Cheiron's Warriors Transcript

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Young Hercules: Cheiron's Warriors

Young Hercules: Cheiron's Warriors
Written by Keith R.A. DeCandido.
Based on the hit TV series created by Rob Tapert and Andrew Dettman & Daniel Truly.

Acknowledgements

      The author would like to thank the following: Howard Zimmerman, without whom I would not have written this book. Anne Greenberg, editor extraordinaire, and Rodger Weinfeld, assistant extraordinaire, for phenomenal work under ridiculous pressure. The good folks at Studios USA, who kept their eye on me and let me play in their sandbox. Ryan Gosling, Ian Bohen, Dean O'Gorman, Chris Conrad, Jodie Rimmer, Nathaniel Lees, Joel Tobeck, Meighan Desmons, Stephen Tozer, Stig Eldred, and the amazing Kevin Smith, as well as the remaining cast and crew of Young Hercules (not to mention Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess), for ongoing inspiration. GraceAnne A DeCandido and John E. Peters for invaluable editing. Scott W. Langman, aka Miltiades, for equally invaluable research assistance. The Millennium Britannia Hotel in London and the Jens home in Chicago, where parts of this book were written. Lisa Clancy and Ginjer Buchanan, for general niftiness. And also, in no particular order, The Greek Myths by Robert Graves, Atlas of the Greek World by Peter Levi, the Greek exhibit halls in London's British Museum, Ashley McConnell, Kimberly Rector, Martha Wells, Rachel M. Bailey, the wonderfully twisted denizens of the KSmithAres and Hellmouthy Internet mailing lists, Laura Anne Gilman, and most especially my beloved wife and the best muse a guy could hope for, Marina Frants.

Chapter One

      Iolaus never saw the staff coming.

      Hercules watched his childhood friend balancing on a pair of flat-head poles, staff in hand. Over a dozen pairs of poles were arranged on the floor of the training room. They were raised about a foot off of the ground. The idea was to not fall off the heads of the poles while fighting your opponent. Iolaus's opponent in this case was Lilith. She stood facing him.

      Then Hercules had first come to Cheiron's Academy to be trained as a warrior, he'd thought the poles were stupid. "When is that ever gonna happen in real life?" he had asked Cheiron, the centaur who ran the Academy.

      Now Hercules knew better. For one thing, he had had to fight on similar poles in real life. For another, it was good practice. If you could fight while keeping your balance, fighting on solid ground was a lot easier.

      Or at least it was when you weren't exhausted. Unfortunately, Iolaus had been sparring for six straight hours. Sweat glistened on his forehead and matted down his curly blond hair.

      Then Lilith's staff clubbed Iolaus on the side of the head.

      "Oooh, that's got to hurt," Hercules said.

      Standing next to him, Jason said, "Hey, it's okay. She got him on the head. It's not as if she hit anything important."

      Hercules nodded. "Good point."

      Despite the banter, Hercules was worried. The son of Zeus - king of the gods - and a mortal woman named Alcmene, Hercules had greater strength and endurance than such mortals as Iolaus, Jason, and Lilith. But after six hours, even he with his half-god stamina would have been on his last legs. He couldn't imagine how exhausted Iolaus must be.

      Lilith, the Academy's only girl student, swung her staff around at Iolaus's shins.

      Iolaus made a low jump and bent his legs under him. The staff swung beneath them.

      His right foot came down smoothly on a pole.

      His left foot didn't.

      As he tried to shift his weight to his right foot o keep from falling, Iolaus swung wildly with his own staff.

      Lilith, of course, blocked it. She blocked it so hard that Iolaus lost his footing. He dropped his staff and somehow managed to break his fall with his hands. Hercules was impressed with the quality of the fall. But then, how to fall properly was one of the first things Cheiron taught. That was at least as important as landing a blow.

      If only Cheiron was here now, Hercules thought.

      "Pathetic!" came a voice from behind Hercules.

      Here it comes, Hercules thought as Iolaus struggled to rise.

      The voice said, "No, don't bother, thief. If this were real combat, you’d be dead after that idiotic stunt, so you may as well stay down."

      Iolaus took the advice and let his head slump to the floor. Hercules couldn't blame him.

      A week earlier Cheiron had cone off to attend a wedding. Having learned his lesson the last time he had taken leave, the centaur did not put the Academy's bursar, Fiducius, in charge. Instead, he brought in Kostas, "an old comrade," as a substitute.

      Hercules, Iolaus, Lilith, and Jason were thrilled when they heard. They figured a sub meant an easy week. "Probably some retired general or something," Jason said. "He'll spend more time complaining about his lumbago than training us, and we can spend most of the week at Kora's."

      No such luck. Cheiron's "old comrade" was an active soldier from Crete, not a retired one. He worked the cadets harder than they'd ever worked and gave them no breaks. They spent very little time at Kora's, the eatery where the cadets usually hung out during off-hours.

      Kostas didn't think the Academy was a fit place for a son of Zeus, as he "makes everyone else look bad." He didn't think much of Jason, Iolaus, of Lilith, either. Jason was the crown prince of Corinth destined to become king once he had graduated from the Academy. Iolaus had been a thief, but he'd chosen to attend the Academy in lieu of jail time. And Lilith was "just a girl." Kostas didn't like the idea of princes, thieves, or girls "playing soldier," as he put it.

      Never mind that all four of them were quite serious about what they were doing at the Academy. Never mind that Hercules was no better or worse than anyone else there, even if his father was a god. Kostas had his own ideas about what was what, and the Fates help you if you didn't go along with him.

      "Look at you," Kostas said to Iolaus, "Off balance, sloppy - you move as though you're stuck in honey."

      Hercules turned to look at Kostas's scarred, tanned, bearded face. This was a man who had seen a lot of action.

      "That's because I've been sparring for six straight hours," Iolaus muttered.

      "You ever been in a war, thief? The enemy won't stop because you're tired or because you're hurt. Now get up, get back on the poles, and get it right this time. To be beaten so badly by a girl is embarrassing."

      "Hey!" Lilith said. "That’s not fair."

      "Life isn't fair, girl," Kostas said with a slower at the young blond. "You of all people should know that." He looked down and then kicked Iolaus. "Get up, thief!"

      That was going too far. "Hey," Hercules said, "you don't have to kick him."

      "That's your opinion, godling," Kostas said with a sneer. "And when you run this Academy, you can make that decision. For the moment, be silent."

      "Now, wait a minute," Hercules said. "You can't-"

      "I can do what I want until Cheiron returns."

      "That doesn't mean-"

      "Quiet, godling. You will speak when spoken to, understood?"

