Roses are forever
Disclaimer: The characters of Hercules and Iolaus belong to Renaissance Pictures. No money is being made from this story. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.
Summary: This story is written in response to the September 2002 story challenge where you have to write about one place from three different points of view. I chose Alchemene’s rose garden from three points of view.
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Zeus has been unfaithful to me again. He’s trying to hide from me his latest “concubine” I will make him pay for his infidelity and his bastard son will be sorry the day he’s born. I just know that Zeus has just had a good lay. He’s just way too happy and he’s whistling all over Olympus. I just have to focus and concentrate and I can smell Zeus’ seed. Ah..I can see her now. Her name is Alchemene, Amphitryon’s wife or more properly Amphitryon’s widow. I can’t wait until Alchemene learns that her real husband is dead how glorious it will be when the news of Amphitryon’s death devastates her. When she finds out that she has slept with Zeus, she will be shamed. Her whole village will shun her because she slept with another man while she was married and she had a son out of wedlock. It won’t be long before Amphitryon’s parents realize this and take Iphicles away from her. I Yes, her heart will break again and again just like mine has. I can see from my scrying window that she’s just made love with my husband. As I read her mind, she thinks she just made love with her husband. It’s obvious that Zeus’ has been shape shifting again to make her think she’s making love with her husband, Amphitryon. What a ramshackle place she has. She lives in a small shack. Her garden looks filled with vegetables and flowers. She has an older son named Iphicles running around the kitchen with flour all over his face.Doesn’t she ever discipline her children to behave themselves? The garden is in full bloom. Roses. How is that possible? It’s the middle of winter. Demeter has put snow all over Greece. As a matter of fact, it’s snowing right now..why is it so sunny and warm just over Alchemene’s house? How can her roses be in full bloom in such cold weather? Zeus..of course. Roses..symbol of love..I’m going to kill her. I will make her life miserable and that will make Zeus miserable. That will be my revenge. The smell of those roses is nauseating. What does Zeus see in Alchemene anyway? What does she have that I don’t? She’s just a petty mortal woman with a huge rose bush by Zeus.Gods I can smell that sickly odor from Olympus…I will find a way to destroy her and everyone and everything she loves if it’s the last thing I do. Hera tries to destroy one of the roses only to have the rose burn and sear her skin. Damn you Zeus and your damn roses! Just you wait my sweet..roses may have soft petals but thanks to me, their thorns will get even thornier..mark my words..I will make you feel such exquisite pain that you will wish you were never born and that bastard son as well..I will make his heart bleed and bleed and bleed…he will wish he were never born!
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Chapter 2
I’ve traveled the world. I’ve been an Argonaut and I’ve even won acclaim for getting the Golden Fleece. I was the King of Corinth. But I gladly give my crown up for the love of my life, Alchemene, my best friend, Hercules’ mother. I’ve chosen a successor for Corinth and I think Iphicles will make a fine king and Rena will be a fine queen. I sit in Alchemene’s favorite place in the world, her famous rose garden. Hercules tells me his father gave her this rose bush as a symbol of his love for her. I have given up my kingship for her. I would give my life for Alchemene. Ah..there she is..her hair so shiny and wavy..her blue eyes sparkle with light and laughter. Her voice touches my soul in a way that I just don’t understand. The sweet fragrance of roses fill the afternoon air. It’s the middle of winter, yet these beautiful roses are in full bloom. I pick one of the roses and I am careful not to prick myself and I hand the rose to my love. Her face lights up as she takes the rose in her hand, but her eyes never leave my face. As our eyes lock, I see her love for me in the depths of her sapphire eyes. It’s the one feature that Hercules inherited from his mother—identical azure eyes. I am the luckiest man in the world to be married to such a wonderful wonderful woman such as Alchemene. Her face is as soft as the roses in her garden and just as beautiful. Oh..I can see the snowflakes falling on her as each snowflake melts on her face. She lifts her face and tries to eat each snowflake at a time. She giggles when she sees me doing the same thing. I find my life with her like an amazing miracle just like her rose garden which seems to be in full bloom in the middle of winter. I see my Alchemene as a beautiful rose in full bloom in the winter, no more like the autumn of her life. Ouch..Alchemene hands back the rose to me and I stupidly prick myself with it. I stick the rose into the snow knowing full well that Zeus’ magic of love will keep that rose forever alive..just like my love for Alchemene will be forever.
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Chapter 3
It’s the middle of winter. Demeter is throwing one heck of a snowstorm. She must be mad at Persephone for falling in love with Hades and leaving her six months out of the year. I pull my cloak closer to my body to ward off the afternoon chill of this storm. I wander into Alchemene’s garden. Every time I am in Alchemene’s garden, I never feel cold, afraid or sad. Even though Alchemene is gone, I can still feel her spirit in this garden. When I touch her roses in full bloom even in the middle of winter, I feel my mother with me. She sheltered me when I was little and always made me feel safe and feel loved. Besides my own mother, she was the first person to make me feel special. My father would beat me until my limbs were broken; eyes were blackened; and yet Alchemene was always there to take care of me. I’d come in sick; my head throbbing and what I remember most is her kind eyes filled with the light of love and compassion. She would murmur sweet lullabies to lull me to sleep. Her house became haven for me.I don’t know what I would have done without her love.
I know for a fact that it wasn’t for Alchemene interfering with the magistrate on my behalf I would have been sent to prison when I was caught thieving when I was younger. It was because of Alchemene that instead of prison, I got sent to Cheiron’s Academy where Herc and I made up and became best buddies for life. Without Alchemene, I would not be the man that I am today. She stood by me when everyone else shunned me. When my own mother was so ashamed of me becoming a thief that she didn’t even show up at the courtroom. My own sisters hated me for leaving them alone with a hateful and drunk father. Even Hercules at the time was mad at me, but that’s another story altogether. You see, I had to drive Herc away to save his life..okay that makes no sense but I’ll explain later. I promise. Now back to Alchemene.
She bought sunshine into an otherwise hopeless situation. No matter what my worries were, Alchemene’s love acted like a balm on my heart. When Hera killed my wife and son, Alchemene stood by me and made sure I ate. After my wife and son died, I didn’t want to live. Alchemene made sure that I was never ever alone. I just couldn’t live without Anya, my sweet wife. I was so blind with grief and so filled with rage against Hera for killing my wife and son with the plague. That first Winter Solstice was the worst for me. Hercule’s wife, Deiandra and his four kids were still alive at that time, but my wife and son were dead. Alchemene understood my pain and made sure I ate every meal. In fact, she cooked every single meal for me. I was just too numb with pain to even get out of bed. I wouldn’t be alive right now if it weren’t for her. She was like an angel.
Hercules is taking her death really hard. He can’t even bring himself to come into Alchemene’s garden. I smell the sweet fragrance of the roses and it reminds me of the sweet fragrance of Alchemene’s hair. She used to wear her hair loose and when she took care of me, her hair would fall in my face and I could catch a whiff of her hair and she always smelled like roses. Last year just before she died, she told me that I was her son of the heart and that she had always loved me. I would gladly trade my life for hers if it would only bring her back. I just don’t know how I will get along without her sweet presence to fill this empty void in my heart. I sit by these roses and it gives me comfort to know that these roses will always be in bloom and that I can always come here to feel safe and warm. Alchemene, I miss you..thank you for loving a forlorn little boy who used to get kicked out from home whenever his father was home. You took me into your heart even though I was not blood related and I will always be grateful. You and Herc..you are my family..I will never forget you, Alchemene, mother of my heart.