Merry Christmas! I had intended this chapter to be published on Christmas Day but unfortunately cooking Christmas dinner got in the way and yesterday the site wasn't allowing me to upload for some reason! Still here we are now :-)
I need to thank all of you who commented on the previous chapter. It's really nice to know that there are still people reading and enjoying the story after all this time - and, I have to admit, the reviews do encourage me to keep writing.
So, on to the next chapter - it's taken far longer than I would have liked to produce but real life has once again unfortunately got in the way of my writing. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it - please let me know if you do ;-)
Dusk was beginning to fall as the horse picked its way up a wooded hillside, only to pause at the crest of the hill. The Calabrian Forest lay in the valley before them, extending into the distance as far as the eye could see. It was larger than Jason had expected (although he supposed the word 'forest' should have given him a clue that it was more than ordinary woodland) and the trees were very tall and very dark. He shivered as a chill wind caught at him and behind him Medusa huddled a little closer to his back for warmth.
At first as they had travelled, Medusa had seemed almost desperate for conversation (natural enough given how long she had spent alone and in silence, he supposed). Jason had tried to tell her as much about everything that had happened since she had left Atlantis as he could – even things he had not spoken about with anyone other than Hercules and Pythagoras. Somehow it had felt natural to tell Medusa – he had felt as though she was not judging him in any way. Medusa had responded as well as could be expected to the events that had happened over the past few months (Jason felt a little start of guilt when he realised that it had been nearly half a year since he had last seen Medusa; that they had left her alone and without hope for all that time) and her comments had been delivered in her usual forthright manner.
Before long they had fallen back into their usual patterns of conversation (both too straightforward in their manner for pretence or subterfuge). It had been comfortable, and yet there was an edge to them both that had never been there before. He had been right, Jason decided, when he had told Medusa that neither of them were quite the people they had been when they last met.
Eventually though, the conversation had petered out – settling into a silence that wasn't quite as comfortable as it would have been once. Every so often, Jason felt Medusa shift as though she was about to say something, before stopping herself. It made him a little sad to think that they had both changed so much and made him worry about what might happen when Hercules and Medusa met again (and was a 'when' and not an 'if', he told himself firmly); given all that had happened to Medusa (all that had happened to them both) over the past few months, would they feel the same way about each other that they had before? He knew that Hercules was still devoted to Medusa and her remarks to him back in the cave had indicated she still loved the big man deeply, but would that be enough to get past the changes that both Medusa's curse and all the other events of the past few months had brought in them both? Only time would tell, Jason supposed. He sighed a little pensively.
"What's wrong?" Medusa asked softly, startling him out of his thoughts.
"Nothing," Jason replied.
He looked down towards the forest.
"I guess that's where we're going," he added.
"I have heard nothing good of the Calabrian Forest," Medusa murmured. "They say that it is cursed. A place of sorcery of the darkest kind… Are you sure we should be going there?"
Jason half turned in the saddle to look back at her over his shoulder; his mouth twisting into a wry half smile.
"I promised I'd find somewhere safe for you," he said. "Pasiphae said that this was the safest place for you… that no-one would dare come to the Temple of Hecate – and she will need to know where you are so that she can work on curing you. Besides, I don't think either one of us has much to fear from sorcery," he added. "You are already cursed and I'm the son of a witch of Colchis. I suspect that will make us both immune to the worst of it."
"Maybe," Medusa acknowledged.
"There's only one way to find out," Jason said, kicking the horse on again.
At the edge of the forest they stopped and dismounted. The trees looked too densely packed for riding. Jason looked around warily, grabbing the reins in his left hand and leading the horse into the trees with Medusa following; his free hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it if he needed to.
They hadn't gone far when the horse stopped dead, whinnying nervously and tossing its head.
"Shh… shh… shh." Jason tried to soothe the beast, stroking its neck as the horse breathed hard.
"It's scared," Medusa said softly; her own anxiety evident in her voice. "It senses what lies ahead."
"We'll have to continue on foot," Jason replied decisively, turning to tie the reins to a nearby tree.
"Jason," Medusa said. "Perhaps the horse is right. We should not be here."
Jason frowned at her and shook his head stubbornly.
"No," he said. "Pasiphae said this was for the best and I believe her. I know you don't have any reason to have faith in what she says, but since we learned of one another's identities – since we found out what we are to one another – she hasn't let me down. Strange as it sounds, I trust her."
Medusa sighed.
"Very well," she replied.
They moved deeper into the forest. The air was very still here among the trees. Time almost seemed to stop as they moved on in silence.
As they walked, Jason became aware of a vague sensation deep inside himself; almost as though something was pulling him onwards; leading him in the right direction. It seemed that Pasiphae had been right – he did seem to be being drawn toward the Temple of Hecate (if that was where he was being lead). He decided to test it out by turning in a different direction. Almost at once the pull from the direction he had turned away from became much stronger – becoming almost unbearable. He turned back and the sensation faded into something manageable. Alright – that way it was then.
He nodded to Medusa and pressed onwards. The silence that surrounded them was almost unnerving. Not even the birds were singing, Jason realised; his senses suddenly on high alert. Over the time he had been in Atlantis, he had learnt that a silent forest was never a good thing; when even the birds went quiet, it generally meant that something potentially dangerous was coming. He half drew his sword and peered around himself; eyes everywhere.
"What is it?" Medusa asked softly.
"I don't know," Jason replied, "but it's too quiet. Something has disturbed the birds and I don't think it's us."
They both stood still for a moment or two, looking around warily; the only sound their own harsh breathing.
Suddenly a creature erupted from the trees ahead of them, soaring overhead with a great flap of wings and a screeching cry. It looked remarkably like one of the pictures of a pterodactyl that Jason had seen in books as a child. The creature flew away through the trees behind them, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
"What was that?" Jason asked, staring in the direction the thing had flown in.
"I don't know," Medusa replied. "I think it might have been a Stymphalian bird… but I am not completely certain. I have never actually seen one… only pictures." She turned towards Jason. "They are beasts to be feared," she added. "They have an insatiable thirst for blood. It is said that they can detect the scent of a single drop from far away… and they will attack as soon as they detect it. It is also said that if they do attack, they will not stop until they have devoured every bit of their prey – and anything else living that is nearby."
"We should be alright as long as we avoid bleeding though?"
"Yes," Medusa answered.
She hesitated for a moment.
"Actually, we should not have a problem even if they are Stymphalian birds and they do attack… all I would have to do is remove the veil and look at them," she went on. "I do not believe that even such fearsome creatures as those could withstand the gaze of a gorgon."
"Possibly best not to chance it though," Jason murmured. "If they did happen to be immune for some reason, we could be in real trouble."
"You are probably right," Medusa agreed.
"Come on," Jason said gently. "I don't know how far we have left to go, but I'd like to get to the temple before it gets too late and too dark."
He reached out and gently took Medusa's arm, helping her to scramble up the bank in front of them.
Darkness grew around them as the light slowly faded. They pushed onwards; moving ever deeper into the heart of the forest. At tentative brush against his left hand made Jason look down with a slight frown. Medusa was reaching out silently to take his hand. Jason relaxed, face softening into a slight smile as he threaded his fingers through hers without comment. Her palm felt very warm against his; reassuring. He squeezed her hand gently and moved on; fingers still threaded through hers.
Finally, they came to a cutting in the trees; a ravine that dropped sharply away from them into a great basin below. Through the cutting they could see a building so vast that it seemed almost impossible that it should be there. For a moment they both stood there, staring at the temple in awe. It was as Pasiphae had said: a fortress.
