A/N In the words of Samwise Gamgee "Well, I'm back." I will (once again) apologise for the delay in the publication of this chapter but I promise it was in a good cause - I now have two stories written and ready for the Small Fandom Big Bang which should be published at some point in April, once the artist I am paired up with has finished their artwork for them. At present these two stories are weighing in at around 25 thousand words each so, as you can see, I've been a busy girl in the last six weeks or so ;-)

Anyway, enough of the excuses and on with the chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. :-)


A firm hand covering his mouth woke Hercules from a deep sleep with a start. His eyes sprang open in shock, only to meet a pair of hazel eyes shining brightly in the darkness. Without saying a word, Jason raised his finger to his lips, gesturing for Hercules to keep quiet.

"There are Amphigeneians in the woods," the young man whispered urgently. "They're heading this way. We need to leave now!"

Hercules nodded his understanding.

When his young friend moved his hand away from his mouth, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Behind Jason's shoulder he could see Pythagoras and Iollas readying the horses.

"A patrol?" Hercules hissed.

"No," Jason replied. "It's a detachment. They're marching on the town of Thera. They are looking for somewhere to set up camp for the night and the next clearing they come to will be this one."

He reached down and offered Hercules his hand, helping his older friend to his feet.

"How do you know this?" Hercules asked, hurrying to roll up his blankets and dragging the strap of his sword over his head.

"Couldn't sleep," Jason answered. "Something woke me up. So I went for a walk and ran into the Amphigeneians – almost literally." He caught Hercules' worried look. "Don't worry," he added. "They didn't see me. They never even knew I was there."

"How many of them are there?" Hercules demanded.

"Too many to fight," Jason replied, looking around at their small group. "They can't be too far behind me either." He glanced at the path they would take and then back in the direction he had seen the enemy soldiers. "We'll have to lead the horses," he decided. "Would you lead mine?" he asked Pythagoras. "And I'll need to borrow your bow."

"Why?" Pythagoras asked suspiciously.

"They're too close," Jason said hurriedly. "I can't risk them catching us… so I'm going to provide them with a distraction while you and Hercules get everyone to safety."

"No!" Hercules growled. "It's too dangerous."

"Hercules, we have no choice," Jason argued. "If they catch us we are dead anyway… or as good as." He paused and took a deep breath. "I'm not proposing that I attack the whole damned lot of them. I'm just going to send them off in the wrong direction. I promise you they will never even see me. I'll only be a few minutes behind you."

"Is there a problem?" Lord Herodion asked, coming up behind Jason.

"No," the young man replied. "There is no problem. Go with Hercules and Pythagoras. I will make sure that the Amphigeneians do not follow you and join you shortly."

He moved over to the horses and grabbed the bow and quiver of arrows that was hanging from Pythagoras' saddle, removing his cloak as he did, shoving it into a bag strapped to his own horse and slinging the strap for the quiver over his head.

"You know your mother will skin us all alive if anything happens to you, don't you?" Hercules demanded.

Jason pushed past him and grabbed a length of thin rope from one of the saddles.

"We don't have time to talk about this," he said. "They'll be on us any minute." He turned to Pythagoras. "Keep going north. I'll catch up as soon as I've got them heading the wrong way."

"One of us should stay with you," Pythagoras suggested.

"No," Jason disagreed. "I will move quicker on my own. Try to move as quickly as you can but make sure you stay quiet. Now go!"

He watched as his two friends led the small group away, Hercules still grumbling under his breath, and then set about preparing himself.

Moving swiftly now, Jason took the path to the south of the clearing, in the opposite direction from the one his friends had taken. A few hundred yards back from the clearing he stopped and selected two trees – one on either side of the path – and slung the rope between them; tying it around the trunks at chest height. He walked a few steps back down the path, turned and looked back. The rope was barely visible in the dark and hopefully anyone running wouldn't see it at all.

Jason grinned to himself in satisfaction and crept back towards the clearing, hiding himself in the thick undergrowth to waiting for the Amphigeneian troops to arrive. He checked the bow and quiver of arrows one last time and loosened his sword in its sheath. Then he settled down to wait.

It was only a few minutes until the first of the enemy soldiers came into the clearing. Their grim faced officer spotted the remains of the small camp fire that Jason and his friends had used to cook their supper and was over to it in an instant, crouching down to see how hot the ashes were.

"Someone has been here," he growled. He stood and turned to his second in command. "They cannot have gone far," he declared. "Spread out and find them. I want whoever was here brought to me."

Jason swallowed hard. It was now or never – if he failed to provide a good enough distraction (or if he was caught) the Amphigeneians would be free to hunt down his friends. He stood up, making sure he stayed largely hidden by the tree, knocked an arrow and fired in one smooth movement.

The arrow flew straight and true, straight into the throat of one of the enemy soldiers. Jason quickly fired a second arrow and then darted around to a new vantage point, taking a couple of shots from there before moving on again, keeping to the deep shadows; knowing that the more spots he could fire from, the more attackers the Amphigeneians would believe they were facing. He had had the element of surprise on his side but it couldn't be more than a few moments until the Amphigeneians got over their shock and came after him, so he needed to make every arrow count now.

