Absolutely love this series. It is fun, refreshing, reminds me a bit of the old Xena and Hercules episodes of the 90's. And I can't say enough about the chemistry between Emms and Donnelly. Haven't seen a friendship this evident in quite a while. This is a small fic, more a pondering than anything. Hopefully I'll write one with more of a plot later on. ;) Hopefully there's no errors, I tried to catch them. Feel free to R&R. Thank you! -Kam
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"You keep doing that."
"And you keep sneaking up on me." Jason's mouth quirked as he looked at his friend, who joined him on the small balcony. Pythagoras' skin was flushed in the heat. He had spent much of the day lying around, which was unusual for him. Jason had said nothing. Nor had he bothered to leave. When Pythagoras wasn't well, he dealt with it with no complaints, unlike some burly roommates who would remain unnamed. Hercules merely looked at him before taking his leave. He probably couldn't stomach the bravery with which Pythagoras had been pouring over his mathematics, even as he winced down at the paper. "What is it I am supposed to be doing?"
"Looking out there." Pythagoras nodded to the small blue strip which could just been seen over the tops of the buildings.
"It is too hot to do much else."
"And were you anyone else I would think you were contemplating a swim in this heat. But no."
Jason's eyebrows rose, but he said nothing.
"It is your expression I can't explain. Far away. Sad, or maybe it is dread…it looks frightful." He shook his head and licked at his lips. "Have we any more water?"
"Hercules just brought in another jug before going out again," Jason replied, glancing over his shoulder and pointing to the table. His friend made a beeline for a small earthenware cup, filled it, and drank greedily.
Jason wondered if he were fevered.
Pythagoras set the empty cup on the wooden table, but didn't move. "You dream, you know. Quite loudly. You speak of things I do not understand."
"Pythagoras…"
"You frighten me, Jason." Vivid blue eyes met his own, wide with emotion. "I consider you a brother to me. But I hardly know you at all. You mumble names from another land, and words which hold no meaning for me. These stem from nightmares. You rarely engage in a settled sleep."
Jason sighed and walked from the small balcony to the table. He braced the back of Pythagoras' head, ignoring the protestations, and pressed his palm against his friend's forehead. "You are warm."
"I feel unwell, but that has nothing to do with what I've heard, and how you look when you gaze upon the ocean." Pythagoras took a frustrated step backwards. "I've made it a point not to ask about your past, but I feel I must."
"I was washed up from the sea by a mechanical mermaid."
"You're impossible." Pythagoras turned away in disgust.
"I'm sorry," Jason smiled. "Honestly, there is little to tell." If he did, Pythagoras would declare him ill or insane, and that would be the end of it.
The truth was he was dreadfully homesick. As much as he loved his friends, everything around him was a reminder that he didn't belong there, and that there was no way back. He had tried to adapt, and thought he'd done quite well- all things considered.
But he could never admit to anyone that he was terrified. He had no idea what his future held, where his odd abilities were coming from, why he was changing on the inside. Some nights it was as though he couldn't remember his old life, and it hadn't been that long ago! The dreams were becoming more and more a desperate way of clinging to who he was, a person he was starting to forget through this odd metamorphosis which was twisting him from "good old Jason" into something more. Even the Oracle was of little help, loading him down with half-spoken predictions and tongue-twisters which served to frustrate him more.
He wanted to confide in Pythagoras. Deep down, he had a feeling that while unbelievable, his friend would accept his story. But he couldn't risk it. He couldn't risk it because in a sense he was a threat to change history. Oh, Atlantis was no myth, not if Pythagoras was alive and breathing and working his calculations in this very place! This man, his closest friend, was his only link to anything remotely resembling normality. He was the only fact in what was supposed to be a mythical place.
"I suppose we all remain tight-lipped about our pasts," Pythagoras conceded, plopping himself miserably into a chair.
"For example, I didn't know you had a brother." Jason sat across from him.
"For all intents and purposes, neither did I," his friend replied wryly.
The rest remained unspoken.
"You should let me get you some medicine," Jason offered.
"It is a fever. I can manage."
"I'm certain Medusa has something."
"I'm certain that is where Hercules has gone to, and I wouldn't disturb him."
"But this is important!" He checked himself at Pythagoras' surprised look. "That came out wrong."
Pythagoras chuckled. "The decision is between my health or his happiness?"
He was a fact. He was a fixed point in this crazy place. "I just don't like seeing you ill."
Pythagoras looked grateful. "Hercules would tell me to buck up. I must get used to your bedside manner."
"A cloth, at least." Jason rose and picked up a scrap of material, then raised the water jug.
"Wait, wait! Why waste the water!" Pythagoras exclaimed, snatching it away and nearly dropping it.
Jason slapped the cloth onto the table and glanced to the balcony. It was time to confront a demon.
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They managed to find a shady spot near the water. Jason and watched as Pythagoras slowly waded in the ocean current, his short pants sticking to skinny legs. He looked tired, wan even, but more comfortable. For Jason, it was all he could do to ignore the gnawing pit in his stomach. He rested his elbows on his knees and merely shook his head at his friend's insistence on wading, or swimming, claiming the ocean breeze was all he needed. He had no desire to get into the water. Not yet.
Pythagoras squinted at him. "There it is again."
"What?"
He waded then stepped onto the sand, striding right for him. Jason winced and looked away.
"That look." Pythagoras sat on the blanket and wiped sand from his bare feet. "That indescribable look."
"You did a good job of describing it earlier."
"But that did not do it justice. And now that you are here," he shook his head, "I wish you would tell me."
Jason pressed his lips together and threaded sand through his fingers. "Pythagoras, I have little doubt that there are things you've yet to tell me. Right?"
"I've no doubt of it."
"Even Hercules did not know about your brother."
"Some things happen in their own time."
Jason nodded. "Then can you trust me to carry this on my own, for just a little while longer? It will come to light in its own time. I - I don't think it is meant to just yet."
Pythagoras studied him, and shook his head minutely. "I've never met anyone like you, Jason. You are truly an enigma."
"That's a good thing for a mathematician, right?"
He laughed. "I have enough to puzzle over!" A rare, sly look replaced his usual innocent expression. "But I am good at solving puzzles."
"Then maybe there's no need to tell you," Jason offered. "But never mind about me. How are you feeling?"
Pale eyebrows rose over a surprised face. "Better. And ready for a nap."
Jason patted the blanket they sat upon. Pythagoras lay back, his blue eyes fixed on the waving leaves above them. Slowly they closed.
Jason returned his gaze to the water - the water which brought him here, and the water which was destined to take everyone away. His friends, the city, everything. There would be no escape. Perhaps not even for him.
His presence was a threat to change history. He lay back, shoulder to shoulder with his friend, and listened as his breathing stilled into slumber. Beyond them, the waves rolled in and pulled away in a soft, calm, rhythmic cadence.
If he were a threat to change history, the fate of Atlantis would be an event he would gladly alter.
-end