TIMELINE aka ONE WAY TICKET:THE PREQUEL

By The Huntress

Authors note: You need not have read Part 1 to enjoy this story, but it helps. Things will be explained as we go along.

NC17:M/F. If you're under 17, don't read or the Widow Twanky will slap your hand

DISCLAIMER:They belong to Universal, Renaissance, etc.; No money made, just having a good time.

TIMELINE aka ONE WAY TICKET:THE PREQUEL

By The Huntress

New York City, June, 1958

Jenny tended to her rooftop garden as she always did this time of year. Her daughter was getting married in two weeks and she liked the boy. First one her daughter brought home who was worth a damn. There was a sudden flash of light, and Jenny saw a woman standing over her, with blonde-hair, fixed just perfect, in a white toga-like dress.

"Well, what is it now?" Jenny asked. "I don't see you for twnety years and you pop in to say hello?"

The blonde smiled at her. She had watched over Jenny since Jenny was a baby, as she had watched over Jenny's mother, her grandmother, and all the women in this family for almost 2000 years.

"I came to wish you congratulations on Linda's upcoming marriage." The blonde said.

Jenny looked at her with a smirk. "Yeah, I'll bet. Did you set her up with this guy?"

The blonde smiled even more. "Well you didn't like any of the other's so I thought she needed some help."

"Well I guess I should thank you." Jenny said, going back to her plants. She looked up and the woman was still there. "Well, I figure there's something else you want, so spit it out. I don't have all day."

The blonde laughed. "Never one to mince words were you Jen?"

"Not with you. You've always been a pain in the ass."

The blonde got serious.

Jenny noticed and stopped what she was doing.

After a few moments the blonde spoke. "Your daughter is going to have a little girl."

"Tell me something I don't know. My families first-born have always been girls."

"But this one will be special. You need to teach her the sword, and how to live off the land."

Jenny stood up, forgetting her plants and faced the blonde.

"She's the one isn't she." Jenny asked.

"Yes she is. She's going to be a great warrior, and she will marry and have strong children."

Jenny knew what else was coming.

The story had been told for many generations. She had heard it from her mother, who heard it from hers, and so on.

"Linda's going to lose her, isn't she."

"Not for a long time Jenny. and you know she won't be lost, just "misplaced."

Jenny found tears in her eyes, tears for a little girl who wasn't even born yet. "Why her?"

"As I said, she is going to be special. A quick learner, a strong fighter, and a heart as big and as tough as yours. But you need to make sure she's prepared. Make sure she studies her history, and learns the basics of healing. Not to mention the broadsword, and the living off the land stuff."

Jenny looked up at her old friend. "Are you sure she's the one? Maybe you're mistaken."

The blonde shook her head. "No, I'm sure."

Jenny nodded. "That's what I was afraid of. But I can't tamper with history can I?"

"No Jen, you can't. Whether or not she learns from you will not change what has already happened. It will only decide how long she survives."

Jenny nodded again. "Alright. It's been a while but I think I can still "thrust and parry" with the best of 'em."

The blonde smiled at Jenny, a smile that showed happiness and sorrow, pain and good tidings. "And don't forget the living off the land stuff. It's important."

"Yeah important. I'll make sure old friend. I'll make sure. I won't let you or history down."

"I know you won't Jenny. I'll be around if you need me. And so will my sisters."

And with that last sentence, Aphrodite, goddess of love, vanished as quickly as she had appeared. She didn't stay to watch Jenny start crying, crying for a loss that would not come for 40 years.

Upstate New York, September 1979

"Gran, can't we stop? I'm tired. Can't I practice catching fish with my hands, or shoot bows and arrows? This sword is heavy."

"Alright, alright, fishing it is. But we get back to the sword later."

"Okay Gran. I love you."

The teenager gave the old woman a peck on the cheek and ran to the lake. She dove in and quickly caught two fish, jumped up out of the water and showed her grandmother.

"Very good. Now throw them back and catch some more."

"Okay Gran."

Jenny smiled as she watched Karen practicing "living off the land" stuff, as Aphrodite had called it. Her daughters death in childbirth, and her son-in-law's death 2 years later, had taken its toll on her.

She was starting to feel her age more and more, but she knew Karen needed her. There was too much more for the girl to learn.

Athens, Greece, December 1981

Karen stood at the grave, tears coming quietly. Her grandmother had wanted to be buried in Greece. Karen had thought that an odd request considering her "gran" had never been out of the USA.

'I hope you were proud of me gran', she thought with a smile. 'I'll keep up with your lessons. I don't know why I had to learn all that strange stuff, but I'm sure you had your reasons.'

Chapter 1

"And the prince kissed Sleeping Beauty, and she woke. They got married and lived happily ever after."

"Why do all these stories have to end so mushy?" Hyllus asked. Karen smiled.

'Typical four year old,' she thought. 'They didn't change much in two millenia.'

"Well," she said, "they're the only kind I know. Now you go to sleep. And if you want a cup of water, you know where it is."

She kissed the child on his forehead, and opened the door.

Two men fell in. One was tall and muscular, with the bearing of a God. This was not far off the mark. He was half God after all. The other was shorter, average height, with blonde curls, and eyes blue enough to rival the sky on its clearest day.

Normally, Hercules and Iolaus looked brave and strong. But at this moment they looked silly.

"You know if you guys want a story I'll be happy to tell you one. I've got a few that would scare you out of sleeping for a month."

The two men said goodnight to Hyllus, and the three walked out.

Hercules looked at Karen like a little child who had dessert before supper. "Wow, when you tell a story, you really tell a good one."

Iolaus nodded, agreeing. "She could give Gabrielle a run for her money."

Karen smiled but didn't answer. She was from the twentieth century, and the stories she told were not her own, as the young bard's were. They were stories that had been around for a thousand years, but had not been written yet. She wondered if she would tell them any horror stories she knew.

'Oh yeah', she thought, 'Edgar Allan Poe would give them nightmares for weeks.'

Karen had been here, in what she considered 'ancient' Greece for almost two months. Her experiences when she first arrived were anything but fun.

She had been the victim of an attempted rape, got a concussion from running into a wall, and been kidnapped and raped by Ares.

And that was only the first week.

But she also found something she hadn't had in her time.

A man who loved her, wouldn't hesitate to give up his life for her, and maybe his very soul.

Iolaus had fallen for her when he met her, and she still couldn't figure out why. He was very handsome, (or was it cute? She couldn't decide.), with the heart of a warrior, the soul of a poet, and deep feelings for everything and everyone around him.

He was also fantastic in bed.

Karen on the other hand, had brown curly hair that wouldn't behave and a nose that looked like it had been broken numerous times (it was...twice).

She had mentioned this to Iolaus, who looked at her funny, and told her that beauty was skin deep and what a person was inside was what counted.

She had brushed off this remark until he told her the story of Echidna and Typhon, and his experience with Echidna when Obie had been kidnapped.

She didn't ask again after that. (He also hadn't understood her laughter when he told her the kidnappers name. He couldn't know what the name "Klepto" would become in the English language.)

They had remained in Corinth while she recovered from her injuries, which were numerous and had taken almost six weeks to heal. Other then the broken bones, there was also the psychological damage that had been done. For the next two weeks, (while Iphicles was away), she, Hercules, and Iolaus were taking care of Iphicles' four year old son Hyllus. She liked the boy, enjoyed telling him the stories that she knew, and especially enjoyed sneaking snacks with him before dinner.

Karen thought about her friends, her home, and especially of Sharyn.

How was Sharyn doing? Was she okay?

They had been together at the Natural History museum in New York, at a recently discovered temple, which had belonged to Ares. Sharyn had noticed a display labeled "unknown artifact" and had picked it up.

Karen had realized that it was the legendary, (and previously thought mythological) Chronos stone, that could move things through time. She had taken it from Sharyn's hands, and that was when she had found herself here.

Her biggest worry was that Sharyn had told anybody what had happened. She hoped her friend was smarter than that. If she wasn't, she was probably in a padded cell by now, in a 'wrap-around jacket'.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a small voice.

"I had a bad dream." She turned and saw Hyllus standing there with his blanket. "Can I sleep with you?"

"As long as you don't snore or hog the blankets," she answered, smiling at him. The boy ran into her room and jumped in the bed.

She laid down next to him and cuddled with him and he was asleep in a minute. She looked down at the innocent child, and a moment later she was sleeping too.

Chapter 2

Karen awoke to the sounds of giggles.

She opened her eyes and saw Hyllus on the floor, getting tickled by Iolaus.

"Uh, guys do you think you could keep it down. Some of us need rest."

Hyllus jumped on the bed and gave her a big hug. "You snore," he said with a giggle.

Karen looked at him with mock anger. "I do not."

"Do too. And loud. Almost as loud as daddy."

The thought of the King of Corinth snoring made both her and Iolaus laugh.

Iolaus smiled at the small boy. "Uncle Hercules is going to take you fishing today. So why don't you go find him and we'll see you later."

"Okay," the boy said, running out of the room to find his Uncle.

"I'm sorry you had to sleep alone last night Iolaus. Hyllus came in here and wanted to sleep with me. He had a bad dream."

"What makes you think I slept alone?" He asked with an innocent look.

Karen knew what he meant. "Does Herc mind your cold feet?" She asked with the same innocent look on her face.

He looked at her with mock anger. "Okay now you're gonna get it!" He said jumping on the bed.

"Iolaus, I just got up. I haven't eaten. Or washed."

Iolaus made a grab for her. He then began to tickle her, she was crying from the laughter.

"Okay, okay, I give," she conceded.

"And what is it you'll give?"

"Anything. Just let me up."

He got off her and she went to the washroom.

When she came back, Iolaus was lying on the bed, looking her up and down, licking his lips, and giving her that smile that took her breath away.

She somehow managed to get dressed and they went to get some food.

After breakfast they walked in the garden.

Karen was thinking again. To be out of her own time was scary, but not as scary as having Iolaus love her.

The feeling that a man who was so loving, caring, and gentle could even want to be with her was something she had only dreamed about, something she had seen in the movies. Whenever and wherever they took a walk he held onto her hand, not just out of love, but out of the fact that he knew she also needed reassurance for his feelings towards her.

Her recovery from her experience with Ares was ongoing.

For two weeks she had woken almost every night, screaming, and crying. Iolaus would hold her, rocking her like a mother rocks a baby, crooning to her words of love, and letting her know that he didn't think any less of her. It had also helped that he understood her feelings, having experienced his own violations when he was prisoner of a warlord four years before.

It had taken Karen three weeks to allow him to touch her. The first time he had tried, she seemed to be okay, but within a few minutes, she pulled away, and punched him.

He had a black eye for a week.

But it was getting better. They were able to make love now, but sometimes she wanted the actual sex over and done with quickly, and then pulled away. He was patient, and knew time and love would heal her.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by a hand in front of her face.

"Sorry," Karen said, looking sheepishly at Iolaus. "I don't usually zone out."

"Thats okay. I was saying that there's going to be a festival in Thrace in two weeks. It'll be fun. Shall we go?"

His eyes were smiling at her, excited, like a little boy.

"I guess so. I would like to see more of this country, and meet new people. Will Xena and Gabrielle be there?" (Karen and the two women had gotten along very well when they had met a month before.)

Iolaus grinned.

"They'll be there."

Karen grinned back at him. "Then Thrace it is!!"

The two weeks went by quickly. They said their farewells to Iphicles and Hyllus, and started the three day walk to Thrace.

