"This field trip is really getting annoying," Daphnie told her best friend, Maia.
Maia looked back at her "What's wrong with you, Daph?? Tomorrow we get to go up on Mount Olympus. This is *the* best field trip I've ever been to!"
The two girls were nestled in two beds in one of the rooms of a motel on the slopes of Mount Olympus. They were best friends since kindergarten and now that they'd graduated, they decided to take that trip, before officially turning adults. Greece and Italy were the chosen destinations. Maia went to follow her favorite Myths, she was a short, white-skinned, quiet, blonde girl who loved the Greek Mythology and her craving for knowledge on the topic was never satisfied. Her best friend, Daphnie, was her antithesis. Raven-haired, energetic, and loved a good party. She went along to meet the well-known Italian men. The two were best friends, and nothing could drive them apart, nothing.
Daphnie didn't seemed convinced, though. "I don't know, I don't fancy these Greek myths, you know, and I'm afraid of heights!"
"You'll be fine, Daphnie, so shut up, and get some sleep." came the amused, sleepy answer from the other bed.
The next morning the group gathered and started up the path to the mountain of the Gods. About two hours after they started the walk, they reached a fork in the road.
Their guide, a Greek man from the nearby village, turned to the group, and started telling them about the ancient Greek Gods - Zeus and Hera, Hades and Persephone, Demeter and Dionysus, Athena, Artemis and Apollo, Aphrodite, Ares and Hephaestus. When he was finished, he pointed at the right path. "This path is believed to lead to the Golden palace of Zeus. However, it was blocked by a fall of rock a few dozens years ago. We will go on to watch the view from the peak." He led the way to the other path.
Maia tapped her friend's shoulder, "You go ahead. I'll join you in a while, you know, nature calls." She smiled shyly.
"Sure," Daphnie replied, and went on to join the rest of the group.
Maia waited just long enough for the rest of the group to disappear behind the curve of the road, before rising and taking the other path. She didn't know why. She just felt that someone, something was calling her; she didn't know who or what, but she had to follow.
She started walking; after a few moments she reached the big boulders blocking the way. The mystical force which called her, now led her beyond them. Once she was past the rocks, she arrived at another fork. Again, the calling led her in one direction, and Maia followed.
She kept walking. The sky was blue, and the sun was up in the sky. The birds, who sang beautifully when she started her walk, grew more silent as she walked on. Suddenly she stood at a huge golden gate. She knocked, but her knock wasn't even enough to disturb the weird peace that dominated the place.
She pushed the gate open and walked in. The gate shut quietly behind her. To her surprise, she found herself in a huge, golden hall. Surrounding her were big, soft, cushioned beds, each occupied by a man or a woman, or in some cases, both. All of them seemed to be in a deep, magical slumber.
She wandered around the room. On the biggest bed lay a man and a woman. There was obviously some harsh feelings between them. Even in the magical slumber they were in, the two seemed to be floating further and further apart. The old man's face was sad, and filled with guilt, as though he had committed awful crimes. Maia couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
The face of the woman lying near him was filled with evil, rage and hatred. Peacock feathers decorated her hair, and her entire being seemed to radiate the evil her face was filled with.
Maia wandered on. On the next bed lay a young woman, attired in grey silk. Near her were her helmet, her bow, and her shield. She reflected a feeling of wisdom and eternal pride. She was a woman of great deeds.
Maia continued her journey through the hall. She passed near many beds, and saw the men and women who occupied them. Each one of them made her heart fill with agony . The place was filled with that agony.
She reached the end of the room. There, near the hearth, sat a young man at the bedside of another young man. The grief on the man's face touched her heart. His face was filled with loss. She walked near him and tapped his shoulder. He jumped back to his feet, alarmed.
"Who are you?" he asked, "What are you doing here??"
"I am Maia." she replied. "I don't know what I'm doing here; I was on a trip and I felt someone calling me. I followed the calling, and ended up here. Who are you?"
"Oh, my name is Iolaus. You don't know where you are, do you?"
The concern in his blue gaze made her realize that she really didn't know where she was. The confusion was probably shown in her features, because he rose from the bedside he was sitting on, and offered her his arm.
They walked to the next room. There the fire was burning, and some food and water were on the small table. Maia suddenly realized how hungry she was and stared at the food.
Iolaus noticed her gaze, and gestured at the food. "Help yourself, there's more than enough."
She smiled at him, and sat to eat. As she did that, he started telling her the story of the place.
"My name is Iolaus. In my days I was a great warrior and hunter. Today, I am no more than a spirit, and almost no one remembers my name. I had many adventures, most of them at the side of my best friend. We were very close, the best of friends. I trusted him with my life, and never regretted that."
"Is he the man who...?" she started.
"Yes, he is. Hercules, the son of Zeus." he answered, a sad smile on his lips.
"Hercules, but, he, that's a myth...it can't be." she mumbled.
"I'll explain. Eat, drink, there's plenty of it." He smiled, and went on, "This is Zeus' golden palace. Once the center of the society of gods. Now, a resting place for them. You see, thousands of years ago, the people of Greece stopped believing. The gods couldn't stand it, but realized the results too late. Now, they rest here, awaiting the return of their believers, a day I fear will never come."
"So, are you a god??" Maia asked, a bit ashamed.
"No," he laughed, "I'm not. I'm simply the best friend of one, or half of him, to be exact."
