Ill Met by Moonlight

Iolaus and his two hunting companions find themselves not themselves. A response to the March 2004 Story Challenge.

The full moon shone brightly over the clearing where the hunters slept. Gentle snores mingled with the night sounds of the forest: the hoot of an owl, the high pitched calls of frogs and insects, the rustle of the tiny creatures who sought their living under the protection of darkness.

The silver light cast mysterious shadows under the tall trees that surrounded the clearing and reflected from the still water of a small pond at its edge. The small rustling creatures suddenly became still under the stars that were scattered like bright crystals across the night sky. Queen Titania and her court had entered the isolated clearing. The Fairy Queen's wings glittered in the moonlight as she stopped abruptly at the sight of the intruders in her realm. Her courtiers crowded around the sleeping hunters, pushing and shoving each other and stifling giggles as they examined the three sleepers.

"This one is pretty!" said one, gently lifting with long thin fingers a golden curl from a sleeper's forehead as the others dissolved in another fit of giggles.

"This one's not!" cried another, poking his hairy foot at a still figure. The forest spirits pulled back in sudden confusion as the stranger abruptly rolled over, his snores finally quiet.

Titania signaled for silence, and the spirits gathered around her as she waved her wand over the sleepers. In the cloud of mist that gathered over the sleeping hunters, they could see three indistinct figures barely outlined by the light of the full moon. With a wave of her wand, Titania stirred the mist and the souls of the sleepers, and watched as the mist dispersed and the souls settled back into the oblivious hunters. "What fools these mortals be," she said as she gathered her shimmering cloak about her and gracefully stepped over the intruders, leading her followers back into the darkness of the forest.

***

It was just past dawn when Hercules arrived at the clearing. The young demi-god was sorry that he'd missed the first day of hunting, but did not regret spending the time with his mother. The intense training schedule at Cheiron's Academy gave him few enough opportunities to visit her, and Iolaus had agreed to meet him in the forest. The path of blazes on the trees between Thebes and the rendezvous point were easy to follow, an old hunter's trick that Iolaus had taught him, but Hercules was still relieved to see the camp as he emerged from the forest into the small clearing. He had expected to find the hunters having breakfast, ready to tease him because he was late, and so he was surprised to see that they still seemed to be asleep, wrapped in their blankets.

"Hey, Iolaus!" he called, "Let's get going, lazybones!"

"Herc! Herc!"

The young demi-god whirled around as he heard his friend's voice coming from the forest.

"Iolaus?" he called back. "Where are you?"

"I'm right here, Herc. You don't have to shout!"

Hercules turned again then laughed when he recognized the speaker. "Hey, Flatus. Have you seen Iolaus? He seems ..."

"Come on, Herc, quit kidding around," said Iolaus's uncle. "Hey, what time is it, anyway? Uncle Flatus will have our hides if we keep him waiting any longer!"

"Umm ....." The demi-god was speechless, leaning on his long bow as he stared at the familiar figure of Uncle Flatus, with his bushy mustache and big belly.

"Oof," cried Flatus, sitting up. "I feel like I ate a horse last night!" He rubbed his hands over his face to brush the sleep away, but suddenly stopped, feeling gingerly at the luxuriant growth on his upper lip. "Wait a minute!" he cried, his brown eyes raising up stare at Hercules, then going down to look at his body. "What the …?" He patted his fat belly, examining his hands and feeling his arms and legs.

"Herc! Herc!" came the cry from the forest again. "Herc! Herc!"

"Iolaus!" Hercules shouted. "Come quick! Something's wrong with your uncle!"

Uncle Flatus leaped to his feet. "I'll say there's something wrong!" he cried. "I'm Iolaus!"

"Herc!" Hercules turned to see his friend rush out of the forest and barely braced himself in time as he jumped up to hug him. "Herc!" he cried, turning to embrace Flatus.

"Hey!" Flatus pulled away, staring in dismay as Iolaus suddenly sat on his haunches, looking up expectantly at his two companions.

"Herc!" he said again.

"Iolaus?" Hercules asked tentatively, his gaze traveling between the two hunters.

"What?" replied Uncle Flatus. "What is going on, Herc?"

"Herc!" said Iolaus, smiling happily.

"You're Iolaus?" Hercules asked Uncle Flatus.

"Yes! I keep telling you! But, I'm old and fat! And bald!" he cried in dismay, rubbing his hand over the top of his head.

"Okay, then where's Flatus?" asked Hercules. "I don't think he's in your body."

"Herc!" The two men both looked at Iolaus, sitting near the fire, but he seemed to have nothing more to say.