      Hercules was about to argue more, but then he caught Iolaus's look From behind Kostas's back, Iolaus mouthed the word "Don't."

      Only then did Hercules force himself to calm down. He folded his arms and gritted his teeth. The cadets had been putting up with Kostas's abuse for a week now, and Hercules was starting to get tired of it. Kostas had all of Cheiron's worst qualities and none of the centaur's good ones.

      Luckily, the cadets had to last only one more day. Then Cheiron would come back, and they'd return to plain old grueling training instead of this nightmare.

      As Iolaus retrieved his staff and climbed back onto the poles, Hercules thought, I for one am counting the moments until tomorrow.

      Iolaus got in the defensive position. Lilith did the same, but Kostas said, "No, girl, you're done. The prince is next."

      Lilith mouthed, "I'm sorry." Iolaus shrugged in response s Lilith got down off the poles.

      Jason, though, didn't move.

      "I said, you're next, 'Your Highness.'" Kostas spoke the last two words with another sneer. Sneering seemed to be his usual facial expression.

      "I won't fight him," Jason said with his arms folded.

      "Excuse me?"

      Go, Jason! Hercules thought with a smile.

      "He's exhausted. He's in no shape to spar. He's barely in any shape to stand. I won't fight him," Jason repeated.

      Kostas glared at Jason for a moment, then scratched his gray beard. "Last week Cheiron told me that you had made a promise when you enrolled. Within these walls you would not be the prince, you would be just another cadet. So either you are breaking that promise now, or you are questioning a superior. Which is it?"

      Jason glared right back for a moment, then unfolded his arms and looked down. "Neither, sir," he muttered.

      Then Kostas did something really scary: he smiled.

      "Good. Now get on the poles, 'Your Highness.'"

      Through clenched teeth, Jason said, "Yes, sir." Then he took Lilith's staff and climbed up onto the poles.

      Iolaus managed to hold his staff in a defensive position, wobbling as he tried to balance. Hercules didn't know whether to be impressed or horrified.

      Jason took a swing. Iolaus saw it coming and blocked it pretty easily. Iolaus's staff barely shook with the impact. Jason's not putting any effort into it, Hercules thought.

      Three more swings came from Jason, to different parts of Iolaus's body, each as weak and obvious as the first. Iolaus blocked them.

      "Stop!" Kostas yelled. "You call this sparring? You're moving worse than the thief, 'Your Highness.' And frankly, I didn't think that was possible. Now put some effort into it!"

      Hercules had known Iolaus for a long time. Although he could be a giant pain at the best of times, he would always be there for a friend. It didn't look as if Jason was going to do anything that might hurt Iolaus, but that was only going to make Kostas angry at Jason. So, Hercules thought, Iolaus is probably going to make Jason spar properly in order to keep Jason out of trouble.

      Sure enough, Iolaus took a swing at Jason.

      Not expecting that, Jason got his staff up barely in time to block the swing. Iolaus then swung the staff around to get Jason at the shins. Unfortunately, the swing was too slow and too sloppy. Jason simply lowered his staff to block that move as well.

      Sadly, as with Lilith, this block was hard enough for Iolaus to lose his grip on the staff. It fell to the floor, bouncing off the poles with the clack of wood on wood.

      Jason, now getting into it, smiled and took a swing at Iolaus's shoulder.

      Normally, Iolaus's reaction would be to bend his knees and do a backflip, but he didn't leap as high as he needed to, and so he fell between the poles, hitting his head on one of them. "Ow," he said.

      Then the dinner bell rang. Hercules looked up at Jason, and the two of them said in perfect unison, "Chow time!"

      "All right, that's it for today," Kostas said. "Lilith, tomorrow I want you to work with Idas. You keep leaving your left side exposed." He turned to the other three as Hercules helped Iolaus up out of the poles and Jason stepped down from them. "You three have a special assignment tomorrow. Cheiron's boat is due to arrive at noon. You're to meet him and escort him back to the Academy."

      "I don't suppose I could go, too?" Lilith asked.

      "You need to work on your left side," Kostas said. "Besides, this is a task that involves responsibility. It's a man’s job, not a girl's."

      "What!" Lilith said. Her eyes went wide.

      "Hey," Hercules said, "that's-"

      "I've made my decision, and it's final!" Kostas spoke in a tone Hercules had come to know very well this past week. There was nothing to gain by arguing and a lot to lose.

      "Come on," Jason said, putting a hand on Hercules' shoulder. "Let's go chow down."

      "One other thing," Kostas said as the four of them turned to leave.

      What now? Hercules wondered.

      "Dedication to your comrades is an important thing, and admirable."

      Wow, Hercules thought. That was almost a compliment.

      "If you ever have the skills to support that dedication, you might possibly amount to something. Not that I'm counting on it."

      With that, Kostas turned on his heel and left the workout room by the far door.

      Emphasis, Hercules thought, on the word "almost."

      "You think he was born a jerk," Lilith asked, "or has he been practicing?"

      "Looks to me like natural talent," Jason said.

      "Let's go," Iolaus said walking quickly toward the door. "I'm starved. Right now even the usual Academy slop will taste like ambrosia."

      "Sure," Hercules said with a pat on Iolaus's back.

      Iolaus winced. "Not so hard, huh, Herc?"

      "Sorry."

      "Hey, Iolaus," Jason said with a grin, "I liked that last move. What do you call it?"

      Before Iolaus could say anything, Hercules said, "Falling on his butt. It's a great way to lull your opponents into a false sense of security."

      "Hardy-har-har," Iolaus said sourly.

      "Hey, come on," Hercules said. "Tomorrow Cheiron will be back and everything will return to normal."

      "You're right, Herc," Iolaus said with a smile. "After tomorrow things will be nice and calm."

Chapter Two

      "Hey, Unc, how's it going?"

      Ares looked up to see that his nephew Strife had shown up in his temple. As always, Strife wore an all-black studded leather outfit that covered his entire body. With his jet-black hair, Strife looked like a disembodied head against the black marble of Ares' temple. The walls were decorated with weapons from all over the known world. Ares had arranged them in an elegant pattern. Strife's giggling presence in front of that wall spoiled the effect, as far as Ares was concerned.

      Since Strife had not been invited, the god of war was not thrilled with the younger god's presence. He was never really happy to see his nephew. "What do you want, Strife?"

      "Oh, just wanted to see how the ol'uncle was doing, y'know?" Strife laughed his fake laugh, smiled his fake smile, and chuckled a fake chuckle. It was his typical way of trying to be endearing. Ares found it even more annoying than usual.

