False Gods

by Deborah Wright
Author's notes: This story takes place at the end of Season 5 of Hercules and between the episodes Seth and Fair Game of SG-1 (Season 3).

Damn the storm!

Hercules cursed steadily under his breath, a small corner of his mind grimly amused by the reaction he'd have gotten from Iolaus if his friend could have heard him. He needed to find shelter soon, a protected place where he could start a fire and tend to his partner's wounds. He shifted the body on his shoulder to a more comfortable position and shook his head to clear the water from his eyes. The storm raged around him, the rain falling in heavy sheets, obscuring his view of the path. He felt carefully for each footfall; he'd already slipped twice, almost dropping Iolaus when he'd tried to hurry.

He nearly missed the ruin for the heavy torrent of water. He had, in fact, trudged past it when a sudden calm abruptly and momentarily shut off the rain revealing the building to his left. He froze in disbelief, then hurried up the crumbling stone steps as the rain returned with renewed gusto. He shoved his free shoulder against the heavy slab door that hung askew blocking the entrance, easily pushing it aside.

He made his way through the dark interior; flashes of lightning briefly illuminating the small room, revealing enough debris to start a fire. He lowered Iolaus' unconscious form to the floor and propped him against a wall. A short time later he squatted in front of the fire, feeding it dry twigs and leaves. The small blaze grew steadily as he cautiously added larger pieces of wood. The fire lit the room with a growing warmth and he looked around for more fuel, gathering all he could find.

Unconscious and shivering, Iolaus huddled against the wall. Hercules lifted his friend and carried him to the fire, placing him as close to its warmth as he dared. He stripped off the soggy purple vest and spread it to dry over a jumble of broken statuary.

Gently he unwrapped the makeshift bandage and probed the knife wound in Iolaus' shoulder. The wound was neither deep nor in a life threatening location and the bleeding appeared to have stopped. Hercules sighed. He should clean and cover it with a fresh dressing, but since they'd lost their carry sacks in the fight he didn't have that luxury. He flipped the old bandage and re-wrapped it over the wound.

He shuddered as he recalled turning during the fight just in time to see the heavy club connect with the back of his friend's head. His heart had stopped when Iolaus dropped like a stone, a knife protruding from his shoulder. His memory of the rest of the fight was of a red haze of flying bodies at the end of which only he was left standing. Broken bodies had littered the small clearing around him, but all he could see was Iolaus' still form. He'd knelt and searched for a pulse and nearly wept with relief when he felt the erratic heartbeat beneath his fingers. He'd finished bandaging the knife wound just as the storm hit with all its fury and he'd had no choice but to gather his friend up and search for shelter.

Hercules cradled Iolaus' head in one large hand and probed with gentle fingers. He winced in sympathy at the size of the lump he found. The skin wasn't broken and Iolaus was alive and breathing, even if he was still unconscious. All Hercules could do now was keep him warm and dry.

He piled more wood and debris on the fire until it crackled cheerfully and then returned to sit next to his friend, leaning back against another chunk of broken marble. He positioned Iolaus so that he lay on his side facing the fire, his wounded shoulder away from the floor, his head resting on Hercules' thigh. A comforting hand on his friend's shoulder helped hold him in place. Hercules leaned his head back against the hard stone and wearily closed his eyes.

Hercules squinted against the bright sunlight shining on his face. Where was he? Were they in Corinth already? Why was his bed so hard? He turned his face away from the light and as he took in his surroundings the events of the previous night returned. He was alone in the small room. Where was Iolaus?

He surged to his feet, ready to search for his friend when the party in question came through the open doorway carrying an armload of wood and whistling cheerfully. Hercules crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"Hey Herc! Finally up?" Iolaus grinned. "And here I thought you always got up with the sunrise. Getting lazy in your old age, huh?"

Hercules snorted. "What are you doing?"

Iolaus dropped the pile of branches near the fire and shrugged. "Thought I'd gather some dry wood while I could. Looks like this is just a break in the storm. I figure it'll be better to stay here than try to find someplace else to shelter. I was getting kind of hungry, so I trapped some rabbits."

Hercules helped Iolaus build the fire up to a healthy blaze and then stepped back. "Want some help with those?" he asked, gesturing at the skinned rabbits Iolaus had placed on the clean broad leaves that he'd gathered.

"Nope. I was kinda hopin' for an edible breakfast this morning, not charred rabbit." He grinned when Hercules rolled his eyes.

"How's your head?"

Iolaus shrugged. "It hurts."

"I bet. Guess it's a good thing it's so hard."

Iolaus grunted. "I didn't get a good look at our attackers last night in the dark. How many of them were there and who were they? And why'd they attack us, d'ya think?"

Hercules looked away uncomfortably. "I'm not sure. I, ah, don't really remember much after you went down and then the storm hit and I had to find a place for us to get out of it and--"

"Herc?" He frowned slightly. "Whaddaya mean, 'you don't really remember?'"

Hercules ran his hand back through his hair. "I kind of...got mad when I saw one of them hit you with that club. I'm not sure about the rest of the fight, but I think a lot of them ran off right about then."

"I see." Iolaus pursed his lips, but didn't pursue the matter, much to Hercules' relief. "Any idea where we are?"

Hercules shook his head. "I'm pretty sure I stayed on the same path, but the rain was coming down so hard it's possible I took a turning. I was lucky to see this place at all."

"You know, the outside sort of reminds me of something, but I can't think what it is. Guess it'll come to me if it's important." Iolaus knelt down and began to spit the rabbits in preparation for roasting them over the fire.

The light was already dimming as the wind picked up, pushing dark clouds in front of the sun. Hercules noticed that Iolaus had gathered rushes, though how he'd found anything dry after all the rain was a mystery. He quickly bound several of them together and added a few stout branches to create makeshift torches. He stuck one into the fire and was satisfied when it started to burn slowly, putting out just enough light to be useful.

He glanced around the small room curiously. Something about it and the faded decorations and broken statues tugged at his memory. It was smaller inside than he thought it would be from his brief look at the building in the rain, but there was no door to indicate a chamber beyond this one. Maybe a trick of the lightning had made the ruin appear larger than it really was. He frowned and picked his way around the debris on the floor to the wall opposite the doorway to the outside.

Hercules ran his free hand lightly over the smooth stone until he found a minute seam. Using his fingertips he traced the seam down to the floor. "Huh."

"What?"

He glanced over his shoulder to find Iolaus watching him. The rabbits hung on a makeshift spit ready to be placed over the fire.

"I think there may be a hidden door here."

Iolaus nodded. "Makes sense. This place looks a lot bigger from the outside than the space this small room takes up." He stood and glanced down at the rabbits before crossing the room to Hercules' side. "Any idea how to open it?"

Hercules rubbed his chin. "Are we sure we should? Whoever built this went to a lot of trouble to conceal this door, if it is a door. Maybe we should just leave it alone."

Iolaus glanced at him and frowned. "You don't really mean that, do you? Look around. There's nothing here but broken statues and junk. Aren't you curious to find out what's on the other side? Unless you think maybe this is some kind of temple."

He shook his head slowly. "It doesn't look like any temple I'm familiar with."

"Maybe there's something on the other side of this that'll tell us who built it and why." Iolaus touched the wall with his palm. "I've never seen stonework like this, have you? It looks like one big slab, but how could that be?"

Hercules frowned and glanced around the room. "I don't know. It's different from the other walls, too."

"Well, we're never going to figure it out until we find a way to open the door," Iolaus said with a grin.

He watched for a moment as Iolaus ran his hands over the stone while he slowly walked towards the adjoining wall. He shrugged and mimicked his friend's movements, reaching the opposite corner without finding anything that would indicate a hidden trigger mechanism. He was about to start searching along the side wall when he heard a grating rumble.

"Got it! Hey Herc, look at this!" Iolaus had his hand pressed to a small square area that was slightly depressed into the wall. He removed his hand and the depressed area returned flush to the wall, effectively disappearing from sight.

The rumble was caused by a large rectangular slab of stone rising in the middle of the wall, opening a doorway into the chamber beyond. Hercules and Iolaus stood before the opening and watched the slab rise until it disappeared into the ceiling. They exchanged a wordless glance.

"What is this place?"

Hercules shook his head. "I don't know. I've never heard of anything like it."

They stepped into the chamber and Hercules placed his torch in an empty bracket attached to the wall next to the entrance. Fresh air entered rapidly through the open doorway, replacing the stale musty air inside. The room was large and, unlike the outer room, its contents were intact. Gilt decorations covered the walls and carved stone statues stood sentry, casting eerie shadows in the flickering torchlight.

Iolaus walked to the nearest wall to examine the drawings that covered it. Hercules stood still, his attention captured by the large object on a raised dais at the opposite end of the room.

"Herc," Iolaus said, a strange note in his voice, "I think I know what it is that's familiar about this place. This is like that writing we saw in Egypt. You know, the picture writing?"

"Iolaus." Hercules couldn't take his eyes off the object in front of him.

"Huh?" Iolaus asked absently, his attention still on the hieroglyphs.

"What do you think that is?" He pointed to the far end of the room.

Iolaus turned. "By the gods," he muttered and returned to Hercules' side. "You know what that looks like?"

"What?" Hercules frowned. He'd never seen anything like it. How could Iolaus know what it was?

"It looks like Xena's chakram." He cocked his head to the side and considered the metal ring. "You think maybe the people that built this place created the chakram too?"

Hercules' eyes widened. Iolaus was right. The thing did look something like her chakram, although the details weren't exactly the same. "I don't know," he said doubtfully. "I thought her chakram came from somewhere in India originally. If you're right about the Egyptian writing, then I doubt the chakram has anything to do with whatever that is."

"Yeah, but doesn't it kinda look like it's just waiting for a giant version of Xena to bend down and pick it up?" He grinned.

"That's all we need." Hercules snorted. "Isn't the normal-sized Xena we've already got more than enough?"

"I wonder what those symbols on it are," Iolaus said and started for the dais. He was part way up the steps when a sudden noise came from the object and one by one the triangular shapes spaced around the outer edge of the ring began to glow.

Hercules jumped forward and grabbed his vest, yanking him down the steps and all the way back to stand next to the opening to the outer room.

"What's it doing?" Iolaus asked as he absently adjusted his vest.

Hercules shook his head. "Whatever it is, I don't like it."

"Do you think we caused it by opening up this room?" He gestured at the doorway.

"Who knows? We're not getting any closer to it, though."

"Uh-huh." Iolaus put his hands on his hips and stared at the ring.

Ka-whoosh!

"Whoa!"

A rush of what appeared to be water flooded out of the center of the ring and then receded to form the bright blue surface of what looked, for all the world, like a placid lake. In the center of the ring. Standing straight upright and not spilling a drop onto the floor. Impossible, thought Hercules. That's just...wrong.

"Herc?" Iolaus asked, his voice unsteady. "What in Tartarus is that thing?!"

"I wish I knew," he answered grimly.

"Why isn't that water, or whatever it is, all over the floor?"

Hercules glanced down at Iolaus and noted that his partner had automatically assumed a fighting stance. As had he, he realized, and quickly scanned the room for potential threats. After a few moments he began to think that nothing further was going to happen. Iolaus' quick intake of breath snapped his attention back to the object on the dais. Four people walked out of the middle of the ring, through the strange water. They were dressed oddly and they were dry. The moment the fourth person stepped through the ring the blue surface vanished and the triangles went dark.

"You can take the big guy," Iolaus said quietly and jerked his chin at the large black man standing before the ring.

Hercules dismissed the man with the strange thing strapped to his face, but the other two were obviously acquainted with fighting. He sighed to himself as he noted that the smallest of the four was a woman. Great. Whoever they were they'd certainly come prepared for a fight if three of them were warriors. The strangers were talking to each other in an unfamiliar language.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud! Somebody up in the control room must have fumble fingers, 'cause this sure as hell ain't P4N738."

"Look at those statues!" Daniel Jackson glanced around the room with wide eyes. "And the hieroglyphs! This could be a major find, Jack. You might end up thanking whoever sent us here instead of chewing him out."

"Look on the bright side, Colonel," added Captain Carter with a small smile. "At least there aren't any trees here. Not that we can see, anyway."

"Great, Carter. But just where is here? OK campers, time to--"

"Colonel O'Neill."

"What is it, Teal'c?" Jack glanced at the large black man and raised an eyebrow.

"We are not alone." Teal'c inclined his head towards the far end of the room.

O'Neill and Carter automatically raised their weapons and turned to face the strangers. Daniel stared appraisingly at the two men standing by the open door. The big man didn't look happy and both men looked like they were ready for a fight.

"Daniel," Jack said quietly without taking his eyes from the men in the doorway, "ball's in your court."

"Right, Jack." Daniel adjusted his glasses and assumed the harmless look that the others had dubbed his 'first contact' expression. He slowly walked down the steps. Teal'c followed a discreet two steps behind, his presence a not-so-subtle hint of protection for which Daniel was grateful.

Daniel raised both hands palm up to show that he was unarmed. From the hieroglyphs on the walls the obvious language choice was Egyptian. Daniel tried as many variations on the language and accent as he could think of, including the dialect he'd learned on Abydos. A couple of times he thought he caught a flicker of something in the larger man's eyes, but nothing that indicated understanding. He sighed and launched into other languages, plowing his way through French, Italian and Spanish to no avail. Russian merely brought blank stares and he wasn't sure even a native of Berlin would recognize his attempt at German. He tried nearly all of the languages, living and dead, that he knew and was about ready to admit defeat when the two men suddenly spoke quietly to each other.

"Guess they must not be from around here," Iolaus said out of the side of his mouth.

"What gave it away?" Hercules replied, his gaze never leaving the strangers in front of them.

Daniel stared at them in shock. Greek. They were speaking Greek. An odd accent, but it was definitely Greek. He smiled and spoke in their language.

"You're Greek?" His smile widened when the two men gave a start at his words.

"Yes," the larger man said slowly.

"Wow. I thought at first that maybe you were Egyptian, what with the hieroglyphs and all." Daniel gestured at the wall.

The large man shook his head and said firmly, "No. We're Greek."

"See. I told you that was Egyptian writing." The smaller man grinned up at his large companion.

"Daniel?" Jack asked. "What did they say?"

"Huh?" Daniel looked back at him and flushed slightly. "Oh. They're Greek. They speak Greek."

Jack nodded slowly with a small smile. "Kinda figured they'd speak Greek if they are Greek. What else did they say?"

Daniel shrugged. "That's all so far."

Jack rolled his eyes and pointedly ignored a snicker coming from Carter's direction. "Who are they?"

"Oh. Sorry."

Daniel turned back to the two patiently waiting men. He noticed that most of the tension in their postures had vanished and the smaller man looked like he was trying not to laugh. Daniel stepped closer and held out his hand. "My name is Daniel Jackson."

"Iolaus," the blond said as he clasped Daniel's forearm. "And this is Hercules."

Daniel's eyes widened as he clasped forearms with the big man. "H-hercules?"

The others had followed Daniel all the way down the ramp and stood in a semi-circle behind him. Carter looked up with wide eyes at the taller of the two strangers.

"Daniel, did he just say that he's Hercules?"

Iolaus rolled his eyes and looked at his friend. "Great. We don't even know where these people are from, but she's heard of you. Figures." He shook his head, his disgust evident even to the three who didn't understand what he'd said.

Daniel turned to her. "Yeah, Sam, he said his name's Hercules. But he can't be the Hercules. I mean, that's impossible. It's probably just a cultural name preserved by the people who came to this world. I bet there's a lot of men here named Hercules, as well as Perseus and Theseus and other names that we'd recognize."

She nodded slowly, her gaze never leaving the big man.

"I dunno, Daniel. He sure looks big enough to be the Hercules." Jack raised an eyebrow and tried unsuccessfully to hide a grin.

Iolaus and Hercules exchanged a startled glance.

"Do you think they know Perseus and Theseus?" Iolaus asked in alarm.

"I hope not." Hercules grimaced. "All we need is for those two to get mixed up in whatever this is."

At their words Daniel's attention returned to the two Greeks. He blinked and shook his head, then gestured at his companions. "This is Jack O'Neill. Samantha Carter. And this is, um, Teal'c."

They clasped forearms with Jack and returned Teal'c's single nod of the head. Daniel tried not to smile when Iolaus took Sam's hand in both of his and kissed it slowly. Hercules merely rolled his eyes and elbowed the other man in the side before clasping her forearm.

"Find out where we are, Daniel." Jack raised his eyebrows.

Daniel nodded.

"Could you tell us where we are?"

"Greece." Hercules exchanged a puzzled glance with Iolaus.

"Okay," Daniel said slowly. He gazed briefly at the Egyptian hieroglyphs on the walls and then back at the two men. "Where on Greece are we?"

"Oh. Northwest of Corinth." Iolaus shrugged. "Maybe a few days walk."

Hercules nodded. "We were heading there when we were attacked and then a storm came up so we took shelter here in this ruin." He nodded his head at the now dormant ring. "What is that thing?"

