To Find Your Memories

(with thanks to Pythia for her great suggestions!)

Herc and Iolaus had not been expecting any trouble when they wandered into the village of Hellios...they had just finished dealing with a ghidra that had been terrorizing a nearby village and were headed, more or less, in the direction of home....it had been months since they had last seen Thebes, and both were tired. Hellios was just one more village on the way...a place to pass through on the road home, nothing more.

"Hey, Herc....know what we forgot to celebrate?" Iolaus smiled up at his partner, the smile that always put the sun to shame.

Hercules grinned at his partner, knowing full well what Iolaus was referring to...but unable to resist teasing him a little. "Celebrate? Why no, Iolaus, my very good friend, what did we forget to celebrate? Was it the successful resolution to yet another monster problem?"

Iolaus snickered, "Nooo....and, if you're going to give me a hard time, you shouldn't give away the punch line....my very good friend!

Herc laughed back, as he gave Iolaus a friendly clap on the shoulder, "Yeah, you're right...I never seem to get the hang of stringing along a story as well as you do...so, Happy Birthday, Iolaus!"

Iolaus laughed, "Gee, thanks, Herc...nice of you to remember! But, what I was really referring to was the day after my birthday....do you realize we met each other thirty years ago yesterday! When did we get so old?

Herc regarded Iolaus fondly, "Thirty years? It doesn't seem like that long, does it?"

"Oh, I don't know...there are days when it seems like a lot longer than that!"

Herc threw Iolaus a sideways look, not sure whether the last comment was something reasonably positive, like 'feels like we've been best friends forever' or a dig, as in 'some days, my friend, life is not easy around you'. When Iolaus snuck a look at him and started to giggle, he knew he'd been had...again. Iolaus dearly loved to pull his chain. Deciding to simply ignore him, Herc referred back to his earlier statement, "And, besides, it's not that we're old, exactly...it's just that we started so young!"

Iolaus grinned again, remembering a feisty seven-year-old and a shy and gawky five year old...who found, in one another, something they had never had before...a friend. Looking up at Hercules, Iolaus reflected, "It's been good, Herc....I don't say it often, but...being friends with you is the most important thing in my life...."

Hercules put a hand on Iolaus' shoulder and left it there as they walked a few paces in silence, then he responded quietly, "I guess I always figure we don't need to say it...because it's just who and what we are...I can't even begin to imagine what my life would have been like without you in it, Iolaus...I don't think the words have been invented to express...well, there just aren't words...it's been more than good...there's no one who means more to me than you do...."

Iolaus swallowed...boy, Herc didn't say much, but when he did, he got right to the heart of things! Wanting to lighten what was coming dangerously close to one of those overly sentimental moments, he grinned, "Well, you see, that's my point exactly...we should celebrate such a significant anniversary!"

Herc laughed, "Agreed...what did you have in mind?"

Iolaus reflected for a moment, "Well, you know, before we head right home, I was thinking that we should stop off for a couple of days at our old fort and, you know, fish..."

Hercules grinned...the two activities Iolaus liked best were fishing and festivals! But, it was a great idea...they hadn't been by that old fort in years...and it was where so many of their dreams had begun...little had they known when they'd played at slaying monsters and fighting off warlords, when they'd pretended to be heroes, what their futures would actually hold. "That's a great idea, Iolaus."

"Ah well," Iolaus replied humbly, "great ideas are just one more reason why you can't find words to express how much I have always meant to you, Herc!"

Hercules took a playful swipe at Iolaus as his friend danced ahead down the road, laughing....until they came around the curve in the road into the village of Hellios.

Both men stiffed as they came into the small village...clearly, a battle had taken place there earlier in the day...in fact, probably not all that long ago. Several wounded men were still being treated on the dusty village street and women were huddled together, weeping as if their hearts were broken.

The heroes stopped beside the first villagers they came to...a man nursing a wounded shoulder and a friend who was aiding him to stop the bleeding.

"What happened here?" Hercules asked in a concerned tone.

The villages looked at the two warriors with suspicion...their experience with strangers that day had been far from pleasant.

"Please, we'd just like to help, if we can," Iolaus assured them, recognising the wariness in their eyes. "My name is Iolaus, and this is Hercules."

Both villagers looked with awe at the taller of the two warriors. "Hercules? The Hercules?"

Herc shrugged...uncomfortable with the predictable reaction. "Uh, yeah, that would be me...so, can you tell us what happened?"

"Slavers...came through a couple of hours ago...." the man on the ground replied, bitter and angry.

"Slavers!" reacted Iolaus, "Did they take anyone?" Iolaus looked toward the crying women, waiting for the bad news he knew was coming.

"The children," whispered the other villager, his voice cracking, "They took all the children...."

"Gods..." whispered Iolaus as he looked up at his friend.

"How many of them were there...and how many children did they take?" Hercules asked.

"Must have been a dozen of them....they killed the teacher and took fifteen young ones from the school...by the time anyone was on to them, they had already set out toward the coast....most of us didn't realize....those that did...well...you can see we're not warriors... they made short work of us....killed three of the men who tried to stop them..."

The villagers could not seem to meet the eyes of the two warriors before them...they were ashamed, deeply ashamed. The slavers had taken their children...and they had been unable to stop them...unable to rescue those who most depended upon them. Herc and Iolaus recognized the reaction and understood it. Slavers were vicious...two legged monsters who preyed on those who were vulnerable...ordinary farmers and craftsmen had no chance against them. As men who had been fathers...fathers unable to save their own children....Herc and Iolaus well understood the grief and guilt these men felt.

Herc laid a hand on the shoulder of the villager closest to him, while Iolaus helped the one on the ground to stand. "There was nothing you could have done to stop them... dying does not help your families....I hope no one's rushed out after them." Hercules assured them as he tried to garner more information about the situation.

"No...no one has headed after them, yet..." sighed the wounded man. "It's all happened so fast...."

"It's alright," Iolaus responded, "It would have been crazy to go after them on your own..." Looking up at his friend, who nodded in response, Iolaus continued, "If you can manage here, we'll head out after them...if there were only a dozen, and they aren't part of a larger group, we should be able to catch them...."

The two villagers looked at them with amazed gratitude. "You'd do that...you'd just go after them....but...but some of us will go with you...."

Hercules gave them a reassuring smile. "First, you need to make sure everyone here is alright...then, if you have a good tracker who can find our trail, some of you may want to follow us to help us bring the children back....how old are the kids who were taken?"

"They range in age from five to twelve."

Both warriors looked grim. "Bastards," murmured Iolaus and Hercules nodded in silent agreement. Placing a hand on Iolaus' shoulder to turn him toward the road, Hercules looked a moment at the mothers huddled in shock and tears...his expression revealing the empathy he felt for their pain.

Turning back to the two villagers, Hercules assured them in a steady, confident tone, "Well, if they only have a couple of hours head start, and they are moving with young children, we should be able to catch them by evening...then we can determine how to get the children back, without any of them getting hurt." Turning to Iolaus, "Ready to go?"

"Right behind you, Herc," Iolaus assured him. With a nod, Hercules led the way out of the village.

Once they had cleared the village area, Iolaus took point, studying the ground for sign. It wasn't all that difficult to follow the tracks of a dozen men and fifteen or so kids. Herc and Iolaus loped along the trail for about an hour, following the tracks which had led off the main road and angled through a small forested area, then curved into a narrow, rocky cleft through a wall of stone. All the way, Iolaus had been mumbling, swearing under his breath, in anger toward the men who could be so vicious as to steal children. Suddenly, he stopped, kneeling to study the signs that showed the main party had continued through the cleft...while a few others had angled away to climb the cliff. Standing to look up toward the top of the cliff, he heard a slight sound, the shifting of stone and the fall of some pebbles. Without conscious thought, he turned, grabbed Herc's arm to push him back the way they had come.

"AMBUSH! RUN!!!!" Iolaus cried. The words had no sooner left his mouth when they heard the crash of boulders coming at them from above.

Casting a quick look up, Herc could see they were not going to make it out of the cleft before the boulders hit. He grabbed Iolaus and pushed him down, tight against the wall of the cliff, then covered his friend with his own body...protecting him from the avalanche of stone. It all happened so fast...the crash and thud of huge boulders rocketing down the mountain to land on and around them, the thickening air, filled with dust from the rockfall, the smell of their own sweat, the sound of their breathing....Iolaus felt Herc shield him from stones that pounded his buddy's body...heard Herc grunt once in surprised pain before he went limp...and then it was silent...the rock fall had ended. From high above, Iolaus heard the scrambling of feet and a nasty laugh...the slavers were confident they had stopped the men following them...no need to even check the bodies ...no one could survive that deluge of stone!

Iolaus shifted under the weight of his friend's body, "Uh, Herc...you okay?....we can get up now...."

There was no answer. Hercules remained motionless above him. Alarmed, Iolaus squirmed out from under his friend to kneel beside him...and winced at the nasty gash he saw on the side of Herc's head. "That's gotta hurt," he mumbled softly to himself as he dredged a cloth out of his carry sack and, wetting it with water from the skin he carried, he began to clean the wound. It was bleeding freely...but, that wasn't necessarily a worry...Iolaus was more concerned about the size of the lump that was forming and the continued unconsciousness of his friend. Once he'd finished cleansing the dust from the wound and had wound a bandage around Herc's head to protect the injury, Iolaus checked for other injuries, heaving a sigh of relief when he found nothing else broken.

Gently, Iolaus eased his friend onto his back, calling him softly, "C'mon, Herc, time to wake up....c'mon buddy...you're starting to scare me..." Iolaus dampened the cloth again, then cleaned the dust and sweat from Herc's face, brushing his hair back from his face. "Hercules... wake up!" he called, the worry tight in his voice.

Herc began to stir weakly, one hand moving up to tenderly test the area of his head that seemed to be the source of the merciless pounding in his skull. He blinked and squinted against the light....a distressed look suddenly capturing his face... "Sick..." he mumbled. Iolaus, understanding, quickly helped Hercules to roll to his side and held him as he lost everything in his stomach. When it was over, he again rolled Herc gently onto his back, supporting his shoulders and head, as he used the cool, damp cloth to wipe his friend's face.

"Easy, Herc," Iolaus murmured, "You took a nasty crack on the skull...you probably have a concussion...."

Hercules winced against the pain, then focused on the man kneeling beside him. "What happened....who...who are you?" he whispered.

"Oh, very funny, Herc...half the cliff was pushed down on us by those lousy, no good slavers is what happened...."

"No," Hercules murmured, cutting into Iolaus' explanation, "I'm not kidding...who are you?"

Iolaus froze...looking deeply into his friend's eyes, Iolaus saw the puzzlement, the confusion...oh gods.... "You're not kidding, are you?" he whispered softly, as he gazed with concern at his friend. "Never mind who I am...do you know who you are?" he asked.

Hercules grimaced, ready to say of course he knew he was, when he paused, looked up at Iolaus, the beginnings of panic in his eyes, "No....I don't...."

Iolaus saw the fear, "It's okay, buddy...your name is Hercules...this is probably just temporary...you've got a really huge bump on the side of your head....relax...everything's going to be fine."

Hercules groaned as he forced himself up into a sitting position, holding his head in his hands. "So...I'm Hercules...who did you say you were again?"

Iolaus supported his friend's shoulders as he responded, "I'm your best friend, Iolaus...do you really think you should be sitting up already?"

Hercules pushed Iolaus away, "Don't fuss," he growled in irritation. Iolaus sat back on his heels, surprised by the hostility. Warily, he watched his friend closely.

Hercules looked around at the boulders strewn in the narrow cleft. "Did you say slavers pushed these down on us?"

"Uh, yeah...we've been trailing a group of a dozen slavers who kidnapped fifteen kids from a nearby village...we need to keep after them...they're heading towards the coast and if they get the kids onto a ship, we'll lose them."

Hercules looked at the man beside him in horror, then looked around again. "A dozen slavers...are these our kids they took?" he asked anxiously.

"No, Herc...they are children from a village, Hellios...we were passing through...the raid had happened just a hour or so before...they can't be far ahead of us."

"Not our kids?" Iolaus shook his head. "And, we don't know these kids?" Again, Iolaus shook his head. "So, where are the others?"

"What others?"

"The villagers...the parents...why aren't they here?"

"Oh...they're following behind us...but, Herc, they aren't warriors...it's best if we handle this...."

Hercules frowned. "Wait a minute....a dozen slavers...and...two of us are going to 'handle this'... by ourselves?"

"Well, yeah...piece of cake...the only trick will be to get the kids away without any of them getting hurt."

"Piece of cake....are you crazy?"

Iolaus sighed....Hercules quite evidently didn't remember anything...not that they were friends, not that they were warriors....he needed more information.

"Hercules...the two of us have handled a dozen troublemakers...often more... many times. We are skilled warriors....and you're....well...you're the son of Zeus...you have the strength of more than ten men...you could handle a dozen all by yourself!"

Hercules stared at Iolaus for a long minute, before he responded sarcastically, "Son of Zeus, right...gods, you really are crazy."

Iolaus grinned, "You think so? Tell me, feel up to standing?"

Hercules looked at him warily, then nodded as he pushed himself up to his feet...again fending off Iolaus' attempts to help.

