It had all started out so simply, Herc thought, as he reflected back on the day...couldn't have been more basic, more average....more of everything that did not include...well, everything that had happened. Worse, it was supposed to have been a fun day...relaxing, no problems, no challenges....just a great day at the beach...and look what had happened! Couldn't they ever have just a simple, uncomplicated good time? Was it the gods? bad luck? the fates? or just the wrong place at the wrong time...every time. He shook his head...and the day was only half over!
"Hey guys! Would ya hurry it up a little!!! Sun's up, air's hot...time's awasting!!! Come onnnnnn!" Iolaus shivied his friends who had been lingering over breakfast in the canteen. A day of leisure, for Iolaus, meant getting out, finding adventure, having fun....and he didn't like to waste a single second of it. Hercules and Jason, on the other hand, thought a day of leisure meant just that...no hurry, no rush...relax, no worries. Jason just rolled his eyes, but Herc couldn't resist a snicker when he caught the agonised look of frustration on his buddy's face.
"Iolaus, relax, would ya...we have all day." Herc responded, and grinned when Iolaus looked at him in dismay. "All day? Herc, it's practically noon already! Look, I've got everything we need....we just have to leave....so....let's leave already!!!"
Hercules and Jason exchanged looks that any parent of a highly active, bouncing boy would recognise... long suffering, slightly amused....ultimately indulgent. Herc cocked an eyebrow at Jason, who finally gave in and stood up. "Okay, Iolaus, calm down...we're ready to go....satisfied now?"
Iolaus just grinned...too glad that they were finally ready to leave to be insulted by the patronizing 'isn't he such a kid' routine he'd just observed. They were always giving him that...made them feel superior. Today, he didn't care so long as they would get a move on. The day was absolutely perfect! He had been looking forward to this trip to the beach for over a week...the first time this summer. When it was this hot, the only place to be was beside...or in...the water.
Herc stood as well and the three young men headed out of the canteen and toward the gate out of the Academy. "So, what does 'everything we need' consist of, Iolaus?"
"Well, let's see," reflected Iolaus as he went over the supplies he had stuffed into his bag. "There's twine and hooks for fishing...we can cut the poles on the way...you need poles to cast the hook out into the water when you're fishing on the coast." He ignored the raised eyebrows and rolling eyes of his friends...if they kept this up, he might just decide to get annoyed. "We can use our knives for digging out clams, some green apples to munch on and three skins of water...can't drink the salt stuff." The other two snorted. Like they didn't know that!
"Alright...that's IT!" Iolaus exclaimed. "If you don't want to go to the beach, why don't you just say so...I'll go on my own. Herc and Jason laughed and Jason rubbed his hand through Iolaus' unruly curls. "Gotcha!" Jason crowed. He and Hercules vastly enjoyed pulling Iolaus' chain...it never took him long to flame...and he never seemed able to get the upper hand by just ignoring them.
Annoyed, Iolaus pushed Jason's hand away and stomped through the gates. "Hey, come on, Iolaus...we're just kidding around!" cajoled Hercules as he took a quick step to catch up with his friend. Iolaus just shrugged and kept walking. Herc made a face as he looked back at Jason...Iolaus was distinctly unamused. They just didn't get it...it was hard enough to hold his own with the other cadets...even with Jason...he was a prince for Zeus' sake...everyone came from an important family, or in Herc's case, was actually related to a god...and Iolaus was only too aware that he didn't measure up, didn't belong, not when it came to those kind of credentials. When his own friends started treating him like some kind of idiot, especially in front of the other guys...well....he just didn't find it the least bit funny.
"Lighten up, Iolaus," Jason said.
"Is that a command, Your Majesty?" Iolaus sniped back.
Herc was surprised at the venom...why was Iolaus so upset? "Hey, Iolaus..."
Iolaus stopped and gave an exaggerated sigh. "Look guys, the 'let's humour the child' routine gets real old...real fast. Would ya just give me a break already? All I want to do is have a pleasant day in the hot sun beside the sea...why does that have to be such a big deal?"
Both of his friends heard the hurt tone behind the words and realized that maybe they had been ragging on him a little hard lately. Herc gave him a chagrined smile as he looped an arm around Iolaus' shoulders. "You're right, Iolaus...sorry. It is a beautiful day...let's just start over...you're not the only one who has been really looking forward to a day at the beach."
"True," Jason joined in, "So what are we doing just standing around here talking when we could be on our way?"
Iolaus rolled his eyes but couldn't help it...he recognised a peace offering when he heard it...so he snickered as he turned back toward the trail to the shore.
