Family Ties

"Ooh, ooh! Look at Iolaus! He actually borrowed my comb!" Hercules laughed as he and Theseus came into the dorm at Cheiron's Academy.

"Don't mess with the hair!" cried the long-haired cadet, brushing his friend's hand away impatiently. He looked back to his image in the mirror and carefully smoothed the ruffled curl back into place.

"What's up, Iolaus? Let me guess. You've got a date with Kora!" Theseus joined in the teasing, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from Iolaus's shoulder. He and Hercules exchanged grins at their friend's annoyed grimace.

"If you must know, I'm going out for lunch," said Iolaus, adjusting his vest with a tug.

"Oh, lunch! And we're not invited?" Hercules asked with an insulted tone.

"No, you're not," returned Iolaus. "You guys will just have to make do with the cook's weekend special." He headed for the door. Hercules and Theseus trailed after him.

"Seriously, Iolaus, where are you going?" asked Hercules. He had noticed a change in his friend ever since the last Academy holiday. Iolaus had spent some time in Corinth with Jason, but he wouldn't say much about it. In fact, he'd been very quiet in general, which was very unlike him.

"It's none of your business, is it?" Iolaus turned to face the other cadets. "I'm going out for lunch and I don't think I need your permission." He continued on his way toward the Academy gate.

Hercules looked at Theseus for a clue, but his new friend just shrugged and shook his head. Apparently he didn't know what was bothering Iolaus either.

"Iolaus, wait!" Hercules called after the other cadet's rapidly retreating back. He ran to catch him up, and fell into step beside him.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "We were only teasing you."

Iolaus suddenly stopped. "Yeah, and that's all you ever do. If I so much as mention a girl's name you're all off trying to see who can make the smartest remark. Well, I'm tired of it." He looked up at Hercules with his fists on his hips and his teeth clenched.

"Girl? What girl? You're going to have lunch with a girl?" Hercules asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There you go again! You just can't accept the fact that a girl might like ME, Iolaus, and not you, the Son of Zeus." Iolaus turned again to the road to Corinth. "Just leave me alone."

"Iolaus...." Hercules ran after his fellow cadet. "Iolaus, what's wrong with you?" He kept pace with his friend who cast him a glare but did not reply to his question. "Iolaus, you know we only tease you because we like you. If we didn't like you we wouldn't talk to you at all."

This statement was so absurd it stopped Iolaus in his tracks. One look at the twinkle in his friend's eyes finally brought a chagrined smile to his face. Hercules grinned back and clapped a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"Where ARE you going to lunch?" asked Hercules.

With a resigned shake of his head, Iolaus laughed and said, "To Corina's."

"Corina? Is that the girl who came to watch the bag ball game the other day?" Hercules had wondered who that girl was who had cheered so enthusiastically when Iolaus had managed a spectacular save during the game. He'd seen her and Iolaus talking after the game.

"Yeah. I met her in Corinth, at Jason's." Iolaus suddenly decided to tell Hercules the whole story, at least the part of it about Corina. "We went to Kora's for supper. She's...I don't know. We talked so long Kora had to throw us out. I must have mentioned about the bag ball game. And she came out to see it! That's when she invited me to come over today for lunch."

"Well, that's great, Iolaus," said Hercules. "She seemed very nice. She's pretty," he added encouragingly.

Iolaus looked up in surprise. "Yeah, she is, isn't she?" he agreed with a smile. "She lives with her parents on the west road from Corinth. Her father is a potter. Well, I've got to get going. See you later, Herc!"

Hercules watched as Iolaus walked quickly away on the Corinth road. "See you later, Iolaus!" he called before he turned back to the Academy.

***

The house of Cornelius the Potter was just a short way outside the city of Corinth. Corina had given Iolaus directions after the bag ball game. As he turned west from the city, he kept an eye out for the stone wall and the ancient oak tree she'd mentioned as landmarks. As he swung open the gate he could see a whitewashed house, a barn, and another large building that must be the pottery, as well as several smaller outbuildings. Cornelius must be a very successful potter.

Iolaus reviewed his greeting for the hundredth time as he walked toward the house. "How do you do, sir? It's a pleasure to meet you." (Ugh...too formal.) "Hi! I'm Iolaus. What's for lunch?" (Too casual.) "Hello! Corina's told me so much about you!" (Too corny.) Besides, she hadn't told him very much about her family. He hadn't told her anything about his own parents. What could he say? He hadn't seen his mother in nearly a year, and his father for even longer, except for that disaster at Academy Parents' Day.

As Iolaus neared the house, he could hear singing coming from the pottery, a sentimental ballad that suddenly stopped in mid verse. As he passed the door, a short, dark-haired man came out wiping his neck with a cloth.

"Well, young man, tell me, how many daemons can dance on the head of a pin?" the man asked him without any other introduction.

"Oh, uh...infinitely many?" replied Iolaus without thinking, surprising himself with the answer. Cheiron's lectures about ethereal beings must have sunk into his mind somewhere after all.

With a smile, the man took Iolaus's arm in a firm grip. "You must be our Corina's friend! Welcome, welcome. I'm her father, Cornelius. And this is our Cadmus." A boy of about fifteen had followed Cornelius out of the shop. He took the boy under his arm in a quick hug.

"This is our Corina's friend...." he began the introduction.

"Iolaus," filled in the visitor. He was about to try one of his well-rehearsed greetings when he heard Corina's voice behind him.

"Iolaus! Here you are! This is my mother, Calpurnia. Mother, this is Iolaus." Calpurnia was an older version of Corina, with her dark hair just beginning to show some gray. "And my sister Carla." Carla was enough like Corina to be her twin, but Iolaus remembered she was a year younger than her sister. He was just beginning to say hello when a younger girl ran up to Cornelius.

"Papa, come quick! Cletus and Pokey are trying to get Aphrodite back into the barn, and she doesn't want to go!" She pulled on Cornelius's clay-stained shop apron as she spoke. With an apologetic smile and a shrug, he followed the girl, taking her hand in his as he accompanied her toward the barn.

"That was Camilla, my other sister" explained Corina.

"How many of you are there?" asked Iolaus, now totally bewildered.

Corina laughed. "Six. Cletus and Pokey are my two youngest brothers. Aphrodite is a cow," she added. She handed Iolaus a basket, and brandished a kitchen knife. "Come with me, I'm going to cut some asparagus for our lunch."

Did she say...asparagus? The cadet followed Corina to a large garden behind the house, and watched in dismay as she headed straight for a big patch of his least favorite vegetable.

"I've got a new job!" said Corina over her shoulder as she bent to cut a handful of tender young asparagus spears. "I'm lady's maid to Aegina of Amyclae."

"Aegina of Amyclae!" Iolaus forgot all about asparagus.

Corina stood up and turned to put the stalks she'd cut into the basket. Iolaus followed behind her as she continued, "I went back to the Palace the day after the banquet, and served her breakfast in bed again. We got to talking, and then, this week, after they moved into the new embassy, she asked me to be her maid! I'll be busy too. You wouldn't believe how many gowns she has!"

Iolaus knew exactly how many gowns the wife of Ambassador Proclivius had after his search of her room for the lost Seal of Amyclae the night of Jason's diplomatic banquet, but he feigned surprise with a laugh. His adventure of that night must remain a secret.

"The wife of an ambassador! Congratulations!" he said. "How is she to work for?"

"Oh, she's very nice, really. She's not snobby at all. Her father was a soldier, and she grew up all over the place, that's why she seems so cultured."

Soon the basket was full, and Corina led the way back to the house. As they came around the corner, two boys rushed up to meet them. One took the basket and ran into the house with it, while the other took Corina's hand. "This is Cornelius the Younger, better known as Pokey," his sister introduced him. "That lightening bolt with the basket is our Cletus. Mother must have sent them to hurry us along."

Pokey grabbed Iolaus's hand with his free one. "Come and help us move the table," he said, trying to pull the cadet with him. Iolaus followed along and was soon put to work with the boys moving a large wooden table out of the kitchen and under a tree in front of the house. "It's such a nice day, Mother thought it would be nice to eat outdoors," explained Carla as she and Camilla brought out dishes and cups. The smell of onion and garlic cooking in melted butter with the asparagus filled the air. Cornelius came back out of the pottery without his apron, his hair wet and combed back from his high forehead. He pulled a bucket of cold water from the well and poured it out into a ceramic pitcher. Corina brought out a basket of bread and another of crumbly white goat cheese.

Suddenly, the lunch was ready, and everybody took a place at the table. Iolaus found himself seated between Corina and Calpurnia, who kept an eye on Pokey at her other side. The dishes were passed and everyone filled plates with bread and sautéed asparagus, sprinkling the sweet cheese over the top of everything. Cadmus passed Iolaus a basket of hard-boiled eggs and Camilla offered him a bowl of olives.

