When they finally managed to get to the Temple where the Oracle greeted petitioners Tracey was hot, tired and not just a little grumpy. Hercules seemed to be entirely unaffected by the long line, the longer wait and the general mood of anxiety apparent in all the petitioners. Hercules rubbed her shoulders as they moved to next in line. "Take a few deep breaths. The Oracle is cryptic and will only answer three questions. You need a clear mind to find the best questions and unravel the answers."
Tracey watched everyone as they shuffled through the line and crossed her arms, drumming her fingers against her arms. She didn't sleep well last night and sleeping on the floor didn't help though one might think that she'd have been used to it now seeing as they've been camping for several weeks. With a very low sigh of content, Tracey relaxed under Hercule's hands and let him continue to rub her shoulders, it reminded her of the full back massages that her fiance gave her. She started to think about what three questions she would ask.
"You would think that we would have six questions between the two of us." She speculated and closed her eyes, nearly relaxing completely under the rhythmic motions of his hands. "Oh well, three questions it will be. Who's to blame for bringing Artemis and I here? What were we brought here to do? And why?... Is there anything I should ask differently from these three questions? I really wish Arty was here with me too, she would have known what to ask."
Hercules turned her around and tilted her face up to look at him. "You are every bit as smart and strong as she is. Don't doubt yourself so much, I've learned something about Oracles and sometimes you just have to trust your gut and ask the first three questions that come to mind."
Tracey looked into Hercules's eyes and smiled softly at him, he had such beautiful eyes and she felt at peace.
"I guess I'm just anxious to finally get the answers we need to keep moving this process forward."
He gave her a small smile and turned her around to face front. "One way or another we'll find some answers."
'Would it really be too bad to stay here in this world? With all the interesting people, the beautiful horses... and him?' Tracey asked herself, allowing herself to be turned around and face the line. 'Would it really be too bad...?'
The temple was beautiful and reminded her a lot of Hestia's temple with all its hanging tapestries, cleanly and polished floors, vases of flowers and rugs that lined the floor along the walls. Attendants ran around with linens, rags, water and fresh flowers while at spaced intervals there were ladies in armor and carried spears held erect at their sides. They were neatly clad in similar garb and had swords slung in sheathes in their belts. Tracey and Hercules only had to wait a few more minutes for the line to dwindle and then it was their turn to approach the Oracle. She wore a plain black dress with a braided cord around her waist, a black over-robe that would trail a little behind her if she walked. The Oracle stood behind a pedestal in the middle of the room and had her hands regally placed on the pedestal. Upon their approach, Tracey bowed slightly at the waist and waited to be addressed so she could ask her three questions.
'Oh please let her have the answers we need.'
The Oracle looked at her steadily before she spoke softly. "You may ask three questions. I will give you three answers. How you choose to interpret them is up to you."
Tracey glanced back at Hercules before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly to calm her nerves.
"Thank you for seeing us today. My first question would be, who's to blame for bringing Artemis and I here to Ancient Greece? My second would be, what were we brought here to do? And my last question will be why us?"
On the inside, Tracey hoped that these were the right questions and that they might get a few straight answers for once. She looked intently at the Oracle and waited for her to do her think and speak again. The Oracle regarded the basin of water in the pedestal for several moments before speaking again. "All three questions have but one answer. You were brought forth by the King of the Gods in Greece to save all of History. Only the Daughters of the Future with all of History behind them can save everything that matters from one who would destroy History to write a new future."
Tracey furrowed her brow at first and then gave her a courteous bow.
"Thank you, have a blessed day." She replied, turning on her heel and walking away. "Riddles, why is it always riddles. Riddle me this... why the hell didn't I ask her who was hunting us or at least where to find the scumbag?! Stupid Tracey, very stupid. But we might be able to come back and bring Artemis so she can ask three more questions... if nothing happens to the Oracle in the meantime, but those guards seem to be able..."
She murmured the last part to herself and then laughed sarcastically.
"So Zeus brought us here and so he'll have the power to send us back, so that will take care of getting home. Why does history need to be saved? Who screwed it up to begin with... 'Daughters of the future with all of history behind them', that's Artemis and myself. And who wants to destroy this history and rewrite a new one? Draxxus perhaps?" She thought out loud, not even realizing the Hercules was with her. "Riddles... they're so tricky and can be literal or figurative, the problem is figuring out which one is which."
Hercules walked with her and unobtrusively steered her back to the Inn. The Innkeeper was talking to a messenger who perked up when he saw Hercules. "Hercules! I've been looking for you. I have a message for you from your partner. He said to meet him and her friend in Thebes."
Tracey was brought out of her train of thought and listened to the innkeeper as he delivered his message. With all that was happening to them, she was slowly becoming more paranoid and thought that she would have to test them. Stepping closer to the innkeeper and messenger she looked at both and gave them a disarming smile to help them to relax.
"Can you tell me what the woman with Iolaus looks like please? We know and have helped so many people that it's hard to put a name to face without a description."
The messenger smiled as he leaned against the bar. "Tall for a woman, dark hair, darker eyes and she was wearing some kinda red outfit that was on fire."
The Innkeeper scoffed. "You're tellin' tall tales again Drake."
Drake shook his head and stood up straight. "No sir. Sure a I'm standing here she was wearing a cloak made of fire and a belt of the stuff too but it never burned Iolaus, the short blond fella with her, and he had his arm around her and all. She looked like she'd been roughed up and he was helping her down the road and asks me to please run to Delphi and tell Hercules and the lady with him that they're going to Thebes. I felt bad for her, I've got a sister 'bout her age and I'd be mighty mad if someone beat her up like that."
Tracey smiled and nodded.
"That's Iolaus and my friend Arty. Mr. Innkeeper he is telling the truth about my friend, she has the ability to control and manipulate fire at will... I hope Nargis is okay too. Thank you Drake. Hercules, I'll grab my stuff from my room, top off our supplies and then we can head to Thebes."
She started up the stairs then stopped and turned back to face them to voice a question.
"How many days will it take to get to Thebes from Delphi?"
Hercules came over to speak quietly to her. "If you do that trick with the horses again three days."
Tracey smiled and nodded. She turned up the stairs again and went to her room, picking up the knapsack after giving the room a quick once over to make sure everything was in its place. With a shrug of her shoulders, Tracey strapped the knapsack over her shoulders and stepped lightly down the stairs, meeting Hercules and the innkeeper at the bar area. The innkeeper handed her a tidy little bundle of bread, cheese and fresh fruit.
