Heartsore

With a reluctant sigh, Hercules carefully opened his eyes. He'd been nudged into waking by the soft voices around him. They hadn't been loud enough that he could make out words...just loud enough to interrupt his sleep.

As he stretched, the demigod's eyes focused on the peach he still held in his hands. He closed his eyes and swallowed against the sudden pain. ‘‘This is ridiculous. I've gotta talk with Iolaus. Gods, I've really messed up this time.’’

Sitting up, he looked around the dimly lit cavern. He saw Jason and one of his soldiers quietly speaking in one corner of the cavern. Jason was nodding even as he sharpened his sword. He saw his mother sitting alone in another corner squinting in the dim light as she sewed. He took a second look around but didn't see either Medea or Iolaus.

Jason eyed the demigod with ill-concealed anger but said nothing as Hercules crossed the cavern to his mother.

"You shouldn't be trying to do that in this light, Mother," Hercules quietly said. He noticed the item in her lap looked like Jason's shirt.

Alcmene half-smiled. "Ordinarily I'd agree. But Jason didn't want me outside. Only the scouts are out there." She placed the sewing to one side. "Are you hungry?"

"This morning." Alcmene gave him a serious look. "Hercules, I don't know what's happened between you two..."

"It's my fault, Mother," the demigod admitted. He sat next to his mother with a sigh. "It seems lately I see things just in black and white...right or wrong."

Hercules stared down at the peach in his hands, slowly turning it from side to side. "Yes," he grunted. "How can I trust someone that was sworn to Hera? And may still be sworn to Hera for all we know."

Hercules shrugged, not meeting his mother's eyes. "Iolaus and I had an argument."

"Something really stupid," Hercules half-smiled. "And my fault." He looked around. "Where is Iolaus anyway?"

"He left earlier with Kyros and a couple other men." Alcmene inwardly sighed. Her son wasn't going like this. "They went to scout and contact some of Jason's allies in Corinth."

Despite himself, Hercules angrily stared across the cavern to meet Jason's equally angry gaze. Then he slowly put the peach in his belt pouch. "I see." He stood, automatically helping his mother when she moved to get to her feet. "I need to talk with Jason, Mother. Excuse me."

The soldier chatting with Jason glanced from the king's face to the demigod's...and quickly left. Alcmene quietly shook her head at Medea who had started towards Jason. The young witch hesitated then stepped back into the shadows.

"Jason." The young demigod hesitated. "Is there someplace we can talk privately?"

Jason curtly nodded and led Hercules to the farthest corner of the large cavern. "This is about as private as it gets."

Medea cautiously approached Alcmene who busied herself at the cooking fire. "Shouldn't we..."

Alcmene motioned for the girl to sit next to her. When she did, the older woman patiently smiled. "You're young, dear. You'll learn that sometimes you have to let men make fools of themselves before they'll listen to us. The trick is knowing how far to let them go."

Alcmene absently frowned. "Not entirely. I have the feeling there's something else involved." She refrained from looking over her shoulder at the two young men. "Now. You've heard the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach?" When the young witch nodded in confusion, she smiled. "It's also one of the best ways to obtain peace. It's very difficult to argue when you've just finished a pleasant meal."

Medea's dimples flashed for a few seconds. "Thank you. For accepting me. I know Jason thinks a great deal of your opinion."

"Does he? That's very nice to know, dear." Alcmene hoped her eyes were as calm as her voice.

"What didn't you wake me before Iolaus left?" Hercules demanded in a hissing whisper.

"I didn't know you'd appointed yourself his keeper!" Jason hissed in return. "Considering how you sulked and pouted last night...even shoving Iolaus away...you'll forgive me if I misread your intentions!"

"I did NOT shove Iolaus away!" Hercules defended himself. "And that's between him and me." He glanced away. "And I wasn't sulking or pouting."

"This is more than just about Medea, isn't it?" Jason demanded, folding his arms across his chest.

Hercules spied the bandage around Jason's ribs. "Are you okay, Jason?" he asked in a gentler voice.

Jason looked startled then slowly smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to Alcmene and Hestia. She called Asclepius who treated me."

‘‘With Iolaus.’’ Hercules shook his head in silent apology. "I haven't thanked you, Jason. For going after Mother." He took a deep breath. "I owe you for that."

"Don't strain yourself," Jason snapped, his voice full of hurt. "I didn't do it for you to owe me anything."

