Soul Witness
It was one of those days that nothing seemed to be going right: a sudden unexpected rain shower, grumpy travelers, an argument between lifelong friends.
"Something's not right here", Hercules said as they passed a bickering couple. "That's the fourth quarrel we've seen today".
Iolaus frowned. "You're right", he agreed. "Even the birds seem off today".
"Well, that explains it", the demigod added, nodding ahead of them to a spot up the road a short distance away. "If he's not happy, nobody's happy". He quickened his pace. "Eros!"
Ahead of them, seated on a boulder, was the god of love, looking very forlorn, his bow and quiver of red-fletched arrows leaning untouched against the rock. He was lithe and tall, with blond curls falling just to his shoulders, his head bowed. He was dressed in a tunic and leggings of white and shades of red. He looked up at the sound of the two men approaching, and his expression changed from sadness to relief. "Hercules!" His melodious voice called. "I was hoping you would be coming by here soon".
"What is it now, Eros", Hercules replied, a tone of annoyance in his voice, "a misguided arrow, a failed affair, or a jealous husband?"
Eros ignored the jibes, fixing the bigger man with liquid brown eyes. "Psyche's missing", he said quietly.
In an instant, the annoyance was gone, replaced with concern. "Psyche?" The hero echoed. "When did it happen?"
"Three weeks ago", the blond god replied. "She went for a walk in the hills near Arcadia, and I haven't seen her since". He looked around. "I've asked everyone, but no one has seen her".
Hercules thought a moment, as if weighing a difficult question, then asked quietly, "have you talked to Hades?"
"He was the first one I asked", Eros replied. "He hasn't seen her, and he's sworn to tell me if he does". His voice took on a pleading tone. "You're my last hope, Hercules", he said. "I need your help finding her".
"Now, wait a minute, Herc", Iolaus interrupted, "I thought you swore you'd never get involved again with his kind after your family was killed".
"I did", the hero replied, still looking at Eros. "But this time, it's different. Psyche has never been dishonest, nor has she ever harmed anyone intentionally. She's one of the good ones". He nodded at Eros, who was watching him intently. "And Eros and I have an understanding".
Iolaus wasn't quite sure what his friend was referring to, but he was sure he didn't want to know. He shrugged, and then said, "Your choice".
"Does this mean you'll help?" Eros asked.
"Yes", Hercules answered, "but only for Psyche's sake". He thought for a moment, then asked, "where was the last place you saw her?"
"By the pools of the river Inachus", the blond god replied, smiling at the memory, "up in the hills". He looked at the demigod. "Why would anyone want to hurt Psyche?"
"I don't' know", the hero replied, "but I'm going to find out". He turned and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Come on".
"What about him?" Iolaus asked, nodding towards Eros. "Isn't he coming with us?"
The god shook his curly blond locks, grinning. "No, my friend", he said. "I'm a lover, not a fighter". He looked past Iolaus and the smile faded. "Hercules", he said quietly, "be careful".
"I always am", the hero replied, smiling.
"Hey, Eros", Iolaus called as they turned to leave, "stop worrying, we'll find her. Cheer up, the world is gloomy enough as it is".
Behind them, they heard a chuckle and the sun came out, and the birds began singing.
They had walked some distance in silence, not meeting any other people that day, or the next. By then, their conversation had returned, only Iolaus seemed to be running a monologue at times. Finally, he said, "so what is it about Psyche that makes her different from all your other crazy relatives?"
"She's not a blood relative", Hercules replied. He paused a moment, then said, "She's honest. In all the time I've known her, she's never led me the wrong way. She's gentle and kind, for the most part—"
"So, she's just an innocent maiden", the blond man interrupted.
"I didn't say that", the hero admonished. "She can be more dangerous than any of them".
"But you just said—"Iolaus began, but he was stopped by a signal from his friend to keep quiet. Soon, the sound of pipes could be heard coming from the forest nearby.
The two crept quietly towards the sound, and soon saw who was playing. A satyr was blowing a merry tune on a set of pan pipes, his wild, curly brown hair bouncing.
Hercules' shoulders slumped. "This isn't my week", he muttered.
"Xylos", Iolaus echoed his friend's movement. "Just what we don't need".
At that moment, the satyr turned to face them, his yellow eyes twinkling mischievously. "Come closer, come out from behind that tree", he called merrily. "Come closer, I wish to have a word with thee".
"So much for getting away unnoticed", Iolaus muttered.
"Still", his friend countered as they stepped out from behind the tree, "he might have some information for us".
"Yeah", the other man groused, "if you can wade through his awful rhymes".
The two walked to where the satyr now stood, watching them and grinning. "Well, well", he said as they approached, "this is fortunate. Hercules, the legendary and his companion, Iolaus, the friendly mercenary. I've heard of your latest errantry, and it's fruitless search, but that may soon change, if you come sit by this birch".