"That is incredible," Medusa murmured.
"It's certainly a bit bigger than I expected," Jason replied.
"Yes," Medusa agreed. "It puts the temple that the Maenads occupied in the Forest of Nysa to shame, doesn't it?"
The gentle humour in her tone made Jason grin. He'd almost forgotten Medusa's mischievous sense of humour with everything that had happened since he'd last seen her. It was a relief to discover that her long months of enforced isolation had not completely broken her spirit or massively altered her personality (although Jason was not blind enough and not stupid enough to fail to see that she wasn't completely the person she had been before). It gave him hope that things might be alright once her curse was lifted (and he had to believe that it would be lifted); that she and Hercules might have a bright future together after all.
They carefully picked their way down through the cutting to the enormous clearing below. The walls of the Temple reared up before them. At first they seemed impenetrable. After a moment though, they spotted an arched entrance in the face. The entrance opened onto a steep ramp that led upwards through the outer walls. Jason let go of Medusa's hand and started to climb the ramp, knowing that she would be following, drawing his sword as he went.
Eventually the ramp opened out into a large plaza surrounded on three sides by imposing buildings and on the front (where the ramp was) by a large colonnade. Jason stepped into the courtyard, looking around himself warily. He could feel Medusa coming up behind him.
"Stay where you are." The voice (though female as expected) was far younger than Jason had been expecting.
"We mean you no harm," he said earnestly.
"What are you doing here?" the girl's voice demanded. "Strangers are not permitted here."
"We were sent here," Jason replied. "Pasiphae told us to come."
He could feel a strong pull towards the one side of the courtyard. Whoever she was, he could sense her in the same way he could sense Pasiphae; felt drawn towards the spot where she was standing, hidden in the shadows.
"How do I know you are telling the truth?" the girl asked suspiciously.
"How would I know to give you Pasiphae's name if she had not sent me here?" Jason countered.
He reached into a pouch attached to his belt.
"I have a note from her," he added, holding it out.
The girl stepped forwards from the shadows and marched across the plaza with her head held high. As she stepped into the light cast by the moon, Jason nearly gasped. He knew her; had seen her in the vision that the Oracle had forced upon him back in Pagenia.
"Who are you?" he asked, stunned.
"I am Medea," the girl replied.
She took the note and read it quickly, shoving it somewhere inside the tunic that she wore.
"It seems you were telling the truth," she added.
She walked right up to Jason and stared into his face for a long moment. Then her eyes travelled down to his still drawn sword.
"Put away your sword, Jason," she said softly. "There are no enemies to fight within these walls."
"How do you know my name?" Jason demanded uneasily.
Medea's lips twitched.
"It is written in Pasiphae's note," Medea answered.
Jason immediately felt stupid; of course his mother would have identified them.
"Pasiphae writes that I am to make you both welcome within the Temple of Hecate… and that you will be remaining with me," Medea continued, turning to Medusa as she spoke.
"I will," Medusa replied.
A faint smile touched Medea's lips as she moved over to Medusa. She reached up gently to unhook the veil that was pinned inside the hood of the other woman's cloak. Medusa shied back.
"You have no need to fear," Medea said gently. "You cannot harm me."
She reached up again and unpinned the veil, pushing back the hood of the cloak too. The snakes wreathing Medusa's head hissed angrily as they were set free.
"Come," Medea said. "You must be hungry."
She turned and walked towards a doorway directly opposite the point where the long ramp opened onto the plaza. After a long moment (and a very long look exchanged with Medusa), Jason followed her.
Jason woke up in a cold sweat, breathing hard as the last edges of a nightmare caught at him. He had eaten a hurried meal with Medusa and Medea and seen his friend settled in and had then found himself a quiet spot to rest for a few hours before beginning the journey back to Pagenia. By his reckoning he would have to leave a couple of hours before dawn to make it back before nightfall without having to rush. He supposed that he could have asked Medea if there was a bed he could use but he didn't like to put her to any trouble – especially since he knew he would be setting off again when she and Medusa were (hopefully) asleep.
It had been a well-known nightmare; the one where he desperately tried to catch up with his father while other figures from his past (some more recent than others) taunted and tripped him – pinching and pushing. It had haunted him on and off for as long as he could remember – and never failed to be disturbing when it occurred.
Jason blew out a heavy sigh and sat up, scrubbing one hand across his face as he pushed away his cloak (used as a blanket while his bag had become a makeshift pillow) with the other. As he opened his eyes, he jumped – fighting the urge to swear loudly. Medea was crouched at the end of his makeshift bed, head cocked to one side, watching him in the flickering torchlight.
"Your sleep is troubled," the girl said softly, her voice husky.
"What are you doing here?" Jason asked.
He almost felt as though he was still asleep. It was hardly normal for him to wake up with a strange girl at the foot of his bed after all and his mind scrambled to catch up with a situation that seemed vaguely surreal.
"You already know the answer to that," Medea said.
Jason blinked and shook his head; trying to clear the last sleep from his mind so that he could (hopefully) at least attempt to make sense of what the strange girl was saying.
"You feel it as I do," Medea went on. "We are both touched by the Gods. I sense something in you as you sense it in me. You can't deny it."
"I don't…" Jason began, still a little bemused by this strange conversation.
"Why is Pasiphae helping you?" Medea asked, looking at him searchingly and changing the subject abruptly. "Why would you matter so much that she sent you to me?"
Jason sensed that she didn't really expect him to answer but he still felt compelled to say something. It surprised him a little that his mother had not explained who he was in her note beyond giving the girl his name (although it had been a very short and hurriedly written note, he supposed). Perhaps that meant that she didn't want people to know he was her son?
Despite the fact that he hadn't wanted their relationship to be generally known yet, he still felt a little hurt at the thought. It was ridiculous to feel like that, he told himself. He was being pathetic. After all, wasn't it more likely that Pasiphae, in her hurry to get them underway and return to Pagenia herself, simply hadn't had time to write any more? And why would she tell Medea anyway? Yet the fear of rejection was still too deeply ingrained in him for it not to sting a little.
"I don't know," he answered Medea shortly. "Perhaps she thought I could help her with something in the future. That if I owed her a favour it might be useful."
Medea looked at him curiously.
"It must be more than that," she asserted.
"Who is Pasiphae to you?" Jason asked – partly because he was looking for a way to change the subject and end Medea's questioning and partly (it had to be said) because he was deeply curious about who this young woman was and why she was here.
"She is my blood," Medea answered softly.
Jason blinked at her in surprise. That meant that she was related to him too – which sort of made sense now that he thought about it; Medea had said that they were both touched by the Gods after all – and so had Pasiphae, he remembered suddenly. Jason wasn't entirely sure if that sort of thing ran in families but he guessed it might.
"I am the daughter of King Aeetes," Medea went on. "Pasiphae is my father's sister."
"She's your aunt," Jason murmured, half to himself.
He looked at Medea sharply.
"You're a Princess of Colchis," he said. "So why are you living here and not in the Palace – either in Colchis or Atlantis?"
Medea looked back at him steadily.
"My father shut me away," she said. "He was afraid of me; ashamed. Pasiphae offered me a home and freedom."
She paused and sighed.
"I have been shunned all my life," she admitted. "People fear me."
"Because of your sorcery?" Jason asked.