"Gods, I can't seem to say anything right," Hercules groaned. He put a hand on Jason's arm. "Jase...look, can we at least sit down and talk?"

Jason sat against the cavern wall, watching as Hercules sat cross-legged across from him. He watched in silent confusion as the demigod's fingers played in the dirt between them.

"It all started with a nightmare I can't remember...no...wait..." The demigod shook his head. "It started with that story about the hydra."

Hercules half-smiled. "I think that's the problem." He took a deep breath. "While Iolaus was waiting for me in Daneus, he heard some bard tell the tale of how I bested the hydra with 50 heads."

"It had 5 heads, and I didn't beat it by myself," Hercules grumbled. "Iolaus was just as responsible as I was for destroying it." He saw Jason frown. "Apparently, the stories about the hydra don't even mention him."

"No!" Hercules quickly denied. "But...I guess it got him to thinking about...having something that was his...being independent of our partnership."

Jason leaned back against the stone wall. "That's understandable, Hercules. You know him...better than I do. And we both know he's awfully independent. Why are you so surprised?"

"I guess I didn't think he'd WANT anything separate from us," Hercules grumbled.

Jason's dark eyebrows rose in surprise. "That's kinda arrogant, isn't it?" He studied his friend for several seconds. "You and Iolaus are lovers, aren't you?" He wasn't prepared for the flash of jealousy in the blue eyes that quickly met his.

Jason waited a moment to be sure he had Hercules' attention. "I told you, Hercules. Iolaus and I were convenient lovers."

"Are you so sure?" Hercules demanded. "He almost fell apart when we heard the rumors you'd been killed."

Hercules looked away for a few seconds then he resolutely met Jason's eyes. "He loves you, Jason."

Jason closed his eyes. After a few moments, he spoke in a quiet voice. "About a week before I sent you that message about Iolaus and the slavers, I was sitting in my quarters one night. I was more than half-drunk and generally feeling sorry for myself. Iolaus showed up...more than half-drunk and generally feeling sorry for himself. I knew who he'd been running with and didn't even want to think about where he'd been or what he'd been doing."

"We finished off two full bottles of Athenian wine and fell asleep...or passed out, depending on how you want to look at it," Jason quietly continued. "One of the servants woke me early the next morning. I had a Council meeting I couldn't afford to miss. Iolaus was curled up at the edge of the bed with the goofiest smile on his face." He half-grinned at Hercules. "You know...the goofy smile you get when you're having the most wonderful dream."

Hercules flushed and glanced away. He'd seen that smile on Iolaus' sleeping face more than once.

"To be honest, I didn't have the heart to wake him," Jason admitted. "So I cleaned up and got dressed. Before I left, I threw my blanket over him." He caught the demigod's eyes with his own. "Iolaus snuggled into the blanket and murmured YOUR name."

"You heard me," Jason calmly answered. "You were the one he was dreaming about...the dream that caused that goofy smile on his face. You. Not me. So, I don't know where you got the idea that he's in love with me." He leaned forward. "That's one reason I sent for you to come to Corinth to help Iolaus. He'd argue with me from now until the end of time. But I knew you'd be able to get through to him...because of how he feels about you."

Jason patiently waited while the demigod absorbed those words. "Now, what's this about a nightmare?" he finally asked.

Hercules looked up in surprise. "Nightmare? Oh...I don't really remember it. But ever since, I've had this feeling that...being with me is going to get him hurt really bad or killed."

Jason snorted. "Considering what you intend to do with your life, that's hardly surprising," he pointed out. "Look, Hercules. In all the time you've known Iolaus, has he ever done anything that he didn't want to do...at that point in time?"

"Well, I don't expect him to change anytime soon," Jason shrugged. "I'd be surprised if he hasn't already considered what you're afraid of."

"Jason, you know Iolaus," Hercules groaned. "He doesn't EVER think about the risks."

"I think he has in this case," Jason argued. "Because he knows you're going to obsess about them. And I'll bet you half the Corinthian treasury he's already thought up answers to every argument you could give him about the dangers of being your partner."

Hercules sat deep in thought for almost a full minute. "Jason, whose idea was it for Iolaus to go out today without me?"

"His," Jason quietly answered. He waited until Hercules looked at him. "He said you hadn't been sleeping well the past couple of nights and needed the extra rest."

