Liar's Moon

Chapter 1: Enter An Amazon

"What's she doing here?"

Alkippe heard the whispered comments as she walked into the inn. They were nothing new, so she ignored them. Spotting the innkeeper, she moved through the crowded room and cornered him. "I want a room for the night and a meal," she demanded.

The man's eyes widened and he stammered, "C-c-certainly, Amazon! R-r-right away!" He turned and scurried away to the kitchen shouting orders.

Certain that her meal would be brought to her quickly, Alkippe swept her gaze over the rest of the room. Most of the patrons she dismissed without a second thought. A man seated in one corner caught her attention. She studied him, quickly deciding to keep an eye on him. If there was going to be any trouble, he was the most likely person to cause it.

She spotted a vacant table near the hearth and made her way there. The table's position suited her. She had a direct view of all entrances to the building and her back was protected by the wall behind her. Sitting down, she automatically repositioned her sword for easy access. She had barely gotten settled when the innkeeper returned followed by a scrawny lad carrying her meal. The man stood back and directed the boy, then setting a cup in front of her he offered ale from the jug he was carrying. When she nodded her acceptance, he filled her cup and turned away.

"Wait a minute," she growled, grabbing him by the arm. "I'm also in need of some information."

"Ahhh... Certainly! A-Anything for a c-customer," the innkeeper replied nervously. "What is it you wish to know? All my knowledge is at your command. Just let me know what you want and I'll tell you. If I don't know the answer I will do my best..."

"ENOUGH!" Alkippe interrupted the babbling man. "I want to know if Hercules has passed this way lately." She glared at the innkeeper who fidgeted anxiously.

"H-Hercules? H-He hasn't been here in a long time." When she frowned at his answer he continued in a rush, "but his friend Iolaus was here! He only left yesterday!"

"Do you know where he was going?" Alkippe wasn't happy with his answer; the information he offered about this Iolaus was only important if the man could lead her to Hercules. "Well? I'm waiting!"

"Ahh, yes, well.. he did mention something about meeting up with Hercules in Petras" The innkeeper was shaking. He breathed a sigh of relief when she finally let him go.

Alkippe watched him scurry away with a satisfied smile on her face. She turned her attention back to her meal and contemplated the news he had given her. After many months of searching it looked as if she might finally be close to Hercules, if that coward of an innkeeper was to be believed. 'If this Iolaus really is a friend of Hercules, then he might be useful too... hmm, I wonder how close they truly are?'

A cup being set on the table across from her disturbed her reverie. Without glancing up, she knew that the man from the corner had finally decided to make his move. She continued to eat as he seated himself across from her. When she gave no sign that she noticed him, he finally spoke, "Well... and what's a pretty little thing like you doing all alone?" The man's tone, along with the leer he gave her, contrived to set her teeth on edge.

She looked up, glaring at him. "I was trying to eat this slop you call food. I need no company for that!"

Alkippe heard the sounds of benches being moved and knew that those nearest her had wisely decided to take their dinners and themselves somewhere else as quickly as they could. The man was frowning at her. He obviously hadn't liked her reply. Then he grinned as a thought occurred to him. "Hey, sweet thing, if you don't like what you're eating, I can remedy that! You just come with old Sol here and he'll fix you right up!"

'Gods!' Alkippe thought, 'this would never happen at home! No man would dare speak to an Amazon that way!' Grimly she put down the fork she was using and stood up.

Sol, thinking that she was taking him up on his offer, also stood and his grin got bigger. "That's right! You just come with Sol! He'll show you a good time!" He grabbed her arm to lead her outside.

That was the final straw as far as Alkippe was concerned. She moved quickly, twisting her arm to free herself. Taking advantage of Sol’s surprise she landed a blow with her fist that sent him sprawling in the middle of the floor. Before any of the shocked villagers could move, she had her sword out and ready.

Wiping the blood from his lip, Sol got to his feet. His expression no longer solicitous. "Now that's no way to treat someone who's just tryin' to be friendly!" he growled. "Guess I'll have to learn you some manners, girl!" When he saw the sword she held, he laughed. "You think just holdin a sword is gonna scare me, girl? I bet you don't even know how ta use it!" With those words Sol sprang at her, expecting an easy victory, but Alkippe was ready for him. A hard shove toppled the table directly in his path and spread the remains of her meal on the floor. Sol slipped in the food and ended up sprawled on the overturned table. Taking a quick step to one side, Alkippe slapped him on the rear with the flat of her blade.

Enraged, Sol scrambled up and charged her again. 'This man is pathetic!' Alkippe thought as she dodged his charge and gave him a shove with her boot as he passed. Alkippe continued to toy with him for several minutes. Sol was so enraged at what she was doing to him, he would immediately scramble back to his feet and charge her again.

Finally tiring of the game Alkippe spoke, "I'll give you one last chance man.... leave! Get out of this place and I won't kill you!" Sol's only reply was to draw his knife and charge again. Alkippe caught the knife thrust on her blade and with a quick flick of her wrist sent it sailing into the watching crowd. Completing the move brought the sword into position just in time for Sol to impale himself on the blade. Grimly Alkippe pulled the sword free of his body, using a booted foot to push him off. Sol collapsed on the floor, a shocked expression on his face as death claimed him.

Stepping up to the body, Alkippe casually wiped her sword on his clothing then sheathed it. She could hear nervous whispers from the watching villagers and the rustle of clothing as many tried to make themselves scarce. Turning back to her place by the fire, Alkippe found the innkeeper hovering at her elbow.

"What do YOU want, little man?" she growled. As the innkeeper started to stutter a response, she cut him off, "Never mind! Whatever it is can wait! Just show me to my room!"

"Y-y-y-yes c-c-certainly! R-right this w-way!" the man stuttered. Alkippe followed him up the stairs and down a short corridor. The innkeeper opened a door and nervously gestured for her to enter the room.

Alkippe barely glanced at the room before nodding her acceptance. She stepped through the door then turned back to the innkeeper who was still hovering. "Well... What is it, little man?"

"Ahh.. Uhmm," the innkeeper hesitated and Alkippe had had enough.

"Spit it out or leave! I don't care which, just make it quick!" she snarled. The innkeeper paled at her tone and decided to leave well enough alone. Shaking his head, he hurried back downstairs.

Alkippe moved to the single small window the room was graced with. The window looked out onto the courtyard at the side of the inn. On the other side of the yard were the stables. To her left was a wall with a gate that lead to the front of the inn and the street. To the right was an open field. This side of the building was smooth, a straight drop to the ground with nothing to hold on to. That made the room safer if she was planning to stay. She already knew that she couldn't risk that. So now the question was how to get out.

Turning away from the window, she took her first good look at the rest of the room. She grimaced at the sight, 'It's just as well I don't plan on staying, this place is terrible.'

Besides the bed, with its moth-eaten blanket, the only other piece of furniture was a rickety chair. "That innkeeper is a crook," she muttered to herself. "How dare he charge 2 dinars for a room like this." Alkippe was thoroughly disgusted. 'If I didn't need to find Hercules, I'd teach that dog a lesson.'

Sighing with exasperation, Alkippe returned to the window. A measuring glance told her that she could drop from the window without any problem, but she would be in clear sight of anyone who looked out on the courtyard. She leaned as far out as she dared and checked for watchers. When nothing stirred for several minutes, she forced the shutters open as far as they would go.

She was going to have to remove her weapons in order to squeeze through the window, she realized. It only took a moment to reduce the ratty blanket from the bed into strips. She quickly made a bundle of her sword and bow, then lowered them to the ground. Finally she squeezed through the window and held onto the window ledge with both hands. Bracing her feet against the wall, she listened briefly for any sound of discovery, then with a hard kick she flipped herself away from the wall. Twisting in the air, she landed on her feet. Again she paused to listen. Nothing. Laughing silently to herself, she snatched up her weapons and darted off across the field.

It didn’t take Alkippe long to pick up the road to Petras again and the knowledge that she was finally on Hercules trail soothed some of her earlier annoyance. She grinned to herself when she realized that she would soon be able to work out the rest of her frustration. When the three men stepped out to block her path she was ready for them.

"Leaving so soon?" one of them questioned.

"Maybe she didn't want to stick around and make our acquaintance... after what she did to poor Sol!" another growled.

"Come on, let's teach her what happens to a girl who doesn't know her place!" the third man yelled, as he drew his sword and charged her.

Alkippe grinned. Drawing her sword, she waited for the man to reach her. She blocked his clumsy thrust and stepped aside. By this time the other two had also drawn their swords and where rushing her. She sensed the man behind her stop and turn back. Alkippe waited for the right moment and then somersaulted over the two in front of her. The move surprised them and the first man who had charged her was impaled on his friend's blade.

'One down, two to go,' she thought gleefully as she met the charge of the third man. 'This one is allowing his rage to blind him.. he'll be an easy kill!' She blocked the slash he aimed at her and quickly sent his weapon spinning across the clearing. A sweep of her blade left him lying on the ground, struggling to breathe through a severed windpipe.

There was only one left now and he circled her cautiously. He had seen what she could do and he wasn't going to make the same mistakes. She could sense the rage in him but he was keeping it under control. Alkippe smiled in satisfaction. 'Now this one just might give me some exercise!' she thought, watching him stalk her.

He was circling, slowly getting closer. Alkippe knew that when he thought he was close enough to take her by surprise he would make his move. Her anticipation grew as she realized he was also trying to tempt her into making an attack of her own by seeming to periodically drop his guard. 'Better and better,' she smiled waiting him out.

Finally he attacked, a short slashing motion which quickly changed to a thrust as soon as he saw her start to respond. Alkippe had been expecting something like that and easily blocked the thrust. She saw the surprise on his face when his trick didn't work and laughed out loud. The laughter tipped the balance and she watched as his rage took over.

He attacked furiously, raining blow after blow in quick succession. Alkippe easily blocked them all, allowing the man to wear himself out. Finally he stepped back and she could see that he had once more mastered his anger. This time she didn't wait for him to regain his courage. Following up on her last block, she stepped forward and began to fight in earnest.

She saw surprise flash across his face at her attack, and she relished the fear that swiftly replaced it as he realized she had been toying with him. He quickly became desperate as her blows became impossible for him to block. At last he panicked and backing away, turned to run. Before he had taken more than a few paces, Alkippe's knife buried itself in his back. For a long moment Alkippe stood, enjoying the sight, then she sighed and regretfully went to retrieve her knife.

"Well done, Warrior!" The deep masculine voice startled her. Spinning around, she tried to pinpoint the speaker but the growing darkness hid him well. Then a slow clapping began and a hooded figure seemed to materialize at the side of the road.

"What do you want?" Alkippe growled.

"So... you are the Amazon who has been searching for Hercules.. Yes... I think you'll do quite nicely."

Alkippe bristled, "I don't do ANYTHING nicely!"

The stranger laughed at her reply. Careful not to alarm her, he reached up and drew back his hood. He was a handsome man with black hair and eyes. He had the build of a fighter and an air of confidence that told her he was good at it. "I believe we have... a mutual goal."

The stranger held up a token and Alkippe strained to make it out. It looked familiar but she was too far away to make out the details. "What would you know of my goals?" she asked suspiciously.

"Much!" he replied. She watched warily as he approached. When he was only a few feet away, she risked another glance at the token, gasping as she made out the symbol. Lowering her sword slightly she held out her hand. He handed her the token and she examined it carefully.

Alkippe's mind raced. "Where did you get this?" she hissed.

"It has always been mine," he answered.

The token was genuine and her instincts were telling her the stranger was too. Excitement rose as she realized the gods might have answered her prayers. She studied him for a moment longer, then sheathed her sword. Slowly she nodded, "Perhaps we do have something to discuss."

Chapter 2: A Peaceful Journey

Iolaus was tired. He hadn't stopped all day in the hope that he could make Petras by nightfall. He was looking forward to seeing Hercules again, but he couldn't help wondering about the message Hercules had sent. Herc hadn't said much, just asked Iolaus to meet him in Petras in four days. Now Iolaus was wondering what the problem could be. The countryside seemed peaceful and quiet, the few people he had met unafraid. He'd heard no stories of monsters or warlords and the people seemed prosperous. Iolaus had been looking forward to a bit of adventure, now he just hoped he wouldn’t die of boredom.

His stomach growled reminding him it had been a long time since breakfast. Iolaus grimaced at the memory of that breakfast. It had barely been edible. He hoped that the inn in Petras had better food. Then he giggled and spoke to himself, "If Herc was here, he’d say that anything was better than my cooking!"