      Looking back down at the scrying pool he'd been staring into, Ares said, "Just looking for a little war."

      Strife grinned. "What's the matter, Sparta not keeping you busy enough?"

      Gesturing over the pool, Ares made the image in it change to Amphipolis. All was quiet.

      Ares hated quiet.

      "Hey, I know, Unc. Why don't you start a rockslide in Amphipolis and blame it on the Poteidaians?"

      On the other hand, Ares thought, quiet does have its virtues. "What do you want, Strife?" he repeated.

      Throwing up his hands, Strife said, "Just trying to help out, Unc. You know, cause a little strife, maybe get something going."

      "Like you and Discord attempted with the Amazons and centaurs?"

      Strife's face fell. "Well, okay, maybe that wasn't a complete success. Unc, but hey, nobody's perfect, right?"

      Ares, however, wasn't listening. A mention of that little failure of his nephew and sister gave him a thought.

      He gestured over the pool again, and it showed an image of the Centaur Nation. Their council of elders was gathered to discuss policy.

      Discuss, Ares thought with disgust. And they call themselves warriors.

      Discord and Strife had tried to start a war between one of the Amazon tribes and the Centaur Nation. Ares had objected at first - he was very fond of the Amazons. But he'd had to admit that the war sounded like a good idea.

      Unfortunately, his stupid little half brother Hercules had managed to put a stop to it.

      Strife walked over to stand next to Ares at the scrying pool. "Hey, look, centaurs! Cool! You know, they've been having little border wars with the Amazons." Strife broke into another one of his stupid grins. "Maybe - and I'm just woolgathering here, Unc - but maybe we could take another shot at getting that war going? Huh, huh?" he added with an elbow to Ares' ribs.

      Ares snapped his fingers. With a flash of light Strife was sent flying across the room. He crashed headfirst into one of the black stone walls. A shield from Gaul that had been hanging there fell onto they young god's head.

      "Ow!"

      "The Amazons aren't ready for that kind of battle," Ares said. He spoke normally, as if Strife weren't lying in a heap on the floor. "But the centaurs are. They're a surly bunch. Strong, powerful, disliked by most humans." He broke into a grin. "My kind of folks."

      "You know, they use centaurs as slaves in Syracuse," Strife said. "Maybe the centaurs can fight the Syracusans." He started to get up.

      Again, Ares snapped his fingers. Another shield, this one from Chin, flew off the far wall to knock Strife on the head.

      "Ow!" he cried again. He stopped trying to get up.

      "No. Syracuse is a poor enemy for the centaurs. Too far away." Ares gestured once again. The image in the pool changed to a palace. "Corinth, on the other hand, would be perfect."

      Strife giggled. "'Cause that's where Jerk-ules is, right?"

      "Partly. If something happens in Corinth to anger the centaurs, they would declare war. For example, say some slavers take a few centaurs in Corinth and sell them into slavery in Syracuse."

      Frowning, Strife said, "But wouldn't Corinth just say it wasn't their fault?"

      "Oh, any decent ruler would probably be able to keep war from happening. But Corinth doesn't have a decent ruler anymore, they just have a boy. And young Prince Jason doesn't stand a chance of holding off the centaurs." Ares scratched his bearded chin thoughtfully. "Of course, his dear, departed father, King Aeson, surely would have been able to prevent a war." Ares smiled. "That was one of many reasons why I killed the old man."

      Strife got up and pumped his fist. "I like it, Unc, I like it!"

      Ares rolled his eyes. "Well, I think I'll go through with it anyhow." He held up his hand as if to snap his fingers again.

      "Aaaah!" Strife cried, holding up his arms in front of his head. "Not in the face, not in the face!"

      Ares just glowered at his nephew. Then he snapped his fingers, and in an instant he was somewhere else.

      The god of war's temple was a black stone monument to the glories of war. It was filled with the relics of battles throughout the ages. On the other hand, the hut Ares transported himself to was just a monument to bad architecture. It was a small straw hut, barely held up by rotting wooden supports.

      But then, Ares thought, Elias never went much for the finer things in life.

      Elias was a slave trader; he was also a dedicated worshipper of Ares - two things that made him perfect for Ares' plan.

      At the moment Elias sat in the middle of his tiny, leaky hut. The short, stocky man was sloppily eating a bowl of soup.

      When Ares appeared before him, Elias spit put his soup in surprise. Broth spattered on the war god’s leather vest. "My lord Ares!"

      With a gesture Ares removed the unsightly stains. That's the nice thing about ambrosia over this mortal food, he thought. It doesn't make a mess.

      Elias rose clumsily from his chair, then got down on one knee. "To what do I owe this great honor, my lord?"

      Again, Ares rolled his eyes. The other gods were big on mortals bowing and scraping before them. Ares always found it to be phony and a waste of time. "Get up. I have a job for you."

      Rising to his feet, Elias said, "The honor is to serve, my lord."

      "Whatever. I need you to capture a dozen centaurs and then take them to Syracuse. There's a market for them. You keep any monetary profits."

      Elias blinked and scratched one ear. "Your humble servant thanks you, my lord. But does the god of war not wish a portion of our bounty as tribute?"

      Ares smiled. "I have little use for dinars, Elias. Oh, feel free to donate something to one of my temples if you feel you must. I certainly won't stop you. But my interest is more... bloody."

      Elias returned the smile. "Warfare, I presume?"

      "What else? Here." Ares held out one hand. With a flash of light a pair of golden manacles appeared in them. He'd had Hephaestus make them decades ago when a warlord was having trouble holding on to prisoners. "Place these on any two limbs - the human or the equine ones, it doesn't matter. As soon as you put them on, the centaur will be completely immobile. Then you can chain up each one with ease."

      Taking the manacles from Ares, Elias said, "My lord is generous." He was still smiling, but it was a greedy smile now. "Will there be anything else?"

      "Yes," Ares said. "Don't mess up. I have a problem with lackeys who mess up."

      "You can count on me, my lord."

      "Oh, I dearly hope so, Elias - for your sake."

      And with that, Ares snapped his fingers and returned to the temple.

      Strife, of course, was still there. "So how'd it go, Unc? All set to trap the centaurs?"

      Ares glared at his nephew. "No, I've sent someone else to trap the centaurs. After all, it has to be Corinthian citizens who do the dirty work."

      "Riiiiiight, 'course. I knew that."

      Rolling his eyes, Ares asked, "Strife, why are you still here?"

      "Well, Unc, I was thinking that you might want a little help. You know, someone to keep an eye on things, make sure there aren't any flies in the ointment."