The trip was anything but uneventful.

Twice they had been attacked by marauders. Karen watched Hercules and Iolaus fight together, and was amazed at their moves.

They seemed to fight with some form of telepathy, each knowing the move the other was going to make.

Karen had not been idle either. One man, twice her size, had tried to attack her and found himself on the ground while she punched him senseless. She still wasn't totally comfortable with a sword, even though she was well aware how to use it.

Hercules took care of the last man, and turned and saw what Karen was doing.

Iolaus was standing there watching her, with a grin.

Hercules finally pulled her off the man.

Iolaus thought it was funny. "I bet he didn't think a woman her size could do that."

Hercules was anything but amused. "Iolaus, she could have killed that man with her bare hands. How could you just stand there and let her."

Karen glared at him, her eyes angry. "That man touched me, and no man will touch me unless I want them to. You should have let me finish the job."

Her fists were clenched into tight balls and Iolaus thought she was going to throw a punch at Herc.

Iolaus stood in between them and spoke, first to Hercules.

"Look I didn't think she'd go that far. She was defending herself."

Then to Karen.

"I know how you feel about being touched. But Herc's right. I shouldn't have stood there watching. You're not a killer, and if you had killed him it would change you more than you could possibly know."

She looked at Iolaus and started to cry. "I'm sorry. All I felt were his hands on me. I didn't want to be hurt again. I didn't mean it."

He went to her and held her. With all her bravado she was sometimes no more than a scared little girl.

"It's okay. He's still alive. In pain, but alive. When you fight you need to have more control."

Hercules managed a little smile. "Now that's a case of the pot calling the kettle black. This coming from a man who hits first and asks questions later."

Karen looked at Hercules. "I'm sorry for what I said. You were right. I'll be more careful."

Hercules smiled at her. "You're forgiven. Now lets find a spot to make camp. We'll get to Thrace by tomorrow afternoon."

They made camp in an isolated area, surrounded by trees.

Iolaus managed to catch 2 rabbits for himself and Hercules, and Karen made a meal of some bread and fruit.

She refused to eat rabbit. She had said they were 'too cute and cuddly'.

After eating Iolaus stretched out and yawned.

Karen looked at him with a smirk. "Going to sleep already? I thought we were gonna play."

He looked at her with half-closed eyes. "Not now. I need to rest. You wanna play, go play with Herc. But don't tire the big guy out too much. I might want to play later."

And with that, Iolaus fell asleep.

Karen and Hercules looked at each other, shrugged and took a walk.

The only person other than Iolaus who she allowed to touch her was Hercules.

But he would sometimes get the same reaction from her as Iolaus did.

They stopped and sat down under a big tree, by a lake.

Hercules looked at her.

"Is something the matter? You have a strange look on your face."

"Yeah, well I can't figure him out. He loves me, I know that, but he has no qualms about me going off with you."

Hercules smiled. "That's because he loves me too. He figures that since he loves us both, there's no reason why we can't love each other."

She smiled back at him. "You think?"

"No," he replied, "I know."

"Well then," Karen said with a leer. "Let the games begin."

Karen moved onto Hercules' lap, facing him.

"You know," she said, "I told Iolaus I wouldn't tire you out."

She started to kiss him, nibbling on his earlobe.

"But I think I may have lied to him."

"I don't think he'll hold it against you," Herc said with a grin.

Karen moved her hands under his tunic, playing with his nipples, making him groan. She knew he liked this, and the feel of his hardness under her confirmed it.

She pulled his shirt off, and he pulled off hers, and they started to play with each others chests, teasing each others nipples, until they were both panting.

Karen stood and slowly removed her clothing, while Herclules watched, his eyes moving up and down her body.

"Very nice," he smiled, rising to remove his pants.

"You too." She said.

They faced each other standing, and then both sat back in the same position.

Karen was straddling Herc's thighs, his cock in between their bodies, and she was kissing him, her tongue and his having a duel.

He was fully erect at this point, and even though they had been together before, his size still amazed her.

He lifted her effortlessly, and sat her down on his cock.

She threw her head back, and began writhing on top of him.

He grabbed her hips to steady her, and lifted her up and down on his shaft.

She was moaning with pleasure and she looked into Herc's eyes and saw they were on fire.

"Feel good?" he asked her, in between thrusts.

Her screams answered his question.

He put his thumb on her clit, and started to massage it, while he fucked her, and he felt her pussy contract around him. Knowing she was ready to cum, he pushed into her harder.

"Yes!! Yes!! OHHHHH!!!" She came at the same time he did.

They sat like that for a while, lips touching gently, until she climbed off of him. They lay there satiated, and Karen smiled a wicked smile at him.

"Hope I didn't tire you out 'big guy.' I don't want Iolaus mad at me."

He smiled back. "I wouldn't worry about that. I'm sure I'll be 'replenished' by the time he's ready to 'play'. As Iolaus would say, it's a half God thing.'"

Karen was dreaming.

She was a child again, with Gran in their cabin in the mountains. There was a thuderstorm raging outside, and she was in her room, under the blanket, reading a book with a flashlight. She heard voices in the next room, yelling. She thought this was strange because they were alone in the cabin. She crept to her door and opened it slightly.

She saw her grandmother yelling at a man dressed in black. She caught some of the conversation.

"You leave her alone!! I'll kill you before I let you have her!!"

"She will pay for what she has done. Murdering a god is a crime punishable by banishment to Tartarus."

There was a woman there too, blonde and very pretty, but with anger raging in her eyes.

"You can't punish her for something she hasn't done yet. And we don't know that it was her. We only know what Eris said and Eris is a liar."

The man started to walk to the bedroom door, and her Gran grabbed him by the arm.

"I told you to leave her alone!!" The man spun and threw her Gran on the floor.

Karen ran out, grabbed her baseball bat and hit him behind the knees, knocking him to the ground. "Don't you touch my Gran."

The man got up and prepared to strike her but the blonde grabbed his arm.

"NO!!! If you kill her we'll never know the truth. And if you're wrong, nothing will change. We need to let time take care of this. Even you need to know the truth. We all do."

The woman knelt down beside the 8 year old girl and looked into her eyes. "Forget what you have seen here little one."

Karen looked at the woman as if in a trance, walked back to her room, and climbed back into bed, going to sleep.

The only sound she heard was the thunder.

Iolaus woke and heard Karen screaming.

He ran to where she and Hercules were, and found her in Herc's arms, hysterical.

Hercules looked at him and shrugged. "She had a bad dream."

He released her into Iolaus' arms, and Iolaus held her tight, rubbing her back trying to calm her. He whispered to her. "Shhh. You were having a nightmare. It's okay now. I'm here."

She spoke in between sobs. "He tried to hurt my Gran and me."

Iolaus continued, in the same low tone. "It was a nightmare," he repeated, still holding her close. "Just a nightmare."

Karen shook her head. "It wasn't a dream. It happened."

"Tell us about it." Hecules said.

She recounted her dream to them. Hercules was curious.

"Did you know the other two people in your dream?" He asked.

"Not both," she said, calmer now. "One was a tall woman with blonde hair. She was defending me and my Gran."

"And the other?" Hercules asked, afraid he knew the answer.

Karen nodded, and answered him in a whisper.

"It was Ares."

Chapter 3

They arrived in Thrace the next day and the festival was in full swing. There were game booths, and pony rides, and Karen felt like her old self again. It looked to her like the carnivals she had been to as a child, and she didn't feel so out of place.

Hercules went to stow their stuff at an inn, while Iolaus and Karen started wandering the town. Within five minutes they heard a familiar voice.

"Iolaus, Karen!!" They turned and saw Gabrielle running to them. She hugged them both and gave them a big grin.

"It's so good to see you. Does Xena know you arrived? Where's Hercules? Have you been to the wine-tasting?"

Karen and Iolaus both laughed. Xena had remarked in Corinth that between the three of them they could talk a hydra out of its head.

Karen smiled at Gabrielle. She had liked the bard immediately, and they had had a great time telling Hyllus bedtime stories. They tried to have a contest on who was the better storyteller, with Hyllus as the judge, but being a child he enjoyed them all.

(Gabby and Xena also hadn't cared when Karen came from. This had made her feel better.)

Gabrielle took Karen's arm. "There's a storytelling booth and a contest this evening. We should enter. Between us, there is at least one winner."

"I don't know," Karen replied. "The stories I tell haven't been written yet. It somehow wouldn't feel right."

"But Karen," Gabrielle whined jokingly, "How do you know you're not the one who created them? For all you know you did and somewhere in the future, someone stole them from you."

Iolaus smirked. "She's right, you know. Do they have a scary story contest? Karen's got one that had Herc afraid to go to sleep."

Karen laughed, thinking about that night.

She had told Hercules, Iolaus, and Iphicles Poe's "Cask of Amontillado" and during the night Hercules came into their room, breathing hard, and explained to them that the story had given him nightmares, and there was no way he was sleeping alone.

Gabby was laughing hard.

"They do indeed. But it won't be til tonight. Any story that scares the mighty Hercules is definitely worth telling."

"As long as you don't tell them that part."

Turning they saw Hercules and Xena. Hugs were exchanged.

Xena looked at Karen. "So what was the story that gave Hercules bad dreams?"

"I'll save it for tonight," she said.

Xena grabbed Karen's left arm and Gabby her right and they both tried to pull her in different directions.

"I'm taking her to the wine tasting," said Xena.

"No, I'm taking her to the food," said Gabby.

"Wine."

"Food."

"Uh, guys, if I could interrupt before you dislocate my shoulders....."

Both women let go smiling.

Karen continued. "I need some alcohol, so I want the wine first."

Gabby gave a mock frown.

"But I'll definitely need food later."

"Okay," replied Gabby. "But I'm taking Herc to the food. This way we get to the head of the line. He's very popular."

Hercules groaned. "You're going to make me listen to your new stories aren't you."

"Of course. If your friends can't annoy you, who can."

They walked off together, leaving the other's to go for a drink (or three).

They got to the wine tasting, and being that Iolaus was well known to most of the vintners, they were served right away.

They had been sitting for a few minutes when a pretty, blonde, buxom woman came over to Iolaus.

"Hi ya handsome," she said, dumping herself in the hunter's lap and planting a big kiss on his lips.

"Um, hi Zarabeth. Long time no see."

"Yes, a real long time Iolaus. Do you want to sample my new vintage?"

Her tone of voice indicated she wanted him to sample more than just that.

Karen looked at Xena, and the two women glared at Iolaus. He knew if he wanted to live he'd better give the right answer.

"This is Xena," he said quickly. Zarabeth nodded to her.

"And this is Karen." Another nod.

Still in Iolaus' lap she gave him another wet kiss.

That was enough for Karen.

She stood, and grabbed the blonde by the arm, pulling her off Iolaus' lap, and twisting the arm til the woman grimaced in pain.

"Iolaus only drinks *MY* 'vintage' these days and unless you want to experience intense, physical pain I would suggest you remember that. And tell anyone else who might think the same."

She released the blonde, who nodded, and backed away.

"Good move," Xena said laughing.

Iolaus grimaced. "Didn't we talk about controlling yourself."

"I did." Karen replied innocently. "I didn't pound her into the ground did I?"

"Yea, well lets get out of here anyway," he said.

Xena and Karen both shrugged, and followed him out.

"Get used to it." Xena said to Karen, with a smile. "He has a woman in every township from here to Potadeia."

"Not every town," The hunter replied with a grin. "just most of them."

The three laughed and continued on their walk.

