce strong minded offspring has been sanctioned before."

"What about Hercules?"

"Yes, exactly."

"They really expect you to toss Melay out and take over her position as healing elder?"

"They would . . . persuade her to step down, shall we say. They have a point. What I could teach the healers of the village is an important thing. I think much of what being a healer is all about has been lost to this village by indifference and bitterness. But I could never accept that role. If, for no other reason, than the fact that you and I could not stay together most of the time, but also because the earth has other things in store for me."

"I really don't count as far as they're concerned, do I?"

"You would be expected to accept my role, and willingly sacrifice your needs and wants for the greater good."

"Humph. They don't know me very well. I'm the jealous and selfish type. I have no intention of sharing you."

The girl smiled at him. "I knew talking to you would make me feel better. I do not wish to share you, either."

His arms tightened around her. "I can't be the sacrificing type."

"Good. I cannot either. If I could, I would not be in such a depression now. I would simply have agreed to their desires as the best thing for the greater good, and have done with it."

"I don't agree this would be for the greater good. I think the earth has something quite different in mind for her chosen one, and somehow I see this as being better for your people. Maybe not for this village in particular, but for the yosemin race as a whole."

Sira looked up to search his eyes. "Yes, I feel the same. It lightens my burden to know that you feel the earth's influence also."

"I think perhaps you've already fulfilled this village's first wish. Our son in very strong of mind. Thysis sees and feels it. Maybe his blood isn't pure yosemin, but he has the strength of the earth deep inside him. As for their second wish. Maybe you can't stay here and nurture the young healers, but you can have an effect on them all the same. The Dea seems to be strong with the earth. She could still learn much from you whether you're here or not. And the third wish. Open the book of clan. Once it's opened, let the others search out its message to the yosemin people. I would think Thysis would be good at that."

The forest's child raised up to kiss his chin. "You are right. Our son is the promise of the people they want from me. I can lend much to the teaching of the Dea that she could pass on to the other apprentices. Our minds have touched. With very little effort we could keep that touch alive. I could come here if she should need me."

He gave her a warm smile. "And the book?"
"It will be as you say. I will open it then entrust its interpretation to my father. He is much better suited to this than I am."

"It would also give him something positive to do."

"And might quite possibly prolong his life."

"Think of what Hercus might learn from this."

"You are wise, my husband. The earth chose you well."

He took her lips. "You can't know how many times I've doubted that."

"Do not. What I need, you give. What the earth needs from you, you give. You are far more yosemin than some I have seen here in this village who claim the earth as their birthright."

"Want to take a walk?"

She gave him a mischievous smile. "Yes, but I must talk to Thysis first."

"I don't like to be kept waiting."

"We could take a blanket and some food with us and have the night to soothe your ire at the delay."

His eyes lit up. "In that case, take your time."

"Where are the others?"

"Hercules is in the meadow with the hunting instructor, helping with the boys. Ares, Nemesis, and Evander are at the river looking for pebbles."

"Will you come with me, then?"

"Of course." He offered his arm and she took it willingly. "Lead the way, my Lady."

Hercus answered his mother's soft call from outside the elder's hut. "Mother. Please come in. Grandfather Thysis is much improved and wishes to see you."

"Do not talk about me as if I am not here." The old one came to stand beside the boy.

Hercus winked at his mother. "Shall I leave you two alone, my grandfather?"

"Yes, I am fine, my grandson. Return to your lessons."

Iolaus kissed the empath's lips lightly. "I'll go with him so you can be with Thysis. Come and find me when you can."

"I will, my love."

"Let us sit in the shade of the tree, my daughter."

The empath offered her father an arm for support which he ignored and made his way steadily to the benches set beside an outside table under the trees. The empath took a seat on the grass at his feet.

The old one began without preamble. "Your strong mind has told you why I felt the need of the earth earlier."

"Yes, my father. I am sorry. I did not mean to bring up something from the past that would give you pain."

"No, my daughter. I told you, it is no longer so much a pain, as a longing for things to have been different. Still, we cannot change the past; only learn from it in the hopes of making a better future.

