"Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia, oh Lydia the tattooed lady!"

Hercules winced and covered his eyes as his blond friend warbled happily at the tree tops, carolling fit to rival the birds. Or at least the bats. "Iolaus, will you please shut up!" he demanded.

"Why?" Iolaus turned a drunkenly, engaging look on the taller man.

"You want to wake the Dryads?"

"Ooh, yeah. Dryads. I love dryads!" Flinging his arm wide to embrace the flower scented evening, Iolaus tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his face, where he promptly started cuddling a tree bole and crooning affectionately to it. "Hello, darling. Are you listening, my little acorn?"

Hercules groaned again. He was tempted to pick Iolaus up under one arm and carry the smaller man home. But the last time he had done that he had spent a week counting his bruises. His friend had the temper of an enraged dragon on him. Reaching down, he caught Iolaus by one arm and lifted him to his feet. "We have to go home," he told him firmly.

"Ah, don't be so stuffy." Iolaus poked him in the chest with a stiff finger: a gesture that no-one else would have dared to make. "You should have had a couple more dwinks to celebrate the happy couple, Herc." He giggled as the hero's name came out sounding more like a hiccup than anything else.

"You're drunk."

"So? S'fun." Shrugging happily, Iolaus tottered back to his tree trunk and draped himself along it. "Cooeee, dryad! Come out, come out wherever you are! Come and pla-ay!"

Rolling his eyes skywards, Hercules grabbed him and started dragging his friend on down the path. Iolaus resisted and dug his heels in, but there was no way he could break Hercules' grip.

"I don't wanna go home," Iolaus protested. "Why can't we go back to the party?"

"Because you always get us into trouble," Hercules retorted.

"Me?" Iolaus gave him an innocent look and then peered hopefully at the nearest tree. "Why can't we go find a couple of dryads?"

"Because."

"Because what?" Iolaus gazed up him at in curiosity.

"I don't want to."

"I do."

"Yeah, I know you do," Hercules snorted, well aware of how affectionate Iolaus could be.

"You can go home if you want. I want to stay here and party!"

"It's high time you got married," Hercules muttered darkly.

"Don't want to."

"It'd be good for you."

"Love hurts," Iolaus retorted firmly, shrugging away from the bigger man's grip and waving a finger in the approximate direction of Hercules' nose. "Xena was, was.....well, she was and I don't want to get married. I don't want to be hurt or used again."

Hercules sighed. He could hardly argue the score on that one. For all his bouncy attitude, he knew how hurt Iolaus had been by the Warrior Princess. "It isn't always like that," he said him gently, thinking of his own much missed beloved.

Iolaus squinted at him, his expression turning mournful. "I'm sorry, Herc. Didn't mean to remind you."

Forcing a grin, Hercules draped an arm around his friend's shoulders. "It's okay. We had our good times."

Iolaus brightened up and jabbed an elbow into his ribs. "You need cheering up. If we can find some Dryads...."

"How do you think you're going to find them? You know how shy they are."

Iolaus smirked. "I know an old hunter's trick...."

"I really want to meet this old hunter some day," Hercules muttered. "Look, why don't we go home and you can sleep the ale off and we can go looking for Dryads tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"You don't think they're going to come anywhere near us now, do you? Your singing's probably frightened them all off."

"Nothing wrong with my singing," Iolaus pouted.

"You could frighten dragons with it. Did you hear something?" Hercules peered suspiciously into the dark shadows under the trees. Iolaus' meanderings when they left the village had taken them well off the normal path. In itself that wasn't a problem. Hercules had a pretty good sense of direction and Iolaus' was even better - at least when he wasn't drunk - and they had grown up in the forests and hills, but you never could tell what might be lurking off the beaten track in the darkness of the forest. He was sure he had heard a horse snorting.

"No," Iolaus growled. "And don't change the subject. What's wrong with my singing?"

"The songs for a start. Don't you know any that aren't dirty?" Hercules answered absently, his attention on the rustling in the bushes.

Iolaus frowned, struggling to think through the fog in his thoughts. "There's the one about Narcisususus...." he slurred.

"Who?" Amused and distracted, Hercules glanced down at him.

"Narcisususus...." Iolaus repeated with a struggle to control his tongue's sibilation.

"Narcissus?"

"That's what I said."

"No, it isn't. That's a dirty one anyway."

"Only bits of it." Iolaus started frowning again, flicking through a mental file of songs he knew. "Uh how about...Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."

"Shut up, Iolaus!" Hercules grinned and looked round again, His grin faded as he caught the glint of starlight on a drawn sword. "How do you feel about a fight?"

"Where and who with?" Iolaus gazed up at him eagerly.

"How about now?" A dark leaved bush commented from their right.

As Hercules shoved his friend behind him and squared up to the menacing voice, Iolaus peered around him in fascination. "Do you get male Dryads?" he asked, prodding Hercules in the back.

"Where do you think you get little Dryads from?"

"Acorns?" Despite his teasing tone, Iolaus frowned and peered suspiciously at the bush as it unfolded and turned into a large, burly man wearing stiff leather armour and wielding a nasty looking sword. His shaved head gleamed as if polished. "He doesn't look much like a Dryad to me."

"Will you shut up about the dryads?" Hercules told him impatiently, turning a glare on the warrior. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Um, Herc?" Iolaus prodded him in the back again.

"Now what? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Uh huh. But, look behind us."

"What?!" Hercules flashed a glance over his shoulder and frowned in exasperation as he realised they were surrounded. He swung back to the big man in front of them. "Okay. I assume you're out to rob us. But you're really wasting your time. We don't have money on us."

"That's a pity. Guess we'll have to sell you then."

"Sell us?" Iolaus growled dangerously.

"No, only him." The warrior pointed at Hercules casually and smirked at Iolaus. "Paulus wants you."

"Paulus?" Iolaus muttered. "Paulus? Why does that name remind me of something? Something do with slaves? Oh, never mind...."

Hercules put out one arm to stop Iolaus lunging at the warrior. Normally he would have let his friend slice and dice the man, but neither of them had gone armed to the Wedding Feast. It would have been impolite. And Iolaus was in no shape for a fist fight against armed and vicious warriors. "Look, we don't want any trouble."

"Pity, 'Cause you've got it." the big man pointed his sword at Iolaus. "You can tell your pretty little friend there that he doesn't have to worry. Paulus will be happy to see him."

"Little?! Did he call me little?!"

"Actually he called you pretty which is even more worrying." Taking a step back, Hercules wound his fist firmly into the neck of Iolaus' jerkin and held on tight before he attacked. "Heel, Iolaus," he warned. "There's five of them to two of us. It's hardly a fair fight. Let's be reasonable about this."

The lead warrior snorted. "What? You frightened you're going to get hurt?"

"No, I was thinking you probably would," Hercules sighed. It got awfully boring at times fighting everyone who wanted to prove himself stronger and better than he was. A low rumble from Iolaus made him grin however. "And if you're not careful, I'll let him handle you on his own."

"Him?" the warrior sneered in disdain. "Ooh, I'm scared."

"You should be," Iolaus spat. "Tell him who you are, Herc!"

"Do I have to?"

"What? Suddenly you're shy?" Iolaus demanded in exasperation and turned back to the warrior. "He's Hercules."

"Oh sure, he is. Look," the warrior turned casually to Hercules. "We're not interested in your money. Or you. We want him." He pointed at Iolaus.

"Him?" Hercules said in surprise.

"Me?" Iolaus echoed. "What for?"

"Paulus says the signs are propitious for sacrifice. You're it, toots." The warrior beckoned him forward. "So, you come along with me and your farmer friend there won't have to get hurt."

Iolaus looked up at Hercules doubtfully. Hercules had a stony expression on his face that boded trouble. "What if I don't want to be sacrificed?"

"We feed long legs to the fishes."

"Iolaus isn't going anywhere," Hercules rumbled flatly as Iolaus growled dangerously at the threat. "Certainly not to be sacrificed. Who is this Paulus anyway? And what makes you think Iolaus is the one you're looking for?"