"AM NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

Iolaus’ reverie was disturbed by shouting. Curious, he picked up his pace and soon rounded a bend in the road. The sight before him brought a grin to his face. Two young boys stood there nose to nose. Neither one noticed his arrival, they were too involved in their own dispute. He could see that the argument was escalating and would soon become a brawl.

Placing his hands on his hips, Iolaus tried to look stern. He cleared his throat to catch their attention. Both boys stopped in mid shout and looked at him in surprise. "Just what is going on here?" Iolaus asked. When he got no answer from either boy he forced a frown on his face and said, "Well….?"

"It’s all his fault!" "He started it!" The two spoke at once then glared at each other.

Iolaus stifled a smile. Folding his arms he asked again, "I don’t care who started it, I want to know what this is about." When both boys only shuffled their feet and looked at the ground, he sighed "Hmmm, maybe we should just go find your folks?" At this both boys looked up with panic on their faces.

The taller boy stepped forward. "Please don’t do that!"

Iolaus frowned at him. "Then I guess you better answer my question."

For a moment both boys were silent, then the first one spoke again, "I told Darius his mother was from Atraeca and that makes him an Atraecan too."

"Am not!" Darius exclaimed glaring.

As Darius started to charge the first boy Iolaus stepped forward, grabbing the two by the shoulders. "Hey! None of that now!" With both boys glaring at each other again he continued, "What’s the matter with being from Atraeca?"

There was silence for a moment, then Darius answered, "Everyone knows that people from Atraeca are thieves and liars! Markus is lying about my mother!"

Iolaus was puzzled. Atraeca and Petras had always been friends. Once they had even joined their armies to drive off a marauding warlord. What could have happened between the two kingdoms that would cause two boys to think that being called an Atraecan was the lowest of insults? Frowning he asked, "Have either of you ever met anyone from Atraeca?" Both boys reluctantly shook their heads. "So how do you know that all Atraecans are thieves then?"

Markus burst out, "My father said he heard it from Kilos who was told by Triana who…" He trailed off as Iolaus started laughing.

Seeing the boy glaring at him Iolaus quickly stifled his laughter. "So you don’t actually know anyone who’s met a real Atraecan? All you’ve heard is stories passed from other people?" At Markus reluctant nod he continued, "What if people in Atraeca are saying that all Petrans are liars and thieves?"

"We are not!!" both boys exclaimed together.

Iolaus nodded. "Yes, but they don’t know that. They’ve only heard stories passed on by others, so what else are they to believe?"

Iolaus watched the two as they thought about what he’d said. "I guess they’d believe the stories," Darius said unhappily, "but they shouldn’t! Cause they aren’t true!"

Markus chimed in, "And I guess we shouldn’t have believed the stories either."

Iolaus smiled. "I guess you shouldn’t have."

Markus squared his shoulders and turned to Darius. "I’m sorry, Darius. Still friends?" He stuck out his hand.

Darius hesitated a moment, then smiled and took it. "Me too, Markus! Friends forever!"

Laughing Markus shouted, "Come on" and the two boys took off running.

Iolaus laughed as the two raced off and started walking towards Petras with a feeling of satisfaction. A feeling that was quickly extinguished by thoughts of the rumors currently running through Petras. ‘I wonder if those rumors are part of the reason Herc wanted me to meet him here?’ Iolaus quickened his pace, anxious now to reach Petras and find Hercules. He hoped Herc would be there waiting for him.

Chapter 3: The Price Of A Meal

Iolaus was feeling increasingly uncomfortable as he threaded his way through the crowded square. Everywhere he went people were giving him hostile, suspicious looks. The few times he’d asked directions, the answers had been short and rude. All his instincts were screaming there was something terribly wrong here. He sighed in relief when he spotted the inn Hercules had named.

The common room was quiet and dim after the bustle of the street and Iolaus paused for a moment to let his eyes adjust. He spotted the innkeeper behind the bar. The man was carefully wiping mugs and studiously ignoring him. Making his way over Iolaus smiled, "I need a room for the night and a meal."

"We’re full," the innkeeper replied gruffly without looking up from his task.

"What?" Iolaus looked around the nearly empty room in shock. "There’s hardly anyone here!"

"I said, we’re full!" The innkeeper was now glaring at him.

With the way everyone in town had been acting, Iolaus decided it might be better to sleep in the woods anyway. Staying in town, he might wake up with a knife at his throat. Sighing he looked back at the innkeeper. "All right, so what about just a meal?" Grumbling, the man finally agreed to sell him a meal and Iolaus wandered over to a table in the corner to wait.

He was beginning to wonder if he would ever get anything to eat when the innkeeper finally returned and slammed a bowl of stew in front of him. Iolaus jumped as some of the hot liquid splattered him. "Ouch! Hey, wait a minute!" he called after the hurriedly retreating innkeeper.

"You got a problem?" The man growled.

"Uh, no. Just a question." Iolaus spoke quickly before the man could turn away again. "I’m looking for a friend who’s supposed to meet me here."

"Strangers aren’t welcome here!" the innkeeper interrupted.

Iolaus muttered under his breath, "Yeah I can see that." Then louder to the innkeeper, "His name is Hercules. Maybe you’ve heard of him?"

Iolaus heard the others in the room whispering but kept his attention on the innkeeper. At Hercules’ name the hostility in the man’s face had lessened somewhat. He finally unbent enough to tell Iolaus, "He ain’t been here. I’ll tell him you was looking for him… IF he shows up." With those final words, the innkeeper hurried off leaving Iolaus with his meal and a lot of questions.

Iolaus absently took a bite of stew still puzzling over the strange actions of the townspeople. When the taste finally penetrated his distraction he reached hastily for some ale to wash it away then realized the innkeeper hadn’t brought any. With a grimace he grabbed his flask instead hoping that plain water would at least help. Belatedly he realized that his flask only contained a couple of mouthfuls. He remembered deciding not to fill it at the well in the square since he was sure he could get ale with his meal. He was about to brave the innkeeper again when a mug was placed in front of him and someone began pouring ale into it. Barely waiting until it was full, Iolaus grabbed the mug and drank. He set the now empty mug down with a sigh of relief.

A soft, feminine laugh caught his attention and he looked up to find a pretty girl holding the pitcher of ale. "Would you like more?" she asked softly.

"Uh.. yes.. p-please," he stammered.

With a smile she refilled his mug. "You must really be hungry to try to eat Kilos’ stew."

Iolaus glanced at the food in question and pushed it away with a grimace. "Well, I am hungry, but not THAT hungry!" Iolaus sat enjoying the sound of her laughter and admiring her.

Her hair was light brown and fell in waves down her back. Her soft gray eyes were sparkling with laughter as she smiled at him sympathetically. "I’m afraid that’s the best this inn has to offer since Kilos got rid of the cook."

"What’s your name?" he asked, quickly adding, "I’m Iolaus."

"Illea," she answered.

"So, Illea, why’d Kilos get rid of his cook?" Iolaus asked. Before she could answer a shout from another table called her away. Iolaus leaned back sipping his ale watching as she gracefully moved around the room serving the other patrons.

He sighed when she disappeared into the kitchen. A rumbling in his stomach reminded him of the uneaten stew and he wondered what he was going to do for food now. ‘I’m just not having any luck on this trip,’ he sighed to himself. ‘This makes two places in a row with lousy food and here I don’t even get a bed for the night.’ He wondered what was keeping Hercules. He was trying to come up with some answers when he heard a soft cry followed by a crash and jeering laughter. Iolaus looked up to see Illea on the floor. The pitcher she had been carrying was lying next to her in pieces with ale pooling around it. Iolaus stood to go to her but before he had taken a step the innkeeper was there.

Loudly berating her, Kilos reached down and grabbed Illea’s arm dragging her to her feet. "Stupid wench! That’s 10 dinars worth of good ale ruined!! Can’t you do anything right?" Ignoring her protests he continued, "You’re going to pay for every drop of that ale and the pitcher too! I’ll not be giving you another coin until it’s paid in full!!"

Illea gasped at the threat, "NO, please Kilos! You can’t! How will I live?"

Frowning, Iolaus started to speak but was interrupted by one of the men who had been laughing. "Now don’t you worry yourself bout that, Illea. We’ll take care of you, won’t we, Kalim?" Leering at her, the man pulled out a pouch. "We’ll pay your debt to old Kilos here. Then you can come with us and we’ll have ourselves a private party." Illea shrank away from the man as he reached for her.

"I don’t think so!" Iolaus said grimly as he grabbed the man’s wrist.

Startled the man snarled at him, "Stay out of this, stranger, if you know what’s good for you!"

"Not unless the lady asks me too," Iolaus replied. "Well, Illea? Do you want to go with these two?"

"No," she whispered.

Satisfied, Iolaus looked at the ruffian. "You heard the lady, she isn’t interested." Illea’s gasp was the only warning Iolaus had. Without a second thought he threw himself forward, rolling and coming back to his feet. Iolaus could see the dagger Kalim had thrown quivering in the post immediately behind where he had just been standing.

Kalim was on his feet cursing. "Get him, Malin!" he shouted as he charged Iolaus.

Iolaus lashed out with a quick kick that sent Kalim stumbling back towards the bar. He turned his attention back to Malin just in time to see the knife aimed at his belly. Hopping backwards, he barely managed to avoid the slash. Cautiously he waited for Malin’s next move. He didn’t have to wait long. As Malin lunged towards him, Iolaus stepped to the side and caught his wrist. An elbow in the stomach caused Malin to drop the knife and a fist to the jaw left him passed out on the floor. Iolaus senses warned him that someone was sneaking up behind him. He heard a large crash, which was quickly followed by a groan and a thud. He spun around to see Illea standing over Kalim who was unconscious on the floor. In her hands were the remnants of another pitcher.

Grinning at Illea he said, "Thanks! You’re pretty good with a pitcher!"

"Pretty good at breaking them you mean!" Kilos interrupted. "You owe me for that one too, Illea! You’re lucky there wasn’t any more damage or I’d hold you responsible for that too!!" Glaring at Illea he continued, "You stupid girl, you should have gone with those two and been grateful!"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Iolaus interrupted. "Illea doesn’t have to go with anyone, if she doesn’t want too!"

Kilos turned to glare at Iolaus. "Are you some kind of troublemaker? She already owed me money from some of her previous accidents! Now the stupid wench has passed up an opportunity to pay me back for some of it!" Kilos raised his hand to strike Illea who cowered away from him.

Grimly Iolaus caught the innkeepers arm, when the enraged man turned to him, he asked, "How much?"

"What?"

Kilos gaped at him in shock as Iolaus repeated his question, "How much does she owe you?"

As the sense of Iolaus’ question sank in, Kilos’ eyes took on a crafty look. "Well, now… This little escapade today has cost me nearly 10 dinars." When Iolaus didn’t voice a protest at the amount, he continued, "Added to what she owed me before, I’d say it’s close to 30 dinars now!"

Iolaus winced at the amount but reached for his pouch. "No, Iolaus, I can’t let you do this," Illea protested, laying a hand on his arm.

"If it gets you free of him it’s worth it, Illea." He started counting out the coins to Kilos who watched greedily. Before he handed Kilos the money, he glanced around the room making sure there were witnesses. "I’m paying off Illea’s debt with this, right, Kilos? She won’t owe you anything else."

"Yes, yes, yes… her debt is paid in full!" Kilos agreed as he quickly snatched the money from Iolaus’ hand.

Grimacing at the man’s greed, Iolaus turned back to Illea, "You wont have to worry about Kilos or men like Kalim and Malin anymore, Illea."

He was surprised when she shyly dropped her eyes and asked, "How am I going to repay you, Iolaus?"

As he stared at her a blush spread across her cheeks. It finally dawned on him what she was expecting. "Ah… Uhmm…. You don’t have to repay me, Illea!" When she looked up startled, he continued, "Consider it a gift." He smiled encouragingly at her and she finally returned a tentative smile of her own. "There is one thing you can do for me though," Iolaus spoke without thinking. When he saw the look on her face he hurried to explain, "Tell me where I can find a decent meal and a place to stay?"

Illea stared at him for a moment and then nodded saying softly, "I’ll take you there." Iolaus grinned. Quickly snatching his flask from the table he gestured for her to lead the way.

Night was falling and fewer people were on the streets as Iolaus followed Illea through the town. As the walk became longer he saw fewer shops and inns. Puzzled, he asked, "Is it very much farther, Illea?"

