Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The characters of Ares, Artemis, Hera and a myriad of other Greek gods belong to Greek Mythology and also apparently to Universal Studios and Pacific Renaissance and this story is not intended to violate any copyrights held by MCA, Universal Studios, Renaissance Pictures or any other entity involved in the making of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys or Xena: Warrior Princess. (Even though Xena or and Hercules don't happen to appear in this story! <snicker>)
Author's Note: While this story is not a true sequel to Kalea, Dawn of the Dead, or Ransoming the Stone, it is a continuation of the story of the Amazons of Parnasis. You don't have to have read the other stories to enjoy this one. However, you should probably read Chapters One, Two, Three and Four. <g>
The journey to Thrace went smoothly. Not that Ileana expected any trouble; she was traveling with a contingent of soldiers attired in uniforms with tokens from the God of War. The men were all afraid of her except Timor, the messenger, who had come to the village to find her. Either he had met Amazons before, or he was just too young to be afraid. He was the only one brave enough to speak with her. He had bought her a horse at the stable in Parnasis and rode next to her for most of the way. He asked her a hundred questions about Amazon life. He kept her so amused with his questions; she barely noticed how the horses greatly increased the speed of the journey.
When Ileana arrived at the temple, she immediately asked for the head priest. When he saw her, dirty, dusty and bedraggled from the ride, he became haughty and pompous; no one was going to see HIS god's daughter like that! He insisted she clean up first. She shrugged her shoulders, not really minding the delay. She feared, no matter how hard she tried, the meeting with Antiope would be unpleasant. Still Antiope had asked for her. There must still be a part of her sister she could reach. She allowed herself to be led to a room. She found a bath already poured and food laid out. She stripped off her clothes and climbed in to the tub.
Quickly she washed and dried herself, then put on fresh clothes. She sat at the table and ate the bread and fruit laid out for her. With a sigh, she thought. 'No more delaying it.'
She left her room on the second floor and went to find her sister. The temple seemed very quiet as she made her way down the stairs and into the throne room. She found it deserted. 'That’s odd,' she thought. She checked the kitchen, the dining room, the forge and the war room. Every room she entered was deserted. 'Where is everyone?' she wondered.
She went back to the throne room and looked out the door to the garden. She saw Antiope sitting on a bench. She pushed the door open and declared, "Antiope, I'm here." Antiope rose from the bench and smiled at her. Ileana opened her arms to her sister and Antiope took a step forward as if she would run to her and then Ileana’s world went black.
Cartegena grabbed the unconscious Amazon as she started to fall. He had been careful to hit her in a spot he knew would knock her out, but do no permanent damage. Antiope strolled slowly over to the warlord and inquired with excitement, "Is she dead?"
Cartegena knew the girl was Ares’ daughter and a favorite of Hera’s, but still . . . "No, just knocked out. My Queen wishes her alive for now."
"Too bad," Antiope spat bitterly. "I'd have liked to see her die."
Cartegena turned away from the child. He picked up Ileana and threw her over his shoulder. "I'll take her now."
"Where?" the girl asked eagerly. "Can I come?"
Cartegena shook his head. "Queen Hera has given me instructions and they don't include you."
"Well maybe if I ask her," Antiope mused thoughtfully, "she’ll let me watch."
Cartegena nodded and made his way out of the gate at the back of the garden. He lay Ileana gently on the horse crosswise and tied her hands and feet. He removed her sword and bow. He was afraid to gag her while she was unconscious, in case she came to and choked to death.
The soldiers would be returning to the temple any time. It had been easy for him to use his men to lure them out to deal with what seemed to be a riot. Easy to get the priests to go into hiding, worried angry Thracians would burn the temple in retaliation. He knew he needed to get out of there before anyone figured out what had happened. He trusted Antiope would be able to explain her sister’s absence from the temple.
He jumped on the horse, the unconscious woman in front of him, and rode as fast as he could toward the West and the Braca Stone.
When Ares arrived at the temple in Thrace, he was furious. He had lost Ileana's heartbeat two days prior, but had been unable to get away from the border wars and skirmishes to try to find out what had happened. He knew she had been headed to see Antiope, he had learned this from Galea. He roared into the temple shouting for his daughter.
Antiope was sitting in the garden, smiling sadistically to herself. When she heard him thundering her name, she wiped the grin off her face. Using all her skills, she pretended to be upset.
Ares, spotting her, was taken aback for the moment. She was no longer a little girl, but had a woman’s body. Her face was so like his, and yet, there was something. Was she crying? "Antiope," he asked as he walked slowly over to her. "Where's Ileana?"
"I don’t know." She lifted her face, which was now streaked with tears. "Someone took her."
"What?" he boomed. The girl cringed at his tone. He tried to soften his voice, "What happened?"
"The soldiers went to stop a riot. The priests and servants were afraid and hid. They left us alone. I was hiding in the garden when she came out the door. A man hit her, took her and then ran away. Oh, Father," she cried, "I was so scared."
"Who took her?" he demanded.
"I don’t know," she repeated. "I never saw him before. I couldn’t see his face anyway, he wore a mask."
Ares stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Did he say anything? Give any clue why he took her? Where he took her?"