They walked a bit out of the town, talking and laughing, and Xena told them about her most recent battle.

Xena and Karen had hit it off from the start. When she learned of the extent of their relationship, Xena had told Karen about the past she had with Iolaus.

To her surprise (and Iolaus' delight), she had no problem with it. ("People make mistakes. I know all too well about that," Karen had said.)

It started to drizzle and they ran to the nearest shelter, an abandoned barn.

They flopped down on a large bed of hay. Karen and Xena were still laughing at a private joke, and Iolaus was starting to get insulted.

"Care to share," he asked.

"I don't know if you want to know," Karen replied, still giggling.

"Yes I do," Iolaus said.

She looked at him. "Okay. If you insist. Xena and I were discussing your best attribute."

The hunter looked at them wide-eyed, and with a grin. "My sword-fighting techniques?"

"Uh-uh." They replied in unison.

"My sense of humor?"

"Definitely not." Xena groaned, with a laugh.

"Then what could it be, I wonder?"

The women looked at each other and back at him, and they positioned themselves on both sides of him, and each began kissing an ear.

"Oh, that attribute." Iolaus said.

They laid him down on the hay, and continued to kiss him, and before he knew it they had stripped him naked.

"Oh yeah," Karen said with a leer, looking down his body, licking her lips. "Definitely his best attribute."

Xena looked at him the same way. "I concur," she said.

Karen got up and began divesting herself of her clothing, going slowly so Iolaus could watch, while Xena continued to plant kisses on his face and mouth. By the time she finished he was open-mouthed, not to mention fully erect.

While Xena got up to take her own clothing off, Karen climbed between Iolaus' legs and proceeded to give his 'best attribute' a tongue bath. By the time Xena joined them, he looked like he was in heaven.

Xena moved to the upper part of Iolaus' body, and gave Karen a quick grin, before settling herself on Iolaus' face.

The hunter was in ecstasy.

Xena tasted as he remembered, very sweet, and between the two women they gave him an orgasm almost immediately.

Karen licked up Iolaus cum, leaned up and gave Xena a big kiss on the mouth.

Xena returned the kiss, moaning as Iolaus tongue stroked her wetness, and she came also.

She moved off of his face, and gave him a look thru half-closed eyes.

"One of us didn't cum," she said turning to Karen.

"That's okay," Karen answered. "I'll survive."

"But you'll survive much longer if you enjoy life," Iolaus said, moving to his knees, and kissing Karen hard on the mouth.

He gently leaned her down on her back, and spread her thighs, licking them while his fingers played with her pussy.

"I think so too," Xena said, wrapping her lips over one of Karen's nipples. Karen groaned from the feeling.

Iolaus had moved his finger over her clit, and was rubbing it, and she started to thrust up at him.

"Not yet," he said seductively.

He pushed Xena onto her back with his free hand and flipped Karen on top of her. The two women's clits were rubbing against each other, and Iolaus thought he would cum from just watching them.

But he had other plans.

Iolaus bent over Karen and began to lick them both, and the sensation was causing them to thrust at each other. He put his fingers in between them, and when they were wet enough he put one into Karen's anus, causing her to push back at him.

"Patience," he said.

He slowly fucked her tight hole, first with one finger, than two, while he stroked himself. He was able to see Xena's face while he did this, her eyes closed, rubbing up against Karen, her tongue in Karen's mouth.

His cock was hard again, and he removed his fingers, and placed his cock against her ass, massaging her cheeks, spreading them oh so slowly.

He pushed in gently, and his hands moved over her back, up to her shoulders to massage them, throwing Karen into a frenzy.

He started to fuck her, first slowly, but as her movements became more frantic he fucked harder.

Between Xena's clit rubbing against hers, and Iolaus at her rear, she came hard, and felt Iolaus fill her, and knew that Xena had had another orgasm also.

Iolaus removed himself, and Karen flipped off of Xena, and the two women licked Iolaus clean.

"It really is his best attribute," Xena said.

"I most definitely concur," said Karen.

Chapter 4

The God was angry.

The woman had not only been accepted back by Iolaus and Hercules, but she had been with Xena too.

"Stttrrriiifffeee!!!," Ares screamed, and the godling appeared.

"Hey Unc," he smirked, "how's it goin'?"

"How's it going? It's going nowhere. My insipid half-brother and shorty are still with that woman. And now Xena too!!! That's how it's going."

Strife looked at his uncle in surprise. "So why didn't you keep her here?"

His uncle glared at him. "Because, you wretched excuse for a God, if I had, I would have had Zeus up my ass for the rest of eternity."

"So what do you want me for? Me and Cupid were about to get lucky with a couple of babes. And they had real nice..."

He was cut off.

"I want you to find out who she is, and where she came from. She seems to have come out of nowhere. I want to know everything."

"And how do I find all this out?," Strife asked, a confused look on his face.

"I don't know and I don't care. Just do it. She's in Thrace with them."

Strife nodded and left the temple.

'How am I supposed to find these things out,' he thought to himself. 'Just go and ask her?' Aloud he said "Yeah, why not. I'll just ask her. Why shouldn't she answer me. I'm a friendly guy."

He smiled to himself and "poofed" his way to Thrace.

Hercules, Iolaus, and Karen were in the wine tasting tent, and Karen and Iolaus were going drink for drink. They were on their sixth cup, and Hercules had decided they had had enough.

"But big guy," Iolaus whined, "I need to get to number seven. It's my lucky number."

Karen spoke too, trying hard to look offended. "Yeah, my lucky number too. I wanna stay."

Hercules was fed up.

The previous night, (after Karen won the scary story telling contest with her Poe story), the two of them had gotten quite drunk and proceeded to strip each other in the middle of the town. What they started to do next Hercules didn't even want to think about, but needless to say if he wasn't Hercules, they would have been in jail for indecent exposure and creating a public nuisance.

He took each of them by an arm and pulled them to their feet. "That's it," he said, "We are going back to the inn. You two can sleep it off."

They both looked at their feet, mumbled "okay", and went with him.

When they got to the inn, they headed to the room the three of them were sharing. Hercules had originally gotten two rooms, but when a family showed up, he gave up his.

Iolaus and Karen had been whispering to each other on the walk upstairs, and when they got into the room, Iolaus bolted the door, and Karen judo-flipped Hercules onto the floor.

Before the demigod had a chance to react she jumped on his chest, tore off his shirt, and started to suck on his nipples, first one then the other.

He tried to push her off, but Iolaus was sitting on his legs, rubbing his crotch, and undoing his belts.

"Now look," Herc said, "you two are drunk, and now is not the time.....('stop that')....to be doing....('get your hand off of there')....this....('oh thats nice')...with me."

Realizing it was futile to fight, (and not really and truly wanting to), the demigod gave himself over to the pleasure they were giving him.

Iolaus, having gotten Herc's pants off, put his mouth on the demigod's hardness, and took it in in one swift move, causing Herc to yelp in surprise.

Karen was moving her tongue over his upper body in such a way, that Herc was convinced he was in the Elysian Fields.

"How did you learn...." Herc began, but Karen cut him off with a hard kiss on the mouth.

"Secret from the future," she said.

She moved her head down and joined Iolaus in ravishing the demigods cock, their tongues together, causing him to moan.

Then they reversed the positions they had been in, and Iolaus moved onto Hercules chest, straddling him and put his cock in Herc's mouth, while Karen sat on Herc's cock and proceeded to ride him wildly.

She began to massage Iolaus' back, and he turned his head, their tongues joining, as if in the midst of a ritual. Breaking the kiss he looked down at Hercules, his mouth full of Iolaus.

"Oh yeah Herc, suck me good, fuck her, oh yes, Yes, YES!!!"

He came in Hercules mouth, and pulled out, leaning over and kissing Herc on the mouth, tasting himself. He grinned at the demigod.

"I am sweet, aren't I, " he said.

"Sweeter than mead," Hercules replied.

Karen, meanwhile, was still riding him, when she threw her head back, and shouted "Home run with the bases loaded!!"

Karen sat on Hercules for a few minutes before getting off of him. (Well more like falling off of him. She was dizzy from the wine.)

Iolaus looked at Karen strangely.

"What??," she asked.

"Home run with the bases loaded?," He asked.

"It's a future thing. A game called baseball. You throw a ball and the person you throw it at tries to hit it with a big thick stick called a bat." She paused at their confused looks. "The further the ball is hit, the more you win."

"Sounds like a stupid game," Hercules said. "almost as stupid as that other one you told us about, where big men throw a funny shaped ball....,"

"Football." Iolaus reminded him.

"Yeah, thats the one," replied Herc.

Karen began laughing.

"You know if you guys came from my time you'd like football. It's like a male ritual. One day out of the week a bunch of men come together to watch a game played, and they eat chips, drink beer, and belch like pigs."

"Okay," Iolaus said. "The belching part I got, but 'chips and beer'?"

Karen sighed. Now she knew how Twain's 'Connecticut Yankee' felt.

"Okay, chips are fried potatoes, and beer is like cold ale, but with more of a kick. Maybe I'll try to make some."

Iolaus and Hercules both grimaced.

"No, that's okay."

"Yeah, we'll take your word for it."

"Just don't cook anything!!" Both men made this last statement together, remembering the last time she got near a kitchen.

She had tried to make scrambled eggs in Corinth and set fire to Iphicles' kitchen. Iphicles had had to double the kitchen staff's salary to get them to come back, along with his word that Karen would not be allowed anywhere near it again.

"Are you saying I can't cook?," Karen was slurring her words, and Iolaus was giggling at her.

"One more giggle out of you, and you'll be playing with yourself for the next month."

Iolaus kept giggling. "As long as you don't cook."

Hercules then joined in the laughter and Karen started laughing with them.

"Okay, okay, no more cooking."

Hercules laughed even harder. "Oh good. My life span just got longer."

She glared at him, threw a pillow at him, and then passed out on the bed.

Strife returned to Ares temple.

"She's from the future," he told his uncle.

"The future? Are you sure Strife?"

"Oh yeah Unc. She made a couple of remarks about it. Can I go play with Cupid now?"

Ares waved him off and he vanished.

Ares pondered this for a moment. 'The future. That could be advantageous to me. She'll know about the wars, weapons, and armies that will be fighting.'

He didn't see Eris, Goddess of Discord, lurking in the rear of his temple.

She had heard what Strife had said, and, like Ares, was having her own thoughts. 'Knowledge of the future. Power. Glory. And Ares on his hands and knees.'

The last thought put an evil smile on her face.

Chapter 5

This chapter dedicated to Nancy, who suggested more romance and foreplay. I tried, really I did.

The festival in Thrace was still going strong three days after they had arrived. And they had all won contests.

Karen in scary story telling, Iolaus at archery, Gabrielle at general story telling, and Xena at pig wrestling. (The latter had been drunk when Karen convinced her to go for it.) Hercules declined to enter any contests, but had judged quite a few.

Right now, however, he and Xena were trying to calm a crying, and very upset Karen.

Iolaus reputation as a 'ladies man' (which was putting it mildly) had of course preceded him, and women kept coming up to him, kissing him, touching him, and generally fawning (and falling) all over him.

She had been dealing with it, with help from Xena and Gabby.

This last woman, however, had finally driven her over the edge.

Karen and Gabrielle had been waiting for Xena at the inn, as the women were going to share stories about Iolaus. Gabrielle went to the bar to get their drinks.

Listening to the people around her, she heard a woman describing the man she had spent the night with.

"Blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and the cutest dimples on his ass."

Karen knew of only one man who fit that description.

Iolaus.

*HER* Iolaus.

She started talking to the woman and by the time they were finished, the woman had told her that Iolaus had picked her up at the bar and they had spent the night making love by the river.

Karen had gone to bed early the previous evening, and when she woke Iolaus had not been there. She hadn't thought much of it as she had gotten up at lunchtime, and figured he had left early.

But now she heard differently.

She had given her word to Hercules that she wouldn't fight unless she had to defend herself, so instead she ran upstairs, nearly knocking Gabby over, her eyes full of tears, babbling about what had just happened.

Gabby went to find Xena, and told her. Herc and Xena went to find Karen, and that is where they were now.

Hercules was speaking, although Karen could barely hear him over her sobs.

"It couldn't have been Iolaus. He loves you and I know he wouldn't do this to you."

Karen looked at him. "You've been sharing the room. Did Iolaus come in last night?"

The look on his face gave her the answer, and she started crying harder.

Xena tried next.

"He's right. I see the looks Iolaus gives you. He would never hurt you. Either this woman was mistaken or she's trying to get back at Iolaus for something."

That didn't make Karen feel any better. She was quickly learning about Iolaus' reputation with the ladies. It didn't help that they all looked like models, and she was far from it.

Gabrielle came in with Iolaus. She told him what had happened, and the surprised look on his face told Gabby that he hadn't done anything with the woman. The three left Iolaus and Karen alone.

Iolaus sat down next to Karen and turned her face to his. She wouldn't meet his eyes but he started talking anyway.

"Gabrielle told me what happened. I wasn't with anybody last night. I came up here and saw you were sleeping so soundly I didn't want to get into bed and wake you. The owner had an empty room at the end of the hall and I slept there.You can ask him if you want."

She met his eyes.

"Really?," she said quietly.

"Yes really. I wouldn't lie to you. You know that."

"But that woman described you, even knew that you had dimples on your rear end."

Iolaus laughed. "Of course she did. She runs the local bathhouse. The last time I was in Thrace I slept by the river. In the morning I went to get cleaned up proper. She hit on me then, and I had no interest. And I still don't. Not in her or any of the others. Just you, and" he put his arm around her, "only you."

"But those other women they're all so pretty and perfect, and I'm dumpy and frumpy."

He smiled at her. "You just rhymed," he said, bringing a little smile to her face. "And you're not dumpy *OR* frumpy. You're just right, just perfect as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't take you any other way. I thought you knew that by now."

Karen had stopped crying. "I do know that. I guess I'm just so lost, and where I come from a man as good looking as you wouldn't look twice at me."

"Well I'm glad they didn't look twice, or once for that matter. Then you wouldn't be here with me." He pulled her to him, and kissed her. "Now would I kiss someone like that if I didn't love them? Hmm, would I?"

"I guess not."

"You guess not huh. Well I *guess* I need to convince you otherwise."

Iolaus moved both his arms around Karen, and kissed her again, this time pushing her down on the bed at the same time.

He stripped her, then himself, and rolled her over onto her stomach.

"You need to learn to relax. I am going to give you the best massage you have ever had, and by the time I'm finished you'll know what relaxing truly is."

"You promise?," Karen asked.

"Yeah, and as you know I never break a promise," Iolaus said with a big smile.

"Well you can give it your best shot but I've never been known as the relaxing type."

"Well I'm going to change that right now."

He reached over to his pack where he had some oil that he kept for the nights he and Hercules were by themselves.

He poured some on her back, and slowly began to rub it all over, from the small of her back, up to her shoulders and back again.

'She *IS* tense,' Iolaus thought to himself. 'I hope this does the trick.'

Karen meanwhile was having her own thoughts. 'I am stupid. How could I have thought that about him? But he is right. This does feel real good.'

Iolaus' hands had finished on her upper body, and now worked their way down, stopping at her cheeks, (which he gave special attention to), before moving down her thighs and along her legs.

By the time he was finished, she was a mushball.

He rolled her over onto her back, and started to massage the front of her body, kneading her breasts til she started to moan with pleasure. When he got back to her thighs, he felt her wetness.

She was more than ready for him.

He laid himself over her, and kissed her on the neck, than moved his tongue to her earlobe, which he knew to be sensitive.

She felt his hot breath, and heard his soft voice in her ear.

"Are you more relaxed now baby? Does it feel good?" She purred softly, beyond words, and he had his answer.

He pushed into her gently, and began to move in and out, so slowly and with such gentleness that Karen thought if she died right then, she would die happy.

It was a matter of seconds before they both came.

Iolaus looked at her, a seductive smile on his face. "So are you relaxed now?"

She smiled back. "I'm still a teensy-weensy bit stiff."

"Well than maybe I should give you another massage."

"I don't think it would hurt."

And Iolaus proceeded to do just that.

Chapter 6

Eris paced her temple, the words that Strife had said echoing in her head. 'She's from the future,' he had said, referring to a woman who had been travelling with Hercules and Iolaus.

Being the goddess of discord, she was used to creating havoc and mayhem, and was now working on her latest scheme.

Iolaus was in love with this woman, and after the "chicken" incident she had been trying to find some way to get back at him horribly, causing him as much pain as she could.

This woman, Karen was her name, would give her the perfect chance. Now all she had to do was put her plan into motion. By the time she was finished, Iolaus would be dead emotionally, (which, in his case, she knew, was better than physically).

The first thing she needed was the 'hinds blood' dagger. She knew that Iolaus had had it when he returned from the alternate universe, so she went to Ares temple, where the vortex had originally opened.

After searching for hours, she found where Hercules had placed it, deeply imbedded in the stone. She had no problem removing it, and returned to her temple, grinning in such a way that even Hera would have shuddered.

The festival in Thrace was over, and Hercules, Iolaus, and Karen were saying their goodbyes to Xena and Gabrielle. The three women were crying, (yes, Xena too), as they had become attached to each other.

"Could you women stop already," Iolaus said, smiling. "It's not like you're never going to see each other again. We're going to meet up in Corinth in five weeks for Hyllus' birthday."

The three women calmed, although they were still sniffling.

Xena spoke first. "Five weeks, okay, no more."

"Five weeks," repeated Karen, and they started to cry again.

"Let's get going," Hercules said, "before they flood the town." (In actuality, he was afraid he was going to start crying too.)

They went their separate ways, waving at each other.

They walked until nightfall, and settled themselves in a clearing, surrounded by trees, and near a river jumping with fish.

Karen was laughing hard as she watched the two men having a contest to see who could get more fish.

Iolaus was grumbling because Herc was beating him.

"No fair. I have to do it the old-fashioned way. You just throw rocks at them."

"You're just jealous," Herc replied, sticking his tongue out and blowing a rasberry at Iolaus.

They settled down and ate their dinner, and when they were finished, Karen told them another scary story.

She enjoyed scaring them. Two brave men, who battled hydras, she-demons, and other assorted creatures, staring at her with fright in their eyes.

The story she was telling this evening was about dead people returning to life, terrorizing a town, and needing brains to sustain them. By the time she was finished, Hercules was pale, and Iolaus didn't look much better.

"It's only a story," she said giggling.

They settled down on their blankets, and Karen looked at Iolaus, with a big smile, and raised her eyebrow.

"You're not going to sleep Iolaus, are you. I thought maybe we'd all play. After all, the last time we were camping you fell asleep."

Hercules spoke. "We have a long walk tomorrow to Cresus," he said. "I think we should get some sleep."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Iolaus said next. "But I agree with Herc. We better get some rest."

Karen sighed, nodded, and settled next to Iolaus, snuggling against him.

The three were sleeping, and Eris knelt quietly beside Karen. They did not see the dagger that was placed in her pack, fresh blood covering the dried hinds blood.

Hercules heard it first, and jumped up, followed by Iolaus. The sight before them had them open-mouthed and staring.

Karen was standing there screaming, being held by Hermes, messenger of the Gods.

Hercules was livid.

"What are you doing brother?!" He asked, extremely confused, not to mention angry.

Hermes answer caused him to fall back in shock.

"I am taking her to Olympus. She is to be tried for murder."

"Who's murder??!!" Iolaus asked, unbelievably.

"Chloris'," Hermes replied and vanished, taking Karen with him.

Chapter 7

Karen awoke in a cell, and smelled pee. Her own.

She had been taken to Olympus by Hermes, to face trial for the murder of the Goddess Chloris. She had tried to place the name, and realized that Chloris was the goddess of flowers.

After Hermes had brought her to Olympus she was placed in a cell, with no windows, not even a toilet, or wash basin. Hence, the smell. She didn't know why she was charged with this crime, or who had brought the charges. All she knew was that Iolaus wasn't here, and that thought scared her more than any other.

Her cell door opened and a blonde walked in. Karen recognized her immediately from her dream.

"I am Aphrodite," the woman said, "and I will be defending you against the murder charge."

"But I didn't kill anybody!," Karen insisted.

"The evidence says otherwise."

"What evidence??"

Karen was greatly confused. How could they have evidence that she killed someone, let alone a God?

"A knife was found in your belongings that had Chloris' blood on it. It also had the blood of a hind, which as you know is the only thing that can kill a god," Aphrodite said, a soft, gentle look on her face.

Karen looked straight into the woman's eyes.

"First of all, I don't know what the blood of a hind is, and secondly, why would I have killed Chloris in the first place? Isn't she the flower goddess? If I would kill any God, why her? Why not Ares? I'm sure you are well aware of what he did to me." She paused, calming herself, then continued. "And why are you defending me anyway? If the evidence is so much proof, wouldn't that make a trial a charade? Why do I even need a defense lawyer?" She glared at Aphrodite. "Just send me to Tartarus and be done with it!"

She was near tears at this point and Aphrodite sat next to her, speaking softly. "You are having a trial because Zeus insisted on it. Neither he nor I believe you have done this."

"And that's why you're going though with this?," Karen asked, crying openly now. "If Zeus believes I'm innocent, why a trial? Can't he just lay down the law or something and stop this?"

"Even my father cannot defy our laws. And I am defending you because my brother and Iolaus asked me too. Both of them know that you are not capable of a crime such as this." She paused letting Karen take all this in. "I also know that they both love you, especially Iolaus, and they could never love anyone who could commit such a crime."

Karen had stopped crying and asked "Can I see them?"

Aphrodite looked at her with sadness. "No. You will not be able to speak with them before the trial. I'm sorry."

Karen nodded and asked "Well could you at least tell me who my accuser is? I'm assuming I have the right to know."

Aphrodite took a deep breath,and spoke.

"It was Eris."

Karen's eyes flashed with anger.

"Eris!!! The goddess of discord?!! I thought she twisted the truth to make people believe things that weren't true."

Aphrodite answered and her eyes had the same look as Karen's.

"That's right. However she claims that she saw you commit the crime, and many on Olympus, unfortunately, believe what she says. And Ares strongly believes her, even though he is well aware of what she is capable of. His belief in what she says is convincing some of the gods that she is telling the truth."

"Are you allowed to tell me how I was supposed to have done this?," Karen asked.

Aphrodite spoke quietly. "This is the story that Eris told Ares and then Zeus." And Aphrodite began.......

*****************

Discord's Statement:

I had left my temple in Mataxas and was travelling on foot to Cresus. As you know that is where my other temple is. As Zeus has often pointed out to me, I need to be around mortals a little more often so I can learn how to deal with them in a more civilized manner. He had suggested that travelling in this way would teach me more and give me enlightenment towards the mortals.