Iolaus gingerly put a couple of asparagus spears on a piece of flat bread and covered it with a generous sprinkling of goat cheese. He rolled up the bread as he saw the others do, and reluctantly took a bite. He'd never tasted anything so delicious! Some melted butter ran down his chin, and he wiped it off quickly, hoping no one had noticed. Calpurnia passed her guest the dish of asparagus, and smiled when he gave himself a generous second helping.

The family of Cornelius were all enjoying the meal as much as Iolaus was, passing the dishes back and forth and telling him animatedly all about how it was made. The eggs were from our Carla's chickens. Our Corina had made the bread, and wasn't it fine? Cornelius had made the dishes himself, but the water pitcher was the first large item made by our Cadmus. He'd be his father's partner soon.

As the diners bit into peaches Camilla had picked from the orchard, conversation turned into storytelling. Cornelius told a funny story about his early days as an apprentice to his own father, laughing at himself as he described learning to use the potter's wheel. Corina told about working for Aegina. Young Cletus described how he'd snared a rabbit. Iolaus told about hunting deer with his friends Jason and Hercules. No one seemed impressed when he mentioned their names, but asked for more details about how Iolaus had led the hunters over a long and treacherous course, finally bagging a big stag with a prayer to Artemis.

"Pa says I should say a prayer to Artemis when I hunt rabbits," said Cletus. "Does she care about rabbits, too?" He looked earnestly at his fellow hunter.

"Artemis cares about all the animals in the forest," Iolaus said. "That's why when you hunt, you should only take what you need, and thank her for it." Cornelius nodded in agreement as Cletus looked at his father for confirmation.

The conversation had certainly taken a strange turn, thought Iolaus. His opinions were sought and eagerly attended. He remembered meals at his own home, which were silent affairs. His father wanted peace and quiet when he was home on leave from the army and had no interest in the opinions or activities of anyone but himself. After his two much older sisters had married and left home, meals became almost haphazard, especially when only Iolaus and his mother were there. He soon found better company out in the streets. A fleeting image of his mother eating alone in an empty house was quickly dispelled by a burst of activity as the family rose to clear the table.

Cornelius and Cadmus went back to the pottery and Calpurnia and Carla settled down on the bench by the kitchen door with a basket of wool and a distaff, spinning fine thread. Corina offered to give Iolaus a tour of the place, and they walked together toward the barn, where they could hear the younger children laughing. Camilla was in the corral, tending to some goats.

"Our Camilla has a way with goats," said Corina proudly. "She feeds them different herbs to see what flavor the cheese will be. She wants to sell her cheese to the Palace for the King's table!"

As they turned to cross the yard to the pottery, a boy in the green livery of Amyclae opened the gate by the oak tree. He ran breathlessly up to Corina. "Corina, the Lady Aegina needs you right away!" he cried. "I'm to bring you back to the embassy with me."

"What is it? What's wrong?" asked Corina anxiously. She cast Iolaus a worried and questioning look.

"I don't know, but you've got to come at once!" returned the messenger, still panting after his run out from the city. "She's very upset about something."

"I'm sorry, Iolaus, I've got to go." Corina turned to her guest with an apologetic shrug. She offered the messenger a drink from the well and headed toward the house to explain to Calpurnia what was happening.

As Corina came out of the house with a shawl wrapped around her shoulders Iolaus made a quick decision. Something serious might be happening at the Amyclaean Embassy. Corinth was a hotbed of diplomatic intrigue, as he knew only too well. Corina might be in a dangerous situation. "I'll come with you," he offered. "I should be getting back to the Academy, anyway." With quick thanks to Calpurnia for the meal, he joined Corina and the messenger as they headed into the city.

***

"I have to go!" The anguished cry echoed down into the courtyard of the Amyclaean Embassy. Corina ran up the outside stairs to the encircling balcony, and Iolaus followed her more slowly. The distant voices quieted down and, not wanting to intrude, he paused to look around the court from the upper landing. The Amyclaean embassy staff members he could see were all well trained servants, and went about their business as if nothing was wrong at all. But he could also see members of the Corinthian Royal Guard near the stable. Was Jason here? Something big must be happening if the King had come to the embassy.

"Iolaus, please come inside." The cadet turned at his name to see Corina at a doorway half way along the balcony. What was up with this? He gave her a questioning look as he approached, but she only shook her head and gestured him to come ahead, then stood aside to let him enter the room.

Jason was there with the Ambassador and his wife, the glamorous Aegina. But she didn't look glamorous now. Her face was streaked with tears and her hair and gown were disheveled. She clutched a parchment in one shaking hand as she wept on her husband's shoulder. The room was the ambassadorial bedchamber, and clothes were strewn about the furniture and trailing out of half-packed traveling bags. Iolaus hesitated on the threshold as Corina said, "Here he is." What was going on here? Why had he been called into it?

"Iolaus, thank the gods!" Jason came over to meet him. This was new! Jason was one of his best friends, but thanking the gods to see him? The cadet's confusion increased.

"Jason, what is going on?" he asked in a low tone. He noticed the Ambassador was looking at him closely as he held his now quietly weeping wife in a close embrace. "I had nothing to do with it, what ever it is!" he protested.

"No, no, Iolaus. No one is accusing you of anything," Jason reassured him. "The Lady Aegina needs your help."

"My help?" asked Iolaus in surprise. "What, did she lose the key to her jewelry box or something?"

"No," said Jason. "Her son has gone missing from his grandmother's house."

"Her son!" exclaimed Iolaus, taken aback. He glanced over at the Amyclaeans. Aegina too was now looking toward him. She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand.

"King Jason says you're a master hunter and tracker. Please, help me find my son." Her barely audible voice was husky from weeping.

Iolaus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Jason, King of Corinth had recommended his services as a tracker to the Ambassador of Amyclae! He looked at his friend in astonishment.

"Corina came in just as I was telling the Ambassador about you," explained Jason. "About your tracking skills and how you could be trusted with a secret." He raised an eyebrow to emphasize his statement. "When she said you'd come here with her, well, I couldn't believe the timing! I had her call you in."

Iolaus was still speechless. He looked quickly at Corina, who shrugged and nodded to confirm Jason's words. His heart began to race with excitement as he glanced wildly around the group of faces all staring at him expectantly, but his gaze came back to rest on Corina. She looked back at him with confidence and he knew he did not want to disappoint her or Jason.

"Jason, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked through clenched teeth. Jason nodded and the two of them stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard.

Iolaus leaned his hands on the balustrade as he took a couple of deep breaths to give himself time to gather his thoughts. Finally he turned to face Jason. Before he could voice his first question, however, his friend spoke. "Iolaus, the relationship between Corinth and Amyclae is very important to me. My father worked for years to help the Amyclaeans, and I want to keep them as our allies. When Ambassador Proclivius asked for my help, I couldn't refuse to hear his request." He paused, then continued in such a low tone Iolaus had to get closer to hear his voice. "Aegina's son may have just wandered off, but he is the step-son of the Ambassador. There's been no demand for ransom or any other communication, but I think we have to suspect the worst. He may have been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped!" exclaimed Iolaus. Seeing Jason's warning glance, he quickly lowered his voice to ask, "What do you want me to do?"

"Let Aegina tell you the story. Then you decide what you can do," replied Jason. "It's up to you from now on. You know I'll back you all the way. But, Iolaus, I wouldn't have mentioned your name to them if I didn't believe you could do what they want." He clasped his friend's shoulder with a firm grasp of his hand. Iolaus nodded and they went back into the house.

Aegina had washed her face and combed her hair, and looked somewhat more composed as she sat on the foot of the bed. She managed a weak smile as she indicated two chairs for her guests. Corina sat next to her, but the Ambassador was nowhere to be seen.

"I was married before," she began when Jason and Iolaus were seated. "To Ametheus, the Warlord of Ruvinia. We had a son, also called Ametheus. Ametheus my husband was killed about a year after our son was born, and my mother-in-law insisted she would raise her grandson as the future leader of Ruvinia. I was so unhappy there alone, without my husband's support, that I decided to leave my son with her and return to Amyclae. I visited often, though, and she even brought Ametheus to the city once to see me."

Aegina sipped from a goblet she took from Corina, then continued. "Then Proclivius asked me to marry him. When I told my mother-in-law about my marriage plans, she was very upset. She accused me of betraying Ruvinia, of marrying for money. It's true my husband is rich, but he is the kindest, most generous man in the world. He offered to adopt Ametheus. She wouldn't listen. She refused to let me come to Ruvinia, and said I had relinquished all claims to my son. She even sent this back to me." She held out in her open palm a small object. Iolaus glanced up at Aegina's face as he recognized the coral necklace he had found in the secret compartment in the bottom of her jewel box.

