Chapter Sixty-Three

An extensive search of the grounds and then all of Altair Ain was made when Calla could not be found. Every citizen of the kingdom was on high alert and searching for their Queen with their fear being that Wolfgar had gotten to her and she was now just as much a captive as her Children.  Maeve did not hesitate to speak up and tell about her conversation with Queen Calla at the cliff edge but, she asserted, when she left Calla the woman was still standing barefoot in the snow looking out at the ocean.  “I fear she was considering looking for Wolfgar on her own.”

“Why would she do that?” Daniel asked as they stood in the Council Chamber, the entire Council having been called to emergency meeting.

“So she could trade herself for them.” Maeve said in a haughtily dismissive tone.  “In case you hadn’t noticed, my King, the Queen no longer feels loved or wanted…by any of you.” She looked around at the men at the Council table. “Perhaps she has succeeded but as I told her, he would not hold up his end of that insane bargain.” 

The four men who made up Calla’s Army did not hesitate to agree. Yes, that sounded just like her. Definitely, something Calla would do or at least attempt. “So where is he?”

“Sixty four thousand dollar question, don’cha think?” David asked.

Behind them, the pink marble wall began to glow. “What the hell?” Nick asked.

In the marble, the same image of Zeus was seen. Ares reached his hand out to it. “Father?”

The image did not speak it just appeared and became more vivid to the eye.  Detail emerged behind the God of Gods; a mountain, not just any mountain they all recognized it instantly as Olympus. Upon recognizing it, Olympus faded into the far background. The marble began to crack and then to rise as though it were being embossed.  On the ground behind Zeus’ feet appeared the image of an old woman lying sprawled on a floor.

“Calla,” Daniel gasped. “Where?” Zeus wanted them to know so Daniel need not have asked the question. The ruins of the Gazing Room came into view. That made sense to him. Calla must have gone there to try to use the power in the room to zero in on the kids. What happened?  And what was….

The stone started to move and change, Calla lay on the floor but now there was a shadow in the doorway behind her.

“Like hell,” Ares said through gritted teeth and disappeared from the Council Chamber. Nick was hot on his heels.

Daniel looked at Duncan and Morgan. “You’re in charge, you got me?”

“Yes,” Duncan agreed.  “Good luck, Daniel.”

Daniel and David disappeared from the Council Chamber.

They reappeared in Zeus’ Gazing Room in the middle of a firefight.

Ares, who changed from his more normal mode of dress into full battle regalia, came in with fireballs blazing and showed no hesitation whatsoever upon seeing his Great Grandson bent over Calla making ready to pick her up and then make off with her.  “Get away from my Daughter you pig!”

A round of fireballs hit Wolfgar in the side; he went tumbling backward against the cold black marble, which still burned with the image of Zeus’ watching face.  Ares maneuvered himself between Wolfgar and Calla who was still sprawled out on the floor and bleeding from the head. Another round of fireballs would keep the little prig occupied long enough for Ares to swoop her up and get out of here but now that Wolfgar was prepared for the assault he created a shield around himself-a neat little trick he undoubtedly got from his Grandmother—which deflected anything Ares could throw at him.

“Coward!” Ares dared after he let go a second round and watched the great balls of fire ricochet around the old room, blasting holes in the crumbling marble threatening to bring the rest of the place down around them.

“Intelligent.” Wolfgar countered. “No need to be a brute all of your life, Ares.”  The man’s eyes began to glow almost as though he was a Goa’uld but he was much more powerful than those pitiful creatures.  From those dark eyes now glowing gold as the sun shot beams of red light Ares ducked just in time. The beams of light from Wolfgar’s eyes left him with considerably shorter hair but his head remained on his wide shoulders. “Get out of my way, Ares.” Before Wolfgar could let off another blast from his lethal eyes another person appeared in the Gazing Room, the glowing eyes that were focused on Ares now blinked out for a moment and dulled until they were those of an average Olympian once more. “Father? How nice of you to join us.”

“You’re no son of mine,” Nick taunted. “You’re an abomination and I’m going to send you back to hell.”

“Oh,” Wolfgar groaned. “You wound me so, Father, why?” Wolfgar held up the masquerade a few moments longer but then burst out into fits of laughter.  The shrill sound disappeared when the bow and arrow appeared in Nick’s hand but the laughter soon returned. “Really, Father, how primitive of you.” Wolfgar taunted.

“Eat this,” Nick challenged.  He knew something about that little shield that Wolfgar obviously did not; it wasn’t any good against sharp piercing objects such as knives and arrow tips.