"Okay, big guy, you see that boulder beside you?" Hercules looked down at the boulder that must have weighed five hundred pounds. Iolaus stood back, "Pick it up."

Hercules just shook his head and sighed...this guy was nuts. "No, really, Hercules...just give it a try...if you can't, well, then we'll know I'm crazy...but, if you can...well, then we'll know I'm telling you the truth."

Hercules threw Iolaus a very irritated look, but bent to put his arms around the rock. Gripping it firmly, he straightened his legs...and was clearly surprised to find himself lifting the heavy stone...easily...it didn't even seem all that heavy. Standing there, a large boulder in his arms, he regarded Iolaus with amazement.

"Okay...you can put it down...I'm not lying to you, Herc...you really are the son of Zeus."

Hercules tossed the stone away and dusted off his hands. "Well, I agree that I'm strong...but whether that makes me a god...."

"Not a god...a demigod...your mother, Alcmene, was mortal."

"A demigod...sure...if you say so...." Clearly not yet fully convinced, Hercules looked around... "So, now what?"

"Well, if you're not dizzy or anything...we need to keep after those slavers...we can't risk losing the kids."

Hercules nodded... " And, how did you propose we stop them?"

"Don't know exactly...we need to catch up to them and evaluate the situation then."

Hercules wasn't happy with any of this. Sighing, he put his hands on his hips and bit his lip. 'Gods,' Hercules thought to himself, 'what is going on here?' Studying Iolaus, Hercules did not know whether to believe him or not. For all he knew, Iolaus could be the guy who knocked him out in the first place...or part of the group of slavers, if they even existed, who had pushed the boulders down on him. It didn't make sense...who would let strangers go after their kids and not go themselves?

Wincing, Hercules raised a hand to tentatively touch the side of his head....the pounding was vicious...and he still felt nauseated. He had to fight the panic rising within him...he didn't know who he was, where he was...couldn't remember anything. The pain, the confusion and panic all contributed to his indecision. Should he trust this man and go with him...or...or what? Go off on his own? Go where?

Iolaus was worried about his friend...but he also knew time was running out for the kids. "Look, Hercules...if you don't want to go with me, fine. Wait here for the villagers, then follow with them....I'll go after the slavers on my own."

Hercules looked the diminuative man in front of him up and down, then snorted. "You... on your own...you have got to be kidding...how could you possibly take on a dozen dangerous men?" It was ridiculous. Hercules had doubted the two of them could take on a dozen men. This little guy, on his own, didn't stand a chance. Gods, his head hurt.

Iolaus froze...Hercules had never...never in thirty years, spoken to him like that... spoken to him with a tone of contempt...made him feel small. A trace of steel in his voice, Iolaus responded, "You'd be surprised."

Herc nodded, "Yeah...I would be."

Before Iolaus could snap back an irritated response, he heard voices coming from their back trail...the villagers had caught up to them. In moments, six men came into view. When they took in the scene, and the battered appearance of the two warriors, they paused in shock...."What happened here?"

Iolaus sighed, "Just a delaying tactic...they aren't far ahead of us now....look I'm going to scout ahead...you follow as quickly as you can, but do not....I repeat, do not take any action until I get back to you...we'll need to discuss how we handle this when we catch up with them." Iolaus looked at Hercules, before continuing, "My friend took a bad hit on the head...his memory is a little scrambled...I don't want him to have to move too fast until we know what we're up against, so he's going to travel with you while I scout ahead."

Ignoring the cool look Hercules directed at him, Iolaus turned and carried on through the cleft of stone, loping along the forested trail after the slavers.

In less than an hour, Iolaus had caught up to them. They had created a makeshift temporary camp about a quarter mile from the coast, in a small clearing, deep within a forested area. Iolaus squatted behind some bushes just inside the forest to study the layout of the camp in front of him. The children had been gathered in a crude pen of woven sticks and brambles...dismayed, Iolaus realized there were many more than fifteen children in the pen...at a rough guess, it looked more like forty or fifty. Poor tykes, they were unnaturally silent, watching the men around them, pale, wide eyed and quite evidently terrified. Their captors were busy over fires, preparing the evening meal... looked like gruel from where Iolaus sat. Glancing back at the kids, he could see several sported scrapes and bruises...there was more than one black eye in the group. Some were little more than babies, dirty faces streaked with long dried tears.

Iolaus bit back his anger...he could not afford to be distracted by it right now. Letting his eyes scan the camp, he noted where each of the slavers were, what weapons they were carrying, what defences they had erected. Not much...arrogant bullies...it didn't really occur to them that anyone would come after them...that anyone would fight back. Counting the villains, Iolaus noted there were sixteen slavers in view. They were an unwholesome lot...filthy clothes, smelly, unshaven and dirty...but they looked like they might know how to use the swords and knives they carried. Other than their personal weapons, there did not appear to be any other defensive structures...no barricades, no ditches...and only two who looked like they were playing the part of lookouts. Sixteen ...he'd need Hercules to make this work. Iolaus took one last look around to get a sense of possible approaches, then turned and headed back to the others.

In less than half an hour, he had rejoined the villagers and Hercules. As he came up to them, he raised a hand to signal they should stop while he briefed them and they discussed the next steps. Squatting, Iolaus brushed away grass and twigs to clear a patch of ground. Taking one of the twigs, he drew the layout of the camp, pointing out the location of the pen holding the children, the position of the lookouts and the positions on the edge of the forest that the members of his small band needed to take. Looking up, he said, "I counted sixteen slavers...they're armed with swords and hunting knives....and, they have more than your children....there may as many as fifty kids in the pen."

"Fifty..." breathed one of the villagers, the one they had first met, whose name was Elias.

"Sixteen slavers," muttered another, "so, how do we do this?"

Iolaus bit his lip...he'd been giving careful consideration to this all the way back from the camp. He needed to keep the risks at a minimum...both for the kids and for these inexperienced men surrounding him....they weren't warriors...they would not last long in a drawn out, no holds barred, fight. He looked at each of them, inventorying their weapons...each had an old sword, all carried hunting knives...one carried a bow and a quiver of arrows. Gazing at the stranger who was Hercules, Iolaus wondered how much he could count on this man in the battle to come.

Briskly, Iolaus outlined his plan. "We need to use every advantage we have...the most important one being surprise. There is no indication that they expect any trouble...in their experience, they will not have encountered many villagers who would have the means to fight back. If we go in now, they'd quickly marshal resistance...and, we could be putting the kids at risk." He paused a moment, looking at the others, ensuring that he had their attention.

"If it was just a matter of taking out the slavers, I would suggest we go in tonight, when most of them are asleep...but, that would leave us with having to move the kids out in the dark...they're scared and exhausted...and, with so many, we'd have trouble keeping track of them all in the dark." His listeners nodded...trusting him to have a strategy that would make sense.

"So, I suggest we go in just before dawn. I'll take out the lookouts before they can give warning to the others, who will still be sleeping. You," Iolaus turned to the man with the bow, "how good are you with that?"

The man gave a slow, confident grin... "Good enough," he responded quietly.

Iolaus nodded...they might not be warriors, but men who needed to hunt their dinners usually knew how to shoot well. "What's your name?" Iolaus asked.

"Marcus."

"Okay Marcus," Iolaus pointed at his crude map, "I want you here...it will give you a line of sight straight into the camp and you'll be able to take out anyone who tries to get to the kids before we get them out....and, anyone else who takes your fancy. The position is just on the edge of the forest, on a slight rise, so you'll be above the camp...enough to have a clear view even when the action starts."

Marcus nodded, satisfied that he understood the role he was to play.

"Elias," Iolaus turned to the man he'd first met early that afternoon. Elias had impressed him then as being calm and dependable...he'd been the one assisting those who had been hurt, overseeing the aftermath of the raid. Iolaus had noted that the other villagers seemed to defer to him, so he assumed that Elias was one of the village leaders. "Once I've taken out the guards, I'll wave you in....we'll go to the pen and I'll watch your back while you begin to move the children out...I need two other volunteers to work with Elias."

Two of the others quickly raised their hands. "Your names?" Iolaus asked.

"I'm Mathias and this is Anartes," the taller of the two responded, "Our kids are in that group."

Iolaus nodded. "I want the two of you to move quietly in with Elias...some of the kids look no more than four or five years old...you may need to carry them out...your own kids will be able to reassure the others that you're the good guys!" Iolaus smiled reassuringly at them, "Don't worry...we'll get them out."

Turning to the last two villagers, Iolaus again asked their names. "Leirtes and Anais," came the quick responses. "Okay," Iolaus said, "I want the two of you here..." as he indicated a point on the map that was on the edge of the forest directly behind the pen where the children were being held. "As the others bring the children to you, you will need to keep them together, reassure them...and keep them inside the forest line...don't let any wander off." The last two men nodded, looking a bit disappointed that they would not be more actively engaged. Iolaus read their expressions easily and gave them a ghost of a grin. "Your role is to guard those children and keep any of the slavers who get past the rest of us away from the kids." Leirtes and Anais nodded, happier now that they understood they did have an important role to play.

Hercules had been standing a little aside, watching and listening. He'd been impressed with the small blond's assessment of the situation, his placement of his limited forces and the way he handled the other men. Clearly, this stranger was no fool...and so far, at least, he seemed to be telling the truth. The villagers had lost their children to slavers, had known that Hercules and Iolaus had set out after them. Well, he wasn't just going to just stand back and watch...he would help rescue the children from their captors. "What's my role in this, Iolaus?" he asked.

Iolaus looked up at Hercules and grinned, relieved that the man had asked...relieved that he was willing to participate. "You, my friend, and I, are the assault team. We'll pick up as many of the weapons as we can find on the ground before the slavers wake up. As they wake, we take them out...."

"Take them out?"

"Yeah...hopefully, we won't have to kill too many of them...maybe none of them, if this all goes perfectly. I'd prefer that we just knock them out and tie them up later...to be delivered to the nearest magistrate...killing these bastards is too easy...I want them to find out what it's like to slave in salt mines for the rest of their miserable lives for the way they've treated those kids." Iolaus' voice held a quiet ruthlessness....his anger chained, but very real.

"I don't have a weapon," Hercules observed.

Again Iolaus grinned up at him, "I've told you for years that you should carry your own sword, Hercules, but you keep telling me that a hefty tree branch has a better effect when you only want to knock someone into tomorrow!"

Hercules gazed thoughtfully at Iolaus. This guy had an answer for everything...but then, if he really was his best friend, he would have all the answers. Gods, Hercules wished he could remember something...anything. He didn't know whether to be angry or afraid. He hated it that a perfect stranger seemed to know a whole lot more about who he was than he did himself.

"So," Iolaus concluded as he looked around the faces above him, "everyone clear on what we're going to do...any questions?"

"What do we do with all the other kids?" Marcus asked.

Iolaus smiled brightly, lighting up his face. Now, this was what he liked to hear...the assumption of success...confidence was a big part of victory. "Most of them will be able to tell us who they are and where they're from...if any are too little to know, well, we can send messengers to the other villages in a twenty mile radius of here...folks will be real glad to get their children back."

There were no other questions, so Iolaus quietly deployed several of the men to hunt up food they could eat cold. He did not want to risk a fire....he did not want the slavers to have any chance of finding out they were not alone in the forest. As the hunters headed out, Iolaus stood and meandered over to Hercules' side. Looking up at the bigger man, Iolaus asked, "So, how's the head, Herc? Want me to put a clean bandage on your wound?"

Hercules studied the man before him...Iolaus was clearly determined to treat him pleasantly...to be the friend he claimed to be. Nodding finally, he went down on one knee, to make the bandage more accessible to the shorter man. Iolaus didn't say anything as he unwrapped the bandage and examined the wound. Reaching into his sack, he pulled out a clean rag and wet it from his waterskin. Hercules winced as Iolaus dabbed around the wound, cleaning the dried blood away. "Looks good, Herc...I don't think you need any stitches...your semidivine talent for healing quickly is serving you well...the wound is closed and there is no sign of infection. I think we can leave it open to the air."

Iolaus looked from the wound to Herc's eyes, "Remembering anything, Hercules?" he asked, the trace of hope clear in his tone.

Hercules looked down, shook his head, "Nothing...it's like I didn't exist until two hours ago."

Iolaus placed a hand on Herc's shoulder, "I'm sorry...it's gotta be terrible...but, we'll get your memory back, don't worry..."

Hercules gave one brisk nod, stood and stepped back, away from Iolaus' hand...he didn't want to make an issue of it, but he didn't know this man...and he was uncomfortable with the assumption of a friendship he didn't feel. "And if we don't...if my memory never comes back...?"

"Then we'll build new memories...it's going to be okay...trust me, Herc." Hercules looked steadily at the other man, but did not answer. He could hear the concern, and the shadow of uncertainty, in Iolaus' voice. 'Trust me' he'd asked....it was a plea to recognise and acknowledge the friendship he claimed...but, it was too much to ask, too soon...Hercules was not sure if he would ever be able to respond in the way the other man so clearly desired. How could he trust someone he didn't know?

Looking away, Hercules only said quietly, "I need time, Iolaus....you need to give me space to figure all this out."