As it turned out, he was right – the Amphigeneian officer recovered from his surprise in remarkably quick time and began to snarl orders at his men, using the occasional well aimed kick to punctuate his words. He demanded that they find and dispose of whoever was attacking them and sent them off in the direction that the arrows were coming from – to the south of the clearing (which had been Jason's plan from the start).

Jason fired one last arrow, slung the bow across his shoulder and took to his heels; racing through the undergrowth as quickly as he could in the dark, fairly certain that he could outrun his pursuers. He was glad he had taken the opportunity to scout a short length of the southern path before the Amphigeneians had got to the clearing. It meant that he had a better idea of where he was going and of the obstacles that might lie in his path. After all, the last thing he needed right now was to turn an ankle tripping over a tree root in the dark. He was making a fair bit of noise but that was probably a good thing since he wanted the enemy soldiers to chase after him.

Finally he arrived at the spot where he had slung the rope across the path. Jason stopped and listened to the sound of the pursuit. The Amphigeneians were closing on him fast. He tested the rope to make sure that the knots would hold (silently blessing Mac for teaching him how to tie decent knots when he was a child). The rope stayed tight. Jason grinned.

As the sounds of pursuit drew ever closer, Jason moved to one of the nearby trees and quickly scrambled up it, perching in the branches, well hidden from the ground below. The first of the Amphigeneian troops came into sight, moving fast. Jason stayed as still as he could, knowing that the combination of the branches and the dark night would largely camouflage him. It helped that all soldiers in this world seemed to be the same too: they never looked up. Jason grinned again in the darkness.

The first four or five Amphigeneians drew level with Jason's position. Without slowing down at all, they ran full tilt into the rope he had slung across the path at chest height, flying off their feet almost comically to land in a groaning heap. Their slightly slower companions didn't manage to stop in time and barrelled into them, landing in a tangled heap of limbs.

Jason stifled the urge to laugh, knowing that it would give his position away. He hadn't thought that a silly trick learned from the Saturday afternoon films he'd watched as a kid would work quite so well. From his vantage point above them, he watched the soldiers pick themselves up and charge on down the path, one of them hacking down the rope with his sword first. They were going in completely the opposite direction from the one Jason's companions had gone in.

He stayed completely still for a time, waiting until he was absolutely certain that the soldiers were gone before swinging himself around on a branch and dropping down out of the tree. There must have been around thirty Amphigeneians who had passed him and headed off to the south, so there really couldn't be all that many left back at the clearing. Still, he had better check he supposed; make sure that none of those left behind had taken it into their heads to check the northern path.

On silent feet, Jason crept back to the clearing and hid himself in the dense undergrowth on the edge once more. In the centre of the clearing, the Amphigeneian officer was sitting on a log near the newly rekindled fire while all around him the few men who had not been sent into the woods were hastily setting up a camp.

Jason smiled softly. It was clear that as a result of his distraction the Amphigeneians believed that whoever they were searching for had gone south and were only looking in that direction. With luck he and his companions would be far away before they realised their mistake. He melted back into the woods and began to make his way around the edge of the clearing – taking a wide and circuitous route to avoid being seen. Once he had re-joined his friends, they could move on quickly. By morning they would be well on their way to Pagenia and the enemy would be far behind them.


"He should have joined us by now!"

Hercules' incessant pacing and constant grumbling were beginning to get on Pythagoras' nerves.

"Yes," he agreed calmly. "But there are many reasons why Jason may have been held up."

They had travelled some distance from the clearing where they had set up camp for the night (and where the Amphigeneians were presumably now doing the same) before they had stopped to wait for Jason.

"So we just wait then?" Hercules exclaimed.

"We wait," Pythagoras confirmed. "When has Jason ever let us down? He will be here. You will see."

"I hate to make an unpopular suggestion," Lord Herodion interrupted, coming to join them, "but perhaps we should consider moving on soon. I understand your desire to wait for your friend but he would seem to be a most capable young man and will surely catch up with us further on." He gestured to where his family were standing. "I would wish to put some more distance between us and the Amphigeneians if possible… to get my family to safety."

Pythagoras saw Hercules start to bristle and moved in to stop his old friend from saying something that might offend one of the King's most trusted friends and advisors.

"He will be here," he said firmly. "If anyone can lead those soldiers away and then escape them, it's Jason."

"Do you really believe that?" Lord Herodion asked.

"Yes," Pythagoras replied. "Jason has saved our lives more times than I care to think about. He can run like the wind. I cannot think of anyone better suited for this task. He is different. Special."

"And if the Amphigeneians have caught him?" Herodion asked seriously.

"We have to believe that they have not," Pythagoras answered.

"We should never have left him to face them alone," Hercules burst out. He had resumed his pacing as Pythagoras was talking to Lord Herodion. "I'm going back."