Although Medea had not mentioned having any unusual powers and had not openly displayed any since he had arrived, he was suddenly absolutely sure that what he was saying was true – although he could not have explained how he knew it.
Medea nodded quickly and looked away.
"Pasiphae is the only person who has ever shown me kindness," she said.
"I was told that it isn't that unusual for someone from Colchis to have unusual abilities," Jason said softly.
"It isn't," Medea agreed. "But mine appeared when I was just a little girl. They do not usually appear so soon or so powerfully. They were uncontrollable and I couldn't help myself."
"What did you do?" Jason asked.
"I threw someone across the room with my mind," Medea admitted. "I was six. My older brother – he was spoiled and cruel. He tried to take my favourite toy off me and when I wouldn't give it to him, he took it by force and smashed it in front of me. When I cried, he tried to slap me. I was frightened and angry and the next thing I knew he was hitting the wall on the other side of the room… My father shut me away after that. He said he could not risk me harming his heir; that I was dangerous and mad. Pasiphae rescued me from that. She has always been kind; always been there."
"But you were just a child," Jason protested. "And it's not like you did it on purpose, is it?"
"No," Medea replied. "I did not know what I was doing."
"So it wasn't really your fault," Jason pointed out. "Blaming you for something you did by accident is wrong."
"My father was doing what he believed was right," Medea said.
"But it wasn't right," Jason said forcefully. "It wasn't fair."
"It is not so simple as what is right or fair," Medea replied.
"It is that simple to me," Jason stated.
Medea looked at him curiously.
"You judge everyone else by your own standards," she observed softly. "Because you would do what you believe to be right you expect others to act that way too."
Jason snorted.
"It's a failing of mine," he answered ironically.
Medea looked away.
"I didn't mean to offend," she said.
"You didn't," Jason assured her. "You haven't." He paused for a second. "My friend always tells me that I have too much faith in people," he went on. "That I look for the good in everyone… too much so at times. He thinks I'm too naïve."
He wasn't entirely sure why he was telling this strange young woman this – but something inside him felt strongly drawn to Medea in a way that he couldn't deny. He tried to think of a way of steering the conversation away from himself again.
"So why live here?" he asked. "Why not the Palace in Atlantis? Pasiphae's nephew was living there with her, so why aren't you?"
"I would be no more welcome there than I was in my father's home," Medea asserted. "Colchian magic is feared and mistrusted at the best of times… and Minos of Atlantis is known to be no friend to those who practice it."
"I don't believe he would harm you," Jason murmured, thinking about the kindness the King had shown to him over the last few weeks.
"Perhaps not intentionally," Medea replied. "But I would still not be welcome. He would wish me gone." She looked around herself. "Here at least, I am free."
"But you're alone," Jason said.
"Not always," Medea answered. "Pasiphae has always been generous. She has always made sure that there have been people here to look after me – other servants of the Goddess."
"They're not here now though."
"No," Medea acknowledged. "There is no-one else here at present… and there will not be as long as your friend is staying here. I cannot be harmed by her curse… others would not be so fortunate."
Jason frowned.
"You knew we were coming here before we arrived?" he asked.
Medea stared at him with clear confusion.
"No," she replied. "I am no seer. I cannot foresee the future."
"So why are you alone here?" Jason asked. "I thought that when you said there wouldn't be anyone else here for as long as Medusa is staying that you must have sent them away."
Medea scoffed faintly.
"No," she said. "There isn't a mystical explanation. There were never many people here to begin with. I need no guards. My Goddess and my powers protect me. As for servants, my needs are not so great that I can't look after myself – I'm used to it. There were others here; as I said, Pasiphae was always generous – always kind to me. One left to follow the path of a priestess; one returned to Colchis to her family; one was killed in the forest; one travelled to Helios on an errand for Pasiphae, met a man and asked leave to remain with him. So it has gone with them all over the years. The last of the servants of the Goddess left several months ago. I didn't see the need to replace her."
"You've been here alone ever since? That must be lonely."
"I can leave whenever I wish," Medea said. "I am not a prisoner. Remaining here is my choice."
"I never said you were," Jason pointed out mildly. "And being lonely is nothing to be ashamed of."
"I am not lonely," Medea protested a little too quickly to be entirely honest. "I have everything I need here."
"Are you trying to convince me… or yourself?" Jason asked.
He paused for a moment before continuing, looking intently at the young woman in front of him.
"Before I came to Atlantis I had been alone for so long that I no longer saw just how lonely I actually was," he said earnestly. "I convinced myself that I was happy enough with how things were; that I didn't need anything or anyone… If anyone had asked me back then I would have told them that I wasn't lonely; that I had everything I needed; that I liked my own company and didn't need anyone to talk to… but I was wrong. When I first came here, two of the best men in the world took me into their lives and made me their friend… and I found out exactly what I'd been missing out on all those years."
"Why are you telling me this?" Medea asked.
"Because I think you and I might be alike in some ways," Jason replied.
"You don't know me… and you don't know what you are talking about," Medea retorted.
Jason looked at her steadily for a long moment. Then he sighed softly.
"You're right," he admitted. "I apologise. I don't know you and I don't have any right to comment on your life. If you prefer to live out here all alone then that's your business."
"I didn't mean…" Medea began.
"I need to get going," Jason went on, as though she hadn't spoken. "It's a long road back to Pagenia."
He stood up, grabbing his bag and sword as he did and ducking into the straps so that they rested diagonally across his body. He picked up his cloak and fastened it into place before reaching down with one hand to help the young woman to her feet courteously. Their hands lingered on each other's arms for just a fraction too long and Medea looked at him with very wide eyes, lips slightly parted; neither of them speaking. Jason was suddenly very aware of how close they were to one another. He swallowed hard and dropped her arm, stepping away.
"You should stay until daybreak," Medea said softly. "The forest is treacherous at night."
"I can't," Jason answered. "I have to be back in Pagenia by nightfall."
"Why? Why so quickly?"
"I promised Pasiphae," the young man replied. He sighed. "If I am not back by nightfall, my absence will be noted. If anyone realises where I've been, then they will come hunting for Medusa… and if they find her they will kill her. I can't let that happen. She is a friend and the curse that turned her into a gorgon wasn't her fault… it was mine."
"How was it your fault?" Medea asked.
"Because I knew what would happen to her. I was warned… but I couldn't save her. I failed."
As Jason spoke, he began to make his way across the large chamber to the doorway.
"I can't let Medusa down again," he added quietly.
"She will be safe here," Medea said confidently, drawing very close to Jason once again without actually touching him
"I hope so," Jason answered. "She's been alone and afraid for too long."
"In her note, Pasiphae said that she will come when she can," Medea said. "Will you be with her?"
"Probably," Jason replied.
He looked seriously at Medea.
"How much do you know about what's been going on in Atlantis?" he asked.
"Pasiphae sent word some days ago," Medea admitted. "She has men loyal to her who carry messages between us without feeling the need to inform the King. She has said she will send for me if she needs me."
"When Pasiphae agreed to let Medusa come here – when she told us about this place – she promised that as soon as she is back in Atlantis and things are settled, that she would come here and see if it's possible to lift Medusa's curse. I'm guessing, but since I'm the only person apart from you and Pasiphae that knows Medusa is here, and since I'm her friend, I think Pasiphae will probably want me to come with her."
"Then we will meet again then," Medea said softly.
She slipped past Jason and out into the corridor beyond, disappearing around a corner and out of sight almost before he could turn to look.