The coast was something more than an hour's walk from the Academy...as the sun climbed higher in the sky and the air heated like the inside of an oven, both Jason and Hercules began to appreciate why Iolaus had wanted to get an earlier start...the walk would have been a lot more pleasant in the cooler air of the dawn. However, since it was their fault they had started out so late, they figured they had better not complain. Iolaus, who tolerated the heat better than the other two, was secretly amused to see their modest suffering as they silently wiped the sweat from their brows. Maybe next time, they'd listen to him!
Finally, they climbed the last grassy knoll and looked down on the unbroken panorama of the endless sand beach, watching the foam topped waves curl over the irridescent bluegreen of the sea as they rushed to crash on the shore. Gulls bickered and played on the updraughts, and a gentle cool breeze blew in from the water. With a quick look at each other, they cast off the languor caused by the heat and raced to the water's edge. The first priority was to cool off. Stripping down to the buff, they splashed into the water, revelling in it's cool satin feel against their skin. Skinny dipping might not have been practical if there had been other people there...but it was like a private beach...they couldn't see anyone else for miles in either direction.
Laughing, they played like kids, splashing, diving, catching one another by an ankle and hauling the luckless comrade under the waves. Iolaus had only recently learned how to swim...the toughest part had been to learn to be submerged in water without panicking. He was exhilarated by the freedom of being able to join in the games...to be dunked when it was his turn....but equally revelling in his new found ability to swim under water and catch one of his friends by surprise.
Without realizing it, they had floated a fair distance from the shore and were into the deep water. The water just felt so good in the heat of the day. Jason and Iolaus were chasing one another through the waves when they heard Hercules give a strangled shout. The urgency in his voice cut through their laughter and they stopped, to tred water as they scouted the sea around them, looking for Hercules, but the waves blocked their view.
"Hercules!!" Iolaus shouted...and was alarmed to get no response. "HERCULES!! Where are you?" Jason called out. Iolaus had already decided on the direction the voice had come from and had dived beneath the foam, swimming strongly toward his friend's last known location. Fear caught in his gut...what the hell had happened? He became aware of Jason pulling ahead of him...a more practiced swimmer, Jason could move faster in the water.
It seemed like an eternity, but was only a few short minutes before they spotted Hercules floating below them, thrashing madly in the water, caught in a huge net that had wrapped around him, trapping his limbs, bearing him to the bottom. They dove in a panic, kicking hard to thrust their way faster through the water....they could see Herc weaken, the thrashing slowing until he was limp in the water. 'Noooo,' Iolaus screamed in his head as he and Jason arrived and saw that Hercules was unconscious...drowning. They each grapped a piece of the net around his arms and hauled him quickly to the surface, taking care to evade the drifting netting that threatened to capture them as well.
Just before they broke the surface, Iolaus felt, rather than saw, a black shadow on the extreme edge of his vision. Heads breaking up into the air, Jason and Iolaus gasped...their lungs had been bursting. Terror stricken, they both noticed that Hercules was not breathing. They had to get him to shore...fast!
"Go, Jason!" Iolaus screamed, "GO!!!!" Jason was the stronger swimmer....Herc's life was in his hands. Jason, needing no encouragement, nodded as he kicked toward the shore, one arm anchored around Herc's chin, holding his face above the waves. Iolaus started out after them, but was bothered by that impression of the shadow under the surface. Taking a breath, he dove to investigate...and was horror struck at what he saw. 'By the gods,' he thought... 'it's coming after us....'
Rising back to the surface, shaking his streaming hair out of his eyes, he struck out as fast as he could toward the shore, keeping himself between his friends and the behemoth under the sea. He could never have imagined it in his worst nightmares...the squid was the size of a house! Muttering imprecations as he struggled as fast as he could toward shore, he wondered if squid were meat eaters...or if they just liked to play with their food. 'Damn,' he thought, 'I just learn to swim and some monster I never would have met if I'd stayed out of the water is going to drown me! Damn...' For all the apparent self obsession on the surface of his mind, he nevertheless stopped and dove, to determine it's location, to be sure that he was still between it and his friends. He had to give Jason time to get Hercules to shore...he had to...Herc could die. Swallowing hard against the fear he felt, both for Herc and for himself, Iolaus stopped his swim toward shore and turned to face the squid. In desperation, he searched the watery world around him for a weapon of some kind...who would have thought to bring a sword skinny dipping! Damn!
The only likely weapons he spotted were some rocks on the sand below him. Kicking desperately, he dived, quickly fingered the selection and grapped two that had pointier, sharper edges. The monster was almost upon him...it was an ugly, dead white colour, bulbous body with mean red eyes, ten foot long tentacles whipping it through the water at a frightening speed. Lungs bursting, Iolaus headed back up to the light, to gulp in air...he had barely broke the surface when his legs and body were entangled by thick, brutally strong tentacles and he was dragged back under the surface.