"No Hercules," Pythagoras said firmly, as Lord Herodion stepped away to re-join his family. "It will do no good rushing in. If Jason has succeeded in distracting the Amphigeneians and getting away, then he will join us… and I fully believe that that is what will happen. If they have caught him, however, we will need a proper plan and one which does not involve us running in there and getting caught ourselves." He paused, looking thoughtfully back down the path they had travelled. "Haven't we had this argument before?" he added wryly.

"Probably," Hercules conceded reluctantly.

"And has Jason ever failed to meet us?"

"No," Hercules admitted, peering down the path. "So, he'll be fine then."

Pythagoras nodded and tried to smile – although the reality was that actually he was just as worried as Hercules; he was just hiding it a little better.

"Of course he will," he said. He couldn't resist an anxious look of his own down the path, however.

Hercules shook his head.

"This is all my fault, Pythagoras," he groused. "I knew we should never have come on this ridiculous mission. I knew it. I should have put my foot down when Jason told us that he'd volunteered us for it. He wouldn't have been able to come if we hadn't come with him."

"Do you really believe that would have stopped him?" Pythagoras asked incredulously. "You know how stubborn Jason can be when he sets his mind to something… and would you really have wanted to leave them to their fate?" He gestured towards the family they were escorting to Pagenia and to the two little children Hercules and Jason had rescued; the baby girl gurgling happily in Iollas' arms while his mother cuddled the sleepy little boy. "You did the right thing, Hercules... We all did… and now we must pray that it ends well."

They both gave another worried look down the path.

Pythagoras sighed.

"Perhaps we should move on," he suggested. "We cannot wait here all night and risk capture… or worse."

Hercules looked at him in consternation.

"But you said…" he began as they turned and began to walk back to the horses.

"If the Amphigeneians capture Jason they will not relent until he has told them all he knows about who and where we are," Pythagoras said softly.

"He would never talk," Hercules replied with certainty.

"You have heard of their cruelties from the refugees who arrived in Atlantis and seen them with your own eyes in Athanos. They will not stop until he has told them everything," Pythagoras answered.

"It's a good thing they didn't catch him then." Jason's voice came from behind them and sounded amused.

"Jason!" Hercules exclaimed, sounding relieved.

The three friends came together for a quick hug before resuming the short walk to the horses.

"What happened?" Pythagoras asked.

"Let's just say the Amphigeneians are currently searching the woods to the south of the clearing," Jason answered. "They think they're hunting a whole group of warriors. By the time they realise their mistake we should be long gone and beyond their reach."

"How did you manage that?" Pythagoras enquired.

"A few well-placed arrows, a lot of crashing about in the bushes, a rope strung across the path… you know, that sort of thing," Jason said. "I'd like to put some distance between us and them though," he added, handing the bow and quiver back to Pythagoras.

"So where now?" Lord Herodion asked as the entire party swung themselves up onto their horses.

"North," Jason replied confidently. "We will get through the foothills of the mountains and then turn west to skirt along the coast until we reach Pagenia. We've been taking it easy up to this point but if we ride hard we should be able to make Pagenia in three days… four at the most. After all, riding hard we managed the journey from Pagenia to Athanos in five days," he gestured to himself and his two friends. "We will have taken longer coming back because we have not hurried… but I think it is time to pick up the pace."

Herodion frowned deeply.

"I would prefer it if the journey were as easy as possible for the sake of my family," he began.

"I understand," Jason answered, "but with the Amphigeneians beginning to move out across the countryside to take the towns I do not think we can afford to linger. I think we will all breathe easier once we are safe within the walls of Pagenia… and the town will certainly provide more comforts than we will be able to find on this journey."

"Even so…"

"Oh for goodness sake Herodion," Lady Ianthe burst out. "Listen to the young man. He and his friends have not led us wrong so far. Neither Iollas nor I are so delicate that we cannot withstand a sterner pace or less sleep for a couple of days and the children are far hardier than you think. If I believe that either of them are suffering I will not hesitate to speak out but for now let us follow what Jason has suggested."

Lord Herodion sighed.

"Very well," he rumbled. "Then let us waste no more time."

Jason nodded. He looked around at his companions.

"Let's go," he said.


It was late at night and the city streets were all but deserted. Jason was making his way home but the urge to sleep dogged him, making his footsteps heavy and slow. At one of the water fountains he stopped to take a drink and splash some water on his face, hoping to wake himself up a little. As he straightened, he froze; someone was behind him; someone was watching him. With deliberate slowness, he turned.

There was no-one there.

Jason frowned. He could have sworn he could feel himself being watched.

He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see the back of someone disappearing down a side street. Jason hurried after them, feeling almost compelled to follow. No matter how fast he went, however, he just didn't seem to be able to catch up. The cloaked figure disappeared through a doorway. Jason followed and started to descend the wooden stairs that he found on the other side of the door.

At the bottom, he stopped and stared, disconcerted to find himself in a cave. He turned in a slow circle to look at the stairs he had come down only to find that they weren't there. His eyes darted around warily as he turned back around. Ahead of him was a pool of water.