As you know the "Temple of Nature", which belongs to Demeter,Rhea,Horae, and Chloris, is located in between these two townships. It was mid-night when I arrived there to visit with Aunt Rhea, as it is almost harvest time, and get some special herbs for a brew I was going to make.

As I came to the doors of the temple, I heard voices shouting in the rear. I walked around to the back of the temple and observed Chloris arguing with a woman, whom I had never seen. There were flowers, both bloomed and budding, and plants ripped out of the ground, strewn all over. From what I could hear of the argument, the woman had torn them out of the ground, to use the roots for something, and not knowing which was which kept pulling til she found the right one.

Chloris was angry as everything was freshly planted, as it always is this time of year, and told the woman that she was not to come near the temple again and to stay away from any plants and flowers if she was going to destroy them like this. The woman got a strange look on her face, and told Chloris that it didn't matter because eventually, in years to come, the earth wouldn't need them anyway.

Chloris looked frightened (you know how she was), and asked the woman how she could even begin to imagine such a thing. The woman said, and I quote, "I know because I have seen it. The future holds a world that will not need these things anyway and therefore not need you." I then observed the woman remove a knife from somewhere on her body, and stab Chloris. I didn't think anything of it, as Chloris is a goddess, and cannot be harmed by a mortal or a mortal weapon. It was only later when Chloris didn't come back into the temple that Aunt Rhea and I went to look for her.

That's when we found her. Dead, lying in the middle of her plants, with a stab wound in her stomach. We were shocked as the only thing that could do this would be hinds blood.

I came back to Olympus and told Ares what had happened and he knew, from what she had said who she was. We came to Zeus and told him. Zeus sent Hermes to get her and bring her back for trial. That's all I can tell you.

*****************

Aphrodite finished reading the statement and Karen was in shock.

"That's a load of horseshit," she screamed.

She was getting angrier.

Aphrodite started to say something and the walls of the cell started to shake.

Karen kept screaming. "All my life I've heard about the Greek Gods and how, even with all their faults they were fair!!"

The blocks in the walls were starting to come loose, as Aphrodite looked in shock.

"You people are nothing more than a bunch of heathens and I hope you all rot in hell!!!"

At this last word the blocks flew apart, and the cell door flew open.

Karen got up, and looked at Aphrodite with such anger on her face that the goddess of love had never before seen, not even on Ares.

Karen walked out of the cell, and the guards that tried to stop her were flung to the side as she looked at them. Aphrodite continued to stare at her.

She had never seen a mortal do anything like this. The woman was doing these things with her mind, and with little effort. Even the gods needed to exert some form of energy and effort to manage it.

Aphrodite finallly pulled herself together and chased after Karen. She caught up with her, but still kept her distance.

Whatever power this woman had, she didn't want to get caught in the middle of it.

"How did you do that?," the goddess asked, still shaken.

Karen looked at her, cognizant now of what she had done.

She spoke quietly, the shock starting to set in. "I don't know. All I knew was that I had to get out of that cell and then everything happened."

"Have you ever done anything like that before?"

"No, and now I'm scared. Maybe it has something to do with that stone."

"What stone?," Aphrodite asked.

Karen was crying now, the shock having set in. She stared at the goddess and spoke, in a frightened voice.

"The stone that brought me here. It was in the temple in the museum. I touched it, it glowed and then I was here, in Greece."

Aphrodite looked perplexed. "I don't understand. Is that how you got here, to this time?"

"Yes," came the reply.

"Who's temple was it and do you know what the stone was?"

"The temple belonged to Ares, and the stone, well I think it was once called the Chronos stone. Legend has it that it could move things thru time."

Aphrodite started to speak but was interrupted by a voice calling to her. "Artemis now is not the time...,"

She didn't get to finish.

Artemis was frantic.

"You don't understand. Ares is gone. He found out from father where and when she (pointing to Karen) came from. He's taken the chronos stone and gone forward in time to make sure she (pointing to Karen again) doesn't come to this time, and kill Chloris."

Aphrodite started to say something but Karen interrupted.

"If he can do this why not travel back and prevent Chloris' death?."

Artemis answered her. "Because although the past can be changed, it can't be done like that. It's a time paradox. The only way for him to change what has happened is to go forward in time and prevent you from coming here."

"But why would he do this?," Aphrodite asked her sister.

"Because," Artemis said, "Chloris was pregnant with his child."

Chapter 8

Aphrodite didn't know what to deal with first.

Chloris, the goddess of flowers was dead. She had been pregnant with Ares child. Ares had stolen the chronos stone to go back in time to kill Karen, who had been accused (by Eris, no less) of killing Chloris.

She was brought back to reality by Artemis' voice. "Aphrodite...Olympus to Aphrodite..are you there?"

Aphrodite answered her. "Yes, I'm here. I'm just trying to figure out what to do."

Karen spoke next. "If he's gone back in time to kill me, don't you think you should try and stop him?"

"She's right, 'Dite. We need to see Zeus and try to fix this," Artemis said.

"By the way, what happened here. It looks like the titans had a party in the cellblock."

"I did it," Karen said, "I think I got some sort of power from the Chronos stone when it brought me here."

Artemis stared at her.

"The chronos stone brought you here?" She asked, confused.

"Yea," said her sister, "we'll explain later. We need to see dad now."

As they wandered through the corridors, Karen was asking Artemis questions.

(She struck Karen as being less "ditzy" than Aphrodite.)

"I don't mean to seem ignorant, but how is Ares going to kill me? And when? As a baby, a young girl? And what made anybody think it was me arguing with Chloris before she died? And the knife? How did it...?"

She was cut off by Artermis. "Questions later. Right now we need to find out where Ares went, and when."

They reached Zeus' throne room and there were no need for explainations. He knew why they were there.

Karen couldn't help grinning and spoke. "You know, I thought the King of the Gods would be taller, huskier, you know, more broad shouldered."

Zeus looked at her and smiled.

Then Karen heard a voice behind her.

"I thought you liked your men average size?"

She turned and screamed. "Iolaus!!"

She ran into his arms and he picked her up, kissing her, and holding her, like he thought he'd never get a chance to do it again. He hadn't.

"How about saving some for me?," said another voice.

Karen's grin got even bigger. "Hercules!!," she yelled, and broke from Iolaus and jumped into his arms, receiving the same response as she got from Iolaus.

Herc put Karen down, and Iolaus took her hand, squeezing it tightly, as if he'd never let it go.

Zeus began to speak, and all eyes turned to him.

"As you know Ares has taken the Chronos stone and is attempting to change the time stream. He doesn't realize that what has happened is inevitable. One way or another Chloris will die, when she did, and how she did. I have spoken with Atropos and Clotho. They told me that much."

"But father," Aphrodite said, "If that's true, and by killing Karen nothing changes, then she couldn't have killed Chloris."

"The brain speaks," Artemis said snidely, and all eyes were on her.

She shut up.

Iolaus spoke next. "But if she's innocent, then who killed Chloris, and why?"

Then Hercules. "And why set Karen up to take the fall? Who would gain anything by this?"

But he already knew, as did the others.

Five voices spoke at once.

"Eris!" They all cried in unison.

"There is no proof of that," Zeus said. "but right now we need to stop Ares."

"And how do you do that?" Karen asked.

Zeus looked at Aphrodite. "You need to go forward in time and stop Ares."

"Why me?" she asked, dumbstruck. "Why not Artemis, or Athena?"

"Because," Zeus continued, "Ares will not try and hurt you if you go there. I cannot say the same for your sisters. He has never been as fond of them as he is of you."

"Well, okay. I'll do it. But when I get back I get first crack at Eris," she said.

Karen spoke, gritting her teeth in anger. "Sorry, but she's mine. Goddess or not, I'm going to pulverize her."

"That can be worked out later," Zeus said. "In the meantime, it is going to take all my energies to open the timestream and send you back, Aphrodite. Stand back."

The king of the gods concentrated and a vortex began to form. "Go daughter. Go and put things right."

Aphrodite stepped into the vortex and vanished.

When her head cleared Aphrodite found herself in a forest, in the darkness. There was no moon, and the sound of thunder indicated a storm moving in.

'This must be the place. Somewhere around here,' she thought.

Then she spotted it. A small cabin in a clearing, with a few lights burning.

As she walked towards it she heard the arguing from inside. Loud voices. A female's and then a deep male voice which she knew well.

Ares.

She approached the cabin and walked in. Standing before her was indeed Ares, and a woman of about fifty. The woman was standing in front of Ares, and was preventing him from going into the other room.

"You leave her alone!! I'll kill you before I let you have her!!" the woman was yelling at Ares.

Ares was angry, more angry than Aphrodite had ever seen him.

"She will pay for what she has done. Murdering a God is a crime punishable by banishment to Tartarus."

Aphrodite paused, catching her breath, and spoke. "You can't punish her for something she hasn't done yet. And we don't know what it was her. We only know what Eris said and Eris is a liar."

Two pair of eyes turned to her.

Aphrodite did not want to tell Ares what she knew at this point. He was so angry and she knew he wouldn't listen. (And she understood why. The loss of Chloris and his unborn child.)

Ares went towards the door again, and the woman grabbed him by the arm, pulling him away, screaming

"I told you to leave her alone!!"

Ares turned and threw her on the floor.

At that moment a small girl came out of the room. Aphrodite recognized her as Karen, albeit smaller.

"Don't you touch my Gran!!" Karen screamed, picking up a thick piece of wood (in actuality a baseball bat) and hit Ares with it, behind the knees, causing him to fall.

He got up, and swung his arm, preparing to vaporize her, but his sister grabbed his arm.

"NO!!! If you kill her we'll never know the truth. And if you're wrong, nothing will change. We need to let time take care of this. Even you need to know the truth. We all do."

Aphrodite bent down and looked into young Karen's eyes, seeing the same determination that she saw in the grown version.

"Forget what you have seen here little one," she said, causing Karen to nod in a trancelike state.

The girl went back to her room and shut the door.

She turned to Ares, and spoke softly, taking his hand in hers. "We need to return Ares. You will know the truth then."

She turned to the woman. "Tell no one what has happened here tonight."

The woman answered her with a funny look. "Who would I tell 'Dite? The four winds??"

Aphrodite looked at her with confusion. "How do you know who I am?"

The woman looked back at her with a smile. "We're old friends."

And before Aphrodite could ask anymore, the Chronos stone, which Ares had had in a pouch at his side, began to hum, then there was a flash of light and the two gods returned to the past.

The woman left in the cabin smiled to herself.

"Just like Mom told me it would happen," she said to herself and with that last word, Jenny went to check on her granddaughter.

Chapter 9

Aphrodite "popped" back into Zeus throne room, with Ares, a very angry Ares, at her side.

To those that had remained, only a few seconds had passed.

Upon seeing him, Karen stood behind Iolaus, the fear of the God of War still within her. Upon seeing her reaction, Hercules moved in front of the two of them, as if to shield them from his brother.

Ares spoke, with venom in his tone, looking directly at Zeus.

"Why have you brought me back?" he said. "That bitch, (pointing at Karen) killed my lover and my child. I demand justice."

"And you shall have it," his father replied, "but not this way. This woman did not kill Chloris, and killing her as a child would have changed nothing. Clotho and Atropos told me that. Chloris' death could not be stopped, and to that end I am truly sorry."

"Sorry. Is that all you can say?" Ares said.