Hercules signed in frustration. "Now how did he know THAT? He's been sleeping okay."

"You're a smart man." Jason softly grunted as he got to his feet. "Keep thinking about it. You'll figure it out."

Hercules quickly got to his feet and steadied his friend. "Jason. About Medea..." He felt Jason tense. "If she's your choice, then I wish you all the best happiness." He met his friend's eyes and held out his hand. "I really do."

Watching from the corner of her eyes, Medea relaxed for the first time since Hercules had arrived.

"Can you take position along the Old Shore road?" Jason deliberately kept a straight face although the humor was evident in his voice. "I can send someone to help you when the scouts get back if you like. How about Kyros?"

Hercules half-smiled. "Just send Iolaus, okay? I should have thought up a great apology by the time he gets back." When Jason snickered, Hercules started back towards his mother. "When's he due back anyway?"

"Probably mid-afternoon," Jason answered hiding his smile. "I'll send somebody to relieve you if he's late."

Hercules was tempted to say something rude to his friend but stopped himself when Alcmene raised her head to silently warn him. How does Mother do that?' Then he saw Medea silently getting to her feet. "Hello, Medea."

Medea's eyes slid from Hercules to Jason and back to the demigod. "Hercules." The fingers of her right hand nervously played with the sleeve of her dark tunic.

"I...apologize for last night," Hercules quietly spoke. "I had no right to act the way I did or say what I said."

‘‘Or didn't say.’’ Medea slowly nodded. "Thank you for coming to help."

"I'll be back later, Mother." Hercules turned to help his mother stand. "Jason's putting me to work."

"I'll pack you some food," Alcmene decided. "I'll pack enough for Iolaus as well. He'll come looking for you or you'll go looking for him before the day's out."

Alcmene gave him a sharp look. "You worry about regaining your throne, young man. I'll worry about the food." Motioning for Medea to join her, she turned back to the cooking fire.

Iolaus repressed the urge to giggle as he left the Corinthian marketplace. ‘‘I GOTTA tell Jason just how easy it is to sneak in and out of here.’’ He casually glanced from side to side, once again grateful for the ever-present drizzle that allowed him to pull his grey cloak around him. ‘‘I bet Jason doesn't know how much support he's got from the brothels and taverns. Hmmm...wonder how Medea will like THAT.’’

Iolaus' attention was caught by a young woman trying to pull away from a drunken soldier.

Iolaus grimaced as he moved towards the girl. "Sweetheart! I've been looking for you!" As he took the girl's arm, he gave the soldier a bright smile. "Thanks for finding her for me."

"Darling. You didn't tell him we're to be married? I'm hurt." Iolaus winked at the girl who tried to smile in return. Before the soldier could move, Iolaus lashed out with a stiff forearm to the man's jaw.

Stunned, the soldier's eyes rolled back in his head. He silently crumpled to the ground. Iolaus took a quick look at the startled crowd around them. "Run," he hissed to the girl.

As the girl ran away, Iolaus bent down and took the soldier's sword. Hoping the crowd would think him no more than a thief, he ran in the opposite direction. He'd hardly taken more than a dozen steps when a fist smashed into his face.

Spitting out blood, Iolaus rolled to one side and reached for the sword which had been knocked from his hand. He yelled when a heavy boot came crashing down on his hand, grinding it into hard dirt..

Iolaus' eyes widened in shock. Blinking, he looked for the owner of that voice as rough hands pulled him to his feet. "Nikolos?"

"Hello, Iolaus." The spy coldly smiled. "How nice of you to join us." "But you're..." Iolaus shut his mouth.

"Dead?" Nikolos happily chuckled. "Do I look dead to you?" He leaned closer and whispered in Iolaus' ear. "Don't believe everything Hercules tells you."

Iolaus stiffened as he recognized the hissing voice. Then he took a deep breath. "So what happens now...Nikolos?" he asked in a sarcastic voice.

"I'd love to oblige, but I have a previous commit..." Iolaus staggered as Nikolos' fist smashed into his jaw.

Hercules slowly licked his fingers, sucking down the remains of the juicy peach. Wiping his hand on his shirt, he slowly surveyed the countryside from his vantage point high in a tree. The rain-soaked leaves around him dampened the temperature which had risen after the rainstorm has passed.

‘‘I wish it was still raining.’’ While it made him more uncomfortable, the demigod knew the rain would help Iolaus. He idly played with the handful of plums he'd picked from the tree by the abandoned well. Offering them would be the start of his apology to his friend.