"No, just a few more paces," she smiled at him as she lead the way down a narrow side street. Within a few moments she was opening the door to a small rundown cottage. Curious about what type of inn would be so small he followed her inside.

A quick glance told him that this was someone’s home and he immediately knew who it had to belong to. "Uhh.. I, uhm, thought you were going to.. uh.. show me another.. ahh.. inn?"

Illea turned to him and smiled, "You said you wanted a decent meal and a place to spend the night." When he nodded nervously, she continued, "I owe you so much, Iolaus, at least let me fix you a meal and give you a place to stay for the night."

"Well, uh, maybe just the meal," Iolaus hesitantly agreed. "You don’t have to go to all this trouble, really."

"It’s the least I can do, Iolaus. Just let me get a fire going and then I’ll start the meal." Illea picked up a small bundle of wood and started laying a fire as she spoke.

"Here, let me do that!" Iolaus offered, glad to find something to help with. He heard her moving around on the other side of the room but forced himself to concentrate on the fire.

"I’ll be right back. I need to get some water from the well." She slipped out the door before he could respond. Iolaus finished building the fire then stood up surveying the room. The place was tiny. Only a single room but it was clean and neat. Here and there he could see clumsy attempts at repairs.

His scrutiny was interrupted by Illea’s return from the well. She smiled at him and gestured to the lone chair. "Sit and rest, Iolaus. You must be tired from your journey."

"Can’t I help you with anything?" he asked.

"No, this won’t take long." She paused as a thought occurred to her, "I’m afraid I’m not used to having company. I forgot to ask if you would like something to drink!" When he started to protest that water would be fine, she shushed him and opened a small wooden trunk. "Ahhh, I thought I still had this." She turned to him smiling triumphantly and held up a flask of wine.

"You don’t need to do this, Illea!" Iolaus tried to protest again, "You were saving that for something important, weren’t you?"

He caught a glimpse of sadness on her face before she quickly turned away. "Maybe I was saving it for you."

She kept her back to him to discourage further conversation. Retrieving two cups from another box she set them on the worktable in front of her. Iolaus couldn’t see what she was doing and briefly wondered why she was taking so long to pour the wine. A moment later he forgot everything else as she offered him the cup of wine. As she turned back to her table he asked, "Aren’t you going to have any?"

She looked around, glancing first at his un-tasted wine and then smiling at him. "I will in a moment. I want to get your meal started first." She paused, "Go ahead and drink, Iolaus, this wont take long. I promise."

"If you’re sure." He took a small sip to placate her.

She was true to her word and quickly set a small pot to cook over the fire. Iolaus doubted there was any meat in it but anything would be better than what he’d been served at the inn. She sat on the small bench across from him. Iolaus was curious about her and tried to draw her out. She deftly avoided revealing much about herself, instead turning the tables on him. Before he knew it, he was telling her about Hercules and their adventures together.

The time passed quickly. He hadn’t realized how much until she checked the pot and announced that it was finished. He was leaning forward to help her lift the pot from the fire when the room suddenly whirled.

When the room finally settled again he found himself back in his chair with Illea staring at him in concern. "I’m all right," he hastily assured her. "Just a little too much wine on an empty stomach!"

"You’re sure?" she asked, worry still evident in her tone.

"Yes," he smiled, "but no more wine for me until I’ve eaten." He could tell she wasn’t completely reassured but she didn’t say anything else as she fetched a bowl and spoon. She quickly filled the bowl with stew and handed it to him. The aroma made his mouth water. He took a bite and was pleased to find that it tasted even better than it smelled. He smiled at Illea. "This is wonderful!" She returned his smile with relief and some of the anxiety in her expression disappeared.

Iolaus quickly finished what she had given him. She took the bowl from him and filled it again. He started to eat more slowly this time, then realized that she wasn’t joining him. "Aren’t you going to have any?" he asked.

"I’m not hungry right now," Illea replied evasively.

Before she could stop him, he leaned forward and tilted the pot to see the contents. "You didn’t keep anything for yourself!" he exclaimed holding the bowl out to her.

"No, please eat," she said pushing it back towards him. "I don’t need very much, besides I ate at the inn earlier." He tried to argue with her but she was adamant. Finally he gave in promising himself that he would go hunting and bring her some meat to replace the food he was eating.

With his hunger assuaged, Iolaus was content to watch as she busied herself cleaning up. As she finished he shook himself awake realizing it was time for him to leave. He tried to stand. The next thing he knew, Illea was supporting him and guiding him towards the bed in the corner. He tried to protest but his attempt to stand on his own resulted in another dizzy spell that nearly caused him to pass out. He was grateful when they reached the bed and he could sit down. He opened his eyes briefly and quickly shut them again, groaning. He felt Illea’s hands pushing him down and lay back without protest. He vaguely felt her remove his boots and cover him with a blanket before he passed out.

Iolaus awoke with a pounding head. Sitting up he rubbed his temples and tried to remember where he was. The small room seemed familiar but the pain in his head was interfering with his ability to concentrate. A few moments of fumbling produced his boots and he managed to get them on without passing out. Groaning, he sat there for a moment trying to decide if getting up would be worth it. Then he remembered that Herc was supposed to be waiting for him and forced himself to move. He managed to find the door but the flood of sunlight when he opened it sent a shaft of pain through his head and he had to hold on to the door just to keep himself upright.

After a while the pain lessened and he was able to stand on his own. ‘That must have been some wine,’ Iolaus thought, ‘if only one glass can produce a hangover like this.’ Pleased with himself for remembering the wine, Iolaus started off down the narrow street. "Now if I can only remember the way back to the inn," he muttered under his breath. Reaching the end of the street he paused and tried to figure out which way to go next.

A tug on his vest caught his attention and he looked down to see the two boys he’d met outside of town yesterday. "Hello," Iolaus grinned at them. "Not fighting again I hope?"

"No." The taller boy, Markus, grinned back at him.

"Glad to hear it." Iolaus smiled and turned his attention back to studying the street. Another tug brought his attention back to the boys. "Something I can do for you?"

"Who are you looking for?" Markus asked curiously.

"I’m not looking for anyone right now. I’m trying to remember how to get back to the inn," Iolaus told him.

"Why would you want to do that?" Darius asked.

Grinning, Iolaus looked at the two boys. "Do you always ask so many questions?" Both boys nodded.

Markus grinned back at Iolaus. "We can show you how to get to the inn. Come on! It’s this way!" The two boys took off down the street. Iolaus hesitated, then started after them, hoping that the pounding in his head wouldn’t get any worse.

Iolaus had just realized he had lost sight of the boys in the crowd, when he felt another tug on his vest. "You’re not very good at following, are you?" Darius asked frowning. Iolaus started to laugh then sobered quickly as pain shot through his head.

"What’s the matter, mister?" Markus asked with concern.

"Oh, my head aches that’s all. Nothing serious," Iolaus quickly reassured them. "And my name is Iolaus," he continued with a smile. Both boys grinned and Darius grabbed his hand to lead him to the inn.

Iolaus breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted the inn. It would be good to be out of the bright sun for a while. He really hoped that Herc would be waiting for him this time. His hopes were shattered when he entered the inn, there was no sign of Hercules anywhere. Kilos glanced up and frowned as he came in. "Back again, huh?"

Iolaus sighed at his tone and replied, "I’m still waiting for my friend to join me."

"Ah, yes! That’s right! You’re a friend of the mighty Hercules and he’s going to be coming to my humble inn!" Kilos sneered.

Before Iolaus could comment, an awestruck Darius asked, "You know Hercules?"

Grinning, Iolaus looked down at Darius, "Yea, I’m his best friend." He was surprised to see a look of disappointment appear on the boy’s face at this.

Before he could ask what was wrong, Marcus grabbed Darius by the arm and pulled him away saying, "Come on, we’re going to be late!" Iolaus called his thanks after the retreating pair. With a sigh he turned back to the surly innkeeper.

Kilos was frowning suspiciously at him. ‘What is with these people?’ Iolaus wondered to himself. Shaking his head, he headed for the table he had occupied yesterday. He started to ask for a meal, but quickly stopped himself and asked for some ale instead. As Kilos grudgingly brought him ale, Iolaus tried to figure out what was going on in Petras. ‘What could have happened here?’ Lost in his thoughts Iolaus didn’t pay much attention to anyone else in the room. He was startled when a familiar voice greeted him, "Hello, Iolaus. Did you find a place to stay last night?"

Puzzled, he looked up to see if Illea was teasing him. "You know I did, Illea."

"Now how would I know a thing like that," she asked curiously.

Iolaus looked at her questioningly. "You don’t remember feeding me dinner? I wanted to thank you for it and for taking care of me last night."

Iolaus was shocked when she dumped the pitcher of ale over his head. "Wh.. What was that for?"

"How dare you say such things!!" Illea cried and then took off into the kitchen.

"Illea, wait!" Wiping the ale from his eyes Iolaus hastened to follow her but was stopped by Kilos blocking his path. Before he could say anything, Kilos and another man had grabbed him by back of his vest and where hauling him towards the door.

"That’s enough from you! I knew you were a troublemaker! You go wait for your friend somewhere else and stay out of my inn!!" Kilos shouted as he shoved Iolaus out the door and then slammed it shut.

Iolaus stared in shock at the closed door, wondering what he had done. The sound of familiar laughter made him groan. "It’s about time you showed up!"

Chapter 4: Old Friends Meet Again

Hercules looked down at his friend and couldn’t help laughing. Iolaus was soaking wet and staring at the door of the inn with the most perplexed look on his face. "Bad day?" he asked, reaching down to help Iolaus to his feet.

"You could say that," Iolaus replied grimacing.

"So when did you decide to use ale to bathe with?" Hercules asked, trying very hard not to smile.

"I didn’t!" Iolaus was indignant. "She dumped a pitcher on me."

"I should have known," Hercules muttered under his breath.

"What?" Iolaus was getting a bit peevish.

"Nothing," Hercules replied. "Come on, lets go get you cleaned up!" Clapping a hand on Iolaus’ shoulder Hercules started for the door to the inn.

"Uhh. Herc, I think we better find somewhere else."

Surprised by Iolaus’ reluctance, Herc sighed. "Maybe you better tell me what’s going on." He paused eyeing Iolaus, "there’s a small lake just outside of town, you can clean up there."

"You gave him the potion?" Alkippe was startled by Ares’ sudden appearance.

"Yes," she replied, determined not to let him know he’d surprised her, "and I’ve made sure that he will receive more doses as we discussed."

"Good, good.. the more he consumes, the more I will have him in my power," Ares gloated.

"And what about Hercules?" Alkippe interrupted impatiently, "when do I get my revenge?"

"Soon, my dear Amazon, soon… His suffering has already begun though he isn’t aware of it yet."

"I want to see him suffer as he has caused me to suffer and then I want him to die," Alkippe hissed, unsatisfied with Ares’ answer.

"That’s what I like about you, my dear," Ares laughed and then sobered. "Don’t worry, Alkippe, Hercules will suffer and you will be there to see it, I promise."

The walk back to the lake had taken a bit longer than Hercules had thought it would. The mid-afternoon sun was now blazing down out of a cloudless sky, pleased that he'd managed to find a shady spot under a large tree. A very comfortable spot to relax amid the rocky, unforgiving terrain around the lake. With a sigh, he settled himself against the wide trunk and allowed his eyes to close as he waited.

Nearby he could hear Iolaus splashing about trying to get the smell of ale off himself and his clothes. He chuckled quietly remembering the sight of Iolaus with ale dripping into his eyes and a stupefied expression on his face. His friend had told him the sorry tale on the way and he could only wonder at Iolaus’ luck. Hearing Iolaus returning, Hercules opened his eyes then burst out laughing.

Iolaus was carrying his boots, his waterlogged vest thrown over one arm. Out of consideration for his bare feet, he was trying to be careful where he stepped. This task was made harder by the fact that he had washed his pants and then decided to wear them without waiting for them to dry. The soaking wet leather was obviously uncomfortable and Iolaus kept twitching as he walked.

Hercules roared when Iolaus, annoyed at the way the leather was chaffing, tried to adjust his pants in mid stride and forgot to watch where he stepped. Iolaus howled in pain when his foot landed on a sharp rock and started hopping about on one foot. All the hopping about was making the situation with his pants worse. Hercules couldn’t tell which was bothering Iolaus more, the pants or his foot.