It was Hercules' turn. "We believe that the murder was commited by someone close to Chloris, who wanted to get Karen out of the way."

"And who would that be 'brother'?" Ares replied, the last word spoken with extreme sarcasm.

Ares continued. "Who would have anything to gain by Chloris' death?? She was the goddess of flora, not anything anyone cared much about."

Aphrodite spoke. "Ares, you knew where Karen came from before Zeus told you. When Eris came to you and told you what she had heard, you knew who she was. Now how did you know?"

Ares looked at her, not wanting to answer.

"Ares," Zeus said to his eldest son softly, "what you did to Karen was bad enough, but you need to tell us how you found out about her. We can't bring Chloris or your child back, but we can bring justice to her name. Chloris was a gentle soul, and you know she would want the truth to come out."

Ares took a deep breath and spoke.

"Strife. Strife found out and told me."

"And Eris found out somehow from Strife," Artemis said. "She always follows him, watching to see what he's up to. You know how she enjoys taking credit for any mischief he's done."

"But why Chloris?" Hercules asked. "And why Karen? Eris could have set up anybody."

"Because she hates Iolaus," said a voice behind them.

It was Strife.

Strife had been in his temple when Cupid came and told him that their Aunt Chloris was dead. She had been one of the few Olympians who had treated him with respect, and he had loved her very much.

He had tried to think of who could do such a thing, and, much to his surprise, his mother came to mind first.

Eris had never been much of a mother to Strife, she had always acted as if she birthed him and her job was done.

But his Aunt Chloris had seen him as special, and he had spent many days with her, helping her plant flowers, and talking with her. She had always listened to him. Not just heard his voice, as most of the other Gods did, but truly listened.

And now he was telling six people that he knew his mother was a murderer, a fact that would send her to Tartarus for eternity.

"How do you know what happened?" asked Artemis.

Strife replied, not letting his gaze up from his boots.

"I was in her temple waiting for her when I saw her come in. She had blood all over her, and she carried a knife, that also had blood on it. I asked her about it and she told me to keep my mouth shut, if I knew what was good for me. She also said that Iolaus was going to suffer more pain than he had ever known, and that she would not allow Ares to have another child. She said he had enough children already, and she wanted his attentions."

Karen went to him and took his chin in her hand, lifting his eyes to meet hers. She spoke softly. "But why did you wait so long to say anything?"

Strife answered, with tears in his eyes. "Because, she's my mother. No matter what she's done, that can never change. And no matter how much she hates me, I love her."

Ares face flashed with anger and he moved toward Strife.

"You knew that that bitch killed Chloris and you said nothing!! You will join her in Tartarus, you worthless piece of shit!!"

He started to move closer, but, oddly, Karen blocked his way. Although she was frightened of Ares, she would not let him hurt the Godling. She saw in his eyes that this was the hardest and most painful thing Strife would ever do, and he would suffer, within himself, for the rest of his existence, for telling them everything.

Karen looked into Ares eyes and matched his anger.

"If you want to kill me, go ahead!! But you will hear me out first!!" Strange, but true, the tone of her voice and the look in her eyes, made Ares back down.

"I'm listening, for now," Ares said.

Karen continued, her eyes on Ares.

"Strife has just done the hardest thing anyone, any one of us, could do. He has just condemned his mother to an eternity of damnation. No matter what she has done, she is still the woman who gave him life. And for that he will suffer his own pain, for the rest of his life. I don't think anything you could do to him from this point on could hurt him more."

Everyone stared in shock, none more than Zeus, when Ares backed off.

Karen was right and they all knew it.

Artemis spoke. "So what do we do now? Eris and Strife are connected, as we all are to a limited extent, to our parents. And being that he is so young, she can probaly hear all his thoughts as well."

"Oh yes, she can at that."

Eris had walked into the room.

Ares lunged at her but she side-stepped him and he hit the wall.

Artemis started to move towards her but stopped in her tracks, cold.

Eris had the hinds blood dagger in her hand, and Artemis knew that she was more than capable of using it.

Eris turned and moved towards Ares, who was still dazed, and she was speaking like a mad woman.

"I could have given you everything!! Strong children!! Not like Chloris. She was weak and her child would have been weak. As God of War you should have children who can equal you, not crawl beneath you!!!"

She moved towards Ares as she spoke, and when she got close enough, she raised the dagger and plunged it......into Karen's chest.

Iolaus screamed and ran to her, while the other gods restrained Eris.

They hadn't noticed that Karen had moved from where she was to stand in front of Ares, until it was too late.

Iolaus held her in his arms, and the tears started to flow.

"Why?," he asked her, "Why did you save Ares life? After what he did to you? I don't understand."

"Because," Karen whispered weakly, remembering something she had once read. "Because, without a God of War to hold the Sword of Chaos, anarchy will rule. Even I wasn't worth it."

"Karen. Karen." Iolaus was shaking her. "Come back to me. You can't die. I love you. Please, wake up. Please...."

And he collapsed over her, his tears soaking her lifeless body.

Chapter 10

She had laid there in Iolaus' arms, not moving, not breathing, while he cried openly, and without care as to who watched.

She had come from another time, two millenia beyond this one, saved Ares life, even after he had brutally raped her.

Helped the Gods send that murderous bitch Eris to Tartarus for killing Chloris, the goddess of flowers, who had been pregnant with Ares child.

Protected Strife from Ares rage.

Told Hercules and him stories that gave them nightmares, and then teased them about it.

But most of all, and what hurt the most, was the emptiness her loss had given him.

He had shared her, body and soul, with Hercules, but even the love of the demigod would never replace what he had lost now.

Eris had won, in a way. She wanted to hurt Iolaus. Not physically, he could take that.

But in the place where it hurt the most.

The place that would truly never recover from this loss, his heart.

She wasn't beautiful in the physical sense that other women in his life had been. He had felt towards her the way he had felt towards Ania. Her true beauty came from within.

And now it was gone.

He had struggled against Hercules as his best friend pulled him off of her body, kicking and screaming, saying it was his fault, all of it.

He had brought her into his world, and now she was dead because of it.

Aphrodite arranged for a funeral pyre, but he didn't go.

He couldn't.

Because the loss of this woman, with the strange name of Karen, was something from which he knew he would never recover.

The woman awoke with a massive headache. She heard beeps and buzzes and when she managed to focus she saw she was in a hospital, a modern hospital.

She saw the nurse next to her bed, and spoke.

"Where am I?," she asked.

The nurse answered. "Well you're finally awake."

"Obviously. Now where am I?"

"You're in New York Hospital."

"What happened?," she asked very confused.

The nurse started to respond but a doctor walked in.

"And how is our patient today?," he asked with a smile.

"What happened?," she asked again.

She got an answer.

"There was an explosion at the Museum of Natural History and you were caught in the blast. You're lucky to be alive."

She looked at him, and he saw sadness in her eyes when she spoke.

"Then I've been here since when? How long?"

"Eleven days. When they brought you in you were incoherent, and you've been comatose since."

She started to cry.

"Eleven days? Sharyn, where is she? Is she okay?"

"Your friend is fine, she suffered minor injuries. It seems you pulled her out of the rubble somehow, and that's how you got injured. A beam fell on your head."

Karen was still very confused. "Can I see her?"

The doctor nodded. "She's been waiting for you to wake up. Hasn't left the hospital. Normally we only allow family to stay with a patient, but in her case, being you saved her life, we made an exception."

She looked past the doctor and saw Sharyn coming in with a big smile.

"Well it's about time. I was starting to think I'd have no one to cause trouble with."

Karen laughed, and told Sharyn the strangest story, about being in Ancient Greece, meeting Hercules, and the Gods, and saving Ares' life.

When she finished Sharyn was grinning. "Wow, that must have been some head banging!"

"It was," Karen replied, with some sadness in her voice, "it was."

It had been two months since she had come home from the hospital.

The doctors wanted her to stay in New York for a while, and not go back to Florida until they could make sure she was okay.

Sharyn returned without her and told her she would keep things in order.

So she stayed at the house she had kept, that had belonged in her family for a long time. She had been very depressed since she awoke and no one could pull her out of it. The dream had seemed so real.

Iolaus, Hercules, a destiny to help the Gods, the thought that it was in her head, and not in her reality. She had tried a couple of therapists, but nothing worked. So she stayed around the house, working in the garden, trying to keep busy, and to forget.

But she couldn't.

It had seemed so real, she had begun to doubt her own sanity, and had started to think that a trip to Bellevue and a padded cell might be the only solution.

Karen was out in the garden, planting anew, when she saw a bright flash.

There was a man standing there, dressed in black leather.

'This is it', she thought, 'I finally flipped out. Bellevue here I come.'

"No you're not crazy," he said.

"No, I'm mentally deranged," she said, incredulous.

"Not that either," he said.

She looked in the man's eyes, took a deep breath, and finally spoke.

"Ares?"

"The one and only," he answered.

Now fully aware that her delusions were very real, she backed up, remembering what he had done to her.

He spoke, gently and slowly. "I'm not here to harm you. I'm here to thank you."

She looked at him, thinking that maybe he had lost his mind.

He continued.

"That day in Zeus' throne room, you did something that no mortal, with the exception of Iolaus, had ever done. You stood up to me, defending Strife from my wrath. And you did something else that no one, God or mortal, had ever done. You saved my life."

Karen finally found her voice. "So you're here to thank me."

"Not exactly," he said.

"Then what?," Karen replied, very curious now.

"After you were stabbed, and Hercules managed to get Iolaus out of there, Zeus spoke to my sisters and I. He said that you were not dead, but he had made it appear that way, as you had to be returned to your own time. He said that Iolaus and Hercules were not to know anything about this, that the time stream had to me maintained. Aphrodite arranged for a funeral pyre, and that, as they say, was that."

Karen was staring at him, finding her voice again. "You still haven't answered me. Why, then are you here?"

"Because, I owe you a favor. And I don't like owing anything."

"And...." she said waiting for him to continue.

"I have spoken with Zeus. Under the circumstances, he has allowed me to make you an offer."

"Oh goody," Karen said, sarcastically. "And what offer would that be?"

"If you wish to return to Greece, our Greece, I will take you back. But this is a one way ticket. You will not be given the chance to return to this time. If you return with me, you will remain there for your life, however long that may be."

"That's a big decision. Do I get some time to think it over?"

"I can give you two days, no more. At that time I must return to my time, with or without you. I will return to see you and you can give me your answer."

And with that last word, the God of War vanished.

Chapter 11

It had been five weeks.

Five weeks that Hercules had spent with a very quiet, very subdued Iolaus.

Herc had tried everything, from bringing him women, (which earned him a fat lip), to doing a slow striptease, (which got absolutely no reaction).

Iolaus was slowly dying inside. Hercules felt the pain too, not as much as Iolaus, but greatly nevertheless. But he knew he couldn't let the hunter see this. Iolaus was depressed enough for both of them.

They were in Corinth, for Hyllus' fifth birthday. Iphicles had thought that since Iolaus' birthday was three days after his son's they would celebrate them together.

Xena and Gabrielle were there too, but nothing was lifting Iolaus' spirit.

Even Hyllus had been upset. When he found out that Karen would not be at his party, he ran to his room and refused to come out.

Gabrielle was not her usual, 'gabby' self, and even Xena was quiet.

However, a child's feelings can change quicker than lightning and when Hyllus saw his playmates, he decided to enjoy his party.

Iolaus smiled a little, when he saw the children playing, and the other's were happy about that. It was the most emotion he had shown.

