Title: The Substitute

Author: Black_Wingedbird

Rating: PG-13 (Violence and mention of child abuse)

Hercules knew something was wrong the minute he and the other cadets walked into the classroom. Chieron had papers and books stacked high on his desk and there were packed bags by the door.

The cadets slowly filed through the door and took their seats. No matter how late in the morning classes started, it would always be too early for the teenage boys. Hercules, Iolaus, and Jason took their seats. Iolaus sat in front of Hercules and Jason, as Chieron ordered after stopping class numerous times to wake Iolaus. While the class appreciated the disruption, Chieron knew that by placing Iolaus closer to the front of the room, he would feel more pressure to stay awake. Today though, after he took his seat, Iolaus defiantly put his head down on the wooden desk and made an attempt at going back to sleep.

Chieron waited until the cadets had quieted down before he started talking. "Cadets, I have an announcement to make. I must go to Eurthria for an emergency. I will be gone for about two weeks and have arranged for a substitute to come. He will be here shortly and until then I want you to listen to Feducious."

"Don't we always?" Jason whispered beside him to Hercules, smiling a devilish grin.

"No," Hercules answered, rolling his eyes.

"Anyone who gives either of them a hard time will be dealt with by me when I return. I expect to see every thing the same as when I left. Goodbye."

As the centaur maneuvered around his desk, he cast a glance at Iolaus and shook his head. Hercules kicked the back of his friend’s chair in hopes of rousing him. Iolaus stubbornly remained asleep. Hercules instead watched as Chieron gathered his bags and walked out the door as the sound of his hooves echoed through the classroom. Feducious stepped in and began giving instructions to the cadets in his best authorities voice. "Okay cadets, until your new teacher arrives, I want you to work on your math assignment with the students around you."

"You hear that, Iolaus?" Jason asked, giving Iolaus's chair a hard kick.

Iolaus jerked awake, pulling his scrolls toward him and opening them. Hercules watched as Iolaus realized the teacher hadn't called on him and he relaxed. Jason and Hercules started to laugh.

Iolaus turned around, sleepy confusion etched on his face. "What?" he asked. His unruly blonde hair was disheveled and evidence of recent sleep, but Hercules couldn’t remember a time with Iolaus’s hair was in place.

"We gotta study our math now," Jason informed him, still chuckling. “If you’re done napping, that is.”

"Yeah, right," Iolaus said as he yawned. "We all know I'm terrible at math. Just wake me up in time for lunch," he finished as he put his head back down on his desk.

"Well," Hercules said as he turned towards Jason, "guess it's just you and me."

"Yeah, it appears that way," Jason replied.

Without Chieron harping on Iolaus to stay awake, the cadet could snooze without serious penalties. Hercules supposed that Iolaus wouldn’t have been much help with the assignment anyway.

A few minutes after Hercules and Jason had began comparing answers, a tall, muscular man burst loudly through the doors, startling the cadets and making some of them jump. The older man carried a sword on his belt and wore a menacing look on his face. There was an air about this man, something that Hercules could not place at the moment, but something about the newcomer stirred feelings of distrust in his gut.

"You must be the new teacher," Feducious greeted, breaking the eerie silence and moving forward with an outstretched hand.

"Yes I am. My name is Retis," he said, ignoring the welcoming hand. "Thank you for watching them until I got here. I think I can take it from here."

"Um, sure,” Feducious stuttered. “I'll be in my office if you need me."

"Sure thing," Retis said flatly. He shuffled through the papers Chieron left on the desk as Feducious left the classroom. Retis looked up sharply when the door shut. His face expressed impatience and stern leadership.

"Okay, cadets,” he growled in a low voice that made Hercules shudder. “I am your new teacher. My name is Retis. General Retis to you. I have fought wars to protect your scrawny hides for longer than any of you have been alive. I trust there will be no problems between us."

"This is gonna be a long couple of weeks," Jason mumbled to Hercules.

"One thing I cannot stand is people talking during my class," Retis ground out pointedly, looking directly at Jason and Hercules.

