The Iolausian Oracle drew her deep purple velvet cloak closely about her shoulders against the chilly early morning wind. She had been standing, concealed, in the bushes for some time, waiting for the right moment to step into the clearing. It was a large area, usually deserted, but now packed with people of all shapes, sizes and ages, male and female, although the female predominated. The clamor of voices rose and fell on the wind; a mixture of angry words, sobs and murmurs of distress. Even with her powers of social sensitivity, she wasn't sure which way the crowd would go when she appeared.
As she must.
She sighed to herself. Best to get on with it. There would never be a "good" time for any of this. Straightening her shoulders, she turned the cloak's hood back from her face and stepped into view. Silently, she made her way to a slight rise to the left of the clearing where she would be able to see most, if not all, of the group. As she stepped quietly and carefully along, people turned to look at who was edging past them; silence fell and spread like a wave over the crowd. Then the murmuring began again, agitated this time, with more than a touch of anger.
"The Oracle!"
"What is she doing here?"
"How can she show herself now ... after all that's happened?"
"What does she think she's doing?"
The Oracle kept her eyes straight ahead but her peripheral vision registered, and recognized, many of the Iolausian Amazons, especially those who had, not many years before, stormed the Underworld and succeeded in rescuing King Orestes after his untimely murder. Angry eyes, anguished eyes followed her every movement, but no one made a move against her. There were some things to be said for having the protection of the gods.
At last she reached the rise and mounted it, turning to face the crowd. She raised her arms, palms outward in a pleading gesture for quiet. The murmurs died away, but the anger and the anguish in the faces remained.
"My dear friends," she began, "And you are my friends, whatever you may think of me this moment. I have come to address the issue that is weighing heavily on your minds and hearts."
From midway back in the crowd, an Amazon rose from where she had been crouching by her warstaff. "We aren't interested in what can be 'addressed', only what can be accomplished," she declared stonily. "I think I speak for many here when I say that your presence is unwanted. We don't welcome false oracles into our midst."
The Oracle faced her directly. "How am I false, my friend?" She turned slightly, facing the others. "When have I told you an untrue thing?"
"You said that Iolaus wouldn't die!" someone called out angrily.
"You said he would return to us," someone else added, even more angrily.
"You lied!"
"You gave us hope when there was no hope!"
"You made us believe that Iolaus would never leave us..."
The Oracle held up her hands against the growing barrage of angry invective. "I have never lied to you. I did not say Iolaus would not die, nor did I imply that he would be returning to full life unharmed. My visions are often of what may be, not what will be. Even I could not be sure that Iolaus' death was a true thing until it occurred."
"Then why are you here unless you've come to help us rescue him from the Underworld?" Ceryndip called out. "If you believe he can't be rescued, then you don't belong here."
The Oracle sighed a little sadly. "My friends, I am here to help you, believe that." She spread her arms wide. "Come. Sit down and listen to what I have to say. Then, when I have said all that I came to say, you may do as you wish ... if you still wish to do it."
For a long time, no one moved. Then, as the Oracle seated herself on the grassy mound beneath her feet, others began to sit also. Finally the entire group settled to the ground and grew silent, waiting for her to speak.
"I'm going to tell you a story," the Oracle began. "It is a story that is mine as well as yours. In it, you may find answers to your questions. Or you may not. The choice is up to you."
On the borders of the Asphodel Meadows, in the far north of Elysium, is a lake called the Mirror of the Moon. It is so named, because, even though there is no night to interrupt the eternal day of the Elysian Fields, it shines with the argent light of a winter moon. In its placid waters are revealed scenes of the life that the Elysian dweller has left behind. It needs but a thought from the mind of the observer to open the vistas of life. Past, present and future are all available but most spirits choose to view the present, yearning over their loved ones.
Many spirits may be found on the lake's shores, but no one sees another's visions, for these are sacred and private for each. Sojourners on these shores come and go; sometimes there are many, at other times few, but all respect the solitary musings of everyone.
Because I have a special dispensation from Hades to visit the Underworld, I am sometimes called there to deal with a question or problem a spirit may have. Not many days ago, Hades came to me and asked if I would travel to the Mirror of the Moon. There was a recently arrived spirit, he said, who seemed to have taken up permanent residence on its shores. None of the delights of Elysium could draw him away, nor the loving entreaties of his family and friends who share Elysium with him. He seemed to prefer the shadows of the Asphodel Meadows from the very moment of his arrival, and when he came to the Mirror of the Moon and discovered its powers, he could not be enticed away from it. There he remained, forcing Hades to come to me for help.
