That night, Hercules and Alteira rested at their campsite in companionable silence. For the first time, Hercules sensed a genuine camaraderie instead of grudging tolerance from Alteira, and it emboldened him to bring up a sensitive topic. "You saved my life today. I don't think I thanked you."

Alteira shrugged lightly. "Don't worry about it."

"This must mean that we're even -- I rescued you, you rescued me," Hercules persisted.

"Are you so eager to get rid of me? Or are you trying to get out of going to Loradon? We're almost there."

"No! It's just that -- I'd rather go along as your friend than as your ...'benefactor'."

"I do owe you a great deal." For the first time Alteira could say these words with sincere gratitude.

"And now I owe you, too!" Hercules said quickly.

Alteira had to laugh at his transparent attempts to weasel out of the ritual. "All right, but even so, I should still be in your service."

"Why? I'm as much in your debt as you are in mine."

"No, you're not. You saved my life at least twice against those spiders. I may have saved yours once, but I think that you'd probably have defeated them without me."

"Not at all!" Hercules objected vigorously. "And anyway, you saved me after I saved you, so what I did still counted with the first rescue, while --"

Alteira began to laugh, closely followed by Hercules. "All right, all right. I give up!"

But after another moment of mutual chuckles, she sobered and glanced over at Hercules. She spoke, slowly. This wasn't easy for her. "Hercules -- I do have a favor to ask you. Do you -- do you think we can start over? I ... regret some of the things I said to you."

Hercules smiled. "Start over? I don't think so. Why risk a perfectly good friendship?"

After a moment of stunned surprise, Alteira beamed. "How about helping me take off this collar?" she asked quietly.

Hercules snapped off the metal lock with ease, and they shared a smile for a long moment.

The next morning, they walked along in friendly camaraderie. "Alteira, we'll be in Loradon by this afternoon. Have you given any thought to what you'll do once we arrive?"

"I'm going to find out where they have the Eye and take it back," she answered, surprised that he would even ask the question.

"But what if they don't want to return it? I hear the queen there is --"

"They have a queen? How enlightened of them. I'm sure there will be no problem."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. I hear she's pretty vain, and not a very nice person," Hercules warned.

"She's a woman! Of course she'll understand."

"I have a suggestion. Just in case the queen isn't as progressive as you expect, maybe we should have a backup plan."

At Alteira's doubtful look, he reminded her, "Remember: I was right about fighting monsters."

"Oh, all right. I suppose you have had more experience with different peoples than I have. What do you suggest? Just stealing the Eye?"

"No. That would be --"

"Bad for your image?" she ended with a wicked grin.

With dignity, Hercules replied, "I was going to say that it would be unfair to condemn the Loradonians without even giving them the chance to do the right thing. No, my idea is that I go in and meet with the queen. I'm sure she'll show off the Eye, and I can tell her that I heard it was stolen from your people and offer to return it for her. If she refuses, then --"

"Then we steal it?"

He nodded. "Then we steal it."

"Well, I suppose that would be all right, but what if Ethrone is still there? The instant he spots me with you, he'll know we're going to take the Eye no matter what."

"That's no problem. You can wait in one of the inns, while I go to the palace. Then --"

She shook her head adamantly. "No, Hercules. I appreciate your willingness to help me, but I've got to be in the palace with you. For one thing, you won't be able to determine whether it's the real Eye -- and I wouldn't put it past Ethrone to try and fob off a fake -- and for another, this is my responsibility. It was my stupidity that lost the Eye; I have to be the one to get it back."

"But surely you'll accept a little help?"

"Help, yes. But I can't let you regain the Eye while I stay safe and secure in some inn."

Hercules understood her position. He felt much the same way about Hera as Alteira did about Ethrone. He thought for a minute. "What we need is some way for you to accompany me into the palace without attracting any notice."

"I don't suppose your father ever gave you a cloak of invisibility for a birthday present?" Alteira inquired wryly.

Hercules looked at her with both mischief and trepidation. "Actually, you already have one."

She gazed back blankly until he gestured at the object which is dangling from her hand. Her jaw dropped. "You're not suggesting -- The slave collar?"

"People certainly ignored you when they thought you were a slave. What do you think? Would it work? Would you be willing?"

"To regain the Eye, I'd be willing to become a slave. But if this disguise is going to work, we'd better stop in the markets of Loradon before going to the palace. I need a few more props to make this disguise believable."

The next afternoon, Hercules and Alteira stood before the palace gate. Alteira was once again attired as she had been on the slave platform of Coveda, only this time the skimpy outfit included a veil, which obscured most of her face. She attempted to keep her eyes demurely downcast as Hercules engaged the two guards.

"What do you want? Move along, now."

"I'd like an audience with the queen," Hercules said politely.

"And the keys to the treasury too, no doubt! What are you, cracked? Move along before I knock some sense into you."

"Kindly inform her majesty that Hercules is here and wishes to speak with her."

The guard rolled his eyes. "Look, that's an old dodge. Claim to be some well-known figure and abuse the monarch's hospitality. But I've seen Hercules, and he's at least twice your size. So try your act someplace else."

Hercules glanced amusedly back at Alteira, who shrugged helplessly. "I really am Hercules. Please tell your queen that I'm here."

The guard grew red. "I asked you nicely. Now I'm going to tell you." He struck at Hercules with his quarterstaff.

Hercules ducked the first blow, jumped the second, then snatched the staff away from the guard. He held it out in front of him and snapped the heavy wood in two. The guards backed up, impressed.

"Um, we don't want any trouble. That was pretty impressive. But the real Hercules is much stronger than that."