"Thank you sir, may peace and fortune favor you and your house." Tracey said with a smile as she put the bundle in her knapsack and rearranged hers and Hercules's blankets to accommodate everything. "Are you ready Hercules?"
He nodded and they left making quick time to the outskirts of the city where horses were waiting for them.
Artemis and Iolaus were making steady if slow progress towards Thebes. The day after her fever had broken she'd insisted on leaving for Thebes. She couldn't explain why they had to go to Thebes she just knew they had to go and go right then. Iolaus had gathered up what little they had while she dressed and then they'd started towards Thebes running into a messenger on their way. Iolaus had sent him to Delphi to let Hercules know where they would be as he help Artemis down the road. He was worried about her, she was arrow focused and seemed driven by something he couldn't sense to get to Thebes. When they settled each night to rest he'd gather her into his arms and sing softly trying to sooth her to sleep. One night nothing had worked and she'd sat up with him and taught him a few new songs. One of them had made him think of stories he'd heard from far away lands.
Oh, misty eye of the mountain below
Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls
And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke
Keep watching over Durin's son
If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
Watch the flames climb high into the night
Calling out father, oh, stand by and we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side.
She'd sung the whole song staring into the fire and he'd found himself singing the chorus with her, goose bumps lining his arms as her voice rose clear into the night. He always felt like there was something more to her than the flames that adorned her when she sang, as if a deeper power filled her when she sang. He hand pulled her in to rest against his chest while they watched the fire his hands teasing tangles and small knots out of her hair until her felt her relax into sleep against him. When they finally approached Thebes they were both tired, dirty and ready to get off the road. He didn't know if Draxxus was watching the home Jason had shared with Alchemene before she passed away so he took her to the small hut with the attached forge he'd lived in. As they walked he told her about Alchemene and how he'd met Hercules and how they'd grown up. When they crested the hill she'd stopped and stared out at the view overlooking Thebes, the meadows and hills and the town lying in the valley. A wind had picked up and tossed her cape and hair in careless swirles as she stood transfixed and he's stopped to watch her his breath catching in his throat as he remembered his first wife who had died in childbirth. She'd stood the same way and looked out over the hills and valleys, when Artemis turned away from the view he blinked and walked with her to the hut opening the door, an apology on his lips for the state of the place. She looked around and smiled. "If you could find me a dress to change into I can clean this place up in no time."
He grinned and thinking that Alchemene had been about her size he' jogged to her home and told Jason he needed to borrow dress for a lady friend who he would introduce later. Jason had made him promise to bring her by and after swearing that he would he hurried back to his home. When Artemis changed into the dress he thought his heart would stop. She looked like she belonged in it and the business like way that she'd begun cleaning made him smile. "I'm going to go get water from the well and some firewood."
She nodded and smiled still cleaning and while he wa on his way to the well he kept a lookout for Hercules and Tracey. It would take them a few days to get to Thebes since they'd likely left a day or two after he and Artemis had. He didn't know just how late they were going to be.
Tracey and Hercules found themselves trying to find their way around a battlefield without getting mired in the fighting but at one point a soldier recognized Hercules and insisted that they meet with his commander who was desperate for Hercules help. "We can't afford this war." He admitted. "But something has the Peplonians in a ruckus and they just won't stop attacking our villages. We need help and we need to know who keep working them into a frenzy."
"Who can really afford a war?" Tracey asked quietly, fingering the soft fabric of the scarf that Iolaus had gotten for her to hide her pointed ears.
She never really did like wars, she didn't even like to watch movies of war or books on it. They were barbaric, nothing good ever came from them and everyone suffered even if they didn't participate in them. Whole families were torn apart by wars. Soldiers were injured and many died, most could even come back with missing limbs or other parts such as fingers, eyes and the like. Families of soldiers who had never come home suffered emotionally and they grieved the most. She hated to imagine it and the very thought knotted her stomach and nearly made bile rise in her throat. Tracey cleared her throat and swallowed hard before looking at Hercules.
"We can't afford to spend much time here, but we should help where we can. We're far too divided as is and I don't feel comfortable splitting up so you can stay here to help and I go to Thebes by myself." Tracey whispered, glancing at the soldier and the others walking around the numerous tents and at their Commander. "I don't even know the way myself without a map, let alone know how to read one of Ancient Greece, and so I will have to stay with you until we can get to Thebes."
Hercules told the Commander to call a cease fire and unable to convince Tracey to stay behind they walked to the enemy camp. About halfway there Hercules and Tracey heard a maniacal annoying laugh and a youngish looking man with bleached white hair and leather cloths that looked like they were being held together with pins appeared. "I figured you'd show up to meddle Hercules." He taunted.
Hercules sighed. "Demos, I really don't have time for this."
Demos laughed again and the sound grated on Traceys nerves. "You're about to have no time at all."
Tracey closed her eyes and tried her hardest to block out the annoying God and his idiotic laugh, but try as she might she wasn't as successful as she wanted to be. His taunting, his attitude, his clothes, his laugh, everything about Demos was annoying and now it was only maximized by her actually being there and not just watching it and hating him from the comfort of her living room. Finally the last shred of her patience was worn thin and there was nothing that anyone could have done to stop what was about to happen next.
"I think not." Tracey snapped, her arm shot out and her hand wrapped around the God's throat, much to his surprise.
Her grip on Demos' neck tightened and using her leg, she quickly swept his feet out from under him and pushed him backward at the same time by the neck. He collapsed to the ground completely stunned and eyes wide, Tracey's hand still tightly gripping his throat. Demos looked up into her face and his mouth opened and closed while he made gasping noises. He saw that her eyes had turned to a dark red color, orange and goldish yellow was prominent around her irises. A heat rose from her hand around his throat and caused him to gasp sharply.
"I see you Hercules... don't move any closer. I have something I want to see here." Tracey said, the edge of her lips curling slightly to an evil smirk. "I want to see how much pain and suffering I can cause a God before he dies... so he knows what the soldiers and their families feel when war breaks out for no reason."
She applied more heat to her hands and upon uncurling her fingers from her right hand, Tracey revealed a ball of fire there. It slowly consumed her hand and she waved it closer to Demos' face before walking her fingers up the leather jacket, following the zipper up his chest. Her fingers left burn marks on the jacket and he soon began to sweat something fierce. The entire three weeks that Tracey and Artemis had been here, had been camping, had been hunted angered her greatly. It slowly started to be too much and this fueled the fire that she felt burning inside her. Tracey just needed this little event to trigger a reaction and this was just the thing she was looking for to help her dip into the element she hadn't been able to try yet, Fire. The intensity of the fire started to scorch Demos' clothes and he started to yelp in fear and in pain, his skin taking on a reddish tint as he squirmed in her grasp. There was a smell of burning hair and flesh and Tracey removed her hand, letting the flames around her hand becoming softer, but still remaining.