"Paulus saw him in a vision. We were told he would be here tonight. He was born in the right time and the right place. His sacrifice will renew the bonds and bring power to Paulus."

"How's he know when I was born?" Iolaus complained.

"He scried it," the warrior answered shortly and pointed his sword at him. "Look, short stuff, I don't have to keep answering your questions! I'm the one who’s armed!"

"Short stuff?!" Iolaus screeched in insult.

"Down, boy. What bonds?" Hercules asked warily, holding his friend back, although he was tempted to let him have his own way.

"Don't you start! Solius, the great one, eater of souls."

"Souls?" Iolaus squeaked. "I don't like the sound of this. Look, an unwilling sacrifice is no sacrifice at all."

"Solius enjoys unwilling sacrifices the best. You coming or I do I have to fetch you?"

Iolaus shot another quick look up at Hercules and got a minuscule nod of response. The blond warrior moved forward as Hercules let him off the leash, bristling as the warrior bent to drag a set of slavers chains from a sack at his feet. As he straightened up, Iolaus kicked him where it hurt and dived to catch the sword he dropped. He spun around to help Hercules as the rest of the warriors closed in on the big man and was horrified to see that they had come prepared. Hercules bellowed in fury as a heavy net was tossed over him and he was dragged to the ground tangled in the thick netting. Iolaus belted forward, swinging around him with the sword as two warriors detached themselves from those pinning Hercules to engage the blond. Drink had slowed his reflexes and he went down as one of them tripped him. Rolling, he came up and around in time to hear Hercules yell a warning and look up as the lead warrior swung a tree branch at his head. Stars exploded in his vision and he sank into unconsciousness with no time to even protest at the unfairness of it.

"Iolaus!" Seeing his friend crumple, Hercules surged upwards, his massive strength ripping the netting as he tore free and lunged at the lead warrior. Then someone hit him from behind and he went down with a thud, his grasping hands mere inches from the warrior's feet.

"Maybe he is Hercules," one of the men muttered.

The lead warrior swallowed and wiped one hand over his sweating pate. "It doesn't matter now. Secure him with the net and leave him. We have what we came for...."

* * *

Hercules awoke to a low muttering voice and a tugging at the heavy blankets that lay over him. No, not blankets, the net.... Iolaus....

As memory flooded in, Hercules snarled and came up fighting. He caught a flash of blue toga as a plump figure scuttled backwards, dropping the knife he had been using on the knot. "Salmonius?" he croaked.

"Who else would bother rescuing you?" the toga salesman turned would be autobiographer retorted. "Do you know how bad this is for your image? Anyone could have come along and found you."

Hercules ignored him. "Where's Iolaus?" he demanded as he clawed the net off and glared around him, fending off a stab of fright at finding the feisty blond missing from the clearing.

"Him? Probably sleeping it off somewhere. He was drinking enough at the feast."

"He was with me," Hercules growled impatiently. "We were attacked and they took him with them. You know anyone called Paulus?"

Salmonius paled. "Who?" he mumbled nervously. "No, can't say as I have. Nope never."

Throwing off the last strands of rope, Hercules rose to his full towering height and glared down at him. "You know who he is. Tell me."

"Really, it's best not to get involved. You really wouldn't get on with him."

"They took Iolaus," Hercules rumbled warningly.

"Did you know you sound like your father?" Salmonius said weakly.

"Now, Salmonius!"

"You have the temper of your father too," the toga salesman muttered sulkily.

"Salmonius!" Grabbing him by the front of his toga, Hercules lifted him bodily to his feet. "Iolaus is in trouble."

"Okay, okay! Paulus is an ex slaver. Calls himself Solius' Chosen. He's been gathering men around him and terrorising the countryside. He's been taking a tithe from the farmers so he leaves them alone."

"He isn't owed a tithe," Hercules rumbled as he started to examine the ground. There were a lot of hoof prints trampled into the mud. "Why didn't anyone tell me about this?"

"You and Iolaus have been away. Who's going to ruin the wedding to tell you at the feast?"

Hercules rubbed one hand over his face and sighed. "I can't be everywhere at once," he muttered. "Exactly who is Solius?"

"Some kind of giant snake, I think. It's his.....pet."

"Where do I find him?"

"Who? Solius or Paulus?"

"Yes," Hercules snapped. "Both of course!"

"Well, I'm not sure I can give you exact directions...."

"Then you can come with me and show me the way," Hercules retorted grimly. "Come on, whoever ever took Iolaus had horses. We need to move fast..."

* * *

There is something about travelling upside down on a horse that can make even the toughest of men quail at the best of times, and Iolaus was hardly in the best of condition when he finally surfaced from the thick fog of unconsciousness to find himself tightly bound and tied across a saddle with a knee in his face. He made one attempt to lift his head that earned him a fierce crack across one ear and then reluctantly decided to settle down and control his temper - at least until he was right side up. Enduring the ride wasn't easy and it was pitch dark by the time he smelt wood smoke and roasting pig. Right then though, food was the furthest thing from his mind considering how sick he felt.

The horse was reined in and Iolaus was unceremoniously released and shoved to the ground. Staggering dizzily, he sank to his knees with a rattle of wrist and ankle chains and slowly swayed forward, starting a slide back towards unconsciousness. A tight hand winding into his hair and nearly yanking it out by the roots brought him fully awake again with a yelp of pain and fury. A pair of black leather clad legs stood braced in front of him as his head was dragged up and back. Squinting for focus, Iolaus focused on the bull chested figure in front of him and instantly wished he hadn't as he recognised the ugly features of Paulus. A livid scar made the ex-slaver's face even worse as it distorted his cheek and eye and Iolaus shuddered as memory flooded back in past the cushioning effects of the wine. Paulus had received that scar at the hands of the warrior the day the slave trader had caught him.

Despite having been half unconscious at the time, Iolaus could still recall being dragged into the swamp by Paulus and his loathsome attempts at seduction. Iolaus had nearly gutted him with his own knife and spent the rest of the day getting drunk at the first inn he got to. Hercules had been furious with him when he found him for not meeting him as promised, until Iolaus had explained. But he had never told his friend how dirty had felt after Paulus' hands had been on him or who it had been. "I thought I killed you!" he blurted in dismay.

"You almost did. Welcome to your personal Hades, Iolaus. It's been quite a while. But like I said, I never forget a face." Paulus backhanded the blond warrior across the face with brute strength, slamming him to the ground where he promptly kicked him in the ribs a couple for times for good measure. Only Iolaus' miserable retching for breath made him back off and turn to the lead warrior: only out of a care for his boots rather than sympathy. "Was he alone, Lucius?"

"No. There was another man with him. But we took care of him."

"Excellent. We don't want anyone coming looking for him." Paulus sneered, toeing Iolaus over onto his back. "Changed your tastes, have you, precious?"

Iolaus snarled. "I should have castrated you when I had the chance!"

"You may wish you had later," Paulus chuckled nastily. "Who was your friend?"

"Don't you wish you knew," Iolaus muttered, flinching as Paulus slapped him again. He turned fierce blue eyes on Lucius. "What did you do with him?"

"Killed him. What did you expect?"

The flash of shock and hurt in Iolaus' eyes made Paulus laugh in delight. "Oh, this is simply too good. You should have brought the other one here alive. I wish I could have seen your face when we tortured him."

Gritting his teeth, Iolaus forced his emotions back under control with a hard swallow. "I don't believe you," he said icily. "You couldn't kill Hercules."

"Hercules?" Paulus echoed in abrupt alarm. "Did he say Hercules? Is that true? Is that who he was with?"

"That's what he said. But we killed him anyway."

"You're sure?"

"You should have seen the rock I hit him with. He's not going to bother us," Lucius said smugly, sounding like he planned to dine out on this one. "I'm the man who killed Hercules. Sound goods, huh?"

"You'd better remember whose son he is before you start boasting," Iolaus growled in warning and then gasped back into silence as Paulus kicked him again.

Paulus raised an eyebrow at him that did nothing to improve his looks. Reminded by the pull of scar tissue of why Iolaus was here, he leaned down closer to the blond and ran a thumb down the scar that marred his already ugly features. "You should have killed me, not left me to rot in that swamp."

