A/N: We're sorry this was so long in coming, we've been very busy. It's also getting hot 'n steamy here in Texas, so we've not been feeling well. Ugh. Summer heat…
Okay, enough with the excuses. On to the fun stuff.
We love you reviewers, you guys and gals are wonderful! Kisses, cookies, and confetti for you all!
D/N: Quinn is graduating in 3 days. 3 days! w00t! Let's hear a big round of applause for her!
xandria, I have, in your honor, cut down the 'miladys' to an absolute minimum.
KatieMichelleBelle, since you asked nicely, we will try to find a way to work in some Jolinar flashbacks, if it is at all possible.
WARNING: Much- oh, actually not too much, Danny whumping.
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Persephone was almost to the other end of the hall, and when she reached it, she pressed the button beside the door, and it opened. She turned to face him just as she stepped inside, and there was a mournful determination in her eyes.
"Thank you," she said. "For everything." She reached for the button on the other side, and pressed it. Daniel leapt forward and crashed spectacularly into the door. He angrily slammed his hand against the panel and when the door did not open immediately, he repeated the action. It slid open, to reveal Persephone, standing across the room beside her throne. She held up her hand, adorned with the silver hand device.
"Come no further." she instructed.
Daniel stopped, breathless from running. His blue eyes met hers evenly.
"You wouldn't."
"I will if you leave me no choice. Priam is dead. How many more must die before you realize there is no other way?"
"There's always another way. A very wise - well, maybe not that wise, person told me that."
"Not this time." she said, shaking her head.
At that moment, one of the Jaffa who stood guarding the other door stepped forward.
"You cannot let her do this. We would rather die for her than let Hades have her. And the hand device-"
Persephone pressed the button, and made a dash for the center of the room. Unfortunately for her, Daniel was faster. He intercepted her, and pulled her back against the wall.
She struggled briefly, but was, obviously, unable to get free.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Why are you?" he countered.
"You know my reasons!"
"Look around you! Your jaffa would die in your name! It is their right to choose!"
"Is it not my right to decide whether they have to?"
"Persephone...milady...please. Wait. Just a little while. Give the Tok'Ra a chance."
"They are not coming! You saw the transmission as well as I!"
"They didn't say they weren't coming! They didn't have a chance to!"
"And how long do you expect me to wait?"
"I don't know! I just know you have to! This isn't the only way!" Daniel pleaded with her.
Persephone struggled again briefly, but finally stopped.
"Would it not solve everything?" she asked.
Daniel sensed that she was willing to speak, and eased off a little, moving a foot or so away. "No. Suicide never solves anything."
"I'm not going to die!"
"If you go up there to him, you might as well be."
"He wouldn't kill me. I spent a good deal of time with him before, you know. Or you should know, since you are a scribe."
Danny had the decency to flush a little and look away for a moment.
"What he will do to you is worse than death."
Persephone lowered her head.
"I survived before."
"Survival is no kind of life. You know that, or you would never have left him."
"Do you want me to just wait until he begins his attack?"
"I don't have all the answers, Persephone. You know that."
"No one does." she said, her eyes clouded with sorrow. "As long as he lives, I now know that I shall never escape him."
"That's not true. I know, I've been in situations like this before."
Persephone appeared mildly interested.
"Such as?"
"It's long story, actually."
"I see. If I agree to refrain from contacting Hades until we see whether your friends will arrive, will you allow me to go if they do not?"
"That's not really for me to say..."
"Why not? Are you not the leader?"
"Well. No. Not exactly."
"But you said that you were. Of course, you also called yourself Khartoum, but..."
"Yeah, um, I lied."
Persephone took a step away from him.
"You lied to me? Why?"
"Because I didn't know if you were a Goa'uld. I'm sorry."
"I have been lied to before." Persephone shrugged. "What is one more time? Is there anything else you have told me which is less than true?"
"Nothing that I can recall right now. If I think of anything, I'll let you know, though," he assured her. Persephone sighed.
"What would be so wrong with me leaving? My people would be safe, you and your friends would be safe...I would tell my Jaffa not to harm you, you know. Is that what worries you?"