He impatiently glanced at the slowly moving sun. For the last sunwidth, he'd become more and more worried about Iolaus' absence. And, as the day wore on, Hercules became more and more worried. He'd almost decided to risk Jason's anger and return to the cave without being relieved when he saw Kyros heading in his direction. Quickly scanning the countryside again, he jumped down and met Kyros on the trail.

"Jason says to come back to the cave," Kyros quickly told him. "Iolaus was captured."

Jason met Hercules' eyes as the demigod ran into the cave. "Philip saw them taking Iolaus into the castle. He says Nikolos was leading the detail."

"That's impossible!" Hercules exploded. "He's dead! I..." He stopped seeing his mother come into view and lowered his voice. "Jason, I killed Nikolos yesterday. He tried to knife me, and Iolaus got hurt getting in the way."

"Then either someone was impersonating Nikolos yesterday or today," Jason reasoned. He motioned for his men to join them. Sitting on the hard ground, he quickly sketched the layout of the castle in the dirt.

"Normally the dungeon," Jason considered. "But I'm betting Pellas would want to keep him under closer watch."

Jason met Hercules' eyes for a moment then looked at the others. "Pellas is going to be crowned tomorrow. Kyros picked up rumors that he intends to show the Fleece to the crowd to consolidate his hold." Jason coldly smiled. "It'll be a fake, of course. But not many people have seen the real Fleece." He took a deep breath and prepared himself for Hercules' anger. "He'll probably have Iolaus publicly executed immediately after to make a point."

"WHAT?!" Hercules exploded. "If you're too scared to risk your throne to save Iolaus, I'll do it myself!"

"You're out of line, Hercules!" Jason angrily stood. Any brief sense of intimidating Hercules was gone when the demigod also jumped to his feet. "Rescuing Iolaus now will only tip our hand! We have one chance to stop Pellas! We can't afford to waste it!"

"Waste it?!" With difficulty, Hercules controlled his anger. "Jason...you know Pellas will do anything to find out what Iolaus knows."

Jason curtly nodded. "And he knows we'll be coming after him. Hercules, stop and think! Iolaus will be too well guarded. Their attention will be on him tonight. That will give us the chance to slip inside Corinth, contact our allies, and be ready to move when he least expects it."

"Exactly." Jason kept his eyes on Hercules' face. "We make any aggressive move tonight, and Iolaus will be dead before we can get to him."

Hercules turned around and walked to the entrance of the cave. Alcmene started to follow but stopped when Jason put a hand on her arm. Silently, the Corinthian king joined his friend.

"I know," Jason softly agreed. "It's not easy for me, either. But we can't afford to make any mistakes. That one mistake could cost Iolaus his life."

Hercules stared at the setting sun. ‘‘Hang on, Iolaus. Please. I promise...I SWEAR we'll get you out. Do whatever you have to...tell em whatever you need to...just hang on...please.’’

Thrown across the room by the guards, Iolaus bounced off the bed and rolled to one side. He reached for a nearby chair to use as a weapon then was blasted back against the wall.

"Naughty, naughty," Nikolos sneered. A second energy burst from his hand threw Iolaus across the room. The spy glanced over his shoulder at the guards. "You can go now."

Nikolos watched in silent amusement then, with a motion of his hand, threw Iolaus onto the bed. "Stay," he ordered.

Nikolos threw him back onto the bed with an energy blast. With a snarl, the spy wiggled his fingers and Iolaus found himself bound face down on the bed. He watched Iolaus struggle for several seconds. "You're going to take all the fun out of this if you hurt yourself."

Nikolos shrugged. "Pellas wants to do the honors." The spy gave Iolaus a cold smile. "And so do I, you little pest."

Iolaus caught his breath. "Why the disguise? Doesn't Pellas know who you really are?"

Slowly Nikolos walked to within Iolaus' line of sight. "Pellas doesn't care. As long as he's the undisputed King of Corinth, I could be anyone." Nikolos' body form shimmered then reformed to its original shape. "I think Corinth will be a nice prize to present to Ares. Don't you, Iolaus?"

Discord knelt next to the bed. Running her long fingernails through Iolaus' blonde curls, she smirked. "That's a laugh...coming from Hercules' little shadow."

"Does Pellas know he's going to be Ares' puppet?" Iolaus charged. "Or is he as stupid as he looks?"

