AN: Thanks everyone for your continued reviews, favorites, and follows. I truly appreciate it. As always Atlantis and all its main characters are owned by the BBC; I own nothing except my own storyline and OC's.
"Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word."
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
Nothing to Worry About
Neither Hercules, Jason nor Alek paid any attention to the people bustling up and down the busy street as they rushed to unload the rest of the furnishings and food. Finally all the goods were unloaded and packed up the stairs, and Alek dropped a silver hemitartemorion into the porters palm and thanked him for his patience and hard work. The young man ducked his head embarrassed at the praise and quickly bowed before turning on his heel and grabbing the handles of the cart and setting off down the street. During all the hustle and bustle, none of them noticed the strange tattooed man in the black cloak watching from the shadow of an awning at the end of the street. Indeed, he seemed to almost blend into the shadows to the point that none who wasn't looking directly at him would know he was there. It was a trick he'd learned long ago when he had first began his service to his goddess. The priest had taken the precaution of standing upwind of the trio, but wouldn't have been overly concerned if he weren't. The interloper who'd defiled his goddesses' shrine obviously wasn't fully converted yet, if the smaller female could so easily knock him to the ground; so he posed little threat to the priest hiding in the shadows. The priest was known as Lamia to those within his order, though he answered to none of them and there were few indeed either inside it or out who would be foolish enough to cross him, for he served his Goddess with a fanaticism only a true zealot could achieve.
The Goddess Hecate was known and feared by most as the most vicious of the deities in the Greek pantheon—avoided by even Zeus, and answerable to only her mother Nyx from whom all darkness is borne. When Lamia had returned to Atlantis and discovered the break-in at the shrine and the theft of the offering meat, he'd tried following the scent of the interloper who'd dared defile his Goddesses shrine that night, but too many others had crossed its path. He'd returned to the shrine and lain in wait, gambling on the chance that anyone brave or stupid enough to steal an offering to Hecate might also be fool enough to return. His theory proved correct, when early the next morning, a scrawny pale youth had crept cautiously through the door. Lamia recognized immediately that this mewling man-child was not the one the priest sought; he was too frail and the smell of his fear fairly rolled off him in waves. Realizing the youth would likely lead him if not directly to the one he sought, at least closer to him, Lamia followed the ginger haired young man back through the city to a house off the Canopic Way. Lamia knew immediately that he'd found the right place. The defiler's scent hung heavy in the air and after only a few moments the priest had memorized it well enough that he would've been able to follow it through the city blind. Lamia watched as the ginger haired boy went inside and a bit later a woman emerged and headed toward the agora. The priest felt a familiar tug of power from her and was tempted to follow her at first but decided to wait. She had the scent of the one he was hunting on her, but her red and black garb was too fine to belong to a simple dwelling like this; no he would wait and see if the interloper immerged. The scrawny youth emerged again later and set off into the maze of streets, yet still Lamia watched and waited, one did not reach his level in service to Hecate by being impatient. Shortly before noon, his vigilance was rewarded when a dark haired young man exited the house and set off in the same direction as the woman.
Lamia immediately detected the scent of the Goddess' blessing and was confused. Why would Hecate bestow her greatest gift on this blasphemer? The priest followed the brunette as he attempted to work out his mistresses will; the Goddess had not created a hound in over twenty years, not since she had blessed Lamia himself on the eve he slaughtered his predecessor on her altar as proof of his loyalty. Could that be her plan? If so, he knew she would be disappointed, he might be getting a little long in the tooth but this arrogant whelp hadn't even the sense to scent the area surrounding his den before leaving. Lamia knew the cub's senses would be duller during the day in his weaker human form, at least until he killed and consumed his first human prey, but the priest had no intention of letting his rival live that long. Shadowing his quarry, Lamia was surprised when the young man plunged straight into the din of the agora; the noise alone should have been enough to send the newly created Kynikoi fleeing in agony—perhaps there was more to this one than first appeared. Melting into the crowd, Lamia drew closer, though he still took the precaution of staying upwind of the younger hound. Once again the priest was surprised when the whelp made straight for the woman Lamia had seen leaving the house earlier and enfolded her in a clearly amorous embrace. Lamia could smell the spicy scent of latent power coming from the female, as well as the electric tingle in the air surrounding her that fair screamed divinity—a newly awakening demi-goddess paired with a newly created Kynikoi? The potential for chaos and bloodshed was staggering the priest realized.