The two looked at each other for a moment, and then sat down on the grass. After they were seated, Iolaus asked, "How do you know who we're looking for?"
"My dear Iolaus", the satyr giggled, "I know every flower and animal, bird and tree; they all tell their tales to me".
"Then, you've seen Psyche?" The blond adventurer asked.
Xylon sighed. "Ah yes", he said wistfully. "A beautiful maiden, so meek and mild", his expression changed abruptly to serious, "and as dangerous as any creature of the Wild". His wistful expression returned as he shook his head slowly. "Poor child, poor child".
"Have you seen her recently?" Hercules asked, impatience creeping into his voice.
The satyr winced at the tone. "Well", he said, shrugging his shoulders and looking away, "no. Her lovely face I've not recently seen; I was awakened from a nap by her scream". He raised a hand to stop them from getting up. "But", he continued, "A tale I have gathered from those at the scene. Apparently, she saw something she shouldn't have seen, something about an illicit affair between a demigod and a queen. He caught her and snatched her away; and now she's kept, untouched by the light of day".
"It's not like you to talk in riddles, Xylon", Hercules said evenly. "Where is she?"
The satyr swallowed once—hard—before he replied. "In the Caves of Illusion, I believe", he said. "And if the tales be true and she not be found, by the time the moon finishes her round, the gates of Hades will open, her soul to receive". He watched as the two adventurers leapt to their feet. "When you find her, Hercules", he continued, his voice surprisingly serious, "beware, oh yes, beware her touch; else she learn of you too much. Too much".
"Why?"Iolaus asked. "Can she read your mind?"
The satyr turned to face him, fixing him with a golden-eyed stare. "No, foolish mortal", he said, his voice low, "The truth be told, her touch won't know your mind, she'll know your very soul!"
Iolaus found himself reflexively putting a hand over his heart and stepping back a pace, blinking in shock. "Your soul?" He echoed quietly, looking at the satyr first, then his friend. "She is dangerous".
"But needed", Hercules added, an unreadable look in his blue eyes. He turned to face Xylon. "How far are the Caves from here?" He asked.
"Not far", the satyr replied, recovering some of his mischief. "With your long legs, a short jaunt to the west. But go now, and hurry, take no rest". He waved his piped toward the correct direction. "I'll call to the beasts of forests and field, to guide you and guard you, sword and shield". With that, he began blowing a tune on his pipes, using his free hand to wave them away.
It was mid-day when they reached a series of low foothills. They followed a small footpath up the side of the closest hill, looking for the opening to the Caves of Illusion.
As they walked, Iolaus noticed that the more they searched, the more a mask of grim determination his friend's face became. "Ok ", he said finally. "What happened?"
"What?" Hercules asked, stopping.
"Between you and Psyche", the blond man continued. "What happened?"
"It was a long time ago", the hero replied, resuming his search, "after I broke up with Nemesis".
"That's a good start", Iolaus waited for the rest of the story for a few minutes, but when it never came, he asked in a quieter voice, "Does Eros know?"
Hercules nodded, still searching. "He and I came to an understanding", he said. "Like I said, it was a long time ago".
"Uh huh", Iolaus said, realizing that he wasn't going to get more of an explanation than that. When he caught up with his friend, he saw that they were now standing in front of a vine-covered wall. He thought Hercules was letting his frustration get the better of him when he saw the demigod pick up a good-sized rock and hurl it at the wall, but when the rock didn't bounce off and disappeared instead, he realized they had found the Caves of Illusion.
"Stay alert", the hero said as they stepped inside, "and expect anything".
"Anything", Iolaus echoed as they walked into the first chamber. It was empty, with a sandy floor and an opening at the far end. They passed through unchallenged.
The second chamber was strewn with armored skeletons and other bones, some of which were real. "Somebody needs to come in here and do some housecleaning", Iolaus muttered as they walked through.
They virtually ignored the contents of the third chamber, which was filled almost to the roof with gold, silver and precious gems.
The next chamber seemed to be filled with fighters, but after hitting two apiece and watching them disappear into puffs of smoke, they ignored the rest and walked through to the next chamber.
The fifth chamber brought Iolaus up short. As far as he could see, there were women of every color and description, dressed as dancing girls. "Blonds, brunettes and redheads, oh my!" He said, grinning.
Hercules rolled his eyes. All he saw were shadows flickering on the walls. "Iolaus", he said, passing a hand in front of his friend's eyes, "they aren't real".
The blond adventurer blinked and shook his head. "You're right", he said, trying hard to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "Maybe you'd better lead". Then he turned and followed his friend out of the room.
"Hercules".
