From the Annals of Bastet

Part 1

Kendaa swung the sword low and the warrior before her fell in agony. The battle rage had come upon her as it had with the other Amazons when they engaged the oncoming enemy. Around her thick smoke from the burning of the forests surrounding the battlefield made the scene eerie as the sight of the others in battle came and went with the smoke that blew through. The sun was setting and it gave the world an angry red look that matched the fury of the scene. The cries of the dying and the ring of weapon on weapon; the war cries of the Amazons and the silence of the enemy added to the insanity. Another younger Amazon next to Kendaa screamed and the veteran expected to see her falling from a wound but as Kendaa turned and the patchy smoke cleared once again, she realized the young woman was screaming from despair. She had stabbed one of their own. Calee lay bleeding.

The enemy closed in on the wounded Amazon in an instant and Kendaa waded through the fight to stand over Calee and fend off the creatures that had come in the night to seize the City of the Amazons. The tall woman warrior was strong and fast and the young Amazon who had mistakenly wounded Calee had regained her composure and was at the veteran's side with a sword in each hand.

The attackers were creatures that no one had ever seen before. They were tall and their strong, androgynous bodies were a smooth blackish green and scaly. They wore no clothing or armor. Their faces had little in the way of features, no mouth and just a bump where a nose would be on a human. Their eyes were black holes that showed no emotion. Because they did not appear to have a mouth, they made no noise in the fight. They fought with conventional weapons; sword, staff and bow and arrow. They had attacked in the early morning hours before dawn and all the rest of the day till now their numbers seemed to come on without stopping. As soon as one was cut down another would replace it. They came out of the forest that bordered the Amazons' land. They had set the forest on fire and it blazed now. Kendaa could feel the trees suffer as they died. But she could not let herself be distracted from the fight. Like many of her sisters in the Forum, she was always first to be in the front lines of the battle.

The Forum was a secret sisterhood of Amazons that had come together to fight the power of Hera that had spread in the Amazon nation. They were all veterans of battle, well known amongst their sisters as leaders, healers, diplomats and the best of soldiers. The Forum was admonished in public by the Queen of the Amazons, Apollena. But in secret she promoted their constant struggle against the rising power of Hera. Only the Queen knew that two of her council members, Hebea and Calico, were ranking members of the clandestine group. There were only two men that had been admitted into the ranks of the Forum. One was Hercules, the legendary hero of the Greeks. And the other was his friend and the only man he could count on to guard his back in battle, Iolaus. The inclusion of men and Greeks into the ranks of an Amazon fellowship made the Forum even more outlawed. But the members of the Forum were unmoved by the prejudice of their sisters. Hercules and Iolaus had proven their loyalty and their bravery a hundred times over.

The priestesses of Hera, powerful and demanding, were always hungry for any information that could prove the identity of a Forum member or give them cause to shame or charge the members with any treasonous act. One of the most hotly debated rumors about this secret group was that the members were sometimes provided with arms and equipment from the son of Hera, Hephaestus himself. Kendaa smiled to herself as she thought of this and the sword that she wielded, forged in the Olympian fires, as it cut down another creature.

Calee grabbed the tall Amazon's belt in order to try to pull herself to her feet. Blood streamed from a wound in her side. The two stood back to back in the smoke fending off the enemy.

Suddenly, a high pitched scream like that of a large animal pierced the air. The creatures appeared to start. They looked around and then as a group began to retreat. Through the smoke, just for an instant, the Kendaa saw a familiar form gazing at her. The dark handsome face smiled approvingly of her battle rage and the small earring surrounded by jet black hair twinkled in the fading light.

"I never thanked you, my beauty. Now retreat and regroup quickly, they'll be back soon." he said. Then Ares, the God of War was gone.

"A little late, you son of a..." she muttered. "Why I love you I'll never know."

Kendaa looked at Calee who was now down on one knee holding her side. She helped her sister up and in the clearing smoke saw others doing the same for fallen soldiers. She heard the sound of the horn calling for retreat and made for the barricades that the Amazons had begun to set up when the first wave of attack had occurred. The warriors left standing were taking the dead and wounded from the field.

"Oh, no" Calee cried as she looked around.

Kendaa saw the young Amazon who had wounded Calee lying dead. She clenched her jaws with silent anger. "Come on, little sister." she said quietly and hoisted the dead body onto her shoulder. Calee picked up the girl's fighting staff and used it to help herself along. back to top of page

Part 2

Calico took the water she had left in the ladle and poured it over her face as she stood up. She wiped her face with her arm and then threw the ladle aside. She looked around at the tired, wounded Amazons and shook her head. Then she saw Kendaa and Calee coming through the barricade and ran to help them. Calico looked at the face of the girl Kendaa carried. "Young Lena, Coorria's daughter." She shook her head sadly, "She and her mother are making the journey to the other side together." Then she looked at Calee. "How bad is it?" she said helping Calee to a mat where a healer could look at her wound.

"It only hurts when I breath." Calee replied grimacing as they laid her down. "But at least I am breathing."

"We had an unexpected visitor." Kendaa said. "The strange sound you heard that drove the enemy back was Ares. He said they'd be back soon."

"Did he tell you who they were?" Calico asked as she helped Calee out of her armor.

Kendaa shook her head and looked around. "No, I saw him only briefly in the smoke. He never stays long enough to be useful, only annoying." As she surveyed the encampment, she realized the Amazon Nation had taken heavy casualties. She saw Queen Apollena walking among the soldiers and conferring with the captains about the next move. Hebea trailed behind her attending to the details of fortifying the camp and the regrouping and rearming.

