Authors Note- None, really. Disclaimer; not mine, don't make money, etc...
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Hercules knew something was wrong the minute the cadets walked into the classroom. Cheiron had extra papers and books on the desk and there were bags by the door.
The cadets groggily filed in the door and took their seats. No matter how late classes started, they were always too early for the teenage boys. Hercules, Iolaus, and Jason all took their seats with Iolaus being in front of Herc and Jason. Immediately, Iolaus put his head down and made an attempt at going back to sleep.
Cheiron 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 Feducius."
"Don't we always?" Jason whispered to Hercules, smiling.
"No," Hercules answered, rolling his eyes.
"Now don't give either of them a hard time. I expect to see every thing the same as when I left. Goodbye."
As Cheiron gathered his bags and left, Feducious began giving instructions to the cadets, who were now talking amongst themselves. "Okay cadets, until your new teacher arrives, I want you to work on your math with the people around you."
"You hear that, Iolaus?" Jason asked, giving Iolaus's chair a kick.
Iolaus jerked awake, pulling his scrolls toward him and opening them. When he realized the teacher hadn't called on him, he looked around as Jason and Hercules started to laugh.
Iolaus turned around, confused. "What?" he asked.
"We gotta study our math," Jason said, still laughing.
"Yeah, right," Iolaus said, yawning. "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, "guess it's just you and me."
"Yeah, it appears that way," Jason replied.
A few minutes later, a tall, muscular man burst through the doors, making the cadet's jump. The man carried a sword on his belt and wore a menacing look on his face.
"You must be the new teacher," Feducious greeted, outstretching his 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. I'll be in my office if you need me."
"Sure thing," Retis said flatly. He shuffled through some papers as Feducious left. He looked up and saw the open mouths of all the cadets.
"Okay, cadets, I am your new teacher. My name is Retis. General Retis to you. 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 class," Retis said, looking at Jason and Hercules.
Seeing the mound of blonde curls, Retis started towards the still sleeping Iolaus. Everyone watched, as they were about to see what kind of teacher they would have to deal with. "I also don't like slackers," Retis growled as he grabbed Iolaus by the hair and slammed his head into the desk.
"Ow, what the-" Iolaus yelped, rubbing his head and looking around. Then he saw Retis and both their eyes filled with recognition. "Retis?" Iolaus questioned.
"Iolaus?" Retis questioned back. "Boy, you grew up good. Could almost make your father proud. Still a little short though," Retis continued, receiving fearful looks from Iolaus. "I was just telling the class how much I hate slackers. But I don't think I'll have any problems, do you?"
"No," Iolaus said quietly, looking away from Retis.
Retis returned to his desk and began going over the day's lesion. Hercules wanted to ask Iolaus about his connection with Retis, but menacing looks from the teacher stopped him. Iolaus had no problem staying awake but Hercules watched, as Iolaus would absently rub the side of his head.
Hercules waited impatiently as the lesson drew on. Finally, they moved to the combat room and began the exercises.
"So, Iolaus, what was that all about?" Hercules asked.
"What was what?" Iolaus asked, concentrating more on the exercises.
"You know, that thing with Retis," Hercules pressed.
"It's nothing, OK? He was just a friend of my fathers'," Iolaus defended, brushing his friend off.
"I think it's more than nothing," Hercules continued. "But until you tell me, there's nothing I can do."
"Pardon me ladies, can we get on with the training?" Retis interrupted, stepping up behind them. "In fact, Iolaus, why don't you help me demonstrate the next move."
"No," Iolaus said in a low voice.
"What did you say?" Retis growled.
"If there's one thing you and my father taught me, it's to stand up for my self and know I am. I am not going to be your sparring partner." Iolaus half whispered, looking Retis straight in the eyes.
Retis stared back into Iolaus's icy blues eyes. "Well, you have grown up. Didn't get too much smarter though. Still got that big mouth. And it just got you into a lot of trouble." Then, lowering his voice, Retis continued, "So, did it feel good?"
What pride Iolaus had in his crystal blue eyes was demolished at Retis' last words. He lunged for Retis, pushing him down. Iolaus managed to land a few punches before the general brought up his knee and firmly connected with Iolaus's mid-section, knocking the air out of him. Then, Iolaus was pulled to his feet by Hercules and Jason, who Iolaus just realized were calling his name.
Jumping up, Retis ordered, "Take him to my office!" and left, leaving Herc and Jason to wrestle with the still struggling Iolaus.
"Iolaus!" Hercules demanded, "What's wrong with you? Do you want to go to jail or something?"
Iolaus broke free of their grip and answered, "No, I don't want to be-" then stopping himself, muttered, "forget it."
As Iolaus started to walk away, Hercules told Jason, "Don't worry, I'll talk to him." Jason nodded as he watched Hercules follow their friend.
Iolaus walked quickly back to the bunkroom and sat on his bed. Leaning against the wall, he brought his knees up and hid his face, shrinking into a ball. He couldn't let anyone see him relive these terrible memories of Retis invading him and no one to stand up for the eleven-year-old. But he couldn't cry now, he could hear Hercules trying to sneak up on him.
