Iolaus and Hercules are sparring when Titus comes over to get Jason for Cheiron.
Herc looks up and says,” “Guess we have another new cadet.”
“Yeah, now Jason’ll be baby-sitting the new guy instead of being a royal pain to us,” Iolaus quips.
Hercules shakes his head. “Jason isn’t that bad,” he reminds his friend.
Iolaus pauses to think of a reply when the bell signaling that lessons are done for the day rings. “Well I gotta go, see ya later Herc.”
“What are you talking about Iolaus? You aren’t going anywhere--dinner is in a half an hour,” Hercules reminds his friend.
“Yeah well, I’m working at the inn tonight,” the cadet informs his friend.
“Yeah right,” Hercules says in disbelief.
“It’s true. Crackus is sick, and Kora asked if I could fill in this week. Look I gotta go. I don’t want to be late,” Iolaus tells Hercules.
Hercules looks at his sparring partner. “So does Cheiron know about this? I’m not covering for ya, last time we almost got into real trouble.”
“Herc, I can’t believe that you are asking me that,” Iolaus says with a hurt look on his face. His blue eyes search Hercules’ face. “Yes Cheiron knows--now can I get going? I don’t want Kora mad at me before I start.”
“Alright Iolaus. See ya later,” the demi-god tells his friend. He laughs as he watches Iolaus scurry out of the training room almost running over Feducius.
Jason plops down next to Hercules. “Hey where’s Iolaus - in line for more of this slop they call food?”
“Nah, he working at Kora’s,” Hercules informs Jason. He nods at the incredulous look on Jason’s face. “You on baby-sitting duty again?”
“Yes, I’m showing a new cadet around. He seems like a pretty good guy. We’ll see what he thinks of this place after he tries the food,” answers the future King of Corinth. “So Iolaus is working at Kora’s. I can’t believe that she ’s letting him after what happened last time. Does Cheiron know?”
“Iolaus said that Kora asked him to help because Crackus is sick and that Cheiron knows,” Hercules replies.
“Ole Crackus Potus is sick--hmmmm,” Jason ponders this information. A big grin spreads over his face.
Hercules looks at his friend. “What are you thinking? No not that, Jase,” he groans when he realizes what Jason is planning.
“Why not? Come on we’ll just go to Kora’s for dinner...and well if Iolaus ends up being our waiter...” Jason lets the possibilities dangle.
“I don’t know Jase. Iolaus needs the job and the money, and I don’t want him to get in trouble with Kora because of us,” Hercules begins.
Jason interrupts,” We won’t get him into any trouble, just give him a hard time. Come on Herc, it’ll be fun, and the food will be better than this.”
“Ok, why not,” Hercules decides.
“Uh, can I join you?” a mysterious voice asks. The voice belongs to a tall, muscular young man who is balancing his tray carefully.
Jason looks up. “Sure Nikos. Nikos, I’d like you to meet Hercules, one of the best fighters in the Academy. Herc, this is Nikos, the new cadet.”
After everyone exchanges greetings, the cadets begin to eat their meal. Jason and Hercules fill Nikos in on what to expect at the Academy. They swap stories until it is time to turn in for the night.
The next morning all of the cadets gather in the training room. Hercules pokes Iolaus, who seems to be nodding off. “Tough night?” he asks.
“It was busy, and I got in late. Why does Cheiron make us get up so early?” Iolaus complains as he rubs his eyes. Hercules nudges him as Cheiron walks into the room followed by Nikos. Iolaus pales. “What’s he doing here?” Iolaus whispers.
“That’s the new cadet, Nikos, ” Hercules murmurs.
“Yeah I know, Nikos from Anistophilis,” Iolaus replies.
“How do you know him?”
“Well, remember a couple of years ago when my family moved from Thebes? We moved to Anistophilis, and well I....”
Hercules groans. “You didn’t steal from him, did you?”
“Yeah I did, but it was almost a year and half ago. Maybe he won’t remember.” Iolaus’ face lights up at the thought. “Besides, I’ve changed since then.”
Cheiron clears his throat and waits for the room to quiet down. “I want you all to meet Nikos, the newest cadet here at the Academy.” He thinks for a moment. “Iolaus come here. I want you to spar with Nikos.”
Iolaus whines,” “But I was gonna spar with Herc today.” Cheiron fixes him with a look. “Alright, I’m coming, I’m coming,” he mutters, “hold your horses.”
Nikos looks at the cadet slowly making his way to the front of the room. His eyes narrow when he recognizes Iolaus. “Since when do you let criminals into this Academy? ” he tells Cheiron.
Cheiron frowns at the newest cadet. “Iolaus is a cadet here, just like everyone else. I expect you to treat him as an equal.”
Nikos grits his teeth, but nods in agreement. Iolaus reaches the front of the room and jumps up on the platform. Cheiron hands both of the cadets pugel sticks and watches them prepare to grapple. Iolaus extends his hand towards Nikos, but Nikos ignores him. Iolaus shrugs and gets into his battle stance.
Jason walks up to Hercules. “Guess it’s just you and me today, huh,” he gibes. “What’s with Nikos’ attitude? He hasn’t known Iolaus long enough to hate him.”
“Well they’ve met before,” Hercules begins.
“Really? But Iolaus is from Thebes like you, right?” the crown prince of Corinth asks.
Hercules recounts what Iolaus had told him. Jason shakes his head and mutters, ”Can’t he just keep out of trouble.”
Cheiron states, ”Ok cadets time to begin.”
Nikos queries, ”How did you get into here? Lie your way in?”
“I pay tuition just like everyone else,” Iolaus replies.
“Yeah right, where do you steal the money from?” Nikos states as he swings at Iolaus.
Iolaus easily deflects the blow. “I don’t do that anymore,” he tells his opponent. Iolaus decides to take the offensive and throws a few blows towards Nikos.
Nikos parries the thrusts. “We had a pool going in Anistophilis. We were taking bets on if you were in jail or dead. Never expected you to be here. Must have been a great con job you pulled to get in here.” He begins to attack in earnest.
Cheiron quietly watches the sparring. He studies Nikos’ moves and makes mental notes on what he needs to improve. He hadn’t realized that Nikos and Iolaus had shared a past when he chose them to spar. Cheiron had chosen Iolaus because many people underestimated Iolaus’ ability because of his size, and he wanted to see how Nikos reacted. Cheiron’s thoughts are disturbed when Feducius comes up to him.