Finally Iolaus made it to the grassy area where Hercules was sitting. Glaring at Hercules, who was still shaking with helpless mirth, he threw his boots and vest down. "I’m glad you’re enjoying the show, Hercules!"

Grinning up at his scowling friend, Hercules tried to get his laughter under control. "I’m sorry, Iolaus. I wasn’t expecting your performance… What do you call that dance of yours, anyway?" Hercules met Iolaus gaze, willing his friend to see the fun and forget his annoyance. Finally, Iolaus sighed and collapsed on the grass beside him.

Herc’s laughter faded quickly as Iolaus put his chin in his hand and started disconsolately picking at the grass. "What’s wrong, Iolaus?" he asked in concern.

Heaving another sigh, Iolaus looked up. "I don’t understand it, Herc. What did I do?" Herc could read the depths of his friend's confusion and sadness in the clear blue eyes that met his. Shaking his head, Hercules wished that he had better words of comfort to offer.

"You say this girl dumped a pitcher of ale on you when you thanked her for the meal she’d given you the night before?" he asked trying to get a clearer picture of what had happened.

"Yeah… I swear, Herc, I only thanked her.." Iolaus shook his head.

Hercules thought of all the strange occurrences he had seen on his own visit to Atraeca and the journey to Petras. Most of Iolaus’ story matched what he’d seen. The once friendly outgoing people of this region had become sullen and hostile, suspicious of strangers and quick to take offense. Every instinct was telling him that something was wrong, but he couldn’t quite figure out the source. "I don’t think it was you, Iolaus.. I saw the same type of thing in Atraeca.. People were taking offense over the slightest thing. Letting their tempers get out of control." Hercules sighed. "Something is really wrong in this region."

"So what are we going to do about it, Herc?" Iolaus questioned him.

He frowned slightly as he considered their options. "Well, I’d thought about talking to people in Petras, but…" Hercules glanced at the position of the sun and did some quick calculations, "it would be late by the time we made it back to town. We might as well make camp here and get an early start in the morning." Hercules glanced at his best friend and couldn’t resist teasing him a bit, "besides, we don’t have a place to stay in Petras, since you’ve managed to get us kicked out of the only decent inn."

"Whaaa.. I did not.. it was…" Iolaus sputtered indignantly. Hercules laughed as Iolaus fell for his goad, his heart lifting when his friend's laughter joined his a moment later.

"I owe you for that one Herc," Iolaus teasingly threatened him, then sobering a bit added, "I’ll go see if I can find something for dinner." Grabbing his boots Iolaus quickly pulled them on and stood. Mischief shone in his eyes as he taunted, "If you think you can get a fire going by the time I get back, I’ll even cook it for you." Serenely ignoring Hercules’ protest that he would do the cooking Iolaus headed into the surrounding forest.

Hercules sighed as he watched Iolaus quickly disappear, deeply glad of his presence here. It was so good to be able to relax again. He hadn’t realized how much the suspicions and hostility of the people here had been bothering him.

The conversation had come full circle over dinner, with Hercules filling Iolaus in on all that had happened to him since their last meeting. "So that’s why you asked me to meet you in Petras?" Iolaus asked as he idly poked at the dying remnants of their fire. "You think one of the gods could be stirring up trouble again?"

"I don’t know, Iolaus.. These two kingdoms are nearly ready to go to war with each other and neither side can say over what. If that isn’t the work of the gods……" Hercules let the words trail off, wondering if Iolaus would come to the same conclusion he had.

"Ares," Iolaus stated with grim certainty. "It has to be Ares.. who else would stand to gain from starting a war? But why?"

Hercules sighed. "Why do the gods do anything, Iolaus? I’m sure Ares has his reasons."

"Don’t worry, Herc, now that I’m here Ares wont stand a chance." Herc laughed at the boast, watching as Iolaus saluted him with his flask before taking another drink. "Are you sure you don’t want any of this ale, Herc?"

"No thanks, I’ll stick to plain water." Hercules grimaced and then smiled ruefully at his friend.

Iolaus returned his smile. "You don’t know what you’re missing, Herc."

"I’ll remind you of that when you’re complaining about your head in the morning!" Hercules laughed.

The laughter quickly gave way to concern when Iolaus only laughed half-heartedly at the joke. "Is something wrong, Iolaus?"

"No…" Iolaus shook himself out of his thoughts and smiled at Hercules. "No, everything’s fine, Herc."

Hercules could tell that it wasn’t. Something was troubling Iolaus. ‘My friend,’ Hercules thought with a shake of his head, ‘you are the world’s worst liar.’ Still, he wouldn’t press Iolaus about it. He knew Iolaus would come to him eventually. He always did.

"So, Herc.. what are we going to do about this mess?"

Hercules set aside his worries for his friend and turned his attention back to the problem at hand. "If Ares is involved, then there must be more to this than just getting the two sides arguing. I’m betting that he has an army hidden somewhere near here. He’s just waiting for the right time to attack," he finished grimly.

Iolaus listened thoughtfully and then nodded agreement. "Yeah.. with the two shides fightin’ he could bring in his army an take over ‘fore they knew what was happening."

Hercules looked at Iolaus in surprise at the slurring in his voice, he hadn’t thought that Iolaus had consumed that much ale. As he watched, Iolaus took another drink and continued, "So what we need ish to fine where he’sh keeping thish army." Iolaus didn’t seem to notice Hercules' concern as he followed his train of thought. "As ‘spishous as folks round here are, that should be easy. We jus’ have’t ta ask ‘bout shtrangers."

As Iolaus took another drink from the flask, Hercules couldn’t take it any longer. "Don’t you think you’ve had enough of that, Iolaus?"

"Whaa?" Iolaus stared at him surprise. "Whash the matter? I haven had all tha’ mush…" Holding up the flask he shook it. "Shee.. still got’s lots lef’."

Gently, Hercules took the flask away and re-corked it. "Then that must be some strong ale, my friend, since you are plastered."

Iolaus straightened up indignantly. "Am not.. would take more than thish lil’ bit!"

"Right, sure, Iolaus.. whatever you say.." Hercules tried to pacify his friend. "Why don’t we both try to get some sleep now? ok? We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Oh yesh.. got’s to catsh a god t’morrow." Iolaus giggled as he lay down.

With a sigh, Hercules returned to his own bedroll, concern for his friend foremost in his thoughts. Something had happened to the hunter and he believed Iolaus needed to talk about it. He decided that he was going to get to the bottom of it in the morning when Iolaus was more coherent.

Despite his concerns Hercules had begun to drift off when a sudden giggle from Iolaus roused him. "Hey, Herc? Ya member tha’ time with Aferdite?"

Hercules was puzzled. "Of course I do, Iolaus, why?"

"Oh nushin’ really.. wuz jush thinkin’ how funny it wash…" Iolaus’ voice became fainter as sleep started to claim him.

"Funny.. in what way, Iolaus?" Hercules wondered where Iolaus was going with this line of thought.

"Ohh.. tha’ girl who kep’ fall’n for ya ever time.. ya wash holdin’ tha’ apple… she really.. had ya… runnin’…."

"WHAT?" Hercules sat up, starring at his friend. "What are you talking about, Iolaus? You were the one she was chasing." He waited impatiently for Iolaus to respond. "Iolaus?… Iolaus?" The only response he got was a long loud snore.

With a frustrated sigh Hercules lay back down, his thoughts whirling in confusion. He knew Iolaus remembered quite well what had happened with Aphrodite and that blasted apple. The incident had made Iolaus very wary of any dealings with her for a long time. So why had he brought it up now? And why had he gotten their roles reversed? Hercules worried at those questions for a long time but couldn’t find a rational explanation. Finally he convinced himself that the whole thing had been caused by the amount of ale Iolaus had consumed. Relieved to have at least one mystery solved to his satisfaction, Hercules relaxed and soon drifted off to sleep.

"IOLAUS! NOOOOOO!" Hercules screamed as he bolted upright, one hand held out as if to ward off the blow. Still held in the remnants of the dream, he was vaguely aware of Iolaus thrashing about close by, frantically calling his name. He sat there shivering, his mind relentlessly replaying those final moments.

Hands on his shoulders shaking him and the desperation in the voice calling his name finally brought him all the way back. The early morning sun shone directly in his face and he realized it had only been a dream. As his eyes refocused he met Iolaus' concerned gaze. Managing a shaky smile, he tried to reassure his worried friend. "It’s alright, Iolaus, it was just a nightmare." He could tell his friend wasn’t entirely convinced as Iolaus opened his mouth to say something and shook his head. Whatever Iolaus was about to say was replaced by a moan as the result of his indulgence the previous evening made itself known. Hercules couldn’t help the relieved chuckle that escaped him at his friend's plight. In a way he was grateful. He wasn’t ready to talk about the nightmare with Iolaus and the hangover would keep his friend preoccupied for a while.

Iolaus glared at him through the pain. "It’s not that funny, Herc!" he whispered hoarsely. "You wake me up screaming, so that I think we’re under attack… Now you sit here and laugh at me… I swear, Herc!"

Iolaus grimaced and covered his ears as Herc began laughing in earnest. "Iolaus, you’re the only man I know who can babble with a hangover!"

"Oh sure, right.. fine.. go ahead and laugh!" Iolaus glared at him. "But could you please be a bit quieter about it?" With one final glare Iolaus climbed to his feet and shakily made his way down towards the lake.

Hercules shook his head, his laughter fading as the memory of his nightmare returned. He didn’t understand it at all, why would he dream that Iolaus would kill him? The nightmare images had seemed so real.. the feelings had been so intense. He had known that Iolaus was trapped behind that door. He’d heard him calling out for help, and yet, the man he’d been fighting was Iolaus as well. It didn’t make sense!

"Hercules, get a grip! Of course it doesn’t make sense! It’s a dream!" Hercules scolded himself. "It was probably caused by going to sleep worrying over Iolaus. Add in all the other stuff that’s going on around here and you’ve got all the ingredients for a nightmare." His head knew that this was all it was, but his gut was still insisting it had been real. "Enough.. make yourself useful!" Annoyed with himself for letting a nightmare get to him, Hercules decided to find something for breakfast. "Maybe Iolaus will feel like telling me what was bothering him yesterday." A loud yelp drew his attention. He grinned when he saw Iolaus had reached the lake and dunked his head in the icy water. With a last smile at his friend he went looking for breakfast.

His foray after food hadn’t been extremely successful but it had helped to clear the last shadows of the nightmare from his mind and Hercules was feeling much more cheerful as he returned to camp. Iolaus was lying on his bedroll, one arm flung across his eyes and an expression of pain on his face. He looked thoroughly miserable. With a grimace of sympathy Hercules moved to the fire and quickly built it up again. The one small bird he’d managed to find would cook quickly and once they got moving Iolaus should start to feel better.

"Can’t you build a quiet fire?" Iolaus moaned.

"Not unless you want to eat your breakfast raw." Hercules laughed. Iolaus grimaced and rolled over, putting his back to Hercules, mumbling something about what Herc could do with his breakfast. Hercules grinned. "Well, I can see that you’re going to be good company this morning." When his continued teasing only elicited a grunt from his friend, he decided to take pity on him and let Iolaus sleep for a while longer. He settled back to watch the bird cook and try to plan their next moves.

‘Maybe we should start with that girl Iolaus mentioned.. What was her name?’ Hercules thought back over the story Iolaus had told, trying to remember if he had mentioned the girls’ name. ‘Oh.. yeah.. Illea. That was it.’ Hercules shot a concerned glance at his friend. ‘There has to be more there than Iolaus said. Something had to have happened to cause him to drink himself to sleep.’ Hercules sighed. ‘Why is it that everything always happens at once?’ he asked himself.

Lost in his thoughts Hercules forgot to pay attention to the food he was cooking until a shaky laugh roused him. Startled, he glanced at the fire. With a muffled oath he grabbed for the stick holding the now flaming bird. Pulling it from the fire he quickly doused the flames and then turned to frown at Iolaus. "You could have done something instead of just laugh!" he told him pointedly.

"But, Herc," Iolaus protested, still laughing weakly, "I thought you wanted it that way… after all.. YOU can cook."

Hercules just shook his head at this reminder of something he constantly teased Iolaus about. "Well, at least it’s cooked the way you like it," he teased.