Certain the puny arrow would bounce off his shield Wolfgar stood there defiantly and was quite shocked when the arrow easily slipped through and then sunk into his chest. The shield dropped as Wolfgar looked down at the protruding arrow with shock and dismay before he grabbed hold of it to yank it out.  “Not bad,” he complimented as he cast the arrow to the ground, “more than I would have given you credit for.” With a quick wave of his Nick went flying across the room.  Crashing into the wall with enough force not only to crack the back of his head but the marble as well, Nick stumbled to his feet as he tried to shake it off. From across the room Nick watched the fresh wound on Wolfgar’s chest heal itself.

While the others were distracted, Daniel and David appeared in the Gazing Room. Looking just slightly younger than dirt, Calla lay in a pool of Ichor near the middle of the floor.  Daniel pushed David behind him to keep his presence from Wolfgar’s eyes. “Get her out of here, first chance you get, get her out of here.” Daniel whispered to his brother.

“You got it, Danny.” David agreed.

“Ah, Grandfather, how nice of you to join us as well.”

“Finally, I get you to meet you. I guess I should be honored.” Daniel said in a loud strong voice. “After all, it’s not every day one gets to meet God, is it?”  He would be damned if the man didn’t look just like his Father with a great big dose of Ares thrown in.  The resemblance to the two of them was more than merely uncanny it was awe-inspiring.

“You should kneel in my presence,” Wolfgar sneered. “I suppose you intend to steal her from me?” He looked down at the woman on the floor.

“You know it.” Daniel agreed not bothering to try to trick his Grandson.  “She’s my Wife and I’m not going to let you hurt her.”

“Your Children? What of them, Grandfather? Their lives are in my hands as well. Won’t you trade with me?  After all, what good is she to you now?” He looked down the old woman with malice. “What do you say? Grandmother for all those I hold captive…except Lilly, she stays with me.”

“I say; go to hell.” Daniel intoned insolently.  Before he could get the last syllable out of his mouth, he too went flying across the room but not backward this time. Wolfgar propelled Daniel forward into the far wall face first breaking his jaw and the precious vial of Elixir still in his pocket.  Shards of broken crystal bit through the thin cotton and into the flesh of his chest as the contents soaked the shirt.   Stunned, he lay on the floor for a moment watching the scene play out before he swiped a hand across his broken jaw, healing it and wishing mending the broken bottle was as easy.  Healing was a little trick he was coming to master when it came to his own body but going back in time was another matter.  If only he could get those few seconds back.

“Lil?” Nick stuttered and wanted to bang his head against the wall again in disgust as the thought; thank God, he didn’t say he wants to keep Kiki!  Went through his mind. “You can’t keep any of them.” He drew the bow back once more.

“Can’t I?”

“No, you can’t.” Ares threatened and drew his blazing sword. If his fireballs would do no good, the steel would.  Something about the man that was changing and Ares looked over at his Grandson who gave him a knowing glance.  The quiver on Nicholas’ back was filled with poison arrows. Wolfgar looked ill, almost a light shade of green whereas a few moments before his skin had been a deep mocha.

Wolfgar who had never been sick a single day in his life felt his flat toned stomach heave and suddenly the contents within spilled onto the marble floor.  His hand went to the area on his chest where the arrow pierced him; it was stiff and tight, felt as though something hot was brewing beneath the flesh. “What did you do? Poison? I can’t be poisoned.”

Probably not to his death but it was going to be enough to make him violently ill that was evident enough when another round of puke came out of his lips but this time it didn’t just spill to the floor it splattered in huge ugly chunks.  Wolfgar, clutching his stomach with one arm, reached out with the other as he stumbled forward toward Calla.  His eyes focused on his prize and his mind focused on getting out of here he was blindsided when Ares let loose with a stream of fireballs from one hand as he came in hot and swift intent on removing Wolfgar’s head from his shoulders.  Batting them away with both hands as though they were baseballs he was too busy to notice when David disappeared, reappeared in the middle of the room, grabbed Calla and disappeared once more, thinking how lucky he’d been and how quick he was to move out of sight before Wolfgar pulled Danny across the room.

A moment later Wolfgar regained enough of himself to bring a force field together between his hands and use it as a battle shield deflecting the fireballs away as he charged forward to engage in battle with his Great-Grandfather. He was going to be sick again and he felt hot as though he were standing in the desert at high noon.  From nowhere Excalibur appeared in his right hand. The young warrior charged forward still as he leapt into the air and brought it down upon the marble floor where Calla had been laying intent on denying her to those who loved her so. From his throat came not the cry of victory but a hearty cry of defeat when he realized she was no longer there.  The striking of the blade against the marble in his Immortal hands caused the Gazing Room to shimmy and shake the remaining pillars began to crack as the ceiling threatened to crash to the floor.  Nick let his arrow fly just as Wolfgar began to disappear from view, he was certain he struck his son with the lethal weapon.