Jason swallowed hard. He knew this place; knew that the cave was high in the mountains of the Sun; knew that this was where the witch Circe had died.

"Did you really think it was over?"

Circe's mocking voice came from somewhere behind him, but no matter which way Jason turned he just couldn't quite see her.

"You broke your oath and now the Gods will punish you." The witch sounded almost gleeful.

"Where are you?" Jason demanded. "Show yourself."

Circe gave that strange mocking laugh that Jason remembered only too well. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Almost unconsciously, he pulled back the edge of his left wrist brace and stared at the brand marring the skin there that had disappeared when Circe had died; feeling once again the pain from the burn.

"You will never be free of me," Circe mocked, "and Hecate will come for you. She will wreak her vengeance upon you."

She stalked around from behind Jason and turned to face him. Jason recoiled slightly. The knife he had used to kill her months ago was still embedded in her stomach.

"Need I remind you that you swore an oath," the witch declared. "And I warned you that if you broke it, it would not just be your life that I took."

She reached out and trailed a hand down the side of Jason's face. Her skin was ice cold and Jason couldn't help but shudder at her touch.

"The Gods will punish you and those you love," Circe promised with another scornful laugh as she stalked back around his back.

Jason turned to look at her, only to find that she had vanished. He span back around warily, half expecting her to attack him.

On the floor of the cave there were several mounds covered by sheets that Jason would swear hadn't been there a moment before. Fear gripped his stomach and he stepped towards them, his breathing speeding up as his dread increased. He stopped beside the first mound and crouched down, wide-eyed and breathing hard. Taking the edge of the sheet, he pulled it back to see Pythagoras lying cold and white on the floor before him, dead eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling above.

Jason tossed fitfully in his sleep, half rousing from the nightmare before plunging straight back into another dream.

He stepped in time to the drumbeat, following the procession of priests, past the ranks of guards lining the courtyard to the Temple. Ahead of him, at the top of the steps, he could see Melas waiting, his hands outstretched in a position of prayer. Alongside him he sensed rather than saw Ariadne, also moving slowly in time to the drum, head held high, facing forwards, as they both tried not to glance at one another.

At the top of the steps they paused.

"Are you ready?" Melas asked in his deep melodious voice.

"Yes," Ariadne answered for them both, her tone certain.

Jason's mouth was dry. He resisted the urge to lick his lips, knowing that that would be frowned upon.

Melas smiled kindly.

"Do not worry," he intoned.

"What if the omens are bad?" Jason found himself asking.

"Do you believe that what you are doing is for the best? For Atlantis and its people?"

"Yes," Jason answered.

"Then trust in the Gods and in yourself," Melas responded. "For there is no truer guide than your heart."

The great doors to the Temple opened, revealing the cavernous interior and the people waiting within. Jason unconsciously straightened and prepared to step forwards; to take another step towards the destiny that the Oracle kept prophesying for him. It was time.

The dream faded away as Jason began to wake. Still more asleep than awake, he half opened his eyes. Hercules was sitting on guard on the far side of the ravine, his back to Jason. For a moment, the young man stared at the reassuring figure of his bulky friend, mind still too rooted in sleep to really be aware. Then he rolled over and closed his eyes, descending into troubled sleep once more.

A man in a dark cloak stole through the corridors of the Palace, hood pulled up to cover his head, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. The sounds of distant battle came to him on the night breeze. It was only a matter of time before it drew close – perhaps even encroaching on the Palace itself. The man paused and sighed. There was little he could do to stop this and he had a mission to fulfil.

As he entered the family wing, he paused to look around nervously, face caught for the first time in the glow of a lit torch. He was young, perhaps in his mid-twenties – certainly no older – with mid brown hair, steely grey eyes and slightly coarse features. He was worried, knowing that what he was about to do would be viewed as treason if he was caught, and that he was about to break a mother's heart if he was not. There was no choice though. If he allowed events to take their course without him all would be lost.

On silent feet the man slipped in through the door of the nursery and over to the cradle on the far side of the room, peering into it. The child inside looked back at him sleepily. The man jumped, startled that the boy was awake. He was not yet old enough to be truly called a child; was little more than a baby if truth be told; only a year or so old.

"Hello Jason," the man said softly, picking the boy up. "We are going to be taking a little walk together."

He wrapped the child carefully in a blanket, gently jiggling him on his shoulder until he felt the boy drift off to sleep once more.

The door to the nursery opened and for a moment the man felt a flash of terror until he realised that it was his accomplice coming to join him; a soldier apparently loyal to Minos, dressed in the uniform of a guard.

"Everything went to plan?" the man asked the newcomer.

"Yes," the guard answered. "You have the boy?"

The man resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was obvious that he had the Prince in his arms.

"Yes," he retorted shortly.

The guard nodded grimly.

"Very well then," he said. "I guess there's not much more to say. I will set things up here… splash a bit of pig's blood on the sheets and then pretend to make a run for it. I reckon they'll catch me before I get too far."