The problem was that the only way this upstart cub and his mate could take over the vast territory that included Atlantis, was if he managed to kill Lamia first, and the priest wasn't about to let that happen. Shadowing the pair as they went about the various market stalls and merchant houses buying things the priest assumed were to line the interlopers den, a plan began to form in Lamia' mind. The female seemed to not have come into her full power yet, and the whelp obviously hadn't made his first human kill. If Lamia could trap the younger hound and kill him before he achieved his full status, then the female could easily be swayed into accepting Lamia as the stronger mate. Together they could achieve much in Hecate's name and Lamia would no longer have to fight to defend his territory against other hounds. The cubs defeat and the change of allegiance of the newly budding demi-goddess would assure Lamia of his place in the goddesses' service for the rest of his days. When he'd assured himself that the woman was indeed going to be under the same roof as his rival, at least for a while, Lamia slid silently out of the awnings shadow and disappeared into the maze of streets to bide his time. He had a plan, now all he need do was wait for an opportunity to catch the female alone and the bait for his trap would be set.
Alek had indeed bought a double 'marriage' bed, and while Hercules and Jason set it up in the balcony room, she worked at finding places to fit all the food she had bought in the tiny kitchen space before beginning to try to prepare a decent meal without the benefit of modern cooking apparatus. Everything mostly fit easily on the shelves, but the wine amphorae had to be lined up alongside the wall opposite the entryway and the hams and ropes of smoked sausages suspended from the ceiling beams with twine. By the time everything was put away, the bed was nearly assembled, only needing the leather straps and thin wooden lathes that formed the bottom attached. Alek was nearly ready to start cooking, she just needed to locate something to use as an apron over her clothes as she tended to be a messy cook. 'Nona always said the food doesn't taste good unless the cook gets their hands dirty' she thought wryly, poking her head around the doorway to her new room to check on the 'boys'.
"You wouldn't happen to have an apron by any chance would you?" she asked hopefully, "I don't mind messing up my clothes, but the only thing I have to change into is the purple princess getup and I don't fancy looking like Barneys bleeding love slave." Hercules simply stared at her open-mouthed, though whether from reference confusion or the picture she described, Alek wasn't sure. Jason chuckled, "I think I have something that will help", digging underneath the cot he slept on in the main room, he pulled out a leather bag similar to the one Ieza had purchased for Alek. Pulling out a rough linen tunic and leggings identical to the ones he had on, Jason passed them to Alek. "You can use these" he told her, "they've seen worse than cooking stains trust me." Taking the bundle with thanks, she stole a quick kiss before going to change in Hercules' room. The tunic came down nearly to her knees and the leggings that barely reached Jason above his ankle, had to be rolled up a cuff to keep them from covering Alek's feet. By the time she emerged, the bed was assembled and Jason and Hercules were sitting at the kitchen table taking a break while they split a bunch of grapes. "So what's this feast to include?" Hercules asked as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
"Spit roast mutton of course" Alek replied as she ticked off the dishes she thought she could manage on her fingers, "vegetable kabobs, spinach and feta flatbread…" "And?" Jason asked grinning, "I know there's an 'and' because you never cook like this without planning something special for the end." Hercules looked at them flabbergasted, "There's more!" "Well I can't promise" Alek told them truthfully, "but I have an idea I'm going to try." "Do you need any help?" Jason asked as he popped the last grape into his mouth. "Always" she nodded, "I'll need plenty of water to clean things as I go and some kabob sticks whittled from one of the extra lathes." Retrieving a lathe, Jason quickly cut and sharpened a kabob stick that Hercules could use as a guide before turning the task over to the big man while Jason ran water detail, filling two large jugs from a nearby well. Alek searched through several small cloth bags of herbs she'd purchased until she found what she was looking for. Humming to herself, she borrowed Hercules eating knife and chopped mint, dill, and parsley, mixing it with olive oil and a dash of sea salt. Carefully coating the mutton all over with the herb mixture, she threaded the leg on mutton onto the spit and hung it over the hearth to roast. Washing her hands, utensils, and work surface, she turned next to the large basket of vegetables, selecting tubers, onions, peppers, and garlic. Chopping the vegetables into even chunks, she alternated vegetables and garlic cloves until she'd made enough kabobs for each person to have two. Brushing each one with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, she arranged them on the iron grill frame that fit underneath the spit, giving the mutton a quarter turn before turning back to the next dish.