"Now that I have your attention..." She started, the evil smirk still holding to her lips. "You're going to come with us to resolve this little skirmish with the two armies and then you're going to stay the hell away from the mortals like Zeus told you too... do I make myself clear?"
"Oh come on Demos. You're a God for Olympus sake." Ares suddenly appeared and yanked Tracey off of Damos tossing her casually towards Hercules who caught her and put himself between her and a very pissed off Ares. "Go figure little brother. You're here to interfere and you've dragged some more mortals into it." He reached down and hauled Damos to his feet.
"Damos, you pathetic excuse for a God, you're a God, You could have just fried her ass instead of letting her kick yours. Go somewhere away from me for the foreseeable future." He snarled and shoved the younger God away in disgust.
Tracey's eyes still shone red and she stepped off to Hercules's side so she could stay in view of the new God's arrival.
"We should have known that Demos was involved with the armies and that Ares, the God of war, wouldn't be too far behind either." She said, the flames around her hand starting to smoke. "This is too rich."
She laughed and clapped her hands together to emphasize her glee, a few sparks flying up with each motion of her hands. "So what part do you play in all this, O'Mighty God of war." She laughed sarcastically.
Hercules gave her a worried look and rested a hand on her shoulder while Ares glowered. "Look this war was not my idea. Not that I don't like it but I'm not the one getting the power from it, neither is Damos. I came here to see where the power is going and here you two are and she is clearly not human so I have to wonder what's going on here."
Tracey took a deep breath and calmed the raging inferno she felt on the inside. Letting out the breath helped and she gave Hercules a nod to show that she was a little better, she'd be even better when they got finished here and could move on to either the next inn or another campsite and be closer to Thebes. She looked at Ares and smile, it was still an almost cruel smirk and she clapped again, very slowly in a mocking and sarcastic rhythm.
"Oh Hercules he is a smart one, but you're only partially right. I am human but then again I'm not." She said casually, eying Ares with a look of approval flitting across her facial features. "Obviously the power isn't coming to us."
"I can see that." He snarled at her and looked at Hercules. "Look I've made it clear that this war needs to stop. For once we're on the same side but something is using these wars to gain power. Dad han't come out of his office in weeks and then you show up with this… person and I know she has a friend who is giving the Fates a collective headache and they're not thrilled. If I wasn't busy stopping all the wars that I didn't instigate I'd be more inclined to help but I've got my hands full."
"Tsk tsk, someone has a bad attitude." Tracey smirked, unflinching at his remarks. "That's my Artemis for us, never a dull moment."
She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted all her weight onto her left leg and then turned to Hercules.
"I think whoever is drawing on this power is the same person or being that is involved somehow. We just need to figure out how and why."
"Well when you figure it out let me know so I kick his ass straight to Tartarus." Ares snapped and vanished.
Hercules sighed and gave her a concerned look. "First we need to get to Thebes."
"Aw, you just wanna come back and see me!" Tracey shouted into the air and smirked before letting out a sigh. "Then lets quickly tell these soldiers to knock it off and then we'll be back on the road again. The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can go."
Hercules pointed to a lone soldier making his way across the battlefield with a white flag in hand. "I think the message has been delivered."
He took her arm and led her back towards the horses. "Would you mind explaining what all that was about? Threatening Demos is one thing. Outright taunting Ares is dangerous."
Jerking her arm gently out of his grasp, Tracey started to rub her temples as she walked to the horse's, eyes clenching together in pain. She didn't answer at first and she staggered a little, not because of the landscape they were walking over but because of her throbbing headache. The fire inside her simmered and went out, leaving her with a small trickle of blood trailing from her nose. She turned to him as she was wiping the blood from her nose on her wrist to keep it from dripping onto her clothes.
"I guess you could say it was fun..." Tracey started as her eyes slowly dwindled from red and went back to their normal bluish green color. "Perhaps it's because I can see why Artemis was having so much trouble getting her abilities over Fire under control. Or, I don't know, you could say that I'm not handling being hunted, for a reason that we still haven't figured out, very well. It's maddening!"
When they got to the horses, Tracey was slowly regaining her balance and her breathing was evening out to the point she could calm herself down again. Hercules stopped her before she could mount her horse and tilted her chin up to look at her carefully. "I don't think you should use fire again Tracey. It took a lot out of you and you're clammy to the touch. I promise you, we will figure this out. I'm not going anywhere while you still need me and it will all work out okay?"
"I believe you Hercules." Tracey said slowly, looking into his calm eyes and being comforted by them.
She didn't know why but he did comfort her a lot, making much of the worry she felt melt away into nothing. Shivering slightly, Tracey took a rag from her knapsack and wiped it over her face and neck to take care of the sweat there before taking care of the blood on her wrist. She nodded to show that she was ready to go and alighted onto Sojin's back, completely bare of saddle and bridle for he needed none. She liked how free the horse made her feel and delighted when the horse ran wild and the wind whipped her hair behind her as they rode.
'I think I have a new found respect for you Artemis, Fire is so hard to control and I think you're going to have to teach me how to control it so I don't burn anyone by accident.' Tracey thought to herself as they started off.
They hadn't been able to make it to a town before nightfall but they had run into a group of traveling merchants and their guards at a crossroads and for safety sake they decided to camp out with them. The merchants and guards were talking, exchanging stories and singing loudly, Hercules and Tracey had been invited to eat with one of the merchants, a portly man of middle years who plied both of them with copious amounts of food and drink. "So there I was, this massive lion sizing me up to be his next meal when I decided that to Tartarus with it, if he wants a meal I'll be a spicy one so I started eating the peppercorns I had planned to take to market. Apparently the lion decided I wasn't such an appealing meal and I have to say I agreed with him, My mouth was on fire. You know to this day I can't abide peppercorns?" He laughed and Hercules laughed with him.
Tracey picked at her food and listened to the stories and the low of hums of song throughout the camp. This was semi peaceful to her and she breathed in the night air which calmed her. She was enjoying herself, but started to stare into the fire as if she was in a trance. The flickering flames seemed to rise and fall with her breathing and all of a sudden the heat started to rise inside her again. Rather than let it take over, Tracey leaned over to Hercules so she could whisper to him without the others hearing her and put down her plate next to her.
"I'm going to go to the river for a few minutes."
He looked at her for a second and half stood then sat back down when he realized what was happening. "Stay in sight of the torches." He said softly. "If You're not back in half an hour I'm coming after you."