~
'Boy, Iolaus would be proud of me if he knew how good I learned his tracking skills,' Hercules thought as he approached the bunkroom.
Taking a deep breath, Hercules stepped inside. He saw Iolaus curled into a ball on his bed. After sitting down next to his friend, he quietly asked, "What happened?"
Iolaus looked up and trustingly began, "When I was eleven or so, right before I met you, dad came home from the war and brought his friend, General Retis. I tried to stay away so I didn't get in the way, and that's how I met the Lowacks." Hercules nodded knowingly. Iolaus's dad, General Skoraus, had the shortest temper Hercules had ever seen. Which wasn't good in a house full of kids, and he often took out his anger on Iolaus. So Iolaus ran, and met the gang of local thieves. He remained with them until he was arrested and his choices were jail, or here at the academy. So here he was. "...but I still had to come home at night. I never liked Retis. He would stare at me and try to get close to me. One night, he came into my room and-" Iolaus paused and Hercules could see the tears in his friend's eyes. "He started touching me and made me touch him. I hated him so much because I felt bad for doing it. He kept doing it every night. But the thing is, my parents knew. They had to. He would say how good it felt and no one would stop him. Thankfully, they got called back into battle and left. The next day, I met you."
Hercules could barely believe what he heard as Iolaus looked at him hopefully. "By the gods," he whispered. "Iolaus, I'm sorry, I had no idea..."
"It's okay. So now you know, but you can't tell anyone, okay?"
"I won't," Hercules said, putting his arm around Iolaus.
*@*@*@*@
"So did you talk to him?" Jason asked when he saw Hercules.
"Yeah," Herc replied, "Hey listen, if I tell you something, you promise never to talk about it to anyone but me?"
"Of course, what's wrong?" Jason asked, concerned.
"Iolaus was molested when he was eleven. By Retis." Hercules admitted.
"Oh man, that's terrible. Where is he now?"
"He's in the bunk room. I told him we'd distract Retis for awhile."
"Sure," Jason said with a nod.
The rest of the day went by smoothly. Retis emerged from his office at the end of the practice time but kept to himself. He let Feducious teach the class while he stood in the back and monitored the cadets with an icy glare. Hercules could see the wheels turning in Retis's head. He wondered what the substitute had in mind.
At dinner, Hercules took some bread for Iolaus in between glares from Retis. Soon after dinner was lights out and Hercules made sure he was the first one in the bunkroom. He looked around, but didn't see Iolaus.
"Iolaus?" Hercules asked to the empty room.
"Herc?" Iolaus asked suspiciously as he peeked over the end of the bed.
"Hey buddy, I brought you something to eat," Hercules said as he sat on his friend's bed.
"Hey, thanks! I thought you might have forgotten me," Iolaus joked.
"Now why would I do that?" Hercules asked as he watched his friend begin eating. Then the other cadets began to file in to the bunkroom. Soon all the cadets were there and thankfully, none of them questioned Iolaus' absence that day.
"Man, just who does this Retis guy think he is, anyway?" Ergos asked.
"I know," another cadet chimed in, "he's pretty strict."
As the candles were blown out, someone mumbled, "I miss Cheiron," before falling asleep.
Silently, the other cadets agreed.
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Iolaus woke with a start when he heard someone approach his bed. He couldn't see anything in the dark and before he realized what had happened, he was hit on the head and sent back to the peaceful oblivion he just left.
*&*&*&*&*&*&
The pain in his arms finally made Iolaus push through the darkness that had been so peaceful. He awoke to find himself hanging from a torch holder in Cheiron's office. His arms were tied at the wrist by rope, which was starting to dig into the skin. Retis sat at the desk, nursing a goatskin of whine.
Iolaus felt a wave of dizziness as Retis said, "Well, look who's up. How's it hangin', boy?" Retis began laughing at his own joke as he approached Iolaus.
"Retis?" Iolaus asked, squinting. The dizziness and pain made his eyes blurry.
"That's General Retis to you," he growled, his face close to Iolaus'. Iolaus's feet were off the ground so they were the same height and Iolaus could smell the alcohol on Retis' breath. Relaxing, Retis continued, "You know what being at war is like, boy?" he asked, pulling a knife from his belt.
Iolaus swallowed, partly out of fear, partly from the nausea that threatened to over take him.
Retis let the blade trace down Iolaus's ribs and mid-section as he continued, "You get lonely. You miss the good old days," Retis said, smiling a drunken smile.
@**@*@**@*@**
"No!" Hercules yelled as he woke with a start.
Jason grabbed his sword he kept by his bed and sat up. They both sat, looking around the bunkroom in the moonlight as the rest of the cadets just moaned or mumbled and rolled over in their beds. "Jeeze, Herc. Don't do that!" Jason half-whispered.
"Sorry, I had a nightmare," Hercules said, calming himself.
"About...?" Jason asked.
"About," Hercules looked for Iolaus and noticed the empty bunk. "Where's Iolaus?"