Feducius says, ”I’m sorry to disturb you, but we have a problem.” Cheiron and Feducius walk a short distance away from the cadets and review the dilemma.
Nikos viciously attacks Iolaus. He swings and connects with Iolaus’ hand.
“Ouch, hey man, chill out. This is just a drill, don’t take it so seriously,” Iolaus complains as he shakes the wounded area.
“Oh and I suppose robbing my family was just a ‘drill’ too,” Nikos remarks.
Iolaus replies, ”Look I’m sorry about that, but it’s in the past. I’ve changed.” He dodges Nikos’ wild blow towards his chest.
“You know some of the villagers were wondering if Arathea had something going on with the magistrate. He was always at your house,” the bigger cadet smirks. He attempts to trip Iolaus with the pugel stick.
Iolaus jumps away from the attack. He counters the blow with a strike of his own. He aims his pugel stick at Nikos’ chest, but Nikos avoids the blow.
“I bet Arathea regrets having you as a son,” Nikos says as he swings his pugel stick at Iolaus.
The blow catches Iolaus across the head as he is knocked off guard by what Nikos had said. He stands dizzily trying to protect himself from the next attack. Nikos forcefully hits Iolaus in the ribs with the pugel stick. The impact propels Iolaus off of the platform. He flies through the air and lands on the dirt floor striking his head against the weapon stand. Nikos jumps off the platform and straddles the fallen cadet. He begins to pummel Iolaus’ face over and over.
Hercules looks up as Iolaus flies through the air. His grin and the joke he was about to utter disappear when he sees Nikos start to beat on his fallen friend. Both Jason and Hercules rush to aid their comrade.
Cheiron looks up when he hears the disturbance. He is disquieted by what he observes.
“I’m sure Arathea was happy when you left home--or did she kick you out for being a pathetic excuse of a son,” Nikos taunts as he is pulled off of Iolaus by Jason and Cheiron.
Jason and Hercules exchange surprised glances and shrugs. Hercules kneels beside his fallen friend. The right side of Iolaus’ face is covered with blood from when he had struck the weapons rack. His left eye is blackened and his face is swollen from Nikos’ blows. Hercules gently brushes Iolaus’ hair away from the wounds. He becomes nervous when he realizes that Iolaus is unconscious. Hercules gently shakes Iolaus’ shoulder, but there is no response. He gives Cheiron a worried look as he says, ”He’s out cold.”
Cheiron sends Nikos to his office. He is very disappointed that he will have to discipline the cadet on his first day. “It’s not a good way to start out at the Academy,” Cheiron sighs. He turns and begins to examine Iolaus.
“Ewwww, that smells worse than Herc’s cooking,” Iolaus sputters as he tries to swat the source of the odor away from his nose.
“Well, thanks buddy,” Hercules laughs. “How are ya doing?”
Cheiron removes the smelling vapors from under Iolaus’ nose. “How do you feel?” he asks as he probes the cadet’s wounds.
“Well, my face feels like a punching bag, but other than that, I’m fine,” Iolaus jokes as he rubs the bandage on his right temple.
Cheiron attempts to hide a smile at Iolaus’ comment. “There doesn’t seem to be any permanent damage.”
Jason teases Iolaus, “Yeah, actually your face looks better this way.”
Iolaus makes a face at Jason and starts to rise to his feet. Both Hercules and Cheiron attempt to help him up, but he refuses their help. He stands up. Iolaus says, “See I’m right as rain, ” as he woozily tries to walk. Hercules grabs his friend to keep him from falling on his face.
“That’s enough,” Cheiron declares.
“But I’m fine, really--it was just a dizzy spell,” Iolaus explains.
“No more drills or classes for you today, Iolaus. I want you to go to bed and rest--and no arguments,” Cheiron commands.
“Aw Cheiron. I’m alright, really,” the battered cadet says. He sees the determined look on Cheiron’s face and gives in. “Ok, I’ll rest, but I’m fine, really.”
“I’m sure you are Iolaus, but after a blow to the head like that it is best if you take it easy,” Cheiron tells him. “Hercules, make sure that he gets some rest.”
“Cheiron, I don’t need a babysitter. Why doesn’t anyone believe that I’m fine?” the small blonde complains as he unsteadily starts to walk out of the room.
Hercules runs up behind his comrade and tries to support him as they walk down the hall. Iolaus pushes Hercules’ arm away. “I’m fine, Herc. I don’t need any help,” he says as he suddenly loses his balance. Hercules steadies his injured friend.
“I know you’re fine, Iolaus,” Hercules states, “but you hit your head pretty hard. I just want to make sure that everything is ok.”
The beaten teen replies, “Look,Herc, I don’t need any help. I can walk back to the dorm on my own. It’s not like I’m a little kid or something. I don’t need a babysitter.”
Hercules grins at Iolaus’ response. “Alright, I believe ya. To be honest, I just want to get out of drills for a little while,” he tells his friend.
“Ok,” Iolaus says quietly.
Hercules looks at his friend worriedly. He forces himself to smile when the battered youth looks at him. The paleness of Iolaus’ face concerns him, but he tries not to show his anxiety as they walk back to the dorm.
Once they arrive at the dormitory, Hercules urges his buddy to lay down and rest. Iolaus protests weakly, ”I told you I feel fine. I don’t need to lay down; I’m perfectly fine.” He tries not to let the demi-god see the relief in his eyes as he sinks into the bed.
“Well, you worked hard last night at Kora’s and got in late. You deserve some relaxation. It’s not often that Cheiron lets anyone get out of drills,” Hercules jokes.
Iolaus gives Hercules a weary grin. “Yeah, I guess so. Maybe I could use a nap.”
Hercules helps Iolaus remove his boots and watches him climb into bed. He chats with his friend until he falls asleep. He watches his comrade sleep for several minutes before he goes back to drills.
Cheiron watches Hercules distractedly perform the training exercises. He knows that Hercules’ mind is back in the barracks with his injured friend. He is also worried about his stubborn cadet.
“Wow, his face is a mess,” Lilith whispers as she walks up to Hercules.
“Hey buddy, are you gonna come to lunch with us? Iolaus’ll be fine. He is a toughie. Don’t worry,” Jason says as he looks down at the sleeping cadet.