‘If looks could kill…’ Hercules thought as Retis’s menacing glare prevented him from even thinking about opening his mouth. It was then Hercules noticed that Iolaus had somehow stayed asleep through the general’s grand entrance and Hercules hated to think of how the cold man would respond. He kicked Iolaus’s chair hard, but his efforts were too late.

Retis walked- no, stalked, Hercules thought, towards Iolaus‘s waking form. Everyone watched in silence, as they were about to see what kind of teacher they would have to deal with until Chieron returned. "I also don't like slackers," Retis growled as he grabbed the still incoherent Iolaus by his long curls and bounced his head off the wooden desk.

"Ow, what the-" Iolaus yelped, rubbing his forehead and looking around. When his blue eyes landed on the general before him, Iolaus visibly gulped. "Retis?" he questioned.

"Iolaus?" Retis countered. Hercules was left behind in his confusion, wondering how the two knew each other. "Boy, you have filled out good,” Retis laughed, though it wasn’t a happy sound. “Could almost make your father proud. Still a little short though.” Hercules could tell by the way Iolaus’s body was tensing that his experience with Retis was not a pleasant one. "I was just telling the class how much I hate slackers. But I don't think I'll have any problems with that, do you?"

"No," Iolaus said quietly, looking away from Retis. Hercules observed his friend’s profile and willed his friend feelings of comfort. It took a lot to make the tenacious blonde submit, but the substitute had obviously done so in the past and Hercules worried.

Retis returned to his desk and began going over the day's lesson. Hercules wanted to ask Iolaus about his connection with Retis, but menacing looks from the new teacher stopped him cold. Iolaus had no further problem staying awake for the lesson but Hercules watched with sympathy as Iolaus would occasionally rub his forehead.

Hercules waited impatiently as the lesson drew on. After what seemed like an eternity of the monotone rambling about numbers, the cadets were released to the combat room to began the drills.

As they herded themselves into the safety of the combat room, Hercules caught up with his friend. "So Iolaus, what was that all about?" Hercules asked.

The students each took a place for the group warm-ups, Iolaus attempted to make light of the situation. "What was what?" he asked, pretending to concentrate more on the exercises. Hercules knew better. Iolaus never concentrated. At least not when he was suppose to.

"You know, that thing with Retis," Hercules pressed, following Jason‘s lead as the prince directed the exercises.

"It's nothing, okay? He was just a friend of my fathers'," Iolaus replied defensively. His movements were becoming clipped with anger.

"I think it's more than nothing," Hercules continued. “I just want to help you.”

"Pardon me ladies, can we get on with the training?" Retis interrupted, stepping up behind the pair. "In fact, Iolaus, why don't you help me demonstrate the next move." Hercules thought the tone of voice Retis used was a little threatening given the situation but he kept silent.

"No," Iolaus said in a low voice. Hercules did a double take. So did Retis.

"What did you say?" Retis growled.

"If there's one thing you and my father taught me, it's to stand up for myself and now I am. I am not going to be your sparring partner." Iolaus said so low it was almost a whisper, looking Retis straight in the eyes. Hercules had no idea what was going on now, but he could sense it was deep, and it was bad. The only times Hercules had seen Iolaus threaten this quietly were when integrity was being challenged by someone who underestimated the agile blonde.

Retis stared back at Iolaus with eerie calmness. "Well well, you have grown up. Didn't get too much smarter though. Still got that big mouth of yours. And it just got you into a lot of trouble." Then, lowering his voice, Retis added, "Did it feel good?"

Whatever pride Iolaus had left in his crystal blue eyes was shattered at Retis' last words. He lunged for Retis before Hercules could register the intent. Iolaus pushed Retis to the floor, the sword and armor clanking with the impact, and Iolaus straddled the larger man’s chest, landing a few solid punches before the general bucked and threw the cadet off balance. With practiced skill, Iolaus rolled with the momentum and scrambled to prepare himself for the next attack.

Hercules finally got his feet free from the imaginary block that had him planted to the spot with shock. “Iolaus!” he yelled, moving forward to help his friend. He barely noticed Jason pushing through the gathered crowd of cadets to help. Hercules snatched Iolaus and pulled the panting cadet to his feet and away from the enraged substitute. “Knock it off!” he yelled in hopes of stopping Retis’s next attack.