Lady Pegasus was already at work among the wounded. Her special talents for healing usually kept her busy but during war it seemed as if she had to be everywhere at once. Fortunately, long before now she had begun to train others. Amberlia, Calico's daughter and one of her best students was triaging the wounded now and setting up another site for surgeries. Calico smiled as she saw her tall, willowy daughter hard at work.

"I praise every deity I can think of for the day Amberlia chose a career in medicine." she said, then she leaned Kendaa and whispered, "because that means she stays back here." Kendaa nodded.

Queen Apollena approached and nodded her greetings. Hebea smiled at her comrades and bent down to talk to Calee. Kendaa was informing the Queen of the intercession of the God of War when the High Priestess of Hera walked over to the group with her retinue around her. As usual, the women who served in the temple of Hera had retreated to safety leaving the work of defense to others.

Apollena smiled thinly at the High Priestess. "Well, greetings, Semina. How nice to see you looking so fresh and rested."

The High Priestess returned the smile with equal coolness and replied, "I have read the augurs...the Goddess Hera is angry with the Amazon Nation!"

"That woman really needs to get a hobby." Apollena replied through clenched teeth.

"She has a hobby; tormenting me." said a strong male voice. The women turned to see

Hercules coming toward them from gate of the barricade. "If you can find her another hobby, I would be in your debt forever." Behind him, Iolaus was laughing quietly.

The High Priestess scowled as the two Greek warriors were greeted by the Amazons.

Hercules knelt down beside Calee and took her hand.

"Hey, tough girl. How are you?"

"I've been better."

"We heard coming in that you had been killed." Iolaus said looking down at her relieved.

"Well, in that case, I'm doing very well." Calee replied.

Hercules squeezed her hand and stood up only to be confronted with the angry glower of the High Priestess. She pointed her finger at the tall warrior and waved her arms at her retinue and at the other Amazons that were gathering around.

"This man will bring destruction upon us! Hera asks for our loyalty to her. She demands that we rise up against the men that dominate and enslave us and take back the rightful place of women in the world." Around her, the Amazons were talking and agreeing. The angry soldiers, weary from the battle were easily persuaded by the High Priestess to find a reason for their fury. "The members of this secret sisterhood called the Forum have tormented her and debased her temple. They are an offense to her! And they now bring Hercules, her greatest enemy into our midst. This is your doing, Apollena!" the Priestess Semina went on. "If you had dealt with the Forum as you should have and returned Hera to her rightful place as the patron Goddess of the Amazons, she would not be visiting all of us with this punishment."

Around her, the crowd of Amazon warriors were becoming dangerously angry and taking amongst themselves about what to do. The discipline of the ranks could be jeopardized by a division of loyalties now. Apollena had seen this before when the throne of the Amazons had been vacant and factions vied for power. The populace could be easily swayed when people were afraid and angry. The Queen put her hands on her hips and took control of the situation. "Don't you shake that bony finger at me, you old hag." Apollena said in a patronizing tone. "I am the leader of this nation chosen by the right of caste and by the right of combat! I administer the law which is decided upon by all of us. The Forum has broken no laws. This is a free nation, women and men. Hercules is our guest and has proven many times to be an ally and a friend. And if Hera brings this enemy upon us because a few have offended her then what kind of a just Goddess is she??" Her words quelled the warriors' anger immediately.

Semina smiled. "The Gods do not have to justify their actions to mere mortals. This is their world and they do with it what they please. It is not our place to question why. Ask your mighty friend here, he knows what happens to those who defy the will of the Gods." She looked at Hercules and smiled smugly. "Either you submit, or you lose those you love." Then she turned back to Apollena, "Hera will punish those who displease her. Give up the members of the Forum or face her wrath. I will be waiting for your answer in the temple."

The Priestess stormed off through the crowd that had gathered around. Angry words from the warriors followed her as walked through the ranks with her minions trailing behind her.

Apollena looked at the Greek warriors who stood looking aghast at the words of the Priestess. "Well," she said calmly, "it seems you have come just in time."

Part 3

Hercules sat by one of the many campfires that burned now in the war camps of the Amazons. Night had come. Kendaa sat quietly honing the blade of her sword. Calee was asleep on a mat close to the warmth. The enemy had not been back. It was supposed that they waited for the outcome of the council which was in session now deciding the fate of the Forum. Amberlia had come with food but Hercules and Kendaa both had given the food away to other trooper saying they weren't hungry. Calee had eaten a little and then gone back to sleep. Iolaus, however, was wolfing down a second helping of the stew that had been served. Hercules laughed at his friend.

"You know, your appetite never ceases to amaze me!" he said to Iolaus as the wiry blonde warrior gulped down some ale and started on another biscuit.

Iolaus smiled and talked while he chewed. "It takes a lot of energy to keep up with you." he said. "All this monster-slaying, and running here and there. Easy for you, you're half god. But us mortals have to keep our strength up."

Hercules laughed. "Give me a break." he replied, "You just like to eat!"

"True." he answered finishing the mouthful. Then he turned to Kendaa. "Well, what do you think? Will Apollena give up the Forum to Hera?"

Kendaa wiped the last of the oil off and looked down the bright blade sharpened now to a razor's edge. "A wise queen might. The good of the many outweighs the good of the few."

"But on the other hand," Hercules replied rubbing his arm, "If she gives in to Hera's tyranny then there'll be no end to the demands that that spiteful bitch makes. A loyal ruler never gives in to threats made to terrorize." He took off his bracelet and looked at the small bite underneath.

"I think she'll see it that way...." Kendaa said quietly. Then she frowned, "what's wrong with your arm?" she said.