Iolaus turned his face away from the rotten stench of Paulus' breath and fought back a shudder of revulsion as the ex-slave trader ran an admiring hand over his chest. "Get on with it if you're going to kill me."

"No, I'm not gong to do that. I have other plans." The way he said it made Iolaus shiver inside. "Look at me, precious." Cupping his chin in cold, calloused fingers Paulus forced his head around again, holding him still when Iolaus twisted helplessly to escape his grip and leaving bruised from his grip. "I can be reasonable. Join us. You can be my second in command."

"But..." Lucius started a protest.

"Shut up!" Paulus screamed at him, then swung back to Iolaus with a slimy croon. "I promised you everything once. Wealth, power, anything you wanted." His breathing quickened as he caressed the line of Iolaus' jaw, his fingers sliding down to slide the jerkin from his shoulder. "The offer still stands. Ares grants me power. And all you have to do is be nice to me."

"Screw you, Ares and the horse you rode in on!!" Iolaus yelled.

"Well, if that's what you really want," Paulus laughed, cupping his hand against the warrior's lips. "I'm sure it could be arranged."

Iolaus stiffened and bit him, making Paulus scream in pain and wrench his bloody hand away before he started bludgeoning the bound man about the face and shoulders with his free hand. Iolaus curled up under the abuse, stoically enduring the punishment and hugging his satisfaction to him as a shield.

At long last, Paulus calmed down and stood panting over his victim. He prodded him in the ribs with a sharp toe. "All right, precious. You've had your fun. Will you join me or not?"

"Never," Iolaus gasped as Lucius yanked him to his feet and pushed him against Paulus.

Paulus smirked and set his hands on the warrior's shoulders. "It's a pity, you and I could have had such fun. Instead, I'm going to sacrifice you. You leave me no choice. Get him out of my sight."

Iolaus dug in his toes as Lucius attempted to drag him away. "You're going to be sorry when Hercules gets here!"

Paulus merely folded his arms across his blue silk draped chest and shrugged. "He's not coming. You're the one who’s going to be sorry you ever turned me down."

* * *

"Hercules! Will you slow down!"

Salmonius' unhappy wail made Hercules rein his horse in and look back. Salmonius was jolting along on his horse like a bag of vegetables. He looked extremely uncomfortable. The horse wasn't looking too happy either.

"I need to rest," he wheezed as the horse came to a grateful halt alongside Hercules' borrowed stallion.

"There's no time."

"Look, you don't even know Iolaus is still alive..." Salmonius began, then cringed at the dangerously bleak expression that crossed Hercules' normally easy going face.

"He'd better be or someone is going to pay." Hercules answered as he nudged his horse into a trot.

"I've never seen you like this," Salmonius said feebly as his mare followed whether he wanted her to or not.

Hercules shot a quick look at him. "No, I suppose you haven't. Iolaus and I have been friends for a long time. We've been through a lot together." He paused and smiled faintly, recalling his friend's often voiced complaint that no-one ever remembered him. I remember you, Iolaus. Always. How could I forget? "We fought the Hydra together."

Salmonius sniffed. "Yes, well, I'm sure he did something very important. But it's not good press."

"Salmonius!" Hercules began angrily, then caught himself.

"Yes?" the toga salesman gave him an innocent look, oblivious to how close he was walking to the edge of the precipice.

"Write your book. But when you write about the Hydra, you tell it the way it really was. With Iolaus."

"Well, we'll see..."

"I mean it, if it isn't right there won't be any book. I'll let Iolaus feed it to you, scroll by scroll. And that'll probably be the painful way."

Salmonius shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. "Assuming we ever find him. We've been riding for miles. I'm starting to get saddle sores on my saddle sores."

Hercules grunted absently, doing his best to tune the chubby merchant's complaints out. He wanted to come up with some kind of plan for rescuing Iolaus when they found Paulus' encampment, but all he could see was Iolaus crumpling to the ground. To force his mind off the image, he turned back to his companion. "What else do you know about this Paulus? You said he was a slave trader?"

Salmonius managed to shrug without quite falling off his horse. "And one with odd tastes, yes. He used to deal in male slaves and check out the merchandise himself, if you know what I mean?"

"I know," Hercules looked sickened.

"According to rumour, someone nearly castrated him and he lost interest in the trade. Instead he started gathering a small army around him in Ares name."

"Wonderful. Anything else?"

"I know Lucius, that's his second in command, has been asking a lot of questions about Iolaus in the villages. Seems like he and Paulus had a run in before."

"What? You never mentioned that before!"

"You didn't ask."

"Did you at least tell Iolaus?"

"Somehow it never came up in the conversation. And we were having such a good time at the party....." Salmonius caught the look Hercules gave him, swallowed hard and rushed on. "I was going to. Really."

"When?"

"Well, tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Hercules repeated grimly. "Don't you think that is a little late?"

"How was I to know this would happen?"

Hercules rolled his eyes and shook his head, his long brown hair flying in the night breeze. "Salmonius, you'd better tell me everything you know about this or you are really going to make me angry."

"All right, all right. You don't have to be so pushy."

"I don't have time for this," Hercules rumbled.

"Look, this guy Lucius came to the village asking about Iolaus: when was he coming, where he was staying and for how long. That kind of thing. I was curious."

"Surprise, surprise."

"If you're going to be sarcastic....."

"Get to the point."

"I asked a few questions of my own. I thought there might be a story in it. A good writer always...."

"Salmonius...."

"I talked to the inn keeper. He said Iolaus came in to his inn one day, covered in mud and looking like he'd been in a fight. He mumbled something about Paulus when he'd been drinking a while.....Hercules, are you listening to me?" Salmonius was disgruntled by the distant expression in Hercules' eyes.

"So that's it. I knew there was something more to it than he told me..." After a long moment, Hercules looked at him, then he pointed ahead through the trees. "We've wasted long enough. Iolaus is in great danger. Now, we have to hurry. Are you coming with me or not?"

"I...." Salmonius started to stutter in panic.

"If not, tell me how to find this encampment."

* * *

Iolaus jerked back to full consciousness with a gasp of shock as something cold drenched his head and cascaded in a chilly waterfall over his bruised and battered body. It stung the cuts on his back and dribbled stickily down his bare shoulders and chest. He licked at it instinctively as it trickled over his lips, startled by its sweetness where he had expected water.

The taste helped clear his foggy thoughts. Only vaguely did he remember where he was at first and it took him a few disconcerting moments to catch up on events even as he wriggled vainly to get free. A full moon threw enough silvery light to show him where he was. He was tied spread-eagled on a frame between two carved stone uprights, his wrists bound to a wooden pole too high above his head for him to be comfortable standing and his ankles similarly tied to a pole at his feet. The wind worn stones were carved with serpents and stood in the centre of a level black stone flagged platform. Below him, he could see the lights of Paulus' encampment among the trees.

Above his head twin torches flamed, their smoke snatched away by a rising night wind that chilled him to the bone. Every muscle in his body hurt and there didn't seem to be as much an inch of skin left unbruised, grazed or cut. Paulus had taken great pleasure in watching the brutish Lucius strip him to the waist and lay into him with a hazel switch.

Scowling at the memory and using his fury to fuel his strength, Iolaus flexed his knees, attempting to break the pole at his feet. He froze at a low moan that came from behind him. "Who's there?" he demanded, taking a silent bet that whoever it was, was neither in pain nor on his side.

"Who else are you expecting, precious?" Paulus asked dryly as he loomed up from the shadows and leaned casually on a stone upright. Reaching out, he ran one hand over the warrior's hip and down to pat and cup his buttocks.

Iolaus twisted away from his fondling hand, snarling in sickened fury. "Keep your hands off me!"

Paulus laughed nastily. "You forget yourself. You're mine now. To do with as I please."

"Let me down from here and we'll see about that," Iolaus answered. "Only you daren't do that, dare you? You're scared to face me in an even fight. You couldn't even beat me yourself."

"I prefer to watch," Paulus replied stiffly.