Daniel worried his lower lip between his teeth and frowned. He held up a hand and turned to Jack.

"We're on Greece, or at least that's what they call their world. And we're north of a place they called Corinth. Uh, Jack?"

"Yes Daniel?"

"They want to know about the stargate."

"What?" Jack frowned.

"They asked what it is. What should I tell them?"

The Colonel shrugged. "Tell them the truth. Or as much of the truth as you think they can handle."

Daniel turned back to the two Greeks. "You don't know what that is?" He pointed back to the stargate.

"No."

"It isn't a vortex, is it?" Iolaus asked cautiously. "You know, like to an alternate reality?" He shot a concerned look at Hercules.

Daniel blinked. "Not exactly, but that's a very good guess. We call it a stargate. It allows us to travel to other worlds far beyond our own. You might have heard it called a chappa'ai? Maybe you have legends of your people having been brought to this world from another place. Perhaps by gods or by beings called the Goa'uld?"

"That's a new one on me." Iolaus shrugged and looked up at Hercules. "How 'bout it, Herc? Your relatives ever talk about something like that?"

Hercules shook his head. "No."

Iolaus gestured at the room. "You know, this place has been sealed up for a really long time. The outer room is a mess and the structure looks like a ruin."

"Daniel?" Jack asked softly.

"They've never heard of the stargate." Daniel glanced at the others. "And they don't seem to know any legends about the Goa'uld bringing them to this world. But they did ask if the stargate was a vortex that opened onto an alternate reality."

"How..?" Sam shook her head. "Never mind. What now, Sir?"

Jack tipped his cap up, ran his hand through his hair and resettled the cap on his head. "Carter, find the DHD. I didn't see it when we first walked through the gate. Daniel, see if you can get some more information on the people here. Teal'c, stay with him. I'll check out the room. I'd like to make sure there aren't any nasty surprises lurking in the corners."

Daniel waited until Sam and Jack had moved off before turning back to the Greeks. "You said you were attacked. Who attacked you?"

Hercules shrugged. "It was dark and we didn't get a good look at them. Probably just some bandits."

"Bandits?" Daniel frowned. "How many were in your party? Are there others that might need help?"

Iolaus' lips twitched in amusement and he glanced at Hercules. "They may have heard of you, but they obviously haven't heard of you." He turned back to Daniel. "There were just the two of us."

"Oh." Daniel raised his eyebrows. "How many bandits? If you don't mind my asking." He noticed a faint blush on Hercules' face.

Iolaus grinned. "I don't know. Must have been what Herc, twenty or twenty-five of them? 'Course I didn't do a body count, what with being unconscious there at the end."

Hercules shifted his weight as if uncomfortable under Daniel's wide-eyed stare. "That's about right."

Daniel shook his head. "Twenty-five? And just the two of you? What kind of weapons did you use?" Maybe there was something of interest on this world for the SGC.

Hercules frowned and shook his head. "No weapons."

"No weapons?" Daniel was beginning to feel like a parrot. "Then how..?"

Hercules shrugged and raised his hands, curling them into fists.

"Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c's voice rumbled from behind his shoulder.

"It's okay, Teal'c. I was just asking what weapons he used to fight off bandits last night." Daniel looked at Iolaus. "You said you were unconscious. You look all right now."

Iolaus rubbed his head. "Yeah. Back of my head's a bit tender where I got clubbed and I've got a headache, but aside from that, I'm okay."

"Headache?" Daniel dug his hand into a pocket of his fatigues and brought out a small tin. He opened it and shook out a couple of aspirin. "Here. Swallow these. They should help with your headache."

Iolaus examined the white pills in his hand dubiously. "If you say so. Thanks." He popped them in his mouth and swallowed, grimacing at the bitter taste.

"Sorry. I should have told you to wash them down with water."

Iolaus shrugged. "I've had worse."

"I can't believe you did that," Hercules frowned.

"What?"

"You just swallowed those things and you don't know what they are!"

"Herc--" Iolaus began.

"It's all right," Daniel interrupted. "I understand what you're saying. But really, the tablets will help his headache go away. They're safe. It's a medicine we use all the time."

Hercules sighed and glanced at Iolaus. "I just wish you'd stop doing things like that."

"Colonel!"

The urgency in Sam's voice caused them all to turn. She stood on the second step down from the stargate, a frown on her face.

"What is it Carter?"

"I can't find any sign of the DHD, Sir. It's not next to the stargate and it doesn't appear to be anywhere in the room."

Daniel hurried to her side. "It has to be here somewhere."

Sam shook her head. "If it is, it's got a pretty good disguise going. And there's another thing."

"What?"

"Have you looked at the stargate? I mean really looked at it?"

Daniel frowned. "Why?"

Sam glanced over her shoulder at the gate looming behind her and said, "Because the symbols are all wrong."

"Whaddaya mean, wrong, Captain?" Jack asked as he and Teal'c joined them on the steps.

"I mean they're wrong, Sir. I don't see any of the symbols that are on the stargates we're familiar with, do you?"

Daniel stepped up onto the dais and stared open-mouthed at the gate. "Oh god, Jack. She's right. This isn't like our stargate at all."

"What does that mean?"

He turned and faced his three friends standing before him on the steps. "It means that the missing DHD isn't our biggest problem. Even if we find it, I don't know what coordinates to use to dial us home."

The silence stretched between them, rife with tension. Finally, Jack threw his arms up in the air.

"Great. Just when I thought this day couldn't get any worse." He shook his head. "Well, we won't know if you can't dial us home until we find the DHD, so we'll just wait until then to worry about it."

"What are we going to do if we can't find the DHD, Sir? Look at those torches. I doubt this world is much above the use of fire for energy. I don't think finding an alternate power source to free the superconductive ring on the stargate like we did on Hadante is going to be feasible this time," Sam said softly. "And we're not on the world the SGC thinks they sent us to. They won't know to come looking for us here."

"We'll deal with that when we have to, Captain." Jack jerked his chin at the two Greeks. "For now, I think we better see if we can get some answers about this place from our new friends."

"They look upset." Iolaus frowned.

"Somehow I can't think that that's a good thing." Hercules warily watched the four people standing on the steps leading to the object they'd called the stargate.

"Wish we could understand what they're saying." Iolaus rubbed his chin. "How do you think Daniel Jackson learned to speak Greek if they've never been here before?"

Hercules shrugged. "Who knows? For now, at least, it looks like we're stuck with only being able to talk to him."

They silently waited for the four strangers to return down the steps. Hercules noted that they all took their cues from the one called Jack O'Neill. Hercules turned to their interpreter.

"Daniel Jackson."

"Daniel. Just, call me Daniel. You don't need to use my last name."

Hercules raised an eyebrow. "Daniel. Sorry. I didn't realize it wasn't one name."

Daniel shrugged. "That's all right, H-hercules." He smiled self-consciously as he stumbled over the other man's name.

"Something's wrong."

Daniel hesitated for a moment. "Yes."

"Is it something we can help with?"

"Daniel?" Jack's voice held a touch of impatience.

"He wants to know what's wrong, Jack. And if they can help with whatever it is. How much do you want me to tell them?"

Jack glanced at Sam and then shrugged. "If you think they can help, tell them the whole damn thing."

Hercules watched their conversation with interest. He'd suspected that Jack O'Neill - no, just 'Jack' - was their leader. He was sure of it when Daniel turned to them and spoke.

"You're right. Something is wrong. There should be a device near the stargate and, well, we can't find it."

Hercules exchanged a puzzled glance with Iolaus. "Device? What device?"

Daniel bit his lip and glanced briefly at Jack before answering. "We call it a DHD. Um, a Dial-Home-Device. It activates the stargate and without it we can't go home."

"What does it look like? Maybe we can help you find it."

Daniel held his hand above the ground as if measuring something. "It's about this tall and has a big circular piece on the top. There are glyphs on it like the ones on the stargate and it has a crystal in the center." He glanced over his shoulder at the gate and muttered, "At least ours does."

Hercules frowned. "And you say it should be near the stargate?"

Daniel nodded.

"Then it must be here somewhere, don't you think?" Iolaus said. "Maybe it's hidden."

"Hidden?" Daniel glanced around the room. "You mean like in one of the statues?"

Iolaus shrugged. "How should I know? I'm just saying that if it has to be here and it's not, then it must be hidden somehow. I guess Herc could go around the room bashing all the statues to see if it's in one of 'em."

"No," Daniel said hurriedly and glanced at Hercules. "I don't think that'll be necessary. The DHD is pretty big, so it could only be in the base of one of the larger statues. If that's where it is. We can figure out if a base is hollow without destroying anything. Besides, we might be able to learn something from them. The statues, I mean. That is, if they're still intact."

Hercules smiled slightly. The edge of panic in Daniel's voice told him what he needed to know about the young man to finish putting that puzzle together. They were an odd group, three warriors and a scholar. He couldn't help wondering why they were there.

Daniel turned to his companions to relay their conversation.

"They don't know anything about the DHD, but Iolaus did make the suggestion that maybe it was hidden. Possibly in the base of one of the larger statues."

Jack glanced around the room and frowned. "I dunno. It just doesn't feel right."

"I was thinking that I should start translating the hieroglyphs." Daniel gestured to the nearest wall. "Maybe they'll tell us where to find the DHD."

Jack rubbed the bottom of his chin and then nodded once. "All right. Daniel, you start translating. Teal'c, stay with him. Carter, see if there's anything suspicious about the larger statues. You never know, we may get lucky."

"Yes Sir. If you don't mind my asking, what will you be doing?" Sam asked.

"Oh, I'm gonna finish poking around this room. See if there's anything odd." He raised his eyebrows.

"Yes Sir." Sam turned away and began examining the statues.

"Daniel?"

"Yeah, Jack?"

"Do you believe them?"

"What do you mean?" Daniel frowned.

"Our new friends. Do you believe them when they say they don't know anything about the gate or the DHD?"

Daniel glanced at Hercules and Iolaus and nodded. "Yeah. They seemed curious about the gate, but they really don't seem to know anything about it. I don't know what it is about them exactly, but I feel like we can trust them."

Jack studied Daniel's face for a long moment. "All right," he said quietly. "We'll trust them for now, but remember that we don't really know them. Okay?" He waited for Daniel to nod his agreement before moving away to explore the room.

Daniel turned back to Hercules and Iolaus. "Sam's going to examine the statues, but we're not really expecting much from that. Jack's going to finish exploring the room, see if there's anything unusual. Unless, maybe you've already found something?"

Hercules shook his head. "We'd only just entered the chamber when the stargate came alive and the four of you walked through it."

"Jack wants me to start translating the hieroglyphs on the walls. They may hold the answers we're looking for."

"Think I'll go help look for that DHD thing," Iolaus said casually. He sauntered over to Carter and pantomimed helping her with the statues.

Hercules snorted and shook his head.

"Daniel?" Jack's voice was sharp and the one word held a wealth of questions.

Daniel glanced at him and then at where Jack was looking. Sam. And Iolaus.

"It's okay, Jack. He's helping look for the DHD."

"And he just has to help Carter?" Jack frowned.

Daniel shrugged. "Maybe you intimidate him."

Jack stared at the man for a few moments and then shook his head. "Nah. I've seen his type. I doubt there's much that could intimidate him. Though if he could actually talk to Carter he might discover that there's always a first time."

"Very funny, Sir," Sam said dryly.

Daniel grinned and turned back to Hercules.

"Daniel? Why are you and your friends here?" Hercules asked.

"That's kind of complicated." Daniel blinked and absently rubbed his nose.

Hercules crossed his arms and waited.

"We're not actually supposed to be here at all. We thought we were going to a different world and ended up here."

Hercules raised his eyebrows. "How?"

Daniel shrugged. "We don't know. Several things, including someone accidentally entering the wrong coordinates could have caused it. Sam's our scientist. She could probably give you a more detailed answer, but I'm not sure that it'd help."

"If you had planned on coming here, then why? I mean, why were you planning on going to the other place?"

Daniel sighed. "The short answer is that we've got enemies. We're looking for allies to help us against them. And we've found that many worlds also have the same enemies."

"They must be very powerful if you speak in terms of worlds." Hercules frowned. "Who are these enemies of yours?"

Daniel hesitated and then replied, "They call themselves the System Lords. They're a race of beings called the Goa'uld."

"Isn't that the word you used earlier? When you asked if we had legends of being brought here?"

"Yes."

"We have no such legends," Hercules said firmly. "We've always been here."

Daniel bit his lower lip. "Yes, well, that's kind of impossible. You see, mankind originated on our home world. Earth."

"This is Earth." Hercules smiled slightly.

"I thought you said you called this world Greece."

Hercules shook his head. "No. Greece is the place on Earth where you've arrived and that Iolaus and I are from. Just like Egypt and Rome are places. The world is called Earth."

"There's an Egypt and a Rome here too?" Daniel asked in confusion. "Three different cultures on one world? It's rare that more than one culture was transplanted."

"There are many more places than just Greece, Egypt and Rome and many more peoples. There're the Norse and the people of Eire and the Chin and, well, too many more to name. But they weren't transplanted from anywhere."

Daniel shook his head feeling slightly dazed. That couldn't be right. "Sam?"

"What is it Daniel? I'm a little busy here." Her voice was muffled.

Daniel glanced her way and then quickly searched for Jack. He relaxed when he saw that the Colonel's attention was fixed elsewhere. Daniel looked back at Sam and smiled slightly. Iolaus leaned against a small statue, watching while Sam was on her hands and knees examining a pedestal for the DHD. All that was visible of the Captain was her fatigue-covered rear and her combat boots. Iolaus was clearly enjoying the view.

"Think you could come over here when you're done?"

Sam crawled out from under the statue and stood up, dusting off her hands. She shook her head regretfully at Iolaus and together they walked across the room.

Iolaus grinned at Hercules and stepped through the doorway into the outer chamber.

"What's up?" She tilted her head and looked at Daniel.

"I'm not sure. Hercules assures me that they don't have any legends of being brought here from another world."

"You already told us that. And that's not unusual, right? We've run into that before."

"Yes, but he claims that this is Earth. And we haven't run into a world where so many of Earth's ancient cultures exist before."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, he's just named off several cultures that exist on his 'Earth' and he says that there are more."

"Such as?"

"Such as Egyptian, Roman, Chinese, Norse and Celtic for starters."

"So what are you saying, exactly?"

He sighed. "I don't know, but this isn't anything like the normal pattern. It's always been one culture, rarely two, on a world and usually the people are familiar with the concept that they were brought there from somewhere else."

"Surely you can't be implying that this really is Earth? We know that humanity began on Earth. Our Earth." Sam glanced from Teal'c to Daniel, her expression doubtful.

"The Tau'ri have only one home world." Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "And that is the world of your birth, Daniel Jackson. To claim this world as the home of the Tau'ri is not logical."

Daniel hesitated. "Could we have traveled in time again? Another solar flare maybe?"

She shook her head. "Solar activity has been almost nonexistent recently. And P4N738's address wouldn't take the wormhole close enough to the sun to matter in any case. I don't see how we could've time traveled. This has to be just another world the Goa'uld brought humans to and then left them. Does it really matter?"

"Maybe not." He shook his head. "There's just something... I think it may be important, is all."

"What's important, Daniel?" Jack asked, suddenly appearing next to Sam.

"I'll explain it to him," Sam said. "You see what else you can learn." She led Jack several steps away.

"You're upset," Hercules stated rather than asked.

Daniel nodded. "This doesn't make sense. All the cultures you named are ones that originated on Earth. Our Earth. How could they be here if they weren't transplanted?"

Hercules shrugged. "I don't know. But we didn't come from someplace else. No one brought us here, not the beings you mentioned nor the gods, not ours or anyone else's. And believe me, our gods are our own. If there's one thing I'm an expert on, it's my relatives. Why's it so important to you?"

"We don't know how we got here and we don't know how to get home. Anything we can learn about this world might be something that can help us." Daniel frowned. "Wait a minute. What did you mean about your relatives?"

"Herc?" Iolaus' head popped around the open doorway into the outer room. "The rabbits are just about done. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

Hercules nodded, relief written on his face at the interruption. "Good." He turned to Daniel. "You're welcome to join us." He gestured to the doorway.

Daniel nodded and looked up at Teal'c.

"They've asked us to share their meal. Let Jack and Sam know, would you?" Daniel turned to follow Hercules through the opening.

"Daniel Jackson. Wait."

Daniel glanced back at Teal'c. "What?"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Colonel O'Neill has charged me with your protection. You must not go off alone."

Daniel shook his head. "Teal'c, I'm not going off alone. I'm just going into the next room with Hercules. You're following right behind us."

"We do not know these people. You must be more cautious. Wait here. I will inform Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter." He turned away, obviously expecting Daniel to follow his instructions.

What does he think they're going to do? Attack me once I step out of the room? Daniel sighed. On the other hand, considering all of the situations he'd managed to get himself into in the past, perhaps Teal'c had a point. He stayed put and waited for the others to join him.