Hercules glances at his friends. “Nah guys, I think I’ll just sit here for a little while.”
“Hercules, go and get lunch. Iolaus will be fine,” Cheiron’s voice startles the cadets. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.”
Hercules stares at the headmaster of the Academy. “I want to stay,” he says.
Cheiron gazes at his student. “I’m just going to treat his wounds. Get some lunch and then you can come back. He’ll be fine, Hercules,” he tells the cadet.
Hercules unhappily agrees to leave. He walks with Lilith and Jason to the dining hall.
Cheiron gazes down on Iolaus’ battered face. He gathers his supplies and makes a poultice to alleviate the swelling of Iolaus’ face. The young cadet begins to stir and moan slightly. When he wakes up, Cheiron gives him a cup of tea. Iolaus looks at it suspiciously. “What’s in it?” he asks.
“It’s just something to help with the headache,” Cheiron answers. “Just drink it, and leave that dressing on your face--it will take down the swelling.”
Iolaus nods at the headmaster. He drinks the tea. “Hey, it wasn’t too bad. Could I get something to eat? I’m starving,” Iolaus says.
Cheiron smiles. For the first time since he’d seen Iolaus sprawled on the floor of the training room that morning, he is sure that the young man is going to be ok. “I think that I can arrange some lunch for you,” he says.
“Thanks. That would be great,” Iolaus replies.
The young man walks into the inn slowly. He pauses for a minute to arrange his hair around his face. He takes a deep breath and walks up to Kora. “I’m here, sorry I’m late,” he tells her.
Kora says, ”Well, about time, I thought that you had bailed out on me. Go wait on table 4.” She stops speaking when she spies his bandaged head. “What happened to your head?”
“Nothing. It was just a training accident. I’m fine, really,” Iolaus assures her. “You said table 4 needed service?” He hurries away before Kora can see the swelling and bruises on the left side of his face.
Kora stares at Iolaus as he walks away. She shakes her head in exasperation.
The inn is full, and Iolaus has been kept busy serving the customers. He walks up to the counter to give the latest order when Kora asks him to wait on the booth in the corner. He looks over to the booth and sees Cheiron and Feducius sitting there. “Uh, Kora, could I take a quick break instead,” he says as he ducks behind the counter when Cheiron looks in that direction.
“Why are you hiding from him?” she asks. “You did ask him if you could help out this week, right?”
“Yes, I did,” the waiter says as he makes his way to the booth. “Hello gentlemen, what can I get you this evening?”
Cheiron gives him a searching look. “How are you feeling?” he asks the cadet.
“I’m fine,” he assures them. “Now what can I get you to eat tonight?”
Feducius looks at the menu and decides on shepherd’s pie. Cheiron orders the vegetarian plate and a side order of oats. As Iolaus walks back to the kitchen to place their order, Feducius says, “I thought that he was supposed to be resting.”
Cheiron smiles, “He is.”
Iolaus walks up to a rowdy table and asks them for their orders. Hercules pushes his friend into a seat. “You shouldn’t be doing this. You should be resting,” Hercules decrees.
“Look, Herc, I’m fine. I feel a lot better now. I gotta get back to work before Kora gets mad,” Iolaus tells his friends.
Jason says, “I don’t think she’ll mind if you sit here while we try to decide what to order. How is the chicken salad tonight?”
Lilith asks, “How does your head feel? Did you help with any of the cooking?”
Iolaus laughs. “No, they don’t allow me into the cooking area. I don’t know why,” he says.
“It couldn’t be because you kept eating all the food,” Jason jokes.
Their laughter is drowned out when the rest of the cadets from the Academy walk into the inn. “I can’t believe that Buffetis dropped all of the food on the ground,” a voice says.
“Yeah well at least we don’t have to eat it. Ahhh, real food,” another voice replies.
The cadets fill all of the booths remaining in the inn.
“Well guys, I guess I’d better get back to work. Do you know what you want to eat?” Iolaus asks his friends. His friends give him their orders and watch him walk back to the kitchen.
Jason says,” “Well, he looks like he feels ok.”
“Yeah, he’s more active than I would be,” Lilith confesses.
“I just hope he isn’t overdoing it,” Hercules worries.
“Herc, Iolaus can take care of himself. Don’t be such a worrywart,” Jason chides his friend.
Iolaus balances the trays as he makes his way through the crowd of cadets. He carefully weaves his way though the maze of people when he is tripped. The trays go flying as Iolaus lands face first on the ground. He looks up into the sneering face of Nikos.
“You really should be more careful where you walk, you clumsy oaf,” Nikos growls.
Iolaus stares up at his tormentor. “Yeah, I’ll have to be more careful,” he hisses. He gets to his feet and looks to see where the trays landed. “Aw man,” he groans. “This just isn’t my day.” Bowls of hot stew are dripping down the faces of Cheiron and Feducius. “I’m really sorry about this,” he tells them. “Let me clean ya up.”
Kora runs out of the kitchen as soon as she hears the racket. “What’s going on here,” she demands. “Who started this?”
Nikos remarks, “That lowlife, Iolaus, wasn’t watching where he was going--he was probably trying to decide who to rob.”
Hercules leaps to his friend’s aid. “You tripped him, Nikos. We saw the whole thing.”
Both sides start to bicker as Iolaus cleans off Feducius and Cheiron. Kora makes her way over to Iolaus. “So, what really happened?” she asks her newest employee.
“I tripped,” Iolaus tells her.
The argument starts to grow. As both sides get louder and louder, Kora walks into the middle of the fray. “Stop it,” she yells. “If you guys want to fight take it outside. If you want to stay here and eat, I suggest that you all calm down and take a seat.” There are grumbles from some of the cadets, but everyone quiets down and takes a seat. “You ok, curly?” she asks as she tousles Iolaus’ hair.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he tells her.
“Then get to work,” she tells him. He smiles and goes back to waiting on tables. Kora walks over to Cheiron’s table. “Sorry about that little incident,” she laughs.
“No problem, Kora,” Cheiron states.
“I want to thank you for letting Iolaus help out this week. Is he ok? It looks like more than a training accident,” she says.
Cheiron replies, “I hope things are working out with him. He isn’t causing too much trouble? Don’t worry, he’s going to be fine.”
Kora queries, ”Are you sure you should be here? Don’t you have classes or something?”