"Alright."
Tracey thanked their host for the food and drink before moving off to the gently flowing river that lay just beside the campsite that the merchants and their caravan stopped along. She looked back over her shoulder periodically to make sure she could still see the torches in between the trees and once she was sure that no one would stumble upon her, Tracey slowly undressed and tucked her clothes next to a patch of stones that were just high enough from the river that they wouldn't get wet or get washed away downstream. Tracey used clean sand from the river bed to scrap over her skin and wash away the dead skin cells and the dirt from the days travel. All the while she was there, she felt at ease. The water felt great and against her bare skin and as it flowed, Tracey became more and more relaxed like all her troubles were washing away with the water. Much in this same manner, she lost track of time and it too was washed downstream.
She was so engrossed in her cleansing that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her and by the time she realized she wasn't alone it was too late. A rock cracked into the back of her head and she felt herself sliding out of consciousness. Someone muttered something she couldn't hear very well as a length of very rough fabric was wrapped around her and she was hauled out of the water. She was tossed over the back of a horse and she felt a little sick to her stomach as the galloping horse jounced and jolted her stomach. She blissfully lost consciousness and when she woke again she was still wrapped in rough fabric, her hands and feet bound with chains. A low groan escaped from Tracey's lips as her eyes tried to focus on her surrounding. It was cold and she shivered a little, her hair still wet from the bath she had been taking before she was hit from behind. Her head throbbed painfully and slowly she tested the length of her chains to see how far she could move before they restrained her movements. Slowly Tracey's eyes started to focus again and she let out a staggered breath.
'Well this is just perfect Tracey... keep your wits about you now and try to find a way to escape.' She thought to herself and gingerly touching the back of her head, feeling the growing goose egg rising there. 'Well that's just great.'
Tracey touched the rough wool fabric and traced her hand down the length of it to see how far it went and was glad to find that it at least went down to her mid thigh. She touched the cold shackles around her ankles and shivered again against the cold metal. Trailing her fingers along the links of the chain, Tracey found that they were locked to the floor and her wrists were also connected to the same length of chain. She couldn't see anything but the darkness, even with her keen eyes, without a little bit of light they wouldn't be much help to her.
'Don't even ask the universal question...'
"Well well well. You're finally awake. We thought Thaddeus had scrambled your brains." A familiar voice said from the dark.
Tracey's ears wiggled and she turned her face toward the direction that the voice came from. She coughed to clear her throat and then chuckled lightly. "You can't scramble what's already scrambled... Draxxus. What do you want?"
"Fame, fortune, immortality. You know, the little luxuries. Right now I want to know where your friend is. Separately you two are worth a pretty dinar. Together I could purchase a small Island and fortify it and retire in supreme luxury. So where is your feisty little friend?" He crouched down with a small tin lantern as the only illumination.
The light almost hurt her eyes, but they quickly adjusted to what little light there was and her eyes keenly picked out the details of his face. Tracey drew back and straightened her posture as much as she could and leaned back against the wall behind her.
"Tell you what..." She said slowly, raising an eyebrow at him. "Let's play a little game... I'll answer your questions as best as my scrambled brains can recall if you answer mine. We'll even alternate so everything is fair."
At the moment it appeared that Draxxus was the only one in the room that she could see and sense. He considered it for a moment. "Why not. A little Q&A to pass the time until our transportation arrives. I'll start, Where is your friend?"
"Unfortunately I don't know where she is." Tracey said, blinking several times and leaning back again. "After we saved her from your dirty paws I had to leave her in a cave and go to Delphi. My turn, who do you work for? The truth now, I'll be able to tell if you lie to me, my ears don't miss much."
"I work for a very ancient God. One who is willing to pay me sickening sums of Dinars in advance to capture two women from a foreign land with special gifts with the promise of more to come upon delivery." He replied smoothly. "What is your homeland like?"
Tracey considered his answer and nodded slightly.
"My homeland..." She laughed. "You'll have to be a little more specific than that, I've traveled very far and consider a lot of places to be my 'homeland'... My turn, I've already figured out it's not a Greek God, so does your boss have a name?"
"He does." Draxxus replied with no further elaboration. "Did you get the answers you were looking for from the Oracle at Delphi?"
Blowing a raspberry in his direction, Tracey drew in a slow breath and shook her head. "I didn't get all the answers I needed. What is your God's name?"
"What makes you think I know his name?" Draxxus asked his eyes gleaming in the low light.
"Tsk tsk, that's not part of the game..." She retorted, wagging a finger at him. "You're not allowed to answer a question with a question for it isn't an answer... I'll be more specific then, what do you call your God?"
He smirked. "I call him Master. It's all I need to call him." He stood as someone walked into the darkened space, he walked over and they conferred quietly for a moment then he returned. "As enjoyable as this has been Our transportation has arrived. Do behave. I don't want to damage you any further."
"Perhaps you'll be so gracious as to answer one more little question for me because I too have enjoyed our little chat, despite the cold shackles." Tracey said, looking passed Draxxus at the person who arrived before looking back at him. "Where am I?"
His smile grew. "Why we're about a mile from the crossroads. There are so many unexplored nooks and crannies in the countryside. It's amazing how easy it is to hide someone in plain sight."
Tracey nodded and tucked her legs closer to her body with a slight clinking of the chains. "Well then I'll try to be on my best behavior." She said, placing her hands in her lap and smiling pleasantly. 'I did say try, I didn't say I promised.' She hoped that they would all leave her be and that the preparations to move her would take a little time for her to escape.
They left her alone in the dark and she could hear preparations under way. Not long after he left a large man with blocky features stalked in and she watched as he used his strength to pull a curled metal spike out of the rock. It was what her chains were attached to. He tugged her to her feet and dragged her out of what she realized was a very shallow cave. A wagon sat in front with a handful of small tin lanterns illuminating the area, a small iron cage sat on the back of the wagon and the large man holding her chains dragged her towards it. She didn't see Draxxus anywhere and reasoned that he must have left ahead of them. Looking at the landscape around her and nodding slightly, Tracey noted that there were at least four other men there not including the bulky man who was keeping her moving forward toward the cage. She also noted that even though her feet were still in shackles, there was room for her to bring her hands up to about stomach height which she could work with.
"Excuse me sir." Tracey said, looking up at the bulky man who was manhandling her. "You did hear what I said to Draxxus right? 'That I would try to be on my best behavior' right? Well I wasn't lying, I would try, but I didn't say I promised so, I'm not really going to feel bad for what I'm about to do..."