Jason shook himself, feeling thoroughly unsettled. Medea was a very strange young woman, he decided – and yet there was something about her that called to him on an almost primal level. He shook himself again. It almost felt like he was betraying Ariadne in some way by thinking about Medea in these terms.
But Ariadne is marrying Prince Chalcon, a traitorous little voice deep inside him murmured. It can never be between the two of you. She told you so herself.
She has no choice, he told himself firmly. She doesn't want to marry Chalcon. It's for the sake of Atlantis.
Just because it's not what she wants, it still doesn't change the outcome though does it? The voice retorted.
"Shut up," Jason murmured out loud.
He was glad that there was no-one around to hear him talking to himself – arguing with himself.
Settling his bag a little more comfortably on his hip, he set off through the corridors at a brisk trot. Back out in the plaza, almost at the ramp descending to the clearing below, he paused and looked back at the dark buildings of Hecate's Temple. A solitary light shone from a window high in the wall at the far end of the courtyard. Outlined in the window, Medea was watching him leave.
Jason stood watching her for a long moment. Part of him almost yearned to go back inside and find her. He swallowed hard, forced himself to turn around and began the descent down the steep path to the forest floor.
Hercules' eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he stalked down a corridor towards the front of the house. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on around here but he was going to get to the bottom of it!
He hadn't seen Jason since the day before yesterday. In itself that wouldn't be too worrying – he knew his friend was busy at the moment after all. Hercules frowned. Between the meetings that Minos kept insisting he kept attending, the formal dinners, the time the young man needed to spend with the Oracle and the lessons that Pasiphae was insisting on, Jason seemed to have very little free time at all. In fact, his older friend had hardly seen him since they had come back from Athanos.
Hercules' frown deepened into a scowl. It was making his self-imposed job of looking after his friend's welfare that much harder. He knew that technically Jason was more than capable of looking after himself but bitter experience had taught his friends that at times he was disturbingly oblivious to his own wellbeing. It felt wrong to Hercules not to have the lad where he could keep an eye on him.
Still, he wouldn't be overly concerned at not seeing Jason for the past couple of days (reasoning that there wasn't too much trouble that the lad could get himself into here – even if Pythagoras had once commented that Jason could get into trouble in an empty room) if it weren't for the fact that Pythagoras (usually the more sensible and reliable of his two friends) was acting strangely.
At first Hercules hadn't really noticed it. The night before last he had gone with Nisos to seek out the gambling cheat the young officer had been asked to find and he might have been forced to have one or two teensy little drinks – just to take the edge off the boredom of their mission course. He might, therefore, have been a little tiny bit tipsy when he eventually got back to his room (and really, he couldn't have been that drunk since he'd managed to find his own bed and not wake the whole of the royal household up in the process).
It was true that he'd woken up a little hungover yesterday morning and had perhaps been a little less observant than he might otherwise have been – so it hadn't really occurred to him that Pythagoras wasn't where he was supposed to be – tutoring Jason in the things that the Queen felt necessary – and was instead puttering around the chamber that he shared with the burly wrestler (far too loudly in Hercules' opinion). Hercules might possibly have been a little grumpy as a result of his sore head and maybe made one or two suggestions both about the young mathematician's parentage and where he could go (with accompanying hand gestures), but really, who could blame him? It was obscene to be so cheerful and make so much noise at such an ungodly hour – particularly when a friend (and roommate) was so clearly suffering and in need of peace and quiet.
Pythagoras had made some very pointed comments about Hercules' drinking and how ashamed he was to be the burly wrestler's friend (quite unnecessary in Hercules' opinion) and had gone out for the day. Hercules had spent the day alternating between nursing his hangover and drinking more wine to try to cure how he was feeling, and so had somehow managed to miss the fact that his other young friend was conspicuously absent. It wasn't until yesterday evening, when he had overheard a chance remark from the King querying where his stepson was as he hadn't seen him since the council of kings had broken up the evening before, that Hercules had wondered where the dark haired young man had vanished to.
It always worried him slightly when Jason disappeared off on his own for any length of time (and by any length of time he meant more than a few minutes); after all, given the lad's nature, who knew what hairbrained scheme he could have come up with or what trouble he could have got into?
As it was, he had been slightly mollified to overhear Pasiphae replying to her husband and explaining that Jason's presence had once again been demanded by the Oracle (and Hercules found himself wondering just how much time the dratted woman needed with the lad) and that after that Pasiphae herself had required him to undertake several small but important errands around the town. Pasiphae had expressed certainty that, under the circumstances, Minos would understand that Jason was unlikely to return in time to eat supper with the family and that she had therefore released her son from the obligation of trying to hurry back in time.
That had all seemed reasonable enough and Hercules had thought no more of it until this morning, when he had woken up to find Pythagoras working on his blasted triangles rather than studying with Jason as he was supposed to be.
Hercules had stared at him in confusion for a few long moments.
"What are you doing?" he had asked.
"Studying the angles of this triangle," Pythagoras had replied distractedly, gesturing vaguely to a piece of parchment he had folded into a triangle and making a note with his stylus.
"But aren't you meant to be off teaching Jason how not to be an idiot and get us arrested?" Hercules had grumbled.
Pythagoras had sighed and pushed his work to one side.
"Jason is not an idiot," he had said in a long suffering tone, "and you know it well. I have simply been asked by the Queen to expand his knowledge of our laws and history initially – with some instruction in rhetoric as well – although we may move on to other subjects later. Pasiphae is keen that Jason should be instructed in the subjects he will need as a Prince of Atlantis, that is all."
"That's what I meant," Hercules had protested. "Anyway, you didn't answer my question. Aren't you supposed to be with him now?"
Pythagoras had looked flustered.
"I do not… that is… yes… erm… I mean… goodness is that the time?" he had babbled, hastily gathering his parchments and shoving them into a bag. "I had not realised. I have agreed to meet Jason in the vineyard behind the house this morning to study the properties of the vines, and I am most terribly late. I really must be going."
"I thought you said you were supposed to be looking at law and history?" Hercules had replied with confusion.
"Err… yes," Pythagoras had answered with an odd little laugh. "I did say that, didn't I? And we are… We are going to be… erm… looking at the laws governing food production and… err… land ownership… with specific reference to vineyards. Yes, that's it," he added as an almost inaudible aside to himself.
Hercules' eyes had narrowed suspiciously. Something about that hadn't sounded right to him.
"Well if you give me a few minutes to get ready, I'll come with you," he had said. "I probably know more than you do about the laws of Atlantis and how not to break them. I haven't seen much of Jason for the past few days anyway so it would be good to spend some time with just the three of us."
"Err… no," Pythagoras had protested. "It wouldn't be good for you to be there. You'd be very bored… and anyway, I am going to be beginning to tutor Jason in rhetoric and oration and I doubt he would want an audience."
"I'm hardly an audience," Hercules had growled with a frown.
"Yes, but you know how Jason is," Pythagoras had replied hurriedly. "And besides, we have a lot of work to do and I would like to cut down on the possible distractions. You would not enjoy it at all. You should stay here and relax. Why don't you have a flagon of wine?"
Hercules had known something definitely had to be wrong for Pythagoras to have suggested that he should have wine; normally the young genius alternated between teasing him and downright nagging him for being (in Pythagoras' own words) a drunken fool.
Even so, though, he hadn't known exactly what it was that seemed wrong; hadn't been able to put his finger on it.
"A flagon of wine?" he had said incredulously. "Since when do you encourage me to have a flagon of wine?"