While the Lord of the Underworld did not tell me the man's name, I was sure I knew who it was, and so I hastened to the Mirror, wondering what I could possibly say or do that Hades had not already tried without success.
It is always twilight in the Asphodel Meadows and I had to search the shores for some little while before I found the person I was seeking. He was off by himself, sheltered among some rocks along an almost deserted stretch of shore.
He was so attending to whatever he was seeing in the water that he did not notice my approach. He sat at the softly moving water's edge, his right leg stretched out in the soft grass, the other drawn up so his left arm could rest on his knee. He leaned on his other hand as he bent slightly forward, his eyes never leaving the shifting patterns on the water.
I paused for a moment, observing him, unsure of how to proceed. Every line of his lithe body spoke of dejection; the droop of his arm across his knee, the curved bow of his back, the way his tousled golden hair fell over his shadowed face... all spoke of a grief and longing too great to be borne.
From time to time he sighed, deeply, and it was like the sound of wind in autumn trees just before rain. At last he turned his eyes from the lake and laid his head on the arm across his knee. He neither moved nor made any sound, but I knew that he was crying.
Scarcely able to see past the tears in my own eyes, I moved quietly over the grass until I stood only a foot or two away from him. The gentle wind moved around both of us, ruffling the folds of my chiton and stirring the golden hair that lay against the nape of his neck. Not much louder than the sound of the hesitant wind, I said, "Iolaus?"
For a moment he didn't react and I was about to speak again, thinking he hadn't heard me. Then he looked up, his eyes following the line of my body from my sandals up to my face. His own face was dark, drawn with sorrow and wet with tears.
He stared at me silently, not questioning how I had come to be there. Then, mutely, he raised his arms to me as a child turns to its mother in helpless grief.
A moment later, I was kneeling before him and had taken him in my arms. I do not know how long I crouched there, holding him and rocking him gently, while he wept quietly, his face pressed into the hollow of my neck. In truth, I was weeping too, from pity for him and the sadness that had so mastered him.
At length, he drew away from me somewhat and I moved backward a little to sit on a large nearby rock. He came to curl up next to me on the ground, his left arm flung across my lap and his head resting on my knees. Caressed by the whispering wind, we gazed at the water together. Its depths showed me no visions and if Iolaus saw any, he did not speak of them.
Finally he said in a low voice, "IO?"
"Yes, Iolaus?" I answered, running my fingers through his silken hair in an attempt to comfort him.
"Hades sent you, didn't he?"
"Yes. He's very worried about you. I think you are the first person in all his long tenure to refuse the delights of the Elysian Fields."
The grey velvet shadows lay along the hollows and planes of his face, but I could see that he was smiling slightly. "Yeah," he said in a low tone."I'm a real party-pooper." He drew his arm away from my lap and turned so that his back was against my leg. He let his head fall back into my lap and lay gazing at the lambent sky for a long moment.
Presently he said, "You know, it's so ironic. All the time I was held captive by Dahak, through all the lies and deception, all I could hang onto was the hope that I would be released and reach the safety of the Elysian Fields. I knew I couldn't return to life, not anymore, and I was ready to come here.... I really was. At least, I hoped I'd end up in the Elysian Fields."
He sighed and closed his eyes briefly, remembering, "But then, the miracle happened and I was free. And when Zarathustra came for me ... well, it was beyond my wildest hope. A hope that's been fulfilled in ways I could never have dreamed of. But that was after I'd said good-bye to Hercules ...". He fell silent. He didn't open his eyes, but tears welled out from beneath his lashes.
"When you said good-bye to Hercules, you realized how final death is, even in the Elysian Fields and beyond, in the Light," I finished for him, stroking his forehead gently, brushing his hair back so that the wind could kiss his temples.
He opened his eyes and looked up at me. "Yes. And I thought ... it seemed I couldn't bear it, at first. But when we came through the light, I ... well, Zara told me that I could begin with the Elysian Fields. And it was all so beautiful. Ania was waiting for me, and our sons ... they're wonderful boys. My father came too, to welcome me, and my sister with the baby that died with her in childbirth. And Alcmene. It was all so ... so perfect. So full of joy and peace. And everyone was telling me what I could see and do... all the things that were available to me now. But..." He stopped, then drew away from me and sat up.
"But?" I encouraged him.
"But something pulled me away from all of it. Some call, some ... urge that I couldn't ignore. I told everyone that I wanted to be alone for a while...sort of get used to it all, you know? And everything was so bright that it seemed ... wrong...somehow."