"Why? Is that all you're capable of these days? I heard you had to give up slaving because you couldn't break them in any more! I guess I came closer with that knife than I thought." Iolaus sneered without thinking and cringed inside as he saw the ex-slaver's expression change. Well, now I've done it. That was definitely the wrong thing to say. One of these I have got to listen to Hercules and learn some common sense!

"I can break you in. I am quite capable of that," Paulus snarled, an evil glint appearing in his eyes as he straightened up and eased closer to the bound warrior. He drew his knife, pressing it against Iolaus' hip and drawing it down to slice open the leather from mid hip to knee. He laughed at the flicker of dismay in Iolaus' eyes as he circled him, sliding one hand across his buttocks in passing before slicing open the leather down the warrior's other thigh.

Iolaus winced as he drew a hair line of blood from his skin, doing his best to suppress his panic. "Paulus, this is not going to get you anywhere. Hercules is coming. You can bet on it."

"Assuming Lucius is lying - which he probably is - you won't be in any fit state to tell him anything if he does get here. But do you really think he's going to bother that much about you?"

"Think? No. Know, yes."

Paulus chuckled dirtily and laid his head on the warrior's shoulder while he ran the flat of the knife across Iolaus' midriff. "Getting excited, are we?" he asked as Iolaus shivered at the chill caress of the metal.

"If you're going to kill me, get on with it."

"Ah, but I'm not going to kill you. First, I have a little fun, then I leave you to Solius to dispose of. Of course, if being eaten alive doesn't appeal, you could always come willingly to my bed. I'm sure Hercules finding you tucked up in bed with me would make him change his mind about rescuing you."

"I'd rather be eaten alive, thanks."

Paulus squeezed the warrior's buttocks hard and started to work on releasing Iolaus' leather belt. "Makes no difference to me. I'd have killed you later anyway," he replied viciously. "Unwilling is as much fun as compliant. You wouldn't have been willing anyway, would you?"

This is not what I would call going out in style, Iolaus thought nervously, wondering if he was going to be sick as he listened to Paulus' maddened cackle and did his best to ignore his fumbling, groping hands.

There was a slithering noise behind him, a soft patter of falling pebbles being dislodged by something moving across the stones. It sounded huge.

That sounds suspiciously like a snake. Oh, boy. Why did it have to be a snake.....? Iolaus wondered distractedly, starting to feel a little hysterical. He wasn't sure which threat was worse right then: what Paulus was planning or the giant snake's snack plans.

"No, Solius! Go back!" Paulus turned to shout into the shadows.

There was a low, ominous sounding hiss of answer.

"I haven't finished with him yet!"

The hiss came again, louder this time and there was a soft 'flumpfing' sound like wings opening.

"All right, all right. You have him!" Paulus snarled petulantly and backed away, releasing his hold on the warrior. "If you survive, we'll have our fun later. Maybe Lucius can join in." He leered at Iolaus for a moment longer, then turned and ran down the slope to vanish into the trees.

The slithering sound came closer and closer until Iolaus could feel warm breath on his back, then there was another soft hiss and a wet warm something licked gently up his back and caressed the nape of his neck. It tickled so much that Iolaus found himself suddenly standing on his toes as all his hair stood on end. Then he glimpsed a forked red tongue flickering over his shoulder, delicately licking off the sweetness of the oil that slicked his body, smoothing over his chest and stomach. Iolaus started to squirm in embarrassed excitement as the gently tickling tongue wash continued, starting to arouse him.

Oh great, this is wonderful, I have to get eaten by a kinky snake that wants to baste me first. This kind of thing never happens to Hercules!

The tongue continued its depredations, gliding over his shoulders and down his back. Where it passed over the marks of the switching, the cuts started to stop their painful throbbing. By now Iolaus was starting to get restless with a completely different kind of discomfort as he wriggled and squirmed in a reluctant attempt to escape. A tiny whimper of confused pleasure escaped him and the licking suddenly stopped. Coils slithered over the rock and an elegantly narrow cobra head appeared in front of him, lustrous black eyes peering up at him from under a half fanned hood of black and emerald.

"I'm thorry, did I hurt you? I couldn't help it. I forgot mythelf. I love the tathte of almond oil, you thee," the snake lisped in a friendly and unmistakably female tone.

"Urk," Iolaus said intelligently, struggling to control his excited pulse along with other portions of his anatomy. Think what Hercules would have to say about you getting turned on by a snake, you idiot! The aberrant thought helped to clear his head. "Aren't you going to eat me?" he blurted.

"What a dithguthting thought. I wath only going to rethue you from that odiouth man, Pauluth. You didn't look like you were enjoying yourthelf. Wath I wrong?"

"Uh no, no, definitely not. Could you untie me? I want to go and kill him."

"That would be rather unwithe of you. He doeth have rather a lot of men you know."

"I have a horrible feeling he's going to be coming back up here with some of them any minute. I think he's changed his mind about sacrificing me: at least to you."

"That would be dathhed unthporting. He'th only thuppothed to do that if I turn down a thacrifice. That'th the deal. Hold thtill." She undulated her way behind him again and her tongue flicked over his back, making him squirm restlessly and moan under his breath.

"I thought you weren't going to eat me," Iolaus mumbled uneasily.

"Thorry, only tathting. You tathte wonderful with almond oil, you know."

"The ropes?" A bellow from down the slope made Iolaus peer downwards warily. He could see torches moving among the shadows. Apparently Paulus had changed his mind about sacrificing Iolaus and planned to have his fun first.

"Oh, yeth, thorry. Thilly me." She nuzzled against his ankles and there was a sudden scrunch as her powerful jaws bit through the pole. Then she rose over him, her shadow plunging him into darkness as it crossed the torches. She bit through the pole his hands were lashed to and Iolaus crumpled, his legs giving way as he wrapped his aching arms around him. Fresh pain washed through him as his joints protested their long confinement. "Ooh, you poor thing," the snake hissed sympathetically, her tongue washing over his shoulders and making him quiver all over again. "Let me help you."

Iolaus patted her nose and delicately pushed her away. "No, I'll be fine. I'd better get out of here."

"But they'll catch you."

"At least I'll go down fighting. Thanks for helping me." Staggering to his feet, Iolaus started to totter towards the edge of the platform.

"I have a better idea," the snake said however and Iolaus froze as long sharp teeth closed carefully on his belt.

"You said you wouldn't eat me," he squeaked in protest as he was swung struggling off his feet and carried rapidly off the platform. A dark archway loomed up ahead of him and the snake slithered rapidly inside and down a narrow torch lit passageway. She deposited him carefully on the floor and then peered behind her, her tail probing against the wall until it nudged against a protruding stone. As Iolaus watched a huge stone slab rumbled down, sealing off the passage they had come down and cutting off his escape route. He only hoped he wouldn't need one.

"There, you're thafe now," the snake told him brightly. "They can't get in. Thith ith my lair."

Pushing himself to his knees, Iolaus stared at her. "You have to be the weirdest underground serpent I have ever met," he said in awe.

"Oh thank you. I'm not really a therpent you know."

"You're not?"

"No. My name'th Tholiuth."

"Tholiuth?"

"No! Tholiuth!"

"That's what I....um, Solius?" Iolaus guessed.

"Yeth. Tholiuth!" she said, sounding pleased that he had got it right. "And you are?"

Tired, he thought, but he kept it to himself. Instead, Iolaus levered himself to his feet and leaned on the wall as he introduced himself. He got the distinct impression that the giant snake was beaming at him, but it might have been the way his head was spinning.

"I think you thhould retht. Come with me to my chamber."

She undulated on ahead, waiting at the turn of the passage to see if he would follow. Shrugging and leaning on the wall for support, Iolaus reeled after her. The way he saw it, he didn't have a lot of choice. At least he was being invited into her lair and not dragged in as a late night snack.

* * *

"Salmonius, are we lost?" Hercules demanded darkly.

"Lost? No, no, of course, we're not lost," Salmonius lied frantically, peering around him in desperation for some sort of landmark. He didn't think Hercules' temper would last much longer if he admitted the truth. "You know how it is, one tree looks much like another."

