Pythagoras woke in the late in the morning, already light was streaming in through the holes in the worn curtains, leaving him blind for a while. His mind drifted back to the dream he'd just been having about a giant black rock heading towards the city. In the dream he had narrowly managed to avoid being hit by the boulder, however his new friend Jason hadn't been so lucky.
Thinking of Jason Pythagoras blinked to clear the last of his vision and looked to the empty space in the bed to his left.
Jason was gone.
Yesterday after a long night of beer and stupid suggestions of how to fight a minotaur the three friends had been exhausted. Pythagoras, being the good host he is, had suggested that Jason might not want to sleep on the floor two nights in a row. And could, therefore, instead take his bed. Only to be joins by Pythagoras a few beers later. But Jason hadn't seemed to mind at all.
The drink had seemed like a good idea last night, when all he wanted to do was to forget his unfortunate stone choosing. But now his throbbing headache and sensitive ears begged to differ.
But even with his hangover he'd noticed the missing black stone, that had been on the table. He soon put two and two together (after all maths is easy to a boffin like him) and realised Jason must have volunteered to take his place as tribute.
With this realisation, he ran over to Hercules' cot to wake him up. After all he couldn't let his fascinating new friend die.