That evening when the children had gone home, the five adults were gathered in the dining room, and a cake was brought out for Iolaus.

But he was totally disinterested. Finally Hercules couldn't take it anymore.

"Enough already Iolaus. Karen is gone. You can spend the rest of your life sitting around, and wasting away or you could learn to live a little again."

Xena spoke next. "He's right Iolaus. You know how Karen was. How do you think she'd feel knowing you were doing nothing but feeling sorry for yourself, and guilty for what happened to her? Do you think she'd....".

Xena didn't get the chance to finish.

There was a flash, and Ares appeared. Hercules and Xena both jumped up, ready to fight.

But Ares was standing still. He smiled, and spoke, catching them off guard with his words.

"Yes Iolaus, how do you think she'd feel, seeing what you've done with your life since she left?"

Iolaus rose so abruptly, that the chair he was sitting in flew back against the wall. He was angry that Ares had dared to come here, to mention anything that had to do with Karen.

"You have no right to be here!! I'll kill you with my bare hands, you bastard!!"

He lunged at Ares, who moved aside, smiling when Iolaus hit the floor.

Hercules was about to attack his brother when he heard a voice.

They all heard it and stared at the doorway in shock.

"Iolaus. You should no better than to mess with the God of War."

It was Karen, standing there, in leathers and boots that fit perfectly, (courtesy of Ares), and a new sword and scabbard, (also from Ares.).

No one was more in shock than the hunter, who got up, stared like he was suddenly struck stupid, and said one word. "Karen?"

Karen stared back at him. "No, I'm Snow White. I left the dwarfs at home."

Iolaus was still staring at her.

"Iolaus, I haven't changed that much. It's the new hairdo isn't it. It's only a ponytail. It comes out, see."

She let her hair down. "Now do you recognize me?"

Iolaus still couldn't speak. So Xena did it for him.

"How did you get here?"

"Ares Express. Quickest shipping in the known world," Karen said with a giggle.

Iolaus just kept staring, except now his mouth was wide open.

She gave him a big grin.

"Iolaus are you going to say anything or just stare like a half-wit?"

He finally spoke.

"I love you."

She looked at him still grinning.

"I know."

He went to her, and five weeks of pain were washed away in an instant. He picked her up in his arms, turned to the others and said

"We'll see you later," and proceeded to walk her upstairs.

Hercules spoke to Ares. "Well are you going to tell us, or let us guess?"

"Under normal circumstances, brother, I would let you guess, but...," and Ares told them what had transpired.

Iolaus carried Karen up to his bedroom, holding onto her for dear life.

His words were coming out monosyllabic. "How? What?"

Karen stifled his words with a kiss.

"Later Iolaus. Right now would you please love me, make love to me, because I've been waiting a long time for your touch."

Iolaus needed no further words of encouragement.

He lay Karen on the bed, and sat beside her, stroking her cheek, rubbing his finger across her lips. She took his finger and pulled it into her mouth, sucking on it, and bringing a moan to his lips.

He bent over and kissed her, and their tongues met gently, tasting each other, both thinking they would never have this again.

They undressed each other in the same way, their bodies moving together in a rhythm, gentle love battling intense lust.

The lust won out.

Iolaus moved along Karen's body, his tongue giving her a bath. She was moaning, and as he put that sweet tongue on her wetness, she shrieked, and pulled at his hair, pushing his mouth into her, thrusting up at him madly.

Her breaths were short now, and she came with a vengeance, wrapping her legs around his shoulders, trying to pull his tongue deeper inside.

He removed his lips and gave her the same treatment on the way back to her mouth, moving his tongue everywhere, stopping at her nipples to suck and nip them, causing her to moan again.

When he reached her face again, he stared into her eyes, and kissed her hard, plunging his cock into her, and began to pump into her with such force, that she thought, as she had before, that if she died now she'd die very happy.

They were in ecstasy, Iolaus thrusting into her, and Karen encouraging him with words, and touches, raking her nails over his back so hard she left marks.

But Iolaus didn't care, or for that matter didn't even notice.

He was too busy feeling passion, feeling Karen, feeling the emotions he didn't think existed anymore.

He threw his head back suddenly, and shouted, and they both came, with a force no two people had ever known.

He tried to pull out of her, but she wouldn't let him, getting him hard again quicker than he thought possible, with hot words, words of sexual passion, and her hands roaming his body.

She reversed their positions, so she was on top, and sat on him, and rode him, lifting herself up and down on his cock, fucking him with a fury.

Once again they came together, and this time she got off of him.

He was about to speak, but her mouth on his prevented that, and he knew, without having to ask, what she wanted. He wanted the same thing.

Iolaus took Karen into his arms and held her, and she him, and they fell asleep, both content and happy, and satiated.

Chapter 12

The next morning Iolaus woke and rolled over to touch Karen, but he got empty space.

And then the whole castle was awakened with the sounds of loud screaming from the kitchen, followed by the sounds of crashing dishes.

Xena, Gabrielle, and Iolaus nearly crashed into one another running downstairs, followed by Hercules and Iphicles.

Upon entering the kitchen, they found Karen and the cook, Moira, looking as if they were going to kill each other. Karen was screaming.

"You crazy bitch. All I want to do is make french toast and you're throwing dishes at me!! You're nuts!!"

"I'm nuts!!," replied the cook. "You're the one who's nuts! The last time you were in here you nearly burned down the kitchen!!"

"Oh yeah, I'll show you nuts!!" She picked up the nearest dish, but Hercules grabbed her and took the dish out of her hands, restraining her.

Iphicles and Iolaus grinned at each other, remembering when Karen had tried to make scrambled eggs. They didn't know what 'french toast' was, but they did know that with Karen's culinary 'talents', she'd be best off away from the kitchen, not to mention the cook.

Hercules had let Karen go and she made another run at Moira.

He grabbed her, hoisting her over his shoulder, and walked out of the room, with Iolaus following.

They heard Iphicles and Xena trying to calm Moira down, and smiled when they heard Gabrielle asking for breakfast.

Hercules carried Karen back upstairs and deposited her on the bed.

Iolaus came in behind him, laughing.

"What's so funny?" Herc asked him.

"Moira," he replied, laughing. "In all the years she's been here, first for Jason, then Iphicles, I've never seen her so upset. Did you see the look on her face?"

He burst into fresh giggles. Then Herc and Karen joined him.

Iolaus tried to get serious, but it was hard.

"Karen, please stay out of the kitchen. I like Moira's cooking and so does Iphicles. I'd hate to see you put in the dungeon if his cook quits."

"Okay, okay," she answered him. "I'll stay out of there. I promise."

She looked at the two men standing there.

"What??" they both asked her.

"I was just thinking," she began, a seductive smile on her face. "The last time we were together, on the way to Cresus, you promised we'd all play after we got some rest. I've been resting for quite a while, and even after last night, (she leered at Iolaus), I still have some strength left. Not much, but some."

The two men sat down, Hercules next to Karen, and Iolaus behind Hercules.

"She's right you know, Herc." Iolaus said, removing the demigod's shirt. "A promise is a promise."

He began to massage Herc's shoulders, raining light kisses on his neck.

Hercules leaned back against Iolaus, closing his eyes, and revelled in the feeling. Iolaus hadn't touched him since Karen had left.

It felt good, really good.

While Hercules was relaxing under Iolaus' skilled touch, Karen had taken off her clothing, and was kissing his chest, remembering how the demigod loved having his nipples touched.

His eyes flew open when she nipped at one, and he moaned when she nipped the other, leaning back on Iolaus again.

Karen moved down, and with skillful hands removed Hercules pants, and gently started to massage his cock through his breech clout. This started the demigod panting and Karen removed it, and began to stroke his manhood, gently at first, but when he responded with a moan, she stroked harder, gripping it with a firm hand.

Iolaus, in the meantime, was running his tongue along Herc's earlobe, his hot breath whispering words that were causing the demigod to writhe against him, whispering them just loud enough for Karen to hear.

"You like that Hercules, don't you? The feel of her hand, holding you, caressing you. Do you want her tongue on you? Her mouth taking you all the way in, sucking your cock all the way down her throat?"

Iolaus' eyes met Karen's, and she stopped what she was doing. She knew this game and she enjoyed playing it.

"No, don't stop, please," Hercules begged softly, pushing towards Karen.

She got up and backed away from him, just out of his arms reach.

Iolaus continuing to whisper in his ear.

"How badly do you want her tongue lover? Enough to beg for it? Plead for it?"

Iolaus shifted to the side, and removed his pants in one swift move, moving back to Hercules, letting his cock rub along the demigods lower back.

Iolaus picked up a jar of oil by the bed, poured some on his hands, rubbing them to warm it, continuing with Herc's massage, moving all over his back, causing Hercules to breath deeper.

"Beg her Hercules. Beg her to suck your cock. Tell her how much you want it. Tell her."

Hercules eyes looked into Karen's and he barely found his voice.

"Take me."

Karen smiled at him. "Take you?," she asked.

She wanted Hercules to tell her exactly what he wanted her to do.

"My cock. Take it into your mouth. Lick it, make love to it with your tongue. Please. Now."

"I don't know Herc," Karen said, "Try asking nicer. And with more feeling."

The demigod moaned.

"Please, please, make love to me. I want to feel your mouth on me, kissing my cock, loving it. Pllleeaassee!!"

Iolaus was smiling behind Hercules and Karen saw. They were both enjoying this.

It was Karen's turn to speak. She kneeled down in front of him, massaging his inner thighs, softly licking and nipping and spoke to him in a low seductive voice.

"Do you want Iolaus, Hercules? Do you want him to take his big, hard cock and run it along your ass? Put it in your tight hole, and fuck you? Thrust in and out, slowly at first, than with deeper strokes.....faster.....harder.....taking possession of you? Making you his? Do you Hercules? Do you want Iolaus to take you?"

The demigod was moaning loudly now, panting fast, Karen's voice and Iolaus' hands driving him into a frenzy of lust.

He finally found his voice. "Yes, please, yes. Ohhh, please, I want you, take my cock in your mouth, suck me dry, please now, PLEASE!!"

"And what about Iolaus?," she asked, a wicked smile on her face.

"I want you Iolaus, take me anyway you want, fuck my ass so hard and deep, make me yours, I want to belong to you, fully, totally, JUST PLEASE NOW!! PLEASE!! I'M BEGGING YOU, PLEASE!!!"

The demigod was near tears. Karen and Iolaus looked at each other.

This is what they wanted, and they would make Hercules cum, hard, giving him wants and needs he didn't even know existed within him.

Iolaus stopped massaging Herc's back and maneuvered him onto the bed, onto his stomach.

He took some oil and coated his fingers, and began to fuck Hercules, first with one finger, than two, pushing in and out, til the demigod was fully open to him.

Karen took some oil into her own hands, and stroked Iolaus' cock, placing it at Hercules tight hole, massaging his cheeks, spreading them for Iolaus.

As Iolaus entered him, Karen bent over and licked Herc's ear whispering to him.

"Doesn't it feel good Herc? His cock up your ass? He owns you now. You belong to him. No one else."

"No one else," Hercules said, in a gutteral whisper.

Iolaus was pounding him hard, and pulled him up on his knees, thrusting even harder.

Karen maneuvered herself into a '69' position with Hercules, and proceeded to start sucking his cock, while Herc started to eat her, diving in with his tongue, sucking her juices, while he fucked her mouth.

Iolaus had a view of both of them, and came first, spilling into Hercules.