"Erm… well… you must have worked hard to find that cheat the other night with Nisos," Pythagoras had prattled anxiously, edging towards the door. "You deserve a treat. Why… err… why don't you… erm… why don't you go and treat yourself at that nice pie stall you found in the agora? Yes, that's it… You go and have a nice day of pie eating… Visit the tavern… That sort of thing." He had sidled even closer to the door. "Now I really must go," he had said. "I am very late."
Before Hercules had been able to respond, Pythagoras had scuttled out of the door. The burly wrestler had shaken his head in bemusement at his young friend's antics, not really knowing what to make of Pythagoras' behaviour. Still, he had mused, the mathematician was a little odd at the best of times; his love of mathematics and his fascination with triangles showed that.
The burly wrestler had poured himself a cup of wine and relaxed, putting Pythagoras' strange behaviour out of his mind. He was on his second cup when the realisation of what had been wrong in that conversation had struck him: when he had overheard Pasiphae and Minos talking the night before, he had heard the Queen say that she had asked Jason to go out early with a patrol and that he would be away for most of the day. If that was the case, then how could Pythagoras have been going to meet him in the vineyard? Hercules had been left with the uncomfortable feeling that the young genius had been lying to him. Which begged the question: why? Pythagoras (or possibly more likely Jason) was up to something and Hercules had suddenly felt the need to know what that something was.
Which was what had brought him here, now; stalking down a corridor, searching for one or the other of his two young friends. He had been to the vineyard this morning and (as he had suspected) neither young man had been there. In fact, he hadn't been able to find Pythagoras all day and no one seemed to have seen Jason since the day before yesterday. The servant assigned to looking after Jason's room had said that his bed had been made when she had got there both yesterday morning and today. Hercules frowned deeply, suspecting that it meant Jason hadn't slept in it at all; he had never known his young friend to make his bed without prompting from Pythagoras after all. Jason (for all his good qualities) was not the tidiest of people.
It was possible (more than possible, Hercules supposed) that Jason was out with one of the patrols, as Pasiphae had said – but, if that were true, then why was Pythagoras acting so strangely? And why had he lied about meeting up with Jason this morning? Of course, it was possible that Pythagoras had simply forgotten that Jason wasn't going to be around today (however unlikely that seemed given the mathematician's excellent memory) but that didn't explain why Jason's bed didn't look like it had been slept in; or why no-one seemed to have seen him since the day before yesterday; or why, for that matter, Pythagoras seemed to be deliberately avoiding Hercules now.
Hercules had expected him to come back to their shared chambers for the midday meal (since the lad hadn't seemed to be taking any food with him when he scuttled out this morning) and had returned to the room to wait. He had been disappointed, however, and had come out in search of either one of his friends shortly after.
So far he had had no luck in finding them. Pythagoras, it seemed, was remarkably skilled at hiding when he wanted to be. Now it was getting on towards evening and Hercules was growing increasingly irritated with every passing minute. He swore to himself that he would find Pythagoras and find out what was going on even if he had to dangle the boy head first from the window (which he realised wasn't the kindest thing to do but always seemed to work well with Pythagoras).
Further on up the corridor ahead of him, a door opened and the King appeared, coming towards Hercules, apparently deep in thought. The old wrestler reacted automatically, dropping to one knee and bowing his head in the traditional manner. Minos did not seem to notice him at all.
"My Lord."
Dion's hale made the King pause and turn, level with where Hercules was genuflecting, waiting for the stocky general to join him.
"Dion," Minos returned the greeting.
"The detachment that you sent out to hunt the monster has returned," Dion rumbled.
"And?" Minos demanded impatiently.
"I fear they have returned empty handed, My Lord," Dion replied. "The creature has evaded us. My men found evidence of the cave where she was living but it appears that she had warning of their arrival and had gone. The embers of the fire were still warm but the monster herself was nowhere to be found."
"How is that possible? Minos asked.
"I do not know," Dion admitted. "It may be that she saw the light of an approaching torch… or perhaps this creature has abilities beyond our understanding. Little is known of the nature of gorgons. Perhaps the monster has some power of foresight which allowed her to escape. My men continued to check the surrounding area and carried on down the coast for more than a day but there was no further evidence of her presence. They could not find any hint to point them to where she had gone."
"Very well," Minos said firmly. "We will waste no more time on this. Instruct the men to be vigilant for any signs of the gorgon. If she is found then she is to be killed on sight but I do not feel that we should spend time searching for her that might be better spent on regaining Atlantis."
Hercules had gone cold at the mention of a gorgon. He remained absolutely still with his head bowed, hoping that neither the King nor Dion took any notice of his presence. The two men moved on, still deep in conversation, giving no indication that they had seen the burly wrestler.
Hercules let out an explosive breath.
Dion was wrong. Medusa hadn't been able to see the future after she was cursed and Hercules suspected that that was true for all gorgons (although he had no proof of that). He knew someone who did have visions of the future though and Hercules had a sudden horrible feeling that he knew exactly where Jason had disappeared to. If it was true and Jason had gone to rescue the gorgon that Dion had been talking about – if it turned out that the two boys had found out where Hercules' beloved Medusa was and had kept it from him – there was going to be Hades to pay!
With renewed determination, Hercules set off in search of Pythagoras, angry beyond belief that either one of his friends might have kept Medusa's location a secret. He could imagine what had happened only too well. Jason must somehow have found out about the troops sent out to kill the gorgon and, thinking that it might be Medusa, would have undoubtedly decided it was his duty to save her. He would have coerced Pythagoras into covering for him and gone running off without a thought.
Hercules growled to himself. If either one of the boys thought they were getting away with this they had another thing coming. He was going to find Pythagoras and find out exactly what had been going on and what had been hidden from him – even if he had to shake it out of his friend.
By the time Jason rode back into the small courtyard in front of the stable to the rear of the house he was tired, stiff and aching in places that he hadn't really known existed. He had ridden hard all day to get here, not even bothering to stop for food, but he had managed to do as Pasiphae had asked and got back before nightfall. It was a close run thing – the Sun was about to dip below the horizon as he slowly slid down from the back of the horse.
There was nothing that he would like more right now than to have a long hot bath to ease away the stiffness, a good meal to fill his empty belly and to fall into bed and sleep. That wasn't going to happen any time soon though, he reflected sourly – especially if there was some sort of formal dinner for the other kings (as there seemed to be more often than not at the moment). A formal dinner would mean that he only have time for a quick wash and to get changed before he had to hurry to the reception rooms to socialise with the guests for what felt like an age before supper was finally served. Even then there was strict protocol over who could be served when and no-one was allowed to start eating until all the formalities were out of the way. Jason grimaced. He didn't enjoy the formal dinners or the socialising (and doubted he ever would); he hadn't enjoyed going to parties in the years before Atlantis and nothing had really changed in that respect.
Before he could even think about any of that though, he needed to get his horse untacked and settled for the night. The creature was sweating hard and needed rubbing down to stop it cooling down too quickly and getting cramps. Jason didn't begrudge the time he would need to spend doing this; he had ridden the horse hard over the last couple of days and it had carried him a long way. It deserved to rest in comfort and since no-one knew he had been gone (as far as he knew – and hoped) there wasn't likely to be anyone else around to help him sort the animal out.
Sighing, he moved to the horse's head to grab the reins.
"Might I be of assistance, My Lord?"
Alexarchos' voice startled Jason more than he would like to admit and he fought the urge to swear, even as he spun around to face the man.