Iolaus swallowed, understanding the message. 'Back off...I'm not the friend you remember' Herc was saying. Iolaus rubbed a hand over his mouth and nodded, acknowledging that it was only to be expected...of course Hercules needed time to adjust to all of this....but the look in Iolaus' eyes clearly showed his own feeling of being lost....gods, what would he do if Herc never remembered him? Never remembered the life they had shared....Shaking himself mentally, Iolaus told himself to give it time...he would be there for his friend, he would help Hercules rediscover his past...his identity. They would take it a day at a time.

"Okay, Herc," he responded, "whatever you need to make this easier....Now, about tomorrow," he continued, briskly, "there are a few points I should cover with you. We don't fight alone...our style is to watch each other's back. Your fighting style is to wade in, relying on your strength...you can knock any man out with a single blow...in fact, you need to pull your punches, or you'll kill whoever you hit. You pick up enemies and throw them into the trees, knocking them out that way. When you are surrounded, you pick up one of them by the arms...or me, if I'm the only one in reach...and swing the man around in a circle, taking out the others, using him as a living club. You crack heads together, use your elbows on anyone who tries to come at you from behind...you might want to take a club in with you...it comes in handy when you're deflecting the attacks of men with swords. I didn't see any bows in the camp...but, if an arrow does come at you, you have the reflexes to catch it before it hits....Do you want to practice any moves tonight...to get a feel for how your body works in a fight?"

Hercules had listened closely to the description of his 'usual' tactics. At the offer of a sparring partner, he looked back at Iolaus, again letting his eyes move up and down, a wordless comment on the smaller man's size and the unlikelihood of his being able to hold his own with Hercules. The little guy had enough confidence for a man twice his size...but was confidence enough? Hercules had not yet come to terms with his own strength...did not know how much damage he could do. Someone so much smaller didn't stand a chance against him. "Aren't you afraid I might hurt you?"

Iolaus resisted the irritation he felt with the scrutiny and the comment. "You would never hurt me, Hercules..."

"You don't know that," the taller man responded.

"Yes," Iolaus responded quietly, "I do." To lighten the mood, Iolaus grinned up at his friend, "Besides, even if you wanted to, you'd have to land a punch...which isn't likely!"

Hearing the challenge, Hercules smiled slowly, "Yeah...wanna bet?"

Iolaus looked around the area and with his head signalled that they should move to a small clearing to their left. "Let's see what you can do, big guy!" he laughed as he led Hercules to the designated area. Turning, Iolaus went into his fighter's stance, knees slightly bent, elbows in and hands up in front of his body. The two men began to circle each other...the first time Hercules lunged at Iolaus, he found himself flat on his back, looking at the sky, wondering how he had gotten there. He heard the diminuative man giggle. "Well, that proves you really do have amnesia, Herc...you stopped trying to come at me head on almost twenty years ago."

Hercules got back up on his feet and started to circle again. Faking a move to the right, he lashed out with his left fist, only to find that Iolaus had bounced under the blow, and, continuing the motion, turned it into a sideways roll, using a leg to sweep Herc's feet out from under him. Having ignominiously found himself on the ground, again, Hercules looked up and cocked an eyebrow. He'd just learned that size wasn't everything. "Tell me, Iolaus," he enquired with a dry tone, "do I ever win these matches?"

Iolaus laughed as he reached a hand to help Hercules up, "Sometimes...." Iolaus was unprepared for Hercules taking advantage of the friendly hand up...not releasing Iolaus' hand, he pulled the smaller man toward him and lifted Iolaus over his head, tensing as if he was going to throw Iolaus across the clearing. Iolaus yelped, "Easy...don't break the guys on your own side, Herc!"

Hercules laughed as he brought Iolaus down and settled him on his feet. "I thought you said you knew I would never hurt you....."

Iolaus smirked, "Yeah, well, I know that....but, with your loss of memory...it doesn't hurt to make sure you know it, too!"

Hercules chuckled as he unconsciously put a friendly hand on Iolaus' shoulder, turning them both back toward the camp, "You're not as dumb as you look..." he commented.

"Gee, thanks, Herc..."

The sky had just begun to lighten in the east as the rescuers set out toward the slavers' camp. Once they were close, Iolaus held up a hand in a silent command to stop. Turning to Marcus, he waved him toward the knoll where Marcus was to take up his watch. The rest he signalled to wait, while he went ahead to take out the night guards. Creeping to the edge of the forest, Iolaus took the time to place the guards, two of them, on either side of the camp. Neither of them looked particularly alert...it was the end of a long, quiet night and they were over confident.

Keeping to the shadows, Iolaus eased around the camp, going first to the far side, where he quietly knocked out the first guard, laying him on the ground. He then moved through the camp to come up behind the remaining guard and, again, took him out with ease. Looking toward the forest, he could see Hercules, Elias and the others waiting for his signal. Waving them in, Iolaus turned back into the camp, where, moving like a shadow, he gathered up the weapons he could find easily to hand. Meanwhile, Hercules had taken the role of giving Elias and his fellow villagers cover as they approached the pen in which the children were caged. Herc had taken Iolaus' advice and was carrying a sturdy branch, about four feet long, that he would use as a club.

Entering the pen, and waking the children, quietly, was the most difficult and unpredictable part of the rescue mission. Iolaus moved to stand beside Elias to examine the lock on the chains holding the gate to the pen closed. Iolaus pulled out a small wire he had cached in his belt and silently broke open the lock...sometimes the skills he had learned years ago on the streets of Thebes still stood him in good stead. Carefully, he unwound the chain and eased open the wooden gate. The children were huddled in clusters on the ground, all still asleep. Stepping back, Iolaus motioned the other men into the pen while he and Hercules took up their stance as protectors.

It went better than they had any right to hope. At least eighteen of the children had been quietly awakened and led out of the pen, directed toward the forest and the guardians waiting there...the older ones understood, almost as soon as they were awake, what was going on....but the younger ones were a different story. It was only a matter of time before one reacted and called out.

It was Mathias' daughter, a little girl no more than six years old, who, when she woke to find her father kneeling over her, cried out, "Daddy....oh Daddy..." before her father could stop her excited, frightened, relieved outburst. This woke two other little ones, who, seeing strange men picking up children around them, began to cry in fright...and then they were all awake...and the men were having to reassure them, explain they were here to rescue them....it all took time, all disturbed the earlier quiet of the camp.

In moments, slavers were waking up, coming to their feet. Hercules and Iolaus were able to knock out the first five or six before they had come fully awake, sending them back into dreamland before they could get on their feet. But, there were too many...and it only took one loud shout to bring the others fully awake....scrambling for their weapons, launching themselves at the intruders. Hercules and Iolaus moved as one, back to where they were between the slavers and the villagers who were leading and carrying children out of the pen. The 'back to back' strategy could not really be actioned because they could not afford to let any of the slavers past them to the children. Side by side, giving each other room to manoeuvre, Iolaus with his sword and Herc with his club, the warriors took on the enraged slavers.

There were more than Iolaus had been able to count in his observation of the camp the afternoon before. Even after having taken out eight, there were a dozen more coming at them. Hercules made short work of the first three of his opponents, swinging his club, breaking arms that carried swords, knocking the villains across the head. Iolaus was just as successful, countering sword with sword, using his lightning, dancelike footwork to kick two into unconsciousness while sweeping the feet out from another, clipping him with the butt of his sword to knock him out. He heard the 'swip' sound of arrows streaking through the air to find their targets...Marcus took out three of the enemy in less than two minutes. But, the others were too close to Herc and Iolaus for him to get another clear shot.

Hercules threw the last challenger facing him across the camp to crash into a tree. Turning, he saw Iolaus battling with the last two...who had had the wisdom to separate enough so that one could come up on Iolaus' blind side while he engaged in sword play with the other.

"Iolaus!" Hercules cried in warning, as he saw one of the renegades slash a long knife toward Iolaus' unprotected side. Reacting to the warning, Iolaus parried the thrust of the man in front of him and started to turn...too late...he felt the burn of a blade slash deeply into his left arm, near the shoulder. Nevertheless, he continued his turn, bringing his own sword around to plunge it into his attacker's side. Meanwhile, Hercules had lunged to grab the remaining enemy, one hand on the man's sword arm and the other around his throat. His iron grip forced the other to drop his weapon and, in moments, Hercules had choked the man into unconsciousness. He felt Iolaus touch his arm, "Enough, Herc, let him go...." The calm voice cut through his battle rage, bringing him back, so that he released his victim before he had killed the man. The slaver slipped into a crumpled heap at his feet.

It was over...they had won. Iolaus waved in the others. They brought the vines he had coached them to pull from the trees on their way to the camp that morning, using them to bind up their prisoners. Four were dead...the others were not badly injured...a few broken bones, nothing more. The sun was coming up, dispelling the shadows, beginning a new day.

Iolaus slid his sword back into its scabbard on his belt before inspecting his injured arm...numb at first, it was beginning to throb. Seeing the heavy flow of blood, he raised his right hand to put pressure on the wound. He felt a strong hand on his right shoulder, steadying him...he hadn't realized he had started to sway. Looking up, he saw Herc's concerned eyes on him. "Come over here and sit down, Iolaus, while I take a look at that..." Herc said as he led the smaller man to a log. The blood was pumping out of his arm at an alarming rate, streaming down his arm, leaving a trail on the ground. Iolaus gratefully dropped onto the log, suddenly feeling lightheaded.

After one look at the gaping wound, Hercules turned and tore a strip off the shirt of one of the unconscious slavers. Using it as a tournequet, he tied it tightly just below Iolaus' shoulder. Too much blood, pumping hard and fast....an artery had been cut. "Hang in there, Iolaus," he murmured as he examined the wound...the tournequet was helping some, but the wound was too high, it could not completely cut off the bleeder.

Looking into Iolaus' face, Hercules was alarmed to see the man had gone completely white, his eyes not quite focused. Iolaus felt the world blurring around him. "Herc," he mumbled, "I don't feel so good"...and with that, Iolaus passed out, falling forward off the log. Hercules caught him and lowered him to the ground.

Elias, seeing Iolaus collapse, rushed over. "How badly is he hurt?" he asked anxiously.

"Bad enough," Hercules responded shortly as he pulled Iolaus' knife from the unconscious man's boot and moved to push it into the dying coals of the slavers' fire. "Get me some cloth...I think he has some in that bag he was carrying....there may be medicinal herbs in there as well." Elias nodded and ran to the forest edge, where Iolaus had dropped his bag before beginning the assault on the camp. Hercules applied pressure to the wound while he waited for the knife to heat.

He had turned to pull the redhot knife from the flames just as Elias returned, bag in one hand, clean rags in the other. Herc nodded to acknowledge his return, then knelt beside Iolaus and applied the blade to the wound, cauterizing it to stop the bleeding. Iolaus jerked reflexively, moaning softly at the excruciating pain, feeling it even through the anesthesia of unconsciousness. Hercules dropped the knife and took the bag from Elias, rummaging through it to find the herbs which he then placed on the wound. Taking the rags from Elias, he fashioned a crude pad to keep pressure on the wound and tied other rags around the arm, to hold the pad in place. "That'll have to do," he muttered to himself, "until we can get to a healer."

Finished, he sat back on his heels and regarded the unconscious warrior thoughtfully. The man had planned an effective strategy, fought with courage and skill...and had reacted calmly, even stoically, to his wound. For the first time, Hercules began to wonder who this man really was...what their history had been. He was aware that he had reacted instinctively, knowing that Iolaus would have the right supplies in his bag for emergency treatment....clearly, at some level, he knew this man's habits very well...or maybe it had just been a lucky guess. Hercules frowned as he became aware that he was brushing the unruly hair back from Iolaus' face...again, an unconscious, reflexive gesture that surprised him with it's unexpected intimacy. Pulling back, Herc looked up and saw that the others, and the children, had formed a silent ring around them.

"Okay," he said, "we need to give Iolaus a bit of time to come around...let's get some food together for the children...we'll eat before we take them, and the prisoners, back to the village." Taking time to really look at the children for the first time, he felt his anger grow as he saw the signs of abuse. Reining it in, he smiled at the little ones who still looked frightened by what was happening to them. Speaking softly, he reassured them, "It's okay now...you're all going home...you're alright." Reaching out, he lightly ruffled one boy's hair and then gently stroked the cheek of a little girl, winning a shy smile from each of them.

The little girl looked down at Iolaus. "Is he going to die?" she asked anxiously.

Hearing her, Iolaus opened his eyes and smiled up at her. "No, sweetheart," he answered her softly, "I'm going to be just fine...it's only a scratch...really!"

Hercules snorted. "Some scratch," he muttered, as he helped Iolaus into a sitting position, leaning his back against the log for support. "Just take your time, Iolaus...there's no rush...not now. Everything's under control."

While some put together a hasty breakfast, others buried the four dead men. The other criminals had been securely bound, then tied together with vines, so that they would form a line moving through the forest. It was the easiest way to ensure that so few could guard so many while making certain none could escape.

In the next hour, the men planned out the best options for the children and for handling the prisoners. Marcus, who knew the area well, would lead them through the forest on a more direct route back to the main road. Once there, the party would split up...most of the children would accompany the villagers back to Hellios. Elias would go with Marcus, Hercules and Iolaus to the nearby, larger village of Lestos. There was a magistrate there and a healer...they would take the prisoners and fifteen of the children who were from Lestos or the area around the village.

