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title: Hold On
author: Gwen
author's email: golivier@juno.com

Hold On
by 
Gwen Olivier

	The darkness was impenetrable, it surrounded and suffocated him.  But
Hercules kept moving forward, carefully holding the slender broken body
close against his chest as he raced through the raging storm seeking some
sort of shelter.   The rain washed his tears away as he tried not to
think about having to deal with Iolaus dying yet again.  He had to be all
right.  He had to find a place to nurse his wounds.  He had to find it
soon.
	A huge bolt of lightning lit up the countryside and off in the distance,
Hercules could make out the entrance to a cave.  He headed that way.  The
gods were really mad at him again, but he was not the least bit rueful
about destroying that temple.  He was, however, extremely sorry that
Iolaus had been injured.  But Iolaus had not even been with him when he
knocked down the temple piece by piece after saving a virgin from being
sacrificed.
	He had caught up with Iolaus afterwards as they made their way to
Thebes.  They were enjoying a beautiful day for travel when Iolaus paused
at the edge of a cliff to wonder about the fish in a stream that ran
through the middle of the ravine far below.  Thunder and lightning had
come out of nowhere, and the earth beneath their feet had crumbled
tumbling both men down into the ravine amid a torrent of mud and rocks.
	If Hercules had not been so worried about Iolaus, he might have realized
that he, too, was badly injured, but he ignored his own pain as he
hurried along hoping for a miracle.


	Iolaus awoke to pain.  His entire body throbbed unmercifully.  He could
barely think past the sensory overload that overwhelmed his brain.  He
fought to remember something beyond the pain, but he could barely get
passed the agony.  He tried to scream for someone to make the pain stop,
but all that escaped his lips was a barely audible moan.  The rhythmic
jolting of his entire body, suggested something to him, but though he
tried his damndest, he could not get his tortured mind around it, and he
finally lost the struggle as well as consciousness.

	As Hercules neared the entrance to the cave, he thought he heard a noise
from Iolaus, but the howling wind, cacophony of thunder, and unrelenting
rain made it hard for him to tell.  He looked down at the battered body
of his best friend and anger welled up inside his soul.  He ducked into
the cave alert for anything that might be lurking there.  Pausing just
inside the entrance, Hercules placed his precious burden on the floor of
the cave, and set about trying to find something dry enough to start a
fire.  Using one hand to guide him along the wall, he stumbled into a
stack of firewood about twenty feet back.
	Working as fast as he could, it still took several minutes to start a
fire.  All the while, he was fervently wishing the other Iolaus was
around with his spark jug.  Once the fire was going, Hercules glanced
around the cave.  It was not very big as caves went, but fifty feet in
there was a twenty foot ledge to the right.  He laid Iolaus carefully on
the edge and began to examine him.
	He was covered with cuts and brush burns, and his right arm and left leg
were obviously broken.  And although he could not be sure, he was afraid
his back may be broken, too.  He quickly took off his undershirt and held
it outside the mouth of the cave till it was good and soaked, and then he
cleaned the open wounds as best he could.  Once that was done, Hercules
left the cave in search of healing herbs and branches and vines that
could be made into splints for the broken limbs.  Iolaus lay still as
death during Hercules' ministrations, but as least he was still
breathing.
	Satisfied that he had done all he could for his friend, Hercules took
the water he had placed in a bowl near the campfire and placed the willow
bark he had found in it to make tea.  Then he sat down at the base of the
ledge and gave into his grief.

	Iolaus awoke to agony, but this time something was different.  The
rhythmic jolting had stopped, and...someone was crying.  Hercules. 
Hercules needed him.  He had to help his friend.  He tried to move.  The
effort brought him right to the brink of unconsciousness.  But he fought
to remain alert, focusing on the fact that Hercules needed him.  He tried
to call out to Hercules.  A noise came out of his mouth.  And suddenly
Hercules was bending over him.  "Take it easy, Iolaus, you've been badly
hurt."
	"Tell me something I don't know," thought Iolaus, but he was glad to
hear that Hercules seemed all right.
	"Can you open your eyes?" asked Hercules.  Iolaus tried, but he could
barely slit them enough to make out his friend's face.  "That's all
right.  Just take it easy.  Are you thirsty?"  After grabbing the bowl of
willow bark tea, Hercules carefully lifted Iolaus' upper body.  Even
though Hercules was being as gentle as he could, Iolaus felt how bruised
and broken his body was.  He must have several broken ribs, and the pain
in his back was horrendous.  He wanted to scream, but he only managed a
moan.  "Sorry, buddy, I know it hurts.  Here, this will help the pain." 
Hercules held the bowl of tea to the hunter's mouth tilting it enough to
moistened his lips.  Iolaus licked his lips with his tongue, and
encouraged by this, Hercules offered more healing liquid.  Iolaus managed
to swallow a few sips.  He tried to smile at Hercules, but it was too
much of an effort.  He passed out again.