Discord chuckled. "I think we should leave something to the imagination, shouldn't we? It'll give you something to think about tonight...assuming you'll be able to think at all."

Iolaus heard the door open and watched in awe as Discord morphed into Nikolos.

"Appearances can be deceiving." Nikolos grinned at Iolaus. "Can't they, Iolaus?"

"Pellas, you fool. That's Discord! She's setting you up! For Ares!" Iolaus struggled to look over his shoulder at Pellas.

Pellas laughed. "I know Nikolos is dead. And I know one of the gods is helping me. I have no problem honoring Lord Ares. I think he'll make an excellent patron for Corinth."

"Poseidon and Hestia might have something to say about that," Iolaus warned.

"I'll back Ares against them any day," Pellas shrugged. He glanced at Nikolos. "He's restrained?"

"Completely." Discord changed back to her own form. "You can do whatever you want." She reached out and grabbed a handful of Iolaus' hair. "And I do mean...anything."

Iolaus forced the fear from his eyes as Discord let his head fall back onto the bed.

"I don't suppose you're going to be reasonable and tell me where my nephew and his supporters are, now are you?" Pellas idly asked.

"Good." Pellas ran a hand down Iolaus' back. "I'd be disappointed if you did. Normally, I'd strip you myself, but I have the feeling your friends will attempt a rescue soon. So time really is of the essence."

Despite himself, Iolaus stiffened and struggled when, with a wave of her hand, Discord left him naked and stretched out on the bed. Closing his eyes, he called up Hercules' image. ‘‘Don't do it, Herc. Stay away. Be smart. Please...don't get hurt on my account.’’

Iolaus didn't really believe Hercules would hear his mental plea, but he felt a certain level of peace flow through him. He suddenly knew that his friends would come for him...in their own time...and on their own terms.

Neither the sharp sting of Pellas belt striking his back or the sound of Pellas undressing drove that sense of peace from Iolaus' heart.

"Hestia will make sure you're safe. No matter what happens." Jason assured Alcmene.

The older woman smiled then hesitantly hugged him. "All of you be careful, Jason," she urged. "Don't worry about me."

Both Medea and Alcmene automatically took several steps backward as the goddess stepped forward from the flames. She smiled at Hercules. "Hello, nephew."

"Aunt Hestia." Hercules shyly smiled in return. "Thank you for looking after my mother."

"My pleasure," Hestia assured him. "You all need to know this. Pellas is being aided by Discord."

"Discord!" Hercules glanced at Jason. "She's taken Nikolos' form." When Jason grimly nodded, he looked back at the goddess. "Is Ares involved?"

"No," Hestia shook her head. "Discord is working on her own. She plans to present Corinth to Ares, however. I was able to learn that much for you." She shrugged at their confusion. "Jason's father consecrated several of the hearths within the palace to me. Discord neglected to neutralize them."

Hestia hesitated. "He's within the palace. Pellas and Discord were questioning him."

Alcmene put a gentle hand on her son's arm. She was worried at how tense he was.

"Thank you," Hercules finally answered. "At least he's still alive." And I know who to tear apart for hurting him.' He turned to his mother and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, Mother. We'll get him back."

She and Hestia watched in silence as they slipped away into the darkness. "Do they have a chance?" Alcmene finally asked.

"Corinth is dedicated to me and to Poseidon," Hestia carefully answered. "Discord and Pellas plan to present it to Ares. We don't like that, Alcmene." She smiled at the mortal woman beside her.

"If Jason has as much support from the people of Corinth as they seem to think he does...yes, they'll have help," Hestia nodded.

The sun gently rose over the horizon. Even at that early hour, as many citizens of Corinth as possible had assembled within the palace courtyard. The quiet murmurings ceased when, with a flair of trumpets, Pellas appeared wearing the Golden Fleece.

As Pellas strutted to the platform, he made sure to turn so everyone could see the Fleece draped around his shoulders.

Following Pellas came Nikolos followed by a stumbling Iolaus supported by two soldiers.

Pellas stopped at the center of the platform where several cloaked priests stood. At the far end of the platform, stood a muscular hooded executioner casually holding a heavy double-edged axe.

"People of Corinth!" Pellas loudly proclaimed. "By right of conquest, I claim the throne of Corinth! Jason, former King of Corinth, is dead. Long live..."