"So," said Jack, "did somebody mention lunch? Wonder what's on the menu."

"Rabbit."

"Rabbit?"

"That's what Iolaus said." Daniel shrugged.

"Hmm. Well, they do say it tastes like chicken." Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Don't even go there." A pained expression crossed Daniel's face.

"All right, Daniel." Jack held up a hand. "I promise, you won't hear another peep out of me about it."

Daniel groaned as Sam and Teal'c exchanged baffled glances. There was absolutely no way he was going to explain to them the embarrassing 'tastes like a chicken' episode from his first trip through the stargate.

"C'mon," Jack said with a small smile. "Maybe we'll have more luck finding the DHD after we eat."

A short time later they lounged around the fire in the outer room, comfortable after their meal while the storm continued unabated outside. Daniel had refused to admit it out loud, but the roasted rabbit had tasted remarkably like chicken. Conversation had been reduced to easily understood gestures of appreciation of the food and the occasional polite question that Daniel was required to translate.

Daniel let his gaze roam around the room. It definitely had the look of having been abandoned for a very long time and the style was different from that of the gate room. Even though the statuary and decorations were broken and destroyed, Daniel could tell that they belonged to a different school of art. He found it odd that there would be such a difference, but couldn't come up with a good explanation.

"Daniel," said Sam, "why do you think the stargate's here? I mean here in Greece. If these people also have an Egypt wouldn't it have made more sense for the stargate to be there?"

"I don't know, Sam." Daniel looked through the open doorway into the room beyond and then turned to Jack. "Maybe we'll find some answers once I start translating the hieroglyphs."

Jack nodded. "Let's hope. Nothing against our new friends, but I'm not lookin' to retire here." He looked over at Hercules and Iolaus across the fire and smiled slightly.

Iolaus glanced at Hercules and said in a low voice, "Do you think that DHD-thing they're looking for is actually in that room?"

Hercules shrugged. "How should I know?"

"You learned how to read some of that picture writing while we were in Egypt last time, didn't you?"

"Some. Just a few of the basic symbols." Hercules watched the conversation on the other side of the fire and wondered what they were saying. "I'm not sure I know enough to be able to translate what's in the other room."

They both looked up when Daniel stepped around the fire to stand in front of them.

"I'm going to try to translate the hieroglyphs."

Hercules nodded.

"Herc'll help you," Iolaus said cheerfully. "He knows how to read that stuff."

"He does?" Daniel raised an eyebrow and looked at Hercules. "You do? That's great. I can always use another opinion."

"I don't know how much use I'll actually be," Hercules protested. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Iolaus. "I only know a few of the symbols."

Daniel nodded. "That's OK. It'll be helpful if you listen to my translation and let me know if it makes sense from a cultural standpoint. You know, like if a story or names sound familiar? That way I'll know I'm on the right track."

"I guess I can do that." Hercules stood.

Iolaus rose to his feet as well. "So, are you all going to go read the walls?"

Daniel shook his head. "I'm the only one who can read the hieroglyphs, though Teal'c'll probably be with me. I think Sam's going to examine the stargate. See if there's something about it she missed. Jack'll be with her."

"Oh." Iolaus looked slightly disappointed and then he shrugged. "Guess I'll tag along with them. Don't think I'd be much help with the funny pictures."

Daniel stood in front of the wall and traced his fingers delicately over a cartouche, mumbling to himself. What he'd managed to translate so far was fascinating, but confusing. The hieroglyphs seemed to contradict what they already knew about the System Lords.

"Daniel," Jack called, sounding irritated.

"Yeah Jack?" Daniel replied absently, his gaze still on the wall in front of him.

"Have you got anything yet?"

"Huh?" Daniel turned around to see everyone watching him, apparently waiting for him to tell them where to find the DHD. "I've got something, but I'm not sure what it is."

"Does it say where the DHD is?" Sam asked.

He shook his head. "No. At least not that I've found so far."

Jack folded his arms across his chest and frowned. "Well, Daniel, just what is it that you do have?"

"It doesn't make sense. We know the System Lords set themselves up as the gods of the ancient cultures of Earth."

"Right." Jack raised his eyebrows. "And?"

"Well, this says that the Goa'uld did, in fact, come to this world." He hesitated. "Remember that I've only got a small part of it translated."

"Daniel," Jack said in exasperation.

Daniel bit his lip and glanced at Hercules out of the corner of his eye. He took a deep breath. "It seems to say that they came to this world and presented themselves as gods. Only it didn't work."

"Why not?" asked Sam.

"Because they met real gods."

"Real gods?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Well, obviously they couldn't have met real gods, Jack."

"Tell me you're not talking about another rogue Goa'uld like Sokar." He grimaced.

Daniel shook his head. "I don't think so. I think they just ran into beings who were more powerful."

"Beings more powerful than the Goa'uld would make formidable allies indeed," said Teal'c.

"Yeah." Daniel frowned.

"What?"

"This place is different from anything we've seen so far." He gestured at the statues and the rest of the room. "Before I started the translation I'd assumed that all of this was placed here by the Goa'uld as one of their temples."

"And now?" Jack prompted.

Daniel shook his head. "What I've been reading was written from the point of view of the winner of a battle, only this time the winners weren't the System Lords. I'd guess that this was put here by the gods they fought, or by their followers at any rate."

Jack glanced around the room. "Could they have run into the Asgard?"

"This doesn't feel like Thor, Sir." Sam frowned. "Why would Thor, or any of the Asgard for that matter, put Egyptian hieroglyphs up to describe an encounter with the Goa'uld?"

"I don't know, Carter." He shrugged.

"I don't think they had anything to do with this. I mean, look at this place." Daniel pointed to a statue of a woman with a scorpion on her head. "That one's Selket, one of the Egyptian goddesses who protected the dead. And that one next to her is Wepwawet. These statues are all of Egyptian gods."

"I agree with Daniel, Sir. I just don't see Thor and the Asgard building this."

"Daniel?" Hercules said.

"Yes?"

"Thor?"

"Oh. Yeah." Daniel gave a little half shrug. "Thor. Well, you see, he's--"

"I know who he is," Hercules interrupted. "Do you know him too?"

"Too? You mean you've met him?"

Hercules nodded. "And his family."

"Family?" Daniel stared at Hercules blankly for a moment. "Are we talking about the same thing here? Strange looking little grey-skinned, um, person?"

Hercules frowned. "No. I'm talking about Thor. Big, muscular, hot-tempered god. I helped him prevent the coming of Ragnarok."

Daniel's mouth went dry. "R-ragnarok?" Okay, this wasn't happening. Ragnarok was a myth. The Norse gods were myth, as were the Egyptian and Greek gods. There had to be an explanation that involved either technologically advanced beings like the Goa'uld, or that could be attributed to the superstition of the peoples involved.

"Daniel?" Jack said impatiently.

Daniel looked at him, his shock evident on his face. "Jack..." his words trailed off as he wondered just how to explain.

"I heard him say Thor," Jack said. "So, was I right? Was it Thor and the Asgard who pushed the snakeheads off this planet?"

Daniel shook his head. "No. Hercules just knows somebody named Thor and wondered if we were talking about the same person. It's got to be that cultural name thing again."

"Daniel," Sam said softly, "I heard you both mention Ragnarok. Isn't that from Teutonic mythology?" Her intent gaze never left his face.

"Yes."

"What did he tell you, Daniel?" Jack's tone made it an order.

"He says that he knows Thor personally. The god Thor. And that together they prevented the coming of Ragnarok." Daniel frowned and wiped a hand across his forehead. "But that's impossible. There must be something I'm not understanding."

Jack rubbed his chin. "You? Nah. Couldn't happen. But are we sure our friend here is, well, sane?"

"Sane, Sir?" Sam frowned. "You mean perhaps he's having delusions?"

"Something like that. What do we really know about these guys? Maybe he's one of those people who think they're, oh, you know, Don Quixote or something. And the other guy's Sancho Panza." Jack shrugged. "I'm no shrink, but it happens, right?"

"Maybe," Sam said, a dubious look on her face. "What are the odds that the people we run into first on this planet would be delusional like that?"

"I don't know, Carter. I just said I'm not a shrink." Jack shook his head. "We still haven't located the DHD and I'm likin' this less and less. Daniel, isn't there anything in those squiggles that can help?"

Daniel sighed. "I don't know, Jack. There's a lot to translate here, but so far most of it is about battling the Goa'uld and the coming of the gods. Or what they call the real gods. The only reference to the stargate is a brief mention that the imposters retreated through the ring and their gods made it so that they couldn't return."

"That's it? Doesn't it give any details on how they shut down the gate?"

"No. Apparently it was handled by their gods and there wasn't any reason for the people to know. They built this room as a celebration of their victory and then they left."

"Just like that?" Sam frowned.

"Seems like." Daniel rubbed a finger above his eyebrow. "Apparently they saw no reason to question the gods' wisdom."

"So, when these gods told them the danger was over..." Jack raised his eyebrows.

"They went home." Daniel shrugged. "Back to Egypt and their lives."

"Just like we want to do," Jack muttered. "Well, except for the Egypt part."

"Hey Herc," Iolaus said as he turned back from the doorway to the outer chamber, "I think the storm's almost over."

"Good. We should get started for Corinth in the morning."

"What're we gonna do about them?"

Hercules crossed his arms. "What do you mean 'do about them?'"

"Well, we can't just abandon them here. Not if they can't find that DHD thing they're looking for. They don't know anything about our world. We should bring them with us." Iolaus grinned.

Hercules frowned. "I suppose you're right." He turned to Daniel. "Have you figured out how to find that device that you're looking for?"

Daniel shook his head. "Not yet."

"Didn't think so," Iolaus said cheerfully. "The storm's passing and Herc and I are going to head out for Corinth in the morning. We thought maybe you and your friends might want to come along."

"Oh." Daniel blinked.

"You know, this is really gettin' old," Jack complained. "What did Blond Guy want?"

"Iolaus, Jack. His name's Iolaus." Daniel shook his head. "He said the storm's almost over. They're leaving for Corinth tomorrow and asked if we want to come along."

Jack tilted his head and searched Daniel's face. "Any chance that we're going to find the DHD on our own?"

"I'd like to finish translating these hieroglyphs," Daniel said reluctantly, "but if the rest is anything like what I've already read, I doubt there'll be much that's useful."

"It may be that if we can get to a center of civilization that we'll find records of what happened here, Sir. Maybe there'd be more details than what's described in the hieroglyphs. It might be our only shot." Sam shrugged.

Jack glanced at Teal'c, who raised an eyebrow and nodded once. "I concur with Captain Carter's assessment. We must have more information. And I am most curious to know more about the beings who defeated the Goa'uld. As I said before, they would make formidable allies."

Jack grimaced. "Yeah. Or they might make even worse enemies." He rubbed the back of his neck. "All right. We need answers so we'll tag along with our new friends here. But keep a sharp eye, people, and don't get too comfortable."

Daniel turned back to Hercules and Iolaus. "We appreciate your invitation and would like to accompany you. We need to learn more about your world and what happened here in order to find a way home."

Iolaus grinned and rubbed his hands together. "Great! You'll like Corinth. It's a big city, lots to see."

Daniel smiled. "I'm looking forward to it. Is there a library?"

Iolaus glanced at Hercules. "There's a library in the Palace, isn't there Herc?"

Hercules nodded. "Iphicles has been adding to it, bringing in scrolls from all over the world."

"Iphicles?" Daniel blinked several times.

"Iphicles is King of Corinth," Iolaus explained. "And Herc's half-brother."

"Iphicles and Hercules," Daniel muttered. What were the odds of that? He pulled himself together and looked at Hercules. "Would we be allowed to use the library?"

Hercules smiled. "I don't see why not. Iphicles has declared that it's open to all who seek knowledge. I'd imagine that that includes travelers from other worlds."

Daniel nodded absently and turned to his friends.

"There's a library at the Palace in Corinth that's open to the public."

"Great. Let's hope it has what we're looking for." Jack sighed softly. "You said they're leaving tomorrow?"

"Yeah. In the morning."

"OK. Daniel, finish as much of your translating as you can. Teal'c'll help you. Carter, you and I are going to inventory what we've got with us. Who knows where the rest of our stuff ended up?"

"Yes Sir."

"And Daniel?"

"Yeah Jack?"

"Find us some answers."

"I'll do my best."

After a breakfast of cold rabbit the following morning they were ready to leave for Corinth. Hercules studied the open doorway to the chamber that contained the stargate. The thought of leaving the room open made him uneasy. It probably didn't matter. After all, no one who happened to wander into the room would be able to make the stargate work.

"What is it?" Iolaus asked.

"I don't like leaving it open like that." Hercules frowned. "I can't see that there's any reason to be concerned, but..."

Iolaus shrugged. "If it bothers you then that's good enough for me. I opened it. There must be a way to close it, too." He stepped in front of the recessed area on the wall that he'd found the day before and put his hand to it.

"What's he doing?" Daniel glanced up at Hercules.

"Trying to close the doorway. That's the spot where he found the hidden latch." Hercules raised his voice slightly. "Any luck?"

Iolaus put his weight behind his hand and pushed, but nothing happened. He grunted softly with the effort. "No. Maybe I'm doing this wrong." He removed his hand and grinned as a loud rumbling sound filled the room. "Then again, maybe I wasn't."

Daniel stared open-mouthed as the large stone slab slid into place blocking the entrance to the other room. The fit was perfect and seamless. It was impossible to tell that the wall was anything but a solid block of stone.

"Daniel?" Jack's voice caused him to jump.

"Jack." He blinked. "Hercules thought it best to close the room off while we're gone."

Jack nodded. "Good thinking. So, are we good to go?"

"I think so. I guess we just follow them." Daniel shrugged.

"All right. Teal'c, you stay with Daniel. Carter, you and I will bring up the rear." Jack made eye contact with each of them. "I don't like the fact that we're so lightly armed here. All we've got are two MP-5's, three sidearms, Teal'c's staff weapon and a couple of knives. Daniel, remind me again why I agreed that you could be unarmed on this mission?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

Daniel sighed. "This was supposed to be a return diplomatic visit to P4N738, remember, Jack? The people are friendly and SG-4 is already there. There would have been plenty of weapons if we'd've needed them.

"The operative words here are would have. Now you know why I don't like leaving the SGC without plenty of firepower." Jack gestured at the ruin and frowned. "Stuff like this is always happening. We aren't the boyscouts and being prepared for us means a hell of a lot more than 'don't forget the bug spray.'"

A few hours later they were walking down a path through a lightly wooded area, the sun's warmth pleasantly filtered through the trees. They could see the aftermath of the storm in the broken branches and debris littering the ground. As they rounded a bend in the path Hercules spied a stone marker. He held up his hand to signal a stop.

"I've got an idea." Hercules turned to Daniel. "I think we'll take a short break here."

Daniel nodded and turned to relay the information to his companions.

"What is it, Herc?" Iolaus glanced at the marker.

Hercules examined the stone and smiled. "Help. If we're lucky."

"Huh?"

"I'll explain in a minute." He put his hand on the stone and lifted his head and spoke as if to the empty air. "Calliope? I need a favor."

"Daniel, what is he doing?" Jack stared at Hercules.

"I don't know."

"Well, find out. This is making my 'not exactly sane' theory look better and better."

Daniel stood next to Iolaus. Iolaus didn't seem concerned, though he did look curious. "What's going on?"

Iolaus shrugged. "Herc's trying to contact one of his relatives."

"One of his..." Daniel frowned. His eyes widened as he looked at the stone marker. It had been inscribed with the carving of tablets and a stylus. It couldn't be, he thought. But Hercules had said Calliope, hadn't he? Hercules' voice cut into his thoughts.

"Calliope? I really could use some help here."

Hercules smiled when a bright flash of light that only he could see appeared in front of him. His smile vanished when a pretty young brunette smiled at him. "Thalia. What are you doing here?"

She shrugged. "Calliope is busy right now, cousin. So I'm answering your summons."

Daniel looked around wildly for a moment and then whispered to Iolaus, "Who is he talking to?"

"Thalia."

"Do you see her?" Daniel asked carefully.

"Nah. Herc's the only one who can see her. Most of his relatives feel that us mere mortals aren't worth their time, so they don't bother to materialize completely." Iolaus grinned up at him.

Daniel swallowed. "Oh."

"So, Hercules. What do you need?"

"You're going to help?" Hercules frowned. "You don't mind?"

"No, why should I? You know you've always been one of my favorite relatives." Thalia smiled.

He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "I thought you were still mad at me about giving the Club to Melpomene."

"Daniel, what the hell's going on?" Jack asked.

"I'm not really sure. Iolaus says that Hercules is talking to one of his relatives."

"Come on, Daniel. There's nobody there!" Jack looked at Daniel in concern. "You don't see anybody, do you?"