Hercules shook his head. "Nothing. A spider bite, maybe."

Behind her in the shadows of the camp Calico and Hebea approached with grave faces. The council had adjourned. Kendaa and Hercules stood up to meet the women as they approached.

"Well," Hebea said. "If you can believe this; the Queen has struck a deal."

"A deal?" Hercules said. "You're not serious?"

Calico nodded. "Hebea and I offered ourselves and Kendaa in exchange for the retreat of the enemy."

Hercules flared. He kicked the stone which Kendaa had been using to sharpen her sword and the object flew out of sight. "Unbelievable!!" he yelled. The Amazons backed away unaccustomed to seeing his temper. "I can't believe she would give you up. That is unbelievable!" He stormed around finding it difficult to find words.

Kendaa looked off into the distance where the stone had disappeared, "Well, there's ten dinars I'll never see again."

"Forget the damn stone." Iolaus cried angrily, "You three seem pretty calm about this whole thing. But I've seen what that bitch can do and you have to fight her at every turn. Never give in....never! I helped my friend bury his family and I wept over the graves of his children with him. I...." Iolaus lapsed into angry silence pacing around the fire. Hercules was standing now before Hebea with his hands on his hips. He stared defiantly into her face, towering above her.

"You can't do this." he said struggling to keep his voice quiet. "I will not let you. If Hera wants a Forum member, let her have me. I should be worth it to the mean-spirited, old hag."

Hebea smiled calmly and her smile disarmed his anger. "Well, actually, Hercules, I'm glad you said that. You see, you are going to be busy. That was the other part of this deal. Hera apparently wants the Amazon Nation back. We told her she would have to fight for it. We will go to her in exchange for the permanent retreat of the enemies she sent but...at sunrise tomorrow....a champion chosen from among the Forum members will fight the champion chosen by Hera. That contest will decide whether we return to Hera as a nation or not. If our champion wins, we three will be freed and the nation is free to worship whom we choose. If Hera's champion wins, the Amazons tear down all temples except Hera's and our lives are forfeit."

Hercules and Iolaus stood completely amazed. Hercules stared first at Hebea, then Kendaa, then Calico and struggled for words. "You...I just can't believe..." He looked at Calico. "Do you really want Amberlia to grow up under the domination of that creature??"

Calico came over to him and looked up at the massive warrior. "As much as I hate to put this burden on your shoulders....that may be up to you. I don't know any other shoulders that are as qualified."

The hero of the Greeks looked down into the warm brown eyes of his friend. His voice became calm. "I had a dream about you once; when I was in Idolla's fortress. I dreamt I was running on a cliff's edge and these horrible huge insects were coming after me. I rounded a corner and slipped off the edge. I felt myself start to fall and then a hand grabbed me and I looked up into your eyes. I thought for a moment 'she can't hold me' but you did." He smiled at Calico, then at Kendaa and then at Hebea. Calee was waking and rolled over grimacing, looking up at him also. "I won't let you fall." Hercules said, "I won't let any of you fall." back to top of page

Part 4

The full moon lit up the field at midnight. It made the slain bodies of the enemy creatures a stark reminders of the battle of the last day. The Amazon Queen walked along with the three Forum members behind her. Behind them walked Hercules, Iolaus and Amberlia. The party made their way across the length of the field toward the temple of Hera that lay on the hill beyond.

Hebea, Calico and Kendaa were unarmed and dressed only in their leather vests, short skirts and high leather boots. Their hair was tied back and they wore no jewelry or ornaments. Amberlia had braided Calico's long hair just a short while before. The young girl had kept a strong front but Calico could tell she was on the verge of tears. Now, as they walked along Calico could hear her daughter praying quietly. Beside the girl walked the huge eastern tiger called Tosh. He growled acknowledging the tension and rubbed against the young Amazon as if to comfort her.

"This is the longest walk I will ever make." Apollena said quietly as they approached the temple. "I beseech you, Hercules, if there was ever a time for you to win a victory....it will be tomorrow."

"I've never lost a fair fight." Hercules replied calmly. He took a deep breath.

"But there's the problem." Iolaus added, "We know that Hera doesn't always fight fair."

Hercules nodded but said nothing. The figure of a sleeping woman and her children and the flare of a fireball in the night flashed briefly in his mind reminding him of the loss that would haunt him forever. "No one knows that better than I..." he whispered.

The temple loomed up before them and the doors opened on the commands of Semina, the High Priestess to Hera, who came out to greet them.

"Well, just in time. I was beginning to wonder whether you would make good on your word." the High Priestess said.

Apollena faced her with an impassive look but inside the Queen was seething with anger. "Well, Semina...we would certainly not want to disappoint you and your master, the goddess of mean-spirited old hags whose husbands refuse to sleep with them."

Semina gasped and slapped her across the face. "You will see that this insolence will only make your place among the Amazons more insecure. Hera rules all and sooner that the Amazons realize that and submit to her, the better."

Apollena did nothing. As a Queen, she was bound to do what was best for all and not just for herself. She smiled at Semina and made a mental note to even the score with the old woman later. The high priestess turned and motioned them into the temple.

"Enter this holy place, but leave the beast outside." she said curtly.

Amberlia knelt down and said something to Tosh. He roared angrily, piercing the air with the sound of his great cry. Then he lay down as if to say, "I will wait here, but I am not happy about it." His tail switched nervously. Calico could almost read his thoughts as he watched the retreating figure of Semina. "Remember lady, a nervous tiger is a dangerous tiger." she said quietly as she followed her Queen into the temple.

