The Way of Love or the Way of Hate
Disclaimer: The characters of Hercules and Iolaus belong to Renaissance Pictures. These stories are written for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from these stories.
Summary: Massive graves of murdered men, women and children are found all around Greece and it’s up to Hercules and Iolaus to figure out this mystery.
Author’s Note: This story takes place after the Xena episode Motherhood and presumes that all the Olympian Gods are dead. That Ares is mortal and Eve is Messenger of the Light.
CHAPTER 1
“This is worse than what Xena told me” as Hercules looks into a massive grave. The remains are men, women and children have been thrown haphazardly into one deep hole. Hercules sickened by the sight throws up.
“Who would do such a thing? Murdering innocent children? I don’t understand who could be this cruel..” as Iolaus forces himself not to cry.
“It’s just not Ares’ style. He likes battle.” Hercules speculates.
Aphrodite appears and holds her nose at the stench of newly dead flesh permeates the morning air. “Ares is mortal now..but no..even he would not do this” as Aphrodite’s face crinkles in disgust.
“It’s the hatemongers..this new warlord..he’s been gaining power..you see..in the past..the Gods were blamed whenever there was a famine or a drought..but now the Gods are dead..there’s no one left to blame..”
Iolaus tilts his head up in bewilderment as he asks “Blame? Obviously it’s Gaia’s will..if the weather is bad..I don’t understand..”
Hercules tries to clarify Aphrodite’s obtuse observation “There are no more Gods to blame..for any natural disaster..earthquakes, droughts, floods..and in the past..it’s true the Gods would cause earthquakes, droughts or floods to punish mortals they thought..well you know what I mean..but now..well with this drought that’s been going on..people are hungry..well..now people are blaming each other..right Aphrodite?”
Iolaus interrupts “Dite..what did you mean by “hatemongers”?”
“My power is being drained Iolaus and I am getting weaker and weaker. You see this Warlord Braegus is preaching hatred. He’s telling everyone that the reason why there is a drought and all this famine is because of the immigrants. He’s telling people to hate anyone who is not Greek..that it is all these new people..using up the land..eating up the food..using foreign curses to stop the rain from falling..and it’s his soldiers that are killing all the immigrants..men, women..and yes..children too. He’s taught all the Greeks to hate non Greeks because of their strange ways..strange accents..strange clothing..all this hate..and no love..please Herkie..Iolaus..stop the hate..I’m being drained..” Aphrodite fades as her powers weaken to such a point that she faints.
Iolaus catches the unconscious Aphrodite before she falls to the ground. Iolaus shakes his golden head as he cradles Dite’s fragile body in his strong compact muscular arms. “This doesn’t look good..Herc..I think Dite’s dying…”
Hercules looks at his flighty sister with affection “We’ve got to stop Braegus..teaching people to hate is not the answer..we must stop this before..this goes too far..it’s not just about Dite..you know..anyone could be next..”
“I know we don’t want to become like the Romans..executing left and right at whim..first it’s because you’re not Greek..tomorrow..it’s because..” Iolaus looks at Hercules and dares not say what he thinks.
“..tomorrow it’s because I’m not fully mortal..so I’ll be the next victim of hate..is that it Iolaus?” Hercules whispers softly as Iolaus nods his head.
“Herc..the trail leads east..he’s trying to hit all the villages hardest hit by this famine..hungry people are easy to manipulate..the Gods have not been dead that long and the Greek people haven’t gotten used to a world without a strong leader..so they’re like sheep for the taking..”
“Braegus must have realized this..and played right into his agenda..killing foreigners by convincing unsuspecting naïve Greeks that to make the famine and drought go away is to kill any excess people that might use up extra food supply etc.” Hercules rationalizes.
“We can head..”
“Iolaus..look up ahead..there’s Xena and Gabrielle..they may have more on this..”
Xena has no time for small talk as she gets straight to the point “Now, Come with me now..Braegus and his men are slaughtering the innocent..Hercules..Iolaus take these mounts..”