“Cheiron won’t let me take part in any drills, and I don’t have class for another hour. Besides you sent me home early last night... and I decided to see if you needed any help cleaning up,” Iolaus replies.
“Well, ok. But don’t overdo it-- I don’t need Cheiron mad at me,” Kora tells him. She shakes her head in wonder as she watches the young man return to mopping the floor.
“Morning, Kora,” a deep voice says.
“Sorry we aren’t open yet,” she says as she turns to face the voice. “Oh Magistrate Tarsis, what brings you here?”
“I hate to bother you Kora, but this man claims to have lost a ring here last night,” the magistrate intones.
“It was a family heirloom. The men in my family have worn it for generations,” states a well-dressed older man. “I stopped here last night for a meal, and after I left I realized that my ring was gone.”
“Hey, I run a fine establishment here. Are you accusing me of stealing your precious ring?” Kora says angrily.
“Now Kora, we are not here accusing anyone of stealing,” Tarsis tries to calm the excited innkeeper. “We just want to know if you or any of the waiters found the ring.”
“Well, I haven’t seen any rings,” Kora responds. “Hey Iolaus, have you found a ring?”
Iolaus gets up from under the table where he was cleaning. “Huh, whadda say Kora? Uh hi, Magistrate Tarsis,” Iolaus stutters.
“That’s the young man who served me last night,” the older man says. He grabs Iolaus by his vest. “Where is my ring? What did you do with it?”
Iolaus struggles against the older man’s grip. “Hey, I didn’t do anything. Lemme go.”
Tarsis intervenes. “Now sir, we don’t have any proof that Iolaus here is responsible.”
“Search him, he hovered near my table the entire time I was here. I remember having my ring when I sat down at my table, but when I left this establishment, it was gone, and the only person I had any contact with was this punk,” the man states.
The magistrate thinks for a moment. He knows that Iolaus has a criminal record, but the young man hadn’t done anything illegal since he had entered Cheiron’s Academy. He contemplates all his choices and says,” Iolaus, would you mind if we searched you for the ring?”
“Why not, I have nothing to hide,” Iolaus replies.
Tarsis quickly frisks Iolaus. “Nothing here. Sorry we bothered you,” the magistrate begins.
“He took my ring last night. Of course he doesn’t have it on him now. The delinquent probably hid my ring or hocked it already,” the older gentleman interrupts.
“Hey, I didn’t take your stupid old ring. I don’t even remember you being here last night,” Iolaus growls.
“That’s enough. Would you be satisfied if we went and searched Iolaus’ room?” Tarsis says as he searches for a way to end this stalemate. “Is that ok with you, Iolaus?”
Sure, I’m innocent. I have nothing to hide,” Iolaus responds.
After the victim nods his agreement, Tarsis gathers a few of his men together. The small group leaves the inn and makes it’s way to the Academy.
Cheiron is in the middle of a training exercise when he sees Tarsis walk in the door with Iolaus in tow. He puts Jason in charge while he goes to see what is going on.
“Well now, isn’t that a familiar sight,” Nikos snorts. “Iolaus being dragged in by the local magistrate. Wonder who he robbed this time.”
Hercules gives Nikos a dirty look as he goes to see what’s going on with Iolaus. When Jason sees the small group heading towards the dorms, he puts Largos in charge. He follows them to the barracks and walks into the room as Tarsis begins to search through Iolaus’ things.
“What’s going on?” Jason whispers to Hercules.
Hercules looks at his friend in surprise. “See the old guy over there, he claims that Iolaus stole a ring from him last night at Kora’s. Iolaus agreed to let them search his things, to clear this whole thing up.”
Jason and Hercules fall silent when Cheiron gives them a stern look. They watch as Tarsis opens the chest containing Iolaus’ stuff. He pulls out scrolls and half finished assignments. Games and balls are added to the pile. Tarsis reaches into the chest and pulls out a dark green medallion.
The older gentleman whistles,” Not a thief, indeed. The only way someone like you could get a medallion like that is to steal it.”
Tarsis looks at Iolaus in surprise as he holds the medallion. He ponders at how the young man could have come into the possession of such a keepsake.
“Hey, put that down, it’s mine,” Iolaus says.
Hercules and Jason look at each other. They had never seen Iolaus with that amulet, in fact, they had never seen it before today.
Tarsis continues to go through Iolaus’ belongings. He pulls out a few more scrolls and a half-filled money pouch. Finally from the darkest corner of the wooden chest, he pulls out a ring.
“That’s my ring,” the grey-haired man declares.
Tarsis gives Iolaus and Cheiron a sad look as he orders his men to take Iolaus away.
“But I’m innocent. I’ve never seen that ring before. Somebody set me up,” Iolaus claims. His eyes lock onto Hercules and Jason. “You gotta believe me,” he says as he’s dragged out of the room by a couple of guards.
Cheiron walks up to Tarsis. “I think you’ve made a mistake, there could be a simple explanation. Iolaus suffered a traumatic head injury yesterday, he could have found the ring and forgotten about it,” he says.
Tarsis gives a sad smile. “I’d love to believe you Cheiron, but with the evidence...”
The rest of what Tarsis is about to say is drowned out by the return of the guards. “We’re sorry sir, but he escaped,” the bigger man says unhappily.
“How could you let him go?” the victim yells.
Tarsis turns to the man and says,”Don’t worry, we’ll recapture him.” He looks at Cheiron and shakes his head. “It looks as though Iolaus is guilty--this time he’ll be going to jail.”
Hercules gasps. “Iolaus didn’t steal that ring. Tarsis, remember Iolaus helped capture Cradus and the Lowacks when they tried to rob the Academy. He’s changed, you know he has,” Hercules exclaims.
“Cradus and the Lowacks have escaped, and I don’t know that Iolaus has changed. All I know is that I found a stolen ring in his things,” Magistrate Tarsis states as he walks out of the room.
“Cheiron, you know that Iolaus is innocent. Talk to Tarsis, make him change his mind,” Hercules begs.
“Things will work out, Hercules. The truth will be told,” the headmaster tells his student.
Lilith watches silently as Hercules and Jason pack up some gear. Finally she says, ”You guys are going after him, aren’t you? You are going to look for Iolaus.”
Jason replies, “No, it’s a hunting trip. Herc and I’ve had it planned for a while now. Isn’t that right, Herc?”
“Uh huh,” Hercules grunts.