"Nothing," she explained softly. "I'm sorry. If I was older or maybe if you had trained me yourself I might have been able to stop him. But I was so scared. I’m only twelve."
Ares knew he should try to comfort the girl, but the thought of touching her repelled him. It would be like holding a three-headed hydra. He compromised by patting her head. "Antiope, is there anything else you can tell me? Anything? I need to find Ileana."
'You’ll never find her,' she thought spitefully. 'Grandmother will make sure of that!' She lifted her eyes to him, opening them as wide as possible and demurred, "I don’t think so. The man came, he hit her, then he took her."
"Can you show me where he was standing when he hit her?" Maybe there would be some clue to the kidnapper’s identity.
Antiope nodded and rose from the bench. She went to the side of the temple door, where a large bush was. Ares pushed her roughly out of the way as he bent down to search the bush. He found something, a piece of scarf. He recognized it immediately. 'Cartegena! But why?' Then he understood. He now knew where Ileana was and why he couldn’t feel her heart. 'But who was pulling Cartegena’s strings? Who had kept him so busy?'
He gave a sidelong glance at his daughter. She had a self-satisfied smirk on her face. 'She’s enjoying this,' he thought. 'The little brat still hates her sister, still wants to punish her for something she hasn’t even done.' "Antiope," he ordered softly, "come here."
She rushed over to him. What he did then surprised him, as much as it surprised her. He took her face in his hands and said in a tone as menacing as any he had ever used before, "I can break your neck, with just a little twist and I swear by all the Gods on Olympus I will, unless you tell me the truth. Do you understand?"
She must have been frightened, but she was too much his daughter to show it. Even her eyes remained clear and focused on his as she slowly nodded.
"Who took Ileana?" he challenged. His voice was still full of menace.
"I swear," she reiterated her voice a hoarse croak, "I don't know his name. He came exactly the way I said and took her. Father, I would never lie to you."
He watched her closely as she spoke. Her eyes never left his, her body never even moved. She was telling the truth. "There’s something else though, isn’t there?" he growled in a low voice. "Something you know and aren't telling me, isn’t there?"
"I swear I've told you everything I know about the kidnapping. I don't know who took her or where she is. Father, please, you're hurting me!"
He released her face and turned away, disgusted with himself and with her. He felt her hands on his back, trying to turn him, trying to get his attention.
"Father," she murmured. "I know you're upset. Let me comfort you."
He turned back to her. She was looking at him with such longing, almost sensual and it sickened him. Still, she was clearly trying to reach out to him. He heard Tessa’s words in his head, "She needs you." He forced himself to open his arms to her. She ran into them, throwing her own around him in a tight embrace.
She hugged him like a daughter for a moment. The she began running her hands up and down his back and buttocks, rubbing against him now, like a woman who wanted him. He was disgusted with himself when he could feel his body responding to her. He pushed her away roughly. "Antiope, you're my daughter," he shouted.
"I'm a woman," she replied. "You don’t seem to need a daughter, but," she commented looking at the bulge in his pants, "you do seem to need a woman."
"Don't speak to me that way again!" he roared.
She began to laugh wildly, her face contorting, her whole body contorting as the laughter turned into sobs of agony.
He wouldn't be fooled again. He left her there in the garden, sobbing her heart out. He would go back to Galea; he knew what they had to do.
Tobias waited in Parnasis for the Amazons to arrive. It was market day. He paced back and forth in front of the grain merchants. It was the one purchase they always had to make. Finally, he saw three Amazons walking slowly toward him and luck must have been on his side, because one of them was Tyr.
"Tyr," he exclaimed excitedly. "I'm so glad to see you."
The other two Amazons looked a question at her. She shook her head and gestured for them to do the shopping. She drew Tobias aside and asked, "What are you doing here?"
His face flushed bright red as he explained, "I need to see Ileana. To see if anything has changed."
"You can't," she refuted slowly. "Ileana isn't here."
"What do you mean, not here?" he echoed in confusion. "I realize she’s not at market, but isn’t she in the village?"
Tyr shook her head. "She’s gone Tobias, she went to Thrace and well, no one knows where she is."
"What do you mean no one knows?" He eyed her carefully as he added, "I bet the God of War does. He always . . ."
Again, Tyr shook her head. "He doesn't know. At least he didn’t yesterday. He came to see Galea sure that something had happened to Ileana. Three days ago, Ileana left with some soldiers from Ares’ temple to go to Thrace to see Antiope. She arrived safely, but then disappeared from the temple. No one knows what happened. Lord Ares is searching for her as is Lady Artemis, but they can't seem to find her. We are all so frightened, Tobias."
"The Gods can't find her? Did they ask the Fates, is she, could she be . . ." He couldn’t bear to think the word let alone say it.
"They don't think she is dead," Tyr clarified gently. "The Fates insist her lifeline still exists. She is just . . . gone."
"I'll look for her," Tobias insisted.
"Where?" Tyr shook her head. "No one knows where to start. Tobias, I need to get supplies and get back to the village."
"Tyr, wait," he put a restraining hand on her arm. "I told your Queen I'd always be grateful for her hospitality and if ever I could help her, I would. Tell her I'm here and will do anything she asks of me. I'll stay at the Inn for a few more days waiting. Please Tyr, let me help."