Tracey trailed off and suddenly stomped her foot into the ground creating a wedge in the earth for her to use. She used it to get a leg up on the man. Stepping up on the angled wedge of dirt, Tracey twisted her body around while grabbing the man's arm and drove her knee up into the man's face, knocking him backward to the ground. As soon as the heavy set man was down for the count the other four men came after her. Though her hands and feet were bound in chains, Tracey was still able to use her earthly abilities to manipulate the ground to her needs. The ground under their feet opened wide and swallowed them up to their shoulders. Pushing her hands together and keeping a little bit of space between her palms, Tracey surveyed her work and smiled.
"Now..." She huffed, walking to the nearest captive after she dug through the biggest man's belt loop for the keys to her chains and unlocked them, massaging the life back into her wrists and ankles. "Thanks for the fun boys, but I need to be going now."
Taking one of the horses, she staggered a bit out of tiredness and fatigue, to unbuckle the girth and slip the saddle off the horse and did the same for the bridle. She had to use a rock to get up onto the horses back and ended up using the rest of her strength to keep her balance. Leaning forward against the horse's neck, she stroked its hair and gripped its mane, whispering quick words to it and then the horse moved forward. Tracey had asked the horse to find Hercules and as quickly as he could.
The horse made a beeline for the crossroads and within an hour she was approaching the campsite which seemed to be in a state of controlled panic. She didn't immediately see Hercules but her ears picked up the sound of him cursing the guards, Draxxus,and most especially himself. The portly merchant was doing his best to sooth the larger man to little effect. She was about to call out to him when he saw her and she watched the strangest expression fly across his face. Panic, relief, and anger fought their way across his face as he ran to the horse and dragged her down, she didn't even have a chance to say anything before his lips came crashing down on hers and she felt the tension melt out of him and he held her as close as he'd been wanting to for days and thought he might never get the chance to when he'd realized she'd been taken.
Letting out a shiver, Tracey let the warmth of his body warm her as she weakly drew her arms around his bulky, well muscled frame and kissed him back, a pale pink flush on her cheeks she was sure wasn't there because of the cold. She liked the feel of his smooth lips on hers and she missed this sensation and relished it completely. His frame was perfectly built to house her smaller one and she liked how safe she felt in his arms that surrounded her. Tracey was only vaguely aware that she was still in the burlap sack and the rough, coarse fabric was starting to rub in all the wrong places. She settled back down on the flats of her feet, because she had to stand on the tips of her toes to reach his face, and looked up into Hercules's eyes, giving him a relieved smile.
"Sorry for taking a field trip without you..." Tracey breathed, legs shaking as if they would give way at any moment.
"You were gone long enough that I started to worry, when I went looking for you all I found was your clothes and blood on the ground. Gods…" He took a deep breath and his hands flexed around her shoulder while he tried to calm down. "No more field trips. No more splitting up, I don't think I could take another scare like that. One of the caravan guards is missing too." He looked around into the dark as if he were trying to find Draxxus.
Tracey began to shiver harder than before, the burlap sack still clung to her body which was still damp from her trip to the river. She looked to her hands as they slowly came to rest at in front of her face and a sudden thought occurred to her.
"We need to talk to the merchant and find out which guard is missing, I have a feeling that guard followed me to the river and knocked me out before delivering me to Draxxus... oh and you said you have my clothes? I could really use them right now because it's really cold and I'm still wet from the river and the cave they kept me in."
Hercules led her over to the fire where her clothes sat in a neat bundle. "Get dressed and warm, I'll have the merchant come over but you are staying by the fire."
"Believe me, I'm not going to be anywhere else until we leave for Thebes together." Tracey replied, huddling down by the fire and combed through her clothes. "I'll be finished in a few minutes."
Taking a bowl from her knapsack, Tracey filled it with water and used a rag to take care of the dirt and grime from the cave and the sack. She made sure no one was around her before pulling the sack over her head and shivering when the wind suddenly hit her naked body. Huddling closer to the fire, Tracey quickly dressed and wrapped a blanket around her form to keep the wind from hitting her directly anymore. The merchant whose guard had gone missing, he looked worried and apologetic. "I am sorry miss. I did not know Thaddeus would do something so vile to a guest."
Tracey looked up at the merchant and motioned for him to sit down and relax. She pulled the blanket closer to her and shook her head at his apology.
"You couldn't have known, nobody could have known what other people are like and who their true master is. I don't blame you so you shouldn't blame yourself. But I would like to know where he came from and where you met and hired him from, it could tell me where he will go next and what other scumbags he hangs out with."
"Oh… well I hired him in Delphi five years ago, he's alway been a solid dependable sort, never married but the girls at the towns we stop in all seem to like him well enough. Come to think about it he seemed kinda twitchy the last few weeks but I figured he'd met a lass he was anxious to get back to."
She looked into the flames as they danced over the wood hungrily and sighed tiredly. "I think he was getting twitchy because he received new instructions to capture any strange woman traveling with Hercules and Iolaus if he could. You may have hired him, but Thaddeus was working for someone else the whole time I'm afraid." Tracey concluded thoughtfully. "Can you tell me anything else about him? The smallest details you can think of would be helpful."
He shrugged. "Not really. He was a good worker, quit, respectful and I had no reason to mistrust him. I am sorry he hurt you but I can't tell you anything else." He gave Hercules a strange look and walked away.
Hercules sighed and sat down next to her pulling her in against his side sharing his warmth with her. "Don't worry, we know what he looks like, we'll just have to be careful on our way to Thebes."
Tracey settled her body more comfortably against Hercules's broad form and laid her head on his chest, a hand resting there too. The rest of her curled around him too, making sure that she was close and safe, the blanket she had wrapped around her she used to cover them both. She let out a sigh and let her breathing become more even before she spoke softly.
"Thank you Hercules. Unfortunately I didn't get any useful information from Draxxus other that his God and Master is an ancient God... I didn't find out anything else and I hoped our merchant friend could tell us more. Oh well."
They remained by the fire in silence for a long time, after a while he led her a little ways off and made up a pallet for them to sleep on. They were up at dawn and moving down the road to Thebes. They pushed hard and three days after the stop at the crossroads they arrived in Thebes. The sun was high and the town itself was bustling as Hercules led her through the streets. He greeted people by name and was greeted in return. He was stopped by a burly woman who was covered in flour who smiled up at him. "Well Hercules it's about time you came home. That short friend of yours has gone and gotten himself hooked up with some foreigner and she's turned the whole place on its ear with her ways. And I see you've brought one home too, about time you both settled down again with pretty girls." She gave them both a toothy smile to show she meant no harm with her words.