Retis got to his feet and ordered, "Cool him down then send him to my office!" His command left no room for argument though Hercules wondered what would happen in the privacy of Chieron’s office.

Hercules struggled to hold on to the still fighting Iolaus. The other cadets sensed the need for privacy and slowly dispersed as Hercules wrestled Iolaus into the corner where he could question him properly. "Iolaus!" Hercules demanded, "What's wrong with you? Do you want to go to jail or something?"

Hercules let him break free of his grip as Iolaus answered with anger. "No! I don't want to be-" then Iolaus stopped himself and muttered, "Forget it."

Hercules watched critically as Iolaus started to walk away. Hercules drew in a deep, calming breath and turned to Jason. "I’m going to talk to him. I‘ve never seen him this upset and it might be a long time before Chieron returns. This can‘t go on." Jason nodded in response as he watched Hercules follow their friend.

~o0O0o~

Iolaus walked quickly back to the barracks and let himself collapse onto his bunk. Leaning back against the wall, he brought his knees up to his chest and hid his face, shrinking into a protective ball. He had to be alone for this. He couldn't let anyone see him relive these terrible memories of Retis invading him and the helplessness he felt when no one would stand up for him as a scrawny nine-year-old. As the burning memories threatened to slither into his mind and overtake it, his trained ears picked up on footsteps in the corridor. He couldn’t release his emotions now. Hercules was trying to sneak up on him.

~o0O0o~

Hercules crept down the corridor with enough stealth to make Iolaus proud.

The two had spent many afternoons together and Iolaus had tried time and again to instruct Hercules on what came as instinct to him. After many frustrating afternoons, Hercules finally began to catch on and learned more from observing Iolaus rather than trying to understand the jumbled lessons. He knew Iolaus was a natural hunter and often the smaller cadet’s reputation preceded him.

Taking a deep breath, Hercules stepped inside the barracks. He saw Iolaus curled into an uninviting ball on his bunk. After sitting down next to his friend and getting no reaction, he quietly asked, "What happened?"

Iolaus looked up and Hercules could read the trust in his friend‘s hypnotic blue eyes. Hercules wasn’t sure he deserved it. "I was nine, right before I met you. Father came home from the war and brought his friend, General Retis. I was used to my father’s usual post-war bad mood, but having company seemed to make it worse. I had already learned to stay away from him, from the house in general, so I wouldn’t get in the way. That's how I met the Lowacks."

Hercules nodded knowingly. Iolaus's dad, General Skouros, had the shortest temper Hercules had ever seen. That quality automatically made Iolaus a target for his father’s unreasonable rage and after they met, Hercules would often find Iolaus living in the woods or on the streets to avoid the man he once looked up to. Eventually, Iolaus caught up with the gang of local thieves. It was easy to succumb to their predatory beckoning and Iolaus faithfully remained with them as a seasoned thief until he was arrested. Because of his youth, the magistrate gave Iolaus two choices. He could either sit in jail, or to attend the academy. So here he was.

"...But I was young then and still had to come home at night.” Hercules mentally shook himself back to the present. “I never liked Retis. He would stare at me. He would always try to get close to me, uncomfortably close.” Hercules watched Iolaus physically steel himself for whatever he was about to share. “One night, he came into my room and-" Iolaus paused and Hercules could see the unshed tears in his friend's eyes. "He touched me.” Iolaus’s voice cracked and Hercules wanted to smash something. “He made me do things…to him… and I hated him. I hated doing it.” Hercules watched a tear drip off Iolaus’s nose and he felt his own stinging tears threaten to fall. “He came back into my room every night he was in my house. My father knew.” Hercules had forgotten how to breathe. “He told him. Bragged about it. He would boast about how good it felt and father would not stop him.” Iolaus seemed to have finally realized that he was crying and wiped his eyes roughly. Hercules did the same. “After about a week they got called back into battle and left. The next day, I met you."

