On the fourth day of Christmas…

Hercules came strolling in, laughing in victory. He'd won a large gamble and now had a giant sack of cash. Then he saw Pythagoras look up at him anxiously.

"What's wrong with you, you look like a hurt bunny!" Hercules said.

"It's Jason. He hasn't moved for hours!" Pythagoras said.

Pythagoras gestures to the table. Jason had his head buried between his folded arms on the table. Hercules glanced up at Pythagoras. They were both concerned. Hercules slid into the seat beside Jason and Pythagoras sat opposite them.

"Jason? Are you ok?" Hercules asked.

"Yes," Jason said.

"Are you certain?" Pythagoras said

"I'm homesick," Jason admitted, "which is dumb because I'm home!"

"Why are you homesick now?" Hercules asked.

"At home, around now, it'd be Christmas I think," Jason said

Hercules and Pythagoras looked at each other in confusion. Hercules mouthed "what's Christmas" to Pythagoras, and Pythagoras shrugged.

"What's Christmas, Jason?" Pythagoras said

"It's a celebration. We have turkey and stuffing and roast potatoes and Christmas lights and music and presents and decorations and a tree and mistletoe and mince pies and crackers. Its fun and you see all your loved ones, but this year, I'm here and I can't see them because they're there!" Jason said

"Why? Why mistletoe and trees? They're here all year!" Hercules said

"No, at Christmas, you hang up the mistletoe and if two people meet underneath it, they have to kiss. Evergreen Trees are brought inside and decorated with tinsel and baubles and there's a star on top and there's lights and candy canes and it's beautiful!" Jason said

"It does sound lovely," Pythagoras said

"Mince pies, turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes and a way to kiss medusa? Count me in!" Hercules said

"Yeah but we don't celebrate Christmas here so… forget it. I'm going to…go for a walk," Jason sighed.

"Can you get me some turkey Jason? If you miss home so much, we can at least get you the food!" Pythagoras said.

Jason nodded as he shut the door. Instantly, Pythagoras grabbed his coat.

"Where are you going?" Hercules asked.

"You and I are going to get Jason everything to celebrate Christmas!" Pythagoras said.

"Why do I have to come?" Hercules asked

"Because it will impress medusa if you went through duchy an effort from your friend," Pythagoras said.

Since Hercules had met medusa he had been very easy to persuade into things. He and Pythagoras searched the market looking for everything that Jason would need for his celebrations. They couldn't find any tinsel, baubles, or stars (if they did, they didn't know it) so they went for the next best thing. When it came to paying, Pythagoras didn't have any money. He looked at Hercules and his sack of money.

"No. no, no, not happening!" Hercules said

"It will cheer up Jason!" Pythagoras said

"I don't care! I'm not spending all my money on him!" Hercules said

"Why's Jason upset?" Medusa said

"Medusa!" Hercules said

"Jason's homesick. It's some sort of holiday there and we want to help him celebrate here but Hercules won't pay to let us do it!" Pythagoras said

"Oh Hercules! Shame on you! Your friend needs help, you should be the one to give it!" Medusa said

"Alright! I just meant that, I can't spend all my money on this because we still need the stuffing and the mince pies and the crackers!" Hercules said

"That's true. We also need a tree, and mistletoe!" Pythagoras said

"A big strong man like Hercules can get a tree. As for the pies and crackers, I can get you some from the kitchen. It'd be a pleasure to help Jason feel better!" Medusa said

With great reluctance, Hercules paid for everything. Then he had to go and chop down a tree as well. He came back to the house, dragging the tree behind him, as Pythagoras was pinning a clove of mistletoe to the ceiling beams. Hercules stood the tree in the corner. It wouldn't stand be its self so Pythagoras used his excessive knowledge of triangles to discover the best way to make it stand up with three planks of wood. Medusa laid out the food she'd taken, along the table before she went to help Pythagoras and Hercules decorate the tree. They stepped back to get a good look at what they had done.

"It's… beautiful!" Medusa said.

"It's missing something!" Pythagoras said.

"What?" Hercules said.

"I don't know. What did Jason say they did to celebrate?" Pythagoras asked.

"Music, food, presents, decorations, mistletoe to kiss under, a tree," Hercules said.

Pythagoras stared at the tree as he thought. He really couldn't think of what was wrong with this picture. And then, he realised.

"LIGHTS! WE FORGOT THE LIGHTS!" he said as if it was the crime of the century.

"Calm dawn Pythagoras. We can string around some candles together. It'll be fine!" Hercules said.

"No, no, no it won't! We don't have candles!" Pythagoras said.

"Yes we do. We have nothing but candles! They're in the cupboard!" Hercules said.

Hercules pulled a crate of candles out of the cupboard and started placing them around the room as Pythagoras started rocking himself back and forth. When they were finished, they ran to hide in wait. A minute or two later, Jason came in. he had a goose under his arm and he barely looked at the room as he entered.

"They didn't have any turkey Pythagoras, so I got goose instead!" Jason said.

Jason turned around and gasped. Everyone came running out, yelling surprise. Jason laughed in surprise as he looked around.

"What's all this?" he asked.

"Chris-mas. To help cure your homesickness. Do you like it?" Pythagoras asked.

The room was draped in bright, colourful cloth. There was a short palm tree in the corner and colourful fruits where hung from its branches and the trunk was wrapped in a blue cloth. Balanced precariously around it were planks of wood, and dangling from a plank that towered over it, was a wooden carving of a star. All over the room naked flames danced on candle wicks. The table was filled with food. There was a clove of mistletoe hanging from the timbers above Medusa and Hercules. Jason noticed it.

"Look, we even got your crackers!" Hercules held out a salted cracker to Jason. Jason chuckled. He hadn't been clear enough, but they made an effort, and it was cute.

"It's gorgeous. Thank you. I love that you remembered the mistletoe. You remember that two people caught beneath it have to kiss right?" Jason said.

Hercules and medusa looked up. Hercules looked delighted but confused.

"Who put that there?" Medusa said.

"I did!" Pythagoras said

"Why?" Medusa said.

"Jason wanted mistletoe!" Pythagoras said

"I know. So I put some up!" Medusa said.

"Really? Where?" Pythagoras said

Hercules looked up above where Jason and Pythagoras stood. His smile breaded as he realised what that meant. Jason and Pythagoras looked at each other, gasping for a way out of this.

"Come on now, it's a tradition!" medusa said, enjoying this!

"Then you have to kiss Hercules!" Jason said.

Medusa looked at Hercules in reluctant surprise. Then she changed to determination and looked back at Jason and Pythagoras.

"I'll do it if you two do it!" Medusa said.

Hercules gave them both a begging look. They knew how much he longed for this. They were reluctant and they were kicking themselves for having to stand there. Eventually they nodded in agreement. They all turned to their partners, and Pythagoras counted them in.

"One…two…three!"

Medusa and Hercules kissed. Pythagoras and Jason kissed. Pythagoras pulled away in disgust.

"That's terrible kissing!"

"What's wrong with that?!" Jason said.

"It's too forceful! You have to be gentler!" Pythagoras said

"Ok, sorry! Any other complaints?" Jason said.

"It's too wet! Like a fish!" Pythagoras said

"Sorry! I'll do better next time!" Jason said.

"I should hope so!" Pythagoras said

Then they turned to Hercules and Medusa. Hercules had his arm around Medusa and both were giving them a strange look.

"What?" Jason and Pythagoras chorused.