      The war god was about to reject this idea, but then he thought a moment. He remembered Elias's manner. The slaver was trying desperately to please Ares - a little too desperately. People who tried to suck up that much often made mistakes. And even if he was a weasel, Strife was still family. His function and Ares' worked better in sync. Maybe watching over this little operation would be good experience.

      "Tell you what," Ares said. "I'll let you supervise things. But only if you take Discord along."

      Strife's shoulders slumped. "What's the matter, Unc, don't trust the ol'nephew?"

      "Not especially, no."

      "But-"

      "Discord has one advantage over you, Strife. Her brain actually functions every once in a while."

      Rolling both his eyes and his head, Strife said, "Oh, all right, if you insist, I'll bring Shorty along." Heaving a very loud sigh, Strife disappeared in a flash of light.

      Ares sat on his throne sideways, left leg on the floor, right leg draped over one of the throne's flared arms. He smiled. The wheels were in motion. The plan had started to take form.

      All in all, he thought, a good morning.

Chapter Three

      The midday sun shone brightly upon the sea as Cheiron approached the gangplank of the Poseidon's Trident. The journey had been pleasant and smooth, for which Cheiron was grateful. He hated traveling over water. More specifically, he hated traveling on boats. He had been raised in open spaces. On a ship everything was much too cramped.

      But a ship was the fastest way to go in this case, and it had been worth it. Lara and Pall's wedding had been a glorious celebration.

      And now it was a beautiful spring day. Weather like this reminded Cheiron of his youth, when he'd galloped through the plains without a care in the world. He could just run and not think about anything.

      He didn't dwell on his long-ago youth very often. Days like this, though, made it hard not to. That was before he'd become a warrior, before he had responsibilities.

      Cheiron smiled. Those were good days. Still, he thought, it would be good to return to the Academy. Now he not only had responsibilities, he enjoyed them. He got far more satisfaction out of running the Academy than he did running through the plains. With a smile to himself, he thought, If you'd told me when I was younger that I would enjoy the rigors of adulthood, I would have laughed. But that is the eternal folly of youth, as I see every day.

      He missed his students. And knowing Kostas, they probably missed him, too.

      Kostas was a good man. Cheiron had fought alongside him when the Centaur Nation and Crete were both being menaced by Sparta some ten years back. It had been a rare case of human and centaur fighting side by side.

      We need more of that, Cheiron thought. My people keep to themselves far too much.

      "Hey, move it, will ya?" said a voice behind Cheiron. "We gotta get people off the boat. Stupid hooves."

      Cheiron turned in annoyance at the crew member standing behind him. Then again, he thought, perhaps we keep to ourselves for very good reason.

      He walked slowly down the gangplank, which strained under his weight. The dock was bustling with activity. Large men hauled boxes. People scurried up and down similar gangplanks. Some struggled with rigging.

      However, there was no sign of any of his students. This surprised Cheiron, as he had asked Kostas to send someone to meet him.

      A few people stared in surprise at the presence of a centaur. Cheiron simply smiled at them. That usually made them nervous, and they looked away.

      He thought again about Kostas. I certainly would never leave him in charge of the Academy for more than a week, he thought. But it was good for the students to experience a change in the routine. The last time Cheiron had been away for an extended period, he'd left Fiducius in charge. That had proved to be a mistake. Fiducius was a fine bursar, but he was out of his depth with the students. So this time Cheiron decided to try something a bit more radical.

      Besides, the purpose of the Academy was to train the cadets as warriors. Sometimes, a soldier can get a new commanding officer without warning. And sometimes that commanding officer is not a pleasant person.

      In addition, some of the youths were acting too much like students and not enough like cadets. They would use the fact that the Academy was "only" a school as an excuse not to do their best. Kostas would not tolerate that sort of attitude for long.

      A burly man carrying a large sack pushed past Cheiron. "Do you mind? We're trying to work here."

      "My apologies. I was supposed to meet-"

      "Yeah, fine, whatever, just stay out of the way, okay?" The man moved off. As he walked, he muttered, "Stupid hooves."

      Sighing, Cheiron trotted over to a more secluded part of the dock. He wondered whom Kostas had sent. Given that the person is late, Cheiron thought with a smile, it might well be Iolaus. The young man was often reckless and impudent, but he had the makings of a great warrior. Cheiron hoped that Kostas hadn't been too hard on him. That hope, he realized, was probably in vain.

      Cheiron found that he wished for Hercules to be the one to meet him. He had to admit to a special fondness for the boy. Someone with his abilities could very easily have taken a dark path. Indeed, another half-god son of Zeus, Lucius, had taken that very path. But Hercules never even considered that way. He was as good a person as Cheiron had ever known. Once he grew up, he would be a great hero.

      Assuming, of course, that Ares or Discord or Strife or Lucius or someone else didn't kill him first. For a good person, Hercules had many enemies. Cheiron had done his best both to protect and to prepare the young man, but someday he would have to face his foes alone.

      Suddenly Cheiron felt something. The planks on which he stood vibrated very slightly. A human, trying to be stealthy, was attempting to sneak up behind him.

      The centaur shifted his weight and kicked back with his hind legs. His hooves struck the person in the stomach. The impact sent the person flying backward. Cheiron spun around to see a man dressed in loose clothing. He had a turban on his head and a scarf covering the lower part of his face. That meant either he was from the east or he was trying to hide his identity - or both.

      He hadn't come alone.

      Three more humans attacked Cheiron, one more from behind, the other two from in front.

      The one behind him was easy enough to deal with. Cheiron did the same thing to him that he'd done to his comrade. The only difference was that his hind hooves struck the man in the jaw instead of the stomach. The man fell, crying, "Urk!" before he landed next to his friend.

      That left the other two to deal with. Their attack was sloppy and unfocused. Students in their first day at Cheiron's Academy weren't this clumsy.

      Rather than attack together, the humans came at him one at a time. The first one tried to grab Cheiron. The centaur dodged, then grabbed the attacker's arm. Using the momentum of the attacker's punch, Cheiron threw the man to his left.

      "Waaaaaaaaah!" the man cried as he went flying into the sea with a splash.

      His friend managed to get in a punch to Cheiron's chest. Unfortunately for the attacker, the punch was to the fatty part just below the shoulder. It was probably the most useless spot on the chest to hit.

      Cheiron hit the man in the jaw with the heel of his hand. The man stumbled backward on the dock.

      Then Cheiron removed the pack from his back. He twirled it in the air and threw it. The pack collided with the attacker's stomach. He let out a muffled "Whoulf!" as he went down in a heap.

      Cheiron turned to check the other two. The one he'd hit in the jaw was still down. The one he'd hit in the stomach, though, was getting up.