While this discussion was going on, Hercules was watching Iolaus who was deep in conversation with the little girl. Hercules smiled to himself, observing Iolaus' natural charm and the effect he was having on the child...who was quickly coming to the point of idolizing her new hero. He heard Iolaus ask the child her name, and saw something flash in the warrior's eyes before he smiled back, "Anya," he repeated, reaching out to stroke the child's hair, "that's my absolutely, most favorite name!" The child giggled in delight, and began to tell Iolaus all about her family and friends.

Finally, the group organized itself to move out. Men carried the smallest children to save them the exhaustion of the long walk home. Anya refused to be separated from Iolaus. Laughing, he bent and lifted her up, settling her in the crook of his right arm. He caught Herc's questioning look and responded, "I'm okay...don't worry so much."

As they marched through the woodland, Hercules couldn't help noticing the attraction Iolaus held for the children...especially the smallest ones. It wasn't long before he was surrounded...some clinging to the leather of his pants, others pushing as close as they could get to him. He entertained them with stories and simple jokes, getting them all laughing. At one point, he had them singing a series of childish nursery songs. From time to time, Iolaus would catch Herc's eye, would grin at him and give him a wink, including him in the warmth, the magic of the spell he was weaving around the children.

By the time they had reached the road, though, it was clear that Iolaus was tiring...and there was at least another hour of walking to go. As the group milled around, sorting itself out to head in different directions, Hercules lifted Anya from Iolaus' arms. "Come here, sweetie," he said, "Uncle Iolaus is getting a little tired...let's give him a bit of a rest, okay?" The child looked closely at Iolaus, then nodded as she settled in Herc's strong arms. Iolaus flashed his friend a wordless look of gratitude as he turned to the other children clustered around him, saying goodbye to those who were going in the other direction, and encouraging those who were travelling with them to begin to tell their own stories and jokes. Before parting, each of the villagers heading back to Hellios came up to Iolaus and Hercules, clasped their arms and thanked them warmly for having saved their children. The heroes nodded and smiled, appreciating the thanks, but uncomfortable with it...who wouldn't help save children from slavery?

Meanwhile, the slavers remained a sullen and hostile group. When the trek had first started, some had been bold enough to call out rude comments...but the unhesitating retaliation of a backhanded slap across the mouth and sharp warning quickly convinced them to keep their thoughts to themselves. They had taken children...the villagers really didn't care if the slavers lived or died.

The day was bright and warm. The road wound through a long valley, often curving near a fast moving river. It was spring, and the fields around them were carpeted with flowers of every colour. The road was shaded by ancient, knarled wild olive and blossoming apple trees that scented the air. In the distance, snowcapped mountains rose to meet the azure sky. They had been walking slowly, to accommodate the children, but even with the easy pace, Hercules could see that Iolaus was beginning to flag. Unobtrusively, he moved closer to the smaller man, putting out a steadying hand from time to time, when the warrior stumbled a bit.

By the time the village was in sight, Iolaus had begun to lean more heavily on Hercules, who was again concerned by the pallor of Iolaus' face...and the heat Herc could feel beginning to radiate from the smaller man as a fever started. Concerned that Iolaus was moving more and more slowly, and his breathing was beginning to get ragged, Hercules caught Elias' eye and handed Anya over to him.

Putting a gentle hand on Iolaus' right shoulder, Herc asked, "How're you doing, Iolaus....do you need to stop and rest a bit?"

Iolaus looked up at Hercules, his eyes revealing the pain that he had been concealing from the children. He had been holding his left arm with his right hand, and Herc noticed, with some alarm, that the rough bandage was soaked with blood that was again running down Iolaus' arm to drip on the road beside him. Iolaus reached his bloodstained right hand out toward Hercules, "I'm...I'm feeling a bit dizzy, Herc..." he admitted, as he started to sway. Hercules only just caught him around the waist, preventing him from collapsing to the ground in a faint.

'Damn it,' Hercules thought, as he swept Iolaus up into his arms, to carry him the rest of the way into town, 'does he always do this...push himself to the point of collapse before acknowledging he needs help?'

Hercules knew he should feel more worried about the man in his arms...if Iolaus really was his best friend, then he should feel desperate to get him to help as quickly as possible. But, he didn't feel anything but irritation that the guy had pushed himself too hard...irritation and a vague disquiet. He'd been watching Iolaus almost as if he had been waiting for the man to collapse. Sighing, Hercules didn't know if he was remembering something or if he was just reacting to what he had already learned about the man in his arms. Iolaus had already shown more than once that he didn't know when to quit. All Herc knew for sure was that Iolaus knew a whole lot more about him than he knew about Iolaus.

As they wound their way into the town, it wasn't long before they had attracted a crowd...parents relieved beyond words to see their children, other townspeople cheering, very pleased to see the slavers obviously the worse for wear...bound toward prison. Marcus called on a few acquaintances to help him lead the prisoners to the magistrate's office, while Elias guided Hercules to the healer's home, a small, thatched cottage surrounded by flowers, on the far edge of town, near the main road.

The healer was a wisened old woman, who led them without hesitation into the darkened interior of her cottage. "Put him there," she signaled to Hercules, pointing to a table in the middle of the room. Hercules gently laid the unconscious Iolaus upon the table and stood back, letting the woman unwrap the bandage and examine the wound.

"Mmm, this is nasty," she said, as she observed the depth and length of the wound...and the trail of blood pulsing from it. Bustling over to a work table by the window, she rummaged for the supplies she needed while directing Hercules to fill a bowl with hot water from a kettle over the fire. Coming back to the table, she cleansed the wound, then taking an iron spatula from the fire, she cauterized it, to again seal off the bleeder. Then, with a needle and thread, she stitched the clean edges of the knife wound together. Humming to herself, she put together a poultice, using rags she had heated in the hot water, and placed this over the wound. "Need to draw out the poisons," she mumbled... "there's some infection starting." Finishing this, she filled another large clay bowl with water from a barrel near her work table and poured a colourless liquid into it...alcohol.

Carrying this back to the table, she rested it near Iolaus' head and handed a cloth to Hercules. "Here," she said, "bathe your friend with this...we need to bring down his fever...he's too hot." Hercules took the cloth, surprised at her assumption of friendship ...surely simply carrying an injured man to help wouldn't be enough to make that assessment. Following her instructions, he wiped the sweat off Iolaus' face and neck, then stroked the cool cloth along the man's arms and fevered chest. He felt strange doing this for a man he felt he barely knew...and yet, there was also an odd sense of familiarity ...as if he had done this before.

The healer had drawn Elias aside to get the story of what had happened. As she heard the tale of the two strangers who had wandered into a village and then led the rescue of the kidnapped children, heard how the unconscious one had planned out the raid, and the courage of the two men in battling the slavers, she looked at them with approval. Good men. Not enough of them in the world.

Moving back to Hercules, she put a reassuring hand on his arm.... "Your friend is going to be alright," she assured him... "he just needs a bit of rest."

Herc smiled down at her, appreciating her concern. "The trick will be to get him to rest...it's hard to keep him down," he said with a touch of humour...then wondered how he knew.

In the two short days they spent with the healer, there was a constant stream of grateful villagers who came to make sure the man who had rescued their children was recovering ...and to thank both warriors for what they had done. Hercules watched, with some amusement, the embarrassment Iolaus seemed to experience with the outpouring of praise. The only ones he seemed completely at ease with were the children themselves, especially Anya, who scrambled up on him to give him a big hug. Iolaus' face lit up when the little girl ran into the room.

Finally, on the second day, Iolaus decided he didn't need any more rest...the fact that the healer disagreed did not make a difference.

"I'm fine," he insisted... "I promise...we'll travel slowly...but, I heal faster when I'm outside, in the fresh air...trust me...I have experience at recovering from this sort of thing!" He softed his insistance with a dazzling smile...charming the healer as he had the children. Standing, he placed his right hand on her shoulder, then leaned toward the old woman to gently kiss her cheek. "Thank you," he murmured, "I really appreciate the care you have given me..."

She reached up to cup his cheek, "You're a good boy," she said, "be a little more careful next time...the world needs brave lads like you..."

Iolaus blushed in some confusion as he turned away, "I'll be careful...I always am...right Herc?" he turned to his friend for confirmation, then stopped, "Oh, right, I forgot...you can't vouch for me, can you?"

Hercules couldn't help but chuckle at the irreverent tone as he shook his head. Herc had tried to repay the healer, offering to do any repairs she might need, but she refused, saying that they had earned whatever care or help the village could give them. Nevertheless, the day before, he had taken time to weed her herb garden, only stopping when she caught him and chased him back into the cottage.

As the two warriors headed out of town to the east, Iolaus in the lead, his left thumb hitched in his belt to give his aching arm support, Hercules turned to him, "So, where are we going?"

Iolaus had been doing some thinking about where they should go...he was increasingly worried that Herc had not yet recovered his memory. For the last two days, Hercules had been polite, helpful...but remote. There was no warmth between them...no sense of any real engagement. Iolaus was becoming uncomfortable with the man...couldn't predict how he'd react, what he'd think. It was...confusing...dislocating. He had known Hercules so long, knew how he thought, what was important to him...but this man beside him, this man was a mystery.

Iolaus had seen it before, on the battle field...men who had suffered serious head injuries who were different when they woke up...as if the injury had changed who they were, changed their personalities. Iolaus was beginning to worry that Hercules might have lost more than his memory...maybe, with or without the memories, he would never be the same man again.

Iolaus pushed that thought away. This was Hercules...he would be alright...he had to be alright. Familiar faces and places might help. Turning to look up at his friend, Iolaus replied, "We're going to find your memories, Herc...."

"My memories?" Herc repeated, mystified.

"Well, yeah...I thought if we went to a few of the places that had significance for you, well, it might help jog your memory....it's worth a try," Iolaus explained, hoping that Hercules would agree.

Herc thought about the idea for a bit, then nodded. Iolaus was right, it was worth a try...he was tired of not knowing who he was, tired of having to rely on the blond warrior beside him to fill in the gaps. While he had waited for Iolaus to recover in the healer's cottage, Hercules had found himself becoming more and more desperate for information ...he needed to know more about himself, his past. For now, Iolaus was the only source he had and Hercules didn't like, didn't want, to feel dependent on Iolaus. It would be good to meet other people who knew him...who could perhaps help him find himself. "Okay," he agreed, "so where do we start?"

"The Academy...it's where we grew up, Herc...where we became men," Iolaus responded, encouraged that his idea had been accepted so easily...might as well plunge in with his next idea. "Ah, Herc...it'll take us more than a day to get there...so...I thought I could begin to give you some background...you know...about your family...." He cast a sideways look at the taller man and caught the almost eager nod.

Encouraged, Iolaus began, "Well, let's start with your father's side of the family. Like I told you, Zeus is your father. He disguised himself as Alcmene's husband, Amphitrion, when he was away at war...poor Alcmene had had no idea she had attracted Zeus' attention...but, then Zeus always has had an eye for the most beautiful women in Greece. The real Amphitrion never did make it home....Anyway, you have a lot of relatives on the god side of the family....some you get along with...and, well, like any family...some you don't." Iolaus checked again, saw that Hercules was listening.

"Something you need to know....Hera has hated you all your life...to her, you are the living embodiment of Zeus' infidelity. She has done everything in her power to make your life as miserable as possible. Zeus has a rule that one god can't kill another, so she can't come at you directly...but, she's found ways to try to kill you many times...and...to hurt you in ways that...well, we'll get to that later. Hera's more mellow these days....but, frankly, I won't ever really trust her."

"The other major problem is Ares...you can't stand the mindless destruction of war and you fight everything Ares stands for...added to that, Ares is closely aligned with Hera... so, he's one who you've always had to be wary of...he's also tried to kill you many times ...and will likely try again."

Hercules shook his head. He had wanted information but this was incredible...how could he believe this stuff? It was like some children's story about heroes and monsters. It couldn't be true. "Iolaus, explain to me how I've managed to survive if two gods have been actively trying to kill me all my life...."

Iolaus could hear the disbelief...almost a tone of mockery behind Herc's words. It was hard to let it go...he wasn't used to having Hercules doubt him....doubt his word. To the contrary, he thought, ever since they had first met, one of the strongest bonds between them had been their perfect trust in one another.

Iolaus sighed, "I know it's hard to take in....and that it sounds incredible...but, Herc, you are incredible...you have to understand...what you stand for...your integrity, your strength and determination...your courage...has always allowed you to best them." Iolaus turned to face the man beside him. "Some of this you're just going to have to take on trust until you can verify what I am telling you with other people...people you'll meet as we travel over the next couple of weeks....Hercules....I just want to help you...."

Iolaus seemed so sincere. Could all this really be true? Well, he could at least listen, get what information he could from the stories Iolaus was telling him. Avoiding Iolaus' eyes, Hercules merely nodded, a silent encouragement to continue.