The man nodded grimly. This was all part of the plan after all but it did not mean that he had to like it.

"When they catch you they will not be gentle," he said.

"I know," the guard admitted. "I volunteered for this knowing I wouldn't be coming out of the other end… but if it means keeping his little Highness there safe then it will be worth it. My death will not be in vain."

The man holding the baby swallowed hard and nodded.

"Your sacrifice will be remembered," he said softly. "May the Gods look kindly on you and I hope that we will meet again one day in Elysium."

He started for the door but at the last minute veered back to the cradle and on impulse snatched the necklace hanging over it, stuffing the gold crescent into a pouch at his belt.

"Come on," the guard urged. "We do not have much time."

He peered out into the corridor, motioning the man carrying the baby forwards.

"May the Gods go with you," he added before shoving the man out of the door.

The man paused in the corridor to wrap his dark cloak around the child before hurrying off towards his intended exit. The sounds of battle drew ever closer.

Ahead of him there was the sound of running feet. The man drew back into an alcove, trying to hide in the shadows and praying to the Gods that he was not caught. Finally the sounds died away and he heaved a sigh of relief before continuing on.

He slipped into one of the servants passages unnoticed and made his way to one of the side entrances to the Palace; a door that he had earlier made sure was unlocked and unguarded. Having checked that the street was deserted, he stepped out into it and hurried away from the Palace, making his way towards a house near to the Telapius Gate where he knew there would be someone waiting for him.

At the door of the house, he rapped out a set pattern and waited until the door swung open before stepping through it. Inside there was a man anxiously waiting for his arrival. This was the former King – although he no longer looked like a king, dressed as he was in the clothes of a labourer.

"You have my son?" he asked.

"Yes," the man answered shortly, passing the child into his father's greedy arms.

Aeson turned back the edge of the blanket and smiled down at the slumbering child.

"Jason," he said almost reverently.

When he looked up though, it was with narrow, hardened eyes.

"Why are you helping me?" he demanded. "By all accounts you are Minos' closest friend."

"I am," Herodion answered. "We have been friends since childhood."

"Then why?"

"Because for all his faults I do not believe that Minos would wish to see the child come to harm," Herodion replied. "He has stated his intention of raising the boy with his own children… since everyone believes that you are dead. There are those in his court, however, who would see Jason as a threat… Who would not hesitate to see the child dead. I have heard them plotting. I cannot stand by and see that happen but these are men who Minos must rely on – at least for now. Whatever has gone between us… between Minos and you… I will not see the boy killed. Besides which, the Oracle sent for me. She asked for my help in this matter. I cannot defy the will of the Gods even if I wanted to."

"You will not tell Minos of this?" Aeson asked.

"What good would it do?" Herodion retorted bitterly. "It will be safest for Jason if everyone believes him to be dead. I cannot tell Minos the truth and then ask him to keep it from the boy's mother… and it would seem needlessly cruel to tell her that her son is alive but that she will never see him again. Better that she should think he is dead so that she might grieve and eventually move passed it… Besides, I cannot believe that Pasiphae would simply allow you to spirit the boy away. If she knew that he was still alive she would hunt you to the ends of the earth."

Aeson smiled scornfully.

"How well you seem to know her," he murmured. He looked down at his sleeping son and his smile softened again.

"Where will you go?" Herodion asked.

Aeson snorted.

"What does it matter to you?" he demanded. "You picked the right side – the winning side. You won. I lost."

"It does not matter to me at all," Herodion conceded. "I merely wondered."

"We will go far from here," Aeson stated. "Somewhere where we will never be found. I still have a few friends who are willing to assist me and they will help me to take Jason to safety. It would perhaps be best if you do not know where we are going… then you can never reveal the truth – even inadvertently."

Jason muttered and rolled over in his sleep again, but the dreams that held him in their grip weren't quite ready to let him go just yet, fleeting images flickering through his mind.

The prow of a great ship crested a wave in heavy seas, the painted eye making it look like some kind of mythical beast. The name of the ship was obscured from view by the rolling waves. Thunder crashed overhead and the prow dipped down as the waves buffeted it.

Ariadne, dressed in a beautiful gold trimmed gown, screamed at the sky as a knife dropped from her bloodstained hands.

Row upon row of Atlantian soldiers dropped to on knee in the traditional manner of genuflection, awaiting their orders. They were lined up in the courtyard in front of the Palace. Jason moved to the top of the steps and surveyed them, preparing himself to rally them to the cause. At his back he could feel his mother's triumphant presence looking on.

A Palace guard sank down through deep water, coming to rest on the newly created sea bed. Nearby were the fragmented remains of a pillar and beyond that the great bull statue from the Temple lay broken and on its side.

Hercules lay on his back with a knife buried deep in his stomach, hands clutching at the hilt and blood bubbling up from his mouth as he took his last gurgling breaths.