      What I wouldn't give for a proper weapon, Cheiron thought, but I'd settle for some help.

      While this area of the dock was comparatively secluded, that didn't explain why nobody had come to Cheiron's aid or at least called for help. Or cried out in alarm. Or something.

      But it seemed that everyone else on the dock was ignoring his predicament.

      I know dock workers tend to keep to themselves, Cheiron thought, but this is ridiculous.

      "Looks like we got us a tough one," the man said.

      Cheiron allowed himself a small smile. "You have no idea."

      The man was now holding a large dagger. He ran forward to attack with it.

      Waiting until the last possible second, Cheiron blocked the attack. He struck his attacker's wrist with his own forearm. That kept the dagger away. Cheiron then kicked the man in the stomach with his forelegs.

      This second blow to that area was even more effective than the first. Then man let out a groan, dropped his dagger, and fell to his knees.

      Quickly Cheiron looked around. The on he'd kicked in the jaw was still down. He could hear the one he'd thrown into the water swimming. It would be several seconds before he rejoined the fight.

      That left the one he'd downed with his pack. He was getting up and was holding something. It was metallic, whatever it was. The sunlight glinted off it.

      Cheiron braced himself for yet another frontal attack, so he was surprised when the human dived down toward his forelegs.

      Before he could rear up and spin away, Cheiron found he could not move. The man had put something - probably that gleaming object - on the lower part of his forelegs. After that he was totally motionless. He could not even speak.

      The centaur could hear one of the humans climbing out of the water and the other two getting up off the wooden dock. But he could do nothing about it now.

      "Looks like we got us another one, Elias."

      "Yup. That makes it an even dozen. Ares will be pleased."

      Cheiron did not like the sound of that.

      "Looks like the Syracusans are gonna get themselves some good, solid centaur slaves. C'mon, let's get our horsey loaded."

      Slavers, Cheiron thought with disgust, and it looks like I'm the twelfth centaur they've captured. King Aeson, Jason's noble father, had outlawed the practice of slavery in Corinth, but that didn't stop some raiders - especially against centaurs and satyrs and others not deemed human.

      These raiders had help. Ares must have provided the shackles. Only a god could create something that would render him completely immobile like this. But why, Cheiron thought, would the god of war want to send my people into slavery? It doesn't make sense.

      Some said that the ways of gods were beyond mortals' understanding, but Cheiron had found the opposite to be true. The gods' ways tended to be very simple and direct. Selling centaurs into slavery might prove useful to Ares. ‘‘Would this start a war, Cheiron wondered, or was this another of Ares' revenge schemes against Hercules?

      One of the men applied more ordinary shackles to Cheiron's legs and arms. They were linked with chains. When the magical shackles were removed, Cheiron was still unable to move without tripping over his own four feet.

      However, he could now speak. "You will regret this action."

      "Oh, really? These are human lands, centaur. Nobody cares about you here."

      Given the lack of response to the attack on him, Cheiron had to admit that the man had a point. Still, he was no ordinary centaur, and his captors needed to know that.

      "On the contrary. I am Cheiron. I run a local military academy. One of my students is the crown prince of this land. You can rest assured that he will take offense at this action."

      The man, who had been called Elias by one of his comrades, laughed. "You hear that, boys? The prince is his friend!" He leaned in close to Cheiron. The scarf fell from his face, revealing a scared right ear, a scraggly chin, and dirty teeth. "And Zeus is my uncle. Haw! C'mon, let's get him outta here."

      Cheiron was slowly led away from the docks.

      No one moved to help him.

~*~

      "Uh-oh. You hear what he said?"

      Discord sighed. She had been hoping that Strife wouldn't actually talk. She liked him better when he was silent. Pity, he almost never was.

      The two gods sat on a couple of crates, watching Elias and his crew capture the last of their dozen centaur slaves on the docks. If anyone with divine blood had been on the dock, he would have seen two black-haired people dressed alike in black leather: a man, tall, pale, and skinny, and a woman, short and dangerously pretty.

      But only mortals were around. Gods were invisible to mortals unless they chose to reveal themselves. Strife and discord did not choose to do so now. After all, they had been charged by Ares to watch over Elias’s venture. They would get involved only if something went wrong.

      So far, nothing had. Discord was almost disappointed.

      "Yes, I heard," she said to Strife. "What about it?"

      "You realize who that is? It's that guy who runs the academy Twerp-ules goes to. Chevron!"

      Sighing again, Discord said, "That's Cheiron, you moron. And yes, I know who it is. So what? Elias has his twelve centaurs. There's not a single thing baby brother can do about it."

      Strife giggled. "I guess not. Oh, Uncle Ares will be so thrilled!"

      Discord sighed a third time. What an idiot, she thought. If she'd learned one thing over the centuries, it was that Ares was never thrilled about anything. She had certainly tried her best. No, the best you could hope for was that he wouldn't get angry.

      And so far things were going well, so Ares wouldn't get upset.

      Too bad, she thought with a smile. He's so much fun when he's upset. And this whole thing has been going a little too smoothly. I'm getting bored.

      "Come on," she said, getting up off the crate.

      "Where're we going?" Strife asked.

      "Somewhere more interesting. I hear there's a nice little feud brewing between a couple of rich families in Thessaly."

      "But what about-"

      "We'll check in later," Discord said, before disappearing in a flash of light.

      She didn't bother to check if Strife followed. She didn't really care one way or another.

Chapter Four

      "Is this or is this not the most beautiful day in the world?" Iolaus asked.

      Hercules had to smile at the grin on his friend's face. Iolaus had a point. Hercules, Iolaus, and Jason were headed north through the woods toward the docks. The sun shone through the trees from a cloudless blue sky, it was warm but not too hot, and a nice breeze blew. Hercules could hear a stream flowing to his right. That stream would empty into the sea that the docks serviced. "It's a nice day, yeah."

      "Did I say 'nice', Herc? No, I did not. I said, 'the most beautiful day in the world.' And do you know why it's the most beautiful day in the world?"

      Jason had a grin on his face as wide as Iolaus's. "Maybe because we're picking up Cheiron at the docks, which means no more Kostas?"

      "See? Jason understands," Iolaus said, clapping the prince on the shoulder. There was a thwap of flesh against leather. "That's why they pay him the prince money."

      Hercules laughed. "Come on, Kostas wasn't that bad."

      "Compared to what, an earthquake?" Iolaus asked.

      "Look, Cheiron wouldn't have brought him in without a good reason."

      "Right," Iolaus said. "He wants to torture us."

      "Could've been worse," Jason said, rubbing his chin. "He could've put Fiducius in charge again."