"Wrong?" I questioned. "In what way?"
"Not...not matching what I was feeling. And so I came to the Asphodel Meadows and just kind of wandered around. Then I found the lake and the people who were here told me what its purpose was. And...and I looked and saw..."
Iolaus stood up suddenly and walked down to the water's edge. For a moment he appeared to be thinking of throwing himself in. Then he laughed a little bitterly and turned to face me again. "Aren't you going to ask me what I saw?"
I smiled gravely. "I think I know. You saw Hercules, grieving for you. You saw your mother and Pandeon ...Jason ...Iphicles... Nebula...Niobe...Xena and Gabrielle...all your friends...the Iolausian Amazons and Hunters who are prepared to storm the Underworld...again".
Iolaus laughed again briefly, but the bitterness was gone from the sound of it. "I wouldn't have thought there would be so many...hundreds...thousands...believe it or not." He pulled his shoulders up in a helpless shrug. "What did I ever do to make them care so much?"
I smiled. "You were born."
He shook his head. "It can't be that simple."
"Why not? All the things you were...and are... courageous, loyal, loving, daring, tender... these things spoke to people in a way they understood. To have lost you...at least until the time of their own deaths... is a grievous thing. They are suffering."
He shrugged again, despondently. "I know, and that's what's breaking my heart. Not to mention that I can't do anything about it. Especially Herc." His voice cracked. "I love him so much, IO! And for the first time in my life..." He actually giggled slightly and a little hysterically. "I mean, for the first time, I can't be there for him. I can't ever be there for him again...".
He turned away abruptly and stood gazing at the water. I didn't have to ask what he was seeing.
I got up and went to him. When I put my arm around his shoulder, he leaned against me. "Why do you go on looking, my dear?" I asked him. "You only punish yourself for no reason."
"Maybe I want to, " he answered after a moment of thoughtful consideration. "How can I be happy?...It's selfish, when they're all so miserable."
"And their misery is what drew you here," I told him. "Your loving heart can't throw off the embrace of love's grief."
He pulled away from me. "So what's the answer? I can't stand their suffering!"
"Maybe you don't have to," I said.
He turned to me. "What do you mean?" he asked, his blue eyes suddenly brighter with a spark of hope.
"It's kind of complicated. But if you'll come with me, I'll explain on the way."
Iolaus came to me immediately and took my hand like a trusting child. With a smile he kissed my cheek. "You know what I love about you, IO?" he said.
"What?"
"You're so normal!"
I couldn't help laughing. "Normal? I'm not sure that's a compliment."
"Oh it is!" he assured me as we began to walk away from the lake. "Because you walk in both worlds, you understand both in a way that makes everything seem wonderfully ordinary and non- threatening." He put an arm around me for a quick hug. "As an oracle you're amazing. And as my friend, you're a gift from the gods!"
Our laughter lifted and danced on the wind as we left the Mirror of the Moon.
The Oracle had drawn up her knees as she spoke and now she clasped her arms around them and leaned forward slightly as she fell silent.
When the silence lengthened, someone called out, "Is that the end of the story?"
"Where did you take Iolaus?" added the Amazon with the warstaff, a little irritably. "Couldn't you have brought him here at least?"
The Oracle held up her hand. "All in good time, my friends. And no, the story is not ended yet. There is another part. It involves Hades...and Orestes."
"Orestes?"
"What does he have to do with all this?"
The Oracle smiled a little sadly. "Since the Amazons stormed the Underworld and released him, he has served Hades in many ways that are similar to what I do. One of these is being privy to the visions of the future. In this, we have the same powers...and the same problem. We can see the future, when the gods send us the visions. We know what is going to happen, before it has happened...And then we have to function, burdened by that knowledge, knowing the fate of someone, perhaps someone we love..." The Oracle paused as tears welled in her eyes. She took a moment to quell them and continued.
"When I had received the vision of Iolaus' death, I was ...distraught. I couldn't comfort any of you because I couldn't lie to you, and I couldn't tell you the truth because of my oath to keep the future inviolate. One night Orestes came to me, partly of his own volition and partly because Hades asked him to. You see, the Lord of the Underworld was more than a little distraught himself... he was remembering what had happened when Orestes was killed. The Underworld still hasn't recovered from that! Now every time a large group of female souls comes down the path, Charon gets a panic attack, Cerberus flees yelping to the back of his cave and the border guards call in on sick leave!"
A ripple of laughter swept over the crowd.