Pellas spun around as to see the group of cloaked priests throw their cloaks aside. In the middle of the group, Jason flipped his cloak to reveal the Golden Fleece.

The crowd gasped as the sun's rays struck the Fleece almost surrounding it with a golden glow.

Pellas' soldiers looked startled as almost the entire populace within the courtyard turned on them with little more than their bare hands.

Jason drew his sword and advanced on Pellas who coldly motioned him forward.

Iolaus spun and kicked the man on his left who yelped as he slid off the platform. As he spun to face the man on his right, Discord raised her hand with a snarl. "Bye-bye, blondie." She suddenly grunted, her energy blast shooting into the sky.

Iolaus blinked as the executioner's axe ricocheted from Discord's back onto the platform floor. He quickly sliced the ropes binding his wrists across the sharp blade.

Discord spun around to see Hercules ripping the executioner's hood from his face.

"You'll regret that," Discord grimly promised the demigod. Then she shrieked when a blast of energy struck her from behind. She staggered then turned around. "You little witch! You'll pay for that!"

Medea looked up and over Discord's shoulder. "I think you might have someone more powerful to worry about."

Discord spun around to see Poseidon looming over the city. His silver blue-green eyes angrily stared down at her. "No harm...no foul, Poseidon," she offered before disappearing.

At the sight of Poseidon, most of Pellas' men began running away only desiring to get as far as possible away from his wrath.

The God of the Seas and Oceans frowned as he stared at the combatants. Those who dared to look into the depths of his eyes could almost see the deep ocean currents swirling within. The sunlight caught the tips of his trident shooting beams of bright light down into the courtyard.

Hercules glanced over his shoulder at his uncle before running across the platform towards Iolaus. He almost casually backhanded one of Pellas' remaining soldiers off the platform before taking his partner's arm. "Iolaus! Are you okay?"

Hercules noticed Iolaus' white face and bruised arm. He put a reassuring hand on his partner's back then jerked it away, hearing Iolaus' hiss.

"I'm not dead yet," Pellas sneered. "And, by the way, you're taking this awfully personally, Jason. A good king needs to learn objectivity."

Jason's sword flashed, catching the early morning light, as it slipped beneath Pellas' guard cutting a bloody path across his unprotected stomach.

"That was for sending your troops after Alcmene," Jason hissed. Catching Pellas in the hip with his booted foot, he used the momentum to swing his sword around opening up a deep gash on Pellas' right arm. "That was for what you did to Iolaus," he added as his uncle dropped to one knee.

"And what about Corinth, little king?" Pellas shouted as he tried to get to his feet. "What are you going to do about that?"

Breathing heavily, Jason stood erect...then stepped backwards. "He's yours, Lord Poseidon."

"WHAT?!" Pellas shrieked as the Sea Lord reached down and picked him up by the left shoulder. "Jason! You can't do this!"

"Oh, yes, I can," Jason muttered. He watched with a grim expression as Poseidon waded into the sea with a shrieking mortal firmly clutched in his grasp. Pellas' screams ended when Poseidon dove into the ocean.

Hercules had started to interfere then saw the expression on Iolaus' face...an expression of cold approval. With an inward sigh, he kept quiet.

Jason walked to the edge of the platform and raised his arms. "People of Corinth! Tell all that I have returned with blessings of Poseidon and Hestia and with the help of my friends and supporters. There will be a feast in two days' time to celebrate Pellas' defeat...and my marriage to Medea!" He reached back and pulled the young witch forward as the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Yeah," Hercules nodded. "I acted like an idiot." He glanced at the smaller man. "Both with Jason and Medea...and with you."

Iolaus glanced up in surprise then glanced away. "Can we...talk about that later?"

The young king gave Iolaus a surprisingly hesitant look. "I'm sorry we didn't get you out sooner, Iolaus. Hercules wanted to come last night." He took a deep breath. "It was my decision to wait."

"It was the right one," Iolaus quietly assured him. "They were expecting you last night. You would have walked into a trap."

"Get me to a pretty healer with soft hands, and we'll call it even," Iolaus suggested with a shaky grin.

Iolaus sat by the window in his bedroom watching the torchlights of the city below. It seemed the entire city was still celebrating Jason's victory despite the moon having completed half its journey across the dark sky. Normally, he would have been in the thick of it. But now, all he wanted to do was sit and think. The problem was, he wasn't sure he liked the way his thoughts were flowing.