"Not really. That's the third time we've passed that one." Hercules pointed grimly to a tree as twisted as a grape vine.

"I'm sure the path's around here somewhere."

"It had better be. I wouldn't want to think you'd deliberately got us lost."

Salmonius laughed weakly. "I suppose we could ask a Dryad."

"Very funny," Hercules growled and urged his horse forward. "If you don't know the way, we'll head down into the valley."

"I'm not sure that's a very good idea."

Hercules grunted. "I can see firelight. There has to be someone down there. Maybe they'll know where we are and how to find Paulus."

"Firelight? Really? Where?" Salmonius peered through the thick trees ahead as his mare ambled after Hercules' horse. "Maybe they could spare some food and a goblet of wine. I didn't eat much at the feast and...." he paused as Hercules gave him a filthy look. "Look, it's better than riding in and demanding to know where Iolaus is. It's called subtlety. Paulus doesn't take kindly to strangers, you know."

"I don't take kindly to slave traders. Especially slave traders who think kidnapping my best friend for a sacrifice is a good idea. Are you coming

or not?" Hercules kicked his horse into a gallop without waiting for an answer.

"Maybe writing this book was a bad idea and I should go back to selling togas...." Salmonius muttered as he stared after him.

"Salmonius!" Hercules roared from the forest depths.

"Coming!" Salmonius yelled after him and nudged his own horse into a reluctant run. After all there was always the chance that Paulus and his men would be roaming the woods looking for easy prey.

* * *

Emerging from the darkened tunnel and rubbing a bruised knee received when he tripped - Solius seemed to be able to see perfectly well in the dark -Iolaus came to a halt as delicious, almond scented warmth rolled over his chilled body. Awed, he peered around the torch lit cave, noting a huge depression in the floor that was Solius sized and filled with silks and furs. The tunnel itself ended on a wide ledge with a slope leading down to the cave floor. On the far side of the cave there was a gently steaming pool.

"There, what do you think of my lair?" Solius hissed proudly as she curled her sinuous body neatly on the ledge beside him.

"You live here?"

"Mothtly, yes. Occathionally I go for a thlither round the countrythide and thunbathe when Pauluth ithn't looking. He never cometh in here. I think he'th frightened of me for thome reathon. You look very tired, Iolauth. Would you like to retht?"

Iolaus smiled faintly and patted her glossy hide. She had marvellously soft skin. "You're very sweet, Solius. But I think I should keep moving. Is there another way out of here?"

"There ith, yeth. But it'th a long walk to the next village." Uncoiling, she slid down the slope into the cave, looking back at him as he picked his way down to the floor behind her. "I heard you talking to Pauluth. Ith it true that Herculeth ith coming?"

"I hope so," Iolaus mumbled, eyeing the pool thoughtfully. Its gentle steaming looked very inviting and he was so tired.

"I don't mind thhowing you the way out. But I do think you thhould retht firtht. Perhapth thome food?"

"Food?" Iolaus looked up at her hopefully, then thought better of it as he wondered what she might be likely to eat. "Uh, maybe not."

"I have thome awfully nice cheethe and thome wine. Luciuth bringth it. I think I frighten him too. I'd be ever tho grateful if you'd thtay for a while. I get awfully lonely thomtimes, you thee. No-one in the village will talk to me thince I became a therpent. But I really don't eat people dethpite what Pauluth thayth."

For a moment she looked so forlorn that Iolaus found himself patting her again in sympathy. "Maybe I can stay for a while. At least until Hercules gets here. He's nice. You'll like him."

"That would be tho thweet of you. Would you like thome cheethe and wine too?"

Fingering the back of his throbbing head and detecting the bump where Lucius had clobbered him, Iolaus grimaced. "I think the wine would be bad idea, but the cheese would be good."

"I have thome fresh bread too. And apples. The villagerth leave me giftth so I don't eat them." She slithered gracefully across the cave, nudging past a leather curtain and emerging with a wicker basket which she carried in her mouth back to him.

Iolaus perched on a convenient rock to open it, enticed by the smell of fresh bread. He was surprised how hungry he was as bit into an apple. Solius elegantly curled up next to him. "So, how did you become a snake then?"

"Aphrodite put a thpell on me when I wouldn't thleep with Apollo. I thort of made an arrangement with her to protect me, you thee. I didn't expect her to turn me into a therpent to do tho though."

"Arrangement?" Iolaus wondered as he tucked a wedge of cheese and slice of apple into a hunk of bread and bit into it hungrily.

Solius nodded, her whole body rippling as she did so. "To break the thpell, I mutht protect the man who protectth me and thleep with the one who wantth me for my own thake," she said it in a sing song voice as if she was used to reciting it. "I've protected all the thacrificeth and none of them ever broke the thpell."

"Aphrodite is as capricious as all the rest. So how did you get stuck with Paulus?"

"I was living here all on my own and he and his men thort of moved in. They're an awfully rowdy bunch. But I felt thorry for all those poor people he wanted to thacrifice to me, tho I could hardly leave. Bethideth, he threatened the villagerth if I didn't co-operate with him. I thought I could break the thpell if I helped them. I uthually let the thacrificeth go ath thoon ath I bring them into my lair. They alwayth theem to panic if I don't and they can find they're own way out. It'th not all that hard to find on your own. But I'll thhow you. I think you're thweet."

"Thanks," Iolaus muttered, both pleased and embarrassed by the comment. He absently offered the serpent a slice of apple dipped in honey. She lipped it from his hand, her long tongue tickling over his wrist and licking up his arm. Iolaus' eyes widened and he started shivering again.

"Oh, you're cold, you poor thing. I thought it wath nice and warm in here. Let me get you a fur."

"Uh no," Iolaus said weakly. Cold he was. But that wasn't what was making him shiver. "I'll only make it dirty."

"Oh." Solius paused, swaying over him hypnotically. "Would you like a bath then? The water'th ever tho warm."

"Bath?" Iolaus slid a longing look towards the steaming pool. The thought of sliding into its warm embrace and washing off the feel of Paulus' hands made his toes curl in pleasure.

"Yeth. It'th heated by an underground thpring. Thith ith why I chothe thith cave for my lair. Therpetnth like to keep warm you know. I thunbathe a lot too."

Iolaus promptly peeled off his boots and padded across to the edge of the pool. He dabbled his bare toes in the hot water and sighed in pleasure.

"Why don't you take the retht of your clotheth off?" Solius suggested. "I have thome clean oneth you can wear if you like."

Instinctively, Iolaus started to unbuckle his belt, then paused. "Would you mind turning your back, Solius?"

"Don't be thilly. I'm a therpent."

"Please?" Iolaus could feel himself blushing, which wasn't at all like him.

"Oh, if I mutht. But you are a thpoilthport." There was a slithering sound and Iolaus sneaked a peek over his shoulder to check she really was looking the other way. She had even spread her hood to blinker herself, revealing an underside of glorious buttercup yellow.

"No peeking," he warned as he skimmed out of his torn pants and quickly climbed over the side into the hot almond scented water. As it closed around his aching body, he sighed in deep pleasure and held his breath as he submerged, staying down as long as he could in the gently bubbling pool.

A sudden turbulence in the water and the appearance of Solius' head beside him made him jerk in shock and surface. She lifted her head out of the water quickly.

"Oh there you are," she hissed in obvious relief. "I thought you'd thunk. I didn't think it wath that deep!"

"For you it probably isn't," Iolaus said shakily, telling himself he was being ridiculous and over sensitive after Paulus. She was a serpent, what reason would she have to ogle him? Then again, why had she suggested he stripped off? Of course, maybe clothing would stick in her teeth....

Iolaus shook his head violently - sending water droplets flying from his wet hair - to dislodge the thought and groaned, closing his eyes as his head spun and darkness danced around him. The water surged up around his chest in a gentle wave and he looked up in alarm to find that Solius had slithered carefully into the water with him.