"No, that's not it at all!" Daniel exclaimed in frustration. "It's the idea of letting you go off to a life of slavery; it's against all our rules and policies and morals and everything."
Persephone raised a doubtful eyebrow.
"It's not against your rules and policies and morals to lie to me, though?"
"That was self-preservation!" Daniel insisted.
"However did you arrive at that conclusion?"
"We had just been surrounded and captured by jaffa! They dragged us to your palace, bragging all the way about Demeter's domain. And when we got here, you were sitting on a throne and none of the jaffa dared look up at you. Tell me that isn't classic Goa'uld style. "
Persephone's eyes saddened.
"I apologize. I have tried to tell them...You see, they are not really my jaffa. They are...were...my mother's. I have told them not to go about bowing and such, but they will not listen. I suppose it is their way."
"Yeah, I guess it is. I happen to know a lot about them. In fact, one of them is a very good friend of mine."
Persephone flushed crimson.
"Then the other truly is your leader, as he said, I presume. The one who looks at me as if he thinks me a silly child?"
Daniel half smiled, "That's just his way. He looks at most people like that. Well not exactly that way, but kind of like that."
"Hm." Persephone said, thoughtfully. "I know I asked you before if you would stay. And you said you could not. But what if you were to become my most trusted advisor. As Priam was. I will miss him, you know. He was my friend."
Daniel shook his head, "I am honored. But what I said before was true. They need me, I'm afraid to say."
Persephone nodded.
"I suspected you might say that. What if I were to tell you that I truly love Hades? Would you let me go, then?"
"I don't think I'd believe you."
"I am not the one who has done the lying, you know."
"Well if you said that you loved Hades, you'd either be lying then, or you were lying before. Either way, I wouldn't be able to trust you, and I couldn't let you go," Daniel crossed his arms, drew his eyebrows together in a sort of frown and watched her while she tried to sort what he had just said
"What?" Persephone stared at him blankly.
"If you said you loved Hades you'd have lied. Either then, or before when you said he forced you to stay with him."
"Oh." She hung her head, uncomfortably. "What do I have to say to make you let me go, then?"
"I'm not sure you can say anything to convince me."
"And who made you my guardian so suddenly?" she demanded.
"Do you want to know about your mother?"
Persephone swallowed, and fixed her eyes on him in a cold glare.
"How dare you?"
"How dare I what?" he put on his best innocent face.
"Use my mother against me. What gives you the right to dictate what I do or do not do with my own person?"
"I'm not trying to use her against you, I'm trying to help you."
"By keeping me from saving my people? I fail to see how...Oh, Hades take you."
"Gladly." came a voice from above, almost like thunder. Red light shimmered around Daniel, and suddenly, he found himself in the center of a great, dark room. He turned in surprise, and looked around, trying to discern any kind of shape in the shadows.
"Hello?" he called.
"Welcome to the ship of the tormented and damned, Daniel Jackson." said the same voice, in a somewhat quieter tone. "Please, have a seat. We should become acquainted. After all, it seems we have something in common."
"I hope not," Daniel said as he looked around for somewhere to sit. A red light flickered on, revealing a comfortable-looking chair. Hades, whom Daniel recognized from the communication earlier, strode into view.
"I think you know of what I speak." he said, confidently.
Daniel tilted head back and to the side a little, saying nothing.
Hades sat down in a chair of his own across the room.
"She is...so beautiful, is she not?" he asked.
Daniel stared and remained silent.
"But lately, she has grown..distant. She loves me, oh, yes, she adores me, and everything I am, but I think something has drawn her attention elsewhere. Perhaps it is you? I believe that is possible. I am going to ask you some questions, only a few, but you must answer all of them truthfully. Do you understand?"
"I understand, but I will say nothing."
"You may change your mind. The fires of Hades burn hotter than you may be able to imagine. Now, tell me, what has happened to Demeter? Why will she not answer my hails?"
"Demeter. Is that some kind of fruit? I've never had it."
Hades scowled.
"Do you think I know nothing? I have been watching you, and my treasured Persephone. Tell me, what type of force field is she using?"