"Okay, well, there are others who are reasonably friendly...I say 'reasonably' because we've learned that gods and goddesses always have their own agenda, are completely self absorbed and can never be trusted or relied upon...especially when you need them most. Sometimes they come through...and sometimes they don't. Anyway, your sister, Aphrodite is probably the one you are friendliest with..." Iolaus smiled when he thought of 'Dite...personally, he really liked her, even though he was still angry about the stunt she and her sisters had pulled a few weeks ago. "Aphrodite can be a bit ditzy...but she hasn't got a mean bone in her body...she's really kinda sweet...not to mention, absolutely gorgeous!" Iolaus didn't see the cutting look Hercules shot at him, as if to say, 'Like you would know a goddess....'

Ambling down the road, Iolaus continued, "Hephaestus is the other god who is usually friendly...you got to know him first when we were at the Academy...he's not a bad guy...a bit reclusive...and he builds really deadly weapons....but, sometimes, he's been a friend. You also get along reasonably well with Artemis and Athena...we see less of them, but, Artemis especially, has helped out on occasion...." Iolaus didn't see any need to share the information that Artemis referred to him as her Golden Hunter.

Hercules was having enough trouble believing he was related to these gods and goddesses, let alone believe that he, or this man beside him, had any contact with them. Herc had to intervene, "'We see'....are you telling me that you actually know these gods and goddesses?"

Iolaus swallowed...he wasn't going to take much more of this crap. "Yes," he replied shortly, "I've met them all on many occasions...it would have been hard to have been your best friend for thirty years without getting to know your family."

Hercules heard the irritation and backed off a bit. He might not like being dependent on Iolaus for information...but dependent he was, and it wouldn't help anything to alienate the man at this point. "Okay," he conceded, "anyone else on that side of the family I should know about?"

"Well, there's Hades and Persephone...and Demeter. You arranged the deal between them whereby Persephone spends half the year with each of them...so, each of them tends to be more friendly, than unfriendly, especially Persephone....and, I have to admit, a number of times, Hades has done us both very big favours. Poseidon seems to like you...he's been a real help on a couple of occasions....Discord, on the other hand, is an irritating bitch."

Iolaus walked on for a few minutes before making his last comment on the gods... wondering if he should, but realizing that Hercules needed to know about the important relationships in his life. "I guess I should also explain that you don't have a great relationship with Zeus...when you were a kid, he didn't pay any attention to you...never once came to see you...and that hurt. Over the years, he has been more present...but, you're very angry with him most of the time...he's let you down badly on too many occasions....not too long ago, you had a really severe falling out with him...but, it seems to be patched up now. Still, for what it's worth, I believe he really loves you....."

Iolaus had evaded the full truth...he really didn't know how to tell this man that he had killed his own father. Since Zeus had been resurrected, through the power of the Rainbow Crystal Iolaus had found and brought to Olympus...with the result that all the gods were no longer trying to kill Herc...he decided it wasn't necessary to go into all the little details.

They walked on for awhile in silence. Hercules was pondering the information Iolaus had given him about his relationships with the gods and goddesses. It was confusing and complicated...and somewhat alarming. If what Iolaus was telling him was true, it seemed he couldn't trust anyone in his family...and some of them wanted him dead. Great. Just great.

Meanwhile, although Iolaus wasn't complaining, but his arm was bothering him...nothing serious...it was just sore, but it took the edge off his natural exuberance. He was also finding this conversation heavy going. He was used to Hercules being quiet...but this guy set a whole new standard. It felt like he was talking to a wall. Iolaus gave himself a mental shake...he was beginning to think of 'this guy' as someone else, someone other than his best friend...he had to stop that. Herc needed him to be there, more than ever...even if he didn't realize it.

"So, to continue...on your mother's side..." a sweet smile graced Iolaus' face as he thought about Alcmene. "Herc, your mother was the most wonderful person....she was sweet and gentle...strong and determined...generous and kind...she was beautiful in every way. For a lot of years, it wasn't easy for her....her parents and Amphitrion's parents shunned her after you were born, believing she'd been unfaithful. The people in the town could be cruel, too. But, she never, ever let it get to her...she kept her head up, lived true to her principles and values...and, whatever is good about either of us, came from her."

"She's dead?"

"Yeah...I'm sorry...she died four years ago....her heart just gave out. You were there...and she told you how proud she had always been of you...how much she had always loved you. She didn't suffer, Herc...she believed it was her time....as usual, she made is as easy as possible for the rest of us...." Thinking back to that day, Iolaus had to stop. Turning his face away, he blinked back tears. He had loved Alcmene so much....he would have died for her, gladly. For so much of his childhood, she was the only adult who had ever shown him love...who had made him believe he was worth loving. He missed her so much it hurt.

Hercules had heard the crack in Iolaus' voice, the telltale sniff as Iolaus surrepticiously rubbed the back of his hand across his eyes. Gods, it was frustrating. In the place of grief, Hercules began to feel anger. He couldn't feel anything about his mother's death and this stranger was almost crying over her memory. Hercules came close to hating Iolaus for being able to grieve for his mother, for being able to remember her love, when Hercules could not. Struggling to contain his emotions, Hercules said nothing.

Oblivious to the reactions he was generating in Hercules, Iolaus pulled himself together took a deep breath, and continued, "You have an older brother, Iphicles, son of Amphitrion. Iph lived with his grandparents for much of your childhood...when you were a kid, you missed him...almost idolized him...but Iph, well, Iph wasn't very comfortable around us...and, as you grew up, the two of you drifted quite far apart. In the last few years, though, you've gotten a lot closer again. By the way, Iphicles is the King of Corinth."

"When you say he wasn't comfortable around 'us', does that mean he was jealous of you?"

Iolaus shook his head...this guy might not say much, but whenever he did, he got right to the point. "Yeah, he was...for a long time...but, we're friends now."

"So, my father is a god and my brother is a king...some family."

Iolaus chuckled, "Yeah...and your step father was the former King of Corinth...Jason and your mother got married a few years back and, since she was a commoner, Jason had to abdicate...he chose Iphicles to replace him." Iolaus decided it wouldn't help anything at this point to let Hercules know that Jason had asked him first.

Having gone through the geneology, Iolaus decided to add a bit of colour commentary by telling Hercules stories of their childhood and youth....Hercules wasn't really listening... every once in a while he'd catch a phrase... "we played at being heroes...vowed we'd go out back to back!".... "never forget the time you and Jason taught me how to swim".... "other kids were nervous of your strength..."

Hercules just let the words roll past him. Gods, this guy never stopped...on and on and on...for hours...laughing at his own jokes...and couldn't he just walk like normal people...he was always moving around, waving his good arm, turning to walk sideways or backwards, skipping ahead...more and more irritating with every bouncing step he took. Hercules just wanted to have some space, some time to think about everything Iolaus had already told him...but, Iolaus didn't stop talking, never seemed to run out of steam.

"Enough!" Hercules muttered, his patience at an end.

Iolaus paused, turned toward his friend, caught by the angry tone. "What? What did I say?"

"Who cares? Iolaus...don't you ever stop talking? Gods....you go on and on and on...making it sound like we're so close, you're practically family...all the most insignificant little details...it's enough to drive a person crazy...are you like this all the time?"

Iolaus felt as if he had been slapped...his face lost all expression, but he couldn't keep the hurt out of his eyes. He took a deep breath as he turned away. "Sorry," he mumbled, "I didn't realize I was annoying you...."

'Great, now he's offended,' Hercules huffed to himself. Instead of dancing down the road, Iolaus' shoulders were slumped, his pace dragging. 'Well...at least he's finally quiet.'

At first, Hercules was glad of the silence. He wanted to put some of the pieces together, reach inside of himself with the new information and find connections... emotions, feelings of familiarity, something that would begin to give him balance, give him hope that he would get it all back, that it was only a matter of time. But, there was only a void...a great, endless, limitless emptiness. Hercules felt overwhelmed by the nothingness inside of himself and he had to fight the panic that threatened to engulf him. It had been days...shouldn't he be starting to remember? Was this void always going to be all he had in place of all he had been?

Iolaus did not say another word until it was time to stop for the night. Herc's words kept playing themselves over and over in his mind. It was becoming increasingly, unavoidably, clear that this Hercules not only could not recall their friendship...that they had been family to one another...but that...Herc didn't even like him. There was a lump in his throat that he couldn't swallow...and an ache in his chest. Dear gods...what was he going to do if Herc never remembered....if he had lost the one person who meant everything to him? Iolaus had to almost physically beat back the desperation ...the feeling of panic...that was starting to build within him.

At dusk, they had made camp near a small stream, in a clearing not far from the road, but sheltered by trees. Iolaus had caught a couple of rabbits while Hercules built the fire. Iolaus had skinned the animals, and cooked them in the flames. He was acutely conscious of the fact that Hercules did not seem to be enjoying the meal...the silence had become a wall between them. Sighing, Iolaus knew he had to break through it...or they wouldn't be able to go on. For Herc's sake, and his own, he had to keep trying to get through to his friend...to build back the relationship they'd had.

"I'm sorry, Herc...I was never a great cook," he said with a tentative smile, "you always seem to have better luck with herbs and seasonings than I do...."

"Maybe it's because I use them," Hercules mumbled as he tossed away the last bone. His head had started to ache again...and, for the life of him, he could not figure out why he and Iolaus were supposedly such great friends. Irritated with everything in general, Hercules snapped at the man across the fire. "So...I don't keep you around for your cooking...and, it's painfully clear that you can't carry a tune...so it must be because you're a half decent warrior and hunter...."

Iolaus had had it. "Look, let's be clear about a few things...you 'don't keep me around'...as if I was some kind of demigod groupie.... We have been friends for thirty years because we have chosen to be friends...because we have always respected one another, trusted one another....liked one another." Iolaus took a breath, trying to calm down, trying to let the irritation go. "Neither of us is perfect, Hercules ...and, the gods know, there are times when we irritate each other...but that's only human. Our friendship...our friendship has been one of the most important parts of both of our lives for virtually all of our lives."

"Iolaus, that's your story...and I'll even grant this may be how you really feel...but, frankly, I'm having trouble imagining this great friendship you describe...it doesn't seem that we have anything in common...for all I know, you're taking advantage of a situation to...I don't know...to get an in with the gods, maybe. How do I know that we've been friends for thirty years...how do I know you are telling me the truth...how can I believe that you are almost a part of my family?" The tone of Hercules' voice made it very clear he didn't think much of the scruffy, small man on the other side of the fire.

Iolaus had been poking the flames with a stick. Standing, he threw it into the fire, turned and stalked away from the camp, into the dark beyond the flickering circle of firelight, to the stream not far away. He leaned against a tree, arms crossed, head down....fighting his anger. Gods, he wanted to slug this guy....sanctimonious, arrogant, insulting...just plain nasty, miserable...taking slow deep breaths, Iolaus brought his anger under control. Rubbing his aching arm, he ironically registered that this jerk hadn't even asked how it was...if he needed help changing the dressing ...nothing...no concern...just hostility. 'Gods, Hercules...I miss you....' he thought.

Iolaus took another deep breath...staying mad wouldn't help anything. Turning, he returned to the fire. "Hercules," Iolaus began in a placating tone of voice, "I understand better than you know what you're going through...."

But, Hercules wasn't ready to be reasonable. He was frustrated, and angry...and scared. "Yeah, sure you do," he cut into Iolaus' words, his tone angry and sarcastic, "I'm sure you know exactly what it's like to lose your memory...to not have any idea of who you are! To have to rely on some stranger to tell you everything that has ever happened to you..."

"I know," Iolaus cut into the rant, "because, a few years ago, my memory was taken from me....I woke up beside a campfire and didn't know who or where I was...I couldn't remember anything from after I'd been a kid. After about a week, you found me, and went on and on about what great friends we were...I...well, I didn't know whether to be scared of you or to hate you. You wanted something from me that I couldn't give...you claimed a friendship I didn't feel. You were a stranger who knew more about me than I knew about myself."

Iolaus stopped, holding the eyes of his friend. "Hercules, I know exactly how you feel...about your situation...and about me....but, understand this...you're stuck with me for the next week or so. I'll do all I can to help you reclaim the pieces of your life...to help you put the puzzle of your memory back together....but, if after I've done what I can...if you still don't remember...us...our friendship...I'll leave you alone...I won't keep imposing a friendship that you no longer feel."

In spite of himself, Hercules was caught by the emotion in Iolaus' voice...it cut through his frustration and despair. Iolaus did know what it was like...Iolaus really did understand. "How was your memory 'taken' from you?"

Iolaus sat down again by the fire, turning his face aside...gods...did he really have to go into this? Looking up at Hercules, he realized that he did...that he had to share everything he could to help his friend put the pieces of his life together...Iolaus would still be lost in that other life, still wouldn't know who he was, if Herc had not come for him....had not pulled him back.

"We'd just left a village," he started, looking back into the fire, "when we heard a woman scream. We ran to help...and when we got there, we found a woman halfway along a suspension bridge over a river chasm...the bridge was falling apart and she was holding onto one side...frozen in terror. Her husband was clinging to the side of the cliff... slipping. You went after him...and I went after her. I had just taken her hand when the boards she had been standing on collapsed...I...tried to hold her...but, she kept struggling, twisting...screaming....gods, Herc," Iolaus breathed, looking up into his friend's eyes, remembered tears glistening in his eyes, his voice tight, "the poor woman was so scared...she kept begging me to not let her fall."