Jason was unaware of the drama playing out under the sea behind him. In his mind was a single thought...a single purpose. He had to get Hercules to shore before many more minutes elapsed or it would be too late. Desperate, he swam as he had never swum before, cutting his way through the waves. The net around Herc created a drag, slowing him down. Sobbing with his effort, in panicked desperation, Jason struggled against the drag, kicking hard, reaching strongly with his one arm....almost there. 'Hang on, Herc!' he thought, as his feet finally, gratefully touched the sand beneath the waves. Turning, he grabbed Herc with both arms and staggered up onto the shore. Wasting no motion, no time, as soon as he was clear of the water's edge, Jason lowered Herc to the ground and twisted him onto his stomach. Ignoring the net, Jason pounded on Herc's back, trying to force him to breath, to cough up the sea water in his lungs. Getting no reaction, Jason rolled Hercules onto his back, pinched his nose and breathed into his friend's mouth... 'Come on, Hercules,' he thought in desperation, 'Breathe, damn you, breathe...'
Iolaus, caught in his own nightmare, was unaware that Jason had reached the shore. Struggling frantically, twisting, kicking, slashing out with the stones, he felt the monstrous tentacles tighten around him, threatening to squeeze out the little air he had managed to take in. The monster was dragging him farther out to sea...he had to get loose soon...but the rocks were having little effect on the leathery surface of the tentacles. This wasn't working. Lungs aching, Iolaus stopped pulling away and kicked frantically to angle in closer to the beast, trying to reach it's head...well, what passed for a head...aiming toward the eyes. As soon as he was in reach, he lashed out, driving the sharp, pointed stone into the monster's eye. The beast jerked, frenzied by the pain as blood poured from the injury. Furious, the squid tightened the tentacle surrounding its prey....Iolaus could feel it begin to crush his ribs....knew he was almost out of time... blackness was crowding in on his vision.
Suddenly, finally, distracted by it's pain and blindness, the creature loosened it's grip and Iolaus used the last of his strength to kick desperately toward the surface. Face breaking above the waves, Iolaus gasped, dragging in air...too much of which was mixed with water. Coughing and spluttering, Iolaus gagged on the water and thrashed in panic. Fighting his own instincts, he brought his panic under control, kept his head above the water and coughed out the water in his lungs. Gasping, he drew in the blessed air. Feeling a tentacle again take possession of one ankle, he gulped in one huge breath before he was again dragged under the surface.
On the beach, Jason was alternately pounding on Herc's chest, trying to force a response, and blowing air into Herc's lungs. After an eternity, Hercules gagged and Jason swiftly turned him onto his side, holding him while he vomitted up what felt like gallons of sea water. Gasping, his lungs heaving, grasping for air, he sagged back onto the sand, unconscious...but alive. Jason heaved an immense sigh of relief and reaching for the knife in one of the boots lying close to hand on the sand, he began to cut the net away from Hercules' prostrate body. It was only then Jason noticed Iolaus had not returned to shore.
Not yet feeling alarm, he turned from the net to face the water. Standing, he scanned the waves, searching for the blond head in the mass of blue and white foam. Fear began to curl in his gut when he realized that Iolaus was nowhere to be seen. "IOLAUS!!!" he shouted as he ran a few feet back into the waves... "IOLAUS!!!" Nothing. Oh gods...what had happened to Iolaus? Frantically, he splashed further into the waves, his eyes scanning anxiously for any sign...nothing. He had to fight him own impulse to jump back into the waves, to swim out blindly in search of his friend...but that was a fool's errand. Without any idea of where to look, he would only exhaust himself....Iolaus was gone. Tears blurring his eyes, he hung his head, fists clenched, he cursed Poseidon and all the denizens of the sea. "IOLAUS!!!" he screamed once more into the wind before he turned, slowly stumbled to the shore, knelt and began to cut the net away from Hercules' body.
Iolaus had just about had enough of this creature...why wouldn't it just go back to the deeps and leave him alone...well, it was going back to the deeps, dragging him with it, unfortunately. The blood streaming from the wounded eye was clouding the water around him, making it difficult to get his bearings. He pushed off other tentacles that brushed his body, unable to loosen the one around his ankle. He kicked down toward the body of the huge squid, determined to go after the other eye if the thing didn't let him go. His ribs were killing him...making it hard to swim, hard to hold his breath. Grappling with the creature, he pulled his way up and around it's body, lashing out with the rock at the one remaining eye. Blood burst beneath his hand and the squid thrashed madly, dragging him, pummeling him with its tentacles. Desperately, he kicked and pounded with the stones in his hands until finally the grip on his ankle loosened enough for him to escape. He surged up through the water, breaking the surface, again gasping in a desperate bid to fill his tortured lungs with air.