The main room of the temple was a cavernous round area with various rich adornments along the walls. The floor was a red marble polished to a high gloss. In the middle was a statue of the peacock carved from the whitest alabaster. It shown in the firelight of a myriad of torches that lit up the room. The party stood behind Semina as she bowed to the statue and held out her arms.

"Greetings, oh great one." the High Priestess said. "I bring you the three leading members of the Forum as hostages. Tomorrow the fate of a nation will be decided by trial by champions. May we be successful in your honor."

She turned and motioned to figures in the shadows. From there came Amazons that the Queen and the Forum members had thought they would never see again. From among their ranks came the new-formed goddess Velaska. Her face with its white, pupiless eyes radiated hatred as she strode up to Apollena.

"Well, another usurper to my throne." she said.

Apollena smiled grimly as she looked around at the band of warriors. All of them were criminals banished from the Nation or warriors who had deserted in past battles. Velaska had gathered around her the worst of the Amazon nation; dangerous women completely without honor, like herself. Apollena spoke quietly, "I will take you to Tartarus myself, before I will let you rule my sisters."

Velaska smiled and giggled almost insanely. She stepped close to the Queen and gazed down into her eyes with the blank eyes she had now, "Well, I just might be able to arrange that little trip for you." she said laughing.

The renegade Amazons surrounded the three Forum members and bound their arms behind them.

Hercules grabbed Velaska by the arm. "I want your word that nothing will happen to these women until the contest tomorrow decides the outcome."

Velaska shook him free. He fell back for a moment then recovered. The goddess smiled and shook her head disapprovingly. "You're not as strong as I thought. Yes, you have my word that nothing will happen to these women."

Hercules backed away and watched as the three warriors were taken away. He put his arm around Amberlia who was trying to be brave but had tears in her eyes. "You can't trust her, Hercules." she said quietly as a tear ran down her cheek.

He hugged her to him. "Your mother will be fine." he said trying to comfort her as she watched the retreating figures, "She is one of the strongest women I know. Tomorrow, this will all be over."

Semina nodded to the Queen and followed the others into the shadows. "You may go now." she said as she left. "Till tomorrow at dawn."

Apollena took the young Amazon by the hand and led her out into the night. Hercules trailed behind them with Iolaus who was now frowning at his friend.

"Herc?"

"What?"

Iolaus looked at him and the frown deepened. "Herc, you don't look so well."

Hercules looked at the women walking ahead and then at his friend. He seemed hesitant for a moment then took off his right bracelet. Iolaus' eyes widened. Beneath the bracelet, the small bite that had bothered the hero earlier was now an angry deep decaying wound. "I think I've been poisoned." Hercules whispered. "Don't tell the others."

Part 5

Queen Apollena had returned to the camp with Amberlia, Hercules and Iolaus. She offered Hercules her hut for rest for the few hours that remained before dawn would call the champions to the field for the contest. Hercules had accepted and had gone straight to the it with his friend. The Queen began to make her rounds in the encampment. Calee met her as she approached the campfires.

"You're up." Apollena said. "Good. I'm glad to see you on your feet again."

"Thanks to Lady Peg...how did it go at the temple?"

"Velaska's back with a band of renegade Amazons. You know the ones, Syla, Contrice, Patla..."

"All our worst." Calee replied. "Where's Hercules?"

"He's in my hut resting."

"Hmmm,...that's odd."

"To rest before a great battle. It seems smart to me." the Queen answered.

"Yes, but still..." Calee's voice trailed off. She knew the man well. Hercules was not one to rest before a battle. As a half-god, he needed less rest than others. The news troubled her and she took her leave of the Queen and made her way there to check on him. As she approached she called to the Greek warriors. Iolaus' head popped out of the hut's flap. He smiled looking a little embarrassed.

"Calee, hello. What's up?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing? How is Hercules?" Calee replied frowning. She shrugged at him trying to read his look.

"He's resting...you know,... fine..." Iolaus' words said one thing but his expression said another. Calee's frown deepened. The small warrior looked at her and mouthed words silently 'get Lady Peg now!'. Calee was off in the direction of the infirmary without delay.

Hercules lay on the bed trying to focus on the questions Lady Pegasus was asking him. Sweat covered his face and torso and rolled off him even with the chill in the air.

"Uh,...what did you ask??" he said.

"I asked if you could move your feet?" she said again. Her wings flapped nervously as she felt his belly and checked for swelling under the arm where the bite had occurred. She looked at the hero again. He had already drifted off again and forgotten the question. Hercules was barely conscious. Lady Pegasus covered him again with a blanket.

She got up and turned to Iolaus shaking her head with concern. Her frown and lips pursed in discouraged contemplation told the warrior that the news was grave.

She shrugged. "It's bad. Very bad. I have given him something to reduce the fever. I can treat the wound on the arm and cauterize it. But there is no guarantee. We have three hours till sunrise. All we can do is wait and see."

"Should we tell the Queen?" Calee said. "We may need to choose another champion."

"Let's give the medicine some time to work." Lady Pegasus replied, "Leave him to rest and we'll check again in an hour. If there is no improvement by then then we will go to the Queen. We have many fine warriors....but Velaska...." She shook her head, "She was a formidable opponent even before she ate the ambrosia!"

Calee nodded and escorted Iolaus outside to leave Lady Pegasus to do the last of her medicinal work. She came out a few minutes later and shrugged.

"The wound looks a little better. I have tended it and bound it. I'll be back in an hour to check him."

The others nodded.

The hour came and went. Lady Pegasus met Iolaus at the door of the Queen's hut. Apollena had made her rounds and was coming toward the two with Calee. Both women looked grave. Lessa and several other Amazon warriors trailed behind them.