Hercules sat there, stunned. He resisted the urge to look and see if the ache in his heart was from an arrow. He could barely believe what he heard as Iolaus looked at him hopefully, waiting for judgment. "By the gods," Hercules whispered once he had found his voice. "Iolaus… I'm sorry, I had no idea..."

"It's okay. Not your fault,” Iolaus said brokenly. “Just promise you wont tell anyone.”

"I promise," Hercules agreed, putting his arm around Iolaus. He noticed with sadness that the smaller frame was trembling.

Iolaus never trembled.

~o0O0o~

"So did you talk to him?" Jason asked when he saw Hercules.

"Yeah," Hercules replied with residual sadness.

“And?”

Hercules hoped his eyes weren’t still red as he looked at Jason. “It’s bad.”

“How bad?”

“I promised Iolaus I wouldn’t talk about it.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“Is he gonna be okay?”

Hercules let out a breath. “I think so. I don’t know.” He looked to the floor. “We have to keep Retis away from Iolaus.”

“No problem,” Jason replied as he laid a hand on Hercules’s shoulder. “Are you gonna be okay?”

Hercules snorted. Of course he would be okay. He hadn’t been the one who Retis molested nearly a decade ago. “I’ll be fine.”

The next few hours went by smoothly for the cadets. Retis had emerged from his office by the end of drill practice but did not approach Hercules and instead kept to himself. He let Feducious teach the next class while he stood in the back of the classroom and monitored the cadets with an icy glare. Hercules could almost see the wheels turning in Retis's head, and that made him fear for Iolaus. He wondered what the substitute was planning.

At dinner, Hercules pocketed some bread for Iolaus in between glares from Retis. Hercules was sure that Iolaus had hidden himself somewhere in the academy to ensure an avoidance of the teacher. Soon after dinner, the cadets began herding themselves back to the barracks. Hercules was at the front of the group, eager to return to his friend’s aide. He looked around the darkened room but didn't see Iolaus.

"Iolaus?" Hercules called into the seemingly empty room.

"Herc?" Iolaus answered suspiciously as he peeked over the side of Hercules’s top bunk.

"Hey buddy, I brought you something to eat," Hercules said as he sat on his friend's bed. Other cadets had begun filing into the room and the torches were lit to illuminate the room. If any of them had seen the elusive blonde, they hadn’t said anything.

"Hey, thanks! I thought you might have forgotten about me," Iolaus joked as he climbed down to join Hercules.

"Now why would I do that?" Hercules asked as he absently watched his friend begin eating. He let his mind wander back to the pressing issue and tried to imagine a way to bring Retis to justice without embarrassing Iolaus. His short-lived musings were interrupted when he overheard a few of the tired cadets begin ranting amongst themselves.

"Man, just who does this Retis guy think he is, anyway?" Ergos asked.

"I know," another cadet chimed in, "He's pretty strict."

“When is Chieron getting back?”

As the candles were blown out, someone mumbled, "Not soon enough."

Silently, Hercules agreed. The peaceful darkness enveloped them and Hercules felt Iolaus shift next to him. “Thanks again…for everything.”

Hercules rose and prepared to climb up to his bunk. “That’s what friends are for.”

~o0O0o~

Iolaus was dreaming peacefully about a young woman with long blonde hair and intense blue eyes that looked at him like he was the center of the world. As his gaze traveled down the gorgeous body, a tingling sense of unease surged through him and continued to grow with the impatience of a full bladder needing release. Iolaus lay on his stomach and let his eyes remained closed as he took in his surrounding in hopes of discovering what had awoken him. He listened intently with ears trained to pick up on the most cautious of woodland creatures and heard soft footsteps. Were they being invaded? Iolaus opened his eyes and found himself staring at the wall. Someone was approaching his bunk, and trying to be quiet about it. Iolaus inflated his lungs and tensed his muscles, intending to shout a warning to the others before facing the intruder.

As he opened his mouth, a sharp pain exploded in the back of his skull. He felt himself falling back into the darkness and back into the arms of the pretty girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.