"Forgive me," the estate overseer apologised. "I did not mean to surprise you. The Queen informed me that you had been out with a patrol since before sun-up and that you were expected back around sundown. It is my duty and my privilege to see to the needs of any guests in this house and, since you are a member of the Queen's household, I came here to ensure that your comfort was seen to on your return."
He gestured to someone behind him and another servant appeared, gently taking the reins of the horse away from Jason and leading it towards the stables. Jason looked at Alexarchos in surprise.
"Thank you," he said softly, with genuine gratitude.
A faint smile touched the overseer's lips.
"There is no greater honour than to serve my King and his household," he declared.
"I am still grateful," Jason replied. "I was expecting to have to see to the horse myself."
"I will see to it that a bath is drawn for you My Lord," Alexarchos said. "Unless you would prefer to use the main bathhouse?"
He had after all noted that the young man beside him seemed to prefer to do that most days.
Jason shrugged.
"Whatever is easiest for you," he said.
"What is easiest is not important," Alexarchos replied a little stiffly. "It is my duty to see that your wishes are fulfilled."
He noticed Jason's clear embarrassment and softened slightly.
"You are different to the other members of the nobility I have had the pleasure to serve," he observed. "Most would not care about what was easiest for the servants."
"I didn't grow up in this sort of household," Jason admitted awkwardly. "And it seems like a lot of bother to go to, to draw a bath for one person when there is a perfectly good bathhouse that I can use… if there is time for me to take a bath before dinner, that is."
"Very well," Alexarchos said. "I will ensure that the water in the bathhouse is heated sufficiently, My Lord." He hesitated for a moment. "If you are concerned about the time you have before supper, I would like to inform you that there are no guests this evening. Several of His Majesty's allies have already left Pagenia and those that remain are due to depart in the morning. The Queen informed me that they are dining with their own retinues this evening in order to prepare for their various journeys. Since there will be no formal meal and no reception, you should have the time that you desire to bathe and refresh yourself, My Lord."
Jason gave a slight smile.
"Thank you," he replied gratefully.
Alexarchos gave a short bow.
"I require no thanks, My Lord," he said. "I am simply doing my duty as my position demands."
"I am still grateful," Jason murmured.
"If you would excuse me, My Lord, I must attend to my other duties," Alexarchos said deferentially, inclining his head and stepping backwards.
"Of course," Jason replied.
He watched the estate overseer backing away for a few moments before turning and trotting as fast as his tired legs would allow towards the house, smiling softly to himself.
It would be good to be able to stop and rest for a while, however brief that time might be – and the truth was that if the other kings had already started to leave to organise their troops, then time was definitely running short; it was likely to be only a few days until Minos and his own army set off to try to regain Atlantis.
As he trudged up the steps to the house, Jason's mind turned to tonight's dinner with his parents and friends. He'd never been a social butterfly (although he did know how to behave in polite society – no matter what Pasiphae might have thought when they first met), so it was a relief to hear that there wouldn't be anyone there other than his family and friends; he could relax (which was a definite bonus, given how tired he was).
That thought made him pause though. When had he become so comfortable around the King? When had he come to think of Minos as family? Just a few weeks ago it would have seemed impossible that he would ever be relaxed in the man's presence – yet now he found himself almost looking forwards to Minos' company. The King was far from the grim tyrant that Jason had believed him to be though; he genuinely seemed to care for his city and, although some of the decisions he took might seem cruel or wrong by 21st century standards (the values Jason had grown up with and still largely believed in), he had always appeared to try to be fair within the rules of Atlantian society.
Despite his outwardly forbidding appearance, Minos had a decent sense of humour and had gently teased his stepson on several occasions now. As far as Jason was concerned, that had been the most surprising (and most disconcerting) thing that had happened since that day in the Temple when his true parentage had been revealed to him.
He pushed open the door as quietly as possible and slipped inside, making his way down the corridor towards his room still lost in thought. Suddenly his random musing was broken as he was tackled and half thrown back into an alcove, back hitting the wall. Jason reacted instinctively; arms coming up defensively to break the grip that whoever had grabbed him had on his tunic. Shoving the person away as hard as he could, he found himself glaring angrily into Hercules' enraged face.
"Hercules!" Jason hissed. "What the hell?"
"Where is she?" Hercules grated.
"What are you talking about?" Jason demanded.
Somehow he managed to forget that Hercules hadn't been told he had gone to rescue Medusa and that no-one other than Pasiphae knew where he had taken her. In his defence, he was tired and his mind had been focussing on other things.
"Where… is… she?" Hercules growled, enunciating each word slowly and clearly. "Where's Medusa?"
Jason grimaced.
"Pythagoras told you," he said flatly.
"Pythagoras didn't tell me a damned thing!" Hercules flared. "The wretched boy is avoiding me! No, it didn't exactly take me long to work out you were missing – I'm not stupid whatever the pair of you think. Now I heard Pasiphae telling the King that you were going to be out with a patrol today so I might not have thought any more of it if I hadn't overheard a very interesting conversation between Minos and Dion earlier… and what do you think they might have been talking about?"
"How should I know?" Jason snapped grumpily. "I wasn't there."
He knew deep down that snapping at Hercules when the bulky man was angry wasn't a good idea (knew that ideally he should be trying to placate his friend and calm him down) but he was tired and cross – especially since Hercules had grabbed him so unceremoniously.
"They were talking about a patrol that was sent out the night before last," Hercules hissed. "A patrol that was sent to kill a gorgon! Dion was telling the King that they had found the cave where the gorgon had been living but that she had recently left. Now it doesn't take a genius to connect you to that, does it? A gorgon is sighted and you go missing and, oh what a surprise, suddenly the gorgon is missing too! I don't know why Pasiphae told Minos that you were running errands for her yesterday and were with a patrol today but I'm damned sure it wasn't true! So I'm asking you again – where is she?"
His voice was getting louder and louder as he spoke and he grabbed Jason by the upper arms once more, shoving him against the wall in his anger.
Jason's temper flared. He knocked Hercules' hands away again, eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Don't," he growled warningly.
Hercules stepped right up into his face, glowering menacingly.
"Hercules!" Pythagoras' startled voice came from somewhere behind the burly wrestler. "What are you doing?"
Both his friends jumped. Hercules stepped back from Jason and turned to glower at the young mathematician.
"If he won't answer me maybe you will," Hercules growled, advancing on Pythagoras.
He was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm and holding him back, fingers digging in to the flesh of his upper arm. He turned again with a snarl.
"Let go of me!" he demanded.
"No," Jason snapped. "I'm not letting you get anywhere near him until you've calmed down."
"I'm not going to hurt him!" Hercules yelled. "I'm just going to make him talk! I want to know where Medusa is and I want to know now!"
Pythagoras exchanged a sharp look with Jason.
"Hercules," he began placatingly. "I understand you might be upset right now…"
"Upset? No. Upset doesn't even begin to cover how angry I am at the pair of you right now!" Hercules exploded. "What in the name of the Gods gives either of you the right to think you could keep something like this from me?"
Pythagoras' eyes narrowed and he cast a quick glance up and down the corridor to make sure they were alone.
"Come on," he said. "I think if we are to discuss this we must do so in private. Let us go to our chambers."
"No," Hercules yelled stubbornly. "I want you to tell me the truth!"
"Hercules, be reasonable," Pythagoras began.
"I don't want to be reasonable! I want you to tell me where Medusa is!"
Hercules made to move towards Pythagoras again, only to find himself held back once more by Jason. He growled in frustration.