Grateful to have his head above water, Iolaus scanned the horizon. He'd been dragged, tossed and turned so much by the squid, he had lost his bearings and wasn't sure which way to head for shore. The waves rose up around him...he couldn't see the land. 'Gods,' he thought...and felt the beginnings of panic curl in his gut... 'I don't know which way to go!' Treading water, he fought to steady his breathing...his ribs hurt so bad that breathing was difficult enough without going into hyperventilation. 'Don't panic,' he lectured himself, 'If you panic, you die...breath....breath...'
Jason had just finished cutting away the last of the netting that had shrouded Herc's body and was pulling it off his friend, when Hercules moaned and thrashed. "Easy, Hercules," Jason soothed as he took hold of Herc's arm, "You're safe...you're on shore...easy..." Hercules opened his eyes, dazed for a moment until he focused on Jason. "I...what..." he started in confusion, then marshalled his thoughts, "I was caught in something...I couldn't breathe..."
"It's okay, Hercules...we got you. You got caught in an abandoned fishing net...damned thing was huge...but Iolaus and I got you to the surface...you're okay." As he said Iolaus' name, Jason's heart lurched and he had to look away, blinking back tears. Herc struggled to sit up and Jason grabbed an arm to help him. Hercules drew in a deep breath... "Thanks," he murmured, "I thought I was a goner...." Brushing the wet hair back out of his eyes, he looked past Jason and then around the shore. "Where's Iolaus?" he queried.
Jason couldn't answer...he just looked out at the water. At the lengthening silence, Hercules felt fear clutch at his heart. "Jase...where's Iolaus?" When Jason still didn't answer, Hercules grabbed his arm and pulled him around to face him. "Jason...tell me...where is he?"
Jason gestured toward the water. Forcing his eyes back up to face Hercules, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Herc...I'm so sorry...."
Hercules wouldn't understand...refused to accept what his mind told him Jason meant. Pushing himself to his feet, he headed toward the water, shrugging off the hand that grabbed his arm. "Hercules..." Jason called.
"No, Jason...NO!" Striding into the waves, Hercules raked the horizon with his eyes...he had to be out there...he had to be near by....he had to be alright.... "IOLAUS!!!!" Hercules screamed, realizing the truth. "IOLAUS!!!!!"
Jason had caught him and refused to be shook off even when Herc turned and shoved at him. "He's out there, Jason...we have to get him...Jason...."
"Hercules....stop...STOP!" Jason said in the calmest voice he could muster. "He's gone, Hercules...he's gone...."
"NOOOO!!!" Herc screamed again, "IOLAUS...." a sob rising in his chest, he whispered again to the sea, "Iolaus....no......" Jason put an arm around Hercules' shivering body and pulled him back toward shore, where they both fell to their knees, tears running down both faces as they grieved for their lost friend.
"What happened?" Herc whispered.
Jason shook his head. "I don't know...when I headed back to shore with you, he was right behind me...but he never came out of the water...."
Herc wrapped his arms around his body, curling forward to hold in the sobs that wanted to tear from his body. He shivered and was deathly pale. Jason realized that the combination of almost drowning and of losing Iolaus had driven Herc into shock. He had to get him warmed up. He grabbed Hercules clothes, and gently persuaded Hercules to put them on. Herc seemed to be in a daze...no longer completely aware of his surroundings. Jason ran up the beach and gathered up the bone dry driftwood. Returning, to Herc's side, he grabbed Herc's gauntlets and struck them together to create a spark...just as he had seen Hercules do countless times before. He built up a large fire, then sat beside Hercules, hugging him close, lending his own body heat to the mix. Gradually, the combination of the scorching sun, the blazing fire and the closeness of his friend, drove heat back into Herc's frozen, numb body. Hercules put his face into his hands, and he cried, soundless shudders wracking his body...while Jason held him, ignoring the tears that ran down his own face.
Once he got the insipient hysteria firmly under control, Iolaus realized that he couldn't get lost in broad daylight whether he was on land or in the sea. Looking up to the sky, he spotted the sun, which was still climbing from the east towards its zenith, and, from it's position, determined the direction that was most likely to take him back to shore...he turned and headed due west. He tried to swim in the smooth crawl Herc and Jason had taught him, but his ribs tightened and his body began to cramp. Not good. He stopped and treaded water gently, catching his breath. Turning onto his back, keeping his eyes on the sky to ensure he kept to a westerly direction, he kicked his way back towards shore.