She gently removed his hand and said, "I'll let the Queen know. But Tobias, don't get your hopes up. There are forces at work here, things we don't understand. If the gods can't find a mortal, then we are all lost."
"I tell you she must be there," Ares repeated. Both Galea and Artemis shook their heads in disagreement.
"How can you know that?" Galea asked. "How can you be sure?"
"I just am," he insisted stubbornly.
Artemis studied her brother. He had been furious and frenetic, now he was calm and determined, sure of himself and his purpose. "For the sake of argument," she conceded. "Let’s say she is there. What can we do about it?"
He shook his head. "I don’t know. But they need her to wake the stone. They are waiting for something or someone or she would be dead by now."
"How can you know that?" Galea asked.
Artemis and Ares exchanged a look. Artemis shook her head, but Ares decided it was time to tell Galea the truth. "In the circle Ileana found, the stone there is called the Braca Stone. It is very old, from before even the Titans, maybe from when the world was just being shaped. It requires three sacrifices to awaken it. First the sacrifice of royalty, second the sacrifice of purity and lastly the sacrifice of an Olympian God. That is why our powers won't work there, we are vulnerable near it, else we would destroy it. Ileana must be needed as the sacrifice of purity, because she is vowed to my dear sister and therefore pure. I am supposed to be the sacrifice of a god," he stated bitterly. "Whoever took her is sure I will follow. The question is, who is to be the sacrifice of royalty?"
A voice at the door of the hut declared, "Jihilla. She was taken before dawn this morning."
"Tessa?" Ares muttered softly. He turned to look at her.
"Yes." She came into the hut, dressed in suede leggings and vest, breastplate gleaming with brass. "I came to give Galea the news and to ask for her help. Sixty men came to the village this morning, there was a terrible battle, and during it, Jihilla was taken. We knew something was seriously wrong when in the middle of a pitched fight, the intruders simply stopped and ran away. We lost many warriors today, but we have many left. I have come to ask, that is . . ." She took a breath and Ares caught her right before she fell.
He carried her to the bed and lay her down. He rubbed her wrists together and asked, "Tessa, can you hear me?" She didn't respond. "Galea, do you have a healer somewhere? I don't see a wound or bleeding, but perhaps?"
Galea nodded and rushed out of the hut. Artemis glanced at the girl and her brother. "Your priestess?" she sneered sarcastically.
Ares stroked the girl’s forehead. "She was an Amazon warrior first. She is also Jihilla’s heir. Do not insult her, unless you wish to insult me as well. For the moment, we must work together to stop the Braca Stone from awakening. After that, there will be time enough to settle our grievances. And Artemis, you might think about which of the Olympian Gods would be interested in hurting you as well as me. Surely, you can see where this is heading. What the long term plan is?"
"What do you mean?" She hadn't really thought beyond keeping the stone from awakening.
"Hera," he explained softly. "It has to be Hera or Athena. But I am much more inclined to think of dear mother. Still, Athena has always wanted to be Goddess of War. One or both of them must be using Cartegena. If they can waken the stone using my blood, then they can control it. The Braca will be bound to whoever makes the sacrifices. Can’t you see? Both of them hate the Amazons for choosing to live outside conventional bounds and both of them hate me."
"If what you say is true," Artemis mused thoughtfully, "Zeus will be furious."
"As if either of them care about that," he retorted impatiently. "Zeus will never punish his favorite daughter, Athena, his one true child. And Hera, well, when has Zeus ever punished her for anything?"
Artemis nodded. Sometimes she forgot just how clever Ares really was. "So what do we do?"
"I don’t know," he admitted helplessly. "If try to rescue Ileana and Jihilla, I'll be mortal and it will give them the sacrifice they need. If I stay away, they'll try to find another god to use. If it is Hera . . ."
"Ares," she insisted gently. "We'll find a way to save them. You can't go. We must hope, which ever god is doing this, they won't find another one of us to sacrifice."
"What is taking Galea so long?" he muttered. He touched Tessa’s brow gently; she seemed to stir at his touch. He gently rubbed her wrists again and she opened her eyes. "Tessa," he asked softly. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes, my lord," she replied. "What happened?"
"You appear to
have fainted." He grinned at her. "I never would have thought you had
it in you."
She smiled at him and reached up to stroke a curl of hair off his face. "I’m sorry. It is very unlike me, isn’t it? But my horse went lame about two miles back and I ran all the way." Better, he think her exhausted than pregnant. It had only been ten days, but she knew she was with child.
"Just rest," he ordered gently. "Galea went to get her healer."
She nodded and shut her eyes again. He had defended her to Artemis. He must care about her a little to have threatened a goddess over her. So they had Ileana as well as Jihilla. Interesting.
"What is taking her so long?" Ares asked again.
"Why, Ares," Artemis sneered, "one might almost think you cared."
"Well I guess our moment of bonding is over," he snorted nastily. "I did think it was too good to be true."
Before Artemis could reply, Galea and Cyrene, the healer, entered the hut. Galea motioned Cyrene to the bed and gestured for the two gods to come to her. "I'm sorry I took so long," she explained, "but I received news from Parnasis which gave me an idea."