~o0O0o~

The pain in his arms finally made Iolaus push through the darkness that had been so peaceful. He awoke to find himself hanging from one of the numerous torch holders in Cheiron's office. How in Tartarus had he gotten here? Iolaus looked up and found that his arms were tied together at the wrist by a length of coarse rope, which was starting to bite into the thin skin there. Iolaus looked around and had to admit that it didn’t surprise him to see Retis sitting at the desk, nursing a goatskin of ale.

Iolaus felt a wave of dizziness originate at the back of his head as Retis grumbled, "Well look who's awake. How's it hangin', boy?" Retis began laughing at his own joke as he rose with drunken clumsiness and approached Iolaus.

"Retis?" Iolaus croaked and he winced at how pathetic he sounded. His shoulders ached and his head felt swollen and tender. He was sure it was bleeding.

"That's General Retis to you, boy," he growled, his face close to Iolaus'. Iolaus's feet were suspended off the ground, making Iolaus and Retis the same height. Iolaus could smell the alcohol on Retis's hot breath. Retis relaxed then and continued, "You know what being at war is like, boy?" he asked, pulling a knife from his belt.

Iolaus eyed the gleaming metal and swallowed, partly out of fear, and partly from the nausea that threatened to over take him. If he answered, he knew his words would be chased by his dinner.

Retis let the sharp blade trace down Iolaus's exposed and vulnerable ribs, crossing lightly over his mid-section as he continued, "You get lonely. You’d kill for a bedmate.” The general turned his bloodshot eyes to Iolaus’s. “You miss the good old days," Retis added, smiling a drunken smile.

~o0O0o~

"No!" Hercules yelled as he woke with a start.

Jason grabbed his sword and unsheathed it in one fluid motion as he sat up. They both sat in the quiet dark, panting with adrenaline and looking around the barracks. The moonlight filtered through the open window, casting long and consuming shadows over the other still sleeping cadets. Nothing was amiss. "Gods, Herc. Don't do that!" Jason half-whispered, replacing his sword.

"Sorry,“ Hercules whispered. “It was just a nightmare.” In fact, he couldn’t even remember it now and he felt foolish. He was a trained warrior now, he shouldn’t still be screaming in his sleep. The most fearsome things attacked while you were awake.

"What about?" Jason asked. Hercules heard the prince lay back down.

“Nothing really.” Hercules sighed and ran a hand down his face to rub away some of the tension. He stifled a laugh when he realized that none of the other cadets had done more than roll over when he cried out. Some group they were. What if they had been under attack? Hercules doubted the enemy would patiently wake up each of the sleeping teenage boys before engaging in battle. His thoughts floated back to Iolaus and it was then that Hercules noticed the empty bunk. "Where's Iolaus?" he asked as his heart quickened it’s pace.

"I don't know," Jason replied with equal surprise in his voice.

Hercules thought for a second before remembering their earlier conversation.

“He came into my room and-”

Hercules jumped out off his bunk and ran into the hallway, barely noticing Jason following close behind.

~o0O0o~

Retis landed another blow to Iolaus's exposed stomach, leaving the cadet gasping for air but struggling against the pain that blossomed when he did so.

"You’ve have developed nicely. For a runt," Retis laughed, waving the ale through the air carelessly. His face was red from exertion. "But what would your father say about your hair?" He asked rhetorically, reaching for his knife again. Retis dropped it with uncoordinated fingers and Iolaus numbly realized that he was too drunk to hold onto it. Iolaus watched the general’s face contort in anger and frustration. It made Iolaus’s blood run cold through his veins. He had seen that anger before, and as he watched Retis stumbled to recapture the knife, memories swelled in his mind. Iolaus knew he was in trouble.

Retis approached and Iolaus couldn’t stop himself from struggling uselessly against the ties that bound him. Torchlight reflected off the knife’s metal blade, causing a spot of light to illuminate a dark corner of the ceiling. Iolaus focused on that light and silently prayed for himself as Retis took a powerful swing.

~o0O0o~

Hercules heard the sickening sound of flesh hitting flesh and he winced. He had come to a stop outside the closed doors of Chieron’s office. Jason was at his side and Hercules was pretty sure he saw the prince wince also. “Count of three,” Hercules murmured, then he counted off and braced himself for the hard impact with the strong wooden door.