      Iolaus laughed. "How is that worse? Then we might've been able to go to Kora's."

      Grinning, Jason said, "What do you care, buddy? You're broke, anyhow."

      "I'm not broke," Iolaus said, trying to sound serious, "I'm frugal."

      Hercules barked a laugh. "Frugal? You?"

      Picking up a branch off the ground, Iolaus started swinging it like a sword. "That's right, me." This is the new, improved Iolaus."

      "Buddy," Jason said, now slapping Iolaus on the shoulder, "you don't need that second word. Any new Iolaus is automatically improved."

      "Hey!" Iolaus said. He gently hit Jason on the arm with his stick. It struck just below the tattoo on his right bicep. "Is that nice?"

      "Oh, yeah?" Jason looked around quickly, then found a stick of his own. "Nobody strikes the crown prince of Corinth and gets away with it. Have at you!" Jason cried in a voice that might have been intimidating if he wasn't laughing while he said it.

      Under other circumstances, Hercules might have joined the fun. "Come on, guys," he said. "We're going to be late meeting Cheiron. Quit horsing around."

      Jason whirled and laughed. "We're going to be late meeting a centaur and you want us to quite horsing around?"

      Did I really say that? Hercules thought with a small sigh.

      He didn't get the chance to respond, though. Iolaus took advantage of Jason's distraction to swing hard at the prince's weapon. The stick broke, and a large piece went flying off toward an oak.

      Jason stared at the small twig that was now no wider than his fist.

      His eyes went wide as he stared at Iolaus. "That was my favorite stick! My father gave me that stick! I'll kill you for that!"

      "In your dreams, pal," Iolaus said.

      Then Jason leaped at Iolaus, and they both fell to the ground.

      Hercules shook his head. As with the "sword fight", they weren't really trying to hurt each other. They just rolled around in the dirt, laughing, Jason's mock anger quickly gone.

      The son of Zeus was grateful that Jason could laugh about that subject. Months earlier Jason had been given a beautiful sword and shield that had belonged to his father, King Aeson. Hercules was jealous - his father had never given him anything like that. In fact, his father had never given him anything. So Hercules had called in a favor to the gods' metalsmith, Hephaestus, to make him a sword of his own.

      Hercules had broken Jason's sword with his new one and almost lost Jason's friendship. Eventually they did make up - aided by Hephaestus replacing King Aeson's sword with a stronger one.

      That was what Hercules valued most about Iolaus and Jason - and Lilith. No matter what happened, they were friends first and foremost. And nothing, not their own stupidity, not any number of plots by Ares or Lucius or anyone else, could break that friendship apart.

      Right now it didn't look as if anything would break Iolaus and Jason apart. They were rolling around like wheels on a wagon, neither one gaining the upper hand for more than half a second.

      "Guys, come on, we're going to be late! And if we're late, Cheiron's going to give us That Look."

      Jason and Iolaus stopped rolling around and gazed up at their friend. Hercules noticed that Jason looked relatively clean and kempt, but Iolaus was covered in dirt and his blonde curly hair was a complete mess. Even though they've both been rolling around the same, Iolaus was a lot dirtier. How does he do that? Hercules wondered.

      "You mean - That Look?" Iolaus said.

      Hercules nodded.

      Jason said, "The I'm-not-going-to-say-a-word-but-boy-do-I-disapprove look?"

      Again Hercules nodded.

      Iolaus and Jason got up and brushed the dirt off themselves. Or, at least in Iolaus's case, as much dirt as he could. "We'd better get moving," Jason said.

      "Definitely," Iolaus said.

      They started walking briskly in the direction of the docks.

      Chuckling, Hercules muttered, "Glad you see it my way," and followed.

~*~

      When they arrived at the docks, it was past midday, which meant they were late. Great, just great, Hercules thought. Cheiron's going to kill us.

      To make matters worse, there was not a centaur to be found on the docks. They found the ship that Cheiron had sailed on - the Poseidon's Trident - but no Cheiron.

      They did find several members of the dock patrol, though, and they were questioning the crew of the Poseidon's Trident.

      "Oh, great, the DPs," Iolaus muttered.

      Hercules sighed. Iolaus had given up being a thief, but he still didn't trust law enforcement.

      "Something must have happened," Hercules said, hoping that, whatever it was, Cheiron was okay.

      At the sight of the dock patrol Jason's entire demeanor changed. Gone was the big grin and the relaxed gait. Now he stood ramrod straight, a serious expression on his face. He was in full prince mode.

      All the members of the dock patrol wore leather armor, swords in belt scabbards, and form-fitting helmets. Jason went straight up to the one whose helmet had a design on it. Hercules assumed that meant he was the ranking officer.

      "Sergeant, what's going on here?" Jason asked.

      The sergeant - a tall, well-muscled, unshaven man - looked down at Jason with a sneer. "We're conducting an investigation here, boy. Kindly remove yourself before we remove you."

      Jason scratched his cheek with the finger that held his signet ring. It glinted in the midday sun. "Would you like to repeat that, Sergeant?"

      Hercules hadn't seen a face get so filled with dread since Cheiron had caught Iolaus dipping Fiducius's hand into a bowl of warm water while the bursar was napping.

      The sergeant got down on one knee, his head bowed. "Please forgive me, Your Highness. I didn't realize-"

      Now Jason looked antsy. He had never gotten entirely comfortable with being treated like royalty, even though he had every right to be. "Easy, Sergeant. It's okay. It was an honest mistake. Now, please tell me what's going on."

      The sergeant rose. "It isn't anything for you to concern yourself with, Your Highness. Apparently something involving a centaur. It's nothing."

      Hercules clenched his fist. If something had happened to Cheiron...

      "What centaur?" Jason asked in a tight voice.

      Chuckling, the sergeant asked, "Does it matter? Some people shackled up some centaur or other and took him off. Nobody was hurt."

      "The centaur was hurt," Hercules said.

      The sergeant's face got less deferential. "And you are?"

      "He's my friend," Jason said quickly, "and he has a point. Who was the centaur who was captured?"

      Looking confused, the sergeant said, "I'm not sure. He was traveling on this boat." He pointed at the Poseidon's Trident. "According to the first mate, he disembarked, then waited over there." The sergeant pointed at a less crowded section of the dock.

      Iolaus shook his head. "It had to have been Cheiron."

      "Did anyone know who the men were that took him?" Jason asked.

      "They covered their faces, according to the witnesses," the sergeant said. "However, they did carry slaver manacles."

      Closing his eyes, Jason let out a long, deep breath. Hercules did the same, mainly to keep his temper under control. He couldn't believe that this had happened.