Slightly taken aback by the woman's honesty, Tracey looked at Hercules, a slight pink blush appearing on her cheeks but she did her best to hide it. She looked back to the woman and smiled slightly.
"That's my friend Artemis. Do you know where they might be Hercules?"
"They're probably staying at Jason's place, he and my mother lived in my childhood home after they married but she passed away not long ago." He motioned to the east. "He lives that way." He smiled at the baker and she grinned back then they were headed up the road to Jason and Alchemene's home. Tracey felt the tension she'd been carrying the last three days seeping out of her as they walked, this whole valley seemed blessed and at ease.
She breathed in deeply and let the fresh air fill her lungs before letting it out slowly with a smile. The air was sweet with the smell of fresh flowers and she loved it. Trees were full and leafy, the grass was green and lush, the weather itself was warm, bright and very pleasant. The clouds were so fluffy she felt that she could reach up and pluck them from the sky.
"This place is so peaceful Hercules." Tracey said softly. "I can see why your mother wanted to live here. It's so beautiful, green and lively... I could live here."
They approached a lovely whitewashed one story house surrounded by flowers and a young pomegranate tree, a man of middle years was out in the garden on his knees working in a new flowerbed. "Jason!" Hercules called to the man who looked up and grinned.
"Hercules! I was wondering when you'd get here. Iolaus got here over a week ago. Well who's this?" He stood and smiled at Tracey.
With a small, respectful bow, Tracey smiled and extended her hand to the man Hercules hailed as Jason and nodded to him in a familiar manner. Jason was a tall man in his own right, but stopped a few inches short of Hercules's full stature. He had a kind and fatherly face and she could see a lot of her biological father in him, which made her like him even more.
"Hi, my name is Tracey."
He smiled and held out a hand to her. "Welcome Tracey, I'm Jason and it's a pleasure to meet you." He looked over at Hercules. "So what brings you by? I figured you'd be leaving Iolaus to enjoy his honeymoon." His eyes twinkled and she knew he was teasing.
Tracey giggled quietly, nodded to his words and took his hand, giving it a firm shake. "Never a dull moment with Artemis around I can assure you of that. But I can say I wouldn't be surprised if she did decide to stay here with Iolaus... it is gorgeous and pleasant here and I see you like to garden, perhaps you can show me a few tricks. I've been trying to grow my own garden at home but I can't seem to get it right."
He gave her a curious look. "So where is home? Artemis gets very evasive whenever it comes up. I saw her clothing, the ones she was wearing when they arrived in town and it's stuff I saw in the far east, minus being on fire of course. That's quite a talent she's got. You're clothes are exotic as well but not nearly as much as hers."
"Our clothes are a little different from everyone else because we made them ourselves, well really Artemis made ours. She's a master seamstress and is quite talented." Tracey answered with a thoughtful smile. "As you probably guessed she has the ability to control fire and Iolaus has ranted and raved about always being warm thanks to her." Tracey pushed her hair out of her face and her smile grew.
He chuckled. "Well either way you're both lovely and you are both welcome in my home. Iolaus and Artemis are staying up at his old place but they'll be down soon for dinner. Why don't you get cleaned up while we wait for them. I can even give you a change of clothes s you can wash yours." He motioned to Tracey's dusty skirt.
"Thank you so much Jason. I greatly appreciate that." She replied and gave him a smile that mirrored her gratitude. "I'll help you with dinner once I'm finished."
Jason motioned for them to follow him inside and Tracey gave Hercules a quick smile before proceeding into the house. She looked around at the entire establishment and it felt like home to her. The house was very spacious and all the furniture was hand carved and smooth wood that was beautiful. The pillows and cushions were stuffed with goose down feathers and were very plush when she ran her fingers over the elaborate stitching. Tracey's eyes fell upon a blanket that was folded across the arm of the couch and a small smile touched her lips. The rest of the house was standard dimensions with a pretty and decent sized kitchen, two bedrooms and a nice bathroom that held all the necessities.
"Yeah, I could stay here..." She said softly to herself. found the towel and a small bar of soap and took these to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. It took her only a few minutes to manipulate the water from the river that ran behind the house to flow into the tub. Placing her hands in the tub of water, Tracey concentrated on heating nothing but her hands with fire and much to her delight it worked and she released the energy and removed her clothes. She set them aside on a stool and lowered her body carefully into the water, glad that it was just the right temperature and it eased her greatly. She was just starting to run soap over her arms when the door opened and she felt cooler air flow over her skin in the tub then the door closed again but behind the reed screen she couldn't tell who was in the room with her. She stopped moving in mid lather with the soap and her ears twitched wildly. Not necessarily fearing for her life at the moment, she knew that no one would dare come to this house and try to capture her while Hercules and Jason were here. Jason was the leader of the Argonauts and the king of Corinth, if anyone did try, they would sorely be beaten down horribly. Tracey slowly rose from the bath tub and grabbed the towel she had placed on the stool with her clothes and wrapped it around her nude body, knotting it quickly between her curved breasts. The water in the tub leveled out at her knees and she stepped out to keep her footing secured. "Who's there?" She asked, crouching in front of the tub.
The water behind her churned and several tendrils appeared, being directed by her hands to be ready to grab anything she directed them too. Her body began to shake and she was growing impatient with the lack of answer to her question. "I said, who's there?"
Artemis came around the reed screen looking surprised. "Take it easy doll. I brought you a dress and something nicer for your skin than the soap the guys use."
To Tracey's surprise Artemis was wearing a long sleeveless grecian dress in a wine red color, she still wore the slippers that she'd worn with her sorceress outfit, she looked like she belonged in the dress though it looked like she'd had to make some adjustments to the bust.
"Artemis!" Tracey squealed happily. "You're looking much better now, and thanks."
She released the water and it fell back into the tub. A smile spread over her features and she straightened her posture to one that was calmer. She wanted to hug her and poke around her body to make sure she was all healed and back to being her awesome self again, but she didn't because she was still wet from the tub and she didn't want to get Arty wet too.
"Sorry for almost attacking you, Draxxus had one of his goons nab me about three days ago. Hercules hasn't let me out of his sight, I almost have to threaten him to let me use the tub by myself... But don't worry, I'm fine. Thank you for the dress."
Artemis grinned and motioned for her to get back in the bath. She handed her a pottery jar of sweet smelling soft soap. "Try this. And trust me, I understand the over protective thing. Iolaus gets nervous if I stray too far from the house. So Draxxus tried to grab you? Did you get any answers?" She brought a stool over and sat down while Tracey got back in the bath.