"I told her." Calee said as she neared the other two. "We'll need to time to choose another champion and ready that person. It is Velaska we're talking about. She defeated Melosa in combat."

"Damn, I wish Kendaa hadn't gone as hostage." Lessa said. "She and Velaska trained often together. Kendaa knew all her moves."

"Yeah," said another of the Amazons, "Velaska avoided Kendaa when it came to the competitions."

"But Kendaa is not here now," Apollena said, cutting off further discussion. She nodded to

Lady Pegasus. "Go in and see how he is."

The time seemed to drag but Lady Pegasus had only needed a few minutes. She came back out and shook her head sadly. "Choose another."

Part 6

Calico looked around the bleak cell. "Only a temple of Hera would come with a dungeon." she said quietly. She was alone in windowless room. There was no way to tell how much time had passed or whether the morning had come. She thought perhaps only a few hours had passed since the renegades had led the three away.

Velaska had confronted Hebea before the women had been led away. The fiery red head kept her tongue but Calico could tell that Hebea was livid that Velaska had dared to return and brought these renegades with her. There had been a short exchange of insults between the two women and Hebea had wisely backed off as Velaska began to escalate into a kind of insanity.

The tall woman stared with her hollow eyes at Hebea and her grin was like a death's head. "Hercules hasn't a chance tomorrow. I'm a god. He's only half."

"If you're a god, I must seriously reevaluate my spiritual practices." Kendaa said quietly, drawing fire from her friend. Velaska's gaze went to her.

"You were always afraid of me." she growled.

Kendaa's eyebrows went up but she kept the same impassive look as always. "Right." she said quietly and smiled. Velaska swung at her and missed as Kendaa ducked quickly to the side and recovered in an instant. "Take them away" Velaska screamed. The three Forum members had immediately been separated and each woman had a half a dozen in escort to make sure she got to her destination of imprisonment.

Now alone Calico could only wait and think about her people and the coming test of wills.

Kendaa had been taken away and on the way the six rogue Amazons had cornered her and beaten her. She was helpless to best them and stood up stoically under their abuse. They were cruel but took care not to hurt her seriously. Then they dragged her into her cell and shut her away. As she sat on the floor, she wiped away the blood from a split on her lip. Then she curled up and went to sleep, exhausted from the day of fighting and the evening of tension and abuse.

As her breathing became regular and she relaxed, a tall figure silently took form in the room. The dark eyes looked down at her sadly. He crouched down and reached out to touch the woman then stopped. The dark God of War stood up and sighed. Then he vanished.

The halls were dark and plain. This was the place where the dark Lord of War went to be alone and think. He sat in a plain large chair before a fire. Stretched out to his massive height in the chair, his elbows on the arms of the chair and his hands in a fist beneath his chin, he watched the fire's light. The bright flames reflected in his dark eyes and made the high wide cheekbones stand out. He thought about an eternity of passion and fury; a sacred trust and a loveless family that knew only power and intrigue. He thought of his mother's order that no god interfere with the proceedings taking place and watched as his father stood by and did nothing. A familiar anger rose in him. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaws.

"What a mess." he whispered.

Then he felt a slight breeze. He looked up. There by the fire stood sat his winsome impulsive sister, Aphrodite. The God of War rolled his eyes in pained impatience.

"What do you want?" he said quietly.

"Gag me! What a brat. I come to comfort my brother and this is the thanks I get." she said.

"I don't need your comfort." he replied. "I come here to be alone. Now go back to Olympus. Isn't there some maiden you can smite or some poor bastard who's just about to go down for the love count?"

"Ares, what are we going to do? We cannot let her take back the Amazon nation. That would upset the balance." Aphrodite said now serious and with an edge of irritation in her voice.

"Is that all you care about...the balance of power? Your favorite little baby brother Hercules is slowly sliding into the next world..." he retorted.

"Like you care...your problem is that you're about to loose some of your best play toys and so you're pouting ." she replied.

A strange look passed over the handsome face. For a moment, Aphrodite prepared to vanish in case he became belligerent but then the indifferent, bored look of the War God returned and he smiled. "You're right, little sister. I hate giving up my toys...but maybe I've been playing in the wrong yard. Perhaps I should pay more attention to Velaska. She holds great promise as my chief lieutenant."

"Crap!" Aphrodite said angrily, "You can't stand the bitch!" She sat back folding her arms in front of her and thought for a moment. "I can't stand her either. And now she's a god....." she rolled her eyes. "Plllleassse... a little Ambrosia and I guess just anyone then can get this gig!!" She shook her head in frustration. Then she looked back at her brother. For once, the two bored and jaded beings cared about the same thing at the same time. It was a strangely awkward moment for them.

"Dite...we need to figure something out." Ares said quietly.

"I know," she replied, barely above a whisper. "But dragonbreath is watching and she means business this time. If we move against her, we could end up mortal for good! That is what she has threatened and she means it. And the old man won't do a thing. He left the moment she finished her little speech."

"We all banded together when she took my sword! Maybe we can rally the gods again?" he said.

"That was different." Aphrodite answered thoughtfully, " She had attacked one of us and the others were afraid. She had tipped the balance in a little too far when she took your sword. And when she threatened you, well, the others got afraid for themselves. Same with her little escapade with Set; they all freaked that she would seek the power of one of the ancient ones." She had not told the God of War anything he did not already know. He was surprised that she had figured it out and the look on his face told her so. She smiled disarmingly at him.