Daniel stared at him with a puzzled frown, "Force field?"
"Why can I not transport her onto my craft as I did you? What is she using?"
"Oh, that. Well, now. Let me think. I have no idea."
"Lying to me will not benefit your position." Hades assured him. Daniel heard a brief hum, and found that he could no longer move. There seemed to be a red haze around him, surrounding him on all sides. Worse, it seemed to be growing warmer. He looked down, and pressed his lips together in a mixture of resignation and resolution.
"Do I need to ask you again?"
"No," Daniel said, and paused, smiling faintly at Hades' inquiring smirk. "I won't tell you anything, no matter how many times you ask."
Hades glared angrily, and Daniel could feel the field around him growing warmer. It was, by now, almost as warm as he could bear.
"I do not want to destroy her citadel." he said. "Tell me, how can I gain entrance?"
Daniel clenched his jaw tightly shut and stared stubbornly at Hades as a drop of sweat slid down his face.
"I know you believe that she loves you." Hades said, patronizingly. "But she loves me, you see, and is only using you. You may as well tell me."
"Don't- love- her..." Daniel managed.
"I do not believe you. Tell me."
"What! Tell what?"
"How do I get in? What type of force field is she using?" The heat grew more intense.
"No...don't know," Daniel hissed in pain and strained against the invisible bonds that held him.
"Why are you lying for her?" Hades demanded, and the field around Daniel grew tighter and hotter. This time, he was unable to keep from crying out. Shutting his mouth quickly, he bit his lip to keep from doing so again. Hades came to stand directly in front of him.
"Tell me. Tell me how to get into her fortress." The field tightened further, and Daniel suddenly felt as if fire were consuming his body from the inside out. His eyes widened as he tasted blood and realized just how hard he was biting down. He ran his tongue across his bottom lip and concentrated on thinking about anything but where he was. Latin, Danny! That was it. He silently recited Latin verbs to himself. Amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant.
And just when the room around him began to fade to black, the field was deactivated, allowing him to fall to the black stone floor. He inhaled deeply, gasping for breath.
"Don't know anything," he whispered quietly.
"We will see." said Hades, and left the room. Almost just as the door shut behind him, a circle on the ceiling above Daniel lit up. He only just had time, and the presence of mind to roll out of the way before the ring transporter activated. After having done so, he looked up to see who would be be foolish or evil enough to voluntarily come aboard Hades' mothership. He didn't find out just then, however, because he passed out before he could determine anything. As he did, Jack and Persephone were left standing in the center of the circle. Jack glanced around.
"Hellooo? Anybody ho...?" He caught sight of Daniel just then, and dropped to his knees beside the younger man. "Oh, shit." he said, for the second time that day. "Daniel? Daniel, can you hear me?" He motioned for Persephone, who joined him beside Daniel. "What the hell...He looks like...like they tried to make dinner out of him."
"This is what he is capable of. This is why I cannot allow him to touch my people." she explained.
"We gotta get him out of here." Jack said, surveying his fallen comrade grimly. "Before they finish cooking him." He pulled Daniel, as carefully as he could, inside the circle, and nodded to Persephone. She touched a small jewel on her hand device, and the rings descended around them. The door opened, and Hades rushed in, accompanied by his guard. Jack waved.
"Ciao." he said, and the transporter brought them back down to the planet. As soon as the transport was complete, Persephone rushed to her throne, and pressed something. She sat down on the edge of the seat and let out a sigh of relief. Daniel blinked several times, then squeezed his eyes shut again.
"Ow."
Jack stood beside him, frowning down at him thoughtfully.
"What the hell did he do?" he demanded.
"The fires of Hades cannot be quenched." Persephone said, and it was obvious she was quoting something. She came to stand beside Jack.
"I have to help him, or he will die."
"Am I stopping you?" Jack waved a hand towards Daniel.
Persephone held out her hand, palm downwards, and closed her eyes. The silver hand device which adorned her arm glowed, and a stream of silver-green light sprang forth, spiraling towards Daniel's chest.
