Home Is Where The Heart Is, by Kimberley Rector and Martha Wilson (PG-13)

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

Fandom: HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS
Author on LJ:ltlj
Author Website: The Less Than Legendary Journeys
Why this must be read:

This is my last rec for Hercules: the Legendary Journeys, and I'm going out with a bang.

After the fifth season broke my heart and I thought nobody was even writing Hercules fanfiction anymore, I discovered this fantastic story, and I fell in love with Hercules and Iolaus all over again.

Home Is Where The Heart Is begins after Iolaus' death in Sumeria, and then takes off into a storyline that effortlessly trumps anything that actually happened in the series' Dahak arc. This story works on all levels - as a thrilling fantasy adventure in a beautifully realized setting, as a portrait of an uprooted Hercules who has lost his other self, as a heartwrenching story of a love greater than death.

Also, as if that weren't enough, there is Kheper Djedi, one of the best original characters I've ever encountered in fanfic. If you want to know why I like him so much, just read the bit below. Then go read the whole story, and rejoice in the knowledge that when you're done, there are more stories waiting for you, set in the same universe.

I hope you have enjoyed these stories. And if you'd like more recs or more Hercules and Iolaus discussion, I hope you'll join us at the herc_iolaus LJ community.

Something drew Hercules' eyes to the statue. He felt a vibration in the floor that traveled all the way up his body to set his teeth on edge, like a musical note so low on the scale it could be felt but not heard. Then a dark figure stepped out of the statue. It had a man's body and a jackal's head, and like the basalt statue its form was dark, but it was a darkness that could be fallen into like a bottomless pit. Its eyes gleamed red. Hercules tensed, watching as it decreased in size with each step toward them, until it was about twelve feet high. Kheper didn't appear to notice and Hercules managed to ask evenly, "What's that?"

"That's Anubis." Kheper didn't bother to glance up.

Anubis loomed silently, except for that low vibration in the air. A little smoke drifted out of its nostrils.

"The god?"

Kheper's one good eye rolled up to regard him. "Yes." He drew the word out slowly, as if to give Hercules time to absorb the concept.

Keeping an uneasy watch on the god, Hercules asked quietly, "What is he doing here?"

"I don't know," the sorcerer enunciated. He turned back to the table. "I have never had the discourtesy to ask him."

Hercules took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry I have to ask this, but I just need to hear you say it. You're not going to...turn evil suddenly and try to take over the world or anything, are you?"

Kheper leaned over to a scroll that lay unrolled next to him and ran one dusty finger down it. "No," he said thoughtfully. "This is going to take up the rest of the day. But I could pencil it in for tomorrow if you really want to insist on it."

"No, that's all right." How do I manage to get myself into these situations? wondered Hercules. Scratching itself, the monkey leered at him from a cluttered tabletop. Oh, yeah. I've gone off the deep end.

Home Is Where The Heart Is