“Herc..I know you don’t like to ride but we don’t have time to dawdle..if we want to save lives..we have to hurry..”
Hercules, Xena, Iolaus and Gabrielle ride their horses hard but they arrive too late. Corpses are everywhere…
“Dear the Gods..Xena..I can’t believe..this senseless slaughter..” Body parts are strewn all over the ground. Gabrielle sobs into Xena’s shoulder as she cannot comprehend the cruelty of it all.
“I will get these bastards..they have killed women and children..just because they come from..Egypt..Sumeria..Chin…I will make sure Braegus dies a SLOW and painful death and No Hercules don’t tell me that this bastard can be taken to a magistrate for justice. He’s MINE.”
“You know Herc..I wouldn’t cross Xena..she still has the power to slay Gods..nobody crosses her nowadays..” Iolaus interjects.
“Let’s head for Athens..it has the largest enclave of foreigners..Eve is trying to herd all non-Greeks from all over Greece to Eli’s temple of Love..she thinks not even Braegus will be stupid enough to violate sacred grounds.”
“So now we know where Braegus will be headed next..if all the foreigners left in Greece are in Eve’s temple..well..it’s pretty easy where his army will be headed next. Let’s go Xena…let’s make short work of Braegus..”
CHAPTER 2
Xena and Gabrielle scout the nearby woods to make sure the coast his clear. Hercules sets up camp. Iolaus hunts for food. All four meet up to eat dinner around the campfire. As they eat their meal, they hear movement in the bushes. Instantly our warriors take up a defensive stance. Iolaus unsheathes his dagger and scouts the source of the movement. To his surprise, he sees a small child hiding in the bushes. Her clothes are torn and she looks to be about 8 years old..
Speaking in the child’s native language, Iolaus reassures the child in Chinese “Look..my name is Iolaus..don’t be frightened..we won’t hurt you..” Iolaus approaches the child but the child backs away in terror.
Having also spent time in Chin, Gabrielle speaks softly to the child in her native language “Are you hungry? Want a leg of chicken? It’s delicious..I cooked this chicken myself..my sauces..” Gabrielle carefully hands the chicken to the frightened child as the small girl grabs the chicken and eats it ravenously.
The child lets Gabrielle approach her “So what’s your name?”
“Mei-Ling”
“How old are you?”
The child holds out 6 fingers. Gabrielle playfully counts to 6 in Chinese. “Ah..6 years old..you are a brave little girl..Mei-Ling.” The way Gabrielle speaks and acts reminds Mei-Ling of her mother as the girl starts to cry. Gabrielle gathers the girl in her arms and lets the child sob.
“My parents..Mommy and Daddy..where are they? Why don’t they wake up? I’m so scared” cries Mei-Ling.
Iolaus hugs the child “Your Mommy and Daddy are in heaven. They love you very very much just like Gabrielle and I do.”
Hercules tries to introduce himself to the girl but the demigod’s large bulk frightens Mei-Ling as he reminds her of the men who killed her parents.
“No..no..you stay away..big bad man..don’t hurt me..” Mei Ling runs to the protective arms of Iolaus and Gabrielle.
“Herc..give her some more time..she’s still afraid of strangers..”
“Yeah sure..Iolaus..” says Hercules in a rather dejected voice.
The 6 year old hears the sadness and dejection in the big man’s voice and looks at Hercules as Hercules walks away with his shoulder’s hunched. Mei-Ling is reminded of her baby brother whenever the Greek kids used to make fun of his brother’s funny accent.
Mei-Ling bravely leaves the safety and security of Iolaus’ arms as she watches the sad retreating back of Hercules and she cries out in broken Greek “Wait..don’t go..I’m sorry..you’re so big..don’t be sad..I like you..I would never make fun of you..”
Hercules turns around as he realizes that Mei-Ling is talking to him and with kind compassionate eyes he gratefully acknowledges the brave little survivor.