"I know this will hurt, but it will only last a moment." she said. The light grew more intense, and shifted closer to white than silver at the center. Green flecks wound about the core, and he could feel them slip into his skin with an intense stinging. Persephone shuddered once, but continued to frown in concentration as the device continued its work. The outer layer of raw, burned skin began to heal slowly. Daniel moaned softly and winced. The beam of light faltered, and Persephone swayed slightly. Jack set a hand on her shoulder to steady her. She took a shaking breath, and the light flickered once more.
"No..no..." She bit her lip, and the light continued for a few seconds more before finally slipping back into the hand device. Persephone opened her eyes, and sighed. "He is well." she said, then fainted.
Sam rushed in and was about to speak when she saw Daniel and Persephone both lying insensate on the cold marble floor.
"Sir...I take it the mission was a success?"
Jack raised his eyebrows, and shrugged.
"Oh, yeah. We kicked their asses."
"Sir, are they all right?" she inquired. As if in answer, Daniel cried out loudly, and sat straight up, breathing heavily. Jack and Carter both hurried back to his side.
"Welcome back." Jack said, patting him on the back. "Keep breathing, that's it."
Daniel nodded, gasping as his breath rasped in his chest. "Thanks," he wheezed.
"Carter, you did leave Teal'c by the phone, right?" Jack said. "In case Marty calls back?"
"Yessir," she replied, her eyes still fixed on Daniel.
"Daniel...What the hell's wrong with Persy?" Jack asked, waving towards said woman's still form.
"Pers-" Daniel attempted to turn and looked backwards, and promptly sent himself into a coughing fit.
"Daniel? You all right?" Jack gave him another good thump on the back. It didn't seem to help, as the poor archaeologist simply choked harder for a minute.
"Thanks, Jack. You're a real pal," he whispered hoarsely. Jack ignored him, and bent over Persephone.
"Ah...I think she's alive." he reported. Daniel rolled over carefully, and laid a hand across her neck gently.
"She's got a steady pulse, but I'm no doctor. Of medicine, anyway."
Persephone opened her eyes.
"That was...less than enjoyable." she remarked. Daniel smiled, relief spreading across his face.
"Persephone?"
"Oh, wonderful. You're alive. It would have been terrible if I'd done this to myself, and then you'd died."
Daniel chuckled a bit, but quickly stopped himself before he began to cough again.
"You shouldn't have done that," he reprimanded her. She blinked slowly.
"Oh, why not?"
"You nearly killed yourself."
"I did not. I merely robbed myself of twelve years of my life. Which I shall not miss, I do not think."
"Oh, wonderful, that's better, then."
"I thought you might agree." Persephone pushed herself up on one arm and took a deep breath. "I am so very sorry."
"You're sorry. She takes twelve years off her own life for me, and she's sorry," Daniel looked around as if he expected to find the answer on the walls or the ceiling.
"Not for that. Pah, I'd do it again. I'm sorry for what Hades did to you."
"Well...thank you."
Persephone cringed.
"That." she said. "Is the last thing you should be telling me. Remember, I was with Hades for some time. I know what he does to those who..displease him. I have watched it with my own eyes."
"Well, actually, it feels a bit like jumper cables," he said bravely.
"Oh, hell, Daniel." Jack looked away. Persephone simply looked confused.
"It has little to do with jumping." Teal'c said from the door.
"Got that right, Teal'c," Daniel clambered to his feet and offered a hand to Persephone. She took it, tentatively, and stood, a bit unsteadily.
"It may be closer to ten years, actually." she offered. He smiled, almost grimly.
"That's better, then."
"What the hell?" Jack demanded. "How is that better?"
"Do the math, Jack. Ten is better than twelve," Daniel spoke to him slowly, as if he were a child.
Jack gave him a sardonic glance.
"By two years. That's a lot better?"
Daniel opened his mouth to give Jack a withering retort, but before he could get the words out, Hades' thundering voice was heard overhead.
"You have one hour during which to decide if you are ready to give me what I want. If, at the end of this, I do not have Persephone in my arms once more, I shall destroy this world."