Jason had dressed himself and was about to suggest, again, that they leave. It had been at least an hour since Herc had revived...there was no point in remaining here...they couldn't do anything here....They needed to get back to the Academy and get help in alerting the fishermen along the coast to watch for Iolaus' body...assuming it hadn't been taken out to sea by the current. But, Herc didn't acknowledge him, couldn't seem to accept that they would just leave...leave without Iolaus. He just sat on the shore, his head on the arms crossed over his knees. Jason sighed and rubbed his eyes. Damn it...how could this have happened? They'd been having such a good time...Iolaus had been doing really well...you could hardly tell he'd just learned to swim.
Neither young man spoke of it, but they both felt guilty. Iolaus had been deathly afraid of drowning, but they had pushed him to learn how to swim...insisted...and now....Iolaus' fears had been realized...he had drowned. Damn it...damn it all to hell. Stretching his aching muscles, Jason again let his eyes roam the sea, wondering what had happened...why Iolaus had not followed him in to shore. As he started to turn away, his gaze caught something in the water. Squinting, he stared at the waves, waiting for whatever it was to be revealed again behind the swell.
'Stupid to hope,' he told himself, 'He's gone...' But still his eyes searched the waves. Again...there...by the gods....could it be? YESSS!!!!!!! "HERCULES!!!" Jason shouted as he ran into the waves. "Hercules ...I think it's Iolaus...come on....help me!" Herc snapped his head up and lunged to his feet.
"What? WHERE??" Herc cried, hardly daring to hope.
"THERE!" shouted Jason, pointing just before he dove into the surf, with Hercules hurtling in behind him. In minutes, they had come up beside Iolaus, who was barely hanging on, exhausted, his ribs aching. Gratefully, he felt someone put an arm around his neck and begin to haul him to shore. He let himself go limp, secure in the knowledge that he was finally safe. Hercules, swimming beside, tried not to panic when he saw Iolaus stop moving, saw the closed eyes. He helped Jason drag Iolaus up onto the shore where they gently laid him on the sand.
"Iolaus?" whispered Hercules.
Iolaus blinked and looked up at the two anxious faces. Seeing that Herc was alive, his face broke into a brilliant smile...all he could think about, worry about, as he had slowly headed back to shore, was that Herc hadn't been breathing the last time he'd seen him. Hercules pulled him up into a tight hug while Jason thumped him on the back... "We thought you were dead!" Jason said, as Herc murmured, "Thank the gods you're alive!" Iolaus simply cried out in pain...between the tight hug and the thumps on his back, his ribs were protesting loudly. Shocked, Hercules loosened his grip and Jason sat back. For the first time, they noticed the blue-black bruises that covered Iolaus' body.
"What in Hades happened to you?" Jason enquired in an awed voice.
"Biggest damn squid you ever saw!" Iolaus muttered as he eased himself back onto the sand, one arm held protectively across his aching chest.
"Squid?" repeated Hercules, confused. "What squid?"
"I spotted him just as we were pulling you to the surface, Herc....he must have been in the net, dragged it away from some fisher's boat...managed to get out of it...just before it got you. I saw him head toward us and...well...I thought I should distract him...give Jason time..." Iolaus stumbled to a stop, embarrassed. For some reason, he was always uncomfortable to admit to any really brave or selfless act...seemed boastful somehow to mention it.
The other two just stared at him, realizing what he had done...what he had risked. "You fought off the squid so that Jason could save me?" Herc murmured.
Iolaus made a face... "Well, yeah...I guess...anyway...the damned thing dragged me way out to sea before I could get away from it...."
"How did you get away?" asked Jason, trying to picture the diminuative Iolaus caught in the tentacles of a monster squid...the bruises made it clear that he had been caught....and held very tightly.
"Well, I kinda poked out it's eyes with a stone....distracted him so he let me loose." Iolaus tone suggested that there had been nothing to it, really...nothing to get excited about. "Sorry it took me so long to get back...my ribs hurt and it was hard to swim."
Uncomfortable with the concerned, almost awestruck gazes that rested upon him, Iolaus gave a cheeky grin, "So...you thought I was dead....did you miss me?"
Jason snorted... "Well, not for awhile...but, then we wondered why you hadn't caught lunch."
"Yeah," mumbled Hercules, turning to look out at the water, "I love fried squid..." Turning back to Iolaus, he pretended a look of eager hopefulness. "You did haul it back with you, didn't you?"
Iolaus chuckled, "Well, hey...don't go all soft on me....I know you love me."