“Yeah, well, if you’ve been planning it for a while, then why didn’t I know about it?” Lilith asks.
“Well, you weren’t invited, and we didn’t want to make you feel bad,” Jason tells her.
She glares at him. “Yeah right. You’re going after Iolaus. Can I come?”
Hercules gazes at Lilith. “No, you can’t come. It’s a hunting trip like Jason says,” he replies.
Cheiron watches the cadets as they prepare to leave. He knows that his students will not be returning with any prey from this hunting trip. “Good luck. I hope you find what you are hunting for,” Cheiron tells Jason and Hercules.
As they walk away from the Academy, Jason turns to Hercules and says, “Do you think he knows?”
“I don’t know, but he didn’t try to stop us,” Hercules answers. “Let’s go to Kora’s first and get some food.”
Jason starts to disagree, but thinks for a minute. “Yeah, I guess we could use the extra food - especially if we find him. He’s always hungry.”
The young men walk into the inn and are surprised to see it filled with the magistrate’s men. Hercules walks up to Kora. “What’s going on?” he asks.
The innkeeper jumps at the sound of his voice. “Oh, it’s you,” she says.
“What’s going on here?” Hercules repeats as he motions to the room filled with soldiers.
“They are all here planning their search for your little friend. I can’t believe that he took that ring,” Kora remarks.
“Kora, you’ve got to believe us, Iolaus didn’t steal that ring, “ Hercules begs.
“Sure he didn’t. They told me all about his past record,” the innkeeper interjects.
“But Kora, Iolaus has changed. He did those things when he was mixed up with the Lowacks--he hasn’t stolen anything since he’s joined the Academy. You trust Cheiron’s judgment--you don’t think that he would let a vicious criminal become a cadet?” Hercules tries to explain.
“Hercules is right. Iolaus has straightened out since he came to Cheiron’s Academy,” Jason says. “Could we get some food to go? We are going on a hunting trip.”
Kora smiles at the boys’ attempts to change her mind about Iolaus. “Ok, one order to go,” she says.
Hercules looks at Jason and mouths more. Jason raises his brows and then nods in agreement. “Could you make that three?” the crown prince of Corinth asks.
“Three?” the innkeeper says incredulously.
“Yeah, three. It’s going to be a long trip,” Hercules adds. “And we’re growing boys.”
Kora shakes her head but fills the order anyway. The cadets gather their gear and the food and prepare to leave the inn. On their way out the door, they are stopped by a soldier.
“Where are you boys going?” the large man asks.
“We’re going on a hunting trip,” Jason replies.
“That’s a lot of stuff to take on a hunting trip,” he replies. “Besides the woods in this area aren’t safe.”
“What do you mean?” the demigod asks.
“We have an escaped convict out there. He’s probably hooked up with his old gang by now,” the soldier laughs. “It ain’t safe for boys like you to be out there.”
“What? What did this convict do?” Hercules queries.
Another soldier walks up. “What are you doing? Are you messing with these kids?” he says. He turns to Hercules and Jason. “Don’t mind him, we’ re just searching for some punk who robbed a man last night.”
“Well, we’ll keep an eye out for him. Herc, let’s get going,” Jason says.
The young men are walking along the trail towards Thebes. “Do you really think he came this way?” Jason asks.
“I don’t know. I just remember Iolaus mentioning that he had stayed in a cave in this area once,” Hercules responds.
“What if he isn’t there?” inquires the future King of Corinth.
His friend responds, ”Not sure, guess we’ll leave the food and supplies. Maybe look around a bit.”
Jason nods his agreement and thinks for a few minutes. “Where do you think he got that medallion?”
Hercules shakes his head, ”Wish I knew, but Iolaus said it was his, and I believe him.”
“I’d never seen it before, had you?”
Hercules thinks back. “I’m not sure. I kinda remember seeing it once when I was kid, but it was a long time ago.”
Jason asks, ”How do you think that ring got into Iolaus’ stuff?”
“Someone must have put it there. I know that Iolaus didn’t steal that ring,” Hercules declares.
“Hey, calm down. I believe that Iolaus is innocent, too. I just wonder who could have set him up?” the cadet says. “Who’d want to frame Iolaus?”
“I don’t know. Cradus, any of the Lowacks, Strife, Discord---who knows?” the demigod says.
“Do you think that Nikos could have done it?” asks Corinth’s crown prince.
“Maybe. No matter who did it, they are going to pay,” Hercules growls.
The cadets leave the road to Thebes and enter the forest. They follow an overgrown and seldom used trail into the forest. Hercules spies a cave in the distance, and the cadets begin to climb towards their destination. After an hour of climbing and fighting tree branches, they reach the mouth of the cave. Hercules motions for Jason to follow him into the darkness. The demigod has just stepped into the cave when he senses a sudden movement from his left. He ducks quickly and grabs his attacker’s arm. He briskly subdues the assailant. Jason lights a torch, and they see Iolaus lying on the ground.
“Herc? Jason? What are you guys doing here?” the missing cadet says.
“Iolaus, I could have hurt you! Why did you attack me?” Hercules states worriedly.
“Hey, how was I supposed to know it was you and Jason? For all I knew it was some soldiers trying to lock me up. Hey, you guys aren’t here to take me back, are you? I didn’t steal that ring, and I’m not going to jail,” declares the fugitive.
“Don’t worry, we know that you didn’t take that ring. We brought you some food and stuff,” Hercules tells his friend.
Iolaus grunts, ”Mr. Law and Order agreed with that?”
“Come on Iolaus, there is a reason why there are laws. If we didn’t have laws and enforce them, chaos would ensue,” Jason states.
Hercules quickly moves between his bickering friends. “Guys, this is not the time for this. We’re here to help Iolaus prove that he’s innocent.”
Iolaus laughs, “Herc, everyone sees me as a common criminal. I’m never going to be able to live down my past. Heck, I even saw the doubt in both your eyes and Jason’s when they found that ring. My own friends doubt my innocence.”
Hercules looks at his best friend. “Iolaus, I know that you didn’t take that ring. We were just surprised to see that medallion and the ring in your things,” he tries to explain.
“Yeah, it was shock you saw, not doubt,” Jason agrees.
“Come on guys, I saw it in your eyes. You don’t believe that the medallion is mine--you think I stole it, “ the smaller cadet says. Iolaus gets to his feet and walks away from the other cadets.