"I know you want to know where Medusa is," Pythagoras replied sharply, "but I am also certain you do not wish to put her in danger. I promise you that all either Jason or I have done has been to keep her safe; to save her from a terrible fate. I will tell you what you wish to know… or at least I will tell you everything I know… but we must speak in private away from prying ears. To discuss Medusa's whereabouts in a public corridor is to risk discovery and court disaster… and I will not risk her life with such carelessness."
Hercules glared at him for a moment, face red and lips a thin, angry line. Finally, he nodded tightly and shouldered his way past the young mathematician, stalking down the corridor towards the chambers he shared with his old friend. Jason made to follow him. As he went to walk past Pythagoras, the other young man grasped his wrist gently.
"I know that you must be tired and that Hercules will not make this conversation easy," the young genius began, "but for my sake, please, whatever he says… whatever he does… try not to lose your temper?" He glanced down the corridor at the burly wrestler's retreating back.
Jason huffed a sigh.
"I'll try," he said sharply, "but I'm not going to promise anything. If he starts on you, I'm not going to stand by and let him."
"Give me some credit," Pythagoras replied, rolling his eyes. "We both know Hercules would never truly do anything to hurt me. He will shout and I will placate. It is our way and has been for many years. I was handling Hercules' moods and temper long before you arrived. I do not need defending from him." He paused for a moment. "Besides which, I rather think he has a point don't you?"
"What do you mean?" Jason asked. "All we did was to make sure Medusa was safe. I would have thought he would be happy about that."
"Hmm," Pythagoras hummed non-committally. "Think about how you would feel if you were him though."
"I don't understand," Jason admitted.
He was simply too tired to think properly.
Pythagoras sighed.
"We kept Medusa's whereabouts from him despite knowing how much she means to him," he stated. "With hindsight, I am not sure we had the right to do that. Even done with the best intentions, it seems cruel."
"We were protecting him," Jason argued tetchily. "It was for his own good. You know what could have happened if we had told him. We talked about this. You said yourself that there was a strong chance he would try to sacrifice himself again if he were to learn where she was."
"Yes," Pythagoras pointed out, "but think about how you felt when you discovered we were keeping the knowledge of who your parents were from you."
"I was angry," Jason admitted slowly. "It hurt that you would keep something that important from me. It felt like you didn't trust me. I wanted to strangle you both."
"Even though we believed we were keeping it from you for your own good?" Pythagoras asked softly.
"Point taken," Jason answered with a sigh, "and I suppose we both knew he'd be angry if he found out… but I still say I would rather have an angry Hercules than a dead one."
"As would I," Pythagoras replied, "but I'm still asking you to try to stay calm no matter what he says or does."
"I'll do my best," Jason murmured with a wry half smile.
"That is all I ask," Pythagoras said gently.
They made their way along the corridor together to the chambers that Pythagoras shared with Hercules and stepped inside. Hercules was pacing about the room like a caged lion.
"What in the name of the Gods did you two think you were doing?" he burst out angrily as the two young men entered.
"We were protecting Medusa," Pythagoras murmured placatingly. "We were trying to keep her from coming to harm."
"And you thought I would harm her?" Hercules exploded incredulously.
"No!" Jason replied sharply. "Neither of us thought you would hurt her for a moment."
"When Jason came to me with the news that a gorgon had been found and was to be hunted down, you had already gone with Nisos," Pythagoras said. "We did not know whether or not it was Medusa but we did not think that we should take the risk. We decided that it would be best if Jason went to look for her; that he was the best placed to deal with a gorgon… after all he is the only one of us that can look at her and not be turned to stone. If it was indeed Medusa, he could lead her to a place of safety… and if it was not then he could despatch the monster to Hades if he needed."
"And you didn't think to come and fetch me? That we should all have gone together?" Hercules demanded. "You know what Medusa means to me. I would risk everything to save her. You did not think that I would want to be there?"
"Hercules, there was no time to come and find you," Jason protested, dropping wearily onto a stool. "Dion came to the King at the end of the meeting the evening before last. He told Minos that one of the patrols had found evidence of a gorgon and Minos despatched troops to find and kill her on the spot. To have the best chance of saving Medusa I had to leave quickly and Pythagoras only knew that you were somewhere in the town. We could have wasted hours searching for you."
"So you thought going off alone into possible danger was better?" Hercules growled. "By the Gods Jason, I thought we were past the point of you doing something so monumentally stupid. We faced Tartarus together for Medusa. Do you think I would do any less for her now? And you… did you even stop to think what would happen if you were injured or – Gods forbid – killed, miles away from here with neither of us around to help you?" He gestured between himself and Pythagoras. "What it would do to him? What it would do to me?" He glared at Jason. "I thought you understood that we are a team. That you shouldn't be running off on your own into who knows what any more."
"I wasn't on my own," Jason retorted. "Pasiphae was with me."
If he had been just a little more awake he might have thought twice about telling Hercules that little fact until the big man was a bit calmer.
"What?" Hercules exploded once again. "You took that witch with you rather than him or me?"
"Hercules, she's my mother," Jason snapped back.
"That is a fact that is completely irrelevant," Hercules growled. "Need I remind you that Pasiphae never does anything that isn't for her own benefit? What did she demand in return for her 'help'?"
"It was not like that," Pythagoras interjected softly. "Her Majesty did not ask for anything."
"I told her where I was going because I didn't want to disappear like I did the night before Atlantis fell," Jason added. "I didn't want to do that to her – not again. It wouldn't have been fair to her."
Hercules scoffed loudly.
"I see how it is," he proclaimed. "I see what's happening here… I just didn't think it would happen so soon!"
"What are you talking about?" Pythagoras asked gently.
"He's changing," the burly wrestler growled, pointing one meaty finger at Jason. "I knew they'd probably change him eventually but I didn't think it would be this quick!" He glared at his dark haired friend. "I never thought I would see this day," he added morosely. "I never thought I would see you abandon your friends in favour of the Queen. I thought we meant more to you than that; I thought that you actually cared"
Even as he said it, he regretted it. Seeing the look of deep hurt that flashed briefly across Jason's eyes before being hidden as his friend's defences snapped into place once more, was almost enough to have Hercules apologising on the spot – but he was still just a little too angry for that.
"Hercules!" Pythagoras exclaimed, his eyes flashing fire. "That is deeply unfair and you know it!"
Hercules winced. Pythagoras was generally the last of them to show anger but when he did his old friend knew it was time to duck for cover.
"No," Jason said softly, looking down at the table, his tone largely devoid of expression. "It's alright. I know Hercules sometimes says things when he's angry. It doesn't matter."
Hercules winced again. Whilst Jason was a lot more self-confident than he had once been – a lot more self-assured – he still wasn't as certain of his place in the world (and his place in the hearts of his friends) as someone who had grown up in a loving family – and that confidence could be all too easily fractured at times with a thoughtless comment.
"Pythagoras is right," he muttered apologetically. "I shouldn't have said that. I didn't really mean it – you know that don't you? I know you'd never really abandon either one of us. I was just… it was… you went to Pasiphae with this and not me. From what I can see you didn't even try to come and find me."
"Like I said, I couldn't bring myself to disappear on her again," Jason answered. "I promised I wouldn't do that. As it turned out, Pasiphae didn't like the idea of me going after Medusa on my own any more than you did… and she can look at Medusa too because she's touched by the Gods like I am. So she insisted on coming and I couldn't think of a single way to refuse." He paused and looked hard at Hercules. "Besides, can you stand there and tell me with your hand on your heart that if you had come with me you wouldn't have tried to sacrifice yourself again to cure Medusa as soon as we reached her?"