The combined strength of the well-muscled prince and the demigod was enough to tear the door off the hinges and the two stumbled inside. Once they had regained their balance, they froze and took in the scene. Iolaus was bloody and unconscious, hanging suspended from a torch holder on the wall. He was leaning forward so that his weight was pulling awkwardly on his shoulders and his long, wild blonde hair hung forward and covered his face. Retis stood in front of the cadet, smiling and swaying forwards and backwards. A knife threatened to fall from Retis’s grasp and dripped a single drop of brilliant red blood, staining the dusty floor. Empty bottles of ale and wine littered the office and sparkled in the torchlight.

"Nice of you boys to drop in, "Retis slurred. Hercules lunged for him. He was attacking so quickly that he wouldn’t realize until much later that his efforts to protect his best friend had somehow, at some point in time, become a reflex. Both bodies crashed to the ground and Hercules easily kept the upper hand. To his dismay, he only got in one blow before Retis was knocked out and laying prone underneath the demigod. Hercules considered taking his anger out on the unconscious man anyway, but quickly decided to help Jason retrieve Iolaus instead. Wordlessly, they worked together to raise Iolaus up and over the angled fixture on the wall. Once they got him down, they laid him on the floor. Hercules began checking his friend as best as he knew when Feducious entered the room.

"By the gods, what happened?" he exclaimed, noticing Retis on the floor but running over to where the pair of cadets were gathered around Iolaus.

"It was Retis. He tied up Iolaus and was hitting him," Hercules said as he glanced up at Feducious. His gaze traveled past the slim man’s balding head and Hercules noticed blood on the wall where Iolaus had been. He cautiously reached behind Iolaus’s head and easily felt the warm stickiness of blood wicking through the cadet‘s blonde hair.

When Hercules pulled back his hand, Feducious ordered, "We need to get him to the treatment room. Can you carry him?"

Hercules barely shot Feducious an incredulous look before he scooped up the limp cadet into his abnormally strong arms and headed for the open doorway. He had, after all, torn the doors down. Feducious followed close behind, muttering something about the cost of damages and Chieron as they stepped over the splintered doors.

Hercules gently laid Iolaus down on the examining table. Feducious began prodding and looking Iolaus over while announcing what he found. "No broken ribs, although he'll be sore there for a while. Bloody nose, not broken. Probably a concussion," he added with a sigh as he carefully turned Iolaus’s head and parted the hair over the wound there. Apparently satisfied, Feducious grabbed a nearby candle and held it close to Iolaus's face while he opened each eye. "His pupils are reacting slow. Looks like he got lucky, although I'm worried about his head injury."

"What can I do?" Hercules asked, feeling helpless while standing next to his injured friend.

"Get me some water and a rag while I make a poultice for his head."

Hercules ran to get the requested items while Feducious selected the right herbs and began crushing them in a bowl. When Hercules returned, Feducious had cleaned the blood off Iolaus's face then reached for the bowl of medicine. Hercules assisted by rolling Iolaus to the side and giving Feducious a clear view of the injury. The swollen cut had stopped bleeding now, partly because Iolaus's hair had been matted to it.

"It's deeper than I thought," Feducious said as they gently rolled Iolaus onto his back. "I'm going to have to stitch it." He was getting the supplies when Iolaus blinked opened his eyes.

"Iolaus?" Hercules asked, concerned.

"What happened?" he asked as he searched the room for answers.

Hercules couldn’t ignore the way Iolaus was squinting as if the dimly lit room was too bright. "We got there after Retis knocked you out and brought you here. You got a pretty nasty gash on your head and Feducious is going to stitch it."

Iolaus's bright eyes clouded over with memories at the mention of Retis. "Where is he?" he asked, searching the room with every muscle tensed.

Hercules realized now that Jason must have remained in Cheiron‘s office. "It's okay, Jason's taking care of him." Hercules said to comfort himself as much as Iolaus. Then, lowering his voice behind Feducious‘s turned back, Hercules asked, "Iolaus… he didn't do anything else… did he?" He hinted, looking Iolaus in the eyes.

Lowering his gaze, Iolaus answered, "No."