"I haven't seen Ametheus in nearly two years. Now, she's sent me this." Aegina held up the crumpled parchment. Her voice began to shake again, and she held the letter out toward Iolaus. He glanced at Jason as he took the crumpled sheet and tried to flatten it out to read it, but apparently the King had already seen it.

The note was very short and stated in bald terms that Aegina's son had not been seen in Ruvinia since the night of the new moon. Almost a week ago! Mountainous Ruvinia was a good three day journey from Corinth, so the grandmother had known the boy was gone for at least several days before she notified his mother.

"I'm so scared. He's only five. I should have kept him with me, I never should have let him stay in Ruvinia." Aegina had begun pacing around the room, twisting her hands in front of her. When Proclivius came back into the room she walked up to meet him.

"My wife's son is very dear to her," said the Ambassador, taking her into his embrace. "I don't know you, but Jason says if anyone can find the boy and bring him to us here in Corinth, you can. I think Jason has also explained the...'difficulties' of the situation?" Proclivius raised an eyebrow, signaling to the others over his wife's shoulder that she knew nothing of the political ramifications of her son's disappearance.

"What difficulties?" asked Aegina. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, nothing, darling," her husband reassured her. "It's just the situation as it is: a small boy lost in the woods."

Iolaus looked at Jason for a hint, but the King's face was blank. It was up to him to help these people or not as he chose. Aegina clearly was desperate for the safety of her child. Her husband supported her even though the child was not his, and was even willing to take him into his family if he was found. No, not if, when.

"Jason, it'll take me a while to get to Ruvinia and back. Can you clear it with Cheiron for me? And I'll need some supplies and weapons..."

"Sure, Iolaus," replied Jason with a nod. "Don't worry about the Academy. I'll take care of everything."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" cried Aegina as Proclivius grasped Iolaus's arm in a firm clasp.

"I'll leave for Ruvinia first thing in the morning," said Iolaus. "I'll do my best, sir."

***

The sun was clearing the walls of the courtyard when Iolaus left the Palace to begin his trip to Ruvinia. Jason had provided him with camping gear, a good knife, and a fine bow and arrows, as well as a rough map of the isolated land of Ruvinia and the surrounding territory. The city was still quiet as he made his way to the North Gate, with only a few merchants about getting a head start on the day. He passed a bakery as he neared the gate, and bought a loaf of flat bread warm out of the oven for his breakfast.

Outside the city gate the countryside stretched ahead, the mountains of Ruvinia looming up in the distance. Iolaus set himself a quick pace, hoping to get to Ruvinia on the third day out. He soon left the straggling suburbs of Corinth behind, and had the road almost to himself. There was more traffic around two villages and he waved as he passed farmers tilling their fields near the road and groups of village women laying their laundry out to dry on the hedgerows. At mid day he had to wait a while just beyond the second village as a farmer drove a large herd of sheep across the road.

"Fine day, ain't it?" asked the fat and friendly farmer as he joined the traveler sitting on his stone wall as the sheep passed. "Where ya headed?" he asked. He kept a wary eye out as his dogs herded the sheep.

Iolaus was happy to have an excuse to rest for a while and welcomed a chat to pass the time. "Ruvinia," he said, taking an apple out of his pack. "It's just in those mountains, isn't it?" he asked, pointing to the peaks towering ahead.

"Ruvinia!" exclaimed the farmer. "You don't want to be going to Ruvinia, young man! Oh, no, no, no, no, no," he warned, shaking his head. "There's a family feud up there you don't want to get in the middle of!"

"A feud? What do you mean?" asked Iolaus. No one had said anything about a feud.

"Oh, yes! The Warlord up there was killed a few years ago, and his brother and his mother have been fighting it out ever since!" said the farmer with relish. At last, someone who had not heard this story a hundred times before! "Very nasty, very nasty! The mother is a real harridan. She never got along with either of the sons." He leaned up confidentially to Iolaus and added, "They say the Lord Ametheus might have been killed by one of his own kin, can you believe it?"

Before Iolaus could reply, the last of the sheep came through the gate. "Well, I've got to go! Be careful if you're going to Ruvinia, young man!" said the farmer. He quickly followed his herd, whistling to his dogs as he closed the gate behind him.

Iolaus sat on the wall for a minute to get his bearings. Not only was the little boy lost, he might have been kidnapped, and now, it seemed, he might have been kidnapped by one of his own relatives! Well, whatever the circumstances, he'd promised Jason and Aegina to find the boy. With a deep sigh, Iolaus heaved himself off the wall and continued on his way to Ruvinia, munching his apple as he walked.

The road beyond the village was deserted, yet Iolaus had an uncanny feeling that someone was watching him. He made a motion to throw away the core of his apple, but suddenly whirled around to look behind him. A glimmer of motion caught his hunter's eye. Some bushes a distance behind him moved in the still afternoon as if ruffled by the wind. Was he being followed? Iolaus turned back to the road and walked along at his usual rapid pace, his hand on the knife Jason had given him.

Iolaus had walked for another hour when he saw the road curve ahead as it descended to a river ford. Seizing his opportunity, he ran ahead and splashed through the shallow water. As he reached the far side of the river, he ducked into the woods and waited to see who would pass. Soon he heard splashing as someone else crossed the ford. He waited with bated breath until he saw a figure come up the riverbank, then stepped out from the trees to confront his shadow.

"Are you looking for me?" he asked, his feet spread in a wide stance ready to spring into fighting mode if necessary.

"Iolaus!" The other traveler stopped dead on the road and pushed a hood back from a head of dark hair. It was the Lady Aegina, dressed in elegantly tailored hunting leathers and carrying a fine bow.

"What are you doing here?" cried Iolaus as he recognized her.

"I'm coming with you find my son," Aegina replied.

"What?" Iolaus couldn't believe it. What did the woman think she was doing? He'd lose a whole day now, taking her back to Corinth. He heaved a sigh of disgust and rolled his eyes to the sky. Artemis protect him from amateur hunters.

"Wait, Iolaus! Let me explain," said Aegina. She walked up to meet him in the road. "I know Ruvinia. I know the territory around the fortress, and I know my mother-in-law. I can help you." She paused. "And, I just couldn't sit in Corinth doing nothing. I had to come. I have to find Ametheus!" she added, her voice rising with emotion.

"Absolutely not!" cried Iolaus. "You're going back to Corinth right now!" Ambassador Proclivius would kill him if anything happened to his wife. And then Jason would kill him for ruining his diplomatic maneuvers.

"I am not going back to Corinth!" Aegina stood firm as Iolaus brushed past her headed back the way he had come. He turned and looked at her from the top of the riverbank. "Iolaus, please. I have to come. I won't get in your way. I know how to live in the rough. I learned when we went with my father on his military campaigns."

"Lady, I wish you would go back to the city! It's too dangerous out here, and I don't want to be responsible if something happens to you." Iolaus didn't know where to begin in explaining why her plan would never work.

"I can take care of myself. And my name is Gina," the ambassador's wife cut him off with a smile. "Besides, it's too late to get back to Corinth now before dark, anyway." She pulled a chicken out of her pack. "I've got our supper."

Iolaus sighed. One look at the western sky told him she was right about the time. The sun was well on its way down to the horizon. It would begin to get dark soon as Apollo drove behind the mountains.

The diplomat's wife held up the chicken again. "My mother taught me a lot, too," she said "Like how to cook chicken on a camp fire." She raised an eyebrow and added, "With onions and herbs? It's really delicious and I can have it ready in almost no time."

"You can cook?" Iolaus was surprised, but chicken cooked with onions and herbs! His mouth began to water at the mere thought. He was hungry. Maybe they could work something out in the morning, after a meal and a night's sleep.

"Let's start looking for a place to camp," Aegina suggested. "But in the direction of Ruvinia," she added. She turned and began to walk at a rapid pace toward her former home.

Iolaus grimaced in frustration. What could he do but follow her? He trotted to catch her up. "Lady...Gina, if there's any danger, any threat to you, you've got to go back to Corinth!"

"I'll go back," Aegina replied, but her companion's relief was cut short when she added in a determined voice, "I'll go back with my son."

***

"That was delicious!" Iolaus licked the last of the onion-flavored chicken off his fingers. They had finally camped for the night in a small clearing on a bluff looking over a wide river, the mountains of Ruvinia looming across the water.

"It's been so long since I cooked over a camp fire," replied Aegina with a smile. "I guess it's a skill you never forget." She took a bite of the cheese she had also bought from a farmer's wife. "This reminds me so much of my parents," she went on. "My father had to move with the army, so we were often camping like this. As a little girl, I thought it was great fun, but it was rough on my mother, I think."