“Thank you..my name is Hercules..” Hercules lisps for the first time since his childhood as he still feels the sting of the little girl’s rejection.
Mei-Ling sees in Hercules a reminder of her baby brother as she launches herself into the big man’s arms and cries “Don’t be afraid..my brother used to be shy too..you are shy aren’t you?”
Hercules blushes “Yes, Mei-Ling I am..but don’t tell the others..promise me?”
Mei-Ling puts her hand to her lips as she promises “Don’t worry Hercules..I won’t.” Mei-Ling curiously sees Hercules as a big little shy boy.
Feeling perfectly safe, Mei Ling asks “Who’s that other lady..the one who looks so angry all the time?”
Hercules laughs at this description of Xena and responds “She’s Xena..”
Xena hears Hercules’ laughter and walks over to see what the merriment is about “So what’s so funny?” Xena asks in her usual frown.
Hercules and Mei Ling tries to smother their giggles as Xena looks totally lost.
“Hercules..I’m really worried about Aphrodite..she hasn’t woken up since she fell unconscious this morning..and she’s getting weaker…”
The little girl approaches the strange woman in the pink clothing and Mei-Ling can feel Aphrodite’s aura of love and she instinctively gives the unconscious goddess a hug of love. A sparkle of pink light flashes through Aphrodite’s body as Dite flutters her eyes and lifts her head to focus on the cute face of a 6 year old Asian girl.
“Oh cutiepie thanks for the hug..I really needed the love..” Aphrodite looks into the lost face of the little girl and instantly switches to Chinese and says the same thing and she continues “I’m Aphrodite..Goddess of Love..I…”
Instantly, Mei-Ling feels Aphrodite weakening as she gives the pink goddess another impulsive hug “Thanks..I needed that..when all this is over..how about you becoming one of my disciples..you’ll look so cute in pink..kay?”
Mei-Ling can only bring herself to say “I love you..Aphrodite..”
Hercules, Iolaus, Xena and Gabrielle watch the tender scene unfold and each hero has tears of compassion in their eyes.
Hercules, the first to gather his wits remarks “We’ll let Aphrodite look after the kid..Mei-Ling’s innocence and love will keep Dite alive..in the meantime..we have to plan a way to get through Braegus’ defenses.
Iolaus chimes in “We do what we always do. We get there before the warlord does..rally both the villagers and the immigrants together..teach everyone basic defense moves..catch Braegus by surprise and then we bag him..”
Hercules nods in agreement “Sounds like a plan..!”
“While you and Iolaus teach the villagers and immigrants to fight together..Gabrielle and I will be the distraction.. we’ll slow Braegus and his army down to buy you time..Hercules..it’s not going to be as easy as it sounds..most Greeks well..you’ll have a lot of prejudice to fight through..the Gods are no longer the scapegoats anymore..Good luck..”
Under the cover of night, Xena and Gabrielle head towards Braegus’ approaching army while Hercules, Iolaus, Mei-Ling and Aphrodite head towards Athens to meet Eve in her temple of love.
CHAPTER 3
“Eve..the temple is full..terrified immigrants and refugees have filled every nook and cranny..”
“Remember Tyrus..if we can’t fit them here, you know what horrid fate awaits them out there..as the Messenger of Love..Eli teaches us to love everyone..we are all Children of the Light..we are helping other Children of the Light find shelter..have faith in Eli..”
“Yes, Eve..Braegus is the monster..there is word that Hercules and Iolaus have been sent to help us..”
“I had a vision from Joxer..help will arrive in time to save these children from slaughter and Braegus will be stopped..let’s pray..Tyrus..let’s gather all the disciples of the Light and pray for the salvation of these refugees.”
Outside the temple, the villagers gather and contemplate the situation.
“I can’t wait until Lord Braegus comes to Athens and exterminates all this unclean foreign vermin..they contaminate our streets with their smelly clothes..strange foods..and it is the foreigners who curse our land with drought and famine..the sooner they are dead the sooner Greece will be prosperous again.”