"No, Jack, I don't, but evidently Hercules thinks he does. And the names he's using, well, it all makes a weird sort of sense."

"Huh?" Jack looked at Sam. "Do you understand what's going on?"

"No Sir." She shook her head firmly.

"Hold on a minute Jack. Maybe I can learn something from Hercules' side of the conversation." Daniel turned back to Hercules as Jack rolled his eyes.

Thalia shook her head. "I got over that a long time ago. After I thought about it I realized that you were right. That Club is ugly. I would've gotten bored with carrying it around by now and left it somewhere I shouldn't. But my sister's not me. She loves dragging it around with her and boring people with what a wonderful story it is. Talk about your tragedy queen!"

Hercules bit back a smile. "Well, she is the Muse of Tragedy after all."

"Yeah, but does she have to be such a pain about it?" Thalia complained and then shrugged. "Whatever. You know I can't hold a grudge for long. So, what can I do you for?"

Hercules hesitated. "I was sort of hoping to talk to Calliope. What I need is more in line with her talents."

"Oh piffle. We all have a little of Calliope's talent, you know. Just tell me what you need and I'll tell you if I can do it."

He shrugged. "All right." He gestured at Jack, Sam and Teal'c. "These people are from very far away and don't understand our language. I was hoping that Calliope could provide something that would allow us to understand one another."

Thalia stared curiously at the three people and then looked at Daniel. "What about him? He's dressed the same as the others. Or don't you want to be able to talk to him, too?"

"He already speaks Greek."

"Kinda cute, too. If you go for the boyish innocent type." She stepped close to Daniel and reached out a hand as if to cup his cheek, stopping when she was almost touching him. A curious expression crossed Daniel's face and Thalia grinned. "I'm surprised you haven't had a visit from Aphrodite."

"That's all we'd need." Hercules sighed. "Thalia, can you help us out or not?"

She chuckled and stepped away from Daniel. "'Course I can. Hmmm. I know!" She snapped her fingers and four amulets on silver chains appeared, dangling from her fingers. "Have them put these around their necks. While they wear them they'll be able to understand what other people are saying and vice versa."

She dropped the necklaces into Hercules' outstretched hand. To the others it was as if they'd appeared out of thin air.

"What the--" Jack exclaimed. "Where did those come from?"

"I don't know." Daniel stared wide-eyed at Hercules hand.

"Why four of them?" Hercules asked. "I told you this one already speaks Greek."

"Yeah, but what if you run into somebody who doesn't? Speak Greek, I mean. Wouldn't it be handy if he could understand what was being said?"

"Thanks Thalia." Hercules smiled. "I really do appreciate this."

"No problemo." She tilted her head and looked off in the distance as if she heard something. "Gotta run, cousin. Duty calls." She giggled and disappeared in a flash of light.

Hercules shook his head and turned to the others. "Daniel, these are for you and your friends. As long as you wear them you'll understand what others are saying and they'll be able to understand you as well."

"You mean like a kind of translating device?"

Hercules shrugged. "I guess you could call it that."

Daniel examined the item on the end of the chain. It was a representation in silver of a comedy mask. Of course, he thought in resignation, as he slipped one of the chains over his head.

"Daniel, what the hell just happened?" Jack frowned. "Where did those things come from?"

"I don't know, Jack. But they're supposed to work like a translator. As long as you wear them you should be able to understand what's being said. Oh, and be understood in return." He held out the necklaces to the others.

"I don't like this one bit," Jack grumbled as he slipped the chain over his head. "How're we supposed to trust something that appeared out of thin air? Do you think insanity is contagious?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Hercules replied.

"Whoa! It works." Jack gave a visible start. "I understood you."

"Me too." Hercules smiled. "It's good to be able to finally talk to you."

Sam fingered the delicate amulet that hung from her neck. "It's beautiful, but what's the significance of the comedy mask?"

Hercules' shrugged. "It's Thalia's symbol."

Jack took a deep breath. "Just who is this Thalia, anyway? We didn't see anyone and then these just appeared in your hand. I gotta tell you that was a little disturbing."

"Thalia's a distant cousin of sorts. I was actually trying to contact Calliope since this is one of her shrines." Hercules gestured at the stone marker. At the look on their faces he added, "They're sisters. Muses. Thalia's the Muse of Comedy."

"Muses?" Sam frowned. "Like in the myths?"

"Myths?" Iolaus asked. "What myths?"

"Here we go again," Hercules muttered to himself.

Daniel glanced from Hercules to Jack and then back to Hercules. "Ah, in our world the Muses and well, all the Greek gods are considered myths. Not real."

Iolaus chuckled. "Hear that buddy? You're not real. Bet that'll make the next warlord we fight feel better."

"Wait," Sam said, a desperate note in her voice, "you're not seriously saying that you think you're the son of Zeus, are you?"

Hercules and Iolaus exchanged baffled glances. "Well, yeah. I know that there are times I've wished it weren't so, but I won't deny it."

"Remember that theory of mine from earlier?" Jack asked.

"Sir, I don't think--"

"Jack," Daniel interrupted, "how do you explain these?" He held up the chain with the comedy mask. "Besides, it sort of fits."

"How do you mean?" Jack demanded.

"Iphicles, the King of Corinth, is his half-brother. In our myths Iphicles and Hercules were half-brothers. And Iolaus was a sort of cousin of Hercules." Daniel blushed and added uncertainly, "I think he was Hercules' companion, or, um, something."

Iolaus grinned. "No relation. Just best friends."

"That still doesn't mean that he's a god," Jack insisted.

"No, I suppose it doesn't." Daniel shrugged.

"Well no," said Iolaus. "He's only half a god, on his father's side. You really shouldn't hold it against him, you know." He grinned up at his friend.

Hercules smiled wryly. "Gee, thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"Sir, if I may?"

"What is it Carter?"

"Well, we're probably still misunderstanding the culture here. And who knows how well these translation devices work? Although the level of sophistication required to create something so small that can translate our language so quickly without having had to learn it first is incredible. Can you imagine--"

"Carter!" Jack stemmed the flow of words. "Was there a point?"

"Um, sorry Sir. My point is that perhaps we should wait until we know more about their culture before we jump to any conclusions."

Jack sighed. "All right. I'll buy that for now." He glanced at Hercules and smiled slightly. "So. Now that we can talk to one another, what's next?"

"There's a meadow a couple of hours from here. Iolaus and I usually camp there when we're in this area. There's plenty of game and a stream nearby. I suggest we stop there for the night."

Jack nodded. "Sounds good. And then?"

"Then I think maybe we should take a little detour to the farm." Hercules glanced at Iolaus for confirmation. "I'd like a friend of ours to meet you before we go into Corinth."

Jack frowned. "And what friend would that be?"

"Jason. I think you'll like him and I'd like to get his opinion about what's happened. Besides, he'll know if there's anything in the Library in Corinth that's likely to help you."

"Oh?" asked Daniel. "Why's that?"

"Well, he was King of Corinth before he named Iphicles his successor and stepped down."

Iolaus nodded. "Great idea, Herc. I can't wait to see Jason's face when we tell him where they're from."

"Jason," Daniel said slowly. "No, it...it couldn't be."

"What?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

Daniel ignored him. "He doesn't have a-a famous ship, by any chance, does he?"

Iolaus shrugged. "You mean the Argo? Well, he doesn't keep it around the farm, that's for sure. It's still tied up in the harbor though, isn't it Herc?"

"I think they drag it out every so often during festivals."

"And I suppose you traveled on it with him?"

"Yeah. That was some journey, I have to tell you." Iolaus grinned. "Actually, both of them were. And we did bring back the Fleece."

Daniel made a strangled sound in his throat.

"Are you feeling all right Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked.

Daniel nodded. "Oh sure. I'm just fine. We're standing here talking to Hercules and Iolaus and we're on our way to meet Jason. The Jason. You know? Jason and the Golden Fleece? Jason and the Argonauts?" He glanced at Jack. "Maybe you're right. Maybe insanity is contagious."

Hercules scanned the forest next to the path for danger while absently listening to the animated conversation in front of him. Iolaus had managed to position himself next to Sam when they'd started out that morning and it hadn't taken long for the outrageous flirting to begin. She'd seemed amused, but the frowns Jack leveled at Iolaus' back had convinced Hercules to suggest that his friend walk with Daniel after they'd taken a break. His excuse was that Iolaus had been to Corinth recently and could tell the other man about the city. Daniel had been enthusiastic and Iolaus had agreed with a good-natured shrug and a grin.

"Mind if I ask you something?"

Hercules smiled down at the woman walking at his side. "Depends on the question."

"I was just wondering about these, ah, amulets."

"What about them?"

"I'm not sure I understand how they work."

Hercules shrugged. "They make it so that I hear Greek when you speak and you hear your language when I speak."

She smiled. "I understand that part. What I don't understand is how? How do they do that? What's the mechanism that makes them work?"

He shook his head. "Mechanism? They're amulets."

Sam lifted the chain and fingered the tiny comedy mask. "I know that's what you call them, but that doesn't really tell me anything. For instance, why do we have to wear them to make them work? And how is it that they're personalized for each of us? They don't tune into our thoughts, do they?" An apprehensive expression crossed her face so fleetingly that Hercules thought he'd imagined it, but before he could answer she continued speaking.

"They're so small and they're obviously crafted as a single piece, so the only thing I can think of is that their circuitry must be on the molecular level. Are they self contained or are they connected to a larger device?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. They're not devices. They're amulets. Magic."

"Magic." She frowned. "There's no such thing as magic."

Hercules smiled. "You don't believe in the gods, do you?"

"Well, no." She looked up at him, obviously puzzled. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"These were created by one of the Muses. That makes them a gift from the gods. You know, magic?" He raised his eyebrows.

"OK, I think we're having a translator problem. You're not seriously talking about gods and magic as if they're real, are you? The gods are just myths people make up to try to explain the things in the world around them that they don't understand. Or they're advanced beings whose science seems like magic to the more primitive societies they visit. The way you're using the word god, it must mean something different. Like, if I say scientist, do you hear the same word as god?"

He shook his head and frowned. "No, I hear scientist. Why would I hear god? You're really having trouble with this, aren't you? The gods are real. I should know. My father's one of them."

"Okay, say I accept that there are gods and that you're the son of one of them." She hesitated a moment and then a troubled look crossed her face and her voice grew serious. "Do you mind if I ask you something? Something else, I mean."

Hercules shrugged.

"Why is it that you don't live with them? Your father and the rest of the, um, gods?"

That wasn't exactly the question he'd been expecting and he considered his answer for a moment before he spoke, wondering if she could possibly understand. "After my mother died, Zeus asked me to take my place on Olympus. I tried it for a while."

She glanced up at him curiously. "And yet you're here."

"I tried to convince myself that I could do more good from Olympus. That I could help people with the powers I would gain. I was wrong. The longer I stayed there the more I became like them. The gods that I'd complained about for years for their pettiness and their selfish cruelties. It became frighteningly easy to start dismissing the people I'd left behind as being unworthy of my attention and unable to understand my problems." He shook his head. "Let's just say I came to my senses before it was too late."

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," she muttered.

Hercules raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. Maybe she did understand after all, he thought.

She sighed. "That still doesn't explain how the amulets work."

"They're magic." He frowned. "How else?"

"Well, magic is one way to explain advanced tech--"

"Hey Herc!" Iolaus interrupted. "I've been telling Daniel about that tavern in Corinth. You know, the one with the Innkeeper who has those three daughters? I was trying to remember if it's the one near the Palace or if it's that one that's on the outskirts of the city."

"I--" Hercules began.

Iolaus turned to Daniel and said, "The Palace can be a little, um, official and confining if you know what I mean, so sometimes we stay at one of the taverns instead. They're good places to eat and you can find out what's really going on in the city."

Hercules nodded at Daniel and then turned back to Sam with a wry smile. "It's not always easy having me for a brother, especially for a King."

"Why's that?" she asked.

"When there's trouble people tend to seek me out for help. It can be difficult." He looked away, an uncomfortable expression on his face.

Iolaus snorted. "Difficult. Yeah, that's one way to describe it. Besides, sometimes it's the trouble that's doing the seeking. I heard Iphicles complain once that every time we come for a visit he has to rebuild half the city."

"Imagine that," Daniel said dryly.

Hercules shook his head and glanced down at Sam, relieved to see that she was smiling. "It's really not that bad. That's only happened a couple of times and it was only a quarter of the city, not half."

Her eyes widened. "Uh-huh."

They crested a small rise and halted. Spread out below them was a green valley dotted with trees and rolling hills. A farmhouse with outbuildings stood near a small pond. The land surrounding the buildings was sectioned into plowed fields. A small curl of smoke rose from a chimney in the house.

"Looks peaceful," Jack said.

"Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving." Hercules exchanged a grin with Iolaus. "Guess we better go introduce our new friends to Jason."

As they walked down the rise a woman came out the front door of the farmhouse and waited on the porch. When they entered the yard she called out.

"Hercules! It's about time you got here."

"Cassandra!" He trotted up to the porch and engulfed her in a brief hug. "What are you doing here? Where's Jason?" He looked around the yard curiously.

"I arrived yesterday. Jason's in the village. He should be back by this evening."

"Herc?"

Hercules turned to the others. "Iolaus, you remember Cassandra."

"Sure. From Atlantis, right?" Iolaus smiled.

"Atlantis?" Daniel raised his eyebrows.

"Before it sank into the ocean." She smiled slightly.

"Okay," Daniel said slowly.

"Here we go again," Jack muttered under his breath.

"Cassandra," Hercules said quickly, "meet Jack, Daniel, Teal'c. And Sam."

"Hello." She smiled. "I've been expecting you."

"What d'you mean you've been expecting us?" Jack asked.

She glanced at Hercules.

"One of your visions?"

"Yes. Of the six of you walking down that rise." She pointed in the direction they'd just come. "The first time I had it was five days ago. I had it again yesterday morning before I arrived."

"Maybe we better go inside." Hercules opened the door and let the others enter. As they passed him he heard Sam murmur Cassandra's name questioningly to Daniel.

Hercules frowned. They already had one mystery and now it looked like it was about to get more complicated. What else could happen? On second thought, maybe he didn't want to know the answer to that. He sighed and joined the others.

Iolaus and Cassandra stood in front of the cold hearth looking amused and resigned in turn. Daniel perched on one of the wooden chairs. He stared at Cassandra intently, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, with Jack, Sam and Teal'c ranged behind him. They all glanced at Hercules as he entered the room.

"Somebody want to clue us in on what's going on here?" Jack asked quietly.

"You mentioned visions." Daniel's words were directed at Hercules, but he continued to stare at Cassandra.

"Cassandra sometimes has visions of what may happen." He glanced at her with a smile.

She nodded. "The trick is understanding what they mean in time to do something. Sometimes I'll have a clear vision that has an obvious meaning, but usually I only see fragments that I don't understand. It's rather frustrating, really."

Hercules stood next to her and touched her arm gently. "What have you seen this time?"

"I told you that I saw the six of you. Of course I only recognized you and Iolaus." She smiled at them. "And I recognized the farm from the time I spent here after your trial."

"Trial?" Jack asked.

Hercules shook his head impatiently. "It's not important. What else did you see?"

"Well, about two weeks ago I had a vision that I really don't understand. I saw a monster, I guess. It had the body of a man and the head of a dog or maybe a jackal. I'm not sure."

"What was it doing?" Iolaus asked.

"That's the strangest thing of all. It was standing in front of some people, with its back to them, and strange blue lightning was coming from its outstretched hands."

"People?" Hercules frowned. "Who? Did you recognized them?"

Cassandra shook her head. "No. At least not until I had the vision of the six of you and then I realized that they were the ones in the other vision." She looked at Daniel, Sam, Jack and Teal'c searchingly, a serious expression on her face. "It was the four of you."

"Us?" Daniel glanced up at Jack.

"Great." Jack shook his head. "I don't suppose you saw anything else?"

Cassandra sighed. "No, I didn't. I'm sorry. When I had the vision with Hercules and Iolaus and the farm I knew I had to come here."

"What did this, ah, monster look like, exactly?" Daniel narrowed his eyes.

"I told you. It looked like a man with the head and shoulders of an animal."

Daniel shook his head. "You said the head of a dog or jackal. Now you're saying it's the head and shoulders. Which is it?"

"Daniel?" Jack raised an eyebrow and lifted his chin. "What are you thinking?"

"Just a minute, Jack." He turned back to Cassandra. "Well?"

She frowned in concentration. "Head and shoulders, I think. And it was big. Taller than any of the four of you."

"Well, Daniel?" Jack asked.

"Doesn't that sound familiar to you, Jack?"

"Yeah, I guess it does at that." Jack lifted his cap and ran a hand through his hair, then resettled the cap on his head.

"A Jaffa." Teal'c's hands tightened on his staff.

"What's a Jaffa?" Iolaus asked curiously. "Is that one of the monsters you have in your world?"

"No." Jack glanced at Teal'c. "It's a warrior. An enemy."