"I don't know," Jason replied, surprised at their friend's absence.
Hercules thought for a second before remembering their earlier conversation. He jumped out of bed and ran into the hallway, Jason at his heels.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Retis landed another blow to Iolaus's exposed stomach, leaving Iolaus gasping for air.
"But you have developed nicely. For a runt," Retis taunted, waving the wine in his hand. "But what would your father say about your hair?" He said, reaching for his knife again. He dropped it and realized he was too drunk to hold it. Then he started hitting his prisoner instead. Retis just punched Iolaus in the face, giving the cadet both a bloody nose, and knocking him out.
Retis started swaying but got ready for another swing when Hercules and Jason burst through the doors Retis carelessly left unlocked. They froze, taking in the scene. Iolaus was bloody and unconscious, hanging from a torch holder on the wall while Retis stood there smiling and swaying slightly.
"Nice of you boys to drop in, "Retis said.
Hercules lunged for him, both bodies falling to the ground. To Hercules' dismay, he only got one blow in before Retis passed out. He would have kept going anyway, but decided to help Jason retrieved Iolaus instead. Once they got him down, they laid him on the floor. Hercules began checking his friend as Feducious entered the room.
"By the gods, what happened?" he asked, running over to where the cadets were gathered around Iolaus.
"It was Retis. He tied up Iolaus and was hitting him," Hercules said, looking up at Feducious.
Then he noticed blood on the wall where Iolaus had been. He reached behind Iolaus and felt the warm stickiness of blood.
When Hercules pulled back his hand, Feducious ordered, "Lets get him to the treatment room."
Jason reached for Iolaus but Hercules already picked him up and wad heading for the door. Feducious followed close behind, so Jason decided to stay and tie up Retis.
~
Hercules gently laid Iolaus down on the examining table. Feduciuos began looking him over and announcing the injuries. "No broken ribs, although he'll be sore for a while. Bloody nose, and probably a concussion." He grabbed a nearby candle and held it close to Iolaus's face while he opened each eye. "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.
"Get me some water and a rag while I make a pulpice for his head."
Hercules ran to get the items while Feducious selected the right herbs and crushed them. When Hercules returned, Feduciuos began cleaning off Iolaus's face then moved to the back of his head. Hercules rolled Iolaus to his side and held him for Feducious. The cut had stopped bleeding now, partly because Iolaus's hair was matted to it.
"It's deeper than I thought," Feducious said as they rolled Iolaus back. "I'm going to have to stitch it." He was already getting the supplies when Iolaus opened his eyes.
"Iolaus?" Hercules asked, concerned.
"What happened?" he asked, looking around.
"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.
"It's okay, Jason's taking care of him." Hercules comforted. "Iolaus, he didn't do anything else to you did he?" Herc hinted, looking Iolaus in the eyes.
Lowering his gaze, Iolaus answered, "No."
"Iolaus, I need you to roll on your side while I stitch the cut." Feducious interrupted. Iolaus obeyed as Feducious continued, "I'm going to put on something to numb it first, I don't want you going back to sleep." Iolaus nodded. "Hercules, why don't you go help Jason?"
"Uh, are you sure you don't need any help?" Hercules asked, worried about leaving his friend in this state.
"No, I think we'll manage," Feducious replied. He laid a hand on Iolaus's arm, who flinched at the touch.
"Ok, I'll be back soon," Hercules said to Iolaus before he turned and was out the door.
"Thanks," Iolaus said.
"You're welcome. I know how having someone hovering over you isn't comfortable. He just gets worried."
"That's why we're best friends," Iolaus replied, smiling.
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"Jason! Cut it out! You'll kill him!" Hercules shouted, preventing Jason from hitting the still unconscious Retis again.
"I can't let him get away with doing that to my friend," Jason shouted back, struggling against Hercules.
"He's not going to get away with it. You can count on it. He's going to jail for a long time," Hercules replied, his voice softer.
Finally, Jason stopped struggling. "How can he call himself a man, let alone a war hero?"
"What's really wrong?" Hercules asked, knowing there was more to this emotional outburst than the king of Cornith was letting on.
"Its' nothing. I've just seen this happen before, you know? These guys hurt girls I know and walk away from punishment. It's not right." Jason finished, looking Hercules in the eyes.
"Jason, Iolaus is fine. The gash on his head isn't so attractive, but it'll heal. And so will the girls. That's in the past, let it go. Now come on, let's go see how Feducious made out with Iolaus."
Jason smiled. "You know, if this keeps up, people might think they like each other."
"Ha! That'll be the day!" Hercules joked as he pulled Jason back out into the hallway.
~@~
"Iolaus, I swear! Don't think I won't tie you down!" Feducious complained as he kept Iolaus 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.
"Sleep?" Feduciuos challenged, "For one, it's dangerous for you to sleep yet, and two, classes start in an hour."
"Well maybe if they didn't start at 4:30," Iolaus started.
"That's not my decision! You want to change the Academy rules, you talk to Cheiron! Until then..."
"You see?" Hercules nudged Jason. "Looks like things are back to normal already!"