"What is it?" Ares inquired.
"There is a young man who owes me a service, Tobias. He came to see Ileana and Tyr told him she was missing. Apparently, he still loves her; he will look very hard for her. And he is mortal."
"What do you propose?" Artemis prompted.
"We send Tyr, Kori, Myla, Chrissa and Tobias after Ileana and Jihilla. A small group should have an easier time getting through. Kori has been there once already and knows the way. If they are holding them near the stone, which you believe," she nodded at Ares, "then neither of you can help. But the five of them may have a chance. And all of them, including Tobias would die for her."
"I'll guide them part of the way. Make sure they aren't captured before they reach the circle of power. And I have an army we can use as well. Cartegena has a lot to answer for," Ares confirmed.
Cartegena was now pondering what would happen in the next few days. He had two of the three sacrifices his Queen had demanded, but no idea how to achieve the other. She had told him not to worry; the God of War would come to him. He wasn't so sure. He didn't think Ares nearly as stupid as she did. In addition, he didn't think a girl, no matter how attractive, could really hold such a pull a god would knowingly risk his life. Further he had double-crossed the God of War and he wondered how, if he ever saw Ares again, he would manage to survive it. Cartegena's answer was to stay in the area near the stone where he knew a god couldn't touch him. He wondered how Hera planned on making the sacrifices.
He heard a noise from the back of the cave like retching and wondered which of the captives it was. Must be the girl, Ileana. She didn’t seem to enjoy his cooking much. He laughed to himself, Hera had wanted her alive and virginal, but she hadn’t said healthy. Besides, the girl was easier to handle since he started adding that plant to her food.
He rubbed the place along his jaw where she had slugged him. For most of the ride West, she had lain across his lap, a dead weight. When he stopped the horse to get off, she slugged him before he knocked her out again. Once in the cave, she had asked him to untie both her hands and feet, but he refused. He had left her hands tied and ever since, had drugged her food, taking care to stay as far out of her reach as possible.
Ileana couldn't seem to the food down. It was awful but she knew she needed to eat to keep up her strength. She studied Jihilla lying on her side moaning. Ileana had tried to tend to her wound. Ileana went closer to the queen and whispered, "Whatever you do, don’t eat the food."
"That bad?" Jihilla asked with a weak smile.
"Not only that," Ileana conceded, "but I’ve come to the conclusion it must have something in it to make you sick. As bad as it is, I should be able to keep it down. But instead, it all comes back up again."
"Maybe he’s just a really bad cook," Jihilla retorted with a laugh. That was a mistake for now Jihilla started to cough. Spasms wracked her body making the wound in her side bleed again. Clearly, she had put up a fight before being taken.
"Let me see what I can do," Ileana suggested. She walked toward the front of the cave where Cartegena stood. "I need some bandages and some ointment, please."
"Whatever for?" he asked.
"Jihilla is injured. If I don’t try to stop the bleeding, stop a possible infection, she'll die."
He laughed. "She's going to die anyway."
"What do you mean?" Ileana inquired curiously.
"You are both going to die," he sneered with a maniacal laugh. "That's why you're here."
Ileana looked passed him out the cave entrance and at the stone and the fifty soldiers who guarded it. "What is that thing?" she asked.
"The Braca Stone," he replied.
"Is that why we're going to die?"
Cartegena nodded. "You two are part of the sacrifice. When the third part gets here, then all of you will die and the monster will come."
"What kind of monster?"
"You know," he reflected, "I never thought to ask. It doesn’t matter; my Queen will protect me. She'll control it."
"Your Queen?" Who was he working for? Another Amazon Queen would never . . . By the gods, could it be? "Hera?" she whispered the name.
"Of course Hera," he snorted with disdain. "Who else could I mean?"
Ileana took a deep breath and asked, "Who's the third sacrifice?"
"Wouldn’t you like to know," he sneered with another maniacal laugh. "Oh well, I guess it doesn’t make any difference if I tell you now. You’ll know soon enough. Your good friend, the God of War."
"Ares?" Her heart seemed to skip a beat. No, he couldn’t come here. He would be powerless.
"Of course," he chanted in a singsong voice, "get the girl, the god will come. Get the girl, the god will come."
"He'll never come here," she insisted. "I'm not that important to him."
"That’s what I said," he concurred. "But Hera thinks different. And she is his mother."
"His own mother wants to kill him?"
"Pretty sick, isn’t it?" he retorted. "Still, gods will do as they please. Us mortals, well, we’re just here for their amusement."
"And you think she’ll leave you alive after you watch her kill her son?"
He looked at her with surprise. "Why not? I'm doing as she asked me. I have been her loyal and devoted servant for a long time now. I'd do anything for her."
"Including die for her?" Ileana asked softly. "Because you will die," she suggested. "A very slow and painful death. I can promise you that. Ares will not come; he isn't stupid, he knows he has no power here. But sometime, you will have to leave this magic circle. Sometime, he will take his revenge. And I can promise you, he will kill you."