Iolaus laughed, only a slight wince betraying any sign of the headache he’d had earlier. Hercules was relieved to see that the extra rest had done his friend some good. Using his knife, Hercules cut a portion of the overcooked bird and offered it to Iolaus. At the sight Iolaus turned pale and a look of nausea passed over his face. "Uh.. no thanks.. I think I’ll wait till later." Iolaus, looking faintly queasy as he watched Hercules eat, asked, "So have you given any thought to how we’re supposed to find out what’s going on?"

"I’ve had a couple of ideas," Hercules answered. "If Ares is behind this, then he’s got to have an army somewhere nearby."

"Yea!" Iolaus interrupted enthusiastically, "So all we have to do is ask around about strangers.."

"Whoa, hold on, Iolaus.. Have you forgotten that we are strangers too?" Hercules reminded him. "We may not get a lot of cooperation from these people."

"But.." Iolaus spluttered.

"But what, Iolaus?"

"You’re Hercules!" Iolaus exclaimed.

Hercules shook his head, laughing. "Somehow I don’t think that’s going to matter to these people, Iolaus, especially if Ares is behind all of this."

"Oh, yea.. I hadn’t thought of that," Iolaus ruefully agreed. He was silent for a moment, thinking. "Well, if Ares has an army around here… he’s got to have a place to hide it… maybe an abandoned fortress or something? We could ask about that."

"Good idea," Hercules agreed. "I also want to talk to that girl you met."

"Illea?" Iolaus was surprised. "Why do you need to talk to her?"

"I want to find out why she reacted the way she did." Hercules stood and started putting out the fire, trying hard to keep a straight face he added, "Besides, don’t you want to know why that ‘famous’ charm of yours didn’t work on her?" Hercules ducked away laughing as Iolaus threw a handful of dirt at him, and continued to tease his friend. "I see your charm isn’t the only thing you need to practice! The fire’s over there, Iolaus!"

"Comedian," Iolaus muttered with a grin as he finished dousing the fire and stood up.

Gathering their belongings the two friends headed back down the road to Petras. Bantering with the ease of long association the two were enjoying being together again. Neither noticed the figure that emerged from the trees and watched them walk away. The woman remained motionless for a long time, thinking deeply. Finally, flicking a strand of long black hair out of her face, she smiled and vanished back into the forest.

Chapter 5: Puzzles and Plans

"So where to first?" Iolaus asked as he scanned the busy market place.

"Illea works at the inn right?" Hercules asked.

"Yeah, so?" Iolaus prodded trying to figure out what Herc was thinking.

"So that would be the best place to look for her, don’t you think?" Hercules answered as he set off in the direction of the inn.

‘There he goes again, giving me another strange look.’ Iolaus was beginning to get a bit annoyed with those glances. Hercules had been doing that whenever they talked about what was going on and Iolaus couldn’t figure out why. Those looks were always followed by a strange comment. Almost as if Herc hadn’t quite understood what he’d said. Now here he was doing it again.

"Hey, Herc! Wait up!" Iolaus hurried after his friend. "I’m not sure going back to the inn is a good idea!"

"I thought we’d agreed, Iolaus," Hercules gave him a puzzled look. "Don’t you want to know what happened?"

"Sure I do, Herc, but, well.." Iolaus hesitated, trying to find words to express the uneasiness he felt at the idea of returning to the inn. "I just don’t think going back there is a good idea." He could see by the look of impatience on his friend’s face that Hercules wanted a better explanation, Iolaus wished he had a one to give. How could he explain something that he didn’t really understand himself?

"Iolaus," Hercules began, trying hard to be patient. "Would you please make up your mind? Do you want to talk to Illea or don’t you?"

The remnants of this morning’s headache combined with a reluctance he couldn’t explain were making Iolaus peevish. This comment from Herc was the last straw and he snapped. "I just don’t think it’s a good idea to go back to the inn right now, ok?" Not waiting for a reply, he turned on his heels and headed in the opposite direction.

Iolaus didn’t know whether to be relieved or even more upset when he realized that Hercules wasn’t following him. 'Great, just great!' he muttered.

Hercules watched with a sinking feeling as Iolaus stalked off into the crowd. He couldn’t believe what had just happened between them. ‘What is wrong with him?’ he wondered. ‘I’ve never known him to be so touchy about things.’

Too many things had been odd this morning for Hercules to ignore. Iolaus had made strange comments off and on all through their trip into town and he had been getting progressively more irritable. Now this outburst. It wasn’t like him to back away from anything, in fact, Iolaus was more likely to go charging in without stopping to think.

The images from his nightmare flashed through his mind again and he shook his head uneasily. ‘Why does that keep coming back?’ Hercules was used to relying on his instincts and right now they were screaming at him. Something bad was going on here and somehow Iolaus was deeply involved.

One quick glance around the tavern told Iolaus why Hercules had set their meeting for the inn instead. The tavern was dingy and dirty but it suited his mood. It was also the type of place where a person could find out anything that they wanted to know, for a price. A price he probably couldn’t meet, Iolaus acknowledged ruefully as he threaded his way to the counter, but there was always possibility he might overhear something useful.

Iolaus swept his glance around the crowded tavern while he waited for his drink. These men were the dregs of society: cutthroats, thieves and mercenaries. They were just the types of scum that Ares liked to use. If anyone knew of an army forming in the area these men would, it was their business.

A loud thump brought his attention back to the tavern keeper. Iolaus glanced at the mug on the counter and then tossed the man a dinar before turning back to his contemplation of the room. Raising the mug to his lips, he realized that every man in the room was covertly watching him and he hesitated a moment before taking a sip. One taste told him what they were waiting for and he decided to act appropriately.

Hacking and spitting, he turned on the tavern keeper with a scowl. "You call this watered-down swill ale?" he demanded loudly. "I don't pay good money for crap like this!! Now get me a real drink, before I take my money back…. out of your hide!" Iolaus was pleased to see his little performance was obviously what they had been expecting as the room relaxed and the conversation levels returned to normal.

Another mug was quickly placed before him and Iolaus glared at the shaking man before sniffing the mug and then finally taking a drink. With a curt nod of satisfaction, he headed for an empty table in the corner. He decided to keep up the act for a while longer. Maybe it would buy him some information, especially if they took him for an out of work mercenary like themselves.

Reaching the empty table, he chose a seat that faced the rest of the room, then slouched down in it. He scowled at a nearby thug who was staring openly at him, then ostentatiously resettled his sword. The thug coolly met his gaze for a few moments, then with a nod turned his attention away. Iolaus breathed a silent sigh of relief. He didn't really want to get involved in a tavern brawl right now.

As Iolaus sat there sipping his ale, he strained to catch the conversations of those nearest him. His concentration wasn't paying off. He caught snatches of boasts of prior glory and plans for great deeds. Disgusted but not ready to give up, he nursed his ale and brooded over the scene with Hercules. The more he thought about it, the more concerned he became. Something was definitely wrong.

The sudden cessation of noise told him another stranger had entered the inn and he looked up to see who it was. He was half afraid, half hoping it would be Herc and he didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed when he realized the man was a stranger. Iolaus started to dismiss him as just another mercenary when the man moved further into the room. There was an air of confidence about this man that said professional, but more than that, it said he was good at it. He was definitely a cut above the rest of the men in this room and Iolaus wondered what he was doing here.

The man paused a few feet into the room and surveyed the gathering. Most of the men looked quickly away, but here and there a braver or more foolhardy man would try to return his stare. That contest would last only a moment or two before, like wolves acknowledging a stronger wolf, they too would avert their gaze. Of all the men there only one had managed to meet the stranger's gaze for more than a few moments but even he eventually looked away. Then it was Iolaus' turn. He felt the weight of the man's gaze resting on him, daring him to a contest of wills. With deliberate casualness, Iolaus looked up. As their eyes locked Iolaus felt a chill run down his spine and understood what it was that had caused the others to look away. Death was staring back at him.

'Death follows this man and he welcomes it,' Iolaus thought in amazement. 'Well, I've met death before.' He'd not only met death, he'd been dead. 'If it weren't for Hercules,' he thought, 'I wouldn't be here now.' He knew what death held for him. He no longer feared it and that gave him the strength to meet what he saw in this stranger's eyes without fear. This time it was the stranger who looked away.

The test of wills had taken mere moments, though it had felt like centuries and Iolaus kept an eye on the man as he crossed the room. For a moment Iolaus thought he was going to stop at his table, but after a slight hesitation the man moved on to the group of mercenaries next to him. He spoke a few quiet words that Iolaus was unable to catch. In response the same man who had stared at Iolaus earlier invited the stranger to join them.

Iolaus summoned one of the serving girls and ordered another ale. Then watched as she stopped at the stranger's table on her way to the bar. Iolaus realized that the first mercenary was frowning at him and he tilted his head in the comely brunette's direction and smiled. A knowing grin bloomed on the mercenary's face and he winked at Iolaus before he turned back to the conversation at his table.

Iolaus sighed in relief. He had a good idea that this new man knew something about what was going on and he didn't want to arouse any suspicions when he finally had a chance to learn something. He deliberately turned his gaze back to the girl while straining to catch their conversation. The stranger was talking at length and he had their full attention but he was deliberately keeping his voice pitched so that it wouldn't carry beyond the small group.

His patience was rewarded when one of the men, who'd had too much to drink, spoke a bit too loudly. "…. Ares has to do with…" His companions quickly shushed him glancing around nervously. The mention of Ares made Iolaus certain that the stranger was one of his men, perhaps even one of Ares' commanders and he struggled to catch every word he could. The drunk obliged him by parroting parts of the conversation. "….. Lord Bruiach's army……….. gathering at the old ruins…….. Craestus pass….." The man was constantly being quieted by his companions and was beginning to show signs of irritation because of it. The more they tried to quiet him, the louder he got.

Now Iolaus was able to get more than just a few words at a time. Iolaus blessed the drunken man silently, that was just the information he had been hoping to hear. He had just decided that it was probably a good time to leave, when the drunk's next words nearly made him gasp out loud. "….. kill Hercules? ….. crazy…."

The loud admonishments of his companions caused the drunk to glare at them and say loudly, "It would take an army to kill him and he wants the seven of us to do it? It's crazy I tell you!!" A curt word and an icy glare from the stranger caused him to finally fall silent as the man began to speak again. Iolaus was desperately trying to think of an excuse to get closer to the group, when the drunken man once again helped him out. Laughing loudly, the man exclaimed, "A special weapon? Oh that's a good one! Send him off to Atraeca and then ambush him with it.. yeah.. that's a great plan!!!" He continued to laugh, not noticing the glares of the other men.

Finally one of them grabbed him by the sleeve, "Will you shut up, you stupid lout! The only work for miles and you're going to blow it for us!!"

"And you are a fool if you are thinking of taking this man up on his offer, Creodus!" The drunk pulled angrily away and stood up. Glaring at the rest of the table, he continued, "I always knew Creodus was a few mugs shy of a pitcher, but I thought the rest of you had more sense!"

Shouting Creodus launched himself at the drunken man and the two of them went down in a tangle of arms and legs. The other men quickly moved in to try to separate the two, while the stranger, whose words had started it, watched with interest. The men weren't having much luck and Iolaus had to jump quickly out of the way as the two combatants crashed on top of his table.

Iolaus knew that he wasn't going to get any more information here and decided to take advantage of the brawl to leave. He slowly worked his way to the door, sometimes pushing his way through the crowd of spectators who were urging the two fighters on. Once outside he leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Herc!" He suddenly straightened. "I've got to warn him." He quickly took off in search of his friend.

Frustration. Iolaus was becoming all too familiar with it on this trip. It wasn't bad enough that all these strange things had been happening in Petras and Atraeca, then Hercules had to start behaving strangely, now Iolaus couldn't find him anywhere. He'd even reluctantly checked the inn, all to no avail. Iolaus perched himself on the rim of the fountain and kept an eye on the crowd while he tried to think of another place he could look. The drunken man's words kept repeating in his mind. Over and over the words 'kill Hercules' played themselves until Iolaus thought he would go insane. He had to find and warn his friend before Ares was able to put his plan into action. Fear that he was already too late was growing.