Joining it, the Oracle waited until it had subsided and continued. "What Orestes told me is that Hades, being the soul of justice that he is, wanted to offer me a deal. He asked me to prevent the Iolausians from storming the Underworld again. In return, he made me the following promise: when the time came for Iolaus to make his final journey to Elysium, Hades would summon the Iolausians ... as he has ... and he would allow Iolaus to speak to you... to say good-bye. That is a favor he has allowed no other mortal. But the Iolausians must refrain from attacking the Underworld."
The Oracle smiled. "Of course, Hades didn't count on Zarathustra intervening in the way he did, or that Iolaus would bypass Elysium temporarily."
The Iolausians were standing now, excitedly muttering among themselves.
"Then he's here... Iolaus," Melisande exclaimed. "He's come to speak to us!"
The Oracle got to her feet. "He has come to speak to you," she affirmed. Slowly she lifted her right arm and held it as if encircling someone. The next moment, a mist of light formed next to her and took on the shape of a golden-haired man. When the collective gasp of awe broke from the crowd, he turned to face them, the light fading a little until they could see his face clearly. His smile... the beloved smile of love...was brighter than light.
The Oracle held up her hand quickly as the massed Iolausians surged forward with cries of delight. "Stop! You must approach no closer. Iolaus is pure spirit now, manifesting in this world only by special permission of Hades and the power he serves." She turned to Iolaus, smiled and stepped aside.
Haloed in the shimmering light that surrounded him, Iolaus surveyed the many hundreds of people gathered before him... many hundreds representing, he knew, many thousands more. For a long moment, he simply looked at them with love.
Then he said, "I know what you have suffered on my behalf, my friends. I have suffered the same. Death is seldom courted and when it comes, it comes with no warning, no opportunity to prepare those we love for the parting. Really, there isn't any preparation, any comfort we can offer in place of grief." He glanced over his shoulder at his Oracle. "IO has told you of how she found me in Elysium. I didn't understand then that what I was feeling was an extreme reluctance to let go of what I had in life."
"Iolaus..." Owlharp began, but Iolaus held up his hand.
"No, hear me out. Hades has offered me this chance, to say that there is only one way for any life to progress... it must go forward." Iolaus smiled at them all, but they could clearly see that tears stood in his eyes.
"I love all of you so much. And so I'm asking you to understand that in going on, instead of coming back, I am really affirming my love for you. Where I go, you may also go some day. If I stayed...if I continued on as I have been in the past, I would become less and less of what you love, instead of growing and changing and becoming more. I would not have those I love denied what they love... as they would be, if I stayed."
Iolaus paused, listening to the sniffs and overt sobs breaking out around him. "I know you can't understand this now," he continued softly. "And you will never really understand fully until you have gone where I have gone ... where I will be, waiting for you, in love. So, because I do understand your pain, I will leave you with a compensation ... a small one," he added, with a sparkle of his old wicked humor. "You've already met the other Iolaus, the man from the Alternate World. You will see him again. And I ask you, as a token of your love for me, that you receive him with gentleness and courtesy at least. He will be lost and alone and empty for a time. But he is, in a very special way, also me because we share the same spirit."
The sound of weeping grew louder and Iolaus looked distressed. "I know this hurts. I wish it were otherwise. I will feel your pain as long as you feel it. But I ask you to release me from the chains of pain. To grieve is a sign of love. But to demand that grief be assuaged is not in your best interests. It binds you, and it binds me, and neither of us will find any peace."
"Iolaus, don't leave us!" several voices cried out desperately.
Iolaus smiled through his tears. "Leave you? Who said anything about leaving you? I'm staying in Elysium, and in Elysium is the Mirror of the Moon. I will always be able to see you and hear you. I will hear your thoughts and I will answer you in your dreams. Sometimes you might not hear me. But I'll always be there. I'll always love you."
The sound of weeping lessened and the crowd fell silent as Iolaus turned back to his oracle. "I'm ready, IO," he said gently.
The Iolausian Oracle put her hands on his golden head. "Go with grace, Iolaus," she said in tones that carried to the edge of the crowd. "And walk softly, for you carry all our hearts with you!"
With a smile of benediction, she spread her hands over his head and the light around him began to grow brighter and brighter. When it faded at last, only the soft air could be seen where Iolaus had stood.
The Oracle turned back to the crowd briefly; her lips curved in a smile, but it was a sad expression and it fled quickly. Then she turned and made her way back through the crowd, to disappear into the forest.
THE END....
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