“That’s right..after the vermin are gone..Braegus tells us to exterminate the last of the Gods..that half-God bastard..Hercules..he’s not fully Greek..in fact he’s not fully anything..not a full-God..not a full mortal..Hercules and his foreign loving friends must all go..”
“Yeah..there’s word that Ares might still be alive and as a mortal..rumor has it..he’s hiding out somewhere on a farm..shivering with fear..his time will come too.”
The bartender turns away from his “hatemonger” customers as he shudders at the implications of this hate. Marcus, a simple man turns to his wife and worriedly exclaims..
“I hope Hercules and Iolaus..exterminates Braegus and his kind..I am tired of all this hate..sends shivers up and down my spine..as a child I remember the slaughter of the Centaurs..such kind sweet creatures..”
“Yes..Deric..the Centaur..brought us together..when he fell in love with a human girl..I saw the Athenians see red..they killed Deric and the pregnant girl…even the baby was killed…now there are no more Centaurs in Greece..Hercules is my hero..and so is Iolaus..let’s pray that Eli has the power to stop the hate.”
“Ellia..we must be careful in our worship of Eli..you know Braegus also kills worshippers of Eli as well..”
“Don’t worry dear.. I’ll be careful when I send my offering and prayers at the temple tonight..those poor refugees are starving..the little ones are so bony..the mothers are so thin..they cannot nurse their babies..Braegus slaughters even the little ones..oh..Marcus..I..”
“I know..but I had a vision..Deric and his wife are happy in the Light..they tell us to have faith in Eli..and he will send us Guardians of the Light to save us from the darkness and evil of hate..”
“Look..Elia..speak of the devil..there’s Hercules and Iolaus..”
Hercules gives his old friend Marcus a firm warrior handshake “Marcus, my old friend..sorry to have to meet under such extreme circumstances..Iolaus and I need your help..Iolaus is in the temple..with a little girl..she’s the only survivor..her whole family was slaughtered..we found her all alone in the woods..only 6 years old..oh and there’s more..Aphrodite is dying..she’s also inside the temple..if we can’t stop Braegus’ rampage..well..you know..”
“Yes, I do. When Aphrodite dies, we will all lose our ability to love..our ability to worship Eli..only hate will reign.” Marcus speculates.
“That’s right. Xena and Gabrielle are going to distract Braegus’ army long enough for us to build defenses around Athens and to bring the villagers and refugees together to fight Braegus’ army.. I need you to gather all the villagers you think you can trust to help Iolaus and I fight Braegus..we can’t do this alone..we have to do this together..”
“Hercules..in the old days..what you ask was an easy thing to do..your name and your reputation used to precede you..scared villagers would gladly put up arms to help you and Iolaus fight the bad guys..but now..even your good name has been maligned by this strange hatred..do you know what they are calling you now?”
Hercules eyes takes a far away look as he remembers the taunts of his childhood “Half-God bastard..freak of nature..non-human monster..”
“Hercules..I fear for your safety..the villagers hate you as much as they hate the refugees..like the way they hated the Centaurs..I’m sorry..I..”
“I know..Marcus..as a child..I’ve always been taunted by..bullies..” says Hercules in a hurt lost voice.
“Listen..Hercules..I want you to know that I do not feel that way..and there are many old timers who still respect and revere you as the Son of Zeus and who remember all the good heroic deeds you have done as champion of mortals..but..the young ones..this famine has lasted years..they no longer believe the old stories..”
“It’s okay Marcus..lately it’s been Iolaus who’s been handling..well..the heroic deeds..I have no problem being his ‘sidekick’ and backing him up..I guess I just had no idea it had gotten this bad..though I had a feeling..alright change of plans..I’ll be right back” Hercules gives Marcus a friendly slap on the shoulder and he whispers “Tell the old-timers I appreciate their respect..don’t worry..I understand..been there..done that..I’ll go get Iolaus..”