Jason woke up with a gasp to feel a small hand on his arm trying to shake him. He opened his eyes to find the little boy they had rescued from Athanos kneeling next to him, his eyes frightened and his lower lip trembling. Jason swallowed hard and tried to control his erratic breathing. He pushed himself up to sit and attempted to smile for the sake of the child. Scrubbing one hand across his face, he was startled to discover that his cheeks were wet.

"Hey," he said gently to the child. "Are you alright?"

The little boy nodded, although he still looked scared.

"Yes," he whispered. He bit his lip. "You were crying."

These were the first words the child had said since leaving Athanos. Jason purposefully didn't react or draw attention to the fact, drawing on his own experiences to help him now.

"I was just having a bad dream," he told the child. "There's no reason to be worried." He pulled the boy in for a hug. "Thank you for waking me up."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Hercules watching them carefully from his position on the far side of the small ravine where they had stopped to rest.

Jason turned back to the child and smiled.

"What is your name?" he asked.

The boy gnawed on his lip.

"I'm Kimon," he said eventually, "and my sister is Dorothea."

"I'm Jason," Jason introduced himself, "and I am very pleased to meet you." His smile brightened a little. "How old are you Kimon?" he asked.

"I am five," Kimon replied proudly. "Dorothea is just a baby. She was born at the last Olympieia."

Jason presumed that that was some sort of festival and made a mental note to ask Pythagoras about it later.

The child in his arms wriggled slightly, apparently trying to get into a more comfortable position.

"My mother and father aren't coming back, are they?" he asked. "They were lying in the street and they wouldn't wake up… and then you came and took us away. I am not going to see them again am I?"

Jason sighed. He felt singularly unqualified to deal with this. He was sure Pythagoras would deal with this conversation far better than he ever could but Pythagoras was still asleep.

"No," he answered softly. "I am afraid not." He sighed again. "I wish I could tell you that everything was going to be alright and that I was going to take you to them but I cannot."

He paused, frowning, not entirely sure how much a child this young would understand.

"Do you know what happens when someone dies?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Kimon answered, lisping faintly. "They go to the underworld and you don't see them again. I had a little brother before Dorothea was born and my mother said that he went to the underworld." He looked at Jason and bit his lip again. "Is that where my mother and father have gone?"

Jason grimaced.

"I am afraid so," he replied.

Kimon started to sob quietly. Jason pulled the boy into his lap and instinctively rocked him gently. Finally, the child's cries died down and he turned a tear stained face to Jason.

"What is going to happen to Dorothea and me?" he asked, sniffling.

"I don't know," Jason answered honestly. "Do you have any other family? Any aunts and uncles? Or grandparents?"

Kimon shook his head dumbly.

Of course not, Jason thought cynically. It's never that easy.

He looked seriously at the child in his lap.

"I promise you that we will make sure that you and Dorothea are fine," he said earnestly. "We will find you someone nice to live with who will look after you both."

It was something Jason felt very strongly about. He nearly winced at his own words, however, remembering all too well how his early social workers had promised him much the same thing.

"That is not something that you need to worry about," Lady Ianthe said, startling both Jason and the little boy.

She sat down next to Jason and held her arms out for Kimon to wriggle into. It was to her credit that she did not make a fuss of the fact that the little boy was suddenly speaking after days of silence.

"You are safe with us my love… and I will make sure that whatever happens you will be loved and looked after," she went on, smiling gently at the boy and pushing his dark hair back from his hot face, still wet from crying. "Would you like some breakfast?" she added.

Kimon nodded enthusiastically. Ianthe laugh softly.

"All little boys are the same," she murmured to Jason. "I think they are born hungry."

She looked kindly at Kimon.

"Come on then," she said, standing up with him in her arms. "Let us see what we have that you might like."

She moved back across the ravine towards the saddle bags. Jason watched her go with a bittersweet smile. He looked around. It was somewhere near dawn and could only be a couple of hours since they had stopped for a rest. Jason grimaced. Much as he had only intended them to have a few hours' rest, he had still hoped to get a little more sleep than he had. Fortunately for his companions (aside from Ianthe, Kimon and Hercules – who was still on guard), the rest of the party still seemed to be asleep.

Moving quietly, Jason packed up his blankets (knowing that any attempt to get back to sleep would be futile at this point) and made his way over to where Hercules was sitting.

"You should have tried to get back to sleep for a bit," the burly wrestler growled as Jason sat down next to him.

"I am wide awake now," Jason replied quietly.

"Hmm," Hercules grunted. He looked shrewdly at his young friend. "And what sleep you had didn't look exactly peaceful," he remarked. "I was about to come over when the little boy woke you up."

"I was fine," Jason protested. "It was just a bad dream."

He rolled his head in a circle and rubbed the back of his neck as Hercules glared at him with a sceptically raised eyebrow.

"Headache?" the big man asked.

"A slight one," Jason admitted. "It's not too bad… I will get something for it from Pythagoras when he wakes up."

"See that you do," Hercules grunted. "We will all need to be alert if we're going to get to Pagenia safely… and you won't be if your head is pounding." He looked away to the head of the ravine. "Want to talk about it?" he offered, without turning to look at Jason and deliberately keeping his tone casual.