Starting an assembly line with Jason and Hercules, the trio soaked broad palm leaves in water before wrapping them tightly around apples, pears, and plums, nestling them in the hot ashes all around the square stone hearth. Then while Jason and Hercules took turns working the spit, Alek used the mortar and pestle to grind the coarse wheat flour along with cinnamon, nutmeg, until she had a finer spiced flour. Tipping the base into a mixing bowl, she carefully measured milk, and honey to the dry ingredients until she had a crumbling mixture resembling graham cracker crust. Alek pressed the resulting 'crust' into a shallow baking pan before setting it in the hot coals to bake. Now there was nothing left to do until the fruit baked and the rest of the meal slowly roasted, so Alek sat at the table enjoying a mug of cool water and listening to a fantastical tale from Hercules of how he'd once killed a massive lion with a spear when he had been on a hunting trip with his father as a young man. "You weren't in the Nemean Forest by any chance were you?" Alek asked fascinated. Hercules looked at her startled, "How did you know that? Have you been to Nemea before?" "No," Jason cut in quickly, but we've both heard stories of how big some of the wild-life there is." He shot Alek a warning look, causing her to blush slightly at the slip and quickly change the subject.
"Could you check the fruit please Hercules?" Alek asked as she passed him a thick long handled wooden spoon and wooden bowl so that he could fish each palm wrapped fruit from the embers. Jason fished the baked pie crust from the embers and set it aside on the table to cool, before helping Hercules carefully unwrap the fruit from its protective layer of palm leaves. Meanwhile Alek removed the kabobs from the grill, sliding an iron frying pan onto their place to heat. Alek placed the finished kabobs on a plate after carefully cutting off the garlic cloves into a small bowl. Once again using the mortar and pestle, she longingly wished for her food processor back home as she mashed the garlic and mixed it with olive oil to make a creamy spread. Taking four tagenias from the bread basket, she spread each one with the garlic spread before layering fresh spinach and feta cheese over the top and popping it into the hot frying pan. It didn't take long for the spinach to begin to wilt and the feta to become soft and creamy. Alek removed each cheesy pancake when the edges began to turn brown and crisp, placing them on a platter and covering it with a clean kitchen cloth. By this time, the fruit had cooled enough that Jason was able to slice it up, while Alek experimented with what she hoped would be a cheesecake type filling. Since Greek culture wouldn't be exposed to actual sugar for several centuries, Alek was determined to make a palatable substitute using crystalized honey.
She put a small piece of soft mild goat cheese into a bowl and using a wooden spoon, she gradually worked it from a solid into a thick paste. Cutting a small piece off of the chunk of crystalized honey she'd bought in the agora that morning, Alek used the mortar and pestle to work it into a fine powder. Adding it to the creamed cheese along with a dollop of fresh cream, she stirred the concoction until it reached the rough consistency of cheesecake filling. Tasting a smidge on the tip of her finger, she discovered it had a tangier taste since she'd used goat's milk instead of cow's milk, but was still deliciously sweet. Getting an approving nod from both men after tasting the concoction, she quickly mixed up enough to use as filling in her dessert. Hercules had sliced the cooling fruit into a separate bowl while Alek had been experimenting with the pie filling, and now she and Jason worked together, making concentric circles of apple, pear, and plum slices on top of the filling until the whole pie was covered. Setting the pie back into the coals to bake, Alek turned a slightly larger pan over the top to keep out ash before starting to once again wash up, so as to keep ahead of the mess. Jason helped by drying each dish or utensil and putting it away, while Hercules sat by the fire slowly turning the spit so that the mutton would roast evenly. With the washing up finished, they only had to wait for the meat to finish roasting and Pythagoras to return and their first supper as a family would be ready.