"At least your father took you along. Mine never let us come with him," said Iolaus. He thought of his father Skouros, a soldier who had no use for a family on his campaigns and who visited his wife and children only rarely. Ten years after their daughters were born, it hardly seemed Skouros and Erythia could have spent enough time together to become parents again, and then there was baby Iolaus, a surprise that kept Skouros reluctantly tied to his wife.

"Yes, I think we were lucky. I got to see many cities all over Greece and even sailed across the sea to Ilium! My father was attached to the embassy there, so we got to live in a house! Do you want some more cheese? Iolaus?"

The son of Skouros shook his head to pull his thoughts back to the present. "No, thanks," he said, sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I was just...thinking." Iolaus stood up and brushed off his pants. "I think I'll...take a little walk," he said.

Iolaus felt an old familiar anger and frustration rising in his heart as he walked to the edge of the bluff. Aegina wanted to be with her son so much she'd come out on this dangerous search mission, alone until she'd caught up with him. His own father barely acknowledged his son's existence, much less went so much as a step out of his way for him. He'd abandoned Iolaus almost as completely as he himself had been abandoned, left on the side of the road as toddler. How different it would have been to grow up with Aegina's father or Cornelius the Potter. To have a father who cared, who wanted to spend time with him. To have a father who was there!

Iolaus stared out at the mountains of Ruvinia outlined under the starry sky.

Well, his childhood was over now. He'd never know. Skouros's son blinked back the tears that stung his eyes. He'd been on his own so long already, and he'd have to go on fending for himself. "If I ever have a son, he's going to know me!" Iolaus promised himself.

He turned back to the campsite to find Aegina arranging her sleeping place across the fire circle. "Are you all right?" she asked as he opened his pack and pulled out a blue poncho Jason had included in his kit. He pulled the poncho over his head and unrolled his ground cloth before he answered.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He settled himself on the blanket. "Your son is lucky to have you for a mother," he said as he rolled over with his back to the fire and wrapped his arms around himself.

Aegina didn't reply. He was almost asleep when he heard her say, "Good night, Iolaus. May Hestia bless you with peaceful sleep."

***

The borders of Ruvinia were in site when they camped the next night. From their campsite Iolaus could see distant lights lit in Ruvinia as the moon rose over the hill behind them. He had provided the supper this time, with a rabbit he'd shot during the afternoon. He scraped the remaining flesh off the skin while the meat cooked. The rabbit fur would bring a nice price in the market at Corinth.

Aegina had given Iolaus the whole history of her husband's country and his contentious family as they had traveled into the mountainous territory. Mara, the mother of her late husband, had been ruling Ruvinia as regent for her grandson since her son's death. But Cronos, the son of Mara's husband and his first wife, had claimed the Warlordship ever since his father had been killed in a hunting accident, attacked by a wild dog. He had been his father's favorite, but Mara had pushed her son forward, and Cronos had been relegated to second place politically behind his half-brother.

"Their rivalry was always intense," explained Aegina as she added some more of her herbs to the rabbit. "Cronos felt my husband and his mother pushed him out after his father died, getting the other war chiefs to acknowledge Ametheus as the new Warlord, even though he was still a boy. Mara was Regent for him , too. They treated Cronos like any of the other war chiefs, but he felt he deserved a higher place. He hinted once that Ametheus's death was not an accident. I was frightened of him. That's one reason I left Ruvinia. I thought Mara could protect our son and bring him up to be the new Warlord."

Iolaus listened to Aegina's story with growing dismay. He knew a little bit about sibling rivalries having seen the relationship between Hercules and his half-brother Iphicles. Iphicles was the legitimate son of Amphitryon, but Hercules had always been the favorite of their mother. Iolaus didn't know Iphicles very well; he'd gotten tired of the unfair competition with a demi-god and had finally left home even before Hercules had started at the Academy. Hercules and Alcmene rarely even mentioned his name anymore. Iphicles's hurt feelings had caused a rift between the brothers that might never be mended.

"What happened to your husband?" he asked Aegina as he tied the cleaned rabbit skin out on a drying frame he'd made from some sticks.

"He was killed in a hunting accident. He and Cronos and some others were hunting wild boar. He fell into a ravine. By the time the others found him, it was too late. His injuries were too severe. He bled to death."

"Oh. I'm sorry," said Iolaus, kicking himself for asking such a personal question. "I think the weather will turn rainy tomorrow," he said to quickly change the subject. "I hope we can get to the fortress before the storm."

Aegina looked up at the star-filled sky. "Why do you think it will rain?" she asked. "There's not a cloud in the sky now."

"Just a feeling. It's an old hunter's trick. My Uncle Flatus taught me to recognize it. He's a great hunter. He taught me everything I know about hunting!"

"He and your father took you hunting a lot?" asked Aegina.

"Not my father. He was gone with the army most of the time. But Uncle Flatus is great! He's my mom's brother, and spent a lot of time at our house when I was a kid."

"Who is your father? Maybe I know him. We met almost every soldier in Greece, I think, with my father!" Aegina laughed.

"Skouros of Thebes," Iolaus reluctantly named his father.

"I think I do know him," replied Aegina. "He's a general now, isn't he? A mercenary? He led the Carpathians in many battles in the Thracian campaign."

"That's him," acknowledged Iolaus. "He's fighting in Cyrilia now."

"He has a reputation as a brave fighter, but a hard commander. He expects a lot from his men. But those who hire him get their money's worth. They say he won't sell his services for the highest offer, but for the cause he finds worthy. His charge at the Battle of Patros is legendary! Father thought he was mad to rush in like that, his force was so outnumbered! But he won the day!"

Aegina seemed to know more about his father than Iolaus himself did. He pulled the laces on the drying frame with a fierce tug. He swore as the cord broke with a snap.

"I think you inherited some courage from Skouros," said Aegina. "Not many would have agreed to help me find my son. And Jason says you're a natural warrior."

"I don't want anything from my father!" cried Iolaus. He cast the drying frame aside and stood up. "He never wanted to give anything to me," he added more quietly. He picked up a stick and began stirring the fire.

"He has whether he wanted to or not," said Aegina. "We all get things from our parents, things we're born with. Things that make us what we are, like blue eyes or red hair, courage or talent or strength."

Iolaus looked across the fire at his companion. The glamorous Lady Aegina, toast of royal courts throughout Greece, sat on the ground with her legs crossed in front of her, slicing pears to go with the roasting rabbit. She had a smudge of dirt on her face, but it couldn't hide those innate qualities she was talking about. She was born smart, caring, and brave.

What had he inherited from Skouros, Iolaus wondered. His father did have blue eyes. Iolaus laughed dryly at the thought. He was stubborn. He was a fighter, a professional soldier. He wasn't much of a scholar. Iolaus had never known his father to read a scroll, or attend a play, or recite one of the legends of the ancient gods. He did have the instincts to survive by his wits, fighting for different armies in many wars. He didn't care about his wife and children, though. He was cold and distant and hard.

Iolaus threw his stick down in disgust. "I think the rabbit is ready," he announced. He lifted the spit off the fire and sliced off pieces of the still sizzling meat. He was very hungry, but could hardly enjoy his food as he thought about his father. Were his courage and instinct for battle part of his inheritance? How much of him was Skouros? He fell asleep still wondering.

***

By dawn, heavy storm clouds were beginning to gather to the west. Iolaus's instinct had been right. The travelers quickly packed their gear and headed down a deep mountain pass toward the fortress of Ruvinia. According to Aegina, they should reach their goal by mid-day. The distance was not far, but the going was slow as they climbed down the treacherous rocky slope.

As they crossed a stream, Aegina pointed out a stone marker carved with an elaborately intertwined knot. "We're in Ruvinia now," she said. "We'll be able to see the fortress just over the next rise."

They followed the streambed as it rounded the base of the hill they would have to climb. The sky was now covered with clouds, and trees higher up the slope were swaying in the wind. A creepy feeling began to tickle the back of Iolaus's neck. It was suddenly very quiet, and he didn't think it was due to the impending storm.

As they rounded an outcropping of the hill, he knew why. A force of armed men blocked their path. Before he could draw his bow, two others dropped from an overhanging tree and knocked him to the ground. His arms were pulled roughly together and his wrists bound with cords before he was dragged to his feet to face the leader of the bandits. He could see Aegina next to him, also struggling with their captors.

"Leave her alone!" Iolaus cried, trying to pull away from the men holding him. A blow on the side of his head quickly silenced him. Through the daze caused by the blow, he heard Aegina's voice.

"Mikos! What are you doing! I've come here to find my son. Let us go to the fortress at once!" Her voice was demanding, not pleading.

"Lady Aegina!" The captain seemed surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to look for Ametheus!" she repeated. "You haven't found him already, have you?" she asked with a hint of hope in her voice.