Hercules follows Iolaus. He puts his hand on Iolaus’ shoulder and turns him until they are face to face. He looks into Iolaus’ blue eyes. “I don’t think that you took that medallion, but we had never seen it before. You had never mentioned or showed it to us. You’ve never lied to me before so I believe you when you say that the amulet is yours.”
“Thanks Herc, I’m glad that you trust me,” Iolaus says.
“Why don’t you tell us about it?” the demigod asks quietly.
Iolaus whispers, “It was my dad’s.”
“Why don’t you wear it? I’d love to have anything from my father,” Hercules says.
“You want it? Take it. My dad and I never saw eye to eye,” Iolaus states.
Jason tries to break the growing tension by saying, “Of course you didn’t see eye to eye, you’re short.” The joke falls flat, and Hercules gives Jason a dirty look.
Iolaus snorts derisively, “Well, actually that was part of the problem, Skouras didn’t like having a runt for a son. I think my being smaller than the other boys bothered him more than it did me. Whenever he was home, all we did was fight. He was ashamed that his son was a worthless crybaby. I actually tried to be the son he wanted, but I could never please the great General Skouras. Luckily he was only home three weeks out of every year. He spent more time off fighting for strangers than he did with me and my mom.”
“General Skouras was a great soldier. I’ve heard some people call him a military genius,” Jason said.
“He may have been a great soldier, but he wasn’t a very good man,” Iolaus declares. “It was tough on my mom with him never being around. I helped her as much as I could. I even stole food so that she wouldn’t have to work so hard on the farm. Then as I got older, I actually tried to do things to impress Skouras. I’d take any dare or wager. I had to show that my size didn’t matter. The more dangerous or difficult, the better. But that didn’t impress him, to him I was still a sniveling weakling.”
Hercules broke in, “But you know that none of that stuff is true.”
“Herc, my father hated me. I was never good enough for him--he always wanted more. You may have never met Zeus, but you know he cares,” Iolaus proclaims.
The demigod sputters, “Zeus doesn’t care about me, if he did...”
Iolaus interrupts,” Yeah, he doesn’t care, he just put you under special protection so that none of the other Gods can kill you. Wish Skouras had not cared like that.”
Hercules stares at Iolaus speechless. He had never realized what Iolaus’ homelife had been like. His father had never been around, but he hadn’t suffered like Iolaus must have. “I’m sorry Iolaus. I never realized,” Hercules says.
“I don’t need your sympathy. When Skouras was killed, one of his men brought the medallion to Mother so that she would know that her husband was dead. She gave it to me to remember him by. At that point I was out of control, and Mother decided that we should move to Anistophilis. Our farm was smaller there, but she still had to work hard. I wasn’t much help--I spent most of my time with my friends, Cradus and the gang. I know it hurt her when I got into trouble, but I couldn’t help it. The Lowacks became like a family to me. With them, I didn’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations. It finally got to the point where I couldn’t bear to look into my mother’s eyes and see the disappointment and shame anymore, so I left. I left and came back to Thebes.”
Hercules and Jason share a surprised glance. Jason decides to ease the pressure that had been building in the cave. “Hey guys, wanna eat?” the young man asks.
Iolaus says, ”Sure, I’m starving. What’d ya got?”
Jason unwraps some of the food from Kora’s inn. The cadets sit down and begin to eat.
“Jeez guys, that’s a lot of stuff. What were you two planning?” Iolaus observes.
“We just brought some stuff you might need--sword, blankets, food, you know the usual,” Hercules says.
“Does Cheiron know? Thanks guys, but I can’t let you do this for me--you guys could get into trouble,” Iolaus informs them.
“Hey, you’re our friend, and you need this stuff,” the demigod tells the small blonde cadet.
“Besides most of the stuff we brought is yours anyway,” Jason jests. “But seriously, you are going to need the blankets, sword, water, and clothes.”
“Hey Iolaus, do you have any idea who could have set you up?” Hercules asks.
“No, I can’t think of anyone, and I know that none of the cadets would do something like that,” Iolaus answers.
“How about Cradus, any of the Lowacks?” Jason queries.
“No, that’s not their style. If the Lowacks were trying to get revenge on me, I wouldn’t be in one piece,” Iolaus replies.
“Maybe it was Strife or Discord,” Hercules thinks aloud.
Iolaus laughs, ”They are your relatives. I don’t think that they’d go to all this trouble for me.”
Jason thinks for a minute. “Do you think that Nikos is behind this?”
“All he has done is make your life miserable since he joined the Academy,” Hercules says angrily as he thinks of all the things Nikos has done to Iolaus in the past few days.
No, he isn’t. Look Herc, he was just acting out his anger about what I did to his family in the past, but deep down Nikos is an honorable guy who believes that stealing is wrong. I can’t be convinced that he would stoop to something that he hates so much just to make me suffer,” Iolaus replies.
The cadets finish eating their meal in silence.
“Iolaus, where are you going to go?” Hercules asks.
“I really don’t know, yet,” he replies.
The demigod muses aloud, “Home maybe?”
“I can’t go back there.”
“Why not?”
“Herc, have you ever looked into Alcmene’s eyes and seen disappointment in you?” Iolaus asks his friend.
“Yeah, I’ve seen disappointment when I’ve done something stupid to try to get Zeus’ attention,” he replies.
“But underneath you can see her love for you. Well, I was so bad that all that appeared in my mother’s eyes was sorrow, pain, disgust, and anger. I’ve hurt her badly, and I’m not going home until she can be proud to call me her son,” Iolaus swears.
“Why don’t you go to my house. Mother would be glad to have you around,” Hercules interjects.
“Or you could go to the castle,” Jason offers.
“Thanks guys, but I don’t want to get anyone into trouble. I’ll be fine, I’ve lived on my own for quite a while now. Don’t worry about me,” Iolaus says. “It’s getting late, you guys should head back to the Academy.”
“Are you sure you are ok? How does your head and face feel?” Hercules queries.
Iolaus laughs at his friend’s antics. “Herc, quit playing nursemaid. I’ve been hurt worse than this, and guess what, I survived.” He watches Hercules’ face fall. “I really am fine, Herc. Just a minor headache from when someone knocked me to the floor. Don’t worry about me.”
Jason and Hercules prepare to leave the cave and their friend. The cadets exchange warrior’s handshakes and goodbyes. Jason walks out of the cave. Hercules turns to Iolaus and gives him a hug.