Cartegena shook his head. His eyes were filled with a fanatical light and seemed to bore right into hers as he retorted, "He will be dead. He cannot harm me from Tartarus or wherever it is gods go when they die. Now get away from me. I wish to watch the sun set on the stone in peace."
Kori came to the Inn to get him. She wouldn't speak; other than to ask him to get his things, until they were right outside the Amazon village. Then she said, "Tobias, you made a rash promise several years ago. Do you remember?"
Tobias nodded. "I remember. I'll honor it."
"It probably means death," Kori explained softly. "We have little chance of success. We may, even now, be too late."
"If there is one chance I can help save Ileana, then I must. I owe her that. If I had not been so faithless, so sure I would lose her, then she would have left you and come with me. You know that, don’t you?" Kori nodded. "In a way, this is all my fault."
"There is plenty of blame to pass around," a deep voice announced from the trees. "You can have your share if you wish it. But I wouldn’t be too eager to accept it just yet."
Tobias looked around wildly. He couldn't see another soul, and yet that voice . . .
"Ares," Kori remarked angrily, "don't try to scare someone whose help you need. It's counter- productive."
Suddenly a very tall, very dark man, dressed all in leather appeared. He bowed low to Tobias and announced, "Ares, God of War."
Tobias gulped. He hadn’t bargained on this. He found he couldn’t speak. He looked at Kori, who just shook her head.
"Ares," Kori retorted impatiently, "he will be unable to help us if you keep acting like a prize ass."
The God of War nodded to her and vanished as quickly as he appeared.
"What in the world is going on?" Tobias mumbled.
"Tobias," Kori explained quietly, "listen to me. There are some things you need to know. I know how you feel about the God of War. Ileana told me. But this time, I swear to you, he’s on our side. He's going to help us. His army is going to join with our Amazon army. You will have to trust him. Do you think you can do it?"
Tobias studied the Amazon before him. She had never lied to him and he knew she loved Ileana as much if not more than he did. "How can you be sure he won’t double-cross us?"
"He is very motivated," she replied wryly. "Do you trust me?" He nodded. "I have served Ares for a great many years. I know him and I tell you, this time and this time only, you can trust him. He will do everything in his power to save Ileana. He is the most brilliant tactician I know and as much as I hate to say it, I am glad he is on our side. Now are you ready?"
He nodded. "Yes. If you say we have to trust him, then I guess we must. But Kori, I will never turn my back on him."
"Nor should you," she agreed softly. "Nor should you."
Antiope played the two notes on her flute. Still Hera did not come. She had been trying to summon her Grandmother ever since her father left. For two days now, Hera ignored her. 'Ares that pig,' she thought. 'He'll never love me. I'll make him pay.' Again, she played the notes on the flute.
Hera, on Olympus heard the summons but continued to ignore it. She had watched the scene between father and daughter. Antiope had impressed her. She stood her ground and handled her father well, until the moment she attempted to seduce him. 'That was a mistake,' Hera thought at the time, 'one you would not have made if you were older.'
Again, the flute sang. Hera sighed; she would have to go to her soon, otherwise, she would be hearing the flute every few moments for eternity. Hera waved her hand and appeared in the garden.
"Grandmother," Antiope exclaimed, "I've been waiting for you. Where have you been?"
"Yes, child, I know." Hera patted the girl's hand. "I've been busy arranging things."
Antiope's eyes burned with emotion. "Have you killed Ileana? Will you? Can I watch?"
'Such naked hate,' Hera thought. 'How beautiful.' "No, child, you may not. I have other plans for you."
Now the girl's eyes were calculating. "What do you mean?"
Hera watched her carefully. "You can't stay here any longer."
Antiope already knew that. Ares would kill her the next time he saw her, she was sure of it. "Where can I go?"
"I have just the place," Hera answered. "Come here, child, take my hand."
Antiope, without a backward glance, ran to Hera and took her hand. The Peacock Queen and the child vanished.
Artemis was in a hurry. She had been to Olympus and now she was back, trying to find Ares. He stubbornly refused to stop what he was doing and be found.
She paced Galea’s hut while she waited for him to return. Kori and Tessa were there, waiting. Artemis prompted, "Kori, I know you can call him. Why has he not come?"
Kori stared at the goddess. She had never seen Artemis like this; impatient, strained, even a little scared. "He is arranging things. Moving the armies into position. He knows what he’s doing. This is what he is best at."
"Thank you for the compliment," he intoned formally as he materialized in the hut. "I think everything is almost ready. It will take us a day and a half to get this tribe into position. Tessa, I'll take you back to yours now. Remember tomorrow to get them into position as well. If this plan is to work, then it all has to be coordinated. Are you ready?"
Tessa nodded and went to him. Ares had been wonderful. Taking care to make sure she was well. Listening to her thoughts. She took his hand and the two vanished.
Artemis shook her head. 'He is so stubborn, so sure he knows best. I wish . . .' But she was never to finish the thought for he returned. "Artemis," he asked. "What is it?"
Artemis nodded toward the mortals and Ares shook his head. "They have as much right to know what you learned as I do. Their lives are in as much danger, maybe more, since they are the ones who will fight. Not us."