The hero stopped, listening. He knew the voice that softly called to him. He knew it like he knew his own blood. He stood still, straining to hear the beloved sound again. It was his dead wife's voice calling to him. "Hercules, come to me".
Iolaus, following, almost bumped into his friend's back, then stopped. He heard nothing but the quiet moan of a breeze that had suddenly blown through the cave. But when he walked around and saw his friend's expression, he knew the demigod was hearing something far different; a bittersweet sound.
"Hercules", he said, but there was no reaction. He planted himself in front of the hero, looked up into the bright, unseeing eyes and shouted at the top of his lungs. "HERCULES!" Slowly, blue eyes focused down on him. "Hercules!", he shouted again. "It's an illusion! It's not real!"
The hero blinked and shook his head like a man recovering from a sharp blow to the skull. He focused on his friend, who was watching him intently. "It's alright now", he said, his voice heavy with sorrow, 'it's gone". He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Gone", he whispered. He looked at Iolaus. "You'd better lead now", he said quietly, nodding towards the next opening. He watched his friend look him over for a moment, nod, then leave without saying another word.
A few moments later, he heard Iolaus' voice a short distance ahead of him. "Herc", he called, "you'd better come see this".
It was the tallest, narrowest chamber they had been in yet, with a sandy floor strewn with rocks and boulders of different sizes. But it was what was above them that held Iolaus' attention: suspended between four stout chains was a crystalline structure, and encased within the crystal was Psyche.
She was dressed in a gown of the palest blue, her dark golden hair falling in waves over her shoulders, her thick-lashed eyes closed as if asleep.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Iolaus whispered, looking up at the crystal.
"This is no illusion", Hercules assured him, following his friend's gaze. His voice had recovered a grim tone.
"How are we going to get her down?" The blond man asked. "If we smash the crystal first, those spikes at the end of the chains will skewer her. But if we break the chains first, the crystal will fall, shatter and cut her to ribbons". He looked at his friend. "I can't believe Hephaestus would do something like this".
"He didn't", the demigod replied, looking closer at the works. "But I think I know who did". He was silent for a few moments, thinking. He then began picking up good-sized boulders and putting them in the center of the chamber floor. "Help me get these rocks into a pile under the crystal", he said as he worked. "I think there's a way we can get her down without skewering her or cutting her to ribbons".
It took some time, but they managed to build a substantial pile of rocks and boulders beneath the crystal. They arranged the top of the pile into a small hollow the approximate size of the crystal's bottom, hoping that when it fell, it would land in the hollow and not shatter. That done, Hercules began climbing the rock wall of the chamber to where the chains were anchored.
"Now remember", he hero called down to his friend, " when I get these loose, you're going to have to help the crystal fall into place".
"Why do I get the hard jobs?" Iolaus muttered as he braced himself.
The crystal came loose and landed in the hollow with a satisfying crunch. A few moments later, Hercules stood beside his friend in front of the crystal.
"It seems pretty solid", Iolaus said, running his hand along the side of the crystal. "I don't see any flaws at all".
Hercules said nothing, gently touching the clear surface above Psyche's face. Then he stood back and gazed at her for a moment. Without warning, he put one fist in the other hand, and with a yell, swung at the side of the crystal nearest him. At the contact, the crystal shattered into a sparkling powder and there was a sound like tinkling wind chimes. He barely recovered from the shock in time to catch Psyche before she collapsed onto the rocks below them.
"The last illusion", Iolaus said, looking first at the glittering dust around them, then up at his friend, who now carried the limp form of Psyche. She didn't look dangerous to him right then, just very small. "Who would do this?" He asked no one in particular.
In answer, the chamber around them filled with the sound of high, male laughter and clapping."Oh, well done, hero", the voice said, "Well done! You're the only one who's made it this far".
"Phantastus", Hercules said grimly. "I thought so". He looked around the chamber. "Show yourself!" He shouted.
There was the sound of wind chimes and a cold wind blew through the cavern. When they were gone, Phantastus stood below them on the chamber floor. He was tall and thin, with long blue-black hair and eyes the color of clouds on a rainy night. He was dressed entirely in black, with no ornamentation. "Again", he said, smiling wickedly, "I say well done".
"Why did you do this?" Iolaus asked, stepping in front of his friend.
"She saw my", the dark demigod paused, "liaison when she shouldn't have seen anything. She needed to be taught a lesson".
"You're the one who needs to be taught a lesson", Hercules said dangerously, handing Psyche to Iolaus as he passed, walking down to the chamber floor.
Iolaus, now holding the demigoddess, realized she was cold, cold as a marble statue. But there was nothing happening to him.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about teaching me any lessons, hero", Phantastus said, looking nonchalantly up at the ceiling. "I'd worry more about all of you getting out of here alive". He vanished, and there was a rumble in the chamber around them, and rocks and stalactites began falling. "One last thing, hero", Phantastus' voice echoed around them, "tonight's the new moon, and outside, the sun has gone down".