"I don't get it, Jack. It sounds like it was protecting us from something." Daniel frowned. "Why would a Jaffa be protecting us? It doesn't make any sense."

"Unless it's Teal'c," said Sam.

"Teal'c?" Jack shook his head and grimaced. "You wanna explain that one, Carter?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe we find some Jaffa armor and Teal'c uses it for some reason. I don't know."

"No." Cassandra shook her head. "I definitely saw all four of you standing behind the figure. It's not possible for it to be him."

"Come on, are we seriously talking visions here?" Jack asked. "You're sayin' these visions of yours come true, right?"

"Mostly." She sighed softly and shook her head. "Well, yes, always." She turned to Hercules with a beseeching look.

He raised his hands palm up, then dropped them to his side. "Cassandra's visions happen. The trick, as she mentioned, is understanding what they mean."

"I've learned to just describe what I see and not try to interpret." Cassandra's mouth turned down. "If I make assumptions about what I'm seeing I just seem to make things worse. It's up to you to figure out what it means. This vision was a little different than most of them. Usually my visions seem very clear. I see what I will see when it happens. This time, though, the perspective was distorted, like I was seeing it through someone else's eyes. I don't believe I'll be there when it happens."

Jack snorted. "Great. So, what? You're like the psychic hotline for this world? You give us just enough to tease us into jumping to our own conclusions?"

"Psychic hotline?" Cassandra turned to Hercules, puzzled. "This world?"

"I'll explain later." He turned to the others. "In the meantime, I'm sure you'd like a chance to clean up."

He tried rolling over on his right side and squeezed his eyes shut. It was far too late to be so restless. Go to sleep Jack, he ordered and then stifled a snort. Sure, go to sleep. Much easier ordered than done. Myths and gods, visions and heroes. Too much, he thought, even for someone used to traveling through the stargate.

Jack thought back over the day, still surprised at the affinity he'd felt for Jason when he met the man. Jason had returned to the farm late that afternoon and he hadn't been at all what Jack had expected. He'd pictured someone larger than life. Someone like Hercules, now that he thought about it. Jason had looked like he could handle himself all right, but he certainly wasn't the type who looked like he should have the word hero tattooed across his forehead. And then he'd spoken and Jack had understood.

The quiet competence of the man and his air of command had impressed Jack. This was a man used to being in charge, a natural leader. He found himself watching Jason carefully, puzzled about what it was that was so familiar about him. As he watched Jason listening to Iolaus talk, the answer came in a flash of insight. Jason reminded him of the General. How many times had he watched Hammond quietly listen to Daniel, all nervous movement and intense persuasion, explain something? There was a level of trust between these men that was similar to SG-1's relationship with the General. Jack didn't know how he knew this, but his gut told him he was right. And that same feeling told him to trust them.

He'd also been amused by the good natured teasing the three men displayed. It reminded Jack of his own team. One episode in particular at dinner made Jack grin in the dark. They'd been discussing the trip to Corinth when Jason had suddenly seriously proclaimed that he didn't think it was a good time for Hercules to show his face in the city.

"I don't think you going to Corinth is such a good idea right now, Hercules," Jason said.

"Why?"

"Iphicles is on a 'make Corinth safe' kick."

"So? How could it be more safe than with Herc there?" Iolaus cocked his head.

Jason rubbed his chin. "I don't think Iphicles always sees it like that. He's proclaimed Corinth a 'monster free zone' and well, Hercules attracts monsters."

"I do not attract monsters!" Hercules exclaimed, obviously offended by the idea.

"Well, Herc, in all fairness to Iphicles I think you have to admit that monsters do tend to be in the same vicinity as you. A lot." Iolaus grinned.

"I don't attract them," he said firmly.

Jason shook his head and said, "Maybe not attract, as such, but--"

"I can't believe you're agreeing with Iphicles. I slay monsters! I do not attract them!" Hercules crossed his arms.

"Right. You slay them. Which usually puts you in the same place as they are," Jason said carefully.

"'Cause it would be kind of hard to slay 'em from a distance," Iolaus added.

"But that doesn't mean that I attract them." Hercules glared at his friends.

"No, no," Iolaus assured him. "Of course not."

"Just so we're clear," Hercules said. "It's coincidence, not cause and effect."

"We're clear." Jason glanced at Iolaus and raised his eyebrows.

"Right." Iolaus grinned.

"All right then." Hercules nodded.

Sam glanced wide-eyed at Daniel, who shrugged, while Jack hid a grin behind his hand and Teal'c merely quirked an eyebrow.

Jack flopped onto his back and opened his eyes. He sighed as he recognized the futility of his situation, eased the blanket down and swung his legs over the side of his bed. He grabbed his pants, careful not to let anything jangle and wake Daniel, asleep in the bed against the far wall.

He silently slipped from the house, not bothering to pull on his pants until he reached the porch. The night was warm with a soft breeze that played pleasantly across his face and bare chest. The sky was clear and moonless and full of stars. A small smile lit his face. If he couldn't sleep at least he could do some stargazing. The previous nights had been too cloudy to allow him to indulge his favorite pastime.

The farmyard was open, allowing a good view of the sky. He sat on the ground with his legs stretched out in front of him and leaned back on his hands. He contemplated the sky for several long minutes, appreciative of the sheer number of stars he could see on this world. There was something to be said for the absence of artificial lights.

Out of habit he began to try to make sense of the view, automatically grouping the stars into constellations. That same habit made him use the constellations with which he was most familiar, absently linking stars into known patterns. He jerked upright with a start; eyes wide and mouth open in astonishment.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered as he scrambled upright. He absently brushed his hands off on his pants as he tried to order his thoughts. Carter, he thought. Gotta get Carter.

"Carter!" Jack whispered urgently and shook her shoulder. "Carter wake up, damn it."

"Mrmf?" She rolled over and squinted at him. "Sir? What time is it? Did I miss my watch?"

"It's late Carter. And no, you didn't miss your watch," he said impatiently. "We're not on watch, remember?"

"What is it, Sir?" She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"I need to show you something," he said in a strained voice. "You can tell me if I've gone crazy."

She blinked rapidly and then looked at him sharply. "Let me get dressed and I'll be with you in a minute."

"No need, we're not going far and it's a warm night. Come on."

He took her hand and pulled her from her bed, smiling slightly at her embarrassment and wondering at it. She was sleeping in her T-shirt and underwear. He'd seen her in less, so why was she embarrassed?

He pulled her along the hallway and out the front door. She looked at him curiously when he stopped in the middle of the yard and pointed straight up.

"This is the first clear night we've had since we've been here. Tell me what you see," he demanded.

Carter looked up at the clear night sky and shrugged. "Sky. Stars..." her voice trailed off. "Oh my god!"

"Uh-huh." He pointed to groups of stars. "There's the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper and the Corona Borealis. I could go on, but I'm sure you get it."

She looked at him, her eyes wide with shock. "Those are Earth constellations, Sir. How can that be?" she whispered.

"I dunno, Carter. But at a guess I'd say that whole 'this is Earth' thing that Hercules insisted on when we first met him needs to be revisited." Jack crossed his arms and shivered despite the warmth of the night.

She nodded slowly. "I think we better wake Daniel and show him. At the very least he'll be happy to know that we're not all going crazy."

"Are you sure about that?" Jack smiled grimly. "Maybe this is one giant mass hallucination."

"You don't really believe that, do you Sir?" she asked uncertainly.

He shook his head. "No. Not really. But I gotta admit that it holds a certain appeal."

She cocked her head and frowned. "Why's that? If you don't mind my asking."

He shrugged. "Insanity might be a lot easier to deal with. I mean, if Hercules was telling the truth about this being Earth, maybe he was telling the truth about everything else."

Her eyes widened. "You mean about, um, the gods and his father, and, uh, magic?"

"Yeah. Think about Daniel's translation of the writing on the walls of the building housing the stargate for a minute. The Goa'uld were defeated, but only by real gods."

Sam drew in a breath and held it for a moment before slowly letting it out. "Real or not, we need to know what happened and where we are."

Jack nodded. "Get Daniel and Teal'c. I'll wait for you out here. I think we need to talk."

She nodded and turned towards the farmhouse.

"And Carter?" Jack smiled in apology when she turned back to him. "Get dressed before you wake up Daniel."

She flashed him a quick grin. "Yes Sir."

"What do you make of them?" Jason jerked his chin at the group standing in the farmyard. Iolaus was gesturing enthusiastically as he explained something to the three men, while Cassandra and Samantha stood off to one side talking together quietly.

Hercules leaned against the rail post on the porch and turned his head to study his friend. "They seem okay."

"Do you buy their story about all those other worlds they've traveled to?"

Hercules hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, I do. I might have a harder time believing it if I hadn't seen them walk out of that stargate thing. And if I hadn't gone through a vortex or two myself before this." He shrugged. "But they did and I have. Their story's a lot easier to believe after all that."

Jason nodded. He continued to watch the others thoughtfully. "I suppose so. I find that I'm not really having a hard time believing that they travel to other worlds so much as I'm reluctant to believe what they have to say about this enemy of theirs."

"I can understand that." Hercules smiled slightly. "From everything they told us last night, these Goa'uld are far worse than the monsters of our own world."

Jason shuddered. "At least our monsters just try to kill you. I can't imagine the horror of having one of those Goa'uld's burrow inside you and take control of your body." He glanced at Hercules, and asked softly, "How's Iolaus dealing with that?"

"Dealing? You know Iolaus. He pretended that it didn't bother him and refused to talk about it. 'Why should that upset me, Herc? They're just another form of monster, that's all.'" He snorted. "I spent half the night waking him from nightmares. Of course, he blamed them on bad figs at dinner."

The nightmares had claimed a strong hold on his friend and what Hercules didn't add was that he'd finally pulled Iolaus into his own bed and held onto him until he'd fallen asleep. That was the end of the horrors for the night. Iolaus would be less than thrilled if Hercules had offered that bit of information, even if it was just to Jason.

"Sounds like Iolaus." Jason grimaced. "Heaven forbid that he admit to anything that he perceives as a weakness."

"Yeah, well, let's just hope that we don't run into any of these Goa'ulds. From the shape that that ruin was in, it doesn't seem too likely that there are any left on Earth."

"I hope you're right."

Hercules turned to face Jason and leaned back against the post. "Do you really think it's worthwhile going into Corinth?"

Jason shook his head. "I doubt it. I went through the library rather thoroughly while I lived in the Palace. It was a great place to hide from the bureaucrats when I needed a break. I don't recall seeing anything that mentioned a battle between foreign and false gods, or traveling to other worlds."

"I have a feeling that Daniel will insist on going, though, no matter what you tell him." Hercules smiled slightly. "He gets pretty excited about learning new things and he seems able to talk O'Neill around until he gets what he wants."

Jason chuckled softly. "Sounds like a couple of other people I know." He slanted a look at Hercules out of the corner of his eye.

He pretended to take offense and said, "I have no idea who you could possibly mean." He couldn't hold the pretense, though, and grinned. "I'm not that easy, am I?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Probably not." Hercules shrugged and then raised his head to look across the farmyard. "Someone's coming. Are you expecting a visitor?" He pointed across the fields.

He shook his head. "No, but then I wasn't expecting you, either."

Hercules narrowed his eyes. "You're not starting that business from last night again, are you?"

"Can I help it if trouble seems to follow you around?" His smile took the sting out of his words.

"Jason--"

"Let's just see who this is, shall we, before we make any assumptions?" Jason stepped off the porch.

Hercules watched him wince and shake his head when Iolaus called out, "Hey, Jase! Wanna bet that's someone coming to fetch Herc to take care of a monster terrorizing the countryside?"

"Iolaus, sometimes you don't know when to keep quiet," Jason muttered.

They watched as the figure came closer and resolved into an old man. His hair was long and gray and matted with dust and sweat. His clothing was worn and spotted as if he'd been traveling hard without respite and exhaustion and pain lined his face. In the silence that fell as the man approached, Hercules noted that their new friends automatically took up defensive positions in front of Cassandra and that Iolaus stood with them. He shook his head and followed Jason off the porch to greet the newcomer.

The man glanced apprehensively at the people ranged before him, relaxing only when his gaze landed on Hercules. He ducked his head.

"I've come to beg a favor of Hercules." His voice was rough with fatigue.

"I'm Hercules." He stepped forward. "Who are you?"

"Cyrus. I come from the village of Antiochus, to the south." He swayed slightly.

"I'm Jason. Be welcome to my home, Cyrus," Jason said. "Come and sit down before you fall down." He grasped the man's arm, led him to the porch and gently forced him down onto the top step.

"I'll just go get him some water," Cassandra said softly and disappeared into the house. A few moments later she returned carrying an ewer of water and a clay cup. She poured the water and pressed the cup into Cyrus' hands.

He gulped the water and closed his eyes and sighed. He smiled at Cassandra gratefully as he returned the cup. "Thank you. All of you. I...I'm sorry, it's just that it's been a difficult trip."

"What is it you need my help with?" Hercules asked.

Cyrus sighed. "A sorcerer has the people of my village under his spell. They're forced to do his bidding and cannot escape." His voice turned bitter. "In truth, they act as if they don't want to escape. All they seem to want to do is stay close to the sorcerer and serve him. Someone must break his enchantment and I thought of you." He gazed beseechingly at Hercules.

"Enchantment?" Iolaus asked uneasily. "Sorcerer? Herc, this isn't some warlord that we can fight."

"No, it isn't, but someone still needs to do something about him." Hercules frowned. "Who is this sorcerer?"

"He calls himself Nectanebus."

"How is it that you're not under his spell, Cyrus?"

Cyrus passed a trembling hand over his face. "I was away attending my granddaughter's wedding feast when he came to the village. Whatever the spell is that he cast, it didn't affect me when I returned home. Everyone I talked to kept telling me how wonderful this Nectanebus was. They all wanted to bring me to him, but I'd figured out by then that something was wrong, so I put them off and I stayed as far away from him as I could. As soon as I was sure that the sorcerer was behind what was happening, I came to find you. Please, will you help?"

"How did you know he's a sorcerer?" Daniel asked.

Cyrus shrugged. "With the way everyone was acting, I figured if he wasn't a god then he had to be a sorcerer. And he wasn't making any claims of godhood that I could see. So, when I saw his eyes glow with power, I just knew he had to be a sorcerer."

"His eyes glowed?" Jack asked sharply, his body snapping to attention.

"Yes."

"Sir, that sounds like a--"

"Goa'uld. I know Carter." Jack's mouth turned down. "Damn it. Okay, we're going to have to investigate this."

"I do not recall a System Lord by that name." Teal'c raised his eyebrows.

"Daniel?" Jack turned to him and cocked his head.

"Um, well, there's no god called Nectanebus that I'm aware of," Daniel said slowly. "However, I do recall an Egyptian king of that name. He was supposed to be skilled in magic. There really isn't much information about him. Just a vague reference to Alexander the Great."

Jack rubbed his forehead and then looked at Hercules. "You don't know Alexander the Great, by any chance, do you?"

"Who?" Hercules blinked.

"Never heard of him," Iolaus said. He turned to Jason. "Can you imagine actually calling yourself 'the great?' Talk about ego."

"Okay, okay. I get the picture. No Alexander in this world." Jack closed his eyes and muttered, "At least that's something."

"What about the library, Jack?" Daniel frowned. "We still have to find the DHD."

"I know, Daniel, but the library'll still be there after we finish taking care of the snakehead."

"Sir?"

"Captain?"

"The description of the village, Sir. Doesn't that sound familiar?"

"It sounds like the effects from the nishta used by Setesh on his disciples," Teal'c said.

Jack nodded. "Seth. Yeah, well at least we know that he's dead. I mean, he is dead, right?"

"He is dead, O'Neill. Captain Carter's use of the hand device was most effective."

Jack sighed softly as Carter bit her lip and looked away, a troubled expression on her face. "Let's just hope it's nishta this guy is using, since we're immune to it now."

"Seth?" Hercules asked.

"Long story." Jack doffed his cap and ran his hand back and forth over his short hair. "Look, are you going with Cyrus here to check out his village?"

Hercules looked at Cyrus' hopeful face and nodded. "Of course. I can't just leave things the way he's described them."

Jack nodded as if he'd expected that. "Well, we're going with you." He held up a hand to forestall any objections. "Hear me out. Remember what we told you last night about the Goa'uld? Well, what Cyrus here just described sure sounds like that's what this Nectarine guy is who's taken over his village. We've got knowledge you need if you're gonna go up against him."

Hercules glanced at Jason and Iolaus. "Then we'd appreciate your assistance."

He reached out a hand to Cyrus and pulled him to his feet. "Why don't we go inside. We can get Cyrus a meal and let him rest a bit while we decide just how to deal with this sorcerer."

"Thank you, Hercules," Cyrus said gratefully.