Artemis nodded and explained slowly, "It is Hera. Athena is otherwise occupied in Athens. All the other gods are accounted for. I spoke to Zeus, as you suspected, he will do nothing. If all the twelve are accounted for, how does she hope to sacrifice a god? If we don't go there, she will have none to wake the stone."
He gave her a pitying look, "She has a plan, Artemis. Maybe she knows something we don’t. Maybe it only needs the blood without death, in which case, she could use her own."
Artemis shook her head doubtfully and refuted, "She'd never do that."
"Don’t be too sure. She has a dark mind, a darker soul and the powers to prove it. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. We have confirmed all we can. It's time for action." He turned to Galea. "Is your army ready?"
Galea answered, "Yes. I'll leave twenty here to protect the children. The rest of us will come. I will lead."
Kori protested, "Galea, that wasn't the plan."
Galea’s eyes clouded over. "It may not be, but I have no wish to survive if most of my sisters are gone."
Ares bowed to her. "You are a brave woman," he proclaimed softly. "I'd be proud to ride beside you."
"Thank you." Galea turned to Artemis and curtseyed, "Goddess, over the years you have treated us well. If we do not meet again, thank you."
Artemis smiled at her fondly. It had taken her a long time to wrest control of this tribe back from Ares. Not since before Kalea’s time had a queen chosen to serve her. Galea was the first in many years. She did not intend to lose that power. "We will meet again," Artemis asserted.
Ileana paced the small cave. Jihilla didn't seem to be healing. Her wound, though no longer bleeding, was sure to be infected. The area around it was red and swollen. The queen could barely move and each breath sounded laborious. Ileana felt again for the small knife hidden in her jerkin under the breastplate. 'I can’t believe he didn’t search me,' she thought.
Ileana could have cut her ropes at anytime, but escape, until she knew more, would have been pointless. Once they had captured Jihilla, she was glad she hadn't tried. She had lost count of the number of days she had been there, but still they waited.
'Ares,' she thought, 'don't come. No matter what stay away. It's the only thing keeping us alive.'
Cartegena was again standing in the mouth of the cave. Ileana went to him. Fifty men still guarded the stone. She could see campfires burning, but the area was otherwise dark. It was now or never.
Cartegena looked at the Amazon standing next to him. "What do you want now?" he asked.
"Bandages and ointment. She's dying. The wound is infected."
"Is she planning on dying today?" he quizzed her curiously.
"Why don’t you ask Hera?" Ileana retorted. "If she dies before Ares gets here, assuming he’s coming at all, this will be for naught, won’t it?"
'The girl,' he grudgingly admitted to himself, 'has a point.' He walked away from Ileana, out of the cave and went to one of his men. When he returned he had bandages and ointment.
"I can't tend to her with bound hands," Ileana pointed out.
He studied her curiously. Such a fuss over such a young girl. Yes, she was beautiful, but so what? Hera had warned him she was also deadly. Did he dare untie her? No, he would have to tend the queen himself.
"I'll do it," he stated. "I don't trust you."
Ileana shrugged. "As long as she has treatment."
Cartegena picked up the lantern and walked to the back of the cave with Ileana. He took one look at Jihilla’s wound and saw the girl was right. It was infected. Quickly he cleaned it, put ointment on it and bandaged it.
"You have battlefield experience," Ileana commented.
"I'm a warlord," he remarked shortly. "I was probably killing long before you were even born."
"And you’re proud of that?" she asked.
He looked at her with surprise. "Aren’t all Amazons warriors? Haven't you killed?"
Ileana turned away from him feigning disgust. She reached into her breast, pulled the knife and cut the ropes. When she turned around, his back was to her. She came up behind him and slit his throat. "I have now," she declared softly.
Cartegena fell on the ground next to the queen his blood spurting everywhere.
"Jihilla," Ileana whispered, "can you hear me?"
"What happened?"
"I killed him. You're too ill to move and I'm afraid to wait any longer. I don't want to leave you, but I must. I'll get help." She cut Jihilla’s ropes. "His men don't check the cave at night. But when they don't see him tomorrow . . ."
"I'll play dead," Jihilla agreed with a cough. "Go. Get help. You must stop this. Besides," she added with another cough, "with you gone, they'll be missing a sacrifice."
Ileana nodded. With the lantern in the back of the cave, the entrance was dark. Quietly she went to stand at the mouth looking at the terrain. Stealthily she began to move out into the area beyond the cave, glad there was no moon.
Tobias, Kori, Myla, Chrissa, and Tyr were at the edge of the forest. They could see the ocean of men that lay between them and the stone. They could not see the cave beyond. Tobias whispered, "Can you see? Where are they holding her?"
Kori shook her head, "There is only one way to find out. We will have to go in. But we must wait for the signal."
On the high ground, Ares nodded with satisfaction. All was ready. His army was over the rise to the left prepared to attack at the signal. Tessa's tribe sadly depleted but also ready was on the right flank. Galea’s tribe was with him. Now all they needed was a distraction.
Ileana moved quietly through the area trying to stay as far from the campfires and the stone as she could. She paused for a moment, listened, but hearing nothing, began once again to move forward. If she could just get to the forest, she could escape. Suddenly the sky seemed to blaze with a great red fire lighting up everything. She could see the soldiers clearly now and they could see her. She had taken Cartegena’s sword. She knew she would have to use it, even now, some soldiers were coming toward her.