"I don't think you thould be on your own in the water, Iolauth," she told him anxiously as she offered him a coil for support. Feeling dizzy, Iolaus was only to glad to rest against her warmth and let her magical tongue smooth over his cuts and bruises again. He was starting to feel very sleepy, lulled by the bubbling water and her soothing massage.

"I wish there was something I could do for you," he mumbled drowsily and was startled awake by her soft hiss of laughter. "What?!"

"It would be nice if you could rub thome almond oil on me. I get itchy thkin, you thee," she told him. "There'th a thmall bottle behind you on the thhelf."

Iolaus twisted, kneeling on her coils to search a natural shelf along the side of the pool. He found a selection of towels, some perfumed soap and flask of almond oil. It never occurred to him to wonder why a snake should have human sized items around as he unstoppered the bottle and poured a liberal amount into his hand. "Where?" he asked brightly.

She looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment, then lowered her head so he could pour the oil on the top of her head and massage it in. He took his time about it, enjoying the feel of her soft supple skin and the way her tongue was washing his chest in return, sliding downwards until he gasped and had to lean heavily against her.

"No lower, okay?" he gasped.

"Do you want me, Iolauth?" she asked, her lustrous black eyes half hooded with mystery.

"That's a very impractical question," he managed to point out as her tongue curled around his midriff. He forced himself to continue his massage in an effort to distract his libido from a totally pointless arousal. He closed his eyes, striving to think of something else and he groaned as his imagination promptly ran away with him. The soft skin under his hands felt suddenly human, soft and femininely inviting. Solius' hood seemed to shrug like a pair of shoulders, fingers seemed to circle his wrists and guide his hands downward into contact with soft and definitely female curves. Iolaus' eyes shot open and he had a momentary glimpse of almond shaped emerald eyes glowing into his before soft, honey tasting lips covered his and took his breath away.

"Solius?" he gulped as he was released.

"Yeth?" She was smiling at him happily as she cupped his face between her hands. Her hair swirled around them in a cloud of corn silk.

Iolaus instinctively kissed her fingers. "But you're a serpent!"

"Not right now, I'm not." She moved forward, resting her lissom body against his in the warm water. From the way Iolaus' temperature shot up at that point, the water could have turned freezing and he wouldn't have noticed. "I can be human at full moon. I choothe to be human for you thith moon," she whispered, sucking tiny kisses over his face and throat and moving down over his chest. They lingered as she found the black dragon talisman he always wore. "Thith ith appropriate ithn't it?" she hissed mischievously before her fingers danced on across his skin.

Grinning at her, Iolaus sank back in the almond scented water with a sigh of bliss and the occasional yelp as her endearingly clumsy caresses disturbed a bruise. He couldn't fault anything she did with her tongue though and sleep was now the last thing on his mind. When she attempted to move over him though, he stopped her gently and kissed her, drawing her back to the side of the pool and leading her out of the water towards the tangle of fur and silks.

"But Iolauth, you taste so good...." she protested.

"Almond oil, yeah, I know," Iolaus grinned at her as he turned her around to face him.

"Wath I not pleathing you?" She gazed at him anxiously.

"Ah, yeah, but now it's my turn to please you...."

* * *

Shivering in the cold breeze, Salmonius huddled behind Hercules and peered down into the encampment below. There was a lot of restless to-ing and fro-ing going on and no sign that the camp was going to be settling down for the night any time soon.

"Can you see Iolaus?" Salmonius asked hopefully. Maybe they could grab the warrior while no-one was looking and sneak him out of camp.

"No. Be quiet. I'm listening." Easing a step or two closer, Hercules crouched among the bushes and strained his ears to listen. Below him two men had drawn off from the main camp to argue. One of them he recognised as the burly warrior who had originally attacked them - he had a score to settle with him. But he didn't recognise the leather clad man facing him. Something about him made his skin crawl though.

"That's Paulus," Salmonius whispered, seeing who had caught his attention. He had crept after Hercules, afraid to be left alone even for a moment.

"And the other one? With the sword?"

"Lucius. Occasionally known as Luscious."

"Why?"

Salmonius grimaced. "Don't ask. Can you hear what they're saying?"

"Yes. Shut up." Once again Hercules trained his hearing down slope.

"Go into the serpent's lair now? You're mad, Paulus!" Lucius was bellowing.

"I want Iolaus!" Paulus snarled back.

"Then you should have thought of that before you sacrificed him to Solius."

Paulus took a step closer to the burly warrior. "You and I both know she never touches them."

"Then wait until he finds his way out and we'll kill him like we did all the others. That way we can tell the men Solius rejected his sacrifice." Lucius brightened up. "We can have a little fun and sacrifice him to Ares."

"I don't want to wait. I want him now."

Lucius shook his head. "We can't do it. You promised the men that with this sacrifice Solius would obey us and attack on your command. You go in there and drag him out alive to play with and you'll ruin everything."

"She isn't going to obey us anyway! We have to kill her. Now!"

"And she's going to lie there and let you do it?"

"She's a snake, isn't she? We'll burn her out."

"And whose going to light the fires? You? You're terrified of her."

"So are you. I order you to fetch me Iolaus!" Paulus pointed furiously up the hill, making Hercules and Salmonius duck as he seemed to be pointing straight at them.

"You want him that much, fetch him yourself." Lucius growled, folding his arms. "I say we wait until he comes out of the caves."

Paulus glared at him fretfully, his face twisting with greed and mad rage before he slowly managed to control himself. "Very well, you may be right. Iolaus will be all the better for waiting. We'll sacrifice him direct to Ares rather than Solius and tell the men that Ares is displeased with his servant and we have to kill her."

Lucius nodded in satisfaction. "I knew you'd be reasonable in the end, Paulus. Come and have some ale with me. You'll need your strength if you want to play with Iolaus in the morning." With a cheerful slap to the ex-slaver's shoulder, the burly warrior strode off back towards camp. Paulus stared after him with an expression of loathing on his face, threw an angry glance towards the top of the hill and then started downwards after Lucius.

"I almost feel sorry for the snake. But if you ask me, Lucius had better watch his back or he'll end up sacrificed to Ares," Salmonius muttered then realised that Hercules was already ghosting silently up the slope. "Hey! Wait for me! Where are you going?!"

"Ssshhh!" Hercules hissed at him in annoyance. "Lucius mentioned caves and it looks like there's an entrance up here somewhere. Stay here if you want."

"Are you kidding me? I'd rather face the snake than Paulus and his men on my own. Not that I couldn't handle them of course...."

"Shut up, Salmonius," Hercules muttered tiredly.

"Yes, Hercules. But has anyone ever told you how grouchy you get?"

Hercules gave him an exasperated look and kept climbing, half hoping he would leave the man behind. Salmonius meant well, but he had to be one of the most aggravating people he knew. He never seemed to know when to shut up.

* * *

Finding the caves was easier than Hercules expected. The entrance was clearly signposted by two solid, serpent carved, stone pillars positioned on a black stone platform in front of it. Shattered pieces of wood dangled from the pillars, clattering in the chill wind that howled around the hill top. After exploring the platform, Hercules padded over to the cave entrance and peered in. Torches flickered amongst the shadows, dancing in the wind, but there was no other sound nor sign of movement.

"Hercules?" Salmonius wheezed the whisper as he staggered across the platform and held something out to the big man. "Isn't this Iolaus'? I found it over there." He waved back to the pillars.

Hercules took the brightly coloured jerkin in silence, his fingers crumpling the blood stained fabric. "He'd better be alive, Salmonius, or I'm going to kill Paulus," he said darkly.

"Paulus seems to think he would be," Salmonius pointed out hastily. He wasn't certain he liked Hercules in this mood. It reminded him how dangerous a man he could be. "What are we going to do?"

"I'm going to look for Iolaus," Hercules answered grimly and strode into the menacing gloom of the cave entrance. With a low groan of despair, Salmonius scuttled after him, hoping that the hero would protect him both from Paulus if he caught them and the snake if it turned up.

The corridor smelt of wood smoke and something else that made Salmonius sniff appreciatively as he hurried after Hercules. "Almonds? Do you smell roast almonds?"