Jason laughed, "Just don't let it go to your head!" Iolaus started to laugh, only to gasp a bit at the pain it caused. Herc was immediately concerned.
"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, as he reached out to test Iolaus' ribs.
Iolaus brushed his hand away, "Yeah, sure, I'm fine...Don't fuss, Hercules!" Pulling himself into a sitting positon, Iolaus looked around. "So, where are the fish?" At the mystified looks on his friends faces, he protested as if shocked, "You were sitting here for what, an hour, and you didn't catch any fish????" Shaking his head in mock disgust, Iolaus scrambled to his feet and reached for his pack. "Lucky I brought the apples...I'm starving!"
The friends munched on apples, then fished for a while on the edge of the sea....but, the sun had only moved two handspans when ominous clouds began to rise over the horizon. Iolaus spotted them first. "Uh oh...looks like quite a storm is on the way...maybe we better head back." The others nodded and packed up their gear as Iolaus hastily donned his clothes...the others had just let their's steam dry on their bodies. Iolaus strung the fish they had caught together, Herc slung the bag over his shoulder and they turned and headed back up over the rise toward the forest. Once they had started walking, the others noticed that Hercules was limping....he'd been able to conceal the sharp soreness in his knee while they were lounging around the beach.
"What's with the limp, Herc?" Iolaus enquired.
"Ah, nothing serious...I musta twisted my leg in the net...my knee is a bit stiff, that's all." Reassured there was nothing to worry about, they continued on their way...but, Iolaus noticed that the limp worsened as they walked. He deliberately set an easier pace...given the tenderness of his ribs every time he took a deep breath, he didn't mind taking it slow.
Before they had hit the trees, the wind had grown from a gentle breeze to a living force that lashed them, pushing them before it's fury. The thunder growled, then cracked loudly above them as lightning flashed and the rain pelted them. It was almost a relief after the heavy, humid heat of the day. Wary, however, of being caught on open land by the lightning, they ran before the storm, heading into the shelter of the trees as quickly as they could go, with Herc's hobble and Iolaus holding his side. Standing just inside the edge of the forest, they watched the storm build, clouds towering above them, wind whipping the trees, lightning cutting jagged tears in the sky...thunder grumbling from a distant growl to an ear splitting crash above them. Shrugging against the rain, they turned and headed back toward the Academy, the trail cutting a shortcut through the forest.
They had only walked about twenty minutes, but were soaked to the skin, when they came up to the break in the forest where the road to Corinth cut through. Iolaus had spotted movement on the road and held up his hand, a gesture to the others to stop, and listen. Crouching, he moved closer to see who was in front of them. Herc and Jason looked at each other and shrugged. Iolaus was always imagining some dangerous adventure was just about to come upon them...when it was probably no more than a farmer riding a wagon into town. Still, sometimes Iolaus was right...so they cautiously followed him to a point where they too could observe what was ahead of them.
As Hercules realized what he was looking at, he stiffened. It had all started out so simply, Herc thought, as he reflected back on the day...couldn't have been more basic, more average....more of everything that did not include...well, everything that had happened. Worse, it was supposed to have been a fun day...relaxing, no problems, no challenges....just a great day at the beach...and look what had happened! First, he almost drowned and then Iolaus had been practically killed by a giant squid! Couldn't they ever just have a simple, uncomplicated good time? Was it the gods? bad luck? the fates? or just the wrong place at the wrong time...every time. He shook his head...and the day was only half over! And now look what they had found...a band of wannabe warlords...a ragtag band of fairly ordinary brigands dragging a catapult toward Corinth. What did they think they were going to do? Lay seige to the city? Why were outlaws invariably such idiots?
'Great...just great...' Iolaus thought as he watched the band slog through the mud, grunting with the effort of pulling the unwieldy and heavy machine. There had to be at least fifty of them...and here they were, no weapons, Herc limping and him having trouble even breathing easily. Sigh. Jason had been keeping a wary eye on their surroundings....there were no guarantees that all of the brigands were on the road. They watched as first the catapult and then two wagons loaded with supplies and weapons moved past. Jason barely had time to warn them before the air was split by shouting as a group of half a dozen bandits attacked them from the left. Apparently, these were part of a contingent that was keeping to the trees, watching for anyone who might get in their way.