Like Mei-Ling, Marcus sadly watches Hercules retreating back as he notices Hercules’ defeated slumped shoulders on a once proud body..the resigned manner in Hercules’ once confident walk..poor man..never knowing where to belong..with the Gods..or with mortals and never fully belonging to either world..knowing that prejudice and hatred was eating up Hercules’ soul and hurting his heart. Marcus shakes his head at the waste of it all.
Hercules quietly enters the Eve’s temple with a sad little boy look on his face. The moment Iolaus sees that defeated expression on Iolaus’ face, he is reminded of that lost little 6 year old he encountered when Hercules was a little boy being bullied by bigger boys teasing the frightened little Hercules for being a freak. These last few years of growing hatred in Greece had seen a diminishing respect on the part of the Greek people of Hercules’ name. Where Hercules’ name once stood for justice against the Greek Gods or Champion of the people especially since Hercules grew to adulthood..quietly being chipped away..as the drought and the famine began to eat away at the Greek’s people’s patience.
Eventually people who once revered Hercules for his good deeds started to turn away from Hercules..blaming his difference for all their problems..blaming anyone different..refugees..Eli worshippers..immigrants..for Greece’s current demise now that the Greek Gods are dead and could no longer be used as scapegoats.
“Iolaus..change of plans..YOU will lead the charge..YOU will assemble the villagers and teach them the defensive tactics they will need to fight Braegus’ army..I will stay back in the temple to watch over the refugees. The villagers will listen to you..I would just get in the way..you know what I mean....but.if you need me to back you up..just yell for me..back to back as always right Iolaus?”
Cerulean eyes lock on sad azure eyes as Iolaus understood Hercules’ pain without a word of explanation. Iolaus says “The first time we met..I told you you are my best friend..we are of one soul..Hercules..WE will lead the charge..WE will assemble the villagers and teach them the defensive tactics they will need to Braegus’ army..WE have always been a team Herc..now is not the time to break us up..back to back as always right Herc?”
Marcus gathers the villagers to rally them to defend themselves. Hercules and Iolaus walk onto the speech platform to tell the villagers what to do.
Iolaus nudges Hercules to speak “We must defend ourselves against..” Before Hercules can get any further, he is being hit by tomatoes and other wet projectiles.
Iolaus pushes to the forefront “Listen..that’s my best friend..you’re battering with tomatoes..we need to learn not to take to heart the words of hate..Hercules is our friend..he’s here to help us..Braegus is NOT..we don’t have much time..Braegus is not a hero to be worshipped and killing these immigrants and embracing his words will not stop the drought and the famine..listen the time of the Gods are past..we must learn to take care of ourselves..the time of blame is over..we must learn to solve our own problems..find a way out of this drought ourselves..invent an irrigation device to turn salt water for example into usable water..we have no one but ourselves to blame for our own messes..it’s time we all grow up and take responsibility for our actions..What can Braegus do for you?”
“Braegus promises us that once the foreigners are killed..the foreign curse that they have placed on Greece will be ended and the rain will fall again..the drought will end and we will once again have food on our tables..food for OUR little ones..”
“You are wrong..Braegus has killed almost all the foreigners throughout Greece..he has promised the same thing to each village where he has killed all of its immigrants..yet the drought is still here..the famine is still here..killing has solved nothing..instead it leaves behind massive graves of innocent men, women, and yes..LITTLE ONEs..babies..with their throat slit..have any of you seen these graves?”
There is a profound silence as the villagers hang their heads in shame.
“Braegus’ way is evil..it is the way of hate. We mustn’t listen to him..if we help him kill these refugees..we will become evil like him..we will become guilty of the slaughter of innocent children..the greatest proverb I know is..Evil happens when good people stand by and let it happen and do nothing to stop it.. I say..NEVER AGAIN..no more murders..no more innocents to be killed..I dare any one of you to stare into the eyes of a baby and condone its murder..”