"Think Iolaus!" he muttered. "He has to be here somewhere!" Sure he is, a little voice whispered in his mind, and when you tell him all about the ambush he is going to rush straight into it. "No, no, no," Iolaus tried to deny what the voice was telling him, but the denial lacked conviction. That was exactly what Hercules would do, he finally admitted with reluctance. Herc would head straight into that trap hoping to get more information. And you don't even know what this special weapon is! The little voice whispered again. It could be something that really will kill him! Iolaus blanched at the thought of Herc being killed then tried to reassure himself with the thought that Hercules was half-god. Not even Hercules himself knows if he is immortal, Iolaus, the voice murmured. Maybe it would be better not to tell him about it at all. Iolaus frowned thinking this through. 'If I don't tell Herc about it he could end up walking into it without knowing which would be even worse!' You could check it out first, the voice suggested smoothly. Then you would know if you really needed to warn him. 'Hmmmm, if I check it out I'll know whether or not Herc needs to worry about it,' Iolaus pondered the thought, 'but how do I get away from him for that long? It's a two-day trip to Atraeca. He'll want to come with me and I can't lie to him.'

Iolaus groaned and buried his head in his hands, this whole knotty problem was bringing back the morning's headache. 'Gods, I need to think clearly! Ares wants Herc to go to Atraeca, so he will make sure that Hercules finds some reason to go sooner or later. I can't let that happen so I need to go in his place. But how? And how do I keep him from wanting to accompany me?' The Craestus Pass and Ares' camp, the whispering voice reminded him. "Of course!" Iolaus exclaimed startling the nearby shoppers who quickly moved away. Iolaus never noticed them for as the crowd parted around him he spotted Hercules entering the town square.

"Herc! Hey, Herc!" Iolaus shouted as he leapt to his feet and started forward towards his friend. Hercules smiled and headed in his direction.

"Iolaus, I've been looking all over for you!" "Where have you been, Herc? I've been looking everywhere!" The two spoke at once, then broke out laughing as they realized they had each been going in circles looking for the other.

"I was worried about you, Iolaus, where did you go?" Hercules asked.

"I found a tavern, Herc," Iolaus began, "and I found out where Ares' camp is!" Iolaus wondered why Herc frowned when he mentioned the tavern but brushed the thought aside. It probably wasn't important. Right now he had to convince Herc to scout the camp without him.

"Where?" The urgency in Hercules' voice helped Iolaus pull his thoughts together. Leading Hercules over to the side of the square he quickly filled him in on the meeting in the tavern. He skipped the part about the trap and tried to gloss over the omission, praying Hercules wouldn't notice.

"Whoa, Iolaus, slow down," Hercules laughed. "I don't need a blow by blow account!" He sobered then continued, "Now why don't we go check out this camp?" Dropping his hand to Iolaus shoulder Hercules gave it a squeeze and turned to begin the trip.

"Uh, Herc," Iolaus hesitated trying to think of a good excuse for staying behind. "I, uhm, can't go." As Hercules stared at him in surprise he stumbled through a feeble excuse, "I.. uh.. well.. there's.. uh.. something I need to do."

"What is it, Iolaus?" Hercules was clearly puzzled. "I'll come with you."

"NO," Iolaus exclaimed in agitation, then seeing the look on Herc's face, "It's.. uh.. something I need to do… alone."

"Then I'll wait for you." Hercules was trying to be reasonable.

"Well, uhmmm, I really, uh, don't know how long it will take, Herc," Iolaus was finding it increasingly hard to meet Hercules eyes. "It, uh, might be, uhmm, better if you.. went on without me."

"WHAT?" Iolaus jumped slightly, startled by Hercules' reaction even though he had been half expecting it. "Alright, Iolaus, enough of this! Tell me what is going on?" Hercules demanded impatiently. "I've known something was bothering you since I got here, now you are going to tell me what it is!"

"Nothing is wrong, Herc! Really!" Iolaus tried to convince his friend. One glance at Hercules' face told him he wasn't succeeding. "Look, there is something I need to do alone ok? I promise I'll tell you about it afterwards." He forced himself to meet Hercules gaze hoping his friend would let it go at that. "Look, Herc, someone has to check out that camp as soon as possible. We need information and I just can't go with you ok?"

Iolaus watched as conflicting emotions chased themselves across Hercules face while he listened to what Iolaus was saying. He saw Herc open his mouth to reply but whatever his friend was going to say was lost in the stab of pain that washed through him. Iolaus swayed dizzily and moaned. It felt as if someone had just driven a knife into his head and was busily carving up his brain.

When the attack passed he found himself seated under a nearby tree with Hercules hovering over him. Concern was plainly written on the demi-god's face. "You're ill," he stated flatly, "and you didn't want to tell me, right? That's why you can't come with me to scout the camp." Iolaus wearily leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. The extreme pain was gone but it had left behind a deep throbbing and he was having trouble concentrating. "I am not going anywhere until I know you're going to be alright, Iolaus!"

"No!" Iolaus forced his eyes open. "Herc you have to go! Don't you see? The people here need you to protect them from Ares and you can't do that if you don't know what his plan is!!"

"Iolaus, you collapsed a moment ago," Hercules argued. "What if Ares sends someone after you and you have one of these attacks? I can't leave you to face that alone!"

"Herc, I'm not ill!" Iolaus protested. "I just got some bad ale at that tavern ok? I'll be fine in no time!" Seeing the stubborn expression on Hercules face Iolaus forced himself to stand. He knew what he needed do and knew too that it would be the hardest thing he had ever done, he just hoped that Hercules would be able to forgive him for it eventually.

Taking a deep breath, Iolaus stepped unsteadily away from the tree. As Hercules reached out to support him again, Iolaus spun away from him, feigning anger. "I DON'T NEED A NURSEMAID!" he shouted. "Or a babysitter!!!" The look of stunned pain on Hercules face nearly made him change his mind and tell the truth, but that little voice whispered a reminder in the back of his head, This is for his own protection… He'll thank you for it later…. "Just go, Hercules," Iolaus burst out. "I'll be just fine without you around." Without waiting for Hercules response, he headed out on the road to Atraeca.

Chapter 6: Ambush

"Alright Iolaus, if that's the way you want it," Hercules spoke to his friend's back as he walked away, "but this isn't over between us." Why, why, why, the question kept repeating in his mind. Iolaus had been irritable and moody ever since they had met up. It hadn't been very noticeable at first and he had put it down to the incident at the inn, but now he was wondering if the problem went deeper. And those headaches.. They weren't normal. Iolaus didn't usually drink much, a mug or two now and then, but it seemed he was constantly drinking now. Hercules wondered if his friend was using the ale to deaden the pain of the headaches. Right now there was only one thing he could do, get this mess with Ares settled as fast as possible. Then he could concentrate on Iolaus.

He hadn't had much luck finding any information this morning, partially, he admitted to himself, because he had spent too much time worrying about Iolaus. He had learned something about the countryside and had a good idea of where to look for Ares' camp. Just beyond the pass there was a small valley. It had natural protections that would be easy to fortify and defend, plus an unlimited supply of fresh water. It was an ideal site for an army. Hercules wondered how good their commander was. He had never heard anything about this Bruiach before now. If the man were really smart he would have sentries posted to watch for travelers through the pass.

'Well, one thing at a time,' he thought, 'first I have to get there.'

Hercules had walked all day and hadn't encountered a single soul, which he found very strange. This should have been the main road to Thrace and as such, very well traveled. The road showed the signs of heavy usage in the past and it still looked to be well taken care of, but no one was using it. All of which only served to convince him that he was on the right track.

The sun had dropped below the mountains and night was slowly drawing its cover over the world when Hercules decided to camp for the night. He had only taken a few paces into the trees when a voice stopped him.

"Don't come any closer!"

He searched the gloom for a sign of the speaker, wondering if he had found the first of the sentries. A slight rustle in the bushes to his right caused him to spin quickly to face the man, or rather… boy. 'He has to be around sixteen or seventeen,' Hercules thought in amazement. As the young man came closer Hercules realized that he was also inexperienced and nervous. Several times he had let his arrow waver from its target as he came out of hiding.

"Easy there, I don't mean you any harm," he tried to reassure the nervous young man. "I was just looking for a place to camp for the night, nothing more."

"Sure you were!" the boy retorted. "I know where your camp is and you can just spend the night there! And while you're at it, tell your commander that the next soldier he sends after me isn't going to come back!" He drew back the bow, prepared to shoot.

"Wait a minute!" Hercules exclaimed. Raising his hands to show they were empty, he continued, "I'm not a soldier! I'm just a traveler on my way to Thrace." As nervous as this kid was, Hercules wasn't about to tell him that he had been looking for that very army. "My name's Hercules, what's yours?"

"Her… Hercules?" the boy stuttered in disbelief, "You're Hercules?!?!?"

Hercules groaned silently, 'why doesn't anyone ever believe me?' Looking at the boy, "That's what I said, but you haven't told me your name."

"Oh.. uh.. I'm Talus. Nice to meet you, Hercules!" Talus fumbled with his bow, nearly dropping it as he tried to free a hand.

Restraining a smile Hercules helped the young man settle everything, "It's nice to meet you, Talus. Can I ask what you are doing out here?" As the young man immediately started to babble on Hercules held up a hand. "Why don't we make camp and get settled and then you can tell me your story?"

"Sure, Hercules… right this way. I already have a camp back here."

Talus quickly led him to a small cave hidden by thick bushes and nearly indistinguishable in the darkness. Holding back the brush, Talus proudly invited Hercules inside. Hercules stopped in astonishment a few feet from the entrance. His startled glanced surveyed the interior. It was obvious that Talus had been living here for quite some time. The room was neat and tidy and a lot had been done to make it extremely livable. In one corner a fire was burning with something cooking in a pot over it, while a natural chimney carried the smoke away.

Turning to Talus, who was grinning at his reaction, he said, "Very impressive! Did you do all this yourself?"

"Yep!" Talus moved a woven brush screen from the wall and placed it in front of the entry. "Though I did have a bit of help from Ilea. She brings me stuff sometimes, in exchange for the game that I hunt for her."

"You know Ilea?" Hercules questioned. Maybe he could finally get some information about Iolaus!

Talus finished with the screen and turned back to Hercules, "Yes, she was here this morning in fact. Do you know her too? I don't remember her ever mentioning knowing you."

"So that's why I couldn't find her," Hercules murmured. Then louder to Talus, "No, I don't know her but she helped a friend of mine and I wanted to thank her."

Talus grinned and motioned to Hercules to a seat near the fire, "That's Ilea. She is always trying to help everyone, but it's gotten so hard for her in Petras now that I'm afraid she will leave." Talus stirred the stew and checked to see if it was done.

"You mean because of what is going on in Petras?" Hercules inquired, wanting to know more about this woman.

"Well that and there was an incident with a man at the inn yesterday." Talus sighed.

"An incident?" Herc prodded hoping the boy would say more.

"Yeah.. I guess she thought he was different from the others or something. She wouldn't say much about it.. just that he turned out to be like all the rest."

"Oh." Disappointed Hercules decided to leave that subject. The boy seemed to know something of the soldiers in this area. "Talus, earlier you thought I had been sent after you by someone, want to tell me about it?"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that," Talus looked a bit sheepish as he replied a bit defensively. "It was getting dark you know."

"It's ok, Talus," Hercules reassured him. "You see, I'm looking for an army that is supposed to be camped near here."

"You gonna get rid of them, Hercules?"

"That's the plan ,Talus." Hercules grinned at the boys' expression.

"All by yourself?!?!" Talus squeaked. "WOW, then I guess the stories about you must be true!!"

"Some of them," Hercules reluctantly admitted. "But they tend to get a bit exaggerated." He smiled to himself remembering how often Iolaus embellished stories.

"Oh yeah, sure, Hercules," Talus tried to act a bit nonchalant.

"So what can you tell me about the soldiers around here, Talus? And their commander?"

"Bruiach." Talus stated flatly, his face suddenly gaining in years. "That's his name, the commander. His army has been recruiting around here for a couple of months now. When they can't find people to join them, then they force them to volunteer."

"Sounds like a nice bunch," Hercules stated. "I take it they wanted you to volunteer?"

"Yeah.. They caught me out hunting and dragged me off to see their commander." The boy looked up at Hercules with fear in his eyes, "I've never seen anything like him, Hercules! He's shorter than I am and all of those soldiers live in fear of him. I saw him take on four of them. They all had weapons and he took them out before they could blink."

"Sounds like he's good with a sword," Hercules murmured.

"That's just it, Hercules, he didn't use any weapons! He did it with his bare hands! The only man I'd ever heard of who could do that was you!" Talus looked at Hercules, concern written all over his face. "You've got to be careful, Hercules. Please!"

"Don't worry, Talus," he tried to reassure the boy. "I don't plan on confronting this man right now." As Talus sighed in relief Hercules smiled and continued, "Can you describe him for me?"