"Nothing to talk about really," Jason answered, not attempting to pretend he didn't know what Hercules was alluding to. "Just weird dreams, you know?"

"What about?" Hercules asked.

"Oh... erm… there was one about Circe," Jason replied. "And there was another that had my Dad and Lord Herodion in it… only they were a lot younger. None of it really made all that much sense to be honest. They were just dreams. They didn't mean anything."

He didn't tell Hercules that he had also dreamt of the burly wrestler's death or of seeing Pythagoras' dead body; those were just a little too disturbing to think about and he decided he would rather not relive them through talking about them.

Hercules nodded thoughtfully.

"If you're sure," he said.

"I am," Jason answered firmly. He hesitated. "I know you think I'm not getting enough sleep," he said, "and maybe I'm not… but it will get better once we are back in Pagenia and I can get back into some sort of routine. I don't think any of us are really sleeping all that well out here."

"Maybe not," Hercules admitted. He snorted. "I never thought I would be saying this, but I worry," he added. "I worry about both you boys. You are the only friends I've really got."

Jason nodded awkwardly and looked away. He really wasn't very good at this sort of conversation; wasn't comfortable talking about feelings – whether they were somebody else's or his own.

"We will need to get moving quickly once the others are awake," he said, trying to change the subject. "We need to cover a fair bit of ground today. I want to be as close to the coast as possible by the time we stop for the night."

"Then we will need a good breakfast inside us," Lady Ianthe declared, approaching the two men. She still had Kimon in her arms, now munching on an apple. "Could I trouble one of you to light a fire for me?" she asked. "I have found barley in one of the packs and I believe we will all benefit from a warm bowl of porridge before we set off."

"She may have a point," Hercules rumbled to Jason. "A decent filling meal sounds like a good idea to me."

"Eating always sounds like a good idea to you," Jason replied, grinning at his friend. "I've never known you not to be hungry."

"Well that's better than being a skinny sack of bones," Hercules retorted, although his eyes were twinkling.

"Skinny sack of bones?" Jason returned, his grin growing wider. "I think you're getting me mixed up with Pythagoras… it must be your age. Everyone says that the first thing to go is your memory."

He ducked quickly as Hercules aimed a cuff at the back of his head and scrambled back out of range.

"Cheeky pup!" the big man growled. "I'll give you 'must be your age'… come back here and I'll show what this old man can do."

Jason couldn't restrain a chuckle; that bright giggle that really shouldn't sound right coming from a fully-grown man and yet did. He stood up and turned towards Lady Ianthe, who was trying not to smile at their antics but not quite succeeding. It made her look much younger – closer to the age she almost certainly was.

"I will get some wood and get the fire going," he said with one last chuckle.

Lady Ianthe nodded.

"Then I will get the porridge ready to cook," she replied. "We have berries to put on it and I believe I saw a comb of honey in one of the packs." She smiled. "By the time the others awake we should have a good breakfast prepared for them."


The last couple of days on the journey to Pagenia seemed to fly by in a haze. They had ridden hard through the foothills, skirting the bases of large rocky outcrops that weren't quite mountains, stopping for a few hours every so often and stealing what sleep they could, before pushing on again.

By the time they hit the coast and turned west towards their destination, they were all desperately tired but still forcing themselves onwards as fast as they could; keen to reach the comforts of the town as swiftly as possible.

They were within a day's ride of Pagenia and had stopped to take a break and have a midday meal – cold fare taken from the rapidly diminishing supplies in the saddlebags. With luck (and a little more hard riding) they should reach the safety of the town by this time tomorrow.

Jason decided that he would be glad to get there. Pagenia was not home in the way that Atlantis was, but it would be good to get back within the walls of the royal estate; to be relieved of the burden of ensuring the safety of Lord Herodion and his family (even if it was a task he has volunteered for). He realised with some surprise that he was missing his mother; missing his new family. He mulled that thought over as he stood at the top of the cliffs where they had stopped to eat, looking out over the sea.

He scrubbed a weary hand over his face. God he was tired. He hadn't slept properly in days (weeks really) and it was all beginning to catch up with him a little.

"I will be glad when we reach our destination."

Lord Herodion's soft voice at Jason's shoulder made the young man jump. He turned slightly to look at the older man.

"Indeed," he agreed. "I think we will all be relieved to reach the safety of Pagenia. At least once we are there we will be free from the fear of an immediate Amphigeneian attack."

Herodion looked out across the frothing waves.

"The thought of being attacked by an Amphigeneian patrol out here in the wilderness does not worry me now," he replied firmly.

"You must have great faith in your protectors," Jason said with just the hint of an amused smile.

"After the last few days I do indeed," Herodion answered. He glanced sideways at Jason. "In case I do not get the opportunity to say it once we have reached Pagenia, thank you for all you and your friends have done for my family."

"It was nothing," Jason replied. "I have only done my duty."

"No," Herodion disagreed, his eyes probing. "It was more than that."