"This is no time to think of food," Hercules retorted as he lengthened his already long limbed strides. Salmonius puffed along behind him and then yelped as Hercules came to a sudden halt and he slammed into his back. Elbowing the plump merchant backwards, Hercules pointed to the solid stone slab that blocked their progress.

"Oh dear, I suppose we'll have to turn back," Salmonius sighed without so much as hint of regret.

"Not without Iolaus." Hercules glared at him and started to search the walls.

"He's probably found his own way out by now," Salmonius argued. "He seems quite good at taking care of himself."

Hercules snorted. "You don't know him the way I do. Ah ha!" His yip of triumph as he found the notch in the stones that opened the door made Salmonius groan in disappointment. "Now what's the matter?" he demanded as he had to use all his strength to force the 'handle' down to open the sealing slab. Whatever the serpent was, it was strong, he reflected, keeping the thought to himself: Salmonius was scared enough already.

"What the matter, he says? Here we are, entering the underground lair of giant, hungry ferocious serpent, unarmed, with a pack of slave traders right behind us, and he asks what's the matter?"

"You can always go back, you know," Hercules said coolly as he took a torch from the wall sconce to light their way onwards and ducked under the stone slab.

"And you leave you alone? I couldn't possibly do that," Salmonius scuttled after him and watched anxiously as Hercules started peering at the wall again. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for the lock."

"Wouldn't it be better to leave it open? As an escape route?"

"With a pack of slave traders behind us? I think not." Hercules found the stone he was looking for and leaned on it. Again it took most of strength to move it and set the slab to rumbling back down. Satisfied, he once more turned to lead the way downwards with Salmonius scurrying at his heels.

The corridor twisted and turned in a labyrinth of interconnecting tunnels. Except for the light of the flaming torch Hercules carried, it was almost pitch dark until a glimmer of light came from ahead. Salmonius started to hurry forward, fear of the dark overwhelming his caution and Hercules caught the back of his toga to tug him back, "Hold this and let me go first. Remember the serpent," he warned as he handed him the torch and strode on down the slope.

Emerging on a narrow ledge over the cave, the first thing Hercules saw was the gently steaming pool then he saw the serpent rearing its head up over the edge of the ledge and responded instinctively by punching it smack in the snoot. The snake reared back, her hood flaring and her eyes going huge.

"Oh, you bwute," she cried, her eyes tearing with fat silver drops. "You hurt me!"

"I, I....." Hercules stuttered, feeling like several kinds of heel all at once.

"And I wath only going to thay hello!"

"I...." Flabbergasted, Hercules didn't know what to say.

"What have you done with Iolaus, you foul fiend?!" Salmonius demanded from his safe vantage point behind Hercules.

"Foul fiend? Me?" The serpent sniffed in dismayed hurt. "Oh, you're tho cruel!"

"Look, tell us where he is or, or...." Hercules floundered.

"He'll hurt you again," Salmonius threatened for him. The serpent promptly started to cry.

"No, no, I won't..."

"Don't hurt her!" Iolaus' yell bounded across the cave, echoing around them. "Leave her alone, Hercules!"

Hercules let out a sigh of relief as he spotted the blond warrior struggling to his feet and frantically wrapping a length of violet silk around his waist.

"Leave her alone?" Salmonius exclaimed. "She's a giant serpent and we're supposed to leave her alone?"

"Oh, he'th a bwute, Iolauth. He hit me." Retreating from the ledge, the serpent slithered quickly across the cave to Iolaus and tucked her head under his petting hand.

"There, there, it's okay. He didn't mean it. He won't hurt you again. This is Hercules. He's come to rescue me."

"You thaid he wath nice."

"Well, he ith, I mean is nice usually. You caught him unawares."

"You mean I thcared him? Oh no, I didn't mean to do that." The serpent sounded so woebegone that Iolaus glared furiously at Hercules.

"Look, I'm sorry. Really," Hercules said hastily, knowing that look and feeling sorry for the serpent too. "I came to rescue Iolaus from what I thought was a fate worse than death, but I seem to have been wrong." Hercules gave his friend a wry look as he picked his way down to the cave floor. From the fleeting expression that crossed Iolaus' face though, he realised his guess about Paulus' intentions had been right.

"Yeah, well, thanks to Solius, he never touched me," Iolaus muttered, putting his arms around the serpent's glossy neck and hugging her fiercely. Solius responded by giving his chest a loving lick and sighing heavily.

"I thuppothe thith meanth you want to leave now," she hissed sadly.

Iolaus sighed. "Trust me, I really don't want to."

"But I do trutht you, Iolauth," she hissed affectionately, her tongue tickling his ear and making him grin.

"Well, I think it'd be a good idea if he put some clothes on first," Hercules commented dryly, turning to help Salmonius scramble down into the cave beside him.

"Oh, I don't know, violet suits him," Salmonius grinned as he thrust the torch he was carrying into a gap in the rocks and busily started brushing himself off.

"You have very good tathte," Solius congratulated him. "I told him it thuited him, but he wouldn't believe me."

Salmonius chuckled, amused by the lethal glare Iolaus gave him. "He could make a good living selling togas. How about it, Iolaus? Want to do some modelling?"

"No." Reminded of his rapidly slipping state of dress, Iolaus hitched the silks back up around him and plumped down firmly in the fur bedding. The sudden movement showed an inadvertent amount of skin covered in bruises and cuts before he snatched at the slithering silk again. Hercules frowned as he moved towards him.

"Are you going to be able to travel?" he asked in concern. "You look terrible."

"What? These?" Iolaus dismissed his wounds with a too casual shrug and a wince to match. "They're nothing."

"Pauluth and Luciuth hurt him, Herculeth," Solius hissed however. "I did my betht to help, but he thhould retht. He wouldn't lithten to me."

"That sounds familiar," Hercules snorted.

Folding his arms, Iolaus glared up at them. "I'm fine. I would've thought I'd proved that to you, Solius."

She hissed softly and ran her tongue affectionately over his bare shoulder. "You thtill need to retht," she told him.

"And he will. I'll see to that," Hercules said firmly, giving Iolaus a quelling look when the warrior would have argued. "But not here. It isn't safe. Paulus has plans to burn you out, Solius. He means to kill you and - eventually - Iolaus." Hercules noted that Iolaus paled slightly at the comment and he could understand why. He wouldn't have been too happy if Paulus had had plans for him either.

"I don't suppose you stopped off to find a sword for me, did you?" Iolaus asked hopefully.

"No, I'm afraid not. But Salmonius found something that is yours." Salmonius quickly handed over the warrior's favourite jerkin to him and Hercules was pleased when his friend smiled tiredly. He wasn't used to Iolaus looking so glum. "Solius, do you have anything he can wear?"

"I didn't come in here stark naked, you know," Iolaus muttered as he shrugged into his jerkin, his movements stiff with bruises.

"Not quite, no," Solius' hissing chuckle sounded like a giggle. "I'll find you thomething." She slithered across the cave and disappeared through a leather curtain into a side cave.

"She seems very fond of you," Salmonius mused. "Odd girlfriends, you have."

Iolaus glowered at him, very much at a disadvantage for once. It didn't help his sense of dignity that Hercules was grinning broadly at him. Fortunately, Solius returned with some pants that he wriggled into under the cover of the silks and Hercules found his belt for him. Fully dressed he felt much better as he struggled to his feet and stepped out of the sunken bed. The next thing he knew the cave spun around him and the floor came up to meet him with an unexpected lunge.

Only Hercules rapid reactions saved the blond from hitting the floor face first as the big man caught him and anxiously lowered him back to the bed. "Oh, Iolauth! I told you, you thould retht!" Where the blonde haired girl came from Hercules had no idea, but she was suddenly there and fussing anxiously over his friend.

"I'm okay. Stood up too fast is all...oooh, that smarts!" Iolaus closed his eyes and clutched at his aching head. Cooing anxiously, the girl urged him to pillow his head in her lap and Iolaus started to relax as she petted his hair.

Salmonius was making gurgling noises behind them. "She was, then she....she's a snake!"