"Sure! Like I said, he is shorter than me, I guess he'd come up to about your shoulder.. maybe a little higher." Talus paused picturing the man in his mind. "He has light gold hair.. kinda longish.. and it's a bit messy. Oh and blue eyes. He has blue eyes."

"Anything else?" The description sounded a bit too much like Iolaus for Hercules' comfort.

"Not that I can think of, Hercules." Hercules could see the frown of concentration on the boys' face and was about to ask another question when Talus spoke up, "I nearly forgot the medallion!"

"Me..Medallion?"

"Yeah.. he has this medallion he wears all the time."

"Can you describe it?" Hercules asked reluctantly.

"Not really, Hercules, I was only close to him for a moment.. and well.. I was kinda concentrating on other things at the time."

"I suppose you were, Talus. Don't worry about it, it's not important," he reassured him.

The two of them were silent for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Talus checked the pot once more and then quietly got out two bowls and spoons. As he dished up the stew he asked, "Are you still going after them, Hercules?"

"Thanks, Talus," Hercules accepted a bowl. Taking a bite he looked up in surprise. "This is really good!"

"Thanks," Talus was a bit flustered at the praise and repeated his question, "Well, are you going after them?"

Hercules sighed, "Yes, Talus, I want to scout their camp in the morning."

"I can show you where it is, Hercules!" Talus eagerly offered.

"No," Hercules said sharply, "it's too dangerous, Talus."

"But.." Talus started to protest but stopped when Hercules raised his hand.

Sighing Hercules realized he was going to have to give the boy something to do, otherwise he was just stubborn enough to follow him. "Talus, I need someone to stay here and watch the road," Hercules improvised quickly.

"I get it! Watch your back, huh? Make sure no one sneaks up behind you, right?" Talus said eagerly. "I can do that!"

"Great, Talus! That will be a big help!" Hercules was grateful the boy had taken the suggestion so well. 'It will also keep you out of trouble, my young friend,' he thought to himself.

"Guess we better be getting to sleep then, huh, Hercules?" Talus suggested. "We'll want to be up early in the morning!"

"That's probably a good idea, Talus," Hercules agreed with a smile for the boys' eagerness. He watched as Talus, quickly and efficiently, got everything straightened up and put away then banked the fire for the night. It was obvious the boy was used to living on his own. As he lay down in the spot that Talus indicated he reminded himself to ask the boy some questions about that in the morning.

Hercules had tossed and turned for hours with memories of the days events playing over in his head. Finally he fell asleep, no closer to finding a solution. The dream began almost immediately.

Hercules sat up gasping. This dream had shaken him worse than the last one. He was covered in sweat and shaking from head to toe. He felt as if he really had been fighting. He glanced over to where Talus lay, hoping he hadn't disturbed the boy. In the dim light from the fire he could just make out the still form and he sighed with relief. He wasn't ready to talk about these dreams with anyone yet. With another sigh he turned over on his side, hoping the dreams wouldn't return. He never saw Talus' eyes open or the cruel smile that crossed his face.

Morning came all too soon for Hercules as he was awakened by the sounds of Talus bustling about. "Good morning, Hercules!" Talus called cheerfully when he saw that Hercules was awake.

"What's good about it," Hercules muttered to himself, then raising his voice, "Morning, Talus. Are you always so cheerful in the mornings?"

"Sure!" The young man assured him.

"I was afraid of that," Hercules muttered as he hauled himself up.

"What did you say, Hercules?" Talus asked curiously.

"Oh, I just said, uh, that it would be best to get going, Talus."

"Ok, Hercules," Talus agreed, "I'm ready!"

"Wait a minute, I thought we straightened this out last night..," Hercules protested. "You aren't coming with me!"

"I know that, Hercules, but I can show you a back way to the valley where they are camped," Talus explained. "They keep a close watch on the road and you'd never get there that way."

'Can't things be easy just once,' Hercules thought as he gazed at the eager face before him. "Alright, Talus, but only if you agree to turn back when I tell you! Deal?" Watching the young man's face fall, he added, "Besides, I'll still need someone to keep an eye out for anyone trying to sneak up behind me."

"Oh! Yeah! I'd forgotten about that!" Talus brightened considerably. "Well, come on, Hercules, what are we waiting for?"

Hercules could only shake his head in wonder as he followed the young man out of the cave.

It had taken them two hours to reach the start of the trail that Talus claimed came out in the valley and the young man hadn't stopped talking the entire time. Hercules was beginning to understand how the soldiers had captured him. Finally he couldn't take anymore. "Talus," he interrupted. "Do you talk like this when you're hunting?"

"Of course not, Hercules," Talus exclaimed indignantly. "That would scare off all the game!"

"Well, Talus, we're hunting right now," Herc explained, "only this time, we are hunting men and they are a lot more dangerous, understand?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess I do, Hercules," Talus said thoughtfully. "If we make too much noise they might hear us coming. Then they could set a trap or an ambush. We wouldn't want them to do that, cause then you wouldn't get the information you came for."

Exasperated, Hercules once again interrupted the flow of words, "Talus! Quiet!"

Startled the young man looked at him. "Oh, sorry, Hercules," he whispered. Hercules hoped that he had convinced Talus of the need for silence and that the boy could manage to keep quiet long enough to lead him to the area of the camp.

Three hours later, Talus was still managing to keep quiet and they were getting very close to the area that Talus said the camp was in. Hercules was getting worried though. The trees and brush were beginning to thin out and they had to cross more and more open spaces, places where they could easily be spotted. After the last such spot, Hercules had decided that he would leave Talus behind at the next one.

The next open space brought a bit more than a clearing. Hercules stared in dismay at the narrow path that twisted through the rock ahead. Turning to look at Talus he whispered, "This is where I have to leave you." He silenced Talus' protests before the young man could voice them. "I need you to stay here and keep anyone from coming in there after me, Talus." The boy brightened a bit at this, but Herc thought he could still detect a hint of disappointment. "I'm counting on you, Talus!" Hercules smiled encouragingly.

"Don't worry about a thing, Hercules!" Talus reassured him. "I'll be right here!"

Hoping the boy would be safe there; Hercules surveyed the rock-strewn area he would have to cross. 'Ah well, better get this over with,' he thought. Seeing no sign of movement he darted across the open area, dodging between boulders and quickly reaching the break in the wall. He had only gone a few feet into the passage when he found a rockslide had barred his way. "Oh, great." He surveyed the pile wondering if it was steady enough for him to climb. A slight scrapping sound and a small shower of pebbles were the only warnings he had before the rocks started pouring down on him.

Dazed and in pain, Hercules was vaguely aware of voices nearby. "You idiots! Bruiach wanted him alive! You were supposed to capture him!"

"Bruiach told us he wanted to be rid of Hercules! Now he is!!"

"What do you use for a brain, Malek? Bruiach wanted the pleasure of killing Hercules himself!" One of the voices sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place it.

"But, but, Talus! He didn't tell us that!" 'Talus?!?!?! Oh you fell for that one Herc, you really believed that kid.' Hercules berated himself for not asking Talus more questions.

"Where is he now, Kalek?"

"He's taken the rest of the army and gone to ambush the caravan that the king is sending to Atraeca."

"So I'm left with you idiots." Hercules heard footsteps coming closer, then felt the rocks covering him shift as someone kicked them. "We can't even take a souvenir back to prove to Bruiach that he's dead, thanks to this pile of rocks you've covered him in." Talus sounded thoroughly disgusted. "Come on, we need to reach the rendezvous point before Bruiach gets there. I'll let the six of you explain to Bruiach just why he is not going to have the pleasure of killing Hercules. If I were you I'd pray that Bruiach is in a good mood."

Hercules waited impatiently for the last traces of their voices to fade and the normal forest sounds to return before he began trying to free himself. It took a few minutes of squirming before he found the right spot to push on but once found it was only a matter of moments until he was free. Wincing and rubbing at stiff and sore muscles he climbed out of the pile of rocks and looked around. "Well, Herc, what next?" Suddenly a snippet of the men's conversation came back to him. "Atraeca! They were going to attack a caravan headed for Atraeca! Iolaus!!" Hercules started running, praying he could get there in time.

Hercules knew he needed to rest as he stumbled into Petras. He'd run all night, pushing himself to his limits. He decided to stop by the inn, Kilos was sure to know when the caravan had left. Maybe he would have some luck this time and be able to stop them. As soon as he saw the crowd gathered around the inn he knew he was already too late. Pushing his way through the excited villagers he finally spotted Kilos near the bar and made his way there. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Ambush! They ambushed the peace caravan and killed everyone!"

"Not everyone!" A voice called out from the back of the crowd. In the sudden hush the captain of the king’s guard pushed his way through the crowd, creating a path for the men who followed him. Several guards were supporting three wounded men with a man in the robes of a healer following them. The crowd quickly cleared a place for them and the healer set to work.

"Can they tell us what happened?" Hercules questioned the captain.

"They’ve already told some," the captain replied absently. "Apparently it was the work of a group of bandits we’ve been hearing about for the last few days. This is the first time that anyone has survived one of their ambushes." Hercules watched as the man smiled grimly, "Now we’ll finally have descriptions of them and we’ll have better luck catching the bastards.. and then…"

"We can describe them for you, Captain," one of the injured men spoke up, "and we want to be there when you go after them."

"You just worry about getting well," the captain told him. "Giving us a description is going to be help enough." Pulling up a chair the captain prepared to get the information he had been wanting for so long.

"Mind if I listen in?" Hercules sat down across the table from the two.

"What business is it of yours, stranger?" The captain replied suspiciously. "Unless you’re planning on warning them…"

"No, I want to help you stop what’s going on around here," Hercules answered. "Oh, and the name is Hercules."

"Hercules, huh?" The captain eyed him skeptically. "Guess you may be some help." Turning to the wounded man, he urged, "Go on tell us what we need to know." Taking a deep breath, the man began to tell his story.

Chapter 7: Encounters

Iolaus was worried. Nothing had gone right since he had gotten to Petras and the strange way Hercules had been behaving was only part of it. Iolaus had another pounding headache. They seemed to be coming more and more often and taking longer to go away. Iolaus tried to distract himself from the pain by concentrating on his relationship with Hercules, but that just seemed to make his headache worse. The more he thought about it, the more depressed he became. ‘Why has he been acting so strange towards me?’ He was so lost in his own feelings and pain that he wasn’t paying much attention to the road.

As he rounded the next bend, the sight that greeted him wasn’t pleasant. Raiders had attacked a small caravan. Bodies littered the ground and he could see two men working their way among them insuring that there would be no survivors. Three other men were surrounding a young woman, one holding a knife to her throat. As her frightened green eyes met his, he could read a silent plea for help. Iolaus felt an unfamiliar rage well up and before he realized what he was doing he had charged the three men holding the girl.

Sights and sounds became a blur for Iolaus, all of his concentration centered on the battle at hand. He was vaguely aware of the girl freeing herself from the man holding her and he dimly sensed when the other two men joined the fight. He didn’t remember drawing his sword, and was surprise to find himself blocking a thrust with it. He was puzzled by the distance he felt from the battle.. as if he wasn’t truly involved. His confusion quickly became alarm when he barely managed to keep himself from killing one of the attackers. Most unsettling of all was the feeling of joy that rose up in him at the sight of the man’s blood. Iolaus froze in shock as a feeling of regret welled up inside him when he realized the man would live. ‘What is WRONG with me?!?!’ The horrified thought echoed through his mind.

Iolaus was so wrapped up in his conflicting emotions that he didn’t realize one of the bandits had regained consciousness until it was almost too late. Only his body’s well honed reactions saved him, jerking him backwards out of range of the slash. As it was, the man still managed to open a nasty gash on his forehead. Pain made him dizzy and he was only vaguely aware of dealing with his attacker.

When his head finally cleared, he found himself alone with the girl. The remnants of the small caravan and its attackers were nowhere in sight. "Hold still, Iolaus, I’m almost finished." Iolaus winced but stayed perfectly still as the girl finished cleaning his wound.

He was puzzled and curious, and when she reached down to tear another strip from her skirt to act as a bandage, he began to question her. "How do you know my name?"

The girl paused and gave him a quizzical look, "You told me, don’t you remember?"

"No," Iolaus searched his memory in vain. "I’m sorry," he smiled ruefully, "I don’t even remember if you told me your name."