Hercules waited while everyone followed Jason and Cyrus inside. The thought that they might be facing one of O'Neill's enemies troubled him. He wasn't worried about their ability to deal with it. That's what they did after all, deal with monsters, and the fact that Jack and the others were familiar with this particular monster meant that it was just a matter of time before he was vanquished. No, what worried him was how this would affect Iolaus. If last night had been any indication, they were in for a rough time.

"So, we're set, right?" Jack looked at each of his teammates in turn and made sure that they were ready. He sighed to himself as he gazed over at Daniel. It wasn't that Daniel didn't look ready to go, just that he wasn't paying attention. Strike that, what he was doing was paying far too much attention to the resident Greeks. Demi-god, my ass, he thought sourly.

"Yes Sir."

He could always count on Carter to be gung ho. He just wished that they'd had some more time to put the incident with Seth behind them before they had to deal with another Goa'uld putting people under his spell.

"Teal'c?"

"O'Neill?"

Jack raised his eyebrows and jerked his chin toward his wayward archaeologist. "Get Daniel, Teal'c."

Teal'c nodded once and took Daniel's elbow in a gentle grip. Daniel broke off his exposition in mid-sentence and looked up at him. Teal'c quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head. Daniel glanced at Jack, a guilty expression crossing his face that made him look like a naughty little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Ready to go, Daniel?"

"Um, sure, Jack. I'm good." A blush crept up his cheeks.

"Good." Jack fought the smile that threatened to spoil his disapproving glare. Try as he might, there were times when it was impossible to stay annoyed with Daniel. He turned to Jason and nodded. "We're ready when you are."

"Very well, Jack." Jason smiled slightly and turned to Cassandra. "You and Cyrus are welcome to stay as long as you'd like. I'd be happy to find you here when we return."

"Thank you, Jason." Cassandra stepped over to Hercules and gave him a quick hug. "Take care of them. Don't forget about my vision," she murmured.

"Count on it." Hercules brushed his fingers across her cheek and smiled. He glanced at Cyrus. "Don't worry. We'll do what we can for your friends."

"Thank you. All of you."

Jason and Iolaus started down the well worn path that led south and the others fell into a natural column behind them with Teal'c and Hercules bringing up the rear. The day was clear and cool, with just a touch of autumn in the air. Jack rested his arms on his MP-5 and periodically scanned the countryside for threats as they walked. He also kept an eye on the group in front of him. Iolaus seemed to have no trouble entertaining both Daniel and Carter with his stories while also being aware of what was happening around them. For some reason, that irritated Jack to no end.

By the time they made camp for the night, Jack was what might charitably be called out-of-sorts. In truth, he was downright cranky. They were stuck on this world, about to engage a Goa'uld, armed with nothing more than two MP-5's, a staff weapon and three sidearms. Oh, and three guys who'd stepped right out of mythology. Piece of cake.

It didn't help matters that Iolaus seemed to have an endless supply of tales about this world and about his heroic exploits with Hercules and Jason that he was more than happy to share with his two new friends. And that said new friends were almost falling all over themselves to hear those stories. Jack wound up on the opposite side of the campfire from them, Hercules and Jason to one side and Teal'c on his other side.

They had another day or so to journey and Jack had a feeling that tomorrow wasn't going to be any more fun than today had been. He could have used a nice violent firefight about then to take the edge off, but he didn't think he'd be so lucky. With a sigh, he rolled out the blanket that Jason had provided and climbed onto his makeshift bed, doing his best to ignore the soft laughter that floated through the camp from the other side of the fire. Sleep was a long time coming.

His mood hadn't improved by the next morning. If anything it was worse and he snapped at everyone, even Daniel, who'd done nothing more than ask him if he wanted a fruit bar that he'd squirreled away in a pocket and forgotten about. He'd made a sarcastic comment about it and Daniel had just turned away and walked over to where Carter and Iolaus stood, sulking and looking hurt. Jack sighed and glanced over at them. Iolaus was talking, as usual, only this time Daniel and Carter were exchanging meaningful looks. Great, he thought. Just what he needed to make his morning complete.

They took a break just before midday to eat and rest. The temperature had remained cool, but the sun had stayed out from behind the clouds, making pleasant weather for their long hike. Iolaus had tried to enjoy the day and not think about the sorcerer that waited for them at the end of their journey. The one who could burrow into your mind and take control, making you a prisoner in your own body. As a distraction, he'd started telling stories of his travels with Hercules to Sam and Daniel. He had to admit that they made a great audience. At least while they walked next to him. As they ate their midday meal, Iolaus became aware the he was losing the attention of his new friends. In order to recapture their interest, Iolaus dug for some of the more outrageous and harrowing of his and Hercules' encounters. When that didn't work, he shrugged to himself and began one of the tales that Herc positively hated, but that was guaranteed to rivet the attention of his audience -- the tale of his fight to the death with Hera's Enforcer.

Telling the story of his encounter with Hera's second Enforcer to Daniel and Sam wasn't going at all like Iolaus had expected. Even though he described the fight in the forest in great detail, hoping that seasoned warriors such as themselves would appreciate his epic battle, they still kept getting distracted. Iolaus gaze strayed over their shoulders to the source of their preoccupation -- Jack O'Neill. The man stood several feet away, arms crossed over his chest, positively glowering at them. It was obvious to Iolaus that O'Neill was jealous of the time his companions were spending with him, but that he wasn't going to complain about it. The whole thing suddenly struck his sense of the absurd - it was as funny as it was irritating and he was determined to get to the big finish of his story.

"It was a terrible struggle for me to even get up from where the Enforcer left me after she beat me to a pulp. I managed it somehow and forced my broken body across the countryside until I finally found Hercules. I got to him in time to warn him that Hera had sent another Enforcer after him." Iolaus timed his moment until both Daniel and Samantha looked at him and then he said, with plenty of dramatic effect, "And then I died in his arms."

"Uh-huh." Daniel glanced over his shoulder again at O'Neill.

Iolaus frowned. That wasn't the reaction to his story that he'd been hoping for. There should have at least been a "you died!?" Instead, what he did get? A lousy "uh-huh."

Cautiously he said, "I usually get more of a reaction than that."

Before Carter could respond, O'Neill stepped over and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Come on, Captain. Jason's waiting on us. Time to move out."

Iolaus glared at the man. "Hey! We were just talking about the time I died." Well, one of the times, anyway. The least the guy could do was show a little sympathy.

O'Neill raised his eyebrows. "Yeah? So? Looks like you're back. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt." He looked at Carter and added impatiently, "Let's go, Captain. Daniel."

"Yes Sir." As she turned away she gave Iolaus an apologetic little half-shrug and smile and then hurried to catch up with O'Neill. Daniel gestured half-heartedly with his hand and followed after them, his gaze never leaving O'Neill's back.

"Lose your audience?" Hercules folded his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Guess I finally found Jack's limit. That was some of my best material, too. I can't believe they just walked away after I told them that I died."

"Do we have to talk about that?" Hercules asked, a pained expression on his face.

"Nah," Iolaus replied quietly. He glanced up at Hercules and rubbed his chin. "Hey Herc? What's a t-shirt?"

They stopped again to rest later that afternoon near a stream sheltered by a small hill and a copse of trees. Hercules wandered up the hill to get a quick lay of the land. It wasn't long before he returned in a hurry.

"I think I've found the sorcerer. Or, at least where he's been."

"Where?" Jack asked.

Hercules pointed up the hill. "Looks like a large group of people have come from the south recently and passed through here. There are signs of lightning blasts on the trees. Who else but a god or a sorcerer could do such a thing? I doubt any of my family have been hanging around here lately, blasting things for the fun of it. So that just leaves Cyrus' sorcerer."

"How can you be sure?" Carter frowned. "I mean, about your, uh, family?"

He shrugged and held his palms out. How could he explain something that was simply a part of who he was? "I just know. I can't really explain it better than that."

"If Herc says he knows it wasn't one of his family, you can trust him on that." Iolaus narrowed his eyes and glanced at Hercules. "You didn't get a feeling about any other gods, did you? You know, like--"

"No." Hercules tone was curt. He softened it and added, "No, I didn't feel anything like that. I'm pretty sure we're looking at the deeds of our sorcerer."

"Which way were they going?" Jack asked as he arranged the strap of his weapon more comfortably on his shoulder.

"North."

"So the big question is, why the move?"

"Sir?"

"Think about it, Carter. This setup sounds a lot like the one that Seth guy had back on Earth, our Earth. Daniel, correct me if I'm wrong, but the whole point of his charade was to gather slaves. He had limited control, even with the nishta, and had to stay in one place. He only moved after he was about to lose control and after he'd killed all of his followers."

"Yes Sir. But, Sir, it's also possible that Nectanebus is using something more powerful than nishta."

"I really didn't want to hear that, Carter." Jack sighed.

Daniel had the expression on his face that he always got when he'd just figured something out. That excited, just have to share with someone look. "I don't think so, Sam. Think about it. If Nectanebus was that powerful, wouldn't Hercules and the others have heard about him before now?" He turned to the others. "Have you ever heard of anything like this before?"

Hercules shook his head. "If we had, we would have stopped it."

"See." Daniel glanced at Jack. "I think that, if anything, Nectanebus has even less power than Seth did. Maybe he doesn't have much nishta or maybe he's using something that doesn't work as well as nishta. Who knows? The point is that I bet his hold over his followers is more tenuous. That means that there's got to be something pretty important to the north that makes the risk worth it to him. So, what's north of here?"

Jack's eyes widened. "The stargate."

Daniel nodded.

"But surely Nectanebus knew about the stargate before this," Carter said. "Why would he be heading for it now?"

"Perhaps our coming through the gate triggered something that told the Goa'uld that it was active. I don't know." Daniel shrugged.

"It is possible," Teal'c said.

Jack shook his head. "But there's no DHD and no power source. What difference does it make if we came through it? He can't use the gate to leave any more than we can."

Daniel raised a hand. "Hear me out, Jack. What if the prohibition on the gate went both ways? I mean, what if when the gate was closed that it was closed to both inbound and outbound travel? Nectanebus would have no reason to believe that there'd be incoming travelers. And after all this time, maybe he figured that if the gate was active that that would mean someone either found the DHD or found a way to power the ring. Either way, he'd be able to leave."

Carter grinned. "That's plausible, Sir."

"Sweet." Jack grimaced and turned to the Greeks. "Guess we know where they're headed."

Hercules nodded. "We should split up. If the villagers are under his thrall, then they're innocent victims. They'll need more help than we can give when we release them. I think we need Iphicles for this. Jason? Why don't you and Iolaus head for Corinth and bring back help."

"Herc--"

"Iolaus, go with Jason. Please. What happens if he runs into this Nectanebus character? We don't know for sure which way they'll head or even if they'll stay together. I'd feel a lot better if you went along."

"All right, Herc. If you say so." Iolaus clasped Hercules' forearm. "You be careful."

Jack rubbed his chin. "Carter. Teal'c. You two go with them."

"Sir?"

"If they do run into the Goa'uld, they'll need help."

"Yes Sir."

"Keep in contact. If anything happens I want to know about it. Radio check." Jack reached for the button on his radio and frowned when nothing happened. "Try yours, Carter."

Sam pressed the button on her radio and was met with silence. "Mine's not working, either."

Daniel and Teal'c tried theirs, with the same result. The radios were dead. Sam took the radio out of her vest pocket, removed the back and poked around its innards for a few moments.

"Damn it! I know this was working before we left the SGC. I tested it myself." Jack shook his head. "How could the batteries all have run down at the same time?"

"I don't think they did, Sir." Sam replaced the cover on her radio and put it back in her vest pocket. "I think maybe there's something about this world that's causing them to malfunction."

Jack turned to Teal'c. "What about your staff weapon? We haven't used that since we got here."

Teal'c lifted the staff and pointed it away from the group. He twisted the ring in the center and the weapon crackled to life. "My weapon has not been affected, O'Neill."

"Thank god for small favors. All right. There's nothing we can do about the radios, so stay sharp out there. Daniel, we're with Hercules." Jack settled his cap lower on his forehead. "We'll rendezvous at the stargate."

"Very well, O'Neill."

"We'll see you at the stargate, Sir."

"Crap!" Jack scrambled up the rise and dove into the thick underbrush behind Daniel.

They both turned and peered out at the column of soldiers marching past them on the trail. Jack frowned. The men marching by looked like they'd been pulled out of fields and shops. Their uniforms were ragged and mismatched and few held any kind of fighting implement. The occasional sword was generally more rusty than not and the tips of the spears were blunted and dull. About the only thing they did well was march in unison. Jack blinked as he realized that they were all putting the same foot forward at the same time and that they each took exactly the same length stride. That just wasn't possible. Unless you'd been told to 'march like this' when you were under the influence of that damn drug. He waited until the final man passed by their location before nudging Daniel with his elbow.

"What do you want to bet that they're from that village of Cyrus'? You know, Antimatter?"

"Antiochus."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm just saying that I think they're from that village."

"You're probably right, but I thought we were behind them. I guess we circled around ahead of them somehow." Daniel frowned.

"I wonder what they're doing out here without their keeper?" He craned his neck to look back down the trail to see nothing but trees. "I don't like it."

"We should catch up with Hercules."

Jack wiped his hand across his forehead. "I think you're right, Daniel. I have a bad feeling about this. Okay, I had a bad feeling before this, but now it's worse. Let's move out."

It took them two hours to make it to the base of the mountains where they'd agreed to meet up with Hercules. Jack wasn't at all surprised to find that the Greek was already there and waiting for them. His mind might shy away from acknowledging that the man was a demi-god, but he did recognize that Hercules was in top physical condition.

"Find out anything useful?" Jack dropped onto a boulder to rest.

"I think so. I stopped at a village just to the west of here. The people described what sounded like an army that marched through not long ago headed to the north. It might be part of the sorcerer's group, though he wasn't with them."

Jack glanced at Daniel and sighed. "That sounds like the group that we saw about a couple of hours ago, only they were heading east. Sounds like they're going around in circles. They may be marching like an army, actually better than any army I've ever seen, but they're not soldiers. They've got a few rusty swords and some dull spears and not much else. I figure our Goa'uld told them to march and that's what they'll do until they collapse."

"Nice guy." Hercules shook his head. "What I can't figure out is why? Why send them out to march away from here? Wouldn't he want his army at his beck and call?"

Daniel chewed on his lower lip. "Maybe not. Think about it. You're a Goa'uld posing as a sorcerer. You've got an entire village under your spell, for want of a better description. It's still early days yet, so no one outside the village has figured out what's going on. Life is good. Then you get the message, however that was rigged up, that the stargate's been activated. What do you do? You can't leave part of the village behind or they'll come out of the spell and be pretty mad about what you've done. That could mean an angry mob coming after you, at the very least."

"Okay, I see where you're going with this," Jack said. "You bring everyone along."

"Only you can't maintain your control very well while you're on the move. So you start leaving pockets of villagers behind with instructions to either forget everything or to do something repetitive and mindless, like marching in unison. Sure the drug will wear off eventually, but you're betting everything that you'll be through the stargate before that happens."

"I see," Hercules said slowly. "And it causes a lot of confusion along the way. Enough that by the time anyone figures out what's happening, it's too late."

"Clever." Jack rubbed the back of his neck and rolled his shoulders trying to loosen the muscles in his back. "The marching farmers are a red herring."

Hercules frowned. "Red herring?"

"Oh, that's an Earth term. I mean, a term from our world." Daniel smiled slightly. "A red herring is a false clue in a mystery story. It's supposed to distract one from the real clues. You follow the red herrings and you miss the important stuff."

Jack raked a hand back through his hair. "So, we ignore the colorful fish and focus on the Goa'uld's objective."

"The stargate."

Hercules nodded. "By cutting across country like we did we're close to the ruin that holds the stargate. If we leave now we should be able to make it before dark."

Jack settled his cap. "What are we waiting for?"

Hercules smiled and set out on a direct course up the mountain.

Jason raised his hand and signaled for quiet as they approached the smoking remains of the farmhouse. He held little hope that anyone would be left alive, but they had to check it out. He motioned for Sam and Teal'c to take the left and that he and Iolaus would go to the right. Sam nodded and they silently made their way around the yard.

There was nothing there, no one hiding, no bodies, not even any animals. They met up in the middle of the farmyard, each looking puzzled.

"I don't get it." Iolaus scratched his head. "While I'm glad we didn't find any bodies, they still should have been here. It looks like an attack. I mean the buildings are gone. But that's about it. I can't believe that whoever did this took all the chickens and pigs with them. No one's that good."

"I know this family," Jason said, his voice heavy. "Phyllias was a good man, a good husband and father. The farm was prosperous. He was starting to build up a nice size swine herd, mostly young piglets intended for sale. If this is a bandit attack, it's the strangest one I've ever seen. And if it's a marauding warlord, well, they like to move fast and they would have killed any animal that they couldn't carry away."

"Is it possible that the family had a warning and were able to take all of their animals with them?" Sam asked. She still held her MP-5 at the ready and constantly scanned the surrounding countryside as if she expected an attack.