      "This is all our fault," Hercules muttered. "If we had gotten here when we were supposed to, Cheiron wouldn't have been captured."

      "Or," Iolaus said, "those guys would now have four slaves instead of one."

      Hercules supposed that Iolaus had a point, but he still couldn't help feeling responsible.

      "Um, Your Highness," the sergeant said slowly, "I don't really see what the issue is. I mean, it was only a centaur."

      Jason looked up and fixed the sergeant with a look that brought the fear back to his face. "Sergeant, the centaur who was kidnapped and taken into slavery was Cheiron, my instructor at the Academy and one of the finest people I've ever known."

      "I-I'm sorry, Y-your Highness, we-we will, of c-course-"

      "You will do everything you can to find out what happened to Cheiron. This is your top priority, do you understand me? As Zeus is my witness, if you don't, you'll be cleaning cesspools for the rest of your career."

      "Of-of course, Your Highness, we'll-"

      "Good. Make your reports directly both to the palace and to the Academy."

      "The Academy?" the sergeant asked, confused. Hercules was equally confused. Why would Jason want reports to go there?

      "That's where I'll be. And if I'm not, make the reports to Fiducius or Kostas."

      Hercules approached his friend. "Jason, we're not going back to the Academy."

      "We have to," Jason said. "We have to let Kostas know what's going on."

      "We're not going anywhere. We have to find Cheiron!" Hercules said.

      The sergeant said, "Don't worry, young man, we'll find your teacher."

      Leading Hercules and Iolaus away, Jason said, "I have every faith in you, Sergeant." Once they were out of earshot, he added, "Look, let the sergeant do his job."

      "What, we're going to trust this to Mister 'It Was Just A Centaur'?"

      Jason smiled, "Oh, I think he's motivated now."

      "So what?" Iolaus said. "You think people around here are going to talk to the DPs? Those guys took Cheiron in broad daylight in the middle of a crowded dock. Nobody stopped them, and now nobody will say they saw anything. Trust me - the slavers paid off the dock workers They may have even paid off the DPs. Either way, nobody's going to talk. The DPs are the enemy."

      Hercules couldn't believe that. "That's crazy. They're the law."

      "Yeah, and if dock workers were perfect, law-abiding citizens, that would matter." Iolaus sighed. "Look, guys, I worked the docks when I ran with Cradus's gang. Trust me, the DPs aren't going to find out anything from these people. It goes against the code."

      "Maybe, maybe not," Jason said. "I have to give the DPs the chance, though. And we really have to tell Kostas and everyone else at the Academy what happened."

      Hercules gritted his teeth. "All right, fine. But once we fill everyone in, we're going after Cheiron."

      "Absolutely," Iolaus said.

      Jason said nothing. Hercules had a feeling this was going to be one case where princely duty would have to be weighed against friendship.

      Well, Hercules thought, maybe it won't come to that. Maybe that sergeant isn't as much of an idiot as he seemed. Maybe he'll find Cheiron.

      As they headed back toward the Academy, Hercules wondered how Kostas would take the news.

Chapter Five

      "He was what?"

      Iolaus had expected Kostas to react exactly this way, and he did. The veins on Kostas's forehead even bulged the way Iolaus had predicted.

      They were in one of the Academy's smaller rooms. Iolaus stood next to him with his arms folded, leaning against the wall. He looked both angry and guilty.

      Jason and Kostas stood in the middle of the room as the prince filled the substitute instructor in. "Cheiron was kidnapped. By slavers, apparently."

      Kostas shook his head. "A free individual was taken into slavery. This sort of thing would never happen in Crete."

      "Of course not," Hercules said. "Slaver's legal in Crete."

      "That's not what I meant, godling," Kostas snapped. "Cheiron's not a slave by anyone's definition."

      "Try telling that to the dock patrol," Hercules muttered.

      "Be that as it may-" Kostas began.

      Before he could continue, Lilith came running into the room. "Jason, Ophistus is coming."

      Iolaus rolled his eyes. Ophistus was serving as regent of Corinth while Jason studied at the Academy. He also took Jason away every once in a while to tutor him in all the things Jason needed to do in order to be king. Iolaus hated it when Ophistus showed up. His presence usually put Jason in a bad mood, and everyone's mood was bad enough right now.

      Kostas frowned. "Ophistus?"

      "My regent," Jason said.

      Within seconds Ophistus entered, followed by half a dozen men in armor. All of them, including Ophistus, had the crest of Corinth on their chests. Two of the soldiers carried the Corinthian flag, which had the same design.

      Now Iolaus was really worried. Ophistus wouldn't have come with an entourage unless he intended to take Jason back with him.

      "Your Highness, I'm afraid your presence is requested at the palace."

      Right again, Iolaus thought. I should go to work as an oracle.

      "We're a little busy here, Ophistus. Can't you handle it?"

      Ophistus shook his bald head. "I'm afraid not, your Highness. The Centaur Nation has expressed outrage over the abduction of their citizens."

      Hercules winced. "Cheiron?"

      "Among others," Ophistus said with a nod. "A dozen centaurs have been taken by slavers over the course of the last week. Apparently one of them is some kind of prince of other. These abductions happened on Corinthian soil, so the centaurs are blaming us. They intend to declare war."

      "News travels fast," Iolaus muttered.

      "We can't let them do that!" Hercules cried. He unfolded his arms into a pleading gesture. "It's not like those guys were working for Corinth!"

      "Sadly, the centaurs don't see it that way," Ophistus said with a sigh. "If there had been only a couple of abductions, or if none of those taken had been prominent, the centaurs' reaction might not be so extreme. But so many kidnappings in so short a time - with one being this prince, and another being someone as respected as Cheiron - has them out for blood. However, there is hope. I've convinced them to send an emissary to talk. He'll be here the day after tomorrow. But you must speak for the crown, Your Highness," he said to Jason. "If it is anyone else less than the highest authority, the centaurs will be insulted."

      Jason took a deep breath. Then he nodded. "All right, Ophistus. We'll leave right away." Then he walked over to the window where Hercules and Iolaus were standing. "I'm sorry, guys, but I've got to do this," he said in a quiet voice.

      "You want us to come with you?" Hercules asked, also quietly.

      Iolaus smiled. Obviously, Herc didn't want Kostas to hear this. "Nah, I'll be fine."

      Iolaus stopped smiling. The words sounded like the carefree Jason whom Iolaus knew and loved. But the face was wrong. That big I'm-funnier-than-you'll-ever-be grin of his was missing.

