"Hercules! Quickly, over here!" Jason called the distraught demigod over to the edge of the
battleground where he knelt with his best tracker. "They were headed towards the temple." The tracker
finished saying as the young cadet skidded to a halt, Shiri only paces behind.

Hercules' eyes gained a haunted look as he looked towards the temple looming in the distance. "I'm
coming buddy..." Then he was off and running. Sprinting towards the temple with all his semi-devine speed,
not even pausing to see if the others were behind him.

With a muttered curse Jason and Shiri gave pursuit, the young king throwing hurried instructions at
his men to secure the slavers and help the newly freed slaves. The protests of the royal advisors fading
quickly in the distance as the two teens ran into the temple.

Shiri entered the temple a step behind Jason and almost ran into his back when he suddenly skidded to
a halt on the rouch stone floor. A shiver passed through her when her gaze caught on the large shrine in the
center of the dimly lit chamber. And her breath caught in her throat when she beheld the scene playing out
directly below the peacock statue.

Narius was front and center, a sneer creasing his scarred features as he turned to face the arriving
rescue party. Two of his men were busily chaining Iolaus to the scarificial wall while the young cadet struggled
wildly and cursed loudy. The remaining two of Narius' men had moved to flank their leader, effectively blocking
Hercules' attempts to reach his friend.

Hercules ignored all of this as he marched straight towards the struggling Iolaus. As he neared Narius the
warlord drew his sword and glared at the approaching youth. With deliberate steps Hercules ducked under the sword
of the first gaurd, lifting the man off his feet and sending him hurtling into the stone pillar without missing a
beat. Shiri watched in satisfaction as Narius' sneer wavered slightly, then she launched herself around Jason, diving
directly towards the second gaurd. As the second gaurd fell under Shiri's attack Jason darted in behind the battle and
moved to take on the two who had finished securing Iolaus to the wall.

Narius' sneer had by now disappeared all together. He stood before the seething demi-god, sword raised, a mocking
tone to his words. "So you must be the infamous Hercules. Delighted to have you. I've prepared some special festivities
for tonight. In honour of the Queen of the Gods." His scarred face again twisted into a smile that held all the warmth
of a coiled snake.

"Narius was it?" Hercules asked in a voice dripping with mock politeness. "It's always good to know the other guy's
name before a fight. Makes finding the next of kin so much easier." His voice dropped to a growl as he uttered the last
few words. With a yell he launched himself at the warlord, hitting him in the chest with both booted feet.

Shiri threw the largest of the gaurds over her shoulder and watched as he hit the stone floor of the temple with a
satisfying crunch. She watched him warily for a moment, making sure he wasn't anxious to continue the fight. When the guard
remained motionless she looked up to pick her next traget. Jason was a few meters away, his sword a blur of motion as he
fought the last of Narius' gaurds. He was doing okay for himself so Shiri whirled to look for Narius. And found him flying
through the air for the third time, once again on the recieving end of one of Hercules' punches.

Satisfied that both boys were okay, and that the gaurds were out of commision for the forseeable future, Shiri dug
through the pockets of the nearest gaurd, searching for the keys to the manacles that held Iolaus. No luck. With a soft
curse she hurried to the next gaurd and repeated the process. And again with the other unconcious gaurd. Nothing. Giving
the last gaurd a good boot in the ribs to dispell some of her frustration Shiri turned to watch Jason's ongoing battle with
the last gaurd. _Of all the rotten luck..._ "Jason! Big Ugly's got the keys!"

The young king didn't pause in his swordplay when he heard her voice. His lips tightened and he shook his head grimly.
Increasing the ferocity of his attack he again pressed forward, herding the gaurd into a corner. This had to end soon,
before Narius got smart and called for back up. Seeing an opening he lunged forward, catching the key-ring with the tip of
his sword and flinging the keys to the far end of the temple where Shiri quickly retrieved them. But Jason didn't stop there
flipping onto his hands he donkey kicked the gaurd in the chest sending him crashing to the stone floor. A kick to the gut
and a sword butt to the head and the man was out for the count.

Breathing hard Jason finally allowed himself a smile. Shiri was at Iolaus' side, frantically working through the
numerous keys on the ring. Hercules seemed to have Narius under control so Jason began tying up the gaurds. A cry from
Narius stopped him short before he could take two steps toward the closest gaurd.

"HERA!! I call upon you as a humble servant! Enemies have entered your temple, defaced it, mocked it and you, and
they have prevented me from serving you. Hera! Answer me! Her-umph!"

He cut off suddenly as Hercules' booted foot connected again with his chest and sent him sprawling. But the damage
had been done, even as Hercules moved in to finish off the warlord a massive tremor shook the temple sending all four
youths stumbling. Outside a crack of lightening pierced the brillent blue sky. And all movement in the temple came to a
stop as the queen of the gods was suddenly standing in the middle of the altar room.

"Uh oh" Shiri heard Iolaus breath as she continued to search for the correct key on the ring. Tossing a harried
glance over her shoulder at the seething goddess she felt her breath catch but kept up her frantic pace. Narius' mocking
laugh rang in her ears. Hercules and Jason both cried out at the same moment as she caught Iolaus' blue eyed gaze, found
the key and turned the lock. A split second before Hera let loose a ball of glowing energy aimed directly at the two
teens on the altar.

Shiri caught a flash of Iolaus' blue eyes widening before she was suddenly in motion, propelled backwards by a hard
shove from the cadet. She hit the ground hard enough to make her see stars, looking up in time to see Iolaus get thrown
backward as the energy ball hit his chest.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" The cry ripped through the slience of the night, torn from Hercules' throat with all the anguish and
pain in the world. With a wordless cry Hercules launched himself at his step-mother, only to sail through thin air as she
vanished. Her laughter echoed off the stone pillars of the chamber, "He's mine now, Hercules...". And a single peacock's
feather floated down from the cieling to land at the feet of the stricken demi-god.