"I, I don't understand. If you're not a God, and they are, what are you doing here?? Why aren't you in the Elysian fields??"
"Oh, so you heard of the fields, I see, smart girl." His eyes reflected his feelings. "You see, when Hercules died, his father took pity on him. Zeus let his mortal half die, sent him to Elysium, but brought the godly part to Olympus. He was in constant agony, though he was reunited with his wife and children, who brought him great joy. He somehow seemed...not whole. Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, and Hercules' father, Zeus, agreed to let him be whole again. The exact detail of the deal are beyond me.
The years had passed, and my time had come too. I joined them in Elysium, and together with our families and friends we knew many happy years."
"So, why is he here now? And what happened to the people of the Underworld, when the Gods went to sleep??" Maia cut in his story.
"Well, the people of the Underworld are asleep as well; they shall wake again, when the Gods do." He saw another question in her eyes, and stopped it with a nod, "When the Gods started to weaken, so did Hercules. He came up here to ask the Gods what was happening. They told him. When he came back to Elysium, he wasn't the same man. With each day that passed, strange things began to happen. The Gods grew weaker and weaker, and with each morning that passed, more and more spirits fell to the magical slumber. The Gods didn't go to sleep yet, though, so the first ones to be affected were the sinners in Tartarus, then the Meadows, and only then, the Elysian Fields. It was a slow process. With each day, more and more fell asleep."
He spoke slowly. Sadness filling his words, as he continued,
"Then, Deianeira, his wife, and his children fell asleep. Hercules was devastated. He lost them horribly once, and he could not bear to lose them again. I was the only one who kept him from losing his mind. I reminded him that he had been through this before, and that the situation was only temporary, even though I didn't believe it myself. The rest of our family and friends had gone that way as well, and soon enough, Hercules and I were among the only awake souls left in Elysium.
We went up to Mount Olympus, to see if the Gods would help. Of course, they never were too nice to us, with some exceptions, naturally. When we got here, the Gods were ready to go to sleep. They told us they could not promise the well-being of the habitants of the Underworld. We tried to convince them to aid us. Hera and Ares would not agree. Eventually, the Gods came around. Zeus' only condition was that his son remained in Olympus. Hercules didn't want to stay away from his beloved ones at first, but Zeus managed to convince him. He promised that he would not keep him here when the Gods wakened, so Hercules agreed.
I didn't want to leave him, nor to go back to the loneliness of Elysium. So, the Gods, some of whom owed me favors, agreed to grant me the permission to stay with him, up here on Olympus. They had one condition, though, my name would not be remembered as it should have been. It didn't seem so big a sacrifice, so I agreed.
I was asleep ever since. A few years ago, I woke up here, just to find myself alone in this place. I went back to the Underworld, and I found that only a few woke there as well. None of us knew why. Neither Deianeira, nor my Enya woke yet, as well as Hercules and the other Gods. I have wandered between Olympus and Elysium since then, tending to those who are still asleep and trying to take care of the ones who woke.
I come back here as often as I can. Trying to wake him up, or actually, just to be with him. I go back to Elysium as well, sitting and staring at the lovely face of my Enya. A face I wished to see for so long, and then, it was taken from me again.
I don't know why I woke and they didn't. I can tell they are alive," he smiled, "alive as you can expect. I await the day when they wake, the day when we will all be reunited. The trouble is that I lost hope; no one has faith in the Gods anymore. I don't blame them. They weren't such a good bunch back then, but I do not regret knowing some of them. As for the rest, I wish they were never born, they brought so much suffering to mankind."
Maia was stunned at his story. She never dreamed of such a thing. She looked up to him; his eyes were sad, anticipating, hopeful and yet hopeless.
"I believe," she whispered, "I have faith; I do."
He smiled sadly, "Then you are the reason."
"I'm sorry, so sorry." she could only whisper.
Iolaus looked up to her, his blue eyes filling with hope again. "Don't be. You woke me, and the more of you who'll believe, the more of us will wake. You gave me hope, a thing that no one has given me in..." His gaze fell on the edge of Hercules' bed, "In eons." he whispered, a tear forming in his eye.
He rose to his feet, and walked over to her. "You should get going; they'll look for you."
"Will no one find this place again??" she asked.
"No, no one, not a soul, but you. For you, the gates are always open." he answered.
They got up and walked to the large hall again. As they passed by the beds, Maia became aware of the faces. Iolaus led her to the door, mentioning the names of the gods as they passed by them.
When they reached the golden gate, he stopped and faced her. "This is as far as I go, Maia. Please come again. I will be here, maybe with more. Make them believe, Maia, for us, make them believe." He handed her a piece of clay wrapped in fabric. "A thing to remember me by."
She smiled at him, and turned to the road. She turned to wave goodbye; he returned her wave and disappeared in the great palace. When she turned back to the road, she found herself back at the fork she left earlier today.
Daphnie came running towards her. "Maia, where were you?? By the Gods! How long can it take to attend to nature???"
Maia lifted her eyes. "What did you say, Daph??"
"What?" Daphnie replied, obviously surprised. "Oh, by the Gods. The Greek guide said that even today people use it; can you believe this??" She laughed.
"Yeah, I guess I can." Maia replied. The two girls started up the path to join the group. " By the Gods," Maia whispered, "By the Gods!" A small piece of clay wrapped in cloth laid in her hand.
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