      Jason was worried. And that made Iolaus worry too. He may have been training to be a warrior, but Iolaus wasn't in a rush to go to war anytime soon.

      The prince continued whispering to Hercules. "I'd rather you kept an eye on the dock patrol. Make sure they do their job, so I don't have to do mine, you know?"

      "Count on it," Hercules said.

      "Yeah, what he said," Iolaus added.

      "Thanks, guys." Jason clapped Hercules on the shoulder, gave Iolaus a thumbs-up, then turned back to Ophistus. "Let's go."

      As the royal contingent started to leave, Kostas said, "All right, cadets, it's almost dinner time. Report to the dining hall, then to bed. I suspect it'll be an early day tomorrow."

      Once again Iolaus smiled. Okay, he thought, here comes the part where Herc tells Kostas he wants to go after Cheiron and Kostas says no.

      "Kostas," Hercules said, walking up to the instructor, "I want to go look for Cheiron."

      Laughing, Kostas said, "Absolutely not. This is a job for people qualified to handle it, godling. You're just a cadet."

      Shaking his head, Iolaus thought, I do love it when they follow the script. Now Herc is going to say he feels responsible, and Kostas will still say no.

      "I am qualified," Hercules said. "I stopped a war once before, between the centaurs and the Amazons. And Cheiron was my responsibility. I blew it, and I want a chance to fix it."

      "You're right. Bringing Cheiron safely back here was your responsibility. And yes, you did blow it. Picking up someone at the docks was a simple task. Why would I even consider letting you attempt a much more difficult one?"

      "Look-"

      Kostas held up a hand. "This discussion is over, godling. Yes, Cheiron was your responsibility. You are mine. I will not make the mistake of letting you out of my sight again. Now report to the dining hall with everyone else."

      Before Hercules could say anything else, Kostas turned on his heel and left.

      "Great," Hercules muttered.

      Iolaus hopped down off the windowsill. "Come on, Herc, did you really think he was going to go for it?"

      Hercules sighed. "Not really, no. But I wanted him to."

      "Yeah, well, that's life. Now, if Cheiron were here-"

      "If Cheiron were here, it wouldn't matter," Hercules snapped. Then he walked off toward the dining hall.

      Figures, Iolaus thought with a sigh. He's taking all of this personally. As usual. And there's no way in Tartarus he's going to let someone else handle it now.

      Iolaus followed Hercules into the dining hall. He wondered whether he'd have to follow Hercules farther than that.

~*~

      Hercules stared down at the dining hall table. The cook had made some kind of rabbit stew. Hercules just stirred it around his plate. He couldn't bring himself to actually eat any of it. Besides the fact that it was probably awful, he was too worried about Cheiron. There was no way the idiot sergeant was going to find him. And if he didn't, the centaurs would start a war.

      And it's all my fault, he thought. I was supposed to pick him up, and I was late. I should have insisted that the guys quit messing around.

      Hercules looked across the table at Lilith and Iolaus. Lilith was eating bits and pieces of her stew. Iolaus plowed through his as if it were his last meal. Hercules almost smiled at that. Iolaus always ate as if he expected the food to be taken away from him at any minute.

      He knew he could trust his friends to do what he asked. "Listen, guys," he said, "I'm going to need you to cover for me."

      "Why?" Lilith asked.

      "Because I'm going to sneak out to try to find Cheiron."

      Lilith smiled. "Sorry, Hercules, I can't do that."

      Hercules almost flinched. He couldn't believe Lilith wouldn't help him. "Why not?"

      "I can't cover for you because I'm going with you."

      "Yeah," Iolaus said. "Me, too."

      Shaking his head, Hercules said, "I can't let you do that. It might be dangerous."

      Iolaus had a piece of rabbit meat in his mouth when Hercules said that. He sputtered it onto his plate.

      "Yuck," Lilith muttered.

      "Dangerous?" Iolaus said, wiping his mouth. "You're worried that it's too dangerous?"

      "Look-" Hercules started.

      Iolaus, however, wasn't letting him get a word in. "Right, it's much better if we stay here. At the Academy. Where we spend each morning beating each other with sticks while standing on poles. Not to mention our breaks and holidays, where we get to deal with all the crazy members of your family, both god and half-god, plus Bacchae, giants, basilisks, satyrs, phoenixes-" He turned to Lilith. "Did I leave anything out?"

      "War-crazed Amazons and centaurs," Lilith said.

      "Right, war-crazed Amazons and centaurs. So, yeah, a bunch of punk slavers are way too dangerous for us."

      Hercules was about to say something, but then Lilith interrupted.

      "Besides," she said, "I owe Cheiron too much. I mean, come on, would Kostas have let me into the Academy? Cheiron gave me something that even the Amazons couldn't: a chance to be a warrior. I'm not just going to sit here when he's in trouble."

      Again, Hercules started to say something, but this time Iolaus interrupted.

      "Not to mention the chance he's given me. Not just letting me in in the first place, but letting me stay. I mean, let's face it, he could've kicked me out on my ear anytime. The Fates know I messed up enough times, even with you guys covering my butt. But he didn't. He's given me a chance no one else would."

      Hercules hesitated. They seemed to have stopped pleading their cases. Maybe now he could get a word in. "there's no way I can talk you out of it?"

      Lilith and Iolaus looked at each other. Then they looked at Hercules and both said in perfect unison, "No."

      Shaking his head, Hercules decided that his friends were insane. And also that they had pretty much defeated him.

      "Fine," he said, holding up his hands. "I surrender."

      "Good," they both said.

      A though occurred. "Iolaus, you said you used to work the docks when you were with Cradus's gang, right?"

      Biting down on a piece of rabbit, Iolaus nodded.

      "Maybe that's the best place to start. You said that the people there wouldn't talk to the dock patrol. Maybe they'll talk to someone they know."

      Iolaus smiled. "Yeah, that could work. But, uh, I'd need to go alone."

      Hercules frowned. "Why?"

      "Look, I know how these people talk, and I know how to talk to them. Plus, they know me."

      Hercules rubbed his chin. "Why can't you just vouch for us? Say we're part of your new gang or something."

      Iolaus shook his head. "They don't know me that well. It's been years since I worked the docks - I've been out of the game awhile. They won't trust me that much." He grinned. "And besides, they'd spot a goody-two-sandals like you in a snap. Trust me on this, okay?"

      Lilith laughed. "Trust you?"

      "Yeah, me. I can do this."

      "All right," Hercules said. "We'll sneak out before dawn."

      Don't worry, Cheiron, Hercules thought as he finally spooned some stew into his mouth. We'll find the creeps who took you, and we'll stop them. I promise you that.