Jason shook his head. "It's rained recently and there aren't enough tracks to show that kind of animal movement. I don't even see enough tracks to be able to call this an attack by a warlord with a band large enough to carry all of the animals away." He pointed to the damp earth of the farmyard. "Look at the tracks, here. They're far too orderly. One set of boots comes in and goes to the pig pen, then leaves. Another goes to the chicken coop, then leaves. A third stops in the middle of the yard and stands, then leaves. There are two sets coming out of the house." He rubbed his chin. What in Tartarus happened here?

Iolaus frowned and squatted by the footprints that led to the chicken coop. He ran his fingers along the inside of the impressions, lightly pushing at the mud in the heels and then brushing the sides of the indentations. He stood and brushed his hands off, muttering under his breath.

"Jason," he said hesitantly, "here's another impossibility for you. I don't think this is one person's footprints."

"What?"

"I think that these tracks were made by several people, all stepping in the footprints of the person in front of them."

"I concur," Teal'c said. "I have examined the footprints leading to the pen of pigs. They were also made by multiple individuals stepping in the same location."

"How is that possible? These prints are nearly perfect. Nobody's that good."

Sam sighed softly. "They are if they're under the influence of a drug that makes them obey to the letter exactly what they're told. Depending on the wording of the order, I could see something like this happening."

"So, if they took everything with them, why do that?" Jason pointed at the house.

Sam shrugged. "Maybe to cause the kind of confusion about what happened here that we're experiencing? I don't know. I mean, we were all set to believe something mysterious happened. Maybe the point of all of this was to create confusion and cause fear."

Teal'c nodded once. "The Goa'uld would wish to create chaos to cover his passage to the stargate."

"Here's what I'd guess happened," Sam said. "Nectanebus comes into the farmyard and puts the family here under his 'spell' by giving them the drug and then he orders his followers to march in and take the animals. He phrases the command in such a way that only a single set of footprints come in and go out. Once all the animals and people are gone, he torches the place."

"Devious," Iolaus muttered.

Sam nodded. "Don't underestimate Nectanebus. He might not have true magical powers in the way that you're used to them, but as a Goa'uld he has all of the memories of his race. He'll be clever and treacherous."

"Looking at the footprints and taking into account the condition of the house, I'd say that we're not that far behind them." Iolaus gazed around the farmyard, hands on his hips

Sam turned to Jason. "The question is, do we continue on to Corinth now, or do we see if we can stop them and then send for help for the villagers?"

Jason gazed at each of them, weighing their strengths and weaknesses. He'd agreed with Hercules to head for Corinth mainly because he was worried about Iolaus tangling with the sorcerer. However, if the sorcerer was close, then he knew that Hercules and the others had to be nearby as well. Turning for Corinth now meant that they would be depriving Hercules of four warriors in a battle with an enemy who could possibly bring destruction to their entire world if he succeeded in escaping through the stargate.

"We follow the sorcerer," Jason said.

"Off to see the wizard," Sam muttered and rolled her eyes when Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Sorry. Guess I've been hanging around the Colonel too long."

"Indeed."

"No."

Jason looked at Iolaus and frowned. "What do you mean, no? We've got to do something."

Iolaus nodded. "Yeah. We do. We still need to get Iphicles. You three get to Corinth as soon as you can. I'm going to circle around and warn Herc and the others about this."

"Iolaus--"

"Jason, stop. You know this is the right way to do it. I can travel faster on my own." He grinned. "Don't worry about the sorcerer catching me. Do you really think that anyone can hear me coming if I don't want them to?"

"I don't like it."

"Yeah, well, I've heard that before. You just get to Iphicles." A worried look crossed his face. "And maybe you'd better make sure you come back with an army. Just in case."

Jason sighed. "Be careful."

Iolaus just nodded. "Get going. The sooner you get there, the sooner you'll be back with help." He turned and slipped away into the forest.

Jason glanced at the others and shrugged. "He's right. Let's get out of here."

Daniel rubbed a hand across his forehead and closed his eyes. They'd been climbing for the last two hours, trying to make the summit and they didn't seem any closer now than they'd been when they started.

"Daniel?"

He opened his eyes and turned to Hercules, surprised by the quiet concern he saw in the man's gaze. "I'm okay."

"I doubt that, but I'll take your word for it. I really think we should get moving. Don't worry, it's not far now."

Daniel shoved himself off the ground and nodded. "Yeah. Okay. But it seems like the summit is still way up there."

Hercules shook his head. "We're not going all the way to the summit. We just need to make the next rise there." He pointed about 100 yards ahead of them. "We turn off on a side trail and follow it to the main path that should lead us past the ruin."

"Oh. Then, sure, I can make that."

Jack nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. So, what are we waiting for?"

Daniel waited as Hercules set the pace and then fell into step behind Jack. He fought to push away his weariness and keep up with the two men in front of him. Damn it. He didn't worry about the fact that Hercules could probably run him into the ground and then keep going without breaking a sweat. Daniel had already come to an uneasy truce with the idea that the man probably was a demi-god. What got to him was that he'd thought he was in pretty good shape, but he was beginning to have trouble keeping up with Jack. Okay, so the guy took keeping fit very seriously, as well he should. It still didn't help Daniel's ego to know that the older man would most likely be ready to keep going long after Daniel had crashed by the wayside.

He was more relieved than he wanted to admit when they crested the rise and the narrow path flattened out. Before long they came to a wider trail and were able to walk three abreast. This wasn't bad, Daniel thought. As long as they didn't have to climb any further he'd be fine, but he definitely promised himself some quality time in the gym when they got back home.

They came to a branch in the trail and Hercules silently signaled a halt. Daniel watched as he examined the location from all directions and then glanced at the sky. He motioned for them to step off the trail and follow him until they were concealed by the trees and bushes.

"I think this is the path that I was on when I found the ruin," he said, his voice quiet.

"You think?" Jack asked, his voice also low.

Hercules nodded. "I'm coming at it from a different direction and a different part of the trail, but, yeah, it's the right one."

"All right." Jack crossed his arms. "We have to believe that the Goa'uld will have set some guards to watch. Doesn't matter whether he thinks anyone knows about him or not - he'll be paranoid enough to set guards. We'll need to deal with them."

"Deal?" Hercules raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Knock 'em out." Jack frowned. "Oh, for cryin' out loud, what did you think I meant? Kill them? They're innocent civilians here. We don't go around killing innocent people, but we're going to need to make sure they can't raise an alarm."

Hercules nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Let's go, then."

Iolaus fought against the drug, his desperate struggle contained completely within the confines of his mind. The only emotion allowed to show on his face was the false serenity commanded by the sorcerer. It was as if he was trapped behind an invisible wall, unable to be heard or seen, forced to watch as once again his body was made to do things against his will. He flung himself powerlessly against the internal barrier again and again, working himself into an emotional frenzy. He had to find a way to break through, to regain control.

He hadn't seen the signs that the sorcerer was nearby and he'd fallen right into his trap. Stupid, stupid, stupid, he thought bitterly. When would he learn that he wasn't Hercules? He should have stayed with Jason and the others and gone to Corinth for help. But no, he had to play the hero, be the strong one, and prove to everyone that he could do this. Prove to himself that he could face his demons and come out on top.

A small voice whispered to him that he wasn't good enough, wasn't strong enough to fight it. That he'd betray Hercules and the rest of them with his weakness. Hadn't he already betrayed Hercules with Dahak? Hadn't he been too weak to prevent that twisted being from doing its worst? Shouldn't he just give up and stop pretending?

"No! I didn't! I don't believe it. I'm not giving up. That's what he wants, but he won't get it from me. Not this time!"

In the confusion of his mind, Dahak and Nectanebus became one and the same. He watched in horror as Hercules and Daniel entered the room. The sorrow on Hercules' face as he looked at Iolaus seated at the sorcerer's feet sent an arrow of pain straight to his heart. Iolaus wanted to move, to stand, to crawl away from the cause of his anguish, but the drug kept him safely trapped. Only his eyes could move and through them he saw everything.

Nectanebus slowly descended the dais, stopping on the second stair up from the floor. "Well, well, well. What have we here? Hercules, isn't it? I've been expecting you." His voice was deep and oddly modulated, and his eyes glowed briefly.

Hercules crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "And you're Nectanebus. From all of the talk around I'd've thought you'd be a lot more impressive, but you're just another wannabe god."

Nectanebus chuckled. "Not bad. I'm afraid you'll have to do better with the insults if you want to make me mad, though. I don't take offense quite so easily. I've wanted to meet you, you know, but I couldn't risk it before now. All this time trapped on this world, afraid to bring myself to the attention of the ones you call gods. And then you show up on the scene." A small smile played across his lips as he watched the two men before him exchange puzzled glances.

"We know you've kept a low profile," Daniel said. "If you hadn't, you would have been destroyed long ago."

"You don't understand anything. I've been waiting for the Guardians of the Gate to make a mistake and they obviously have or I wouldn't have been able to enter this room. Someone used the stargate. Which means that I can use it, too. I'll finally be able to leave this cursed planet."

"Well if that's all you wanted to do, why didn't you say so? I'm sure we could have accommodated you a long time ago." Hercules smiled grimly.

Nectanebus shook his head slowly. "No, I think it's better this way. Besides, this body is beginning to wear out. I've wondered what it would be like to have a host that was physically a match for my capabilities. I'd thought to take that one as my next host." He gestured at Iolaus. "But I rather like the idea of having the son of Zeus in my power. Hmm, I should be invincible, don't you think? Let's find out, shall we?" Nectanebus raised his palm and blew across it in the direction of the two men.

Iolaus continued to sit calmly and observe, yet inside he was screaming at Hercules to get out of there. To back away from the drug that was even now in the air and floating towards him. He screamed and beat against the invisible wall in his head, the knowledge of his failure burning in his heart. Helpless to stop what was happening in front of him, he forced himself to keep his eyes raised and watch.

Hercules raised an eyebrow and glanced at Daniel out of the corner of his eye. "How're you doing?"

Daniel shrugged. "I feel fine. Looks like we were right about the drug. What about you?"

Hercules grinned, a feral look that made Iolaus blink. "Guess there's something to be said for being a demi-god after all. All I feel is annoyed with this guy. I think I should do something about that."

Daniel smiled and made a sweeping gesture with his hand. "Don't let me stand in your way."

Hope leapt in Iolaus' heart as Hercules launched himself at the sorcerer. They grappled together on the stairs. Nectanebus was surprisingly strong for a man of his age and it was obvious that Hercules wasn't expecting that. Iolaus blinked when Daniel darted out of the room. Where was he going? Why wasn't he helping Herc? He struggled once more against the bonds that held him captive in his mind.

Daniel ran back outside to see if he could help Jack. They had to make sure that all of the Goa'uld's drugged followers were unconscious. They'd managed to subdue most of them, but Jack was still fighting the last few that were left. As Daniel waded into the fray, ducking clumsy blows and kicks, he tried not to worry about what had happened to Sam, Teal'c and Jason. He'd seen Iolaus and immediately recognized his drugged state, but there was no sign of the other three.

A punch to his kidney staggered him, but he managed to duck another blow and whip around to face his attacker. He swung his fist and connected with the man's jaw, dropping him like a stone. Panting heavily, he whirled in place, looking for someone else to fight, but there was no one left.

"Daniel?" Jack said. "What's happening in there?"

"Hercules is fighting Nectanebus. Come on, Jack."

They ran for the ruin and skidded to a stop just inside the stargate room. Jack raised his weapon, ready to fire if he could get a clear shot. Unfortunately, the two combatants were rolling around on the floor, locked together.

"Come on. Come on. Get away from him. Just give me one clear shot," Jack muttered. He kept his MP-5 trained on the two figures and began to inch forward, trying to find a better angle.

A movement from the dais drew Daniel's attention. His eyes widened as he saw Iolaus twitch. The expression on Iolaus' face gradually turned from stupefied bliss to one of pain and anger.

Iolaus' hand jerked off his lap to flop on the floor next to him, shocking Daniel. That shouldn't be possible. Without an electric shock to release him, it should have taken days for the effect to wear off. Iolaus certainly hadn't been under long enough for that to happen. And yet it seemed that somehow Iolaus was fighting the effects of the nishta. But then, Daniel would never have believed it possible if he hadn't seen with his own eyes that the drug had no affect on Hercules. Maybe they both had some sort of natural immunity?

"Damn it!"

Daniel jerked his head at Jack's exclamation and felt his heart plummet. Jack was trying to work his way around the room to get a shot at Nectanebus, who was using a statue for protection. Hercules was on his knees. The Goa'uld's eyes glowed and his left hand was raised. A golden light flowed from the crystal in the center of his hand to Hercules' forehead. Hercules was struggling to get to his feet, but Daniel could see that the pain caused by the weapon was too great. Slowly the demi-god was slipping back on his heels, losing the fight.

A low growl from behind was the only warning that Daniel had before a blur of purple rushed past him and around the statue to knock Nectanebus to the floor, taking the Goa'uld by surprise. Iolaus screamed incoherently as he pounded the sorcerer's head into the stone paving again and again. The hand weapon's light extinguished and Hercules listed to one side.

"Jesus." Jack lowered his weapon and stared.

Daniel hurried to Hercules and helped him up. The large man shook his head, shaking off the effects of the hand weapon like a dog shaking off water. He nodded once in thanks and then turned to his friend, a grim expression on his face. He forcefully pulled Iolaus away from the Goa'uld, wrapping his arms around him and holding the struggling figure still as easily as if he were a child. He spoke soothingly in a low voice. Daniel couldn't make out the words, but he could tell when they began to get through to Iolaus. After a few moments the blond sagged limply in Hercules' embrace, his head lolling back and forth as he slipped into unconsciousness, the strain of the struggle to overcome the drug and the emotion expended to save Hercules finally taking their toll.

Jack cautiously walked around them and stared down at Nectanebus. He glanced over his shoulder at Hercules. "He gonna be okay?"

Hercules nodded. "I think so. He doesn't seem to be injured, so we'll have to wait until he wakes up to be sure."

"Okay." Jack pointed at the corpse on the floor. "These guys have the ability to jump bodies even if their host is dead, so keep well away from him. I don't want to risk someone getting too close and have that happen."

Daniel knelt beside the Goa'uld's outstretched arm and gingerly removed the hand device, then backed away. He held it up, showing it to Jack. "I thought maybe it'd be a good idea to keep this."

"Good thinking, Daniel. Means we won't have to ask the Tok'ra to borrow theirs to study. Like they'd agree to that." Jack glanced at Hercules. "Just to be safe, we should probably burn the body. If there's a Goa'uld sarcophagus on this planet, someone could still stick him in it and bring him back to life. That's the last thing you want."

Hercules nodded. "Let's drag him outside and set up a pyre." Hercules shifted Iolaus and lifted him in his arms. "I'd just as soon have that done before Iolaus comes to."

An ominous rumbling that seemed to be coming from the statues made them retreat to the doorway to the outer chamber. Daniel's eyes widened as he realized that two of the statues were changing. They moved and shifted as if coming alive.

"Daniel?" Jack raised his weapon and held it ready. "What the hell is happening?"

"I have no idea." He glanced at Hercules and wasn't at all relieved to note that he wore the same apprehensive expression. "I don't suppose you know what's going on?"

Hercules shook his head, his gaze fixed on the statues that continued to shift and morph in front of them. "Uh, you did say that these are statues of Egyptian gods, right?"

"Yeah. Those two are Selket and Wepwawet."

Hercules shrugged. "Then, I'd guess that we're witnessing a manifestation. A couple of my cousins like to make dramatic entrances. I've told them that it gets old and takes too long, but they just don't listen."

Daniel swallowed convulsively as the now completely alive looking Selket stepped down off her pedestal and approached the body of Nectanebus. "Uh huh."

"What the hell is she doing?" Jack frowned as Selket bent from the waist allowing the giant scorpion on her head to drop to the corpse. The scorpion stood on Nectanebus' chest and repeatedly plunged it's stinger into the throat and face of the Goa'uld.

Finally, the scorpion backed away and turned towards the goddess. She smiled and held out her hand, allowing the insect to climb up her arm, over her shoulder and back to its perch on her head. She gazed at each of them in turn, an enigmatic expression on her face as she looked at Jack and Daniel. Her lips quirked into a small smile when she gazed at Hercules and she dipped her head slightly as if in recognition. Then she turned away and stepped back up on her pedestal to instantly freeze back in her original position, a statue once more.

Daniel let out a breath he hadn't realized that he was holding and blinked rapidly. He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around what they'd just witnessed. Jack nudged him with his shoulder, bringing his attention back to the present.

"What was she doing?"

"Maybe she was making sure that Nectanebus was dead?"

"Sweet." Jack pointed at the second now-alive figure. "So what does dog-boy want?"

"Wepwawet, Jack," Daniel corrected absently. He stared at the figure before them. Wepwawet, the jackal-headed god. "I don't know."