“Take care of yourself,” he whispers. “We’ll find out who did this, I promise you.”
“Bye Herc, take care. Stay out of trouble,” Iolaus tells him.
As Hercules walks out of the cave to rejoin Jason, he whispers, “Goodbye, my friend."
Hercules and Jason begin the long and exhausting trip back to Cheiron’s Academy. They quietly make their way through the forest back to the road. Once they are back on the well-traveled path, Jason breaks the silence. “Wow, did you know that stuff about Iolaus’ past? It totally surprised me,” Jason says.
Hercules replies, ”No I didn’t. I knew that Iolaus’ dad was never around, but I didn’t know that their relationship was that bad. No wonder he never talks about Skouras.”
“Yeah, I’m glad I got along with my father. I can’t believe that he left home though. What was his mom like?” the Corinthian prince asks.
“From what I remember, Arathea was a very nice lady. Didn’t see her much in town, but I never heard anyone say anything bad about her. I always assumed that she had died, and that was why Iolaus returned to Thebes and did those things with the Lowacks. I can’t imagine leaving home like that, but my brother, Iphicles, left home as soon as he could,” Hercules states. “I think he left because of me,” he adds under his breath.
“Well, it happens sometimes,” Jason says. “Maybe this explains why Iolaus acts the way he does. You know, why he has this attitude against authority.”
Hercules thinks for a minute. “You could be right, Jason. I hope he’ll be ok.”
The cadet chuckles, ”Iolaus can take care of himself. You heard him, he’s lived on his own before. Don’t be such a worrywart.”
“Yeah, but last time he lived on the street, he became a criminal. I don’t want him to mess up his life, just when he was finally getting it together. We’ve got to find out who set him up and bring him to justice,” Hercules declares.
“Don’t worry Herc, we’ll find out who did it,” Jason says.
The next morning as drills begin, Lilith walks over to Hercules and Jason. “So how did your ‘hunt’ go? Did you find who--I mean, what you were looking for?” she asks.
Jason answers, “Well, we didn’t return with anything, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“It was fine,” Hercules says. “We learned a lot.” Lilith gives Hercules a puzzled glance, but her reply is drowned out by a knock on the training room door.
Magistrate Tarsis and several of his men enter the training room. Tarsis clears his throat. “Headmaster Cheiron,” he says.
Cheiron trots towards the magistrate and his men. “To what do we owe the pleasure, Constable Tarsis?”
Tarsis shuffles his feet and looks embarrassed. He begins, “Well, Cheiron, I was wondering if we could , ahem, borrow your best tracker to help us find the fugitive.”
“Oh, so you haven’t been able to capture Iolaus, yet?” Cheiron says with a smile.
“No, and I would be grateful, if you could be of assistance,” Tarsis stammers. “Which of your students is the best tracker?”
Jason interrupts, “Well, you are out of luck, Magistrate. Iolaus is the best tracker, and if he doesn’t want to be found...”
Tarsis looks at Cheiron. Cheiron nods, ”Jason is correct, Iolaus was by far the best tracker in the Academy. And I’m not sure if anyone would volunteer to help you.”
Tarsis shakes his head sadly. “Well, I just thought I’d try, but you could get into trouble if I find out that he’s been hiding here, and you’ve been protecting him.”
Cheiron escorts the magistrate and the soldiers out of the training room. “Iolaus is not here, feel free to look around, if you want,” the headmaster says.
“Why doesn’t it surprise me that Iolaus excelled in tracking? Leave it to him to learn a skill that will help him in his life of crime,” Nikos cries.
Hercules has had enough. He is sick of Nikos putting Iolaus down all of the time. Images pass through his mind--Iolaus lying on the ground unconscious after Nikos had attacked him, the scene at the inn when Nikos had tripped him, and all of the rude comments that he had made at Iolaus’ expense. The demi-god pushes his way up to Nikos. “Why don’t you just shut up, Nikos? I ’ve had enough of your lies about Iolaus,” Hercules growls.
“He’s nothing, but a rotten little thief. He should be locked away,” Nikos says.
Hercules loses all control and punches Nikos as hard as he can, right in the face. Nikos flies across the room. The half-mortal goes over and stands above the fallen cadet.
“You don’t know anything about Iolaus. Ever since you arrived, you’ve been judging him by the person you met a few years ago. Iolaus has changed. He has turned his life around, but you haven’t even given him a chance. You haven’t taken the time to see what kind of person he is. Iolaus is a good person and a friend. Maybe if you looked past your anger for something that happened over a year ago, you could see what the real Iolaus is like. You never even gave him a chance to prove that he’s changed. Now he’s out there somewhere, trying to survive. If anything happens to him, you will regret it,” Hercules swears.
Jason and Lilith grab Hercules and pull him away from Nikos. Nikos rubs his injured jaw and looks at Hercules in surprise. He sits there thoughtfully as Hercules’ friends lead him away.
A week passes. The weather is cold and damp. Hercules is sitting outside looking off into the distance.
“He’s going to be alright. Iolaus can take care of himself,” Jason tells his friend.
Hercules jumps at the sound of Jason’s voice. “It’s been a week, Jason, and we haven’t been able to prove that Iolaus was set up. If we don’t find something out soon, I’m afraid that Iolaus might go back to his old life,” the demi-god states.
“You’ve gotta have faith, Hercules. We’ll find something out soon,” Jason tries to soothe the cadet’s worries.
Hercules asks his friend, ”Do you think that he has enough food? Is he warm enough? It got cold so fast. Do you think he is ok?”
“Calm down, Hercules. Iolaus is fine, he can probably take care of himself better out there than either of us could. Iolaus knows how to survive. He’ll be fine,” Jason says to ease his comrade’s fears. He pats Hercules’ shoulder as he goes back inside the building.
Hercules thinks about what the Crown Prince of Corinth has said. He knows that what Jason said made sense, but he still wants to see for himself that Iolaus is ok. He decides to gather some gear and go after his missing friend.
Nikos notices Hercules leaving the Academy. “I bet he’s going to help Iolaus escape,” he thinks to himself. “Iolaus is a criminal. He deserves to be punished for his crimes.” Nikos follows Hercules, hoping that the demi-god will lead him to the fugitive.