Hercules holds an immigrant baby in his arms. It curdles and nestles its head against Hercules firm muscular chest unaware of the apparent danger surrounding it. Villagers look at the baby and change their minds en masse about killing innocents.
One brave villager cries out “Iolaus is right..I dare any one of you to kill that innocent baby or those innocent children playing outside the temple..picture those innocents..with their eyes slit out..their throats torn out..violated..”
Many villagers visibly turn green at such a ghastly description for most villagers were just simple farmers, merchants who had never seen war.
“Alright Iolaus..Hercules..we are with you..how do we defend ourselves against Braegus?”
As if on cue, the little baby nestled in Hercules strong hairy muscular chest starts to cry, its innocent eyes scan the crowd for its mother. Many among the die-hard hatemongers look into the eyes of the innocent baby and mutter to themselves “No, Hercules is right..Braegus is wrong..as they yell take up rakes and pieces of wood and yell..alright Hercules lead the way..teach us how to fight..how to fight the good fight..!”
The mother runs to her baby and openly nurses it in front of the crowd. One woman exclaims “They’re not that different..poor thing..her milk is dry..she hasn’t eaten a thing..” The woman reaches into her bread basket and offers the starving foreign woman a piece of bread. The foreign woman shyly accepts the bread and gives her thanks in broken Greek.
Pretty soon..the village women enter the temple of love with offerings of food..and some of the nursing women even offer their milk to the hungry starving babies of the refugees.
Aphrodite feeling the resurgence of love among the Greek people, feels her godhood coming back as she awakens to the sound of villagers Greek and non-Greek alike laughing and talking as each tries to help the other. Aphrodite waves her hand and each basket of bread is multiplied.
A blinding shaft of light envelopes the temple as all kinds of foodstuffs mysteriously appears in the villagers’ hand. The villagers glance in awe and thank Aphrodite for her generosity. Aphrodite giggles “Ah no..I just multiplied the bread..that other groovy stuff came from Eli..or the Light or something…”
The villagers drop to the floor and thank Eli for his generosity. Eve prays a prayer of thanks “The way of love brings its own rewards.”
CHAPTER 4
“I can’t hold off Braegus’ army any longer..I hope Hercules and Iolaus were able to…”
“Don’t worry Xena..if there’s one thing I’ve learned is that the Way of Love is always stronger than the Way of Hate.”
Xena gives Gabrielle an affectionate hug as she exclaims “Thanks to you..you bought me back from the brink of destruction..before I met you..my life was all dark..my world was full of hate..but thanks to you..I’ve learned the way of Love. You, Hercules, and Iolaus..each of you..in a different way..unchained my heart.”
Xena watches as Braegus’ army..or what’s left of them..after Xena had sprung so many traps..confused the troops so much that many had died..or left in frustration..now the all mighty army of Braegus..is now a rag tag bunch of mercernaries marching into Athens without the confidence they had before.
“That old Joxer trick works every time. Put a little herb poison into their soup..Make the men sick to their stomach..and now Braegus’ army is too sick to put up much of a fight.”
“You know Xena..Joxer poisoned the army by accident..” Gabrielle giggles.
“Yes, I know..but I poisoned the army on purpose..and the trick still works well!” as Xena puts a friendly arm around her best friend.
“Ah the Way of Love..” Gabrielle eyes take on a faraway look.
“Don’t worry..Iolaus will come out of it alive..”
“Xena? How did you know?”
“Because I worry about Hercules in the same way. I’ve seen the way some of the hatemongers have directed this new hatred towards Hercules..calling him names like half-God freak..I love Hercules very much and hate to see him in such pain..”
“You love Hercules don’t you Xena?”
“As much as you love Iolaus right Gabrielle?”
“Let’s just hope they’re both alright.”
Virgil returns with his scouts as he exclaims “Victory to Hercules and Iolaus!”