	Hercules held the limp body a moment longer as silent tears fell from
his eyes to the badly bruised chest.  Why now?  Hadn't they been through
enough?  Slowly he laid Iolaus back down and moved to add more wood to
the fire he had made.  Suddenly, the raging storm quieted, and he looked
up to see his father standing near the mouth of the cave.
	"Iolaus just can't seem to stay out of trouble lately," said Zeus.
	"Is this your doing, Father?" snapped Hercules.
	Zeus gave Hercules a wounded look.  "It's a very nasty storm--reaches
all the way to Olympus."  Zeus walked over and looked down at Iolaus. 
"He's in pretty bad shape.  Do you want me to heal him?"
	Hercules first impulse was to say no he didn't want or need anything
from Zeus, but this was Iolaus.  "Would you?"        
	"You only have to ask."
	"Please."
	Zeus smiled and laid a hand on Iolaus' head.  Hercules watched as the
wounds on Iolaus' body disappeared.  When Zeus moved his hand, Hercules
finally allowed himself to breathe.  "Thank you, Father."
	"Any time."  Zeus moved over and placed a hand on Hercules' shoulder. 
Hercules fought the impulse to pull away as he felt the pain in his own
battered body ease.  Zeus moved to the fire and sat on a large boulder.
	"Thank you, Father, for both of us," said Hercules as he continued to
stare at Iolaus.  "Why doesn't he wake up?"
	Zeus shrugged.  "He's good as new, but he's been through a lot, he's
probably just tired."
	Hercules now looked at Zeus with suspicion.  "Why are you here?"
	"Can't a Father visit his son without a reason?"
	"Not you."
	Zeus shrugged, "Oh, very well, I was thinking it was about time I
thanked you for retrieving us from the alternate universe.  And to warn
you that the gods were not too pleased with you for destroying their
temple."
	Hercules let out a long sigh.  "I'm sorry, but I am never going to allow
any sacrifices to be made to any of the gods..."
	"I know that, son.  But why destroy the temple?"  Zeus held his hands
out to the fire.
	"So they wouldn't have a place to make the sacrifice."
	Zeus shrugged, "To tell you the truth, I rather enjoyed seeing you take
that place apart."  
	Hercules rolled his eyes and glanced at Iolaus.  Ignoring Zeus, he moved
to Iolaus' side and started removing the splints.  Iolaus' limbs looked
normal again.  He felt relief flood his being.  "Well, I thank you for
healing Iolaus."
	Zeus shrugged.  "He's a good man.  Well, I guess I'll be on my way."

"Thanks, Father."
	"Glad to help."  Zeus disappeared.  Hercules stood staring at the vacant
spot.
	"Who was that?" asked Iolaus.
	Hercules turned to look at his friend.  "My father just left."
	"Zeus, what's wrong?"
	"Nothing now.  I sort of destroyed a temple earlier today.  Some of the
gods were not too happy with me."
	"So Zeus came to fuss at you?"
	"I guess, but you know what, for once, I can actually say I was happy to
see him."
	"Yeah?"
	"Yeah.  How do you feel?"
	"Like a new man."  Iolaus rubbed his head.  "How did we get here?"
	"We fell off a cliff."
	"So that means we're in the ravine where that river with the great
fishing runs."
	Hercules couldn't help but smile.  "Yes, it does."
	"Great, let's get a good night's sleep so we can get an early start on
the fishing."  Iolaus lay back down.
	"Anything you say, buddy, anything you say."

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