Part 1
Title: The History of Two Loves Ch. 1
Author: TamAE
Fandom: Xena/Hercules
Pairing: C/S, A/J eventually
Rating: will vary, this chapter PG-13
Archive: Ask first, but probably yes
Feedback: New authors need (gentle) feedback. It helps us grow (and write more). Flames will be used to roast wienies.
Website: Maybe in the fall, none now.
Disclaimers: This version of Clio's mine. The rest, I just wish they were.
Notes: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you Beth and Christine for betaing and support expecially. All the rest of you, thanks for the feedback in advance (hint, hint).
Summary: Our favorite couples meet, greet and fall in love, from an outside perspective.
This Chapter: Meet the Narrator.
"Cliiiiioooo!" I heard one of my sisters calling. I think it was Calliope or Erato. My sisters raised me since Mnemosyne, our mother, disappeared when I was little. Melpomene, another of my sisters, told me it was because holding all the memories from the beginning of time while she was waiting for me drove her insane. I love them a lot, but they all start to sound alike when I'm distracted. I was buried in the Olympian Archives, happily covered with ink and dust, writing down the latest events that birds from all over our domain told me. They really belong to Zeus because, as well as being King of the Gods, he's also the God of the Sky, and he doesn't really bother with them a lot so I've kind of adopted them. They kinda make a mess of my workroom, but I don't mind. It keeps that nasty Apollo away since he seems to want to go nine for nine, Musewise (I did tell you I'm the youngest Muse, didn't I? The Muse of History). I'm not interested, though. He's bblllaaggghhh! I didn't think it was possible for the God of Light and Truth to be so-so slimy. But more on him later. So I flashed out . . .
I didn't exactly think too hard about where I wanted to go -- again. At least I stayed on Olympus this time. Last time, I landed on my half-brother's (don't worry, I'm not like him; he takes after our father) friend. Iolaus was real sweet about it. He helped me to my feet -- twice -- I tripped over the hem of my chiton. He helped me get the twigs out of my hair. Hercules (I will not call him Jerkules! I will not call him Jerkules! If start calling him that, I might forget and write it down in the 'official' chronicle, and I'm not very athletic; I've never really needed to dodge lightning bolts or fire balls or anything) just sort of stood off to the side and tried not to glare at me. So I'm a little sheltered. He freaks me out! He looks sorta like a Gorgon when he glares, but don't tell them that. Once Iolaus was done, Hercules told me, "You better go back to Olympus, umm--"
"Clio," I supplied.
"Clio. You don't want to miss anything," he finished. Translation: I don't even know your name, much less that you're my half-sister, but I don't care. I hate you anyway because you're Olympian. Get out of here before I forget I'm a hero and hit you.
Hey, with almost two millennia of recording history behind me, I better be able to read between the lines. Oh well, where was I? . . .? . . . ? Oh yeah, after that little accident I flashed back to my workroom. Arrived in the right place this time, but I would have landed on Strife if he hadn't jumped out of the way. As it was, I only tripped over my chiton again (I'm thinking of asking for one like Artemis has for Winter Solstice -- it seems safer) and spilled some blotting sand on myself.
Strife is okay, for a lot of reasons. For one he tells me stuff. Not just boring stuff for the 'official' chronicle, but interesting stuff that I can put in journal scrolls. He tells me a lot of stuff about who's fighting with who and who's sleeping with who, and what they do when they're 'sleeping' together. He's the one who told me about Hyacinth . . . and stayed and listened to me after he told me. A lot of gods are glad to tell their stories so they can be written down in the 'official' chronicle, but only he and Aunt Hestia and Urania (before she started hanging out with our other sisters and Apollo), ever really listened to me. That's another reason I like Strife (he listened) and hate Apollo (he's the reason I need to have someone listen in the first place. Bastard!)
It's sort of a long, involved story, but I'll try to be quick. It's funny. I'm very good at talking about what happens to other people, but when I have to talk about myself I feel all fumble - mouthed. A long time ago, when I was barely a hundred, I teased Aphrodite about her crush on Adonis. That really ticked her off for some reason.I think she was having a bad energy day or something. Anyway she made me fall in love with this mortal, Pierus. It didn't work out quite the way she planned though. THis was before Cupid had Bliss to settle him down; while he was still doing the hopeless pining routine over Strife. Like I said, a lot of people talk to me. I think she wanted me to fall in love with someone nasty, but Cupid got distracted and hit Pierus by mistake. Pierus is the sweetest mortal that ever lived. Even under the influence of that arrow, he didn't push me into doing anything except talk with him. Aphrodite got impatient (it itsn't exactly a punishment if you like it), and got me pregnant. Not literally, you pervert! Hyacinth was Pierus' son through and through, but I think she used a potion on me or something because I never slept with Pierus.
Sometimes, though, I wish I had. He was the only being who ever showed that kind of interest in me. If you breathe a word of this to anybody, and I mean anybody, even a reed (I know what happened with Midas and the donkey ears), I'll skin you alive and use your hide to make a drum for Terpsichore. Anyway, I became pregnant and had Hyacinth. Scream!!! Hyacinth was the best baby ever, but it hurt so much when he came. I think Aphrodite convinced Hera that I deserved the pain, or else Hera gave it to me on her own because she hates that we Muses are Zeus' children. Since I was barely more than a child myself when I gave birth, my sisters decided that I wasn't ready to raise Hyacinth. Aunt Hestia did the honors. She did a wonderful job, and always came up with excuses for me to baby-sit him or come over so she could tell me 'important information for your chronicle.' He grew up to be a wonderful man.
I hate to say this now, but I almost wish Hyacinth hadn't been so wonderful sometimes. I mean, maybe then that whole thing with Apollo wouldn't have happened. They were together ,as it were, and as little as it meant then, I would have been happy if Apollo had really cared for my son. But he didn't. Hyacinth didn't see that at all. He was so, so young. Zephyr, the South Wind and a truly sweet young man, fell head over heels in love with my son, but Hyacinth might as well have been blind for all he noticed. One day he and Apollo decided to throw the discus after they were finished with 'that' (I can't think of my son doing that with anybody, I'm sorry). Well, to make a long story short, Zephyr was so upset that when Apollo threw the discus, he blew it back and made it hit my son. Apollo did everything he could with his herbs, I'll give him that (this was before Asclepius was born) but Hyacinth still died. Apollo changed his blood into this beautiful flower and named it after my son.
I don't hold Hyacinth's death against Apollo or Zephyr. I'm not even mad at Hades anymore for not sending Hyacinth through the Void. I can visit my baby boy (don't tell him I call him that, he'll be embarassed) whenever I want. But no matter how much Strife listened, I can't get over what Apollo did next, and that's why I hate him. My poor baby had barely finished the journey to the Elysian Fields when Apollo came on to me. ME! THE MOTHER of his barely dead lover. And he's still coming on to me! THAT'S why he's slimy.