So, it was with a mixture of relief and dread when he heard a light tap on his door and his friend softly call his name. "Come in, Herc," he called in return.

"You're not giving Jason a hard time about this, are you?" Iolaus motioned his friend to join him.

Hercules instead went to the fireplace and stirred the small fire. "No," he finally answered. He was silent for a few moments, then turned to sit on the hearth facing his friend. "Iolaus...about that argument we had...I didn't mean what I said...about rethinking our partnership."

Iolaus glanced at the window then forced himself to look back at the demigod. "Maybe you were right."

"Herc, I'm never going to be anything except a liability to you," Iolaus roughly continued. "Someone to use against you in one way or the other."

"That's not true!" Anger flashed in the demigod's eyes as he stared at the blonde. "Iolaus, I thought we settled THAT months ago."

"If Jason hadn't stopped you, you would have rushed in here last night, wouldn't you?" Iolaus demanded.

"And you threw Nikolos harder than you normally would have because you were angry he hurt me. Right?" Iolaus demanded.

"AND you would have argued with Jason about turning Pellas over to Poseidon if I hadn't been...if I hadn't been hurt. Right?" Iolaus demanded.

"The point is...you can't afford to have me around," Iolaus resolutely continued.

"That's nonsense, and you know it!" Hercules angrily got to his feet. "Iolaus, if you want to break up our partnership, you're going to have to look me in the eyes and convince me of it. Because I DON'T want to break up our partnership."

Iolaus took a deep breath. Slowly getting to his feet, he stared up at his friend. "I want to break up our partnership."

"Liar," Hercules immediately challenged. "You'll have to do better than that."

Iolaus angrily stared up at him for a few seconds then cursed under his breath. "It's for the best," he mumbled.

"I don't believe that," Hercules shook his head. He gently rested his hands on Iolaus' shoulders. "And I don't think...deep down...that you do, either."

"We've just gotta...figure out how to handle this sort of stuff," Hercules acknowledged. He glanced down at his friend. "Am I gonna hurt you by giving you a hug?"

Iolaus silently answered by sliding his arms around the demigod's waist and tightly hugging him.

Hercules buried his face in Iolaus' hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "You'll hate me saying it...but I should've been there...to protect you from this. I never wanted you hurt because of me."

"Or you hurt because of me," Iolaus mumbled. "And that's what would have happened if you'd shown up last night."

Hercules squeezed his friend then quickly released him, hearing the other man softly grunt. "Sorry," he muttered.

Hercules walked to the window and stared outside. "Mother says you're leaving right after the wedding. Going back to Thebes with her."

"Yeah," Iolaus nodded. "Jason's sending some soldiers back to the farm to help with repairs. She argued a little with him, but he won the argument." He gingerly sat on the edge of the bed. "How do you figure he did that?"

Hercules frowned. "I'm not sure, come to think of it," he admitted. He took a deep breath and turned to face the blonde. "So...are we still partners?"

"I still gotta find something that belongs to me." Iolaus looked down at the floor. "Especially with everything that's happened lately."

"That makes sense." Hercules wished his voice sounded as calm as he’’d hoped it would. "Anyway, I'm gonna leave after the wedding as well."

"Come to Thebes at the next full moon," Iolaus suddenly urged with an echoing smile. "I'll probably have had enough of being in one place by then."

"Are you sure?" Hercules seriously asked. "It's important to me that you really want to do this, Iolaus."

"Okay." The demigod gave his partner one of those shy smiles that always melted Iolaus' heart. "I guess I'll let you get some sleep. Can I get you anything?"

"Sleep here tonight?" Iolaus quietly asked. He laughed at the demigod's startled expression. "I really do mean sleep, Herc."

Two days later, Hercules watched from the gates of Corinth as the riders headed north towards Thebes. Despite Iolaus' promise, the demigod wasn't sure the blonde would be ready to travel with him after the next full moon. The shadows in Iolaus' eyes didn't look like ones easily erased.

Deep inside, he worried it was a mistake for he and Iolaus to be apart while they tried to heal their bodies and hearts. ‘‘We're better together than apart,’’ he silently argued. But he'd given Iolaus his word, and he intended to keep it no matter what.

Silently, the demigod picked up the carrysack provisions Alcmene had insisted he take with him and slung it over one shoulder. ‘‘Just until the next full moon. I can do that.’’