The feeling of Iolaus filling him caused Herc to cum in Karen's mouth, and she swallowed, drinking all of him.

Herc continued to eat Karen, while Iolaus pulled out of him gently.

By the way Hercules was still going at it, Iolaus figured out she hadn't cum yet.

Hercules pulled his cock out of Karen's mouth and reversed his position, so that he was kneeling in between her legs.

Iolaus started kissing her mouth, then her breasts, sucking each nipple to a hardened peak.

She was thrusting wildly now, not knowing which feeling to concentrate on.

Iolaus then started nibbling on her ear, causing her to moan.

He started whispering to her as they had whispered to Hercules.

"It's your turn now baby. Cum for me and Herc."

She started thrusting up at Hercules harder.

Iolaus continued.

"Feel it. Let yourself go. That's my girl."

She suddenly grabbed Hercules by the hair, and pulled him closer to her.

Seeing this, Iolaus kissed her mouth, hard, wrapping his lips around hers, and pushing his tongue in as deep as he could.

Karen came with a fury, moaning, and panting, like a wild animal in heat. Then she collapsed onto the bed.

Hercules brought his head up, kissing Iolaus, lingering so Iolaus could taste Karen on his lips.

Then Herc leaned over and kissed Karen, asking her, in that same whispered tone.

"Did you like that? Was it good? Who belongs to who now?"

Karen looked up at both of them, smiling, still panting.

"I belong to you, both of you, for now, for always."

And with that, she passed out, her strength gone.

Iolaus looked at Hercules. "You love her, don't you big guy?"

And Hercules answered, simply and calmly. "Yes Iolaus. I do."

Iolaus smiled at him. "Good, because I love her, and I love you too."

And with that said, Iolaus kissed *HIS* demigod and they lay down next to Karen, each on one side of her, wrapping their arms around her, and each other, and went to sleep.

Chapter 13

Iolaus was starting to get on her nerves. Karen loved him, she had given up her world for his, but he was making her nuts. She knew he worried about her, but things were getting out of hand.

And it wasn't just Iolaus. Hercules loved her too, and he was just as bad. Everytime she wanted to take a walk, or go outside at night and look at the stars, one of them would be with her.

She felt as if she were being suffocated.

And if that wasn't bad enough, in the two months since Ares had brought her here, neither of the heroes had left Corinth. She knew people had been looking for them, to aid their towns, stop marauders, and the like, but they kept refusing.

Karen knew why. They were afraid that she was too fragile to exist here without them.

Iolaus' jealousy was even worse. Hercules ignored any remarks that men would make about her, but Iolaus couldn't let them go. He had been in four fights in the last two days. Karen brushed off the remarks sent her way.

In fact, she secretly enjoyed them.

It was time to have a talk, not just with Iolaus, but Hercules also.

They were out in the courtyard, the moon full, and Karen stood while they sat, and began to talk to them, in a tone that mother's usually reserve for small children.

"I know the two of you worry about me, but you can't keep this up. People need your help, but you're so concerned with me that you're ignoring those in need. And Iolaus, you have to stop beating on every man who looks at me. I can handle myself. I'm not your standard 'damsel in distress' you know."

Herc smiled but she turned her eyes on him next.

"And you, oh great demigod, are just as bad. You don't say anything when he acts like that. And neither one of you is giving me any space. If I try to take a walk around the castle, you're there. If I want to go into the town by myself , you don't let me. I love you both, but at the rate you're going, you're both going to drive me away."

The two men looked at her, neither previously aware that they were hurting her.

Iolaus took her hand in his, and pulled her into his lap, smiling at her and leaning over to kiss her.

She turned her face away, and continued to speak.

"Iolaus, everytime I try to talk about something important to me, you do that. I love kissing you, but I need to talk sometimes."

Before Hercules could say anything, she turned to him. "And that goes for you too!!"

"Are you finished?," Iolaus asked, "because I have a couple of answers for you."

"Go ahead Iolaus. I'm listening."

"First," he began, "I am not trying to smother you. And neither is Herc. We care about you and this world is so new to you. As far as villages in distress, they can help themselves for a while. They did okay before Herc and I came along."

Karen interrupted him. "Yes, Iolaus, they'll do okay, but I'm sure there are others who won't. This world needs heroes, and you're letting everybody down. Besides, I don't wanna stay in Corinth anymore. I love Iphicles and Hyllus, but I'm going stir crazy. I want to see this world, meet the people."

"Wait a sec," Herc said, a confused look on his face. "We've stayed here with you because we thought that's what you wanted. You seemed happy and content. Why didn't you say something?"

"I tried, muscle-boy, but you and hot lips over here never gave me a chance. Like I said, everytime I try to talk, we end up doing other things, and the talking part never gets finished. Well now I'm at the point where I'm borderline psychotic, and I can't take it anymore!!! I need to get out of here. You guys need to be heroes. That's what you do. And that's why I love you both."

The two men nodded.

"Okay," Iolaus said. "Next person or town that needs our help, we'll go."

Herc nodded in agreement. "Without a second thought," he added.

Karen smiled at them. "And no more beating up every man that looks at me Iolaus. Okay?"

Iolaus looked into her eyes. "Okay. Can I kiss you know?"

Karen nodded, unable to resist that look, and Iolaus wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her hard.

"Now how about bed," he said, grinning at her.

"That sounds good to me," Herc added.

"Wait a second," Karen said. "I'm still sore from last night. One at a time for the next few days, huh?"

"Okay," said Iolaus, "like I said, how about bed?"

She nodded and he swooped her up on his arms, and started to carry her inside. She turned to Hercules.

" 'Night Herc. See you in the morning."

The demigod smiled back. "Good night you two. I'm gonna look at the stars for a while."

Iolaus carried Karen up to their room, and pulled her clothes off, wanting to make love to her.

Karen, however, had had thoughts of a different kind.

As she undressed him, she looked at him with lust-filled eyes.

"What is it?" Iolaus asked her.

"I thought you might wanna play a game tonight," she said. "How open minded are you?"

"Very," he replied, licking his lips, and moving his eyes over her nude form.

"Okay then," she said, with a slightly scary look on her face.

Iolaus was unsure for the moment if he had answered her correctly.

She pushed him down onto the bed.

"Just lay here Iolaus. Close your eyes. And relax."

Iolaus did as he was told, wondering where this was leading.

She sat on his chest, straddling him and took his hands in hers, kissing the palms one at a time, massaging his chest with her wetness.

Before he knew what she was doing, she had taken his wrists and bound them to the headboard, having tied one end of the rope to the board earlier.

Iolaus' eyes flew open. "What are you doing?," he said, pulling at the ropes, very unsure of this. "Let me go."

Karen looked at him, her eyes devoid of everything but the lust she felt for this man.

"What's the matter Iolaus, scared?? Afraid I'll hurt you? Or maybe you're like other men, thinking that you need to be in control. Do you Iolaus? Need to be in control? Is giving it up so difficult?"

Iolaus looked at her, his blue eyes filled with uncertainty and his voice shaky when he answered her. "I'm yours. Do with me what you will."

"I fully intend to," she said.

Karen saw in Iolaus' eyes that this was something new to him.

She had had lovers who had been into light bondage, (and the occasional discipline), although she never hurt anyone. She didn't believe that real, true pain could make anyone feel pleasure. But a little bit, now that was something different.

Karen kissed Iolaus' forehead, moved her lips down to his eyelids, his nose, then his mouth, which she took possession of with her tongue.

Then on to his neck, which she alternately kissed and licked.

Moving down to his chest, she massaged his nipples, than nipped at them, biting them gently, just enough to make him moan.

She moved further down still, but passed his cock, going to his inner thighs, massaging them with her hands, gently raking her nails along, and moving the same path with her tongue.

Then she moved back up to his chest again, and played some more with his nipples, doing what she had done before.

Iolaus was extremely confused.

His brain was trying to deny what was happening, not wanting this, telling him to free his wrists.

But other parts of his body were overriding his mind.

Karen moved her mouth down again, but this time she massaged his balls, licking them one at a time.

Iolaus was moaning louder, and started to thrust up at her.

She stopped what she was doing, and looked straight into his eyes. "That's a no-no," she said.

"But...," Iolaus started to say.

She moved her mouth up to his ear, licking the sensitive spot, and whispered to him, calmly, yet with an air of seduction.

"Patience. Do that again and you'll stay like this all night. You don't cum til I say so. Understand?"

He started to speak but she cut him off.

"Don't speak baby. Just nod. If you speak you'll make me lose my concentration and you don't want that."

Iolaus nodded, the look in his eyes showing some trepidation. When Karen saw this, she got a wicked smile on her face.

She was enjoying this.

She moved her mouth back to his crotch and continued her ministrations to his balls, sucking lightly, waiting for Iolaus to push up at her.

He didn't.

She couldn't wait any longer.

Moving her hand around the base of his cock, she masturbated him, running her thumb along the slit. She glanced up and saw, to her delight, that his eyes were closed, and he had thrown his head back into the pillow. She could see him fighting the urge to thrust up at her.

Gently, with a feather-light touch, Karen moved her tongue over the head of his cock, pumping the base with her right hand.

With her left she started to pinch his nipples, going from one to the other, increasing the pressure as she went on, til he yelped.

The hand she had on his cock felt him starting to tense, and Karen knew he was about to cum.

She looked up at him, her head on his chest, and finally spoke to him.

"Open your eyes baby," she crooned to him in a soft whisper.

Iolaus' eyes met hers. Gone were the looks of doubt and uncertainty.

He liked this.

And Karen saw it.

She continued to speak in the same tone, her voice getting more seductive.

"Do you want to cum Iolaus?"

She grabbed his cock tighter, which was agonizing to him. He couldn't cum if she held on to him like this.

"Well? Answer me. Do You want to cum?"

He looked at her like a little boy.

"Yes, please," he answered softly.

Karen gripped him tighter, continuing to rub her thumb over the slit.

"Not good enough. I'll ask you again. Do you want to cum Iolaus?"

Iolaus' eyes moved down to her hand, and then back up into her eyes. He no longer looked like a little boy, but now like the grown man he was, with seductive eyes. He spoke, in a deep, gutteral, and yet whispered tone.

"Let me come m'lady. Please let me cum by your hand. I belong to you. I won't cum unless you say. I promise. Just please, please let me cum."

Karen was unsure for a moment what she should do.

She could keep playing like this for a while, or she could give him what he no longer wanted, but now needed. She could feel his need for release, and could see the ecstasy in his eyes.

She placed her palms on both sides of his cock, leaned her head over, and took him all the way in her mouth, sucking him deeply, running her tongue up and down at the same time.

He began to thrust up at her, but this time she had no objection.

Iolaus was in agony now, and Karen felt his balls contract. She knew when he was ready, and took him in her mouth even deeper.

He shot down her throat, and she was now in the same state of ecstasy as he was, and she came with a vengeance. She swallowed every drop she could, removed her mouth, and proceeded to lick the drippings off his slit.

Karen then collapsed on top of him.

She was waiting to see his reaction.

Iolaus finally spoke, in his usual calm manner.

"I'm yours. You know that don't you. I belong to you wholly and totally."

"I knew that," Karen said smiling. "But I didn't think you did. But I can see you do now."

She kissed his mouth hard, and reached up and freed his wrists.

He brought his arms around her, kissed her deeply, and said, "So, do you know any other games?"

Karen grinned at him. "There's a whole bunch more where that came from."

He grinned back, kissed her again, and they fell asleep in each others arms.

END