A sudden snore came from the other side of the fire, and Hercules spun around to see who was there.

"Don't worry, Herc. It's only Hector," said Uncle Flatus.

"Hector? Hector the hunting dog?" cried Hercules.

"Herc!" Both men looked at Iolaus, as he sat up eagerly, looking alternately at them with wide blue eyes. "Herc!"

"Oh, boy!" Hercules brushed his bangs back from his forehead as if it might help clear his brain. "If you're Iolaus," he said slowly to the man who looked like Uncle Flatus, "And Iolaus is Hector ..."

"Herc!"

"... then where's Uncle Flatus?"

The two men turned in disbelief toward the snoring dog. "Oh, no!" they cried in unison.

"My mom will never forgive me if I bring her brother home as a dog, Herc!" cried Iolaus. "What are we going to do?" He sat down abruptly, sighing as Hector laid his head on his shoulder.

"My mother will never forgive me if I bring you home as a dog!" cried Hercules. He paced around the campground, pulling at his bangs as he tried to think of a solution to Iolaus's peculiar predicament.

"Okay," he finally said. "Okay. Who do you think did this? Artemis?"

"Artemis?" Iolaus considered the suggestion, stroking his moustache. "No, I don't think so. This part of the forest isn't sacred to her, and Flatus and I are always careful to hunt under her aegis." "

Her what?" "

Her aegis. Her protection. You know: we only hunt for food, and try not to disturb the forest too much. That stuff." He and his uncle had learned a lot about the goddess of the hunt recently and were always careful to follow her dictates, and she had favored them as skilled and careful hunters.

"Well, did you see or hear anything last night?" asked Hercules.

"No, we were okay when we went to sleep. We ate a rabbit, and Uncle Flatus was telling me stories about some hunts he'd been on. He shot a fourteen point buck once! Then we went to sleep." He thought a moment, then added, "I did feel something brushing against my face, I think, but it was probably just a moth or something."

"Or something, is right!" Hercules continued pacing, and Hector in the form of Iolaus got up and began walking with him.

Suddenly he stopped, and Hector barely avoided bumping into him. "Listen, we're in the forest, right? Maybe Artemis can help us, even if she didn't do this to you."

Iolaus looked up eagerly. "Yeah, she knows everything that goes on in the forest! She's bound to know what happened." His frown came back. "But, how can we get in touch with her? She's not like Ares, she hardly ever appears to mortals."

"May not," agreed Hercules. "But I think I know someone who can get in touch with her. Wait here!" he said as he handed Iolaus his bow. "And keep these two with you!" he called over his shoulder as he headed out of the clearing.

"Hector! Come here!" called Iolaus as the faithful dog began to follow Hercules. Iolaus sighed as he saw his own physical self turn around and come toward him as Hercules disappeared into the trees. Whatever Hercules's idea was, it had better work! He sat down near the fire, calling Hector to sit beside him. "I sure don't want anything to happen to you while Herc is gone, buddy," he said, putting his unfamiliar arm around the shoulder that should be his.

"Herc!" said Hector, putting his hand on his master's knee as if to reassure him. Uncle Flatus remained oblivious to his predicament, his tail wagging

as he dreamed of hunting rabbits.

***

Hercules ran as fast as he could back to Corinth. Usually it was a half day's journey from Thebes, but that was when he traveled with mortals. Now he jumped over fallen tree trunks as if they were twigs, and small streams as if they were mere spills from a jug. He reached the Corinth road in only a few minutes, then, keeping in the shelter of the forest, ran along beside it toward the city, passing wagons, horsemen, and pedestrians alike.

He was barely out of breath when he got to Kora's Inn. Thanking Artemis that she had not opened for business yet, he ran around to the back and knocked on the door to the innkeeper's private quarters.

After what seemed like an eternity, he heard her call, "Who is it? Don't you know what time it is?"

"It's me, Kora! Hercules! Please open the door! I need your help!" He knocked again for emphasis. "

What is it, Hercules?" Kora opened the door as he was still knocking. "What's wrong?" She pulled him inside.

"Artemis!" he said.

"What about Artemis?" she asked warily, leading the way into her sitting room. She poured two glasses of lemonade and handed one to her unexpected visitor.

"Thanks!" Hercules downed his drink in one gulp. "Iolaus needs Artemis's help."

"Iolaus! What's wrong? Is he hurt again?" Kora remembered the last time the young hunter had gotten on the wrong side of the goddess. He'd barely escaped with his life when he'd offended her by hunting in her sacred grove.