The evening passed enjoyably as Alek and Jason sat listening to Hercules stories of bravery and daring. Jason had heard most of them before, but he had always been a sucker for a good story, and if nothing else Hercules had a knack for spinning a tale. Slowly the hours slipped by and the shadows began to lengthen and still their ginger haired friend didn't return. "He's holed up in the library with those blasted scrolls and has lost track of time again" Hercules grouched irritably; patience had never been a strong suit with him, especially when food was concerned and now he was being forced to wait when there was a feast spread before him. "Why that boy can't keep his priorities straight is beyond me—he's worse than you at times" the burly wrestler scowled at Jason. "Hey!" the brunette young man retorted, "it wasn't my idea to send him to research Hecate in the first place. That's on him not me." Hercules glared at Jason, "No but your ignorance is the reason the research was required though wasn't it?" Alek looked between the two, "Why is Pythagoras researching Hecate, and how is it Jason's fault?" Both men looked away guiltily but said nothing. "Hecate is the Goddess of witchcraft isn't she?" Alek said to no one in particular. "See! Right there! Even she knows about Hecate" Hercules exclaimed loudly, waving toward Alek.
"What is so important about Hecate?" Alek asked again, "Jason?" she said pointedly. "It's nothing for you to worry about—really" Jason muttered refusing to meet her gaze, "it's just something Pythagoras is looking into, no big deal." "If it's not a big deal, then why can't you tell me?" Alek asked, watching both men carefully. "Pythagoras does this all the time," Jason answered evasively, "you heard Hercules, he's always going off to the library and losing track of the time." "Yes, but he also said that it was necessary this time because of you" she replied sharply, "so what has Hecate got to do with you?" "It's nothing to do with me personally" Jason insisted, still refusing to look at Alek directly, instead focusing on a point just above and behind her, "It's not my fault if Pythagoras decides to spend all day with his nose stuck in a book." Alek looked at Jason shocked, the two of them had made a decision early on that they would never lie to one another or have secrets from one another. They'd seen the damage both could do to a relationship; Alek when her mum and dad split up and Jason from a string of foster families, and right now Jason was doing both. Alek knew her fiancé better than probably anyone else, including Mac and she knew Jason was hiding something important and wasn't going to willingly share whatever it was that had him so worried. 'Has so much changed between us this past year we've been apart?' she wondered, feeling a small stab to her heart. The fact that he'd stressed the point that whatever was going on wasn't important enough to share with her and that she mustn't worry, only served to emphasize it was and she should.
Getting up from the table, Alek picked up one of the large water jugs and headed toward the door. "Where are you going?" Jason inquired a bit anxiously; when she pulled open the front door. Alek paused in the open doorway, "To get some wash water" Alek replied quietly not turning around. "Whats left to wash?" Hercules asked, oblivious to the tension in the room as he slowly turned the crank rotating the spit. "You don't have to do that, I'll get it for you" Jason offered starting to rise to his feet. "No!" Alek retorted, then looked back at him, "I know where the well is…its fine, I'll be back in a bit, don't worry." Alek quickly stepped out the door, pulling it shut behind her before anyone had a chance to say anything else. The last thing she heard was Hercules telling Jason what a fool he was before she fled down the stairs and toward the well. 'What could be going on that was so bad that Jason would lie to me about it?' Alek fretted, running over the last few days in her head, but it was no use. Without knowing what may have occurred, or when, she had no clue how or even if she could help. Reaching the well, she filled the jug then sat down on the side, unwilling to return to the house until she was certain she had a firm grasp on her temper. She and Jason had rarely ever argued, but something had changed in him, she could sense it.