"That is utterly ridiculous," Hercules scoffed, folding his arms and puffing his chest out. "Of course I wouldn't."
"Is it ridiculous?" Pythagoras asked seriously. "Really?"
"Yes," Hercules asserted loudly.
He tried to hold the mathematician's gaze for a moment before seeming to deflate.
"No," he admitted. "I can't bear the thought of her having to live like that. It's a sacrifice I would be happy to make."
"But we would not be happy for you to make it," Pythagoras murmured softly, his face very serious. "We have been friends – been family – for many years and I do not wish to lose you."
"And Medusa definitely wouldn't be happy," Jason added. "It would break her heart if anything happened to you because of her. The first thing she asked me when I found her was where you were… and when I told her you weren't there, she thanked the Gods because she couldn't bear the thought of accidentally harming you – or of you sacrificing yourself for her."
"It was Medusa then?" Pythagoras asked, sitting down next to his younger friend.
"Yeah," Jason answered. "It was."
"How was she?" Hercules demanded desperately, dropping onto a stool on the opposite side of the table and looking at his friend imploringly.
Jason sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand, pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and fingers as he tried to work out what to say.
"Jason… please," Hercules implored.
Jason sighed again.
"I don't think the last few months have been easy for her," he admitted softly. "She's been alone the whole time. I don't think she'd heard a friendly voice since… well since we left her on the shores of Cisthene. She was thin… tired… lonely – God only knows how lonely she must have been – and her clothes were so worn out they were little more than rags. I think she'd lost hope that we would ever find a cure. She'd almost come to believe that she deserved her curse; deserved her fate."
He broke off with another heavy sigh.
Hercules looked stricken.
"I must go to her," he said, starting to stand. "Where is she?"
Pythagoras reached across the table and grasped his wrist.
"Sit down," the young mathematician said firmly. "You will not do Medusa any good by running off thoughtlessly."
"I don't want her to think I've abandoned her," Hercules objected.
"She doesn't," Jason replied. "She knows you would never do that. She got me to tell her all about everything we've been doing as we travelled. She wants to be with you every bit as much as you want to be with her. She knows you will do anything to find a cure for her."
"I just can't bear to think of her having to live in a cave all alone."
"She isn't… not now anyway," Jason said earnestly, reaching out to cover his older friend's hand with his own.
"Where did you take her?" Pythagoras asked curiously. "I should imagine there are few places that a gorgon can live safely."
"Pasiphae suggested I should take her to the Temple of Hecate deep in the heart of the Calabrian Forest," Jason answered. "She said that Medusa would be safe there because no-one would dare to approach it; that only the servants of the Goddess or those under their protection may enter."
"And with good reason," Pythagoras said seriously. "The Calabrian Forest is a place of dark reputation. It is said that witchcraft of the darkest kind is practiced there and that strange monsters live deep among the trees."
"And you've taken Medusa there?" Hercules asked incredulously.
"I promise she's safe," Jason replied. "I'd never have left her if she hadn't been. She has shelter and food and a proper bed to sleep in… and she has company – which is more than she had before"
"What do you mean?" Hercules asked sharply. "What company? You're the only person I know who can look at Medusa and not be turned to stone."
"Pasiphae can look at her too," Jason reminded him. "It seems that anyone who is touched by the Gods can." He paused. "When we got to the Temple of Hecate, there was a girl living there. It seems that she is Pasiphae's niece and shares some of her gifts. She promised to look after Medusa."
"You would trust anyone related to Pasiphae?" Hercules demanded.
"Hercules, I'm related to Pasiphae," Jason pointed out. "I'm not sure I could actually be any closer related to her."
Hercules had the good grace to look embarrassed.
"I forgot that," he muttered.
"You think that this girl will keep her word?" Pythagoras asked.
"I do," Jason answered. "I can't explain it, but it was like I was drawn to her. There was a bond."
He shook himself as Pythagoras watched him speculatively.
"Anyway, I know she'll do what she said she would – although I'm not sure how I know it," he added. He hesitated for a moment before going on. "I think it's important for Medusa to stay where she is for now anyway."
"Why?" Pythagoras asked.
"Because Pasiphae thinks that there may be a way to lift her curse; to cure her. She has promised to help once we have retaken Atlantis. She said that she will go to Medusa as soon as she is able."
Hercules frowned deeply.
"Why would she do that?" he asked suspiciously. "What price did she demand in return?"
"Medusa asked pretty much the same question," Jason admitted.
"And how did Pasiphae respond?" Pythagoras murmured.
"She said something about Medusa's wellbeing being important to someone she cared about," Jason replied, flushing slightly.
Pythagoras' lips twitched as though he was trying to restrain a smile.
"Is it really so difficult to believe that your mother might wish you to be happy?" he asked gently.
Jason shrugged and looked down, flushing even more. Pythagoras smiled fondly at his friend's clear embarrassment.
"Surely the important thing to focus on here is that Pasiphae believes a cure is possible for Medusa and has agreed to help her," he said, looking at Hercules.
Hercules blinked in surprise, a dawning look of hope coming across his face.
"Do you really think it's possible that Pasiphae could find a cure?" he demanded hopefully.
"She seemed pretty certain about it," Jason answered. "She said that she would need help to lift the curse, but she was clear that there were definitely ways that Medusa could be cured. She said that there might be a price to pay but I think she needed to consider it more. She was clear that once Atlantis was back in Minos' hands, she would go to Medusa to discuss the solution to her problem."
"Well that certainly sounds more hopeful than anything we have discovered so far," Pythagoras said brightly.
"Yes, it is," Hercules rumbled. He snorted slightly. "If it is possible that Pasiphae can cure Medusa then I will be willing to pay any price. Just to hold her in my arms again…"
Jason clasped the burly wrestlers hand once more.
"You will," he said earnestly. "No matter what happens, we will find a cure for Medusa." He smiled wryly. "At least one of us should be with the woman he loves," he added, an unaccustomed note of bitterness slipping into his tone.
"Jason," Pythagoras began.
"It's alright," Jason replied. "I'm fine… really I am. I know that this isn't Ariadne's choice; that she has no more say in the matter than I do." He sighed. "Take no notice of me. It's just been a long couple of days and I'm tired."
"You should rest then," Pythagoras said, practically.
"Later," Jason responded. "I'm told that there's a family supper to get through first." He stood up and stretched painfully. "God, I'm stiff."
"If you have ridden to the Calabrian Forest and back in less than two days, then I am not surprised," Pythagoras replied. "That is a very long way to travel in such a short space of time."
"Pasiphae told me I needed to be back here by sundown today," Jason answered. "She said that she did not think she would be able to hide my absence from Minos any longer than that. I stopped to rest for a few hours in the temple but aside from that I've been riding hard. I even grabbed something to eat on the move." He stretched again. "So on that note I'm going to go to the bathhouse and have a soak before supper. Hopefully it'll stop me being so stiff."
"Wait a moment and I will grab towels for us both and come with you," Pythagoras said. "Someone should be there to make sure you don't fall asleep and drown after all."
He grinned at Jason to show he was teasing and wandered into his room to find the promised towels. Once he had returned, the two young men left in the direction of the bathhouse, leaving Hercules to pleasant daydreams of Medusa and the future he hoped they would have together.