"The necklace you found belonged to Mela. I made the necklace myself then gave it to her. She never took it off. But when she was to be buried we could not find it to put into her earthly grave with her. She lost it when she was attacked and killed."

"I am sorry, my father."

"She and I had made no commitment to each other. We were not mates of the soul, but we had talked about going into promise with each other. I cared very deeply for her. I wish I had realized how much before it was too late."

Sira searched his eyes then leaned forward to place her hand on his leg. "I wish I knew what to say to make this easier for you."

"No, my daughter. I got a sense of her in your touch. While I have never forgotten my feelings for her, I had lost the touch of her. You have restored that to me and I am grateful."

Taking the leather pouch from her waist pack she once again dumped the contents into her skirt and took the bead no larger than a pea from the other treasures she kept. With it in her palm she offered it to the elder.

He closed her hand over the bead. "Keep it for me. Remember her even after I am gone. This way I know her memory will live on."

The healer took a leather cord from the leather pouch. Slipping the cord through the bead she then tied it around her neck to fall between her breasts beside the lavender healing crystal that was once her grandmother's.

"I will not forget her, my father. And I will pass the bead on to Hercus when the time is right."

"Yes, he knows of this now. We spoke of it while I rested. His strong mind's touch on mine did much to lessen my guilt over the past. Your son is a healer, earth's child. You must be very proud of him."

"More than even you know. In my son lives the hope of our people."

"Yes, this may well be so. His strength of mind is formidable."

"I cannot be what these people wish me to be."

"I know, my daughter. You must go where the earth leads you and not where others try to pressure you into going. I see a very different future for you than the one the village wishes."

"If I were to open the book of clan, would you honor the earth and me by deciphering the ancient writing of our ancestors?"

"I would be most honored. There are some, however, who might object to your opening of the book."

"Really? So all this talk of me being the chosen one and the hope for the future is a lie?"

"No, my daughter. There are only a few who might not trust you completely."

"Then the book will stay closed?"

"You have the most right to the honor. You can trace your line directly to the original clan."

"Yes, but I have no desire to open a lengthy debate on my rights to something so sacred. I have done much that might give those people fuel to deny my claim to the honor."

"The ones who might oppose this are nothing but fools. They see the world through a narrow minded, stilted view that has very little to do with reality. This village needs a good shaking up, if you ask me."

"Maybe, but I do not want to be the one to bring this about."

The old one nodded. "The council of twelve would vote on this. If we can secure the vote of at least eight of the twelve members, they cannot deny you, my daughter. Let me talk among those I feel will back us. There can be no harm in that." The old one sighed.

"You are tired, my father. Rest now. There is no hurry in this. When you are stronger there is something else I wish to discuss with you."

"Yes. Ares."

"Yes, but it can wait."

"No, my daughter, it cannot. Discord must be stopped, and this is the best way to insure that she will."

"There is the man to consider here, my father, not just the god."

"Yes. The mother and the child, as well. But every day you delay, the chances of Discord hurting more innocent people grows."

"I cannot be sure this will work. I have never done anything like this before."

"If it would not work, the earth would not have led you to this."

"I must speak with him. He must make the choice on his own."

"Yes. But do not delay too long, my daughter."

"I know. I sense his return to godhood. If I delay too long, he will as well. And once he has, I fear he will go after Discord and his sword with the same explosive behavior that got him into this in the first place."

"Yes, that is also a concern. There is also the fact that I will miss him."

"Me also, Father. We have grown even closer."

"I sensed as much. I am sorry it must be this way."

"So am I."

"You have given serious thought to the dangers of what you propose to do?"

"It is impossible to know the dangers. To my knowledge no healing like this has ever been attempted."

"Still, I believe it will work, my daughter. But we must not forget that Ares can also be evil. He is filled with much anger and hate. You must go carefully."

"Yes. There is always danger in any healing, but I admit I am frightened of what lies ahead."

"You do not believe he will say no to what you propose?"

"No. He wants his godhood back. He has put his grief at its loss aside for now, but it is still very much a part of him."