Decisions. Decisions. Stand weaponless to face a menacing horde or run? "RUN!" shouted Iolaus as they turned to race back into the forest. Jason realized the other two could not go as fast as would be needed to get away, so he slowed, grabbed up a fallen limb the size of a staff and turned to face the advancing outlaws...determined to buy his friends some time. Academy training outclassed undisciplined thuggery any day, and he made short work of the leading four outlaws. Hercules and Iolaus had noticed that he wasn't with them and had just turned back when they saw Jason turn, ready to run after them, when his foot slipped in the mud and caught on a root hidden by the leaves. He fell heavily to the ground, winded from the shock of landing hard. In moments he was surrounded, one brigand holding a sword to his throat as the others plunged after Hercules and Iolaus. Herc was ready to head back to fight, but Iolaus could see a dozen more outlaws heading toward them from the road. Grabbing Herc's arm, he pulled him away, heading deep into the forest, quickly separating them from their hunters.
Spotting a huge rotten log, Iolaus grabbed Herc and pushed him down and underneath, following him into the makeshift shelter, obscuring their passage through the brush. He held Herc's arm hard, signalling silence. They heard the outlaws crash past, heard them hesitate, having lost sight of them. Heard them circling around, swearing in frustration at having lost the trail. After stamping about for a bit, the outlaws gave up and headed back to the main group.
Herc was furious. "Why did you stop me?" he hissed. "They've got Jason!"
"Yeah, well, we wouldn't do him much good if they got us, too...there were too many of them, Herc. You know that!" Iolaus snarled back. He didn't like leaving Jason behind anymore than Hercules did. "The question is, what do we do now?"
The partners eased themselves out from their shelter and cautiously followed the brigands back toward the road. Before long, they were close enough to hear a loud debate...one fool wanted to kill Jason and another insisted that this kid was the Prince of Corinth and would make a great hostage....if he was alive. "Let's hope the genius wins..." whispered Iolaus as they angled closer. Peering through the trees, they were able to make out the scene....one man was pushing another away from Jason as two held their friend's arms and a third kept a sword to his throat. Jason, having spotted his friends through the thickets, added his voice to the argument. "He's right...I'm Jason of Corinth...my father will pay you well for my freedom."
The shover gave the shovee a smirk and turned back to Jason. "Well, good thing you admitted it." Turning to the goons holding Jason, he ordered, "Take him to the wagons and tie him up." By the time they had Jason tied to the end of the wagon, the storm had worsened, bringing pelting rain and an early darkness. The brigands conferred briefly and decided to stop for the night not far ahead, in a clearing just off the road.
Hercules and Iolaus watched from the shelter of the forest. The rain lent them cover...and the brigands were certain two young kids were not likely to still be hanging about. They were more concerned that the two escapees would head for help. Having a royal hostage made them feel more secure...which was all to the good because it meant they would take good care of Jason.
Squatting against a tree, Iolaus looked up at Hercules. "So, what do you think? Stay and rescue Jason, defeating a plundering horde in the process, all by ourselves...or go for help at the Academy?"
Hercules made a face at Iolaus...going back to the Academy was the only sensible option...or it would have been if they weren't in the middle of a two day rest period, with all of the other cadets scattered to the four winds and even Chiron gone on personal business. They were on their own and Iolaus knew it...he was just being facetious. Iolaus grinned cheekily...the gambler in him liked long odds. Herc frowned, considering other options. "Corinth?" he suggested.
Iolaus considered the suggestion for a moment then shook his head. "Too far...it would take all night just to get there....besides, an army couldn't sneak up on them...too easy to defend against."
Herc snorted, "Whereas, we can take them by surprise..."
"Exactly!" Iolaus winked at Herc then scrambled to his feet.
"And your plan would be...." Herc enquired, with only a hint of sarcasm.
Iolaus grinned as he scanned the trees around them. "Well, some of the details are still a little sketchy..."
Herc gave a mock groan, "How did I know you would say that? So, besides the sketchy details part, what's the plan?"
Iolaus reached up to grab a long vine and tugged it from the tree it was growing upon. "Well, first we wait until they go to sleep, then we knock out the guards and rescue Jason...and then we trash their catapult before making off with their wagons."
"Just like that."
Iolaus reached for another vine before turning back to his friend. "Yeah, Herc...just like that. Unless, of course, you have a better plan?"
Herc rolled his eyes as he shook his head. Iolaus was just plain crazy. Reaching up and pulling a vine from the tree, Herc asked mildly, "How many more of these did you want?"
"Lots, Herc...lots."
While they waited for the outlaw camp to settle for the night, Herc and Iolaus tied vines together while they worked out the details of their plan. Coiling the vines like rope over their shoulders, the two young men headed out through the darkness to scout the camp. Except for the snores and the occasional mutterings of someone in a dream, there was no sound. The idiot outlaws had not even bothered to unhitch the horses from the wagons...which they had left at one end of the camp, next to the catapult. Jason was still tied to the back of the wagon loaded with weapons. They spotted the three guards...two of whom looked like they were ready to drop off into dreamland themselves. They decided Iolaus would take out the guards...he could move like a ghost whereas Herc's stiff knee made him awkward and slow.