The water was still warm and she dipped her hand in the jar slowly and brought her fingers out again to give them a quick sniff. The soap smelled like mint and vanilla and was quite nice. Tracey rubbed the soap onto her skin and smiled, thoroughly pleased and enjoying how smooth it made her skin feel after she washed it off.
"Nothing that would really help us... other than his God, his Master as he calls him, is just an Ancient God. I guess that means he's older than the Greek gods." Tracey replied, unstopping a cork from another, light blue bottle and wafting it under her nose. "Mmm more vanilla with a slight hint of lavender."
She poured a handful of the substance into her cupped hand and then ran it through her hair. Using her nails and finger tips, Tracey worked the liquid through her hair and then used a pitcher that stood alongside the tub to rinse the rest from her scalp. Standing up from the tub again she stepped out of it onto the cool floor and held her hands down as far as they would go. Slowly Tracey drew her hands up over her body, following every curve and indent in her form, the water droplets quivering and rising from her clean skin. She finished by removing the water from her black hair, it fell past her shoulders in waves when she was finished and deposited the water in the tub again.
"Okay, let's see if this dress fits." She said with a smile. "I'm not big on dresses, but I don't have anything else to wear so this will do and perhaps I will be able to tweak it a little to make it more my style."
Tracey put on her underwear and bra, freshly washed and dried with her bath water, and slipped the light blue fabric dress over her head. The transparent outer layer of white flowed around her ankles and the sleeves of her dress connected to her biceps and shoulders with small silver rings. She wrapped the blue scarf with silver tassels Iolaus had given her around her waist and tied it in a knot. Her final piece were sandals that laced up to mid-shin on her pale legs, her pointed ears wiggled as she observed her reflection in a small standing mirror.
"Or perhaps I'll leave it as is and make a pair of pants to go on underneath the dress..." She trailed off.
"Try wearing it as is for a while. You'll be surprised at how comfortable it is. I've stopped wearing my leggings altogether." Artemis said coming up behind Tracey and running a brush through her hair and swiftly braiding the silken strands. "I'm glad it fits, I had to sew it from memory." She tied the braid off with a bit of blue ribbon and smiled.
"So an ancient God who he wouldn't name. What did the Oracle have to say?"
Tracey nodded again at her reflection and smiled as some stray strands of her hair fell out of the braid Arty had just done and framed her face. Taking a deep breath, she recalled from memory everything that the Oracle had said.
"'You were brought forth by the King of the Gods in Greece to save all of History. Only the Daughters of the Future with all of History behind them can save everything that matters from one who would destroy History to write a new future.'"
She looked away from the mirror and turned to look at Artemis and shook her head apologetically.
"I should have been more specific with my questions, but it nothing happens to the Oracle than we can take you back to Delphi and you can ask her more questions."
Artemis shook her head. "We're not supposed to go back to Delphi. I don't know how I know that." She took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair. "We left the cave the day after I woke up because I knew, Knew with a capital K, that We had to get to Thebes. It drove me, I just couldn't get it out of my head that we had to be in Thebes. I'm sure whatever drove me to come here will show me where to go next."
She stared out the window for a few minutes then softly spoke the words the Oracle had said. "You were brought forth by the King of the Gods in Greece to save all of History. Only the Daughters of the Future with all of History behind them can save everything that matters from one who would destroy History to write a new future. Daughters of the future, with all of history behind us… That's important… how though…?" She blinked and looked at Tracey. "I need to go meditate for a while. Can you let the boys know I'm going into the woods? I'll stay in eyesight of the house but I need to be in the woods."
"That's the million dinar question." Tracey muttered but she nodded. "Yeah I'll let them know, please be careful and holler if you need me."
With a smile, Tracey let Artemis out of the bathroom and then turned to take care of the used bath water. She focused on the water with hands raised and then let her hands dance over the water until the tub was empty. Very subtly her directed the water with her hands through the window and back into the river. Letting out a breath and releasing her control on the water, Tracey touched the fabric of her dress and giggled quietly. She looked up and left the bathroom and went to find Jason, wondering how she could help with dinner and where Hercules and Iolaus were so she could tell them that Artemis went to meditate.
"Hm now where would Iolaus and Hercules be?" Tracey mused out loud.
It turned out that Hercules, Iolaus and Jason were all in the barn talking quietly amongst themselves about the events of the last three weeks. Jason smiled when she came in. "Tracey, you look lovely, How was your bath?"
Hercules stared at her transfixed by the sight of her in the dress until Iolaus nudged him and he blinked back into focus. "You look great." He smiled at her.
Tracey blinked and smiled at him.
"Thank you Hercules. I'm sorry to interrupt." She said before looking at Jason and answering him. "I think that was the most enjoyable bath I've had in awhile and I greatly appreciate all your hospitality, everything was perfect. Oh, before I forget, Artemis is going to meditate in the woods but she promised to stay in eyesight of the house and will be back soon."
At that moment, Nargis came in singing loudly and happily! He alighted onto Tracey's outstretched hand and rubbed his head into her hand as he chirped and brushed her face with his wings. She scratched his beak and under his chin until he fluffed himself up three times his normal size and made her laugh softly, like silver bells. Nargis's tail feathers shifted as he hopped up her arm and perched himself on her shoulder, soft chirps escaping from him every few moments and making her smile.
"I missed you too Nargis and thank you for keeping an eye on Iolaus and Artemis for me."
Iolaus stood up off the bale of hay he'd been leaning on looking concerned. "She's in the woods alone?"
Jason rested a hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine Iolaus, she's healthy again, you've told me she can fight and I'm pretty sure she'll set anyone who accosts her on fire."
Hercules looked at his friend searchingly but didn't say anything. "If she's not back in half an hour we're going after her."
Iolaus didn't seem convinced but he settled back down on the haybale. Jason smiled at Tracey again. "I'm going to be starting dinner soon, why don't you come help me? You're probably a better cook than these two."
Iolaus and Hercules protested half heartedly but it was all in fun.
Artemis found a quiet spot just inside the woods and sat down to clear her mind. She rubbed her face not bothering to meditate, she didn't really ever meditate anymore, instead she started talking softly. "Gods and Goddesses to whom I owe allegiance, who owe me friendship. Great Lords and Ladies whom I worship and have followed since I was young I need your help. I need answers. We are being hunted by another God, I believe they mean us harm. Please. Please I have made offerings and I've been faithful. If it was just me I wouldn't care but it's not just me, Tracey is involved too and she doesn't have my training, she doesn't have my magics and my belief. I need answers. Please."