Iolaus looked back into the flames, swallowed hard, took a deep breath. "I couldn't get a good grip...she kept slipping...and slipping...I couldn't hold her....I...I'll never forget the look on her face...the sounds of her screams...as she fell." Iolaus paused, put his face into his hands, trying to block out the memory, the sick feeling inside. He pushed his hands through his unruly curls, wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "After that, I...I felt I needed to get away...I didn't trust myself to be able to help anyone again...I felt as if I had killed her...that if I hadn't've been there...you would have saved her."

Iolaus stared for a moment into the flames, before continuing, "So, I went off on my own...that night, Fortune found me...offered to take the memories away...but, she ended up taking away all of my memories of you...which pretty much means that she took all the memories of my whole life...if you hadn't've found me, and made her reverse the spell....well, I'd either be a criminal or dead by now...with no idea of who I had been, or of all the good we had done together." Iolaus looked back up at Hercules, "I'll...I'll always owe you for giving me my life back...then...and several other times...."

Hercules was silent for a few moments as he absorbed Iolaus' words...gods, what a terrible, tragic story. "I'm sorry," Herc said, "I didn't know...."

"Yeah, well, I guess that's the point, isn't it, you don't remember...but, I do...and even if this is the end of everything...I always will remember...and I always will be there whenever you need me. Herc, you can't help how you feel...I know it's tough...but, I gotta say, this time is even worse than the last time you lost your memory..." Iolaus paused a moment, grinning in memory, "but then, maybe not...that time, you just kept knocking me out whenever I tried to remind you of who you are! Maybe it's just your nature to be really hard to get along with whenever you can't remember anything."

"The last time?" Herc looked up in surprise, a trace of hope in his voice. If this had happened before, and he had recovered, maybe it was only a matter of time before his memories returned this time.

Iolaus grinned, nodded, "Hera made a tree fall on you, then one of her followers tried to convince you that you were a long lost prince...tried to get you to swear allegiance to Hera...." Iolaus chuckled softly in memory, "By the way, does the colour 'purple' mean anything to you?"

"Purple?"

"Well, you see, I'd been at a festival and," looking up, catching Hercules' bewildered look, Iolaus stopped, "nevermind...it's not important."

"How...how did I get my memory back that time?"

"The woman who had been forced to pretend to be your wife couldn't go on with the deception...she...she had learned to care about you. Between us, we reminded you of...of something very important to you, and it pulled you back."

Hercules had caught the uncharacteristic pause...Iolaus usually just blurted out the details of his life...what was Iolaus not telling him? "What, Iolaus...what did you remind me of?"

Hercules saw the haunted look in Iolaus' eyes and felt a chill along his spine. This was going to be bad. Iolaus looked away, trying to marshall his thoughts. Gods, how do I tell him this...tell him about his family?

"Herc," Iolaus began, "you were married...to a wonderful woman named Deianaera.... She...she was the most magnificent, incredible woman...and...the two of you loved each other desperately...completely. You had three really terrific kids, two boys and a sweet little girl...." Iolaus' voice cracked...he couldn't have loved those kids any more if they had been his own. "One night," he continued, his voice little more than a whisper, "Hera killed them...she....killed them." Iolaus took a deep breath, steadying his voice. "It was the worst thing that has ever happened to you...you almost went crazy with anger and grief....I'm sorry, Herc...I'm really sorry...." Iolaus brushed his eyes with the back of his hand.

Hercules sat silent, in shock...hearing the horror and grief in Iolaus' voice...hearing about the loss of a family he couldn't remember. How could he not remember this? How could he ever forget...? "That's why you said you would never trust Hera..." Iolaus nodded. "And, this is one of the reasons that I'm angry with my father...because he didn't save them...."

Iolaus nodded again, holding his friend's eyes... "I'm so sorry, Herc..."

Again, Hercules felt the anger burn inside of him. Anger at what the gods had done to his family... anger that he quite evidently had not been able to save them....but, the most bitter anger was because he couldn't remember them...couldn't even feel the pain of their loss. He pushed his hands through his hair, "Gods," he whispered, "I can't stand this...."

Iolaus didn't know what to say, how to make any of it easier. His heart ached for his friend. Hercules stared into the fire...he needed to find something else to talk about, something else to think about. "Iolaus," he started, remembering the morning in the slavers' camp, "Who is Anya?"

Puzzled, Iolaus looked up, "You mean that cute, little kid back in Lestos?"

"No...I mean the Anya who made her name your 'absolutely, most favourite' name."

"Oh....you heard that," Iolaus sighed softly, "....Anya was my wife. She died a long time ago, giving birth to our son."

"You have a son?"

"Not anymore...he died before he was three...he got sick and...and I couldn't save him."

Iolaus' voice was tight, and, for the first time, Hercules heard a note of despair, of anguish, held in rigid control. His own anger and frustration began to dissipate in the face of Iolaus' loss. It was hard to stay angry with someone who had shared similar losses, who understood the emptiness.

"I'm sorry, Iolaus," Hercules murmured. Iolaus nodded his acknowledgement of the empathy but remained silent. "Gods, Iolaus," Hercules whispered, "We're a sorry pair...has anything good ever happened to us?"

Iolaus smiled softly, "Oh, yeah....lots, Herc." Looking up at the bigger man, Iolaus couldn't resist adding, "If you'd been listening to me this morning, you would have heard some it."

Hercules took the shot, realized he deserved it. He'd been irritable and hard to get along with ever since that boulder had knocked him out...stolen his sense of self. But, he acknowledged to himself, finally, Iolaus didn't deserve to be the target of his anger and frustration. Iolaus had done nothing but try to help him, had been patient, had taken a lot of undeserved shots....Hercules sighed, letting the rest of the anger go. "I'm sorry, Iolaus... I've haven't been very good company...no...I've...I've been worse than that....I've been insulting and hostile...you deserve better. I've just felt so helpless...I guess, if I'm honest, I'd admit that I'm scared...and I've taken it out on you. I'm sorry."

Iolaus smiled...now, this sounded more like his old friend. "It's okay, Herc...I know it's hard. But, there's one thing I need to say...about your suggestion that maybe I hang around with you to be able to have access to the gods.....you couldn't be more wrong. The gods, all of them, have brought us nothing but trouble...and I wouldn't care if I never saw another one of those relatives of your's again."

The words were no sooner out of Iolaus' mouth when a swirling pink light lit up their campsite and resolved itself into the vision of eternal loveliness that was Aphrodite, Goddess of Love.

Iolaus took her appearance in stride, but Hercules was astounded... quite simply, he could not believe what he was seeing. He had been astonished when Aphrodite had materialized in front of them...having no memory that this was her usual behaviour...and her usual skimpy attire. At first, not realizing who she was, he had a normal reaction to the sight of a thinly clothed, devastatingly beautiful woman...then blushed furiously, and looked away, as soon as he realized he had been staring at his sister.

As usual, 'Dite wasted no time on formalities, but jumped right into the conversation.

"Whoa, Sweetcheeks! Now, that's going a bit far, doncha think? First you tell him none of us can be trusted, then you tell him I'm 'ditzy'... puleeze! and now, you're telling him that all of us are nothing but trouble!!!! Hey, Curly, I thought we were friends.....this really hurts!"

Iolaus sighed...but wasn't going to give an inch. "I thought we were friends, too, Aphrodite...I thought you were different from the rest...until last month...but now...I don't think I can ever trust you, or Artemis, again."

"Ah gee, Iolaus," Aphrodite wheedled, biting on her lip, "you know I didn't want to do it....if it had been up to me, we would have just asked you..."

"And, you were right. I would have done it for you....I would have done almost anything you might have asked of me, 'Dite..." Iolaus broke off as he glanced at Hercules, " especially this...because of what it meant to ...well, you know....but, not now...maybe not ever again....what the three of you did...to Herc...to me...." Hercules was completely lost...what were they talking about?

"Ahhh, Curly....don't say that....," 'Dite pouted in her prettiest, most alluring way...but, Iolaus wasn't buying it...shaking his head, crossing his arms, he looked away...ignoring the pout and the pleading tone. "Geez, Iolaus, you don't forgive easily, do you...." stamping one delicate foot, Aphrodite harrumphed, putting her hands on her hips, pretending frustration.

"How would you know? You've never asked me to forgive you...you've never even had the decency to apologize for what you did!" Iolaus spoke sharply, with a trace of bitterness in his voice.

Aphrodite narrowed her eyes...she liked Iolaus, but no mortal ever talked to her like that...no gods either, for that matter. "Careful, Iolaus...you're really starting to push the limits..."

That did it....Iolaus was on his feet, toe to toe with the goddess, furious, "I'm pushing the limits? Aphrodite...the three of you poisoned Herc...made me believe he was going to die....sent me on a quest for a crystal that you knew would kill me... without making that clear up front...just to manipulate me into doing what you wanted... I'm pushing the limits? ...gods, 'Dite," Iolaus' voice trembled, "how do gods define 'betrayal'?" Iolaus held her eyes for a long moment, then continued in a harsh, bitter rasp, "What you did, no friend would ever do to another..."

Iolaus held her eyes for a moment more, shaking his head. Finally, he finished in a quieter, wounded tone, "'Dite...do you have any idea how much what you did, hurts? If it had been Hera, or Ares...or even Athena on her own...I wouldn't care as much...I expect them to be completely ruthless....I just never expected you to use me that way...the whole experience made it very clear, Aphrodite, that I'm just another expendable mortal...even to you."

Hercules watched the astonishing drama play out before him. There was no doubt Aphrodite and Iolaus knew each other well, very well indeed...there was no standing on ceremony on either part...she had even flirted with him! 'Sweetcheeks'? What was that about? Iolaus had shouted at her about having sent him to be killed...castigated her about betrayal...and was obviously hurt by being treated by her as an expendable mortal.

And, he had doubted that Iolaus would know the gods....it was only too plain at this moment that he knew this goddess at least on a personal basis...very personal.

Aphrodite's hauteur had melted before the onslaught of Iolaus' honest rage...she wanted to be angry with him...wanted to blast him like she never had before...but, Iolaus had been right earlier that day...Aphrodite didn't have a mean bone in her body. She wasn't a fighter...and she liked this crazy mortal...always had. By the time he had finished, there were tears in her eyes. She'd known it was a mistake from the beginning...she'd known that he would have done it for Herc...for her...even for the world, without having to be lied to, or tricked...she had felt terrible about what they had done...and, he was right ...afterwards, she had not seen him....hadn't seen him again, in fact, until now.

The silence lengthened between them. Iolaus had turned aside after his outburst, to stare into the flames, no longer angry...just sad. He just couldn't get past what they'd done. What he hated most, if he admitted it to himself, was that, after all of these years, they still hadn't trusted him to act honourably...to do the right thing, regardless of the personal risks involved. Gradually, he realized that the silence had gone on too long... 'Dite was never this quiet. Looking back at her, he saw tears streaming down her face.... she was just standing there, biting her finger nail, looking like a lost child who's best friend had just died.

Iolaus couldn't stand it. Turning to her, he took her into his arms and hugged her, rocking her a little, as if he were, indeed, comforting a child. "Ah, 'Dite...don't cry...."

Aphrodite's quiet tears became very loud sobs. "I'm...I'm sssorry, Iolaus....I wwwish you cccould understand...yyyyou're not jjjust some mmortal...you were the only mmmortal who hhhad any chchance of success....and it was sooo important...they were aaafraid to rrrrisk asking you in cccase you rrrefused..." Aphrodite was stuttering in her distress.

"Shhh, 'Dite, it's okay....it's okay....but, next time....just ask...no more tricks...no more lies, okay?" Iolaus' voice was low.

Aphrodite calmed down, delicately dabbing the tears from her face so as to not smudge her make up. "'kay, Iolaus..." she sighed, sniffed "I just bet I look more like horse face Hera than the Goddess of Love...."

Iolaus grinned. "'Dite, 'Dite....you don't need to fish for compliments....the sparkle of tears only add to your allure...." he assured her, with only the slightest tone of teasing... she was devastating, there was no denying that!

"Really?" Aphrodite trilled, "Oh, Sweetcheeks, you always know how to make a girl feel better!" and batting her eyelashes at him, playfully flirting outrageously, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Iolaus broke up, laughing as he stepped back to a safe distance. "Now, none of that, Aphrodite! The last thing I need is Hephaestus taking exception to our friendship! Behave yourself, before you get me killed!"

"Ohhh, Hephie wouldn't kill you....but, yeah...he might hurt you a little!" Aphrodite beamed at her Sweetcheeks, he'd restored their 'friendship'. She actually blushed a little as she said, very softly, "Thank you, Curly...for everything...." And then, quick as lightning, Aphrodite whirled on Hercules, stalked toward him, shouting, "And, YOU, you big lout, how dare you treat your best friend like dirt....you have been insufferably rude, and quite unnecessarily cruel, ever since you got hit on the head!"

Hercules was stunned at the outburst, didn't know how to respond...being quietly swallowed up by the earth didn't seem to be an option. "Ummm, I just apologized..."

