CHAPTER 2

Circe had risen later than usual the following day having spent the previous night tossing and turning; plotting ways to gain the throne of Atlantis for her nephew. However the son of the late king Aeson would certainly have support from the citizens of Atlantis as King Aeson had been known as a kind and merciful ruler. As well as many exiled nobles who would jump at the opportunity to return home to Atlantis and would eagerly help stage a coup against the current King and Queen of Atlantis. Running her hands threw her sleep tossed brown hair as she pulled herself from her bed. Raising her hand to her eyes against the sun as she walked to the window to glance around at the mountains that surrounded her, deep in thought as she completes this latest problem the problem would not be the coup. The mountains that surrounded the fortress making it invulnerable to attack and easy to defend with a group of loyal colcheons soldiers and various other cult followers that all naturally followed her as a royal of Colchis soldiers that were loyal to her and were part of her birth right as a princess of Colchis.

The problem was Jason and his inability to be King just yet. Jason who had the correct lineage however none of the experience or training to be a king, Jason who could easily lose his head if anybody loyal to beloved King Minios found out about him.

Training and training him to be a king would be difficult especially since Circe herself was forbidden to go near the city of Atlantis. Which was why she had branded Jason in the first place as if she was forbidden to go to Atlantis having a brand to create a connection between them, a connection that would create a bond beyond the physical realms. The brand would slowly begin opening the boys mind up to her allowing her to contact him in his dreams, allowing both of them to accesses the spiritual plane of Hel. A special plane of existences for those touched by the gods allowing them to train and meet each other, as gods on earth and it was supposed to help them fulfil the gods bidding. However hard to access unless you knew how and exactly which touched by the god you wished to meet. But training in Hel would also have its own fall backs as entering the spiritual plane was strongly location based meaning if she contacted the boy in Hel and the boy's mother was nearby then she would most likely find out about her which would lead queen Pasiphae to him.

One hand reached up to rub the old scars that covered half her face due to the last confrontation with her sister which Circe had almost lost her life in an attempt to take the throne for her. A plan that had been narrowly thwarted by her wretched sister and that horrid snake of a man Minios as well as that wretched brat Ariadne. However Circe understood now that the throne was not hers to take, it was Jason's. And her vengeance would be Jason. Jason who would take the throne but Circe would see to it that her sister would never benefit from Jason rise to power.

However back to Jason and how to become the king he was born to be would be a difficult task made even more difficult by the fact there was certain lessons such as in-depth politics, histories, battles and strategies was an education given to a male and not a female. For example her brother Hippolytus education had widely differed from her and her sister's education. Whilst they were learning about things like poetry and music and embroidery subjects her sister Glauce had excelled at. Subjects that bother Circe and her other sister Pasiphae held high in contempt, preparing to coax her brother into learning about his lessons such as politics and battle strategy. However much of what Circe had learned from Hippolytus, Pasiphae had learnt too. Pasiphae and Circe had been close once. And Circe heart gave a pang of sorrow that it was no longer possible to be close. However Pasiphae had made her choice and now had Circe contempt. Hippolytus her brother however had all the teachings of great king and was no longer using them. Perhaps he could be persuaded to teach Jason without telling Pasiphae. Hippolytus would properly teach Jason how to be king anyway, after learning of King Aeson abandonment of the boy. As well as feeling guilty about the lack of male heirs that had been left to Colchis. Besides Hippolytus always did favour Pasiphae as a child, teaching her things that had aided Pasiphae dreams and ambitions until her sister longed to be king in all but sex. However due to Hippolytus soft spot towards her sister he would either feel the need to protect the boy or even worse he could tell Pasiphae. Circe knew that counting on her brothers aid would a risky gamble as she wrote a short missive to him asking for him to visit it her as she needed his help in a delicate matter. However ensuring that she was ambiguous due to risk of interception she clicked her tongue and sent her words on the leg of a raven on the way to her big brother.

Hercules had lain awake all night staring at the ceiling as sleep had not come to him at all last night due to the tremendous gnawing in his stomach. A gnawing of guilt as he thought of how that witches had taken one of his most precious possessions a tooth of a Cerberus that had guarded the underworld. One of the few last true mementos of his father Hercules the hero. A man that was brave and courageous and had went on many perilous quests. Eventually a quest had taken Hercules father life when Hercules was young about only seven or eight years old. Leaving Hercules and his mother with nothing but a long list of enemies wishing to take down the son of Hercules and a lot of priceless relics that had been stolen by thieves, bandits or various of Hercules gambling adventures.

Hercules drank because he knew he could never be the man that his father was, a hero. The type of man that would earn the woman he loved love honestly like Hercules should have done with Medusa. Or Jason would have with his beloved Ariadne. Pulling himself up of the floor and headed to the table where a nice flagon of wine was waiting on the table for him. After all problems Hercules had found were much better easily solved with wine. Especially problems about woman and how to win a woman back. His check still ached at the memory of medusa hitting him and calling him a drunken fool still stung as he reached up to rub his still smarting check.

Pouring himself a generous portion of wine he turned in the dark to watch his two sleeping companions. One a blond haired genius that was soundly sleeping, a serene look on his face as he properly dreamed about those blasted triangles. The other though Hercules noted with a frown was silently thrashing in his sleep. No doubt part of a nightmare task the boy had to do in order to help Hercules and Medusa being cured. Jason on the walk home had been usually quiet and touchy about what he and that cursed witch had said in that horrid cave. Which was unusual for the boy in question as Jason was normally sunny neutered and had a very quick wit about him. Both he and Pthygarous were usually quick to tease him about various mishaps. And Hercules was sure if this had been another adventure Jason would have been teasing him about being a pig. However Jason hadn't teased, instead being increasingly short tempered and moody on the walk back. Which had made Hercules increasingly suspicions about what the witch had wanted with Jason, and both him and Pthygarous had speculated what the witch could possibly have wanted with Jason alone. However neither of them was going to be able to guess the truth.