She sat and waited praying occasionally, pleading for help from any God she could name but nothing happened. She put her head in her hands and leaned against her knees trying not to cry, she didn't know where to go from Thebes and she had been hoping for more information from the Oracle. "Daughters of the Future with all of History behind them. The King of Gods in Greece is obviously Zeus but he's not going to help. So… which God wants to rewrite history to create a new future… shit I just do not have enough information." She sighed and closed her eyes praying one more time, pouring all her will, he desperation and he need into the prayer but when she opened her eyes there was still nothing and she bit her lips to stop them trembling as tears slid down her cheeks.
She wiped her face impatiently and got up heading back to the house, she was glad to see Tracey again and just having her best friend back eased a tension in her chest. She walked to the house and watched through the window as the three men and Tracey bickered companionably about whatever they were cooking. She felt a pang of fear that this could all come down around their ears but she shoved it aside and walked into the house. "I'm back." She said quietly.
Tracey was telling Jason about how many times Iolaus had caught rabbits for them and she shook her head.
"Not that I'm not grateful for your hunting skills Iolaus, but there are other things that we could hunt and eat. I mean I could help catch fish and there are plenty of edible berries that we could have obtained." Tracey laughed, sprinkling in some salt into a pot on a tripod over the fireplace. "Rabbit, consumed too many times, tends to lose it's tastier qualities."
She laughed and tasted the thickening chicken soup before nodding and handing off a spoon to Hercules to see what he thought as she turned to the other pot and uncovered it's iron lid to reveal its contents to be a steaming pile of rice and then she looked over and smiled at Artemis.
"Arty, you're back! Perfect timing, dinner is almost done. Would you and Iolaus set the table please? What do you think Hercules? Does the soup need anything else?"
Iolaus handed Artemis a stack of bowls looking into her face but she avoided his eyes and set the bowls around the table then set spoons and cups beside them. Hercules tasted the soup and pronounced it perfect before using a cloth to take the pot off the hook and setting it on the table doing the same with the rice. Jason poured fruit juice into the cups and they all sat. For a few minutes everyone was quiet while they dished up food and dug in. Artemis smiled. "This is great guys."
"I have to agree with you Artemis, this is perfect." Tracey replied, scooping up a spoonful of rice and soup and holding it just below her lips so she could cool it before eating.
Closing her eyes to savor the tasty goodness, Tracey could almost pick out the different ingredients in the soup. The chicken was blended perfectly with the carrots, potatoes, green onions, a little salt and some zesty lemon skins to just give it some citrus kick. She suddenly remembered the bread, got out of her chair and carefully took the baked loaf out of the over. She cut it and brought it and the churned butter over to the table for everyone to take some. "Were you able to meditate successfully Artemis?"
Artemis set her spoon down in the bowl and shook her head. "No. I know we're supposed to be here in Thebes but beyond that I don't know. And I wasn't able to make any sense of the Oracle's words beyond the obvious ones about Zeus." She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I think we just need a few days of quiet in a safe place. Now that you guys are here I know I can relax a little and that might help."
Hercules leaned back in his chair. "I think you're right. We're all stressed out and tired and nobody thinks well when they're tired."
"Mhm." Tracey made a noise in agreement. "I think we should rest here while we're able, there's no telling how crazy it will get when we have to start out again and a bit of rest will do us all good. Besides only idiots would think to attack us here."
With that said, she went back to her food and their conversations revolved around a variety of topics.
By the time night fell everyone was exhausted and Iolaus told Hercules that he was taking Artemis back to his house up the road. Hercules patted his shoulder and told him to be safe. Artemis had been sitting in front of the fire using a nail heated by her own flames to burn strange looking marks into a set of wooden disks. She held one up to inspect her handiwork and Tracey noticed it was the same mark as one of her tattoos.
"What are you working on my sweet?" Tracey asked, head tilted to one side as she too inspected the marking and wooden disks.
"A set of runes. I'm going to see if I can do a reading when I've finished them. Since I don't have my cards with me this is the next best thing. She replied wrapping the finished runes and the blank disks in a cloth.
"Ah I see."
Tracey let out a tired sigh and rubbed her eyes.
"We can hope they will work for us, but in the meantime..." She started, picking up some string from the table and handing it to her. "You should enjoy Iolaus company."
She gave Artemis a knowing look and a sideways smirk, letting her know that she saw what was going on between her and the curly haired man. Artemis smirked back at her and slid her eyes towards Hercules with a raised eyebrow. She leaned in to give Tracey a hug and murmured in her ear. "Lets just say, size isn't everything… but I'm sure it's fun." She stood up and walked towards Iolaus who let her step out first.
"We'll be back tomorrow, or you guys can come by my place." Iolaus said before closing the door."
Tracey laughed and then turned her face toward the fire, crossing her arms over her chest and hoping that the heat from the fire would mask the blush on her cheeks as it spread before she could contain it. It was warm and she felt at peace, just absorbing the heat and letting memories of her cabin up in California come back to her. She smiled at the thought of her family sitting on the couch in front of a blazing fire and sipping on hot chocolate and coffee while pleasant conversations were tossed back and forth. That's how she and her family spent their summers when they weren't in school or working all year and it was quite pleasant to get away from it all. Being out in the woods at the cabin was really what she enjoyed doing and always bulked when she had to return to reality. Tracey let out a tired sigh and watched the flames flicker before her. 'It's so peaceful here, it reminds me so much of my cabin.' She thought.
Hercules and Jason conferred quietly then Jason left for his own bed. Hercules came up behind Tracey and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright? You look like something is bothering you." He wanted to take her in his arms again the way he had while they were traveling to Thebes but he didn't know how she would feel about that now that they were back in civilization and she had Artemis to turn to for support.
Stifling a yawn behind her hand, Tracey laid her own small hand over his and felt the different digits of his fingers. His large hand was firm and strong from all the work he's done over a course of his life time, but also soft and gentle. She turned slightly, without really moving her feet, and looked up at him with a small smile on her lips. Her eyes reflected the firelight and seemed to sparkle. With a nod she turned back to the fire and watched the flames again.
"I'm alright Hercules." She said calmly. "I'm just thinking about this place and how it reminds me of my own cabin, which my family called Narnia. I really enjoyed spending time up there and being in the woods made me feel alive and free, but this place is so much like my cabin and I love it, I feel at home here. I can see why being here with your mother molded you into the man you are now."
She sighed and and leaned back slightly against his sturdy frame and looked back at him with a smile. "Thank you for all your help and support, it's been a comfort and I appreciate it. You are something special and I'm glad to have you."
He smiled down at her and curved his much taller frame down to kiss her gently. His arms wrapped around her and she felt as though he were a calm bay in a stormy sea.