Iolaus wasn't ever sure how they made it back outside in one piece, but they did. He looked first westward, and indeed, the sun had gone down some hours before. He looked at Hercules, who was now carrying the small Psyche. She was still unconscious, but something made him feel uneasy. Then he remembered Xylon's warning. "Uh, Herc", he said as soon as they were a safe distance from the Caves, "She's touching you".
The hero looked at his friend blankly for a few seconds, then realized what he had said. "No", he said, shaking his head negatively, "she's not touching me, I'm touching her". He saw that the difference was lost on his friend and shrugged. He then looked down at the woman he was carrying. "She's so cold", he said quietly. "I'm not sure she will live through the night like this".
"Then we'll have to get her warm", Iolaus said. "We passed a grove of trees on our way up here, so there's got to be some wood for a fire". He looked up at the night sky. "We still have a few hours left".
"That's a start", his friend said quietly.
A short time later, they had found a wind-sheltered area and had built up a small fire. It burned merrily, but didn't give off much heat. They laid her as close to it as they dared, but it only succeeded in warming her a little.
"We need blankets" Iolaus said finally, tossing a twig into the fire. He stood up and dusted himself off. "I'm going to see if I can find a traveler who will part with some". He looked down at Psyche, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. "It's a warm night", he said quietly, "I shouldn't have too much trouble finding someone". He looked at his friend, who nodded wordlessly, then left.
Night deepened, and there was no change in the demigoddess ' condition. Hercules sat near her, watching for any change, however subtle, but there was none.
Suddenly, a warm breeze began blowing, carrying the scent of wildflowers and a soft voice. "Touch", it whispered. "She needs to feel a warm touch. You must, or she will not live".
As soon as it had sprung up, the breeze and voice were gone. Hercules looked around, but he could not find the source. He looked back at Psyche and realized that the voice might be right, perhaps the warmth of another was what she needed to survive. He got up from where he sat and carefully moved next to the small woman. He had almost forgotten how it had been with them, but now a thousand memories were falling back into place.
He stretched out beside her, resting his weight on one elbow, then began gently brushing the curls from her face. He caressed her cheek, feeling the petal softness of her skin. He studied her face beneath his, looking at how the firelight reflected off its curves. He was almost unaware of a sudden warmth at his chest, above his heart. It grew warmer, until it felt like a small fire. It was then he realized he was looking into blue eyes. And the warmth he felt was her hand touching him.
She didn't say a word, but her eyes spoke volumes. He could get lost in those eyes, and it would be a welcome thing. She smiled tenderly, and he was dimly aware of her hand caressing his hair. The last thing he clearly remembered was bending down to kiss her.
Iolaus came back a few hours before dawn, looking dejected. His mood changed completely when he was greeted by the sight of his friend feeding the fire and Psyche sitting up and watching his approach, smiling softly. "She's alive!" He cried joyfully, causing Hercules to look up at him. "I mean", he stammered, "I couldn't find anyone who would part with a blanket. Looks like I didn't need to".
"Your efforts are appreciated, Iolaus", Psyche said, smiling warmly at him. "It will not go unrewarded".
Looking at those penetrating blue eyes, he knew that she wasn't just talking about his blanket hunting.
They decided to break camp a few hours after sunrise so Iolaus could take a well-earned rest.
"He's a good man", Psyche said quietly, watching the adventurer sleep. "A fitting companion for a hero". She looked up at Hercules, who sat next to her. "You complement each other well".
He found it hard to concentrate looking into those blue eyes. "Psyche", he began, "about what happened last night—"
She stopped him with two delicate fingers on his lips. "Hush", she said. "It was a gift from me, to undo the wound that Phantastus gave you. Do not let it trouble you".
She was about to say more, but at that moment, Iolaus woke up.
They found Eros without any further incidents. After the god and demigoddess embraced, Eros turned to Hercules and said, "Thank you. I owe you a great debt".
"Don't worry about it", the hero replied, smiling broadly. But the smile didn't reach his eyes.
Psyche reached up and gently kissed Iolaus' cheek. "Thank you", she said, "for all your help". She then leaned close to his ear and whispered, "You have nothing to fear, Iolaus. You are a good, pure soul".
To his consternation, Iolaus blushed.
Psyche then reached up and kissed Hercules' cheek. "And thank you, gentle warrior" ,she said .Your help shall be greatly rewarded".
They said their good-byes and the two adventurers started to walk away from the couple. But before they reached the bend in the road, Hercules looked back and saw that Eros was holding Psyche, but her eyes were on him with an unreadable expression. He knew then that if he didn't turn around in that moment, he never would. So he turned and caught up with Iolaus who waited a short distance ahead of him.
The End