Was it because of what she'd confessed to him about her stint in Psychiatric? When she'd passed out from the wine last night had it convinced him she wasn't capable of coping with stressful situations? But how did Hecate tie in with that? The only thing Alek could think of was that maybe Jason sought to make some sort of pact with the witch goddess to get them back home in much the same way Alek herself had with Nyx to get to Atlantis. That had to be it she realized, he didn't trust her to be able to cope with the stresses of trying to survive in this harsh time; that's why he wanted her to move in, so he could watch her for signs of another mental break until he could figure out a way to get them back home. 'But he's made it abundantly clear already that he wasn't going to go back to England himself so he must mean to send me back alone.' Why? Had he stopped caring for her in their time apart? Was he so disgusted by her attempted suicide that he just wanted to be rid of her? Why not just say that then, why all the secrecy? 'Because he feels responsible for my being here; he won't just break things off, not until he's sure of a way for me to get out of here at least.' Alek could be as stubborn as her name implied, she was determined that she wasn't going anywhere without the man she loved; regardless whether or not he thought it was the right thing to do or not. What Alek had to figure out was why Jason so set on staying in a place and time that was so foreign to him. Alek didn't believe it was solely because he had been born here. Where a person was born didn't shape who they were, Alek had been born in France, but that didn't make her French dammit. They were both raised in and were citizens of the UK, and had the birth certificates, and passports to prove it, although it didn't bear thinking about what Mac and Ace had had to do to get Jason a birth certificate.
Dusk had begun to close in as she sat on the edge of the well, the sun was a huge orange and red sphere, the bottom of which was just touching the mountain range ringing the enormous valley that ran down to the sea where Atlantis lay nestled high on the cliffs. Sighing Alek rose to head back to the house when she caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Starting to turn, a sharp pain exploded in her right temple. Alek heard the tinkling crash of the clay water jug breaking as she dropped to her knees and slumped onto her side sliding into darkness. Lamia leered down at the unconscious woman. He'd been convinced that it might take days before he got the chance to catch the woman alone and on her own. So much so that when he'd first caught a whiff of her distinctive scent, he'd almost convinced himself it was a maid servant in the peasant clothes at the well and not the one he sought. Only when he'd seen her unusual eyes had he known fortune was with him tonight. Now he'd use the woman to lure the whelp and kill him; afterwards the female would either accept Lamia as her mate and become a priestess of Hecate or die as an offering to the Goddess. Either way Lamia would continue in his mistresses good graces. Drawing a dagger from his belt, the priest made a shallow cut across the woman's palm, smearing the blood on the side of the well, and then binding the hand with a strip of cloth torn from the peasant tunic she wore. 'No need to make things too easy for the cub' he thought, leering at the woman once again. He repeated the same procedure with his own hand assuring the scent of both he and his victim couldn't be mistaken; when darkness fell, the man-cub would change and Lamia wanted to ensure his challenge was answered, though he didn't intended to leave an easy trail for the interloper to follow. Turning back, the priest cut off a single curl from the womans head, rubbing it along his shaft before dropping the hair amongst the shards of pottery, few ordinary men would fail to answer such an implied threat to his mate and certainly no Kynikoi would, regardless of how wet behind the ears he might be. With the bait laid for his trap, Lamia picked up the unconscious woman and faded into the creeping shadows of dusk to await his quarry.
Back at the house, Jason was again pacing like a caged lion. Alek should have returned by now with the water, and to make matters worse, the strange tingling itch he experienced last night was beginning to work its way through his nervous system, setting his teeth on edge and his muscles on fire. Hercules watched Jason worriedly, something had definitely happened to the boy; the Jason they knew and loved would have never outright lied to his friends or lost his temper like he'd been doing lately. The burly wrestler feared that whatever happened when the brunette lad had desecrated the witch Goddesses shrine was only going to grow worse; hopefully Pythagoras would find out exactly what was going on and how to fix it before it was too late. "Something's happened; Alek should have been back by now!" Jason growled frustrated. "You have a lot to learn about women" Hercules snorted, trying for levity, as he rotated the spit and brushed another layer of the oil and herb mixture over the meat. "You're going to have to work on your lying skills my friend; otherwise you're going to end up being chewed up and spit out."