As Hercules silently breathed a sigh of relief, Feducious turned to face them with a suture needle in his hand. "Iolaus, I need you to roll on your side while I stitch the cut closed." Iolaus obeyed as Feducious continued, "I'm going to put something on it to numb it first, and I don't want you going back to sleep just yet." Iolaus nodded and Feducious turned his attention to the bystander. "Hercules, why don't you go help Jason?"

"Uh, are you sure you don't need any help?" Hercules asked. He was worried about leaving Iolaus so soon after he had fallen victim to Retis.

"No, I think we'll manage," Feducious replied. He laid a friendly hand on Iolaus's arm, who flinched at the touch.

Hercules realized that perhaps the best thing he could do for Iolaus was to make sure that Retis was secure. The general would not fair well when Chieron was through with him. "Okay, I'll be back soon," Hercules said to Iolaus before he turned and exited.

"Thanks," Iolaus said softly.

"You're welcome. I know how having someone hover over you isn't always comfortable. He just worries about you."

"That's why we're best friends," Iolaus replied with a smile he meant.

~o0O0o~

"Jason! Cut it out! You'll kill him!" Hercules shouted as he grabbed the prince’s pulled back are by the wrist. Retis lay unconscious on the ground, bleeding from his nose and a bruised cut that ran along his cheekbone. One eye was already swollen shut and Hercules could imagine how long Jason had been fighting the limp man.

"I can't let him get away with doing that to my friend! Our friend!" Jason shouted back, struggling against Hercules.

"He's not going to get away with it! You know Chieron wont let him just walk out of here. He's going to jail for a long time," Hercules replied, his voice softer.

Finally, Jason stopped struggling and nearly leaned against Hercules as he panted for breath. "How can he call himself a man, let alone a war hero?"

"What's really wrong with you?" Hercules questioned gently, knowing there was more to this emotional outburst than the prince of Corinth was letting on.

"Its' nothing. I've just seen this happen before, you know? These guys hurt girls I know and always seen to walk away from punishment. It's not right." Jason finished, looking Hercules in the eyes.

Hercules knew that Jason felt so much responsibility because he was somewhat in charge of the safety of his people, as one of his duties as a prince. Unfortunately, Jason was just one man and couldn’t possibly protect his people, his friends, all the time. "Jason, Iolaus is fine. The gash on his head isn't so attractive, but it'll heal. And so will the girls. Take comfort in knowing that when you‘re king, things will be safer.” He gave Jason’s arm a friendly pat. “You’ll make a great ruler. Now come on, let's go see how Feducious made out with Iolaus."

Jason smiled, seemingly more calm after his violent outburst. "You know, if Iolaus keeps winding up in the infirmary, people might think they like each other."

"Ha! Iolaus and Feducious? Like each other? That'll be the day!" Hercules joked as he pulled Jason back out into the hallway, leaving the unconscious general immobile on the floor of Chieron’s office.

~o0O0o~

"Iolaus, I swear to the gods… don't think I won't tie you down!" Feducious threatened as he placed a firm hand on Iolaus’s shoulder to keep the cadet from jumping off the table.

"Well it appears somebody's feeling better," Hercules said as he and Jason entered the room.

"I just want to sleep in my own bed," Iolaus complained as he glared up at Feducious. “I can hear something dripping in here. And it smells funny.”

Jason chuckled and mumbled, “Only Iolaus would be that familiar with the infirmary.”

"Sleep?" Feducious challenged, "I already told you, with that injury you could go to sleep and never wake up. And I don‘t want to have to explain that to Chieron. Plus," he added, “Classes start in a couple of hours.” Feducious pointed out the small window to illustrate how the sun’s rays were just beginning to streak through the sky.

"Well maybe if class didn‘t start at the crack of dawn…" Iolaus muttered, finally pushing Feducious away and sitting up.

"That's not my decision! You want to change the Academy rules, you talk to Chieron! I think it’s a great idea to make you teenagers learn the principles of punctuality! Until then-"

“I know, I know,” Iolaus grumbled. “Do whatever Feducious tells me to…”

"You see?" Hercules nudged Jason. "Looks like things are back to normal already!"

Finis

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