"He's not hurt, exactly. He's ... just not himself." Hercules struggled to explain what had happened. "Please, come with me! I can explain on the way. But, I think he needs you and Artemis this time!"

Kora was amazed at the demi-god's demand. He was one of very few who knew she was dedicated to Artemis, and that she had special powers granted by the goddess. She had sworn him to secrecy, and he had honored her request. She knew that Iolaus was also favored by the goddess, and if he was in trouble, it was her responsibility to help him.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" she asked her guest. "Go through the kitchen and help yourself. Then wait outside."

"Thanks, Kora!" cried Hercules. Jumping to his feet, he quickly left her to prepare for the journey to the hunters' camp.

***

Hercules had barely finished downing some cheese and a round of flat bread when a woman appeared at his side wearing an elegantly tailored hunting habit and clutching a beautifully made bow. Her blonde hair was braided tightly off her face, and her features were sharper than her human appearance, but he could still recognize the woman he knew as Kora in her guise as the Huntress of Artemis.

Hercules led the way as the two half-mortal beings hurried back to the hunters' campsite. He was amazed that the Huntress could keep up with him; he only had to alter his pace a little and she kept close by his side as they ran quickly past the unsuspecting travelers on the Corinth Road. The Huntress's gifts from Artemis were truly great. He wondered briefly what the goddess had done to deserve such devotion and give such favor in return. His own experience with the gods had shown them to be petty meddlers who wished only to toy with human beings for their own amusement.

When they arrived at the clearing, Hercules was shocked to find it empty. The camp was still there, bedrolls, hunting equipment, and the fire ring, but the hunters themselves were nowhere to be seen.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" asked the Huntress as she caught her breath.

"Yes!" cried Hercules. "They must be here somewhere! Iolaus!" he called out.

"I'll go this way, you go that way. We'll search the whole clearing," said the Huntress, turning sharply to her left. She'd only gone a short way when splashing noises attracted her attention to the pond on the north side of the clearing. Peering over the reeds on the bank, she saw Flatus floating on his back, his tummy projecting well above the surface, and Iolaus and Hector splashing about in the shallows. Hercules quickly completed his circuit of the clearing and joined her. They exchanged a smile as they watched the three hunters all enjoying the simple pleasure of playing in the water.

"Iolaus," Hercules called to his friend as he stepped out of the reeds. "

Herc!" cried Iolaus, lumbering awkwardly to his feet in Flatus's heavy body. "You made it back!"

"Herc!" cried Hector, splashing shoreward in Iolaus's body.

"Watch out!" cried Hercules as Hector headed straight toward him and Kora. His warning was not in time, however, and the happy creature knocked the surprised Huntress to the ground in his eagerness.

Iolaus suddenly ducked down into the water up to his chin. "Um, Herc? Could you hand me my clothes? Er, Flatus's clothes?" he asked, indicating with a roll of his eyes the unexpected presence of a woman on the lakeshore.

Hercules handed his friend the clothes while the Huntress extricated herself from Hector's eager embraces. Uncle Flatus meanwhile sat near the fire, scratching his wet ears with his hind foot.

When Iolaus was dressed, the five unusual beings finally gathered around the fire and Hercules tried again to explain to the Huntress what had happened to his friend and his companions.

"You've got to help us!" said Iolaus, drying his sparse hair with a towel. "I can't stay like this forever! I'm bald!" Flatus whined and wagged his tail, wordlessly seconding his nephew's plea. Even Hector had an unhappy look in his borrowed blue eyes.

The Huntress looked from one hunter to the next, trying to understand their very strange plight. Finally, she broke her silence. "I think you have wandered into the realm of Oberon," she said.

"Who's Oberon?" asked Iolaus.

The Huntress pointed to the south side of the clearing, just outside the area of the hunters' camp. "He is the king of the fairy folk. Look at the ring of mushrooms over there. That is their mark. They rule many parts of the forest under Artemis's authority. There was a full moon last night, and they probably came to feast in their circle. When they found you here … ," she trailed off. "Well, some of them are very playful in their dealings with mortals."

"Oh, great!" sighed Iolaus, burying his face in the towel.

"Herc?" said Hector sympathetically as he moved quickly to sit beside his master.

"Can you do anything about it?" asked Hercules, beginning to pace again. "If only the gods and other immortal beings would leave people alone, life would be so much simpler!"

"I'll go and see if I can find Oberon. He's been helpful to me in the past. Perhaps he can find a way to reverse the spell. Don't go anywhere, and stay out of the circle!" The Huntress had already vanished into the darkness of the forest before Hercules could swerve in his pacing to avoid the enchanted area surrounded by the ring of mushrooms.