"It’s Alkippe." She was smiling at him, but her green eyes where clouded with worry. "I think you had better come home with me. That wound must be worse than I thought."

Iolaus shook his head, wincing as the morning’s headache began a dull throbbing again. "Thank you for the offer, Alkippe, but I really need to get to Atraeca."

"Then you have no excuse, Iolaus," she stated emphatically. "My home is just outside of the city." Straightening, she offered to help him up.

"Well, I can at least make sure you get home safely then." Smiling, Iolaus took her hand and quickly pulled himself to his feet. A little too quickly he realized as the world spun dizzily and he stumbled. Alkippe steadied him. As the world righted itself, Iolaus became aware of the warm feel of Alkippe’s body against him and the spicy scent of her raven hair. Jerking back he almost over-balanced himself again, but Alkippe managed to keep him upright.

Iolaus smiled ruefully. "Thanks for the help. I’ll be all right now," he said as he released his hold on her.

"Sure you will," she agreed. "As soon as I get you home and get a healer to see to that head of yours." She suited actions to words, turning so that she was beside him and placing an arm around his waist. Before he could utter a sound, she had grabbed his arm and placed it across her shoulders.

"This really isn’t necessary!" Iolaus protested reluctantly, enjoying the feel of her against him. She blithely ignored him and began to walk toward Atraeca. Forced to move with her or try to fight free of her, Iolaus gave in and started forward. Opening his mouth to voice another protest, he was silenced by a sharp glance. Sighing, Iolaus resigned himself to the situation, not entirely unhappy with it.

As they walked along, Iolaus had a chance to study Alkippe. She was a couple of inches taller than he and her willowy body belied her strength. Her raven black mane was held away from her eyes by a braided leather band around her forehead. The glittering emerald green eyes kept watch on the trail ahead. Periodically she would glance at him, once she caught him starring at her and the look in her eyes caused Iolaus to flush slightly in embarrassment. He looked away from her, but could still feel her gaze on him. Finally risking another quick glance he was surprised by a look of amusement on her face.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Iolaus cleared his throat and tried to break the spell by talking. "So, uh, Alkippe, where was the caravan headed?" Feeling her stiffen slightly at the question, Iolaus glanced at her and was shocked. Her face had become a smooth, unreadable mask, the eyes distant and almost cold. He shivered slightly at the sight of it.

His involuntary shiver seemed to reach her and she quickly shook her head, coming back from wherever she had been. Smiling sadly at him, she said, "I’m sorry, Iolaus, memories of the caravan are… not pleasant." She paused for a moment then went on, "But you deserve to know."

She paused again and Iolaus quietly waited, letting her take her time with the tale. Finally she drew a deep breath and began, "The caravan was headed for Atraeca. It was sent from Petras. King Emion sent it to King Doras as a gesture of goodwill. He hoped that it would help to mend the rift that is developing between the two countries."

Iolaus interrupted her as a thought occurred to him, "Wait a minute.. Didn’t you tell me you live just outside Atraeca? What were you doing with a caravan from Petras?"

Alkippe smiled sadly, "King Emion was kind enough to offer me a place in the caravan. He thought it would be safer for me than traveling alone." She smiled bitterly at the irony. "Instead it nearly caused my death."

"You’re safe now," Iolaus assured her, trying to ease some of the pain.

"Thanks to you, I am," she replied softly.

Iolaus started to ask her another question, but his earlier headache chose that moment to violently reassert itself. Iolaus moaned, doubling over and clutching his head as the pain stabbed through his skull. He was vaguely aware of Alkippe speaking but couldn’t make out what she was saying. His surroundings faded away in a haze of pain and he was grateful for the surcease offered by oblivion when it came.

Chapter 8: Disturbing Discoveries

"I saw ‘em!" an old man exclaimed, pushing his way to the front of the crowd. He had a bandage wrapped around his head and one arm was splinted and held in a sling. "Actin’ like lovers, they were. Her tendin’ to his wounds. Then the two of them huggin’ and goin’ off t’gether wi’ their arms ‘round each other! Celebratin’ their vict’ry, they was!! Prob’ly countin’ all the men they’d killed too!"

"You saw them together?" Hercules questioned. "After the battle? So you can describe them right?"

The old man nodded grimly, "Yes, suh, I seen ‘um. Seen ‘um plain as I see you now. An' I’m here to tell ye that t’other’s ‘scribed him well. Right gold’n devil he was.. wi’ that yellow hair flying n’ his sword flashin’. Killin’ folk right n’ left." The old man paused and drew a shaky breath as the memories played over in his mind. "They got’s ta pay for what they’s done!"

"Don’t worry," Hercules reassured him. "Whoever did this will pay for it. I’ll find them somehow and they will be brought to justice." At these words, the old man looked up and caught his eyes.

For a moment Hercules thought he saw a gleam of triumph, but the man’s next words caused him to forget everything else, "I know who done this thing.. or least wise I know who one of ‘em was!!" he hissed vindictively. "The man was here, in Kilos’ inn, not two days ago. Stirrin’ up trouble e’en then!"

"Metras!" The captain of the king’s guard pushed through the crowd and grabbed the old man by the shoulder. "You know who it was? Tell me!" he demanded impatiently.

"Hold on!" Hercules interrupted, grabbing the captain’s arm and forcing him to let go of the old man. "Give him a chance to speak." Turning back to the frightened man, Hercules quietly urged him to continue, "Go on. You were saying that this man was here, in Kilos’ inn, two days ago?"

"Yes, suh, Hercules," Metras continued, shooting a quick glance at the guard captain. "He was here all right. Started a fight wi’ a couple a the youngins over one o’ the servin’ wenches. Beat the tar out a them boys n’ then took off wi’ the girl." At these words a sullen murmur ran threw the gathered crowd. "One o’ my own youngin’s saw the girl next mornin’ n’ she weren’t lookin’ none too happy ‘bout the night, neither." Hercules could hear people in the crowd whispering to each other as the old man’s story continued. He had a feeling that some of them had either heard of this man or had enountered him themselves.

"So that was the last anyone saw of him?" Hercules prodded Metras to continue, "No suh.. Fellow came back t’ the inn that mornin’. Waltzed in, cocky as you please, kind a darin’ us to take ‘im on. Then, bold as brass, he calls Ilea o’r to him n’ starts tellin’ ev’rone there what all he done wi’ her the night before." An ugly rumble ran through the crowd at these words. Even though the sound made Hercules uneasy, he couldn’t bring himself to blame them for their anger. This man sounded like a true bastard and Hercules knew he would enjoy bringing him to justice. Metras’ next words simply confirmed that feeling as he said, "The fellow jus’ sat there grinnin at Ilea and enjoyin her shame. Then he starts in tellin’ her what he expects from her that night! I tell ya, 'twas enough ta make a man’s blood boil, t’ way he was treatin’ her!" The old man paused, rage and remembered helplessness clouding his face, then he smiled suddenly. "That Ilea, she’s got spunk, that girl. When he started in to tellin’ her ta be waitin fer ‘im, she lit into him. Plumb dumped a full pitcher a ale ov’r top o’ the man! Hehe! Yes suh, Ilea, she left ‘im sittin’ there sputterin’ in his own juices, she did!"

As the man’s story had continued, Hercules had begun to recognize some disturbing similarities to the tale Iolaus had told him. When Metras spoke of the girl dumping the pitcher of ale, he was positive he knew what the answer to his next question would be. Hardly daring to hope that he might be wrong, Hercules asked, "Do you know what the man’s name is?" He held his breath, waiting with growing dread for the answer he knew was coming.

"Yes, suh, I do. He called hisself Iolaus!"

The sound of Iolaus’ name felt like a blow to the stomach. Hercules turned away from the old man and blindly stumbled to a bench in the corner. His mind whirling with incoherent thoughts Hercules was only half-aware of someone standing over him. All he could do was sit there, numbly trying to deny what he had heard and asking an endless, agonizing, ‘Why? Why, Iolaus?’

The sound of a throat being cleared brought him back enough to see the mug of wine being forced into his hand, "Here, drink. You look like you could use this." A voice gruffly told him. Looking up he saw Kilos staring athim, concern written all over his face. Seeing that he finally had Hercules’ attention, he continued, "You just stay right there and drink that. I’ll clear all these folks outta here and then you and I will talk."

Hercules watched for a moment as Kilos marched over to the guard captain and pulled the man aside. A few words were all it took before the captain nodded. Turning to the crowd, the captain began to give orders for his squad to bring the survivors to the king’s palace. Under his urging the crowd quickly dispersed, some following him and his men to the palace, others racing off to spread the tale to anyone who hadn’t heard.

Kilos nodded in satisfaction as the room quickly cleared, then ducked behind the bar. When he came out a moment later, he was carrying a bottle of wine and a second cup. Marching over, he seated himself across from Hercules, filled his cup from the bottle and proceeded to drink it all in one gulp. "Ahhh," Kilos sighed. "After news like that, a man can use a good drink." He poured himself another cup and started to refill the one that Hercules was holding. When he realized that the cup had not been touched he frowned, "Drink up man! A bit of wine wont hurt you, n’ it will take the edge off whatever is botherin’ you."

Realizing that Kilos wasn’t going to leave him alone until he at least drank part of the wine in his cup, Hercules took a large swallow and Kilos beamed at him. "There now, you see, a bit of wine doesn’t hurt anything!" Refilling Hercules' cup he settled back, "Now, my friend, something about the attack on the caravan is troubling you. And I’m guessing it has something to do with that little fellow Metras was talking about." He paused, waiting for Hercules to comment. He sighed when Hercules remained silent and continued, "Seems to me, I remember that fellow claiming to be a friend of yours when he came here. Claimed he was supposed to be meeting you here." Again he paused, then, "Also seem to remember seeing you and him together yesterday too. Looked to me like the two of you were arguing." Kilos paused then tried one final goad, "Guess he was lying about being your friend. Guess the man is nothing but a liar."

"Iolaus is NOT a liar!" Hercules growled.

"Well, maybe you don’t know him as well as you think," Kilos reasoned.

"I know Iolaus as well as I know myself! We’ve been best friends since we were kids!" Hercules protested. Kilos said nothing, just stared at him. Hercules became increasingly uncomfortable under that stare as the silence lengthened. "What?" he finally demanded.

Kilos shook his head and stood up to leave. Pausing briefly he asked one final question, "If you know him that well, why do you believe Metras’ story?" With that Kilos turned to take care of the people who'd wandered in, leaving a stunned Hercules to sit staring after him.

‘Why do you believe…’ The question kept repeating itself in Hercules’ mind and as hard as he tried to deny it, it wouldn’t go away. Finally he had to face it truthfully. Yes, there was a small part of him that doubted Iolaus, and that part was ready to believe that his friend could do what Metras had said.

‘After all,’ a little voice whispered to him, ‘Iolaus betrayed you once before… how do you know he won’t again? Remember your dream?’

‘NO! I will not believe that Iolaus would betray me!’ Hercules angrily denied the insidious little voice. ‘Someone is setting him up and I’m going to find out why!’

The newcomers quickly cleared a path for the scowling demi-god as he strode out of the inn and no one heard the ominous laughter that followed his departure.

Chapter 9: Captured

Iolaus woke with a pounding headache to find himself manacled to a rough stone wall. The last thing he remembered was escorting a young woman named Alkippe to her home after he’d rescued her from an attack by some brigands. He had taken a light wound but it hadn’t seemed serious. They had been talking about the attack and then.. nothing. Iolaus tried to concentrate but another shaft of pain caused him to groan.

"It seems our ‘guest’ is awake, my lord," a woman's voice cut through his pain and confusion. Iolaus heard someone approaching. His head was pounding harder than ever but he forced himself to open his eyes. It took all of his concentration to focus on the figure in front of him.

"Ares," he hissed. "Hercules was right, you’re the one causing all of the problems here."

Ares’ laughed. "I’m surprised my dear brother figured it out so quickly, but it doesn’t matter, there is nothing he can do to stop me."

"Herc will find a way to stop you and I’ll help him." Iolaus was confident that Hercules would find him soon.

"Why would Hercules want help from the one who betrayed him?" Ares’ taunted.

"You’ll never get me to betray Hercules!" Iolaus ground out defiantly glaring at Ares.

The woman spoke again in a cold hard voice and this time Iolaus recognized it. "You already have, Iolaus," grinning at him in triumph, Alkippe gloated. "You were so easy to fool. You never guessed that it was I who was helping Ares. And now, thanks to your help, Hercules will b