When nightfall arrived, Hercules, Lilith, and Alexia had still not returned from their journey. Cheiron remained planted in his spot, squinting his eyes to see into the darkness. A few cadets had volunteered to stand watch with him, looking in all directions for any signs of their classmates. Finally, a cadet shouted, "There they are!"
Cheiron looked to where he was pointing and saw three figures approaching in the distance. He noticed with concern that one was being held in the arms of another. He and the cadets made their way over to the front gates.
"What happened?" he asked as came up to them.
"The cave collapsed on us while we were coming out." Hercules explained. "Alexia's got a big cut on her stomach and Lilith has one on her head as well."
"Go to the infirmary at once so I can tend the wounds." Cheiron instructed. They followed his order without a moment of hesitation.
"We did get the herb, Cheiron." Lilith mentioned as they hurried inside.
"I'm thankful to you all for retrieving it for me," he responded, "but I'm even more thankful that you made it back alive."
When they reached the infirmary, Hercules lied Alexia down on one of the cots. Cheiron unwrapped the bandages, cleansed and treated her wound, then rewrapped it with new bandages. He repeated the same process with Lilith's injury. Since it was late, Cheiron made Lilith and Alexia sleep there for the night so he could check on them. He stepped outside the door to meet an anxious demigod, wondering about the condition of his friends.
"Are they all right?" he asked.
"After they get some rest, they'll be fine." Cheiron assured him. He became quiet for a while, then added, "I want you to know that I'm proud of the way you handled everything today."
Hercules didn't say anything in return, but nodded his head in appreciation.
"You should get some sleep now," the centaur advised.
"Can I please see them before I go?" Hercules requested.
"All right," Cheiron sighed, "but only for a moment."
Hercules walked into a room that was dimly lit by a few candles. Lilith was already fast asleep on her cot, but Alexia lay awake. When she saw him walk in, she smiled and said, "Hey."
"Hey yourself," he said as he walked over. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, actually," she replied. "How are you?"
"I'm all right," he answered, smiling.
Alexia returned the smile, but soon her face turned serious. "You know, you saved my life today."
Hercules shrugged. "Nah, not really. I just helped."
"I mean it, Hercules," she insisted. "I never would have made it out of the cave by myself. And then you did everything you could afterwards to make sure I was all right." She paused. "Thank you. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
Hercules shook his head. "There's no need. That's what friends are for."
She stared at him intently. "What I want to know is why you risked your life to save Lilith and me today without thinking once about your own safety."
Hercules sighed. "I don't know. That's just how I am."
"I mean, you could have gotten killed back there," Alexia continued, "yet you were so intent on saving us that you didn't seem to care if you lost your own life in the process."
Hercules turned away from her, concentrating on the flickering flame of a candle beside him. He didn't say anything for a long time, but then finally answered, "I feel that it's my duty to protect the people that I care about. It doesn't matter what happens to me."
"But it does matter," she protested. He turned around to face her, seeing the concerned expression on her face. Hercules didn't understand why Alexia was so worried about him. Being a worry wart had always been his job.
"What's that?" she asked him, indicating a cut on his arm.
Hercules looked down at it. "Oh, it's just a scratch," he said nonchalantly.
Alexia wrinkled her forehead. It was fairly big, and she didn't think it was wise to let it stay out in the open. "I think you should wrap it."
"This little thing? No, it'll be fine."
"Herc," she said sternly, "I think you should wrap it."
Hercules sighed and gave in to her request. "I will," he promised. Alexia seemed content with his answer and smiled warmly.
"Well, good night." Hercules whispered. He got up to leave just as Cheiron entered the room.
"Good night, sir," he said to him as he passed by.
As Alexia watched him walk away, it was still unclear to her why he acted the way he did. Her inside troubles must have been showing on her face, for Cheiron looked at her and asked, "Is something bothering you?"
Alexia sighed. "It's Hercules. He saved my life today without taking precautions for himself. No matter what happened, he never thought about what kind of danger he could get into."
Cheiron nodded in understanding. "Warriors must always put their comrades before themselves, but I can see where you're coming from. A person should also learn to have an equal balance of self and others. Maybe you can be the one to show Hercules that."
What Cheiron said made sense, but Alexia still didn't know how to get through to Hercules. She would have to figure that out later, though, for her wounds had to heal first. She closed her eyes and finally succumbed to her desire for sleep. Cheiron blew out all the candles and closed the door behind him. It had been quite a night at the academy, and it was good to know that all was calm at last.