Rescue
by chaoseternus

Two

"This could be awkward,"

Adama snorted, shooting Roslin a 'you think?' look that the President was forced to acknowledge with a wry twist of her lips.

"Not just that we apparently have the illegitimate son of Zeus amongst us, not just that his very existence proves the Word of Kobol to be at best incomplete, at worst, outright lies but he's here. We can touch him and speak directly to him and…"

Adama nodded, "people like their Gods at a distance, to have the son of one directly in your face, inescapable will cause a crisis of faith amongst many."

"We call ourselves enlightened," Roslin sighed, "but the proof of what we have always believed leaves us quite contrarily losing faith."

"It does not help that his tales of his family do not paint all in the best of lights,"

"True," Roslin grimaced, "to find the perfect being you worship is a vindictive, selfish and uncaring…"

Adama nodded, knowing that Roslin was referring to Hera and knowing that Hera wasn't quite the worst, according to Hercules and Iolaus at least. Of course, they only had there word as to their true origin and that in itself was a problem.

Some believed, some denied… the result and instant religious split right down the fleet, destabilising the fleet in a way the Cylons had never quite managed, not for want of trying though.

"This could destroy the fleet," Roslin pointed out.

"Or save it." Adama responded, "All we can do is our best and hope we are up to the challenge, one way or another."

"It's not going to be easy is it?"

"Never is,"

"So Hercules here, he's pushing me into this cave right to face the…" Iolaus paused, "was that the Minotaur or a Griffin that first time?"

Hercules smiled, "you're the one telling the story."

Iolaus shot him a look, but turned back to his audience, "anyway, we go up to this Griffin , swords in hand, prepared to slay and suddenly there's flames everywhere. The Griffin breathes fire!

We killed it in the end of course, but a few words never quite managed to make it into the bard's version of the tales…"

"Wow, I didn't know it could do that!" Hercules and Iolaus said pretty much simultaneously.

"Very comforting words in the middle of a fight let me tell you," Iolaus finished.

Kara laughed, "I'll bet,"

"So, what do you do for fun around here?" Iolaus asked causally.

"Kill cylons, play cards, kill cylons, get drunk, kill cylons…"

"Noticing a pattern there," Hercules commented, mildly pensive, "do you kill all the Cylons you come across?"

The Colonials glanced as one at Caprica Boomer who nodded jerkily, "not all,"

"Just those that try to kill us," Kara replied.

"Which unfortunately is most," Lee shook his head, "the fact that they resurrect just makes it worse."

"Resurrect?" Hercules asked softly.

"We download into new bodies if we are killed," Boomer shrugged, "most of the time anyway. The main problem is range but there are dedicated Resurrection ships that mean a taskforce can operate outside of normal range of the home world or any other major base."

"Great," Iolaus grimaced, "means you not only have to worry about how to kill the cylons but also the where and when, just in case they remember where they died."

"Trust me," Boomer grinned wryly, "that's not something you tend to forget."

"No," Iolaus frowned, a dark expression lingering in his eyes for a moment, "it's not."

"You've died?" Lee asked, exchanging a glance with Starbuck.

"Four times now,"

"That must suck," Starbuck carefully responded, wondering if she was facing a Cylon though given the company Ioluas was keeping, willing to concede that wasn't the only answer as to his resurrections.

"Beats being dead that fifth time and telling the story from the other side," Iolaus snorted, "besides, who else is going to keep the big lug here out of trouble?"

Hercules choked, snorting water out of his nose, "out of trouble? Need I remind you of a certain Apple Aphrodite handed you, or perhaps…"

Ioluas held his hands up, "no need to go there Herc."

"Oh please, go there," Kara smirked, "sounded interesting."

"You do and I'll tell on you."

Hercules grinned, "Well, Iolaus here got asked to decide which amongst three ladies was the most beautiful…."

Snorts filled the room, sympathetic glances being directed at the vengefully glaring Iolaus, and Hercules grinned as he continued, "there was just one problem, the 'Ladies' were Aphrodite, Artemis and Athena…"

Starbuck's jaw dropped and she wasn't the only one, but Iolaus wasn't one to lose, "well, exactly who gave Ares a right shook when he turned up to gloat after a certain fire breathing monster?"

"Which one?" Hercules asked grinning.

"Oh you should remember this one," Iolaus grinned, "Ares couldn't look you in the face for ages afterwards, not with your pants burnt scraps around your feet."

Hercules flushed, "oh really? Well…"

"They get along well," Ares grimaced, "but I really wish Iolaus had not reminded me of that… incident."

Hespesteus shook a smirking Aprodite an amused grin, "well, it does explain what you were doing visiting all those village medicine men and healers…"

Ares shot him a glare but Hespesteus shrugged it off and continued, "But who do you really support in this? I would have fought you would have been for the warlike and corrupt Cylons but you seemed to support asking Hercules to aid the Colonials?"

Ares snorted, "An impossible mission, great odds, little hope of success, far superior enemy but real determination? That is what a real war is made of."

"It would seem to encourage real bravery," Hespesteus admitted, turning back to the flowing waters of the viewing pool.

"And real hate," Ares smirked, "real grudges."

"With Hercules around?" Aphrodite commented.

The smile dropped off Aries's face.

Of course, I own nothing and claim nothing from the new Battlestar Galactica or Hercules: The Legendary Journeys