Gabrielle takes out her scrolls and asks “Virgil..what happened?”
“Xena’s stew got the Braegus army so sick that by the time they reached Athens half of them were retching left and right..even Braegus himself..you could smell their stench many miles away..also..the villagers were seen helping the refugees..”
Xena’s eyes lights up as she finishes Virgil’s stories “Hercules and Iolaus unchained their hearts..made them see the path of love..like he unchained my heart from the path of darkness..”
“Well..at first it was difficult..Iolaus led the way..Iolaus dared any villager to kill the children..Hercules was carrying a small foreign child in his bosom..none of the villagers dared to kill such innocence..all the hatred just melted away..it was like a miracle..when the baby needed to nurse..the mother was so malnourished she had no milk left..the village women felt so sorry that such a helpless cute baby would go without milk that they gladly went out of their way to give the starving baby some of their milk..in the eyes of innocence, hatred was erased..I had never witnessed such tenderness towards a child..”
Xena gives Virgil and Gabrielle a stern warning “Braegus’ influence may have weakened today..but there are still many others who think just like him..through Iolaus and Hercules created a major miracle today..it’s up to each and every one of us to educate people that hatred is not the way..that love is the way.
Aphrodite giggles as she arrives in a sparkle of pink “Why..Xena..I never knew you were so poetic..thanks to Sweetcheeks and Hercola..I am no longer dying..but Xena is right..that Braegus dude has done some major damage..I am still not my full strength…we have to all tell people to LOVE each other.. because LOVE is way more fun than that dark stuff like hate..”
“Come on you too..you’ve got to get back with your love studs..I mean Xena..you and Hercules can do some major damage..little Herculettes can be born..and you Gabrielle you and Iolaus are totally soulmates..” With a wave of her hand, Aphrodite transports Xena and Gabrielle into the waiting arms of Hercules and Iolaus.
Gabrielle hugs Iolaus and gives him a heartfelt kiss. “Ah Gabby..you are truly my soulmate..someday after all this is over..we can..
“I know Iolaus..we can be together..right now..Xena and I..you and Hercules still have a lot of people to help..it’s important that we teach people about Eli’s message of love and hope. Eli bought the light of love into my life..he helped me realize how much Xena means to me as my best friend..he showed me how to see into my soul.”
“This Eli person sounds like a great being..I wish Herc and I could have met him..it’s too bad..Ares killed him..but your daughter Eve..she’s so..I can’t believe she was once Livia..butcher of Rome..”
“The Light transformed Eve from the butcher of Rome into Messenger of the Light..once Eve remembered how much Xena loved her when she was born..Eve remembered the love and the innocence she was born with. Now, Eve’s doing her best to stop the intolerance..to show Greeks the Way of Love.”
“I’m worried about Hercules..in the past..Hercules was revered as the Son of Zeus..now after Braegus’ hateful influence..he’s being looked down upon as a half God bastard..as not being fully Greek..I fear the next victim of all this hatred will be Herc..and you should see the pain all this hatred is causing Herc..he tries so hard to hide the pain but I can see right through Herc..honestly Gabby I’m just plain scared…”
“Don’t worry..with Xena and I and you as his allies..Hercules will be alright..Xena and I will stand besides you..we love Hercules too you know..well..especially Xena..if you know what I mean..”
“Xena loves Hercules?” Iolaus exclaims.
“Oh yeah..Xena and Hercules are soulmates too..just like you and I are.”
“Kewl!”
”Xena still has the power to slay Gods..she’ll protect Hercules from the
hatemongers..and from..”
“No, Gabby..I’m worried about Hercules’ heart..when I first met Herc..all the villagers hated him..they saw him as a freak of nature..little Hercules had no friends..he had such a sad lost look in his eyes..and now..that same sad lost look is back..all his life Hercules has sought to belong..he’s wanted so much to just be normal like everyone else..but no matter how hard he tries..he always stood out..Hercules is a simple man with simple wants..he never wanted to be put on a pedestal..and definitely doesn’t want to be considered subhuman. Frankly Gabby I don’t know what to do. It’s just hard for me to just stand by and watch my best friend suffer.”