"Sweetie, I know you all think because I am a blonde with a body that you all have to speak slowly and explain everything...as a matter of fact, I keep you thinking that. It serves my purpose most of the time. But never underestimate me, darling. Love and war are not so very different."

He smiled back. "I stand corrected."

They both lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

"If there was just some way we could get help to Hercules." Ares said.

"Excuse me??? Did I hear you correctly?"

He smiled and laughed under his breath, "I'm desperate! If you ever tell him I said that..."

She laughed back, "Hey, big bro...I'm desperate too. That Velaska is storming around Olympus making a scene......Gods!" Then she chuckled suddenly to herself, "Oops, that's us...but really, the woman has the personality of dead rat."

"But she also has the ferocity of tiger!" Ares replied.

Suddenly the two of them looked at each other. Ares sat straight up, "The ferocity of a tiger..." he said again, "Blondie, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Well, if she can do it so can we." Aphrodite whispered back.

They both vanished.

Part 7

The first light of the morning was making the night sky the deepest purple now and the stars began to fade. It would be a short time till sunrise and the contest would begin. The Queen left Iolaus at Hercules' side and went to the hut of Lessa, the one chosen to champion the Amazon Nation.

Calee met her at the door, showing her in.

Lessa was dressed in her leather vest, short skirt and high boot. She had laid out her war mask adorned with the face of a hawk and intended to carry it with her but not wear it. She had her short sword sharpened and polished.

It was scabbarded now and hung across her chest in a baldric of black with the markings of Ares on the front. Her staff lay on the table where she had left it after checking to see that it was battle-ready.

"Are you ready?" Apollena said quietly.

"I am, my liege." the tall women replied. She picked up her mask and her staff and followed the queen and Calee out of the hut. "I would like to see Hercules for just a moment before I go to the field."

The Queen nodded and they headed toward the hut of the Queen. On the way, Calee made conversation to cut the tension.

"We thought about putting Lessa to bed," she joked, "and then right before the contest we would just take her, bed and all, and dump her onto the field. Then say 'get up, Lessa. It's early morning muster'. We figured 'gods help the opponent who had to face her in the morning with one hour of sleep!'"

The Queen laughed and Lessa shook her head smiling. "Not a bad idea." she said quietly.

At the hut of the Queen, the women let Lessa go in alone. The hut was dim. She could see Hercules in a bed in the area in the back with Iolaus sitting near him. The wounded man was curled up on his side with his back to her. His clothes and bracelets were in a pile on the floor and the blankets had been pulled tight around him as if he was cold. On the floor lounged Tosh, the eastern tiger who had come some time ago to live with Calico. Tosh looked up at the Amazon as she came in and chuffed at her. Lessa smiled and went over to the massive beast and ran her hands over the soft fur. The beast, clearly four times her weight, rolled over onto his back like a housecat. Iolaus nodded to her as she entered but said nothing. She could see the concern clearly marked on his face.

"Any change?" she asked. He only shook his head. "I'd like to be alone with him for a moment if I could."

Iolaus looked up and smiled at her. "Sure." he said and left the hut.

Lessa went to Hercules and sat down on the side of the bed. His breathing was regular. His wounded arm was out of the covers and she could see swelling clear up to his shoulder. She reached out to touch him then changed her mind and sighed.

"Wish me luck." she said quietly and got up.

Hercules woke up. He looked around for a moment as if he was not sure where he was then he saw her, dressed for war and sat up on the side of the bed.

"I'll be ready in a minute." he said shaking his head and running his hands through disheveled hair wet from fever.

"No, you don't need to." she said but he was already standing up.

He stood over her looking around for his clothes. His face was pale. He seemed disoriented. "I'll be...." He collapsed into her arms. A weaker woman would have been crushed under his weight but Lessa grabbed him and eased him back onto the bed. "Just let me... just my balance." he said.

"Just sit for a moment, Hercules. And listen." she replied, "You're ill. You can't get up."

"I'm going out there!" he answered emphatically, "I...I'm still your champion!" Then he looked up at her. "Aren't I?" he whispered.

Lessa's heart was in her throat. She looked down at the legendary man who seemed so vulnerable now. Then she smiled at Hercules and shrugged.

"My friend, you've been ill. You missed all the fun. While you were asleep, Iolaus took your place and won. We're all dressed for the war dance of celebration!!"

His face relaxed and sighed. "Thank the gods." he replied and fell back down in the bed.

She could see him grimace slightly with pain with each effort. She covered him with the blanket again.

"You rest now, Hercules. In the morning, you'll feel better and we will talk again."

Lessa stood up and for the first time in many years she could feel tears stinging her eyes. They were not tears of fear, or of anger but of anguish for his pain and the pain of her sisters alone with the servants of Hera. They were tears of frustration that one spiteful being could affect the lives of so many without any consequences to herself. For a moment, Lessa looked at the sick man and thought of the fate of her sisters and believed that there was no justice.

She closed her eyes to harden herself and prepare for the coming battle. Then she heard a strange tinkling noise like the sound of a tiny bell. She opened her eyes and there by the bed surrounded by a blue light was a black cat sitting staring at her. In its ear hung a small bright hoop of gold. Lessa gasped softly. "Bastet."

"Hello, my brave, young beauty." the cat spoke. "Soon you will face a great challenge. You must fight for soul of your nation. I have come to support you in this endeavor." She walked daintily over to the tiger who was huge in comparison. Tosh rolled over back to a crouch and as the small cat approached he put his nose down to her. They touched noses gently and she then sat down and looked up at the Amazon.