Jason scowled at the big man, "What are you on about now?" "The girl you fool" Hercules replied blandly, "anyone with half a brain can see something's wrong with you; then you go making things even harder on yourself by lying—badly I might add, to the one person in the world you should be the most honest with." Jason snorted derisively, "You're one to talk; have you ever been honest with a woman in your life?" "With a tart I'm trying to tumble?—no," the burly wrestler admitted honestly, "with someone I hope to spend the rest of my days with?—yes. Now hand me a platter for the meat so we can get this off the fire before it burns—no sense in both of us being skinned alive by that hell cat you're betrothed to." "Hey! Watch it—that's my fiancé you're talking about mate" the brunette growled holding the large platter steady as the burly wrestler slid the roasted meat off the spit onto it. "So you had only meant to tumble Medusa when you made a devil's pact with Circe?" the brunette inquired archly. "Mind your tongue boy!" Hercules snapped, "I was a fool for trusting that damn witch and it very nearly cost the woman I love her life, see that you don't make the same mistakes I did. A vengeful Goddess will be a lot harder to get around than the Queens insane sister, believe me. And another thing," the big man glowered, "have you stopped for one second to consider exactly how you're going to explain the fact you're going to marry Alek to the Princess Ariadne or visa-versa?"
Jason frowned as he perched on a corner of the table, "I don't have the kind of relationship with Ariadne that needs explaining, I keep telling everyone that but no one listens!" Hercules snorted, "But you've never said anything to that effect to the princess though have you?" the burly wrestler accused. "This is what I'm talking about Jason—not everyone is as emotionally constipated as you are! You can't charge in and save the day left, right and center all while making adoring puppy eyes at a girl like Ariadne and then expect her to assume her affections aren't returned." "Bloody hell!" Jason roared, "Why is it my job to fix all this? You and Pythagoras and Ariadne have all told me enough times that the princess must marry royalty, so how is it my fault if she decides to make me her Prince Charming?" "Because that's how a womans mind works you fool boy!" Hercules shouted back. "It may never make sense, or be fair, but it will always be your fault! Especially with a girl like the princess who's grown up being used to every man around her fawning at her feet!"
Running a hand over his florid face, the big man continued calmer, "Listen, Alek may forgive you straying a bit, after all you never really got anywhere with Ariadne, but under no circumstances should you let the princess find out you're betrothed to another woman; at least not until Minos has married her off anyway." Jason snorted sarcastically and rolled his eyes. Hercules sighed, "Ariadne's intelligent enough to realize Minos would never agree to a marriage between you two, but a woman scorned can be dangerous, especially if she happens to have the power of the throne behind her. Once Ariadne is safely betrothed, then tell Alek the truth and pray Pythagoras can put you back together if she leaves enough pieces" he teased the brunette before sobering, "That's assuming he can figure out the mess you've gotten us into this time of course." Jason glared mutinously at the burly wrestler, "You still haven't told me what Pythagoras and you were talking about this morning before he left" the brunette replied stubbornly, arms crossed. Hercules sighed, how was it that he continually had to play nurse-maid between two grown men? "Pythagoras simply wanted me to keep an eye on you in case you started to manifest any strange behavior or symptoms from your recent bout of blasphemy all right? But so far all it seems to have done is make you a pain in my arse." "Gee thanks mate" Jason retorted, "and here you're always such a joy to be around." "You're welcome" the big man grinned snarkily, "Now go work things out with your woman before she decides to throw you over for someone else, we can't afford to lose a cook like her. Oh and by the way—what's a prince charming?" Jason just shook his head without replying as he rose to head out into the gathering dusk to see what was keeping Alek, 'trust Hercules to think with his stomach' the brunette thought chuckling.
Jason made his way through the near empty streets toward the well. Most everyone was home enjoying dinner by this time of evening and that's where he wanted to be. 'I never dared to dream that I'd ever see Alek again' he mused as he wandered along lost in his thoughts and trying to ignore the growing ache in his muscles and the tingling itch running up and down his nerve endings, 'so is it so bad that I considered another relationship? Was I expected to spend the rest of my life alone?' The guilty little voice in his head told him that was exactly what he should have done, after all Alek was willing to die rather than face a life without him. She'd obviously decided there wasn't ever going to be anyone for her other than Jason. 'Ariadne is beautiful, and kind, and just, but she doesn't have that spark of courage that Alek has that makes her stubborn enough to stand up and fight for what's right—consequences be damned.' Jason shuddered to think what would have happened if it had been Alek coming to the rescue of that old man from Heptarian or facing King Minos in his sham of a courtroom. 'I have to keep her safe—doesn't she realize how dangerous it can be here? She's an anthropologist for Christ's sake, studying ancient cultures was her job.' Now he had to not only worry about her ending up being imprisoned or killed for possibly attacking or offending someone in the royal family or the nobility, he also had to somehow keep her and the rest of the city from finding out she was a possible seer.