***

The Huntress used the heightened senses Artemis had given her to listen for the sounds of the fairy folk in the woods. She tuned out the rustling and mumbling of the animals that lived in the shelter of the trees and finally made out the lilt of singing and the tinkle of laughter. Following the voices, she crossed a stream and descended into a shallow glen. There among the dappled shadows she could pick out the secretive beings who tended to many of the small housekeeping tasks of the forest. Walking carefully into the center of the clearing, she sought the fairy king Oberon.

Many of the tiny winged fairies flitted about her, calling greetings and touching her hair and face gently. Other sprites and spirits leaned down from perches in the trees or peeked out from the dense undergrowth to watch her approach. Many of these resembled the creatures of the forest that they protected. Some had pointed ears and noses like the fox, rabbit, and mouse while others had long limbs and tendrils of hair that reminded her of the thistle, vine, and willow. Finally, under a giant oak tree, she saw the king of the fairies, Oberon himself.

As the Huntress approached, Oberon rose to meet her. He was as large as a man, but had a thin and airy appearance as if he would blow away on the wind. His robes shimmered in the late afternoon light as he extended a hand in greeting.

"Huntress! It has been many moons since you have come to our realm. What brings you here this day?" he asked.

"Oberon, I have come to ask for your help. Some friends of mine were enchanted last night."

The fairy king looked around sharply as a rustle went through the clearing as the fairies quickly disappeared into the forest. He frowned as a giggle echoed through the leaves.

"Huntress, if any of my people have been the cause of this, I shall know about it!" Although he addressed his visitor, his voice was loud and clear enough for any fairy to hear.

A sudden rustle of leaves attracted the Huntress's attention to the thicket of willows at the other end of the clearing. The graceful hanging branches of the trees parted and the setting sun shone off the golden crown of Titania as she came to join them. Like her lord, she was as tall as a woman, but had an ethereal quality. She seemed to skim over the ground as she approached, her long robes of mingled green and gold fluttering gracefully from under her folded wings and her long golden hair floating about her head in the breeze. She greeted the Huntress with a formal embrace and a kiss to both cheeks.

"My dear, I did not know that mortals were of interest to you!" she said. "When they stray into our realm, we may deal with them as we please. Artemis herself has given us this authority to protect the forest from their careless intrusion."

"Of course you must protect the small creatures of the forest. If any of them are destroyed, the balance of the whole may be ruined. But Artemis has also granted mortals permission to hunt for food that they must eat and to gather plants that they use for healing as well as for food."

"Titania, what happened last night?" asked Oberon.

"Nothing much, my lord," replied the Fairy Queen. "Mortals had camped near Golden Pond, too close to the enchanted circle there. In the moonlight, I stirred their souls." She tried to turn a smile into a frown at the giggles that came from the edges of the enchanted glen. At Oberon's stern glare, all quickly became silent.

"Please, I ask you to restore them to themselves!" cried the Huntress when the commotion died down. "They are all subjects of Artemis, hunting under her protection. One especially is important to her, and has a great destiny!"

Titania smiled again. "It must be the beautiful youth," she said. "Many of my people were taken by his golden beauty." Giggles again betrayed the presence of the enchanted folk.

"Titania, the moon is full again tonight," said Oberon. "You must make this right now or the enchantment may never be lifted. The mortal beloved of Artemis must be restored to his own form."

"Very well," agreed the queen. "But, Huntress, you must be sure to keep him and the other mortals out of our realm in the future. If he strays near us again, he may never return to the mortal world"

"I will, Titania!" cried the Huntress. "Thank you! But, we must hurry, the moon is already rising!" As she left the enchanted glen with the two fairies, she was aware of many tiny forms flitting around them in the dusky moonlight, racing to see which would be the first to reach the enchanted hunters.

***

Hercules had finally stopped pacing, much to Iolaus's relief. He knew it made the demi-god crazy when he couldn't do anything to fix things. He poked idly at the fire he had rebuilt while Hercules paced. Uncle Flatus lay sleeping on one side of him while Hector explored the edges of the clearing under Hercules's watchful eye.

"Don't let him go into the forest, Herc! He has to be here when the Huntress gets back."

"Don't worry, Iolaus! I won't let him get away. You know I can always outrun you, anyway!"

Iolaus managed a half-hearted smile. "You sure could outrun me now," he said. "I'm old and fat."