The old one nodded. He rose, letting tired muscles take his weight slowly. "I think I will rest now, my daughter. When the time comes for the healing I will be ready to help you." She rose and he hugged her. "I sense your concern for me. It is not needed. I will be fine. I only wish time to be with the earth. I am still not used to being around so many people. My little hut is my sanctuary from all of that. Soon, I think, I must travel again to my cave. I gain strength from the forest around my home."

The empath smiled at him. "I understand, my father. I think the forest there must miss you also."

The chosen one went to the hut to find blankets and food. Packing them both in a basket she made her way to the meadow where the boys practiced.

The hunter came to meet her. "Feeling better?"

"Yes."

"What's in the basket?"

"Blankets and food. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, but not for food." He leaned down to kiss her.

"Then come along and I will endeavor to appease your hunger." She could see his look of desire burn deeper into the depths of his blue eyes.

Sira sent her mind to the demigod and he looked up from the bow he was helping a boy to string. He watched as the lovers left the meadow to make their way to the forest and the river. With a sigh he turned back to his task. A feeling of melancholy swept over him, and the image of the Dea seemed to fill his mind.

He stayed in the meadow with the others until the shadows began to lengthen, then he made his way to the river to bathe before returning to the village. He found the Dea at the hut the villagers had built for Nemesis. The women were grinding corn to make grain. Ares and Evander sat at the table going through the boy's collection of rocks.

The half god stopped just inside the doorway to watch the healer. What was it about her that grabbed at him? He realized with a rush that part of it was the fact that she possessed the same inner poise as Sira. There was a naturalness about her that drew his attention.

She really is beautiful, he thought. She looked up to dazzle him with a brown eyed smile and his breath seemed to catch. Not sure what to do he lowered the curtain over the door and went to sit on the bench near the corner of the hut.

After a moment the Dea came to stand before him. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't it be?"

"You looked upset just now."

"No. Everything's fine."

He rose and took up the ax sunk into a large log the former god of war had dragged from the forest to be cut up for firewood. What is the matter with you? he asked himself. You should be ashamed of yourself. How can you even begin to think of Dasay like you just were? She's a sweet innocent girl. Leading her on would be wrong and cruel. You're not free to enter into a relationship with her. Every time you touched her you'd be comparing her to Sira.

He brought the ax down in a hard blow that sent splinters flying into the air and cut the log in two.

Dasay watched him. He is so magnificent. If only I were free to love him. If only he were free to love me. I know he has more than a casual interest in me. I could read that much in the look on his face as he stood in the door watching me. Would it be so wrong to share his love with the empath? She and I have bonded. How would she feel about him being with me? With a rush of emotion that left her feeling shaky she realized she didn't care that he would never be hers completely. She could never give that to him, either. Somewhere out there, a soul's mate might be waiting. But even if that were not the case she owed herself to her village; to her people.

He looked up from his task to search her eyes. He moaned to himself at what he read there. How in Tartarus has this thing gone so far so soon? I can't do this to her. How or why I don't know, but I care for her already. I can't hurt her.

She came to stand before him and placed her hand on his. He jumped at the shock of energy that passed between them. "It is the earth in both of us that has brought this about."

"It can't be, Dasay."

"Will you meet me later at the bench behind the healer's hall?"

"I can't."

"I must go now. I will be there tonight, Hercules."

"Dasay, wait."

She heard him but she didn't stop. She couldn't. Her heart was pounding so hard that she couldn't breathe. Are you sure this is what you want? she asked herself. Yes, yes, yes. I do not care that he is bound to the empath. I do not care that tonight might be all that we ever share. I will, someday soon, be the healing elder of this village. And as such, my life will never be my own. I may never again have the chance to know and experience love. And no matter how impossible it sounds, in such a short time the fact remains, I love him.

Tears stung her eyes. Why couldn't my first love have been with my mate of the soul? Why not with a nice man from my village? Then at least there would be a chance to go into promise with him. Why must my heart and soul be drawn to such an unobtainable goal? Then she knew. It was the danger this whole thing put her in that she craved, almost as much as the man himself. And where did this come from? You have always been a docile, meek little healer, not given to facing anything remotely dangerous or exciting. She smiled to herself. Maybe the empath is having an effect on me after all. "Please come to me tonight, " she whispered.