“Get out of here!” Daniel shouted.

The three of them ran for the door and ultimately for the beach before turning around to see the last of Zeus’ Palace collapse to the ground.

**

David didn’t know how far he should or even could safely take her from Zeus’s Palace; her head was bleeding so badly he hated even to move her.  Since his ability to travel the astral was not as keen as the rest he settled for the nearest place he thought she would be both safe and comfortable; Ares’ Cave. The place was a mess like Zeus’s Palace, it was caked with dust, and years of neglect but the torches and hearth still burned when he struck the wood matches and laid fire to them.  The place lit up and in a warm light showing off shadow and cobweb alike.

First things first.

Calla’s head.

Ares didn’t have a huge medical supply, the guy didn’t seem to need it, but David found sheets that he ripped up into strips as he dashed to the bottom floor and the hot spring to fill a bowl with water.  In Ares’ bedroom, he cleansed her head making sure to keep pressure on the wound in an attempt to stop the blood loss. She was just getting stronger the last thing she needed was an injury like this, a setback. David talked to her as he worked and kept her as close to him as he could. He felt her, she was Drawing from him plain as day, but it wasn’t enough.  Several weeks ago, the kids had tried to heal her and Amy said Calla was a sieve and there was no way to block the holes.  Just like the steady stream of Ichor from her head, whatever she was taking in was emptying right out of her again before she could get the opportunity to put it to use.  That was still true only now it was even worse than before. Opening the pathway and using the Gazing Room took whatever it was that she had left. “Danny and them will be here real soon, I promise, Callie.” He kissed her forehead and wondered why in the hell she had ever taken off for the Islands on her own.  Didn’t she know they were all in this together? David laughed a little, nah, she never realized that.

Just before her eyes started fluttering open, David heard the resounding crash as the remainder of Zeus’s grand Palace returned to the ground.

Daniel didn’t have to think about where David took Calla he just knew and followed his instincts to Ares’ Cave where she was just coming to.  For a harsh instant, Daniel wished he had been wrong and that she wasn’t here because then he would not have to see her.  If, at any time, anyone had ever fit the description of looking like Death Warmed Over, it was her. It was now.  Just a few hours ago, she looked so much better—he would like to say she looked ‘healthy’ but that would be misleading. Now she looked about 109. Paler than the moon at noon, long wintry fingertips reached out for her as her eyes tried to focus on his face. Daniel put his hand over hers the chill from them went right to his heart encasing it in ice.

 “Daniel I know where they are,” she mumbled through lips that hardly moved to her command as she tried to keep her sight focused on those beautiful blue eyes before her but the pain at the back of her head threatened to take over. If it did then she was certain she would black out, simply slip into the abyss of the Underworld, which was calling to her so clearly. She mustn’t give in to that, not before she relayed this most important information. “Olympus, they’re on Olympus in the Dungeon. Go get them.”

He would love to comply, would like nothing more but in light of the fact that Wolfgar had just handed one of them their asses Daniel thought it best to regroup and come up a plan. Surely, Wolfgar was ready for a full-frontal assault. If David hadn’t been so damn quick and sneaky, Wolfgar would have cut Calla in half with Excalibur. “Calla, sweetheart…” Her eyelids closed and her head tilted away from him as though she could no longer keep it straight.

“I can’t stop the bleeding, Danny.” David admitted in a guilty tone. “She’s lost a lot of Ichor.”

Daniel knelt by the bed and took her hand. “Calla? Wake up, honey. Please, Kitty, open those pretty eyes for me.” If David couldn’t stop the bleeding from her head then Daniel would try to do so with his Olympian powers.  He wished and prayed as hard as he could while he concentrated on seeing her wound mend but it was no good. As with David, the energy he gave her simply leaked right out like a plant too pot bound to allow the remaining dry dirt to bring it nourishment. The wound at the back of her head bled on heedless of his efforts.

On the bed, Calla let out a low painful moan and fought to open her eyes. She thought they were open but could not be sure; the light was suddenly so dim. “Please? Daniel, please? He has…he has Colleen…he’s..he’s…oh, please, please.”

“He damn well better not be touching my Sister,” Nick threatened in a dark voice. Coley was part of him and Nick knew all too well that his Sister only had two lovers in her entire life; Sandy—Lilly’s father, and Paddy the man she married. “Not any of them.”

It was with a heavy heart that Hades appeared in Ares’ bedroom. “It’s time,” he proclaimed quietly.

“Get the hell away from her,” Daniel threatened as he grabbed Calla’s hand. “It is not time.” He felt just as sick as Wolfgar did and had to fight to keep his focus rather than sinking to his knees in grief.