Jason knew he wasn't far from the square where the well was, because he'd already picked up the scent of jasmine, but it was mixed with a strange mineral tang that reminded him of metal—like iron maybe and there was an underlying sour smell that set his teeth on edge and made his hackles rise involuntarily. A feeling of foreboding slithered its way up his spine and into his stomach. Quickening his pace, Jason dashed around the last corner and skidded to a halt in front of the well. Shards of broken pottery were scattered on the ground and two bloody hand prints were smeared along the wells wall like macabre graffiti. Dropping to his knees, he ran a finger along the smaller of the two grisly outlines; it was most definitely blood, and it was still wet which meant whoever had attacked Alek had done so in the last few minutes. Turning to the other print, Jason examined the size of the mark; it was much larger, the blood less smeared and the sour scent in the air that set his teeth on edge was definitely coming from it. Carefully examining the ground around the well, it wasn't long before he found a lock of hair amongst the broken pottery that had obviously been cut from Alek's head. Lifting it to his nose, Jason snarled as the scent of a rival male assaulted his senses, making his hackles rise and a deep guttural growl to rise out of his throat. The male had left this as a challenge, whoever he was; he'd made sure to leave a message that left no doubt in Jason's mind about what he had planned for Alek.
Dusk had finally fallen while the brunette had crouched by the well, and as the darkness descended the electric tingle that had been running through Jason's body changed to fire. Daylight faded and the first stars began to shine as what had been an annoyance quickly changed to breathe stealing agony. Dropping to his hands and knees, Jason's mind was consumed with the sudden agony of bones popping and reforming, muscles being ripped apart and changing configuration. Liquid fire was pumping its way through his veins and heart; an agonized howl clawed its way up out of his throat before being abruptly choked off as internal organs shifted. Desperately he clung to the image of Alek in his mind; he had to survive whatever was happening to him if for no other reason than to find her. Whoever took her knew she was Jason's love?—mate? and he wanted Jason to know he took her. What he didn't know was that Jason was special, touched by the God's, and someone not to be trifled with especially when it came to the single most important person in the brunette's world. This man would pay for hurting Alek; when Jason found him, he intended to rip him to shreds and drink the blood from his still beating heart. As the moon appeared from behind a cloud, a huge dark brown wolf snuffled around the well before lifting his head and sniffing the air. Its quarry had gone west, away from the salt tang from the sea; lifting its head the wolf loosed a long deep howl before melting into the shadowy nighttime streets, the hunt had begun.
Pythagoras hurried through the streets toward home, it had taken him longer to research the library's scrolls than he'd thought it would and now Alek and Hercules could be in real danger if what he suspected about Jason was true. There really did need to be an organized system for cataloging information in the city's vast library in his opinion. Dashing up the steps, the ginger haired genius burst through the door expecting to find a scene of mayhem and destruction at the very least. Instead the house was dark and eerily quiet; Pythagoras felt his heart drop as he took in the scene of the banquet that had been laid out on the table as if in readiness for a celebration feast for guests that would never arrive. Quickly crossing to the new curtain that covered the balcony doorway, he ripped it aside only to find the room empty except for a new marriage bed and two large trunks; turning to the door to Hercules' room, Pythagoras glimpsed the big man on the floor not moving. Rushing over to the prone figure, the younger man called his friend's name, shaking his shoulders only to hear a slurred 'Medusa'. 'Of all the times to be drunk!' Pythagoras fumed to himself furiously as he grabbed a half full jug of water from a small table and dashed it in the burly wrestler's face. "Hercules! Wake up you drunken fool!" the ginger shouted.