Tosh looked around for a moment and growled then he gathered himself up and leapt at Lessa so quickly she only had time to start. In an instant, tiger and Amazon blended into one figure. Lessa fell back then recovered her balance. She shook her head and stared at the little black cat for a moment. Then she smiled as the tiger and the woman joined in spirit. Her face relaxed and she looked at her arms. She looked the same but now the tan skin had gained a tawny glow and one could see the faintest stripes in bands around her arms and legs. Lessa growled deep in her throat.

Calee came into the hut. "Lessa, the sun is rising." she said.

Lessa turned toward her. Calee's eyes became wide as she saw a change in her sister and realized she was looking into the wild orange eyes of a tiger. And for a moment, Calee saw the black figure surrounded by the blue light before it vanished. She gasped to see the being she revered as a lover of animals. She recognized the figure of one of the ancient ones.

Lessa smiled at Calee calmly as their eyes met again.

"Let the hunt begin." Lessa whispered in a throaty voice.

Part 8

The sun was now coming over the horizon. Lessa walked with Calee behind her through the ranks of her sisters and toward the field where the contest would decide the fate of them all. The marks on her skin and the change in her eyes was gone now but she walked with a predatory grace. As she looked through the ranks at the nation of women warriors, she picked out the faces of the forum members. Hygea, Tedras, Laurissa and others; they were all there. She could feel them sending her their blessings of power, speed, courage and perseverance. Their faces showed their confidence in her.

As she neared the place of contest, she could see the opponents waiting across the area of battle within earshot. There stood Semina with Velaska and her band behind her. They had with them the three hostages. The three looked tired as they stood surrounded by enemies and bound with their hands behind them.

Lessa stopped where the Queen stood and acknowledged her with the Amazon greeting, her arms above her head and her fisted hands crossed at the wrist. "I fight for the Amazon nation and its rightful Queen!" she called out to her liege.

Apollena nodded and smiled. "You're saying this just to annoy her." she whispered under her breath to the champion. Behind her, Lady Pegasus was laughing quietly.

"It's what I live for." Lessa answered and went onto the field. Calee handed her her staff.

Velaska stepped onto the field. "No weapons." she said. "Just our hands."

"What?" Lessa said taking off her sword and handing it with the staff to Calee, "no thunderbolts, no lightening. A plague perhaps."

"No, you bitch!!" the bitter Amazon said, "I'm going to kill you with my bare hands."

"I know we're going to tear each other to pieces like animals but there's no point in being rude." Lessa replied. The capricious Amazon was in ascendance right now. She watched as Velaska took her place in the arena, crouching down and holding her clawed hands out in a stance ready. Lessa walked calmly in a small circle puzzling her sisters and the enemy alike, she seemed lost in thought for a moment. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep slow breath. As she let it out, she put her head back and unleashed the earsplitting roar of the tiger coming out from deep within her. Velaska jumped back but not fast enough. Lessa spun around, and the orange eyes of the beast focused on Velaska long enough to judge distance then she leapt.

She hit the Amazon-turned-god full force in the chest with the weight of her body. She grabbed her with her hands and gripped her while her legs kicked repeatedly. They hit the ground and rolled. Velaska was not prepared for the speed of the beast. Lessa could respond to every move with a countermove. The contestants were moving too quickly for the onlookers to make out the details of their struggle. It seemed as if two animals wrestled. Velaska screamed angrily and Lessa growled. It seemed to go on forever but in fact the struggle was very short. Finally, Velaska had her opponent by the throat then in a blinding twist, Lessa wrenched free and grabbed the woman's hair and twisted the head until the neck snapped. Velaska fell silenced.

Lessa jumped up and began pacing around the body, "Immortal, my ass!" she screamed.

"Lessa, calm down." the Queen commanded but the woman continued to pace around the arena in a state of battle frenzy.

Calee dropped the sword and staff and went out toward her. "Watch out." said someone in the crowd but Calee had a way with beasts. She had seen this kind of blind rage in her own animals.

"Shhh..." she said to Lessa motioning others to stay back. "Come on, beauty. Be calm." Her voice was low and soothing, "It's all right. It's all over. Calm down..."

Lessa slowed down her pacing and seemed to relax. The Amazons watched amazed as the stripes faded on her and her eyes went back to the blue-green of the woman. The crowd began to relax only to be further amazed as they heard the tinkle of little bell and saw the body of the huge eastern tiger leap out of the Amazon and pace around. Lessa fell back into Lady Pegasus' arms and the healer eased her down to the ground. Tosh went over and sniffed her and then sniffed the dead Velaska. He growled and then spotted Calico and went loping toward her. The renegades scattered and began to retreat.

Apollena smiled as she looked at Semina. "Get the renegades!" the Queen called out to her sisters. "Oh Semina dear...we have to talk."

Part 9

"Like that is soooo not fair!!" Aphrodite said putting her hands on her slender hips. She pouted angrily and stormed around the room. "One temple for all of us??? You mean everyone has to share a temple in the Amazon Nation now?? I don't believe it!"

Ares had his feet up on the table of one of the myriad of banquet halls that littered the palace of Olympus. He was laughing so hard that he decided to pull out the tails of the leather vest he wore to give himself more room to breathe. The vest hung open now exposing the muscular chest that heaved with his convulsions. "This is perfect! Some Amazons still want to worship the old lady but she has to share with the rest of us. Oh, my..." he said wiping away a tear. "I haven't cried in years. This is too rich."

"You're just not upset because you still have what you want." Aphrodite retorted.

Ares calmed his laughter long enough to reply. "That's right, sweet cheeks. You see my warriors carry their temple with them in here." He motioned to his heart. "It's kind of hard hauling an altar around when you're in battle." he replied then started laughing again.