"Well, I would think you would, you big oaf! After all he's done for you...all the times he has died for you...."

"'Dite! STOP!" Iolaus cut in, "He doesn't know...he doesn't remember...."

"Yeah, well, he lost his memory...not his manners...you should have decked him!" Aphrodite was in a towering snit.

Iolaus snickered, "Yeah, right....like I'm going to 'deck' a guy who could break me in half!" Shaking his head, he continued, "Let it go...it doesn't matter...."

"Oh, Iolaus," Aphrodite wailed, "it does matter. I was watching...I could see that he hurt you...."

"Let it go...please...he doesn't remember me...it's not his fault...he's been hurt, 'Dite...he needs our help...yelling at him won't make anything better...." Iolaus was tired...Herc's words had hurt...and, it hurt desperately that Hercules didn't remember him....might never remember him. But, pushing him would only drive him away...and Iolaus didn't want that.

Aphrodite huffed, making a face... "Well, alright," she relented, then turned back to Hercules, "Iolaus is right, bro...I wish I could help you get your memory back...it must be kinda scary....but, just don't be so mean to him...trust me...you'll be really sorry when you remember everything later...and you already have too much tendency to guilt out...lighten up a little...it'll be okay."

Hercules nodded, "Okay," seemed like the best response in the circumstances. Aphrodite flashed him a brilliant smile, "All right! Well, guess I gotta go...Later!" and she was gone.

Seeing the look of absolute consternation on Herc's face, Iolaus broke into giggles. "She's really something, isn't she, Herc!"

Hercules half smiled, half frowned, "What was that all about? I didn't understand anything of what the two of you were talking about....fighting about. What did she, Artemis and Athena do to us that made you so...so furious?"

Iolaus waved a negligent hand, "Oh, there was all this flac going on up on Olympus...the gods were thinking of going to war....our favourite goddesses figured out how to shift the balance of power back to a peacable level, but it needed someone to get the thing that would restore the balance...it was a crystal. Anyway, they decided they wanted me to do it, but rather than just ask, they poisoned you so that they could force me to do what they wanted in return for saving your life....It was stupid and unnecessary...they should know me well enough by now...they should have just asked. It was insulting....I'm not really mad...I just don't think it should be that easy to get away with irresponsible behaviour just because they're divine."

"Iolaus, what did you mean that they knew it would kill you?" Herc asked softly.

Iolaus ran a hand through his hair, then sat down beside the fire. "It's not important now, Herc...it all worked out...everybody's fine...or at least we were, until that rock landed on your head."

"What did she mean, 'all the times he's died for you'? Iolaus...I don't understand." Herc was becoming alarmed again....how much did he not know about this man on the other side of the fire? about the past they had shared?

Iolaus smiled gently, "I know you don't, Herc...but, it's too much to go into tonight...we have the rest of our lives to catch up with all the stories...if you decide you want to hear them all. Look...you've had to take in a lot today...let's call it a night. Tomorrow, we'll arrive at the Academy...and you'll meet Jason and Lilith...they're very old, very good friends...."

Hercules gazed at Iolaus...Hercules didn't know what to make of him...he didn't seem to fit into any kind of category...and he couldn't begin to predict what he might learn next about this man who was already beginning to seem larger than life...for all of his small stature. Maybe...maybe he really was the best friend he claimed to be....and tomorrow, gods, tomorrow he had to meet more strangers who would claim friendship...who would have memories he no longer shared. Herc nodded slightly, to acknowledge Iolaus' suggestion that they turn in....laying down, he stared up at the stars...and wondered if he would ever get himself back.

"Iolaus?"

"Mmmm?"

"Why does she call you 'sweetcheeks'?"

Herc smiled when he heard the giggle erupt on the other side of the fire. "Would you believe it's because she likes my smile?"

Hercules snorted, "Yeah...sure, if you say so....g'night, Iolaus."

"'Night, Herc."

The nightmares began that night. Shards of colour and memory, disturbing images... violence...feelings of guilt...of grief. Hercules tossed in his sleep, tortured by visions that he did not understand. Faces of women, faces radiating love...and sadness. Children's voices playing, calling him. Iolaus in his arms....Iolaus broken and bleeding. Monsters he did not recognise...something with many heads....something breathing fire...the images whirled, the sounds blended in confusion....a woman's cruel laugh...a peacock feather.... Endless nightmares haunting him through the long hours until dawn.

The next morning, Hercules awoke with a headache, feeling more exhausted than when he went to sleep. Iolaus noted the haggard look, not surprised given the tossing, turning and mumbling he had observed during the night. "You had a rough night," he said. "Nightmares?"

Herc looked over at the blond....heaved a heavy sigh as he pushed his hands through his hair. "Yeah...faces, voices...monsters...all mixed up."

"Memories, Herc....memories trying to be recognized...believe it or not...the nightmares are probably a good sign."

"Great," grumbled Hercules, "just great."

Iolaus grinned.... "Well, don't worry about it now...here, I found some fruit for you...you like it better than rabbit for breakfast!"

Herc found he couldn't resist the grin...and he appreciated the thoughtfulness. "Thanks," he said... "It's a good thing you know what I like...otherwise, I could be in real trouble."

Iolaus chuckled, "Well, that's what friends are for...to know what you like...and what you need...even when you've forgotten..."

Hercules nodded, for the first time acknowledging the friendship Iolaus claimed. Gazing at the blond warrior, Hercules noticed him rub his left arm absently as he went about clearing their camp. The bandage was roughly tied, slipping a little. With a pang of shame, Hercules realized he had never once asked Iolaus how he was feeling after they had left the healer's cottage the day before.

"Uh, Iolaus, how's your arm this morning? Would you like me to change the dressing?"

Iolaus stopped stuffing his blanket into his bag, looked up in surprise...then smiled tentatively. "It's a little sore, actually...and, yeah, it would be a good idea to fix the bandage....I changed the dressing earlier, but I couldn't really wrap it properly myself....I'd appreciate the help."

"Why didn't you just ask for help?" Hercules asked as he stood beside the warrior, unwrapped the bandage, checked the wound before rewrapping it securely.

Iolaus hadn't answered...what could he say? 'I didn't ask because it was pretty clear you didn't care...' sounded petulant and childish...even if it was the reason he hadn't asked.

Noticing the silence, Hercules looked into the face of the man beside him...a face that was half turned away. "You didn't ask for help after you were hurt either...or when you were ready to collapse outside the village....Iolaus....you have to tell me when you need help...." Iolaus nodded, but, he only murmured, "Thanks," as he looked up into his friend's eyes. Was there a trace of concern there? Or did he only imagine it because he wanted his friend back so badly.

They resumed their journey shortly after. They had been passing through gently rolling hills, covered with olive trees, twisted and ancient...with the odd austere cypress standing with a certain elegant majesty on the sides of the hills. The ground around them was carpetted with flowers of every colour and description...Hercules found he liked the flaming scarlet of the wild poppies the best. The sky was a deep azure, broken by billowing white clouds, scudding before the light wind. It was peaceful and, gradually, Hercules felt his headache ease. He tried to recall the images from the night before. So many of them had been of him carrying Iolaus, holding Iolaus close to his chest.... pictures, but no emotions, no sense of what any of the images meant.

"Iolaus," Herc enquired tentatively, not sure if he wanted to ask the question...but deciding he needed to know, "can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Herc...anything."

"Are we...are we...were we...uh...more than friends?"

"Well, yeah...we were closer than brothers, Herc." Iolaus noticed that he had used the past tense...and it bothered him.

"I...ah...I meant closer than that...."

Iolaus stopped and looked up at his taller friend, his puzzlement clear on his face. "Herc, I don't know what you mean...what are you asking?"

Hercules rolled his shoulders in the oh so familiar gesture that always signalled that he was embarrassed, uncomfortable with having to say something he didn't want to say... but, had to say.

Iolaus couldn't help but grin...he knew this routine so well. "C'mon, Herc, spit it out...I can't answer if I don't know the question."

Hercules sighed, looked away toward the horizon, asked in a carefully toneless voice, "Iolaus, are we...lovers?"

Shocked, Iolaus' mouth dropped open.... Where had that come from? Then he started to laugh. Herc might not remember anything about who he was, but he was still uncomfortable talking about anything 'personal'. Underneath it all, he was still Hercules. Slightly hysterical, Iolaus couldn't stop laughing...holding his sides until he finally got himself under control. Wiping his eyes, trying to suppress the giggles that were still threatening, he shook his head "No, Herc," was all he said before he turned away and resumed walking.

Hercules didn't quite understand what had been so funny. It wasn't as if men didn't...his mind shied away from the picture that was forming there...and it wasn't like either of them was all that ugly...and, if they'd been that close for thirty years....was Iolaus telling him the truth?

"Would you tell me if we were....?"

"No," Iolaus replied, giggling and kept walking. Finally, realizing Hercules had not been kidding around and was really bothered about this, he slowed down, sighing as he turned to look up at Hercules. It was only too clear that Herc did not want to hear that they had been more than friends...that he needed to hear that there was nothing else between them. "No, Herc, if we were...lovers...I wouldn't tell you now, it wouldn't be fair...it would only be more pressure than you need...but you should know that lots of people wonder...or just assume we are...but, we aren't ....Herc...why did you ask?"

"Last night, in the nightmares, I kept seeing myself...holding you...carrying you...."

Iolaus snickered. "Yeah, well...you have had to carry me a time or two. Hercules...we have spent our lives battling monsters and warlords and mean, nasty gods....I'm only mortal...sometimes I've gotten hurt...like I did in the slavers' camp. Whenever that's happened, you have always taken care of me....that's what you were seeing in your dreams."

"Don't I ever get hurt?"

"Yeah, sure you do...like when half that mountain fell on you three days ago...and when you get hurt, I take care of you...it's what we do....we watch each others' back...we take care of one another."

Hercules nodded, beginning to understand some of what their friendship was about. "Okay," he said, with some relief, "thanks for sorting out that memory! So, who are Jason and Lilith?"

Iolaus turned back to the road and resumed walking. "When we met Jason, he was already a cadet at Chiron's Academy...he's a couple of years older than me...and, at the time, he was the Prince of Corinth. Despite all the differences between us...him a prince, you a demigod and me a thief," (Iolaus did not notice the surprised look Herc threw at him at that unconscious revelation) "we became fast friends...almost inseparable. Jason is a great guy...honest, direct...brave. After the Academy, he led a voyage on his ship, the Argo, to recover the Golden Fleece...he's the best sea captain in the world! After that, he went through a really bad time...it was terrible, Herc...his wife went mad and killed their children...it nearly destroyed Jason..."

Herc was beginning to wonder if he knew anyone who didn't have a tragic history. Gods, it was depressing...the hero business seemed to be about learning to live with sorrow and pain.

Iolaus paused, remembering those years, still regretting that they had not been better friends to Jason when he had needed them most...had not reached out to help him until he'd suffered alone too long. Iolaus sighed, "Jason had started drinking pretty hard...and had almost lost his kingdom when Hera's minions stole the Golden Fleece. Together, and with the other Argonauts, we went to get it back...he seemed to find himself again on that voyage....Anyway," Iolaus giggled, remembering, "one day, a few years back, your mother told us she was going to marry Jason." Iolaus had to laugh at the memory. Looking up at his buddy, he recounted with some glee, "You were some upset, my friend....You didn't want to think about your mother and Jason 'together'....sorry, Herc, but it was pretty funny."

Hercules threw Iolaus a poisoned look. "Iolaus...it's not fair to make fun of me when I can't defend myself...this is too one sided...and, I'm beginning to notice that you're not telling me anything 'amusing' about yourself!"

Iolaus just laughed.... "Yeah, you're right, Herc...and I'm loving every minute of it! It's not often that I have you at any disadvantage!" Giggling, he danced out of the way of a playful swipe that Herc took at him.

"You know, Iolaus....I'm beginning to suspect that you take an unholy glee in teasing me..."

Iolaus nodded and chuckled as he continued to walk... "Herc, it sounds like you're beginning to remember...."

"No...I'm just getting to know you...all over again." Hercules allowed himself a smile...well, maybe their history hadn't been only about tragedy and loss.

Iolaus smiled...they were making progress. "The wedding was quite an event...it was there that Jason announced Iphicles as his successor...and then, the ceremony was interrupted by a REALLY big, ugly, mean sea serpant...you, of course, had to jump right into it's mouth after it swallowed Jason and tear it apart from inside....all things considered, it was a very memorable day!"

Iolaus sobered as he turned back to Hercules, saying softly, "They were very happy together, Herc....I think Jason had loved your mother for a very long time...he cherished her...."

"And, then, there's Lilith...how do I describe Lilith? She was the first girl who ever entered the Academy as a cadet....she'd come after her family, and most of her village, had been destroyed by a warlord's army. Lilith never wanted to be defenceless, unable to help those she loved, again. She was the most feisty little blond you could ever imagine."

Herc cocked an amused eyebrow as he considered the small blond beside him, "Feistier than you?"

Iolaus grinned up at Herc... "Well, she had to be something to survive in an all guy battle Academy....we all got to be great friends...better friends, as it turns out, than you or I realized at the time. Jason and Lilith had a brief....liaison....and, unbeknownst to Jason, he and Lilith had a daughter, Seska. Jason only found this out a year ago."

