The Hero of a God

By Marcia

Most ten year old girls have memories of playing with dolls, playing house, having sleepovers with three or four of their best friends, having ten year old boys scaring them with toads, snakes, and all kinds of bugs, running through fields and forests near home, and studying for hours on end.

That is what most young girls remember, but I am not your usual run of the mill ten year old girl! My fondest memories are of a gorgeous curly haired blonde warrior who has the brightest, most intense blue eyes imaginable. Known for his courage and bravery, this man is a champion of the oppressed, rescuer of those in trouble, and a believer in all that is right and fair. He's an expert hunter, a master swordsman and adept with a knife; he is fearless and proficient in skills needed to fight bullies, and he is loyal, dependable, and honest in his dealings not just with is friends,but with everyone.
Though short of stature, he is brave of heart and tall in his abilities.

Just why does a young girl dream of such a man? Surely his interests lie with mature women, not children. You are partially correct if you believe this, but the other part of you is incorrect!

My first recollection of Iolaus is one of him attempting to rescue me. You see, I was the god Lorel to the citizens of an underground city inhabited by the followers of Kamaros. This Lost City was thought to be a Utopian type city where peace and love were the rule. My sister Aurora had taken me there with her when she sought to become an inhabitant of the Utopian city. The minute we met the people residing there, we knew it was for us--or at least we thought so at the time! Why I don't know, but Kamaros invited me--the youngest one there--to become the people's supreme god. I was taken into an elaborate room where I was bathed, rubbed in oils and perfume, given an adult hairdo with my hair piled high on my head, and dressed in a fine white silky robe and extravagant jewelry. No one would ever recognize me as the naive ten year old child who had just arrived--no one except Aurora, but she was too overwhelmed to say anything. I looked anything but ten! My only work would be to appear in front of my subjects and accept their praises and tributes.My life was to be spent in a room with a raised platform upon which pillows were placed where I would sit; light poured down on me from directly above my seat. My meals were delicious, but portions were sparse. Constantly on a table by my side was a delicious dessert which I was encouragd to eat as often as I could and as much as I wanted. What ten year old girl hadn't dreamed of becoming a god? I loved my new life--at first!

Iolaus and a friend arrived looking for his cousin, Regina. I knew nothing of this until later. My sister had begun to doubt Kamaros' beliefs;
she told Iolaus' friend about me; she in turn told Iolaus. The suspicious warrior had noticed the vacant stares and lack of expression in the eyes of the inhabitants and recognized their behavior as that of brainwashed people who were being used as Kamaros' slaves. When Iolaus and his friend were guests at dinner, he discovered that the dessert everyone was encouraged to eat was laced with lotus leaf, a drug he'd learned about in the East. This was how Kamaros kept everyone in line for it dulled the senses and took away the ability to think and reason, thus making everyone dependent upon him. Iolaus warned his friend and told her the people would okay once they stopped eating the dessert.

Iolaus knew he needed to get me off the stuff and get me out of there. After dinner, he got away from Kamaros' prying eyes and found my room. When this man who was as handsome as any god and more than most came for me, he was wearing his patchwork vest, leather pants, and green medallion.I was so under the influence of lotus leaf that I couldn't speak to him, but I'm sure my eyes gave him the answers to his questions.I couldn't walk, so he carried me. We would have made it out, but Kamaros and his bodyguards arrived. Iolaus could have gotten away if he'd put me down, but he wouldn't leave me behind. Kamaros took advantage of that and brought him down with a dart laced with a drug meant to knock him out. The guards
dragged Iolaus from the room while Kamaros put me back onto my pillows.

A lot happened before I saw Iolaus again. They tortured my golden god in an attempt to "reducate" him to make him like everyone else here, a mindless servant with no thoughts or will of his own. Kamaros thought he had broken Iolaus and had him taken out, dressed in a silky blue outfit, and allowed to roam free. Little did they know that he'd used a technique he learned in the East to control his own mind and resist the brainwashing. When Iolaus' friend thought he was changed into a Kamaros follower, she made a futile effort to rescue me but was taken instead; Iolaus was taken to her for the purpose of making her eat the drugged dessert which would turn her into a slave. Iolaus revealed he was only pretending when he attacked the slave master and saw to it that his friend escaped, telling her to go and tell everyone what a fraud Kamaros was.

Iolaus stayed behind in his attempt to defeat Kamaros and his guards. In a bitter battle, he did defeat the guards and turned his attention to the evil
Kamaros.

Meanwhile, Aurora and Iolaus' friend tried to convince the crowd of followers that Kamaros was evil personified, that in reality he was Karkus, the
Butcher of Thessaly. They were told that he'd been using them to serve his own needs and to get the gold they mined. The peope didn't want to hear that he'd been drugging them. The mood was growing angier by the time I was brought out onto the stage. My appearance temporarily quieted
them. Aurora dropped the next bombshell when she told the the crowd I wasn't a god but was her kid sister. The infuriated mob called her a liar. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I spoke up and told them that my sister does not lie. This totally freaked them out because they had never heard their god speak! Suddenly, the roof and the columns began to shake with pieces of rock falling everywhere. Everyone began to panic.

Iolaus had fought a fierce life and death battle with Karkas; before he died, the evil man set in motion his means of destroying the city while he alone could escape. Fortunately for all of us, he was killed and Iolaus led us out to safety. It was so good to see daylight again. I'd gotten more than I bargained for in this adventure and swore I'd never go on another!

My hero didn't just leave us to get home on our own. I was still unsteady on my feet, so he carried me all the way home and made sure I go there safely. His friend, his cousin Regina, and Aurora accompanied us.

Iolaus comes to see us every time he is in the area . We hear of his adventures with Hercules; when he's with me, I tell him my stories of my adventures which must be so boring to him. He listens attentively and acts as though each story is interesting to him, often flashing that familiar grin and giggling in that special way. I am the envy of all my friends when he is in town; he knows this and makes each visit special, bringing me a small momento of where he's just been. Each visit ends with a kiss--something I eagerly anticipate during the whole visit. If only I were a few years older! Iolaus says he'll wait for me, but I know he is just giving me something to tell my friends. I tell him over and over each visit that he is my hero and always will be. He blushes every time and tells me that he knows of no other mortal who can say he is the hero of a god. He thanks me, gives me my kiss, and goes on his way--reminding me before he goes to mind my parents and never go wandering off on an adventure again. I thank him, but I'm always dreaming of what it would be like to be rescued by my golden hero again! Oh well, time will tell!

9/9/03