"Oh my head!" the big man moaned as he looked at his house-mate blearily. "What's happened? What the bloody hell are you shouting about?" Hercules inquired grouchily as he struggled to his feet. "Jason" the mathematician replied succinctly. "Again?!" the big man growled, "Damn that boy—will he never learn?!" "I highly doubt it" Pythagoras replied crisply, "but right now we have bigger things to worry about. Have you heard of the Stygian Hounds—the Kynikoi that guard Hecate?" "Of course I have, who hasn't? But what's that old tale got to do with Jason?" Hercules grumbled as he eyed the empty wine flagon he'd picked up off the floor. "Everything!" Pythagoras replied, exasperated at his friends' lack of comprehension, "Some say these hounds were once her priests, turned into vicious monsters by the Goddess's powers. Many have written of the horrors that they unleash, many claim to have seen them!" Hercules snorted in disbelief, "Those are just stories to frighten children Pythagoras! You can't really believe men can be turned into rabid dog-like creatures—it'd be insane." "As insane as a love-sick fool getting turned into a pig?" Pythagoras replied looking at the burly wrestler archly. Hercules flushed for a moment before going pale, "What are you trying to say, you can't mean…" he trailed off looking at Pythagoras wide-eyed. The young genius nodded, "I believe that by eating the sacred offering, Jason has been cursed" he replied seriously, "When night falls, he becomes a Kynikoi stalking the streets and devouring anyone who crosses his path." Hercules looked at him horrified, before sinking down onto a stool "Oh no!" the big man moaned. "What? What is it?!" Pythagoras demanded feeling his stomach clench painfully. "Alek" the big man replied desperately, "Jason left to find Alek—they had a tift, and she left to get water from the well but didn't come back. I told Jason he was a fool if he didn't go and find her and work things out."
"You what!" Pythagoras snapped aghast, "I told you to watch and not let him leave!" The mathematician whirled around and headed toward the door. "Where are you going?" Hercules called worriedly. "To find them and protect them since you can't be trusted to do it!" the younger man retorted angrily over his shoulder not slowing down. Hercules dashed across the room and jerked the ginger to a halt, "Protect them?! And who exactly is going to protect you?" the big man said harshly, "You have to find a cure for Jason; I'll go and see if I can find any sign of them as I'm the only one of us that's any good with a sword—luckily it's not a curfew night, so I'll not have to worry about the palace guards at least." "I said protect them not attack them Hercules!" Pythagoras looked at his friend horrorstruck. "I'm not going to attack Jason!" the big man retorted impatiently, shaking off his young friends restraining hand, "but if he's turned into what you say he has, I have to be prepared to at least fight him off enough that he doesn't hurt Alek or another innocent. You know what he's like Pythagoras—he'd never forgive himself." The mathematician was forced to agree with Hercules, Jason could be amazingly self-incriminating at the best of times, "All right" Pythagoras replied reluctantly, "see if you can find them, but don't take any unnecessary chances and if you don't find any sign of them in a couple of hours come back here. We at least know Jason is usually back to himself by dawn, so hopefully he'll head back home once he changes back—providing he hasn't done anything truly awful." With at least a semblance of a plan in place, Hercules strapped on his sword and headed out to investigate the vicinity surrounding the well square while Pythagoras settled at the kitchen table to study the scrolls he'd smuggled out of the library and hoped he could find the answers to keep his family safe.
Hercules carefully worked his way through the narrow streets toward the small square where the well that was their closest source to potable water was, checking each side alley along the way for any available hiding place, but saw no sign of either Alek or Jason. Reaching the square, the burly man examined the broken shards of pottery recognizing it as the jug Alek had chosen to fetch water in. Glancing over at the well, the burly wrestler frowned as he noted a dark stain on the rock used to line the fountain the well flowed up into. Hesitantly running a finger along the stains, he had a terrible feeling that they were bloody handprints, though without a torch or proper light he couldn't be 100% sure. Rising to his feet, he fumbled his way across the square to the only other street leading off it and began working his way back toward home along the streets parallel to the ones he'd already checked, praying both Jason and his beloved stayed safe long enough for Pythagoras to find a cure.
1.) 1 Hemitartemorion = 1/48th of 1 Drachma (if my maths are correct) wiki/Ancient_greek_coinage
2.) Tagenias-the earliest form of pancakes, very thin almost like crepes. Made from wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and curdled milk. Originated in the Mediterranian with earliest recorded record dating from 5th century B.C.E