"Well this could be a problem," Daniel blinked and looked around out of the corners of his eyes. Jack tilted back on his heels once, and sighed.
"I'm getting real tired of his big mouth." he said.
Persephone sighed.
"I do not suppose you have another brilliant plan, Daniel?" she asked, using his name for the first time.
"Brilliant plan! I didn't have a brilliant plan the first time, I mean, what the hell do you want me to do?"
"You seemed to have the answers before." she pointed out.
"Don't mean to rain on your parade." said Jack. "But we now have...fifty-six and a half minutes."
"Sir? We have to destroy that ship. I don't see another way."
"That's a great idea, Carter. Go ahead."
"Well, thank you, sir, but I can't do it by my self."
"Wanna tell us what we can do to help?"
"What kind of explosives have you got?"
Jack shrugged.
"Same kind as I usually do. Only they took 'em from us when we got here."
"I can take you to your weapons." Persephone offered, and took a quick, if somewhat unsteady step towards the door. Daniel quickly moved to help her, offering a supportive arm. She shook her head. "I shall be fine. I need a moment to regain my balance, that is all." She walked to the door, and opened it.
"Down the hall." she pointed. "The room to the left. It is easy to find."
Sam gave her a nod as she hurried out, "Thanks."
Jack followed, motioning for Daniel to follow him.
"I'll be there in a minute, just go on," the archaeologist told him, and turned back to Persephone. She rested her hand on the door frame.
"For what are you waiting?"
"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked , concerned by her hesitant movements. "I get the feeling you're hiding something from me."
"I have told you where your weapons are." Persephone pointed out. "I will be fine. Hurry. There is not much time."
"Aren't you coming?"
"No. I must stay here. Our shields are fluctuating, and I wish to be here should there rise the need to adjust them."
"I won't be gone long," he said, taking a only two steps down the hall. She nodded, and stepped back into the room. The door slid shut.
"Daniel! C'mon!"
He frowned, but jogged down the length of the hallway where the rest of SG-1 waited. They all stepped into a room, where there appeared to be a massive cache of weapons of many varieties.
"This is new," Daniel remarked cheerfully as he looked around for his handgun.
"Sweet." Jack remarked, picking up a small gold weapon. It glowed green as he picked it up, and he almost dropped it.
"I wouldn't touch that, if I were you," Daniel advised, although he was picking up another of the odd devices himself.
Jack set the weapon down.
"Anyone sees mine, let me know."
"I have located my own." Teal'c announced solemnly, picking up his staff weapon from another pile. "But there are many here which I do not recognize."
"Yeah, me either. But this one..." Daniel pushed his glasses up and peered at it closely, "this one has an inscription."
"What's it say?" Jack asked. "Maybe 'To blow Hades to hell, press this button'?"
Daniel glanced up at him briefly without lifting his head, "No, it's more like a phrase. There isn't really a direct translation, but roughly, I'd say its something like, "Strike, O Zeus' mighty rage, vanquish those who would dare oppose you."
"Got any idea how it works?"
"Well..." he turned it over and around in his hands. "No. Give me a minute."
Jack glanced at his watch.
"We have forty-five."
" 'Kay," Daniel nodded, "There's more writing on this side."
"And it says..." Jack waved a hand, leadingly.
"A gift from Zeus, bestowed upon Demeter, that she might reclaim her daughter at the- what is that word?"
"I don't know, Daniel. What is that word?"
"I think it's pre-destined...no, I think appointed would be closer..."
"The appointed what?"
Before Daniel could answer, there was a great thundering noise from above. Jack stepped from the room quickly, and went to the window at the end of the hall.
"Oh, hell." he said.
"What? What is it?" Daniel actually looked up. Teal'c and Carter went to stand beside Jack.
"This is but a taste of what awaits you if you do not return to me what is mine." said the voice of Hades overhead. Daniel rose and went to the window.
"Guys, what's going on?"
"That." Jack said, as Daniel came to stand beside them. The sight that awaited him was breathtakingly horrible. The beautiful, lush valley was now completely engulfed in flame. The river at the bottom was now out of sight, lost in a cloud of smoke and steam.