Iolaus paused...he had not been there himself...he'd still been 'in the Light'... but, Herc had told him the story. "Jason was lost after your mother died...he didn't know what to do with himself...anyway, the short version of the story is that you asked him to take over the Academy...Seska was there as a cadet...Lilith thought it was time to tell him about her...and, well, now, most of us are hoping that he and Lilith will finally make an honest woman of her..." Iolaus gave his friend an impish grin, "DON'T tell her I said that...she'd beat me up!"

Hercules chuckled. He had to admit, Iolaus was a good story teller....the people came to life...their relationships and personalities. He was grateful...he would not feel so awkward when he met them later today.

Iolaus lapsed into silence. They were getting along better today...but he didn't want to push it by 'babbling' on too much. It all felt so fragile...he was afraid to take any chances of blowing away hope of a new friendship if the old one could never be recovered. As the silence lengthened, Hercules could not help but notice it...and realize that Iolaus was still worried about his inexcusable remarks the day before.

"Iolaus?"

"Hmmm?"

"Iolaus, I'm sorry...I was way out of line yesterday...I should have never said those things...I was just...just so ANGRY with everything, so overwhelmed with everything, your cheerfulness was driving me crazy... but, that was my problem...not your's...."

Iolaus listened as he walked, nodding slightly as he turned to face Hercules. "Thanks Herc...I understand how difficult all this is for you....but, Herc, it isn't just 'your' problem ...this is 'our' problem...and if...if I'm doing something that bothers you....I want you to tell me." He smiled slightly as he continued, "Even when we were getting along perfectly, you'd occasionally accuse me...unfairly I always thought...of babbling...and sometimes, especially if you weren't feeling well...you'd tell me to button up for a while...it's okay to say what you think...what you feel...it's not okay to wait until you're ready to explode."

Herc gazed thoughtfully at this man who was not quite a stranger...but not yet a friend. "I'll make you a deal," Herc offered.

Iolaus wondered what was coming. "A deal? What kind of deal?" he asked, feigning suspicion.

"I'll tell you what I'm thinking...feeling...if you will tell me when you're hurt... when you need help...before you're ready to collapse."

Iolaus turned away to hide his grin. This was a very good sign....Herc was anticipating that they would continue to need one another. "Well," he responded thoughtfully, as if he was mulling it over, "I'm not sure...that's a pretty hard bargain, Herc...half the time, I'm not paying enough attention to know I'm in trouble...I usually realize it right about the time my face hits the ground! Except, that is, when you're close enough to catch me!"

Hercules tried to maintain a straight face. "Take it or leave it, Iolaus...I'm not prepared to negotiate this."

Iolaus grimaced, acting as if this was a really tough decision, finally looking up at his friend with a dazzling smile and dancing eyes, "Okay...it's a deal!" Hercules laughed and draped a friendly arm around Iolaus' shoulders as they walked along the dusty road.

"So, tell me Iolaus, are you still a thief?"

Startled, Iolaus looked sharply up at his friend, and caught the twinkle in the eyes looking at him fondly. Relieved, he giggled, "Well, not unless there's no other choice...like when we're trying to break into some warlord's stronghold to steal away a captive or two!"

Hercules laughed and patted Iolaus on the shoulder. "Seriously, Iolaus...a while ago, you said you'd been a thief...I don't know you all that well...but you seem like a pretty honest guy to me...what was that all about?"

Iolaus looked away, scuffed his feet as he sauntered along the road...half glad that Herc was asking questions, wanting to know about his life...half chagrined that he had asked about the time in his life of which Iolaus was most ashamed.

"Iolaus...shouldn't I have asked..."

Iolaus looked up, quickly reassuring his friend, "No, Herc...I want you to ask for any information you want...and, if I know the answer, I promise...I'll tell you...it's not like you don't know all of this...I mean...well, you know what I mean...if you didn't have amnesia....I'm babbling, aren't I?"

"Uh huh."

Iolaus sighed. "Herc, I...I didn't have the easiest childhood. My father...well, at one point, I just had to leave home....When I hit the streets, I had nowhere to go...no money... no food...I fell in with some street kids...we stole to survive."

"Didn't we know each other then, Iolaus?"

"Uh, yeah, sure...we've been friends since you were five years old...."

"Well, then, why didn't you come to me and my mother...you said we were like family..."

Iolaus shivered unconsciously. After all these years, now, when he didn't remember anything, Herc asked the one question he'd never asked all that long time ago. At the time, he'd just been mystified, and hurt, that Iolaus had seemed to turn on him...pushing him away. But, he'd never asked why...and Iolaus had never told him.

He'd just finished telling Herc to ask anything he wanted...he'd promised to answer honestly....damn.

"Iolaus...what's wrong?"

Iolaus stretched suddenly tense muscles, rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand, as he looked into the distance. "I never told you this before, Herc...my father threatened to hurt your mother if I ever ran there for help again. He...he was kinda crazy in those days...he hated me, hated you...hated your mother 'cause she was good to me. My own mother had had to learn not to stick up for me...poor woman, it was a lot of years and a lot of bruises before she learned that lesson."

Iolaus paused, then continued in such a soft voice that Hercules had to strain to hear him. "He'd beaten me really bad that night...I couldn't stay there any longer...I knew he was going to kill me...so...I ran away...I couldn't go to you...I didn't want to risk him hurting Alcmene...and, I knew if he ever touched her...you'd kill him. I was just trouble, nothing but trouble, Herc...I had to push you away to protect you. You and your Mom had always been so good to me...I couldn't take the risk of either of you getting hurt because of me."

Iolaus turned to look at Hercules, the old pain shadowing his eyes. "I knew I'd hurt you when I pushed you away...and, after a while, I knew you thought I'd gone bad...it was the hardest..." Iolaus had to stop, pressing his lips together to stop their trembling, swallowing against the lump in his throat.

Looking away, Iolaus whispered, "But your Mom never did give up on me. When I finally got caught, she worked the deal with the magistrate to have me sent to the Academy...to give me a chance to redeem myself...to be with you again...." Iolaus turned away as his voice cracked. "Alcmene saved me, Hercules....no one had ever believed in me like she did....I spent the rest of her life trying to be the man she believed I could be, to make her proud of me...to let her know she hadn't made a mistake about me. I would have done anything for her, Herc...anything." Iolaus' shoulders shook with the ancient, deep shame and grief...and gratitude to a woman he'd loved beyond life.

Hercules had listened with an aching sorrow. Gods, what had this man suffered in his life? Iolaus faced the world with an irrepressible cheerfulness, with courage and generosity...and all the time, this pain was inside. Herc didn't know what to say. Silently, he moved close to Iolaus, put a hand on his shoulder and gently tried to pull the smaller man around to face him. Iolaus resisted...there were very few times when Herc had ever seen him cry...when anyone ever saw him cry....but, Hercules was not to be denied. When Iolaus would not turn to face him, Herc moved to stand before him, putting a hand on Iolaus' shoulder to keep him from turning away. "I'm sorry, Iolaus...gods, I'm so sorry...." and he pulled Iolaus into a tight hug...to give the comfort that had been owed so long ago.

Gradually, Iolaus pulled himself together and stepped away, out of Herc's arms. Rubbing the tears from his face, he muttered, "Sorry, Herc..."

"Why? What are you sorry for?"

Iolaus took a steadying breath. "I...uh...don't usually fall apart like that...."

"It's nothing to be sorry about...there's nothing wrong with crying Iolaus...."

Iolaus stretched his back, looked up toward the clouds, hands on his hips.... "You don't understand, Herc..." he murmured.

"Then, explain it to me."

Iolaus shook his head, faced Hercules. "My father was ashamed of me from the day I was born...called me a runt...he...slapped me around quite a bit...." Iolaus took a deep breath. "He used to taunt me...call me a crybaby...told me I'd never amount to anything...told me I was weak, that men don't cry....so, I learned, Herc...I learned not to cry."

"Iolaus....your father was a monster." Iolaus just looked away. No child deserved to be treated with such brutality. Hercules couldn't believe that he had just stood back and watched it all happen. "Did I know this, Iolaus...did I know how he treated you?"

Iolaus shook his head, murmured, "No...."

Disgusted by what he had heard, Hercules growled, "I would have beaten him until I had madehim cry...."

Iolaus snorted, a wry smile on his face as he turned back to his friend. "I know...and that's why I couldn't tell you...or you would have been the one in front of a magistrate, for assault and battery!"

Hercules smiled sadly at his companion, "Iolaus...Iolaus....have you spent your whole life protecting me?"

Iolaus flashed him his trademark impish grin, "Yeah, Herc, pretty much...." then giggled, as he carried on, "and, if you believe that, I've got some prime real estate in Atlantis to sell you...like the son of Zeus ever needed my protection!"

Herc let Iolaus deflect the discussion, let their good spirits be restored, but he began to wonder just how much Iolaus had sacrificed on his behalf...Aphrodite's words still haunted him...and so did the images from his nightmares. As, they continued on their way to the Academy, Herc would look at Iolaus from time to time, wondering, 'what did I ever do to deserve a friend like this?'

They wandered into the village of Akro around lunch time, and, spotting a tavern, Iolaus suggested they stop for lunch. Remembering Iolaus' cooking from the evening before, Hercules was only too happy to agree.

The village wasn't much...a few mean buildings around the town well. Children played in the dust of the road, running and chasing one another, whispering and giggling in their own secret language. Iolaus smiled at them as he and Herc ambled past...caught a ball that had flown over the head of one of the kids and, laughing, tossed it back to them. Herc noticed that more than one woman eyed his companion and gave him a sidelong smile. "How do you do it, Iolaus?" Herc mused.

"Do what?"

"Attract every woman within a mile radius?" Herc explained with an amused tone.

Iolaus shrugged, "It's a gift, Herc...what can I say?"

Hercules snorted and Iolaus burst into giggles...Hercules shook his head as he regarded the blond warrior...the guy was like a kid...irrepressible.

The interior of the tavern was dark and smoky from the hearth. Several rough men were standing at the bar, others were playing cards around a battered table. They all looked up with curiosity when the strangers walked in.

Iolaus and Hercules moved to the bar, neither friendly nor unfriendly in their stance and expression...Iolaus had learned that it's often best to get a sense of a strange village before being too friendly...and Herc was just naturally reserved. The man behind the bar was middleaged and looked like he ate too much of his own cooking...drank too much of his own ale. But, his round, florid face carried a welcoming smile as he asked them what he could get them.

Iolaus smiled back. "Two ales, if you please, my friend...and, could I ask what might be on the menu today?"

"Two ales it is...and we have a fine boar stew with fresh baked bread." Iolaus' grin broadened, "Great!" he responded, "two servings!" The man nodded as he put two mugs of ale on the bar. "Why don't the two of you have a seat and I'll bring your food right over." Iolaus nodded concurrance as he handed one of the mugs of ale to Hercules and, picking up the other, he turned to walk behind Hercules to an empty table in the corner. He was only about halfway across the room when the insults began.

"Cute, ain't he...all dressed up like a real warrior," murmured one lout to the delighted snickers of his cohorts.

"Yeah...the big guy must like his pretty little friend to look tough!"

Iolaus stiffened a bit, but kept walking. He was really hungry and he'd rather eat before the brawl...too often, they didn't get fed if they fought first. Hercules had caught the insults, but was watching to see how Iolaus wanted to handle it. Iolaus caught his eye, gave a slight shake of his head, took a long swallow from his ale, then sat on the stool across the table from Hercules.

The taunts were getting braver...and louder. "Well, might dress like a warrior, but sure acts like a coward!"

Iolaus sighed as he gave Hercules a long suffering look. "Everywhere we go, village idiots abound...I find it's usually best to ignore them...most of the time, they end up killing themselves laughing over what passes for humour in their empty little heads."

Hercules winced...he had a feeling that the situation was about to deteriorate rapidly. These clowns were begging for a fight and Iolaus seemed only too willing to oblige.

The taunts from the bar were turning into angry and insulted tones. "Big mouth for such a shrimp...guess he figures his big bodyguard'll protect him." Someone snickered. Hercules sighed. They really were beginning to get annoying. Iolaus shrugged. He was determined to ignore them until he had had something to eat.

The taverner brought their bowls of stew to the table...the bread might have been 'fresh' the week before...and the greasy mess in the bowls had a peculiar odor...not the savoury aroma of a well seasoned boar stew that Iolaus had been hoping to enjoy. "Here you are, boys! Enjoy!" said the man amiably as he turned back to the bar. Hercules looked at the 'stew', then looked back up at Iolaus, one eyebrow raised as much as to say, 'Do you think it's fit for human consumption?' Iolaus shrugged, picked up his spoon, took a bite...and screwed up his face. "Uuucchhh," he muttered, "I wouldn't if I were you...." as he washed the taste from his mouth with a gulp of ale.

Hercules picked up a chunk of bread and tapped it on the table...gently, lest he damage the table. "Worse than your cooking?" he asked, as if this was almost inconceivable.

"Oh yeah...trust me, Herc...you don't want to do this to your stomach. Drink up and let's get out of here."

A shadow loomed o