"No. No, we haven't," reported Mikos, a young man with a shock of black hair falling over his forehead. "Orders are to stop anyone from coming in or going out of Ruvinia."

"Please, Mikos," said Aegina. "Take us to my mother-in-law. She's the one who sent for me."

"For you maybe, but what about him?" With a twist of his head, the captain indicated Iolaus.

The cadet glared at him, but before he could speak, Aegina said, "He's my escort. I hired him in Corinth as a bodyguard."

"Bodyguard, eh?" Mikos snorted. "You should ask for your money back." Turning to his men he said, "Okay, let's go. Take them to the fortress." The soldier holding Aegina let her go, but Iolaus remained a prisoner, his hands still bound together as the party entered the gate of the fortress of Ruvinia.

***

The fortress was built of wood, with a large courtyard inside the high encircling wall. Iolaus could see guards at key points along the top of the wall watching their progress through the gate and across the courtyard. The main hall was a massive building with elaborately carved and painted decorations on the great oak doors and under the roof. Guards stood at each side of the entrance as Iolaus walked through between two soldiers from Mikos's troop.

Inside, the hall was dimly lit by windows high up in the walls, and smoke from a central fire place clouded the air. Iolaus blinked his eyes to adjust to the darkness. On the far side of the hall, he could make out a high seat, carved and decorated like the outside of the hall. The only door he could see was the one they'd come in by, but there must be other ways out through kitchens and service areas, he guessed.

"Well, if it isn't the Queen of Amyclae!" The voice came from the high seat, from a figure swathed in a heavy fur robe. "What brings you here? Surely not care for your child?"

"Mara," Aegina greeted her mother-in-law with a brief bow. "You sent for me, remember? Have you found any trace of Ametheus? Anything at all?" she asked.

"If we had found him, I would not have bothered to write to you," replied the Regent, her hand absent-mindedly petting the head of a shaggy hunting dog sitting beside the high seat. She turned her gaze to Iolaus. "Did you give up your old husband for some young blood?" she asked Aegina in a dry tone.

"No, Mara. Iolaus is my bodyguard. I hired him in Corinth to help me find Ametheus."

"That's not all he can help you with, I'm sure" returned Mara. She signaled the guards with a lift of her chin and they pushed Iolaus up to the foot of the throne. The young man could feel the blush rising in his face as the Regent looked him up and down as if he were a prize bull in the market.

Aegina stepped up beside Iolaus to get the older woman's attention. "Mara, I didn't come here to listen to your insults. I came to find Ametheus. Please tell me what happened. When did he get lost? Who saw him last? Where have you looked for him?"

"He left to go to you, if you must know," said Mara. "He said he wanted his Mamma and was going to Amyclae to be with her. If we find him, you can take him to Amyclae or to Hades, for all I care! He's not fit to be the Warlord of Ruvinia, the ungrateful little brat!"

"I'd rather he was in Hades than here with you," said Aegina in a quiet voice, her jaw tightly clenched and her whole body shaking with anger.

"Well, just pass some time here with me by the fire, and I'm sure you'll get your wish," said Ametheus's grandmother. "You know how treacherous these mountains are and I think we're in for a storm tonight."

"That's enough!" cried Iolaus. "She came all the way here to find her son. If you're not going to help her, just let us go and search ourselves." He shook off a guard who tried to restrain him.

"Well, well, he has spirit, too," commented Mara, raising an eyebrow. "Down, Bruno!" she commanded the dog who had begun to growl at Iolaus's raised voice. The Regent rose to her feet and stepping up to Iolaus put her hand against his cheek. Her fingers were icy cold as they brushed against his skin. She laughed as he jerked his head away from her touch. "You'd rather be in Hades than here, too, I imagine," she said.

Turning back to her seat, she waved off Aegina's protest. "We'll talk later, " she said as she sat down. "Take them away," she ordered, her hand once again on Bruno's shaggy head.

Aegina and Iolaus were taken to a small outbuilding. It was furnished as a comfortable guesthouse, but the door was locked behind them. "Well, at least we're not in the dungeon," observed Aegina, looking around their new quarters. "I'll get you untied if I can find something to cut those cords," she said, beginning a search of the room.

"Don't worry about me," said Iolaus, as he looked out the small window. "Even if you get me loose, there are two guards outside the door." He sized up the pair of heavily armed men. Even if he could get the door unlocked they would have to be distracted or overpowered somehow. He measured the distance to the main gate with his eye. It seemed very far away.

Aegina's search yielded nothing sharp edged. She slammed shut a drawer in the table with a muttered curse. "I should have known they wouldn't leave anything that might be a weapon in here," she said. "Let me see if I can untie the knots."

Iolaus left his post at the window and put his bound hands on the table. "Why did you tell them you'd hired me?" Iolaus asked his companion as she began to work the tightly tied leather cords loose.

"I figured it would be safer if they though you were just a mercenary. I don't want them to know that Jason or my husband is involved," she said, her brows knitted as she concentrated on her task. "Now they just think I'm a worried mother, not a political threat. If Mara thought Ruvinia was in any danger from outside, from Corinth or even Amyclae, she'd kill us both." She looked up and met Iolaus's startled gaze.

"Well, she'd kill me, anyway. She might keep you for a while," she said dryly, her eyebrows raised over a wry smile. The young man felt that blush rising hot in his cheeks again.

Aegina quickly bent her head and went back to work on the knots as the more immediate threat of thunder sounded in the distance. The storm was going to break any time now. If little Ametheus was out in the woods alone, he was the one in real danger. The knots were coming apart. Iolaus began to plan an escape.

***

"You can't pay me enough for this job! Being taken prisoner was not part of the deal!" the bodyguard shouted.

"You fool, I didn't plan this, you know," his employer shouted back. "When we get back to Corinth you'll be lucky if I pay you one dinar, much less ten!"

"Ten! You owe me 20 for this job!"

"Ha! That's a laugh! At the rate you're going, we won't even get back to Corinth at all! Some protection you turned out to be!"

"Maybe I should collect my money now. What do you have in your pouch?" The sound of a struggle followed the shouting through the door of the Ruvinian guesthouse.

"Let go of me! How dare you!" Lady Aegina's cry was followed by the sound of a sharp slap.

"Give me my money!" Her bodyguard insisted over the sound of furniture being pushed noisily across the wooden floor.

"Stop it! Let go of me!" Crockery crashed to the floor.

"Guess we'd better break this up," said the sergeant of the guard, rolling his eyes at the man stationed with him. He pulled out his key and unlocked the door. He braced himself to break up a fight over a money pouch, but wasn't prepared for the blow to the side of his head that sent him reeling to the floor. Iolaus grabbed the other startled guard and pulled him into the room, quickly pushing shut the door. Aegina was already tying up the sergeant with strips she'd torn from the bed sheet.

Iolaus tied up and gagged the second guard, then took the men's swords and daggers. Aegina picked up the key ring where the sergeant had dropped it. "Let's go!" she hissed as Iolaus scouted the courtyard through the window. It was quiet as the Ruvinians sought shelter indoors from the first drops of rain that fell from the heavy dark clouds overhead. With a nod he opened the door a crack and they slipped out.

Aegina twisted the key in the lock, then threw the key ring into the shrubbery under the wall. "This way," she said, heading away from the main gate along the base of the wall. "There's a door behind the kitchen," she explained as Iolaus quickly followed her.

As they entered the kitchen yard Iolaus almost ran into Aegina when she suddenly pulled back against the doorframe. Over her shoulder he could see two servants by the kitchen door, stacking some baskets. At a clap of thunder, they quickly gave up their task and went inside, slamming the door behind them.

"Go!" Iolaus urged his companion. The two ran for the garden door, wrenching it open as the rain began to fall in earnest. Outside the fortress, the open expanse of the vegetable gardens offered little protection from the rain or from any guards who might still be stationed on the wall. A flash of lightening forked in the sky and a clap of thunder rang in their ears as they made a desperate dash for the surrounding woods.

The dense forest formed a canopy over the fugitives' heads, and they stopped to catch their breaths once they reached its shelter. "We've got to get out of this weather," said Iolaus. He led the way further into the woods, looking for a low-lying place they could hide from the storm. Under the wind-blown foliage of the trees, the ground began to slope downward, and he took a diagonal path across the decline. Aegina was right behind him when he halted suddenly at a point where the ground dropped off sharply to the stream they had passed earlier that day.

"Look!" Iolaus pointed to the left, where the stream curved sharply away from them. The high bank was eroded away and a shallow cave had formed under its overhanging top. "It's not much, but it'll have to do!" he said grimly, turning to follow the stream. He climbed down the face of the stream bank as near as he could get to the cave, holding on to tree roots and outcropping rocks. By the time he had scouted the depression for any wild animals that might also be sheltering there, Aegina had scrambled down beside him. They settled down next to each other with their backs against the rear of the shallow space, their feet drawn up out of the rain.