“My King, even you cannot hold me back this time.  She is tired. Her energy is drained. It’s cruel to let her linger this way.”

“She’s still breathing,” Nick countered from the other side of the bed and also picked up his Mother’s hand. It was still warm and, although it could be nothing more than wishful thinking, he thought he felt her try to close her fingers around his. “If she’s breathing then there’s hope. She was just talking for cryin’ out loud!”

“You can’t have her.” Ares challenged and looked down at the old woman who had been a young woman the last time she laid in his bed. Yes, she was just talking, her chest was still heaving albeit very slowly. “You’re safe, don’t fear.” He whispered to her as he leaned down to bestow a kiss on her forehead.

Little sparks of blue light came from his lips as they touched down on her skin.

Upon seeing them, David did not need to be told what to do he simply grabbed hold of the nearest patch of Calla’s bare skin that he could find.

A strange tingling crept over Daniel. It started in the hand holding Calla’s but quickly spread out through his entire body until he felt as though he must be standing upon a Tesla coil. “Get out of here!” Daniel ordered of Hades. “Now!”

Hades stood his ground and watched in amazement as the four of them suddenly began to glow.  “My King….”

“This isn’t for your eyes. Leave. NOW!”

Were they really going to…. If he was curious enough he could always retreat to the Underworld and watch through his Crystal Ball.  “You’re missing a piece,” he advised before hesitantly fading from their view hoping he would not have to return tonight.

Missing…. “The ring!” Daniel shouted. “We have to have the ring.”

“Dad,” Nick stuttered, “she said ‘no’, she said…”

“Get the goddamn ring!” Daniel thundered.  The three with him just stood their ground and Daniel knew he would have to retrieve it himself. Standing there feeling the energy grow as well as watching it spring to life between their hands so that it caressed every part of Calla’s body that they did.  The energy was powerful, almost too much for him to deal with as he searched himself for the power to retrieve Kanan’s ring.  It was in the safe, in his office, in his house, in Altair Ain.  He just had to see it, that’s all, just see it but that tingling was now so commanding it was making him jump in place as though he were standing on a moonwalk upon which, others were bouncing. With much trouble and concentration, he was finally able to block it out enough to see his office and the safe. Saw himself dialing the combination and taking the ring out, he slid it on his finger.

It appeared there as they stood around the bed.  “Get these clothes off of her.” He reached out with his free hand nearly tearing his arm out of his socket with haste as he cast the animal hides away from her.  As before the others did not move. “Do you want her to die?” He demanded as he fished in his pocket for the jeweled chain the faeries made for her.

No, they didn’t want her to die and, most troubling, they could not deny the deep stirrings they felt in their loins as the energy ebbed and flowed through them.  It was David who moved first to remove the sweater she was wearing and reveal only her elderly body below it.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Ares grumbled before gently taking off the baggy blue jeans that barely clung to her.  “I promised her, do you know that, Jackson? I swore to her..”

“Promises end,” Daniel said coldly. There was no time to stop and think and certainly no time for diplomacy. In the end, Daniel always knew Ares would come through for Calla whether he wanted to or not. 

“Dad?” Nick said with disbelief. “Do you know what you’re saying? What you’re doing?”

Daniel threw his hands in the air and railed, “Why is everyone against me?!”

“We’re not against ya, Danny,” David said in a light voice, “we’re for her.”

“And you think she wants to die?”

No.  None of them felt that was what Calla wanted.

“We don’t have time to debate anymore.” Daniel said through thin lips. “If Hades comes back no one’s going to be able to stop him. This is our last chance, the very last one.”

“What do you want me to do?” Ares asked sincerely. “You’ve got this planned out…you do, don’t you? You’re not just making this up as you go along, are you, Jackson?”

“No, I’m not.  Nick, you in?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled, “I guess I am.”  He leaned down over the bed. “I love you, pretty lady.  I hope you still love me when you wake up.” As Ares had done a few moments before, Nick laid a soft kiss on her forehead. “I love you.”

Their love for her was the one thing upon which all of them could and would always agree.

Watching Nick with his Mother nearly broke Daniel’s heart.  What was he asking of them? Did he even know?  He wasn’t sure, but what he did know, as he always did, was he could not let her go.  Trying to think of what was about to happen or how pissed off she was going to be when she did wake up Daniel focused on her painting; Lay Your Hands On Me.  “Pick her up a little,” he told the others and then slid the solid loop around her head, over her shoulders and deflated breasts to loop it around her almost non-existent waist. “We all love you.” He told her softly.

End of Chapter Sixty-Three of
Golden Years
by Moon Mistress
a/k/a Lisa Beth Darling
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Chapter Sixty-Four