Then she heard it: Amazon war cries, horses hooves, from every direction there seemed to come warriors, rushing on to the field of battle. Cartegena’s soldiers were surprised, but so well trained that within seconds they were fighting.
Ileana braced her feet and prepared for the onslaught.
Tobias and the Amazons began to move as soon as they saw Ares’ fire in the sky. Kori had been sure it wouldn't work, but somehow the God of War had managed it. They were halfway to the stone before they were noticed in all the confusion. Suddenly it was a sea of fighting. Amazons screaming, soldiers fighting, horses kicking, people dying.
As well trained as Cartegena’s warriors were, they were out-numbered and out-matched. The Amazons, fighting to retrieve their own, were ferocious and determined. They didn't merely wound. They killed without mercy.
Ares’ soldiers fighting a battle they were told to win at any cost were highly motivated. Soon the ground around the stone was littered with bodies and running in blood.
Kori was the first to reach the cave. Tobias was right behind her. The others stayed to join the fight.
"Ileana," Tobias shouted.
A small voice came softly from the back of the cave, "She's gone."
"No," the wail tore out of him. "She can't be dead."
"Not dead," the voice explained softly. "Gone. She escaped before this started."
"Jihilla?" Kori asked. She moved toward the light.
"Yes, I'm here. But I'm afraid I can't come to you."
Kori rushed to the queen. She saw the man lying dead, pushed him out of the way, and then examined She took one look at Jihilla's wound. Kori inquired, "As bad as it looks?"
Jihilla nodded. "Yes. Ileana got me treatment before she escaped, but it's infected. I can barely move."
"Tobias, come here," Kori shouted.
He looked at her helplessly. "I have to find Ileana."
"No," Kori refuted. "You must help me get Jihilla to safety. This is more important."
Ares sat on his horse, a beautiful black stallion, just outside the circle of power. 'This is impossible,' he thought. 'I must know what is happening.'
He turned his horse and just as he was preparing to ride into the fray, he heard Artemis say, "Don’t."
She materialized in front of the horse, frightening it, which nearly threw him. He dismounted. "Artemis, I have to know."
She looked at her brother with something close to concern on her face. "The second you go in, Hera will know it. Then she will have all she needs. She's counting on it."
He shook his head. "I don't understand how her powers can work there. Ours can't."
She shrugged. "It may not be a matter of powers. You're her favorite."
He laughed bitterly. "Once maybe, but not now. I am clearly not her favorite, not if she wishes my death."
She placed a restraining hand on his arm. She knew it was probably useless, but she implored him anyway. "Just be patient. Wait."
Galea could feel the life slowly draining from her. She had ridden in at the head of her tribe, her sword blazing. The first wave of fighting was brutal and before she knew it, she was knocked from her horse and forced to fight hand to hand. Her waning eyesight had handicapped her. She felt the sword run through her, knew it was a mortal blow.
She lay on the ground, feeling the life’s blood run out of her. 'If only they find Ileana,' she thought, 'it will be worth it.' Suddenly she felt strong hands lift her up and put her on a horse. 'Who?'
"Galea, I'll get you out of here," the voice whispered.
"Ares? You shouldn't be here."
"I couldn’t not knowing. We are winning, Galea. Have you seen her?"
"No, but I won't leave my tribe. Let me die a warrior."
"You will both die," Hera stated gleefully.
Ares looked into his mother's eyes. Hera appeared regal and beautiful as she sat on a huge white stallion. She was surrounded by her minions, armored fools, in Ares' opinion. "Mother," Ares spoke the word like a curse. "I’ve been expecting you."
"And I you. You're a fool, like your father," the Queen spat. "Caring for these mortals. Well, so be it. Now you will die like one."
"No," came a shout from close by. "You will not kill him!" It was Ileana.
"I'll kill you all," Hera sneered with a nasty laugh. She took a whistle from her pocket and blew. The sky filled with Mynocks and the tide of battle changed.
Hera's minions grabbed Ileana and Ares. Although they both tried to fight, there were far too many opponents and Ares had no powers save those of a mortal. Soon, they were bound hand and feet.
Ares watched and could do nothing as the black winged creatures came down from the sky and began to kill everything in their path, Amazon, his soldiers, even Cartegena’s soldiers. Soon anyone left was in full retreat. Hera blew her whistle again and the Mynocks vanished. More corpses and blood littered the ground between them and the stone.
Hera directed her soldiers to carry Galea to the stone and to take Ares and Ileana there as well. She rode her stallion to the cave. She dismounted and picked her way carefully between bodies to go inside. When she came out, the look on her face was terrible. "Where is Jihilla and what happened to Cartegena?"
"I don't know where Jihilla is," Ileana remarked, "But I killed Cartegena."
Hera stared at the girl. "Well, no matter, this Queen is still alive. We'll do it now."
Ileana and Ares were made to stand in front of the stone and Galea was laid at their feet. "You do take me to the nicest places," Ileana whispered to the God of War.
Ares just looked at her. Well, if he had to die, at least he would do it with her. "You don’t seem afraid."