"Mara won't be able to find us here, either!" said Aegina when she had caught her breath. She wiped her muddy hands on her leather pants, then crossed her arms tightly around her body as she watched the rain falling into the stream below.

Iolaus closed his eyes with a sigh. What a terrible woman that Mara was! To wish death on her own grandson! The thought of the Regent of Ruvinia made him shudder. He suddenly realized his companion was shivering too. The weather had turned colder with the storm, and they were both wet from the rain and muddy from their climb down to the cave.

"Don't worry, we'll find him," he said as he turned to see Aegina blinking back tears. "He's probably found shelter with a farmer or a herder."

"And what if he hasn't?" cried Aegina in a shaky voice as she clutched the coral charm she now wore, sliding it back and forth on its chain. Iolaus had no response he wanted to say aloud. He moved closer to Aegina, until their shoulders were touching. With a wan smile, she put her other hand on his as it rested on his knee. "Proclivius and I can't have children, you know," Aegina said in a husky voice. "He's offered to adopt Ametheus, to bring him up as his own. I have to find him, for Proclivius."

Iolaus clasped her hand in his reassuringly. They sat together in silence watching the persistent rain. If only it would stop raining before nightfall, they could begin searching in earnest yet today.

"Where do you think he might have headed?" the tracker finally asked.

"I don't know," replied Aegina after a pause. She pulled at the coral charm. "Mara said he wanted to go to Amyclae, but he doesn't know where that is. He's only five years old, and the only time he ever was there was nearly two years ago!" She stopped speaking as her voice rose with emotion. Finally she took a deep breath. "I don't think Mara has searched for him at all."

Before Iolaus could protest, she continued, "I think she wants to rule Ruvinia herself. She was regent for my husband Ametheus when he was a boy. His father died when he was only ten. Now she's been regent for little Ametheus. It would be another twelve or fifteen years before he's old enough to be Warlord himself. Her father was the Warlord, you know. She was his only child who survived into adulthood. As his only daughter, she inherited the succession for her husband."

"What happened to her brothers?" asked Iolaus.

"They were killed in hunting accidents." Aegina suddenly sat up straight and her grip on Iolaus's hand tightened. She looked at him with her eyes wide in fear. "Iolaus, they were both killed in hunting accidents! Mara had two brothers, both younger than she was. The older brother died when his horse bolted and threw him. A burr had gotten under the saddle. A couple of years later, the younger one was shot. They said he was mistaken for a deer. They were only about thirteen or fourteen years old."

Aegina was shivering violently, but it wasn't from the cold. "Oh, gods, oh, Hestia! Where is Ametheus? We've got to find him!" she cried. She pulled her hand away from Iolaus and wrapped her arms around her body to try to control the trembling. There had already been four fatal hunting accidents, each one involving a man or boy who stood between Mara and the throne of Ruvinia. There was no time to lose.

"You wait here, I'm going to scout around a little," said Iolaus. "I'll see if they're out looking for us yet. Then we can look for Ametheus." It was still raining gently as he ducked out of the shelter and made his way down the steep slope to the streamside. They'd have to work fast. All their supplies had been lost at Ruvinia. All they had were the weapons they'd taken from the guards.

Iolaus stopped at the stream and took a drink, scooping the water up in his hand. The water was flowing rapidly to the east, swollen with the rainwater. The hunter pulled himself up on to the lowest branch of a tall tree growing beside the water. He climbed steadily, being careful of his footing on the wet bark. At last the tree rose above those surrounding it, and he could see in all directions.

The forest was a dense carpet of foliage, but it thinned as the mountains rose even higher to the north. He could follow the line of the stream as it meandered east and north. If Ametheus knew his mother lived in the lowlands, he might have followed the stream. But it did not lead to Amyclae, only further into a steep sided valley between two high mountain ridges.

Iolaus quickly climbed down and returned to the cave. Aegina met him as he came up the slope. "No sign of a search!" he said. He told her his theory about Ametheus following the stream.

"It isn't much, I know," he admitted. "But it's all I can come up with. It'll be dark soon. If we don't see any signs by then, we can try something else in the morning."

"Let's go!" Aegina headed down the steep bank.

"Gina, wait!" Iolaus called after her in a harsh whisper. "You don't want to mess up any tracks," he explained when the anxious searcher turned back with a questioning look.

"No, no. Of course not. You go first, Iolaus." Aegina stepped aside to let the more experienced tracker take the lead, and they headed downstream in the light rain.

***

The heavy forest foliage had protected the ground from the rain, but the stream itself was high in its banks. Iolaus kept his eyes on the ground looking for any signs that the little lost boy had passed this way.

Finally, he saw the pattern he was looking for. Small human footprints marked the muddy ground. Aegina's eyes brimmed with tears and she grabbed his arm as he pointed them out to her. He waited a moment, then raised his eyebrows to ask if she was ready to continue. At her nod, he went on even more slowly.

Footprints meant the child had passed this way, but they didn't mean he was alive. Suddenly, the pattern changed. The prints became farther apart and deeper. Ametheus had started running. Iolaus saw two small handprints in the mud where he had tripped over a tree root.

What had frightened him? Iolaus wished he had his bow. Many animals came out at dusk to look for water...and food.

"Look here," he whispered to Aegina, pointing to a pile of leaves. The pile had not been scattered, yet the bottom of the pile was dry, indicating it had been gathered not too long before the rain had started today. "It looks like he made himself a nest."

He stirred the leaves with the point of his sword. With a clank his blade hit something metallic. He bent and picked up a small bronze figure. It was a soldier on horseback. Aegina seized it with a low cry. "It's Leander! His favorite hero! It's part of a set I brought him on my last visit!" she explained. "He did sleep here!"

"I think we should find a place to sleep too," said Iolaus. "Unless the moon comes out, I can't track at night." He looked up, but scudding clouds still covered the sky. "We can start again at dawn. At least we know we're on the right track."

Aegina clutched the toy tightly as they continued down the valley. "Oh, where is he? He must be so near!" she said in a shaky voice. "Oh, Hestia, please, lead us to him!" she prayed aloud.

Iolaus added his own silent prayer to Artemis. She was the goddess who could help them if any could. They hadn't gone much further when, ahead of them, a deer suddenly came out of the forest to drink at the stream. Iolaus stopped in his tracks, holding his breath, waiting for her to go her way before he moved on. He felt a rush of excitement as the animal raised her head and seemed to look right at him before she leapt the narrow stream and went up the opposite slope. The spot where she had stood was lit by a shaft of moonlight.

With a grin, the golden hunter turned to Aegina. She too was in awe of the vision. "Let's go!" he whispered. When they reached the spot where the deer had stood to drink, they could see the sky through an opening in the trees. The rising moon shone down into the clearing, casting shadows from the trees. "This way," whispered Iolaus, pointing in the direction that all the shadows pointed. He began to climb the steep slope up from the stream, moving carefully in the pale moonlight. At the top of the bank, he leaned down and extended his hand to Aegina. She was right behind him and grasping his hand in a tight grip pulled herself up beside him.

From the ridge, they could see down into a steep valley. At the foot of the rocky walls there was a light. If they had climbed the twisting ridge at any other point, they would not have seen it.

"Who is that?" whispered Aegina. "Nobody lives out here. These ravines are too rugged."

"I don't know," replied Iolaus. "But at least they have a fire. Let's go see." He began to creep forward, looking for a way down the rocky decline. The guiding moonlight was behind them, the wall directly below them in complete darkness. He moved carefully around to the right, where he could see the moon shining on the ravine wall. At last he found what he was looking for.

"Look here," he pointed. "Here's where whoever it is gets in." He pulled aside an overhanging tree branch. Below it, the edge of the overhang was slightly worn, the dirt smooth from the passage of feet. "Put your feet where I do," he warned his companion as he started down the wall. The moonlight showed the smooth places where the ravine dwellers had worn a narrow path into their retreat, and he carefully placed each step in their tracks. Aegina put the little bronze soldier in her tunic and carefully followed him down to the bottom of the ravine.

The camp was not far ahead now, and they crept up to the edge of the firelit area. Groups of warriors were gathered around campfires scattered among several tents. A string of horses was on the far side of the circle, and a small corral held a cow and some goats. The smoothly worn grounds told Iolaus that the camp had been there for some time.

He turned to his companion as he heard her sharp gasp. "It's Cronos!" she whispered. "These men are his warriors."

"What are they doing out here?" asked Iolaus. "This isn't a hunting camp. They've been living here."