"You're not so fat, Iolaus," said Hercules. "A diet of Cheiron's oats and you'll be slim in no time."

"Oh, ha, ha. Cheiron's oats! That's all I need on top of everything else." Iolaus watched his own body walking around the clearing sniffing at the shrubbery. "This has got to be the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me!" he sighed, pulling at the unfamiliar moustache on his upper lip.

"Do you want something to eat?" asked Hercules.

"No, I'm not hungry." Iolaus poked his stick at the fire again.

"Now, that is the weirdest thing that's ever happened to you," said Hercules. Iolaus felt a weak smile spread across Uncle Flatus's face but said nothing. After a short silence, Hercules tried again. "Do you mind if I put a rabbit on to cook?" Again Iolaus did not reply and in the silence the demi-god prepared the dinner, setting the dressed rabbit on the spit over the fire.

"It's getting dark, Herc," said Iolaus, finally. "What if she doesn't come back?"

"She'll be back. Don't worry."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I can't tell you, Iolaus, but I know she will come back to help you," said Hercules. "She owes me a favor." He turned the spit slowly.

Hector finally came back to the fire and sat down between the two men. "Herc?" he said, tilting his curly head to one side as he watched the meat sizzling on the spit.

Suddenly, the clearing was filled with tiny moving lights. Hercules and Iolaus jumped to their feet as the Huntress came into the clearing with two unearthly creatures beside her. Their shimmering robes were dark as night, but glittered golden in the firelight as they folded their gossamer wings.

"I told you she'd come back," said Hercules, trying to restrain Hector who was jumping up and down trying to catch the tiny flying things that swirled around his head, pulling at his golden curls.

"Hector! Hector, stop it," cried Iolaus. At the cry, Flatus finally woke up, yawning as he stretched a back leg. His ears perked up when he saw the ethereal visitors and he came and stood beside Iolaus wagging his tail.

With a gesture, Oberon sent his courtiers to the edge of the clearing, where Iolaus could see them hiding among the leaves of the overhanging trees. He tried to focus on the royal fairies, but Hector kept trying to pull his arm out of his grasp. The light began to fade, and Iolaus felt as if he were floating among the tiny glittering beings who had invaded the clearing. He looked down and saw in the moonlight his body and Uncle Flatus's and Hector's all lying side by side in the enchanted circle of mushrooms at the far end of the clearing. Hercules and the Huntress stood back as the Fairy Queen once again waved her wand over the sleeping hunters. The fairies disappeared one by one, until finally all was dark.

When Iolaus woke up, the moon had risen to the center of the clearing, its light shining clearly on the open ground and glistening from the surface of the pond. With a start, he sat up, feeling as if a great weight had been removed from him. His hands flew to his head, where he was overjoyed to feel his familiar curly hair.

"Herc!" he cried as he jumped to his feet. "Herc! Look!"

The demi-god approached warily. "Iolaus? Is that you?" he asked, squinting in the white moonlight.

"Yes!" cried Iolaus. "I'm me again!" He grabbed Hercules in a huge, although brief, bear hug. "Thank you!" he cried. "And thank you too!" he said to the Huntress who stood at Hercules's side. He seized the mysterious woman in a hug before she could avoid it, and he held this one a bit longer than the first.

Hector jumped up at the noise, barking at his human friends and spreading happy licks over all of them, but Iolaus had to shake his uncle's shoulder to awaken him from the enchanted slumber. Flatus finally sat up, rubbing the fairy dust out of his eyes.

"Iolie!" he cried, reaching for his nephew's extended hand to help himself to his feet. "I had the strangest dream last night!"

"Um, Uncle, I think we should get out of here," suggested Iolaus, pulling Flatus out of the enchanted circle.

The hunter looked around in confusion when he saw Hercules and the Huntress tussling with the enthusiastic Hector. "I see our little hunting party has grown!" he said. He gave Hercules's arm a hearty shake. "Madam, it is always a pleasure to see you," he said to the Huntress as he bowed in her direction.

"Do you know her?" asked Iolaus. He was startled to see the strangely beautiful woman acknowledge his uncle's greeting before she vanished into the darkness of the forest. A torrent of giggles spilled through the clear night air.

"It's a long story, Iolie," said Flatus as he began to pack up his hunting gear. "A story best told in the comfort of a warm inn."

Iolaus looked over his shoulder as they left the clearing. The moonlight seemed alive in the enchanted clearing, and he thought he saw bright creatures large and small near the mushroom circle. With a wave at the misty figures, he quickly ran to join the others on the journey back to the realm of mortals.

THE END

May 2004

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