He paused for a moment and looked back out to sea thoughtfully.

"It would seem that your friend Pythagoras was correct," he added.

"About what?" Jason asked.

"The boy," Lord Herodion answered. "He did indeed begin to speak when he was ready… I cannot help but wonder though how your friend acquired the experience to know that."

"That is a very long story," Jason murmured. "And forgive me if I seem rude, but I do not actually know you well enough to want to tell it."

Herodion half smiled.

"Are you always so… forthright?" he asked.

Jason considered the question.

"Pretty much," he replied.

"That must have been a trial for your parents as you were growing up," Herodian remarked.

"My parents?" Jason asked blankly.

"Yes, I… forgive me. Perhaps I misunderstood," Herodion answered. "That night in the forest when we encountered the Amphigeneian detachment, I overheard Hercules commenting that "your mother will skin us all alive if anything happens to you"… or at least I believe that is what he said. I took that to mean that your parents were people of influence and that you were close to them."

"I have not seen or spoken to my father in years," Jason answered shortly. "He was not part of my life while I was growing up."

Strictly speaking it was the truth, he told himself. After all, he hadn't actually known who Aeson was when they had met in the mines of Pangeon and his father had chosen not to identify himself; not to acknowledge the relationship between himself and Jason. That knowledge still stung more than Jason would like to admit.

"As for my mother," he added. "We have only recently met again. She was also not part of my life whilst I was growing up." He paused for a moment. "You will forgive me but it is a long and complicated story which once again I do not wish to talk about with someone I don't know well."

"I understand," Lord Herodion rumbled gently. "I am sorry if I have caused offence."

"You haven't," Jason assured him. "It's just not something I really want to talk about."

"You are nobly born though, aren't you?" Herodion asked casually, still looking out to sea. "My wife was correct in what she said back in Athanos. Minos would never have picked a peasant – no matter how brave and loyal – to be his champion."

"I suppose you could say that my parents were members of the nobility," Jason replied awkwardly, "but does it actually matter?"

"No," the older man murmured. "I was merely curious. After all it is a strange circumstance to see a child of the nobility dressing in peasant garb and friends with peasants."

"Hercules and Pythagoras were my friends before I even met my mother," Jason said. "They are the closest thing I've ever had to family before now. We look after one another; protect one another… and I will not give up their friendship for anything or anyone."

"And does your mother agree with that?"

"My mother has no choice in the matter," Jason answered hotly. "Who I choose to be friends with is nobody's business but mine."

Herodion looked at him and smiled.

Jason frowned.

"Was there something funny in what I said?" he demanded.

"No," Herodion answered. "It is just that when you are angry you remind me very much of someone that I used to know many years ago."

"Who?" Jason asked.

"It is of no matter," his companion replied. "She became the wife of a friend… It is many years since I last saw her… but she had the same fire in her eyes when she was angry; the same expression." He looked back out over the sea once more. "Will your mother be waiting for you in Pagenia?" he asked.

"Um… yes," Jason said. "Why do you ask?"

He wasn't entirely sure where Lord Herodion was going with this particular conversation, but he was growing increasingly uncomfortable with it.

"Idle curiosity again," Herodion answered smoothly. "When Hercules referred to what your mother would do to him if he allowed you to come to harm I assumed that that meant she was not in Atlantis and presumed that she must be in Pagenia instead. Does she live there permanently?"

Jason looked sharply at his companion but he couldn't detect any malice in Lord Herodion's face. Perhaps it was as he had said and he was merely curious. Still, Jason couldn't help but be a little on guard.

"No," he answered. "She does not live in Pagenia. She is just visiting."

"How fortunate that she was away from Atlantis when the city fell," Herodion murmured idly. "You must have been relieved that she was safe."

"Indeed," Jason replied. "I have been lucky. Most of the people who I care about are no longer in Atlantis and I hope and pray that those who still are, are safe."

"Your mother has other children to stay with her in your absence? You have siblings?"

"No," Jason answered. "I'm an only child as far as I know… listen, why are you so interested in my family?"

"It is simply a way to pass the time until everyone has finished eating and resting and we are ready to set off again," Lord Herodion answered, gesturing behind himself to where their other companions were still finishing off their midday meal. "I mean no harm by it. I just wished to understand my travelling companions a little better."

"We'd better be getting ready to move soon anyway," Jason replied. "We should reach Pagenia around this time tomorrow if we don't dawdle too much now. If you don't mind I'm going to check on the horses."

"Of course," Herodion said. He looked sideways at his companion one last time. "I should imagine you will be pleased to see your mother again… and that she will be relieved to see you returned safely."

"I hope so," Jason replied softly. "Although she'll probably be cross if she thinks I have done something reckless… and she didn't really approve of this trip in the first place." He smiled wryly. "My mother can be quite formidable when she's angry," he admitted. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

Lord Herodion turned and smiled, watching him leave.

"Yes," he murmured to himself once the young man was out of earshot. "Pasiphae always was formidable when she was angry."