"We're not going to die," she whispered back. "Not when we have so much to live for." Then she winked at him.
'What does she have up her sleeve?' he wondered.
Hera motioned the men away. She stared at the queen at her feet, her son, and the girl. She was going to enjoy this. The Peacock Queen pulled a dagger out of her breast and as she went to stab Galea, Ileana turned her torso away as if she couldn’t bear to watch.
Ileana heard the sound Galea made as the dagger went through her heart, but when she turned back around, her hands were free and she was preparing to throw a knife at Hera’s chest. Hera turned, so the knife caught her shoulder blade instead.
Blood spurted from Hera’s wound and landed on the stone. Hera shouted and pulled the knife out and then all Tartarus broke loose. Ileana had Ares hands untied and she ran to attack Hera.
Ares untied his feet, but before he could get up, the stone began to sway and crack. 'How in Tartarus?' he thought. Then he knew. Galea was both royal and pure, she must have counted as both, and Hera’s blood was the final piece.
Ileana was attacking Hera, clawing at her, scratching at her, kicking her. Hera wasn’t even fighting back; she was watching the Braca Stone.
Ares ran to Ileana and pulled her away from his mother. The stone broke apart and out came a terrible sight. It had two heads, one male and one female, the body of a wolf, the paws of a bear and the legs and hooves of a deer.
"Why have you woken us?" the male head thundered.
"It is time," Hera intoned. "I wish you to destroy this world."
The creature laughed. "You didn't wake us." It pointed a huge bear paw at Ileana, "She did."
Ileana had drawn Hera’s blood the final sacrifice. "Ileana," Ares whispered, "it's bound to you. It will do as you tell it."
She swallowed hard. "I don't wish you to cause trouble. And I'm sorry I woke you."
The creature, the Braca, took a step toward her. "You're sorry you woke us?" it asked curiously.
"Yes," she confirmed. "I didn’t mean to."
"Stop this nonsense," Hera shouted. "I am Queen of the Gods. You will do as I tell you."
The Braca laughed. "You have no power here." It picked Hera up and threw her over the sea of dead bodies toward the woods and the sky. They could hear her terrible scream, but as soon as she passed the edge of the circle, she vanished.
"What happened to her?" Ileana asked.
"We sent her back to Olympus," the female head explained. "Now, what do you wish?"
"Nothing," Ileana replied. "What do you want?"
The two heads exchanged a look. The female spoke first. "We can't live in your world. You don't want us and we have no place here."
The male head clarified, "We were bound into the stone by a god even older than the Titans. It was where we belonged. Where we had peace."
"Is there a way to put you back?" Ileana suggested.
The male said, "No. Once we are out, we are bound to the one who woke us. To you."
Ileana stared at Ares. She had no idea what to do. Once again she asked, "What do you want?"
"You would give us a choice?" the female echoed incredulously.
"I don't want our world harmed. If your choice doesn't include that, then yes, you may choose."
The two heads exchanged yet another look. Slowly, the Braca got down on the ground. The heads were facing her. They stated together, "We choose death."
Ileana jumped back a foot. "I don't understand."
Ares went to her and urged gently. "They wish you to kill them."
"Ares," she shook her head. "I can't. I won't kill in cold-blood."
"We want peace," the Braca insisted. "Death will give it to us."
"I can't kill
you," she repeated. "You have done me no harm."
"Then we will destroy your world."
"No," she shouted. "Can't he do it? He’s very good at killing. He’s the God of War."
"No, he cannot. Only the one who woke us, who freed us, can kill us. This is what we wish," the heads demanded insistently. "If you won't do it, then we will be free to destroy your world."
Ares looked at the Braca and remarked with more than a little irony in his tone, "Just give me a moment here."
He pulled Ileana away and advised her, "Listen to me. You must kill them. If you don’t they will destroy everything, starting with you and me. You don't wish to die, do you?" She shook her head. "Then you must kill them."
She shook her head helplessly. "How can I? They haven't harmed me."
His dark eyes flashed, first with anger, then with grudging respect. "Ileana, this insane honor of yours will be the death of us. Fine, don’t kill them. After they eat me, will you kill them?"
"Yes," she concurred. "They must do something to us before I'll harm them."
He shrugged and commented, "Stay here."
He went over to the Braca and whispered something to it, something so low she couldn’t hear it. The next thing she knew, Ares was in the bear paw and moving toward the mouth of the male head.
She ran toward the Braca, her sword flailing. "Put him down," she shouted. "You will not kill him."
The Braca laughed and dropped the God of War on the ground. She ran to him. "Are you all right?"
He grinned ruefully and announced, "A little bruised, now will you please kill them so we can go?"
She nodded. "Very well," she agreed softly. "I will do as you wish. How?"
The male and female heads of the Braca smiled at her and replied in unison, "You must cut our heads off."
Ileana nodded, walked around the mammoth creature, and using the sword that had already killed many that day, killed the Braca.
The second she was done, Ares felt the change. The power in the place was gone. He had his powers back. Ileana was trembling and shaking as if she would never stop. He ran to her, grabbed her about the waist and with a thought they were gone.
Return to Chapter Four - The Chosen One
Forward to Chapter Six - The Chosen One