Aphrodite was furious, she stormed around the table again, "Hephaestus says that his followers worship him at the forge. Artemis says that her followers worship her in the wild. What is it with you people? We need temples!" She stopped and looked aghast at Ares. "They're even thinking of giving Hercules a place in the temple and he's only half a god!"

"Well then he should only get half a temple!" Ares replied and then went into hysterics over his own joke.

Aphrodite gasped and then stamped her foot and promptly disappeared. Ares looked at the place where she had been. He was calmer now but still giggling quietly, "Hercules is right. It really is annoying when we do that." Then he vanished himself.

Hercules wiped the sweat off his face with the back of his forearm. He moved another huge stone onto the cart that was hauling away the pieces of the temple. This was the last temple to be razed as it was the farthest away. This old temple deep in the woods was where the scribe Waart lived.

The Amazons were reluctant somehow to tear it down. But the Amazons had taken a vote and had decided that all the temples were to be torn down and the pieces were to be used to build a new place of worship.

Hercules looked briefly at the tiny scar of the wound that had so recently taken him to the edge between this world and the next. It was just an uneven circle now white against the brown of his skin. He had healed quickly after the defeat of Velaska and had gained back enough strength only days after the contest to confront Lessa.

"You lied to me!" he said as he stood looking at the Amazon as she and her partner of the day, Hygea, sparred with staffs. He tried to put on his most intimidating look. She tossed the staff to Hygea who caught it deftly and began twirling both staffs around in unison. Lessa stepped up to the tall Greek and stood inches from him with her hands on her hips.

"So sue me." she said quietly and kissed him. Then the three of them had laughed.

Now he smiled again. He moved another piece and looked at the load. "I think that is enough." he said and motioned to the cart driver. It slowly moved off leaving the crew to sit and rest before starting the next loading.

Iolaus sat down with him, Kendaa, Hygea and Lessa. Calico was coming with a pitcher of water to refresh them. Off in the distance, the scribe Waart was packing away all the scrolls she had amassed. Rumors flew about the odd little woman and her strange, solitary ways. She talked to herself as she packed up the scrolls.

Calico smiled as she listened to the woman talking to her possessions. "She is unique!" she said to Lessa as the woman took the pitcher and drank from it. She passed it on to Hercules.

He took a long drink and passed it to Kendaa. "Where does she come from?" he asked her quietly as the others talked on.

"I don't know. Calico first met her in Egypt in the temple of Bastet there. That's why we sometimes call her Bastet although her name is really Waart. She doesn't say much about her life, just that she has been here and there. You can tell when you talk to her if you can follow her conversation that she has been many places but sometimes I wonder how much of it is really true. You know, she's not always...." She motioned to her head, "normal."

Hercules nodded. "You Amazons are tolerant. In the Greek cities, the people are not always kind to those who are different."

"The Amazons are a nation made up of many races. We receive as many as are born here." she replied to him. She thought about her own background and the other mysterious women who helped to make up the core of the forum. Lady Pegasus, the winged warrior. Tedras, who was known to come out of the land of the dragons. Hygea, shy warrior about whom little was known but who was always there when help was needed. And Calee.

Hercules seemed to read her mind. "Do you know how Calee got to know so many languages?" he asked out of the blue.

Kendaa raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You'll have to ask her that." she replied.

"She said she'd tell me one day but we never seem to have the time." He looked around at the women he knew here in the Nation. "There are probably a lot of interesting stories here." he said. Kendaa smiled.

"Like this temple." she answered.

"Exactly. When was it built? Who were the people here?"

"We don't know. The people who built this temple were already gone when we got here." she answered. "It was fabled that they had stolen a magic box from some place in the east and were cursed. They came here and disappeared." Kendaa explained.

The empty cart had arrived and the crew put on gloves again and went back to moving the stones into the cart. Hercules lifted a huge rock onto the cart. He looked at the rock pile for another and moved aside smaller stones to find the heavier ones. As he looked, something caught his eye on one of the stones. It was flatter that the others and had writing on it.

"Look at this, there's something written on this stone." he said. He wiped off the dust of the demolition and blew on the stone. Kendaa and Hygea looked at it also.

"I don't know this language. Get Calee." Kendaa said. Lessa called to the scribe Amazon who came over.

Calee looked at the bit of writing broken which looked to have been broken off from a larger whole. "I don't know either. It's not phoenician, or sumerian or egyptian."

Waart had come over talking all the time to herself quietly. Calico nudged her and she smiled embarrassed. "Was I talking out loud?" Calico nodded.

Waart picked up the piece and then took a deep breath as if she was suddenly lost in thought. She closed her eyes and let her hands travel over the piece of stone. Then she looked down at the piece again. "Oh, my."she said quietly.

"What does it say?" Hercules asked impatiently. The others were nodding in agreement.

"Well, the language is very old. The best I can make out is 'am the Lord thy'." she answered.

"'Am the Lord thy'?" Lessa said. "What would that mean?" She looked over at Hygea who shrugged and went back to loading the wagon. Lessa followed.

"Perhaps it is written about the god of the people that were here before." Calee remarked.

"I mean this was a temple."

"I think you should make this piece part of the new temple, maybe part of an altar." Waart said.

"But which altar? To which god?" Iolaus asked. "There are so many."

"We know," Calico replied. "That's why we've decided to built only one temple. We're tired of having to choose among all of them!"

"Well," Hercules said. "Let's decide later. But for now," He looked up at the late afternoon sky, "we only have about an hour more of light and at least two more cart loads."

The crew went back to work.

Finis