Aegina shook her head in bewilderment. "I don't know. Mara has always hated Cronos. Maybe she threw him out."

"A family feud is one thing," whispered Iolaus, assessing the heavily armed soldiers. "This looks more like civil war."

A sudden noise behind them cut off his thought. He turned to find five large, well-armed men looming up over them. He hadn't heard their approach as he and Aegina had focussed their attention on the mysterious camp. He quickly started to draw his sword, but Aegina stopped him with a hand on his arm.

She stood up and faced the men, showing them her empty hands. "Cronos," she greeted the tall, powerfully built man in the middle.

"Aegina," the Warlord acknowledged her greeting. "You look like something the cat dragged in. Come and have something to eat."

He and his men escorted the two interlopers through the camp to the main tent at the center. A soldier held open the tent flap as Cronos led his guests inside. With one last glance around the camp, Iolaus ducked under the flap and followed Aegina inside. So far things were going better than with the other side of the family. He hadn't been tied up and they still had their weapons.

The tent was furnished with a camp bed and a table and chairs. A campaign chest stood near the table as another seat. Cronos poured mugs of ale for them. "Have you come from the fortress?" he asked as he handed a mug to Aegina.

"We were at the fortress," Aegina replied carefully, taking a sip of the strong ale.

"And Mara? Was she happy to see you?" inquired the Warlord. He sat down on the campaign chest, but two of his men remained standing near the door of the tent.

"She didn't exactly welcome us with open arms," admitted Aegina, again choosing her words carefully.

"I'm not surprised!" said Cronos. "She must have been amazed to see you here. And with a tracker." He turned toward Iolaus with a speculative look as he put his mug on the table.

"She had sent me word in Corinth that Ametheus was lost. I hired Iolaus to find him. He came highly recommended," said Aegina.

"He must be good if he found this camp," said Cronos, looking at Iolaus with new respect. "No wonder she was afraid."

Iolaus acknowledged the compliment with a nod and said, "She seemed more angry than afraid."

"No. She's afraid all right. Afraid of losing her grip on Ruvinia." The Warlord rose and began to pace the small tent. "She's worked all her life to become the War Queen. She's not about to let it slip away now." He paused and leaned his hands on the back of one of the chairs. "I think she's tired of only being Regent. I think she sent Ametheus out into the woods herself."

"What?" cried Aegina. Her hand shook as she set her mug on the table. Iolaus met her glance, remembering their conversation in the cave.

"When my father was killed in that hunting accident, I had my suspicions. He was an expert horseman, a trained warrior and hunter. How did that dog get close enough to him to attack him like that?" Cronos paused. "You know who shot the dog, who got to the scene just a little too late to save my father's life? An expert dog trainer."

"Mara?" Aegina's guess was barely above a whisper.

"Mara," Cronos confirmed. "The grieving widow. The new Regent for her son, too young to rule in his own right. I had a claim too, as my father's son, and I was of age."

Aegina sat still, but the knuckles of her hand were white as she grasped the handle of her mug. Finally she said, "Your father only became Warlord because he was her husband. She thought Ametheus had more right."

"More right! My father was the grandson of Verius, who her father defeated to make himself Warlord!" Cronos cried. "That's why he picked him for Mara's husband when she was old enough to marry, to combine the family lines.

"The old Warlord died not long after their marriage, and she thought they would rule Ruvinia together. Father was too strong for her, though. He ruled Ruvinia himself, led the warriors into battle, gave the rewards and titles. Mara was left out of the councils."

Cronos sat down again and leaned over the table toward Aegina and Iolaus. "After he was killed, she made the council declare Ametheus the heir, and her the Regent. My father might have been the grandson of Verius, but my mother was just a warrior's daughter, she said. That's when I became a real threat to her. She turned me out of the war councils. Wouldn't let me even talk to Ametheus. We'd been good friends before that, you know. He looked up to me as his big brother, even though I was more than ten years older than he was."

"I thought you hated him," said Aegina after a pause. "I was afraid of you," she added in a chagrined tone.

"I was proud of him!" said Cronos. "He'd been making great strides since he'd come of age, taking over the lordship as soon as he was old enough. He got the council on his side, even into backing him in his marriage to you, an outsider. Mara was dead set against you, you know."

Aegina nodded. "Yes. It was obvious. When little Ametheus was born, though, I thought she was won over. She was happy to have a grandson, but she still hated me."

"When you left Ruvinia after my brother was killed, I thought to help her raise little Ametheus. But she worked even harder against me. She wanted complete control of the boy and of Ruvinia. That's why we're here in this gods-forsaken gorge now." He indicated the forest camp with a twist of his head. "She's stripped all the warriors loyal to me of any lands or titles. Accused them of treason and worse."

Aegina stood up and, wrapping her arms tightly around herself, turned to stare at the map of Ruvinia pinned to the tent wall. Iolaus could see her shaking as she got a grip on her emotions. Finally she turned back to them and said in a flat tone, "You know what happened to Mara's two brothers. By the law, one of them should have been Warlord in the first place." She looked Cronos in the eye.

Cronos met her gaze. "Yes. Their deaths made Mara the Warlord's only heir. She would have been just a warrior's wife if one of them had survived their father."

Aegina's face was suddenly deathly pale. Iolaus reached out to help the shaking woman back to her seat. "I have to get my son away from her!" she cried. "I'll do anything!" she promised Cronos. "Just please help me find my son!"

A sudden stir at the door of the tent made Iolaus spin around to see what was happening. He had visions of vicious dogs and barbarian soldiers, but it was only a woman with a tray of food.

"Aegina!" she cried. "By Hestia! Lucas told me you were here!" The women embraced warmly. "How did you find us?" she asked, still holding her long lost friend by the shoulders.

"Iolaus found the camp," Aegina explained, nodding at her companion as they sat down. "I hired him in Corinth to help me find Ametheus. We were following his tracks when we saw your light. You haven't found him, have you?" She introduced her friend to Iolaus. "Doria is the wife of Lucas, Cronos's second. She was one of the few friends I had here in Ruvinia." She clutched her friend's hand tightly.

Doria exchanged a look with Cronos, then at his nod rose from the table and went to the tent flap. A large man came in leading a little boy by the hand.

"Ametheus?" Aegina asked in an incredulous tone.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before, Aegina. I had to know where your loyalties were," said Cronos as the mother took the recovered child into her arms, tears streaming down her face.

The child was confused, he hadn't seen his mother in so long he didn't recognize her. Aegina reached into her tunic and brought out the little bronze warrior. "Look, darling, here's Leander. Do you remember when I first gave him to you?"

The boy reached out and took the toy from her hand. "Are you really my Mama?" he asked, looking around at the other adults whom he knew for reassurance.

Doria knelt down beside him. "Yes, this is your Mama!" she said. "She's come to take you home with her."

***

Dawn was breaking over the mountains as Cronos led his troops toward the fortress of Ruvinia. Iolaus ducked the rain soaked leaves of overhanging tree branches as he followed Lucas up a rocky slope to the east of the walled enclosure. When he had asked Cronos to be included in the attack on Mara's stronghold, Lucas had invited the cadet to join his troop. The Ruvinian captain now signaled a halt as they reached the tree line encircling the pastures and fields around the fortress. He signaled the cadet to a position next to him as he sent men out on each flank to look for traps or ambushes.

"Do you expect trouble out here?" asked Iolaus.

"'Always be ready for the unexpected stroke,' that's what Skouros would say," said Lucas.

At the mention of the name, Iolaus looked at the warrior crouched beside him. "What did you say?" he asked.

"Skouros always says that," said Lucas with a grin. "Skouros of Thebes," he repeated. "Do you know him?"

"Not really," said Iolaus grimly, turning back to watch the fortress.

"No, you're too young to have fought with him, " said Lucas. "I was with him at the Gates of Gyrinthia. He was the only one of the command who thought the raiders would attack from the river. He was right, and our squad was ready for them. It turned the battle for the defenders, even though we were outnumbered. The King of Gyrinthia wanted to give him his daughter as a bride, but he refused, said he was already married. It was a shame. She was a beauty!" He laughed under his breath at the memory.

Iolaus felt his hand tighten on the hilt of his dagger as he listened to Lucas's story. Here was another person who knew his father better than he did. A man who admired Skouros as a wily commander. Who had shared part of his life that his own son knew nothing about.

His thoughts were abruptly cut short by the sound of a horn blast. It was the signal from Cronos, whose squadron was approaching the main gate. Iolaus brought his mind back to focus on the battle for Ruvinia. Cronos would be negotiating now, demanding the surrender of the fortress. He hoped that in the face of his larger, well-organized force, the defenders would comply without blood being spilled.