Hercules sighed and cast around for a way to convince them. His eye fell upon the massive gate, firmly locked and barred. "Could anyone but the real Hercules open that gate?"

The guards exchanged a disbelieving look, then began to laugh. "Of course not. You want to try? Be our guest. I just hope your slave is good at caring for broken backs."

Hercules stepped forward and planted his feet. He pressed his palms against the portal and started to push. The gate moved. The guards exchanged glances. Hercules pushed harder. The gate creaked protestingly. He pushed still harder. The hinges of the gate began to sag. The guards backed away. Hercules lowered his head and shoved. The hinges burst free and the entire gate toppled forward with an enormous crash. Hercules looked up, dusted off his hands and stepped through. Alteira sidled in behind him.

Several guards came running up, drawn by the noise. They rushed at Hercules, swords drawn, and he blocked the first one's swing and tossed him at his colleagues. Alteira stood on the sidelines, every fiber obviously urging her to jump in. Hercules polished off another two, then a third came at him from behind. Unable to restrain herself any longer, Alteira darted forward to help.

Before she could reach him, Hercules used one guard's body as the pivot point to spin about, and he met the onrushing attacker with a powerful punch. He then planted his hand on Alteira's face and, much more gently, shoved her away before she could blow her disguise. Hercules turned to meet the other guards while Alteira fell backwards towards her observation post.

Another squad of guards ran up to reinforce the first, but before they could enter the fray, a voice shouted for them to desist.

"Stop!" The voice came from a slender woman, elegantly attired and majestic in bearing. She started down the flight of steps from the castle entrance, ignoring the battling guards in her way in the obvious belief that they would make a path between herself and her goal. Her confidence was well-founded; a clear route appeared as if by magic, and her trailing, jewel encrusted robes was not so much as brushed by a guard's sandal as they immediately broke off their attack and scrambled to withdraw.

Every Loradonian in the courtyard dropped to one knee as Queen Fiala, flanked by the original two guards, approached Hercules. She smiled at him, red hair crackling around her face, and held out her hand regally. Hercules bowed over it, registering her green eyes and full lips, as well as the guards' faces, pale with a fear that had not been there during the fight.

"Hercules," Fiala purred. "We have heard much of your exploits, but we had not expected you to visit our humble kingdom. You are welcome."

"Thank you, your majesty. I was passing through the city and wanted to pay my respects."

"A noble sentiment from a noble hero. We regret that our oafish guards did not immediately recognize you. They shall suffer for their impudence in assaulting your person."

"But I can well understand their desire to protect their queen. You are fortunate to have such loyal soldiers."

Flattered, Fiala gave a careless wave. "Well, they say slaves make the best servants. I see you agree."

Hercules followed her glance to Alteira, who instantly ducked her head in obeisance. "My, er, servant. I hope you don't object to my imposing upon your generosity in this way."

"You cannot impose -- You are my welcome guest. I shall host a banquet in your honor!"

"Thank you. I've heard about your city's rich history of hospitality. I'm grateful to experience it firsthand."

"And that is not the only richness within these walls. After my servants take you to your quarters so that you may freshen up, I will show you some of my most precious treasures. Then perhaps, you can be persuaded to show me some of yours."

Hercules shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry, your majesty, but I travel very lightly. I have nothing but the clothes on my back."

She smiled archly. "I was referring to what is beneath them."

Hercules managed a sickly smile, while Alteira's veil concealed her expression.

Hercules and Alteira were shown to a luxurious suite, where, the instant they were alone, Alteira tore off her veil, blazing mad.

"The nerve of that woman! Who does she think she is?"

"The queen?" Hercules suggested mildly.

His words did nothing to deter Alteira. "I mean, the way she pawed you as we walked up here! Disgusting! And all those veiled references to her bedchamber? What a --"

"What happened to your certainty that another woman would understand your predicament?"

"That woman is just another Ethrone. She's horrible! What a stuck-up, self-important pig. She practically informed you that sleeping with her would be the best experience of your life -- and hers was a summons you couldn't refuse!"

"She didn't seem the sort to take rejection well, did she?"

"Well, I hardly think we need to prolong our stay here! Fiala certainly won't be sympathetic to a candid approach. I say we locate the Eye, grab it, and leave."

"We still don't know for certain that it's even here. Let's not get too worked up. This tour of the castle she promised should answer the first question -- after that, we'll see."

"Hercules, didn't you hear what she said? We've got to get out of here before this evening! She expects you in her bed tonight!"

Hercules spoke soothingly. "Don't take her so seriously."

"I think we need to take her very seriously!" Alteira disputed. "She made her wishes perfectly plain, and much as I want the Eye back, I wouldn't ask anyone to make that sort of a sacrifice for me."

"All I'm saying is --"

Alteira interrupted him, suspicions afire. "Wait a minute. You don't want to, do you?"

"No, of course not!"

She ignored his protests, spinning around and stamping away in high fury. "I thought better of you. You'd nearly convinced me that not all men were like Ethrone, but then you're willing to --"

"All I'm saying is that I've gotten a lot of experience at talking my way out of this sort of situation, and I don't think we need to be scaling the palace walls just yet. Fiala won't do anything that might make her look foolish. The whole idea is that she's supposed to be irresistible. If I ignore the signals, that should buy us some time."

His reasoned words calmed Alteira somewhat, but she was far from confident in his plan. "I don't know, Hercules. She seemed pretty intent upon getting her way."

"Don't worry, Alteira. I know what I'm doing," he reassured her.

TBC...