Herc watched, tense in spite of his confidence in Iolaus, as his buddy crept around and behind the one semi-alert guard. Iolaus used a rock as a club, hitting the guard soundly on the back of his head and catching him as he fell...lowering him soundlessly to the ground. He then quickly took out the remaining two before they noticed their comrade was missing. Moving quietly around the sleeping outlaws, huddled miserably under blankets wet from the rain, Iolaus gathered up as many weapons as he could carry while he eased his way to Jason's side. Placing a hand over Jason's mouth, he held a finger to his own lips to signal silence when Jason's eyes jerked open. Jason nodded and Iolaus quietly sliced the ropes from Jason's wrists with his knife. Jason massaged life back into his numb wrists and hands while following Iolaus who had moved to meet Hercules by the catapult.
Herc had already begun to tie vines to trees...they would stretch vines across the clearing, between the sleeping brigands and the wagons, close to the ground, between ankle and knee height. Jason, catching on to the plan, took the other ends of the vines and moved across the road, tying them to trees on that side. There was now a barrier, albeit a flimsy one, between the outlaws and the wagons. Meanwhile, Iolaus had taken another coil of vines and had climbed up the side of the catapult. He firmly tied one end to the upper most bar and then silently slipped back down to the ground. Handing the other end of the vine to Hercules, Iolaus, first unhitched the team of horses attached to the supply wagon and moved them down the road. Then, he went to the head of the wagon carrying the weapons where he quietly moved up to stroke and gentle the horses, while pulling them forward, moving them slowly out of the shadow of the catapult. He winced as the axle groaned when the wheels began to turn, but kept the horses moving slowly...if anyone half woke at this point, they would hopefully think the horses were just a bit restless, munching on the grass around them. Jason had armed himself with two swords and a knife and was standing guard between Hercules and the camp of sleeping outlaws. Herc had taken the end of the vine and wrapped it around his forearms, walking back from the catapult, he reached a point where the vine was stretched tightly between him and the machine.
As soon as the wagon Iolaus was leading cleared the side of the catapult, Hercules began to pull with all his strength, until gradually the huge machine began to tilt toward him. As it tilted, Herc nodded at Jason, who quickly moved past it to stand beside Hercules...still covering him in case the outlaws woke up before they were done. Iolaus had climbed up onto the wagon and was holding the reins, waiting. Suddenly, with a painful groan of stressed wood, the catapult overbalanced and crashed down on it's side, demolishing the supply wagon that had been left in position beside it. Hercules and Jason raced to the weapons wagon and were clambering on board as the camp was coming awake in a mass of confusing shouts and curses. Iolaus whipped the reins, yelling to the horses, who needed little encouragement after having been startled by the crashing catapult and they raced down the darkened road.
Hearing the horses pelt down the road, the more alert outlaws started to chase after them, only to be tripped by the vines stretched across the clearing. As they hit the ground, and those behind them piled on top, they scrambled in the mud and confused darkness. Others groped for weapons they could not find. By the time the erstwhile conquerors of Corinth had sorted themselves out, their weapons wagon and hostage were long gone, their catapult and supply wagon were a mass of splintered wood and food stuffs soaked by rain...and most of their hand weapons were gone. Shoving and cursing one another in frustrated fury, the band of outlaws gathered up their paltry personal possessions and faded into the forest. They had no doubt that whoever had ambushed them would eventually return in full force...and they wanted to be long gone before that happened! It never occurred to them that they had been routed by a couple of kids.
Iolaus pulled the team to a halt about two miles down the road. Much as he was enjoying the escapade and the wild racing pace of the horses, trying to control them was proving to be too much strain for his bruised ribs. It was when the pain interfered with his ability to control the frenzied horses, that he decided it was time to stop. He knew he'd never be able to control them all the way to Corinth, where they were headed to alert the King to the aborted outlaw invasion...and the danger of sixty or so brigands wandering in the forests.
"Jason," Iolaus half called, half gasped, "how would you like to drive for awhile?"
Jason happily moved up to the driver's box and took the reins while Iolaus climbed down into the back, beside Hercules...who was nursing his aching knee...running and jumping into wagons was not exactly the recommended treatment for twisted ligaments. He looked up as Iolaus dropped down beside him with a muffled grunt.
"You okay, Iolaus?" he asked in concern as he saw Iolaus bend forward, holding his arms tight across his ribs.
"Yeah, I'm fine...just a little sore...no problem." Iolaus snickered as he looked back down the road they'd travelled. "Don't you love it when a plan comes together!"
Finis
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