Storming Paradise Read online

  “It’s the place I call home,” Iolaus agreed, raising his goblet.

  “You’re in remarkably good cheer,” Hercules observed, “after all you’ve been through.”

  “There’s nothing like doing something that’ll kill you to make you feel more alive!” Iolaus said, and Hercules had to agree.

  The mysterious street sunk back into the ground as the festivities continued, its purpose expired. Phoibe found Hercules and Iolaus as the celebration rattled on all around them. She was with her husband Erastos and son Kyros, the worry finally departed from her face.

  “I have to thank you for everything you’ve done,” Phoibe said when she finally managed to brave the crowds long enough to reach the two heroes. “You can’t know what it means to lose someone so dear, and just how amazing it is to have them back when you thought you might never see them again.”

  Hercules and Iolaus exchanged a knowing look. They did know—split between realms, risking their very souls to save not just the world but each other. No matter what Iolaus might claim, and no matter how Hercules might rib him for it, the bond they shared was that of warriors in a common cause, brothers in arms, equals.

  “Go, enjoy your time together,” Hercules told Phoibe after thanking her for her gratitude.

  Phoibe thanked him again, giving him a token woven from the branches of a tree to show how grateful she was.

  As Phoibe departed, Hercules drained his goblet and placed it down on the table. “We should be going, too,” he said, pitching his voice just loud enough for Iolaus to hear as the revelers partied.

  Iolaus frowned, taking in the festivities—dancing and laughing, foods and wines—that were continuing all around them in their honor. “Are you sure? The party’s only just starting,” he said.

  “I think I’ve had enough revelries for one lifetime,” Hercules told Iolaus as he rose from his seat.

  Iolaus shook his head and sighed. “Ah, you don’t mean that.”

  Hercules held out a hand to help his exhausted companion up. “Perhaps not,” he admitted, “but a day off never hurt a man—or a god.”

  The festivities carried on into the night, long after Hercules and Iolaus had departed.

  Epilogue

  High above the Earth in the fields of Elysium, the fabled warriors of the past sat quietly in the day room of the citadel of heroes, supping at warming drinks and regaling each other with stories about the battles they had fought, the victories that they had won.

  White clad attendants bustled about, ensuring that the old heroes had everything they needed, so that they could enjoy eternity without worry. Among these attendants was a newcomer—Campe, the she-dragon. Her wings had been clipped and she had been given an ultimatum—to stay and serve or be exposed to the gods, and accept their doubtless cruel and imaginative punishment for her attempted insurrection. She had opted to remain here, to serve the heroes of old.

  But as she plumped an Amazon’s cushions (“More plump! I want to be able to see Zeus’ bald spot!”), Campe’s thoughts turned to Hercules and the defeat that he had dealt her. It was a temporary set-back, she knew. His time would come. A monster used to serving suffering through eternity knows well the value of patience, and Campe knew it was only a matter of time before Hercules’ soul returned here, to Elysium, to collect his own reward as hero. When he did, she would be waiting—and on that day, the tranquility of the fields of eternal rest would be shattered beyond all imagining.

  Campe smiled at the thought of Hercules—her nemesis, the instigator of her downfall—suffering at her hands, trapped forever in a perfect eternity turned sour. Her thoughts were interrupted by a man’s voice calling to her. “Get me more milk!” he called. “Cold this time, not like last time!”

  Fuming, Campe went to fetch the retired hero his drink. Revenge could not come quickly enough.

  The End

  About the Author

  Rik Hoskin is a UK-based writer of science fiction novels and comic books. He has written over twenty novels, working mostly under the pen-name “James Axler”. As Axler, Rik has been the primary writer of the Outlanders series since 2008, and has also contributed five books to the Deathlands series. In the comic book field, Rik has written Superman, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Mercy Thompson and various DreamWorks characters including Shrek, helped develop a successful Spider-Man title aimed at younger readers, and has written approximately 400 stories for Disney. He is currently writing a science fiction novel for Resurrection House under his own name, and a graphic novel for US comic book publisher, Dynamite.

  Copyright

  Hercules: The Legendary Journeys: Storming Paradise © 2015 Universal Studios Licensing LLC.

  Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a trademark and copyright of Studios USA Television Distribution LLC. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLC 2015. All Rights Reserved.

  A novel by Rik Hoskin. Based upon the Universal TV television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, created by Christian Williams.

  All rights reserved under all applicable International Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  EPub Edition December 2015 ISBN: 9781443445382

  Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, by arrangement with Universal Studios Licensing LLC.

  First published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd in this ePub edition in 2015.

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