At Lucas's signal, Iolaus drew his sword and moved with his platoon toward a small postern gate. Ruvinians might come out this way either to escape or to attack the main force from the flank. What was taking so long? The young warrior swept his eyes along the top of the wall for what seemed like the hundredth time. With a sudden crash, the door was flung open and more than a dozen well-armed Ruvinians poured out into the waiting arms of Lucas's men.

The fighting was fierce but short. A man armed with a battle-axe rushed at Iolaus, but the cadet was able to disarm him by a deft parry with his sword, followed by a quick kick to the knees that knocked his attacker to the ground. Jumping quickly over the fallen man, Iolaus followed Lucas into the fortress on the run, knocking another man aside with a blow from the hilt of his sword.

The mass of armed men suddenly inside the walls far outweighed the surprised force of defenders, but they rushed to meet the threat. Iolaus swung his sword to disarm a boy younger than himself, knocking him to the ground with a thump.

"Stay down!" he cried. The boy nodded, the point of the sword at his throat.

Iolaus looked up to see a figure standing at the door of the great hall. "Lucas! Look!" he shouted as he ran across the courtyard. It was Mara, dressed in battle gear and holding a great sword.

The War Queen met Iolaus with a smile. "So, you've come back after all," she said. With a sudden movement, she added, "This time you'll never leave!" Iolaus dropped and somersaulted back to his feet to avoid the stroke of the dagger she held in her left hand. By the time he was ready to parry with his sword, the woman was surrounded and Lucas had seized her weapons.

"Are you all right?" asked the captain, steadying the shaken Iolaus with a firm grip on his vest.

Iolaus nodded breathlessly. "Yeah, I think so," he said.

"Ready for the unexpected stroke, I'd say," grinned Lucas, clapping him on the shoulder. "Good man! Skouros couldn't have done it better!"

Iolaus nodded to acknowledge the compliment, although he was startled by the comparison to Skouros. Lucas admired Skouros as a worthy example to follow. Iolaus had never set himself to be like his father. In fact, he'd gone out of his way to be different. But maybe Aegina was right and they were more alike than he had wanted to acknowledge.

Before the confused son of Skouros could engage another foe, the main gate of Ruvinia was opened. Seeing their Queen had been taken, and in the face of the large force, the overwhelmed defenders lay down their weapons. Cronos led the way across the courtyard and Iolaus joined the crowd of warriors from both sides who pressed into the great hall of Ruvinia.

The new Warlord motioned the people of Ruvinia to silence as he faced Mara in front of the high seat. She stood defiant in her soldier's armor. "You people of Ruvinia," she said in a low but penetrating voice. "You dogs! You don't know what I've given for you, for Ruvinia. My whole life, my heart, my soul I've given for this kingdom."

The people stood in rapt attention. Iolaus could see Mara's hands clenched in fists so tight her knuckles were white as she caught a deep breath.

"My husband, my brothers. My own son I sacrificed for you!" she cried. "I've given you everything, and this is how you repay me!"

Stunned silence filled the hall. Cronos stepped forward to make his claim on the Lordship. "The old Warlord, your father, made my father Warlord by his marriage to you."

"My father! My father! The old fool," Mara interrupted her stepson. "I didn't want a husband. I wanted Ruvinia. Well, he gave me a man, but I took Ruvinia for myself. I couldn't wait for him to die and leave me to it!" Her breath came quickly as she stepped up to the high seat.

"What do you mean?" asked Cronos in the silence. "You couldn't wait?"

"He took too long, the old man," Mara adopted a patient tone of explanation as she sat on the throne. "I tried to get him to go out hunting. But he was too old; his knees wouldn't let him mount a horse. He finally died in bed, you know," she looked up at Cronos with a sigh. "It was easier that way. But he fought me like a demon when I put the pillow over his face."

Iolaus caught a flash of metal in her hand. "No!" he cried, leaping forward. But it was too late. The War Queen of Ruvinia plunged the blade into her heart before anyone could reach her.

***

It was late in the afternoon when Iolaus, Aegina, and little Ametheus entered the city of Corinth. Cronos had given them horses, and the trip home had taken less than two days. Ametheus had talked almost non-stop along the way, asking his mother and Iolaus about everything they saw. He loved camping out in the woods overnight. Aegina said laughing that she had gained a better understanding of her mother after camping with a five-year-old.

She held the boy in her lap as she reined in her horse in front of the Amyclaean embassy. "Thank you, Iolaus, for everything," she said. "Without you, I don't know what I would have done."

"I'm glad I could help you," replied the cadet. "He's a fine boy. And if you ever want to learn how to hunt, little buddy," he said, tousling Ametheus's hair, "Just have your mother give me a call."

"Come in," invited Aegina. "My husband will want to thank you too."

They hadn't even had time to dismount when servants came running across the courtyard. Proclivius looked over the balcony at the sudden activity, then ran down the stairs. He swept his wife up in his arms, then drew her son into their embrace as Aegina introduced the child to his new father.

Finally Proclivius let go enough to offer his hand to Iolaus. "Thank you for bringing my wife, for bringing my family home to me," he said, his voice shaking with emotion. "I owe you a great debt."

Iolaus took the ambassador's arm in a firm grip. "Take good care of them, sir."

"Stay and dine with us," Aegina invited him as Ametheus tugged at her hand. Proclivius bent and picked up the child, putting his free arm around his wife's shoulders. Embassy staff members gathered around, welcoming their mistress home and making much of the child.

"No. No, thank you. It's very nice of you to invite me, but I've got to get back to the Academy," replied the cadet. The new family needed to be alone, he thought. He'd just be in the way. "Is Corina here?" he asked impulsively, looking over the crowd of embassy staff for a glimpse of the girl.

"No," replied Proclivius. "She's come every day expecting my wife to return, but I sent her home early today when her father came to get her. They were having some sort of family party tonight, and he wanted her home."

Disappointed at missing his new friend, Iolaus thanked the ambassador for the news and, bidding Aegina a final farewell, headed out alone through the embassy gate. As he left Corinth, he was tempted to go and surprise Corina. Her parents had welcomed him as a guest. In the midst of a family party, though, he'd probably be in the way. With a sigh, the tired cadet turned and headed down the familiar road toward the Academy.

Iolaus picked up a switch and, swinging it at the undergrowth as he walked, thought about the adventures of the last few days. He shook his head in amazement at the memory of the frightening family that ruled the mountain stronghold of Ruvinia. Passions of love and hate within families remained a mystery to him. Even Jason, whose parents were both dead, felt a greater attachment to his family than Iolaus did to his.

Despite the legacy from Skouros that he now recognized: his blue eyes, his quick battle instincts, Iolaus felt no emotional connection to the mercenary general who was his father. He stopped by the pond and looked up at the bright stars now showing in the evening sky above. Orion the Hunter dominated the silent world, as alone in the heavens as Iolaus felt on earth.

When he finally looked down, Iolaus could see the lights of Kora's ahead, reminding him how hungry he was. Tossing his switch aside, he hurried toward the inn. Maybe he was still in time for the dinner special.

The cadet's stomach was growling as he paused at the door of the inn. He scanned the crowded room, but couldn't see anyone he knew or even an empty seat. Suddenly the idea of eating alone amidst the noisy room full of diners outweighed his hunger. He may as well be alone for real in the Academy kitchen as alone in the crowded inn. Iolaus was turning toward the door when he heard his name.

"Iolaus!" It was Hercules, coming through the crowd to meet him. "Iolaus, where've you been? That must have been some lunch the other day!" He waggled his eyebrows as he grasped his friend's forearm.

"It's kind of complicated to explain," replied Iolaus, returning his friend's firm grip.

"Well, you're home just in time!" continued Hercules enthusiastically. "I signed you up as my partner for the drills tomorrow, against Lilith and Theseus. They don't stand a chance against us, little buddy!" The demi-god put his arm around Iolaus's shoulder and led him across the room to a table where Jason was sitting with two empty chairs.

"Jason, look who's here!" he cried. "I told you we could expect him to turn up just in time for dinner! You owe me a dessert!"

"Iolaus!" the young king leapt to his feet when he saw the two approaching. "You're back so soon! Good going!" He grasped Iolaus's forearm in a hearty grip and clapped him on the other shoulder as Hercules flopped down beside him. "Herc was worried about you, but I told him everything would be all right. I knew you could handle it."

"Yeah, thanks, Jase. It worked out okay," Iolaus assured Jason. "I'll tell you all about it another time, okay?"

"Sure, Iolaus,when ever you're ready" said Jason as he sat back down at the table.

"What's to eat?" asked Iolaus, rubbing his palms together as he surveyed the table. "I'm starved!"

Hercules pushed the third chair toward the tired cadet. "Sit down!" he said. "We saved your place."

The hunter sat down between the demi-god and the king, laughing as they pile food on his plate. It was good to be home.

THE END

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