"Well, I wish he'd do something. He's gettin' on my nerves just standing there like that."

"There's something familiar about him." Hercules frowned.

"Don't tell me you're related to him, too." Jack glanced at Hercules out of the corner of his eye.

"Ah no, there aren't any Egyptians in my family." A slightly sheepish expression crossed Hercules' face. "That I know of, anyway. No, I meant that he reminds me of something."

Daniel's eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. "Cassandra's vision! She said she saw a man with the head of a dog or jackal."

Iolaus stirred in Hercules' arms and let out a low groan. "Oh man, next time don't let me drink so much wine." He opened his eyes and gazed around him. "Oh. Uh, Herc? You can put me down now."

Hercules narrowed his eyes. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. Just what part of go to Corinth and bring back help didn't you understand?"

Iolaus squirmed free and landed on his feet. "Come on, Herc, be reasonable. We came across evidence that the sorcerer had passed by where we were fairly recently. It made more sense at the time for Jason and the others to keep on for Corinth while I followed the tracks. Was it my fault that it turned out to be a trap?" He shrugged.

"Uh, guys? Could we maybe talk about that later?" Jack nodded at the still silent and unmoving Wepwawet. "We have other things to deal with at the moment."

"Whoa." Iolaus glanced from Wepwawet to Hercules. "Wasn't he a statue a little while ago?"

Hercules nodded.

"Okay. Just checking. So, I'm guessing what? Egyptian god? Manifestation?"

Daniel smiled slightly. "Yes, actually. That's Wepwawet. In our mythology, he was a friend of Osiris. He piloted the sun boat as it traveled through the chambers of the night." His eyes widened and he turned to Jack. "He was also known as the Opener of the Ways."

"Opener of the Ways, huh, Daniel?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "You mean, ways as in maybe the stargate?"

"Well, not in our myths, but that could be exactly what it means here." He turned back to look at Wepwawet. "He could be able to activate the stargate like Lya."

Jack lowered his weapon so that it wasn't pointing directly at Wepwawet. "Any idea why he's just standing there?"

Daniel shook his head. "You know, if he is the one from Cassandra's vision then maybe he's waiting for Sam and Teal'c to show up."

"Yeah? But waiting why? I mean, for what?" Jack grimaced and turned to Hercules. "So, you think you could talk to him? You know, one, er, god to another? Find out what he wants?"

"I can try, but unless he wants to talk to me, I doubt I'll have much luck." Hercules shrugged. "Egyptian gods are tricky. Sometimes they're here, but yet they're not, exactly. It's kind of confusing. Even if you do get an answer to a question it's hard to know what question they're answering – the one you just asked or the one you're about to ask."

"Uh-huh." Jack sighed. "Whatever. I guess we do our thing and if ol' Wepper has something he wants to contribute, he'll let us know."

"Wepwawet, Jack." Daniel frowned at him. "You should try to be more respectful."

"Daniel," Jack said, exasperation clear in his voice. "When have you ever known me to be respectful?"

"You show the General respect."

"That's different." Jack pointed at the corpse. "I still say we should burn that, just in case." He cautiously stepped forward until he stood at Nectanebus' head.

Daniel grabbed the sorcerer's feet and Jack took both hands. They lifted the body and headed for the doorway, with the occasional nervous glance back at the still figure of the Egyptian god. It wasn't pretty, but they managed to get the body outside. He looked around at the unconscious villagers and wondered what to do about them. Hercules pointed at a small area in the center of the clearing.

"Put him down there. We can move the villagers over here by the path, out of the way of the bonfire."

They dropped the body on the ground. Daniel watched as Hercules lifted the villagers, two at a time and placed them in a row by the path. By the time he and Jack managed to carry a couple of the fallen men, Hercules had moved the rest of them.

They quickly gathered as many fallen branches as they could, piling them next to Nectanebus. It didn't take long to have a decent sized pyre. Hercules lifted the body and dropped it unceremoniously on the wood. He stared down at the Goa'uld, an angry expression on his face. Iolaus stood by his side, one hand on his friend's arm. Jack pulled a lighter out of his pocket and glanced at Daniel.

Daniel placed a hand on Hercules arm and pulled lightly. "Let's move back out of the way." He was relieved when the bigger man nodded and allowed himself to be led away from the pyre.

Hercules, Iolaus and Daniel watched as Jack lit the pyre in several different spots and the flames began to crackle in earnest. The smell was nearly overwhelming and Daniel soon dug in his pockets for a bandana to cover his mouth and nose. It was superstitious nonsense, but he refused to turn away until nothing was left but ashes and fragments of bone. How many times had they assumed that a Goa'uld was dead, only to find out that he or she been resurrected by a sarcophagus? Daniel's mouth set in a grim line. He was determined to make sure that didn't happen this time.

Daniel heard the unmistakable sound of horses drawing near and turned to Jack. The Colonel nodded. They both relaxed when Hercules smiled and strode forward as the first horse and rider entered the small clearing.

"Iphicles!"

A tall man with a stern expression vaulted off his horse before it halted. He gripped Hercules by both forearms and then pulled him into a quick hug.

"Are you all right?" Iphicles glanced around the clearing and frowned.

Hercules gestured at the pyre."Everything's fine. We were able to destroy the sorcerer." He grinned at Jason, Sam and Teal'c as they halted their horses and dismounted. "You made good time."

"We ran into Iphicles and his party on the road. Luckily they were already traveling to investigate reports of a sorcerer in the area. I see you've been busy without us." Jason's gaze landed on Iolaus and he frowned. "Is he okay?"

A shadow passed over Hercules face. "I hope so," he said softly. "Nectanebus drugged him, but he was able to break free at the last. He saved my life."

Jason sighed. "Then, we'll just have to make sure he's all right."

"What about them?" Iphicles waved his hand at the unconscious villagers.

"Well, we could use your help getting them back to Antiochus. I'm not sure if they'll remember what happened." Hercules shrugged.

"That we can do." Iphicles signaled to his men and they started trying to rouse the villagers. He turned back to Hercules and his stern expression softened a bit. "Well, brother. It looks like you've been in the thick of things again."

"It just worked out that way." Hercules grinned.

"At least it was out here in the countryside where there aren't any buildings that have to be repaired." His mouth quirked into an almost-smile.

"Hey."

Iphicles clapped him on the arm and smiled, a genuine smile this time. "I'm glad you were here."

Hercules ducked his head and glanced back at the others. "You've met Samantha and Teal'c. Let me introduce you to the rest of our new friends." Hercules gestured at the two men. "This is Jack and Daniel." He clasped Iphicles on the shoulder and smiled. "Jack, Daniel, this is my brother Iphicles."

Jack smiled slightly and gave a small half-wave. "Hello."

Daniel bowed his head and then said, "It's an honor, your Majesty."

Iphicles waved aside his words. "If Hercules says you're friends, then we can dispense with the formalities. I get enough of that at court."

"Ah. Then, it's a pleasure to meet you." Daniel smiled.

"I understand that you planned to come to Corinth to use the Library." Iphicles glanced around at the clean-up work going on around them. "You're welcome to come with us. We'll have to take a short detour to the village and make sure these people are all right first, but then we'll be heading directly for the city."

Daniel glanced at Hercules and then back at Iphicles. "That's very generous of you. And we're certainly looking forward to it, but there's a little something that we should probably take care of first." He turned to Jack and jerked his head towards the ruin.

Jack frowned. "Do we have to? He didn't seem to be doing anything but standing there. Maybe he just got tired of being a statue for a while?"

"Oh, right, like ignoring something has never come back around to bite us on the butt later. Not."

"Daniel."

"Jack."

"Guys?" Sam interrupted, her voice puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing important, Captain. Just the small matter of a manifested Egyptian god." Jack raised his hand and waggled it back and forth in a 'same old, same old' motion. "I'm sure old Wapner is harmless, right Daniel?"

"Wapner?" Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

Daniel sighed. "Wepwawet. And we don't know that he's harmless, Jack. We don't really know anything about him."

"Except that he's a god, apparently."

"Well, yes, except for that."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "You're saying that one of the statues in there came to life?"

"Two of them, actually," Daniel said, "but Selket turned back into a statue after her scorpion finished stinging Nectanebus."

Sam looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't quite figure out just what it was. Daniel sympathized. The whole thing sounded crazy to him and he'd watched it happen.

"God?" Iphicles folded his arms over his chest and turned to Hercules.

"Egyptian." Hercules shrugged. "It might take a while to figure out what he wants."

Iphicles nodded, Daniel noted, as if that actually made sense to him. "Then I'll leave you to it, brother." He inclined his head to the rest of them and smiled warmly at Jason. "I'll expect to see you at the next set of negotiations with the Persian merchants."

Jason rolled his eyes. "I can't wait."

Iphicles chuckled and strode over to his waiting horse. He vaulted onto it's back and raised a hand in farewell before reining the beast around and out of the clearing. The others in his party were helping the remainder of the villagers slowly file out onto the forest path. It wasn't long before the seven of them were the only ones left.

Jason cleared his throat. "So, Hercules, what was that about an Egyptian god?"

"I didn't do anything." Hercules held his hands up.

"Did we say you did?" Jason shook his head and glanced at Iolaus.

"No, but I know you. Somehow, you'll find a way to make this my fault."

It looked as though Iolaus was winding himself up for a rather lengthy argument. Daniel decided it was time to jump in.

"I think, if anyone could be said to be responsible, that it was probably the fault of Nectanebus. I'd imagine that the Goa'uld triggered some kind of warning signal or something."

"If that's the case, they were sure slow in responding." Jack gazed at Hercules. "So, back to my original question. What're we gonna do about what's his face in there?"

Hercules scratched the back of his head. "Maybe we should go in and try asking what he wants."

Jack nodded. "For all we know, he's already turned back into a statue."

Daniel shot him a skeptical look. "With our luck? You're kidding, right?"

They trooped silently into the entrance to the ruin and then through the doorway into the gate room. They stopped just inside and stared. Wepwawet stood on the dias in front of the stargate facing them, arms crossed over his chest. His gray muzzle tilted to track their movement and the force of his regard made Daniel wonder uneasily if there might not be something to all of the god stuff, after all.

"Does he look bigger to you?" Jack asked.

"Bigger than what?" Iolaus shrugged. "He's a god. He can be as big as he wants to be."

Hercules walked forward and halted before the first step. "Is there something we can do for you?"

Wepwawet's gaze focused on the demi-god and Daniel could almost swear that his eyes twinkled with amusement.

"You are hasty, but that is understandable. The blood of younger gods flows in you." Wepwawet's voice was deep and resonated through the chamber.

Iolaus grinned. "Hasty, huh? Sounds like he's got your number all right."

A rumble came from the dais and it took Daniel a few seconds to realize that it was the god's laugh. He exchanged a nervous glance with Sam and stepped forward to stand next to Hercules.

"You three belong." He pointed at Hercules, Jason and Iolaus and then turned his gaze on the others, staring most intently at Teal'c. "You came through the Gate of Stars. That one carries evil inside of him."

"My lord Wepwawet," Daniel said hurriedly, "we came here by accident and mean no harm. All we want to do is go home. Our companion is Teal'c and he does carry a Goa'uld within him, but not by his choice."

The silence that met his words stretched until Daniel wondered if that was all Wepwawet had to say. He could hear the unmistakable sounds of Jack beginning to fidget irritably behind him and he sighed softly.

"You are courteous, for a mortal." Daniel thought he heard a hint of surprise in the god's voice. "And you know my name."

Daniel nodded. This he could handle. "Yes. Well, on earth, um, on our earth, Wepwawet was worshiped as the oldest god of Abydos."

"You killed the false one."

Daniel glanced at Hercules. "We had no choice." This was met with an even longer silence. He wasn't surprised when Jack had had enough.

"Daniel?"

"Jack, I'm doing the best I can. I don't think trying to hurry things is going to do any good."

"Yeah," Iolaus said with a chuckle, "he already thinks Herc is hasty. And we don't even know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

Hercules rolled his eyes, but Daniel could see that he was trying not to smile. Finally, the god spoke.

"It is as it was meant to be. You wish to go home. I will allow this."

"Thank you." Daniel blinked. "We would have left before this, but we couldn't find the device to dial the gate. I, ah, I don't suppose you know where it is?"

Another rumble from Wepwawet told Daniel that his comment was amusing to the god.

"I will open the Gate." He slowly walked down the steps.

Daniel and Hercules retreated until they stood with their friends near the doorway to the outer chamber. Hercules, Jason and Iolaus moved off to one side, leaving the four travelers ranged behind the Egyptian god. Wepwawet turned to face the stargate and raised his arms until his hands were at shoulder height.

"Daniel, what does he mean he'll open the stargate?" Sam asked.

"It's just like Cassandra's vision." Daniel's eyes widened.

"Except, no lightning," Jack said dryly. "Come to think of it, maybe that's a plus."

"Wait for it," Daniel said. He was suddenly sure he knew what was about to happen.

Wepwawet extended his hands towards the stargate and blue fire shot from his fingertips to touch each chevron, causing them to glow and lock in place. The gate whooshed to life.

"Opener of the Ways," Daniel whispered.

Wepwawet lowered his hands and inclined his head as if in acknowledgment of his title.

"Deus ex machina," Jack muttered and Daniel raised his eyebrows. "How do we know that we'll be going to the right place? Those symbols don't mean anything to us. Are we just supposed to trust him?"

Daniel stared at the figure in front of them and noticed, once again, a slight twinkling in the jackal's eyes. He nodded slowly. "Yeah, Jack. I think that's exactly what we're supposed to do."

"I believe it is right as well, O'Neill." Teal'c inclined his head once in a gesture of respect towards Wepwawet.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud." Jack held up his hands. "All right, fine. We'll trust him. Not that we know where the hell we are or how we got here, but we'll trust a dog-headed god to send us back to where we belong."

"Jackal-headed," Daniel corrected absently. He walked over to the three Greeks and extended his hand to Hercules. "I guess this is good-bye. I feel like we were just beginning to learn about your world and now we have to leave. I'm not sure we'll get another chance if we don't take this one."

Hercules clasped his arm. "It's been interesting. If you hadn't come along we might never have known the danger of what hid inside of Nectanebus. We would have fought, but perhaps one of us might have been taken by the Goa'uld inside him."

Daniel wasn't surprised when Jack joined them.

"Just remember the glowing eyes and weird voice in the future. They're a dead giveaway." Jack turned to Jason. "It was an honor to meet you."

Jason grinned. "Same here. Any time you're in the neighborhood..."

Jack snorted. "Hey, with the stargate, you never know. Hercules, Iolaus, it's been real." He turned to the others. "Okay kids, time to go home and tell George all about our adventures in Mythland."

They stepped carefully around the now silent Wepwawet and headed up the stairs for the stargate. Sam and Teal'c waved at the Greeks and then stepped through the event horizon. Jack waited impatiently as Daniel took one last measuring look around before turning to the gate.

"Let's go home, Jack."

"I'm right with you, Daniel."

And with that, they stepped into the stargate, the blue shimmer vanishing behind them.

"Cool." Iolaus shook his head. "Wonder what it's like to travel through that thing?"

"Why?" Hercules frowned. "Don't even think that you're going to try it."

"Herc--"

"The godling is right. I will not open the Way for you." There was a definite touch of humor in the deep voice. "It is not right to consider deserting your god."

"I wasn't thinking of trying it," Iolaus said in exasperation. A strange look crossed his face. "Hey! What do you mean 'my god'? Herc's my friend, not my god."

"You belong to him. He is your god." There was a certainty in Wepwawet's voice.

"Now, wait a minute! I do not belong to Hercules." Iolaus frowned. "You're misunderstanding our friendship."

Jason laughed. "I don't know, Iolaus. I think he may have it just right."

Hercules stared up at the ceiling. "Can we just drop this? I don't think Iolaus belongs to me. We're friends. Nothing more."

"You have a strange sort of religion." Wepwawet's voice sounded puzzled.

Iolaus snickered. "Guess that comes from being hasty, huh?"

Jason snorted. Hercules merely shook his head. They watched as Wepwawet slowly walked back to the pedestal where his statue had stood and easily stepped up onto it.

"Not to cast a damper on things, but what happens with the stargate now?" Iolaus asked.

"I control passage through the Gate. I will not sleep so deeply this time." With those words Wepwawet slowly morphed back into a marble statue.

"That's not exactly reassuring." Hercules frowned.

Jason rubbed his chin. "Perhaps we ought to have Iphicles schedule regular patrols by here for awhile."

"So, we're going to Corinth, then? Great!" Iolaus bounced on the balls of his feet and grinned. He followed the others out of the stargate chamber and tripped the hidden latch to shut the door. As they left the ruin, he added, "We can visit that tavern with the three serving girls. Or was that in Thebes? I keep forgetting."

Good natured arguing and laughter trailed in their wake as they headed down the path on their way to Corinth.

Please post a comment on this story.