Hercules hears voices in a clearing up ahead of him. He quickly creeps closer so that he can see and hear what is going on. The scene in front of him angers the cadet. He jumps into the clearing and yells, ”Iolaus.”
“Everything is going according to plan, Unc. We have the bait, Tarsis and his soldiers will be here soon...” Strife says as Hercules interrupts him. “And look Hercules decided to show up, too,” he continues.
“What have you done to him, Ares? What did you do to Iolaus?” Hercules bellows as he points at the motionless heap lying at Ares’ feet.
“Nice of you to join us, brother. Your friend is fine for now. He won’t be too happy when he sees you turn him in to Tarsis for attacking and robbing me again,” Ares says as he morphs into an older gentleman.
“Ares, why? Why are you doing this? Iolaus has done nothing to you. It’s me you want. This isn’t your style,” Hercules proclaims.
“Oh I admit that this isn’t the way I normally do things, but Strife had this idea, and he needed some help. Besides it sounded like fun at the time,” Ares sneers.
Hercules attacks the God of War, but Ares is too quick for him. Ares laughs, “I can’t wait to see Iolaus’ face when you hand him over to the magistrate. I don’t think that he’ll ever trust you again, maybe he’ll be angry enough to kill you.”
Hercules seethes, ”I’ll never help you Ares. Iolaus knows that I won’t turn him in.”
“Even if he sees it with his own eyes? You know that mortals trust what they see,” Ares reminds his younger brother.
“I won’t do it,” Hercules says.
“Actually we don’t need you,” Strife states as he morphs into Hercules.
“Well, I am here, and how are you going to stop me from ruining your little plot?” the demi-god remarks.
The God of War shoots his half-brother with a beam of blue light. “Like that. That will hold you until after we are done, and it doesn’t violate Daddy’s protection order. Strife, put my dear little brother out of the way, I don’t want anything to ruin this victory, “ Ares declares with an evil glint in his eyes.
“No problemo, Unc. You can count on me,” Strife assures his uncle. Ares gives Strife an exasperated look. “Well, hurry it up. Tarsis and his men will be here any minute.” He rolls his eyes at his nephew.
Nikos sinks into the underbrush. He cannot believe what he just saw and heard. The images of Ares and Strife changing into Iolaus’ victim and Hercules swirl through his mind. “This doesn’t make sense,” Nikos tells himself. Finally it hits him. Nikos stifles a groan, “Hercules had been right. Iolaus was innocent, and he had let his anger over the past cloud his judgment.” He thinks for a moment and makes a decision.
“Magistrate, thank the Gods that you are here,” the old man says. “This hoodlum attacked me.”
Iolaus moans and slowly opens his eyes. He hears a voice say,” I think he would have killed me, if Hercules hadn’t showed up and stopped him.”
“What’s going on?” Iolaus thinks. “Hercules? But he should be at the Academy.” He picks his head up and sees Hercules talking to Magistrate Tarsis.
“It was a good thing I showed up when I did. Iolaus was crazy. He was going to kill this gentleman, “ Hercules says.
“Herc? What are you talking about? How did I get here? I didn’t try to kill anybody, ” Iolaus cries.
“Tell it to the judge. You’re gonna be spending the next several years in jail,” Tarsis decrees.
“But this isn’t right. I didn’t attack that man. Herc, you believe me?” Iolaus pleads.
Hercules looks at the cadet. “Don’t lie. I saw you attack him. I’m the one who kept you from killing him.”
Iolaus shakes his head in confusion. “That never happened. Herc, I’m innocent, why are you telling these lies about me?” His deep blue eyes fill with distrust and anger.
“Because he ain’t me,” Hercules says as he flips into the small clearing in the forest.
“Herc?” Iolaus asks.
The old man mouths at the other Hercules, “I thought you had taken care of him?”
“Your little plan isn’t going to work, Ares. Magistrate Tarsis, Iolaus didn’t rob or attack anyone. That older gentleman is Ares in disguise, and the other Hercules is Strife,” the demi-god tells the constable.
Ares loses his temper and shoots a powerbolt at the real Hercules. He transforms back into the God of War. “Come on Strife. You may have won this battle little brother, but I will win the war,” Ares says as he disappears.
“What? How?” Iolaus tries to speak.
“It was all a plot of Ares’ to get to me. Magistrate, no crime was ever committed, so Iolaus is free, right?” Hercules queries.
Magistrate Tarsis thinks for a few minutes. “You are correct, Hercules. Since Ares used Iolaus, and no ring was ever taken, I have no choice, but to drop the charges. I’m sorry about everything, Iolaus,” he says.
Iolaus smiles gratefully. “I told ya I was innocent.”
Nikos walks out of the woods and joins the group. Iolaus gives him a suspicious look. Nikos puts out his hand. “Iolaus, I want to tell you that I’m sorry for all the rotten things I did and said to you. Hercules made me realize that I was wrong for not giving you a chance. Please forgive me.”
Iolaus grasps Nikos’ hand in a warrior’s handshake. “No problem. I know that we didn’t meet under the best of terms, and I am sorry about robbing your family. Let’s just let the past stay in the past.”
Nikos smiles, “Ok.”
The three cadets start on their journey back to Cheiron’s Academy. In the darkness, all that is heard is voices.
“So Iolaus, are you ok?”
“I’m fine, Herc. Quit playing nursemaid.”
“Are you sure? Ares didn’t hurt ya did he?”
“Herc, I’m ok.”
“Really?”
“Yes! Well there is one thing...”
“What is that?”
“Got any food? I’m starving!”
“Iolaus!”
The sound of laughter disturbs the night.
Epilogue:
The next day at the Academy, Iolaus is called into Cheiron’s office.
“How are you feeling?” the headmaster asks his student.
“I’m fine! How many times do I have to answer that question? I’m ok, really,” Iolaus assures the centaur.
Cheiron grins at Iolaus’ response. “Good, I’m glad to hear it. Tomorrow you can participate in all the drills.”
“Tomorrow?” Iolaus inquires.
“Today I want you to rest up from all of your adventures,” the centaur states. He sees the coming question and stops it. “Yes, I know that you feel ok, but just relax today.”
“Ok, “ Iolaus agrees. He starts out the door.
“Iolaus,” Cheiron says. When the cadet turns around, he hands him a package. “I believe that this is yours.”
Iolaus opens the parcel and finds his father’s medallion. “Thanks Cheiron.”
THE END
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