“Iolaus..you’ve given Hercules the best gift of all..you’ve given him the gift of friendship..you are his heart..his anchor..as long as you and Hercules stand together “back to back” as you’ve often told me..Hercules will be fine…as long as Hercules knows you love him..Hercule’s heart will remain strong..because Iolaus..you are Hercules’ heart.”
“Thanks Gabby..I can only hope that in a few generations people will forget all about the tyranny of the Olympians..and Hercules ‘the half-God” son of Zeus can lead a more normal life..which is what he has always wanted…”
Gabrielle looks at Xena softly caressing a sleeping Hercules..
“Look what we did today..we were able to stop a major massacre just by changing the attitudes of a few Greeks..if we continue to spread the message of Love everywhere we go..we can change the world..one soul at a time..and in time hate can be wiped out.”
Epilogue
(Several generations later…)
“You know Iolaus..I’m glad that I can finally stick my head out the window and not be called names like ‘freak of nature’ or “half God bastard of Zeus..in fact most people don’t even believe the Olympian Gods ever existed..some don’t even believe Hercules ever existed..it’s all passed into myth and legend..”
“Yeah..I know..but the refugees Herc..it’s still hard for them to be accepted in Greece..even after several generations..they are still taunted by others who hate them just because they speak with a foreign accent..I wish I could do more to help them..”
“Me too..Iolaus..I know what it’s like to be different..all we can do is be patient..and like Gabrielle once told you..we can only change the world..one soul at a time.”
“Is that enough Herc?”
“Well..look at the Athenians..once upon a time..they wanted to storm the temple of Eli where the refugees were huddled with Eve..but now..Athens has become the most tolerant city in Greece..we turned a few souls around that time..and now Athens boasts the largest ethnic population in all of Greece..Mei Ling grew up to found a library in YOUR name..the Iolausian Library of Tolerance..it showcases all the accomplishments past and future of all Greeks and Non-Greeks alike..it teaches the horrors of intolerance..shows pictures of all those mass graves and tries to teach young children not to hate..”
“The Iolausian Library of Tolerance..” Iolaus says the words deliciously “I can’t believe Mei-Ling named it after me..who would have believed that an ex-thief from Thebes would have a national monument in Athens named after him..”
“Believe me..Iolaus..you deserve the honor..for too long..you have been forgotten..but Mei Ling recognizes what a hero you are in your own right..”
“No Herc..I’m not..no really..”
“Iolaus..you always saw me as Hercules..not as the Son of Zeus on a pedestal..and not as a freak..with you I was just a normal Joe Smo..all these years..whenever the times got tough..you were there for me..as a child..you stood up to me..when I was venerated as a half –God..you tolerated being overlooked and ignored and treated as merely Hercules’ sidekick and when the Greek people blamed me for the drought..you stood by me..shielded me from the pain of their hate..I have no words to express my love and gratitude for you..you will never know how much I appreciate..to deserve such love and loyalty and such friendship..somehow the words thank you is not enough..I owe you my life..my very soul.. so if anyone deserves the honor of having a library named after him..it’s you..the world will always need an Iolausian Library..”
Iolaus looks at his life long buddy and gives Hercules that golden smile that would put the sun to shame.
“Come on Herc..let’s head for Athens..I hear they have the best Egyptian restaurants ever..”
“Actually Iolaus..I was thinking along the lines of Chinese takeout..”
“Whatever..Athens has all kinds of food..let’s eat at all the restaurants”
“Sure Iolaus..you surely have a stomach like a bottomless pit.”
“Yep..I can fit the whole world in my stomach..Chin..Egytian..just to name a few”
“Promise me Iolaus, you’ll never change”
“Promise Herc..promise..”
THE END