"Tho everyone hath their faultth," Solius shot back at him. "And that'th therpent. Not thnake. Don't be racitht. Who are you anyway?"

"This is Salmonius," Hercules told her.

"Thalmoniuth?"

"S, S, Salmonius," the merchant corrected.

"That'th what I thaid. And don't hithth like that. It'th rude."

Iolaus laughed at Salmonius outraged expression, then turned his attention to Hercules as the big man crouched beside them. "Seriously, Iolaus, are you fit enough to travel?"

"Watch me. Help me up." Hercules nodded and put an arm around him: literally picking him up and setting him on his feet again, then steadying Iolaus as he swayed dizzily..

"My, you are thtrong, aren't you," Solius murmured in awe.

"He works out a lot," Iolaus muttered darkly. "Can you show us the way out, please?"

"Oh yeth." Solius took a firm grip on his hand and tugged, leading him briskly across the cave. Grabbing an armful of rich silks, Salmonius hurried after them and Hercules followed, pausing only to grab the torch. He kept a worried eye on Iolaus, prepared to catch him the next time he stumbled.

* * *

Finding the way out proved easier than Hercules expected. Solius obviously knew her way around her labyrinth with her eyes shut, for within twenty minutes they were emerging onto the hill side into the cool night air. The moon was sinking and the stars were out, glittering like a billion water droplets in the light. Hercules stretched, breathing deeply of the fresh air in relief, while Salmonius sat on a rock and wheezed after the brisk walk.

"Hey, where are you going?" Iolaus caught at Solius’ hand as she started back into the tunnels.

"Back to my lair."

"Didn't you hear what Hercules said? Paulus plans to kill you. He's going to burn you out."

"But I'm a therpent. Where elthe can I go? I can't go back to my village. I was exiled by Apollo and he would be angry with them. And I don't know how to break the thpell."

"We'll think of something," Iolaus said desperately. He couldn't bear to think of Solius being hurt. But he simply couldn't think straight enough to find the answer that he was sure was staring him in the face. "Hercules..."

Hercules glanced round at them. "I think you may find the answer is easier than you think, but tell me about this spell," he urged.

Solius lisped her way quickly through her story. "But I can't leave. What about the poor thacrificeth? Pauluth will kill them."

"He always has done," Salmonius snorted tactlessly, gesturing down the hill to an ominous heap of fresh turned earth and stones. "From the looks of things they run straight out of the caves and into Paulus and his men."

"Shut up!" Iolaus yelled at him, putting his arms around the shocked and trembling Solius.

"He killed them? All of them?" she asked weakly.

"I'm afraid so," Hercules admitted soberly. "And he'll do the same to us if we don't get out of here."

"But I let them go." Her voice hardened. "He thouldn't have done that."

Hercules smiled grimly at the fierce determination he heard in Iolaus' voice. "As soon as I get you three somewhere safe, I'll come back and deal with him personally."

"Hold on, this is my fight," Iolaus protested. "Paulus is mine."

"How nice of you to say so and kind of you to wait," Paulus' loathsome voice startled them all as he, Lucius and a handful of his toughest, meanest warriors loomed up out of the thicket of leaves guarding the slope below. They were armed with everything from clubs to swords.

Salmonius yelped and ran to hide behind Hercules, who moved casually forward to stand in front of his friends. Iolaus tensed and stepped up to stand in belligerent silence beside Hercules.

"Surrender in the name of Ares!" Paulus roared.

"Is that supposed to impress me? This is over, Paulus. There will be no more sacrifices," Hercules snorted.

"I doubt if Ares will agree with you on that point, whoever you are," Paulus sneered.

"I'll be sure to discuss it with him the next time I see him," Hercules answered casually as he folded his arms in a deliberately careless gesture.

The ex-slaver blinked in momentary confusion, then pointed at Iolaus. "Give me him and the rest of you can go free."

"No chance." Hercules didn't even bother to look round, but he heard Iolaus growl under his breath and a low angry hiss coming from Solius.

"What's the matter with you people?" Lucius demanded. "You want to get slaughtered?

"No," Salmonius mumbled, greatly daring. "But he's Hercules and it isn't us who’s going to get slaughtered."

"Him? Hercules? Don't make me laugh!" Lucius sneered. "I knocked him cold myself!"

Hercules winced as Iolaus' looked up at him and raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "I was looking the other way at the time," he muttered. Both eyebrows rose. "I was worried about you, okay?"

"You told me you'd killed him!" Paulus wailed.

"I thought I had. Can I help it if he's got a head like a rock?"

"Did he say head like a rock? Or full of rocks?" Iolaus murmured curiously and got glared at ferociously by Hercules.

"Look, let's be reasonable about this...." Hercules began.

"Yeah, let me kill Paulus and we can all go home," Iolaus suggested.

"Quiet, precious!"

"You call me that one more time and I am going to rip your tongue out!" Iolaus yelled, starting for Paulus and only being held back by Hercules' grab at his shoulder. The bigger man let go as Iolaus yelped and squirmed in pain in his grip. "Ouch, that hurts! Let go!!"

"Sorry. But do you have any idea how impossible it is to be diplomatic when you're like this?" Hercules demanded.

"So why bother with being diplomatic? Let me at him...."

"No." Hercules forcefully shoved him back and turned to face Paulus again. "There's no point in all of us fighting. Are you going to let us go or not?"

"I told, you, I want him." Paulus jabbed his sword at Iolaus again.

"That does it. Solius, can you change into a snake and scare them off?" Iolaus demanded. Hercules might not let him fight, but he couldn't stop Solius.

"My pleasure," Solius hissed and closed her eyes, striving to force her shape-change. She staggered suddenly, leaning against an equally unsteady Iolaus. "I can't do it," she gasped in dismay.

Iolaus gazed at her anxiously, his hopes of her trashing the lot of them defeated and replaced by worry about her. At least as a snake she was safe from the warriors. "Hercules," he hissed urgently, poking his friend in the back.

"What now?"

"I don't know why, but she can't change."

Hercules whipped around and stared at them, looking from Iolaus to Solius and back again. "Oh, you had to do it, didn't you? You couldn't wait?"

"What?" Iolaus asked blankly.

"You had to break the spell."

"No, I haven't. I don't know how to!" Iolaus wailed in protest.

"'Sleep with the man who wanted me for my own sake'?" Hercules quoted at him in exasperation.

Iolaus squirmed in embarrassment. "Oh," he murmured.

"Oh, is right," Hercules snorted.

"But I didn't thleep with him!" Solius protested. "We..."

"Um, Solius, I don't think actually sleeping is what the spell meant," Iolaus mumbled awkwardly, blushing.

Solius turned huge eyes on him. "You mean that'th what Apollo wanted to do with me? I thought it wath thomething nathty. I wouldn't have minded that. He'th very handthome."

Hercules groaned and ran one hand down his face. If there was one thing he knew about Apollo it was that his taste in women ran to the innocent. Obviously Solius had figured out the facts of life all on her own, but had never connected them with what Apollo had wanted.

"Excuse me," Salmonius interrupted. "But I think they're getting restless." He waved at the warriors as one of them hurled a spear at Hercules. Hercules whipped around and threw it back, then braced himself to meet the rush as the warriors threw themselves into the fray in a screaming, sword wielding horde. For a few moments it was sheer chaos as weapons and bodies flew with equal abandon, tossed casually aside by Hercules as he forded his way into the thick of it in search of Paulus and Lucius.

Salmonius wisely retreated to the cave mouth, knowing he was more of a hindrance than a help in any fight. He dragged Solius with him before she got in the way. Iolaus covered their retreat, then dived into the fight. There were times when his stature came in handy as he burrowed in amongst them, kicking the occasional warrior where it hurt and moving on before they could realise who it was. Knowing the way Paulus thought, he worked his way around the back of the throng and was there to block the ex-slave trader's escape as the fight turned.

Ducking clear of the battle, Paulus swung around to run down slope and skidded to a halt as he found a panting Iolaus waiting for him. "You never give up, do you?" he demanded bitterly. "Let me go and I'll never bother you again."

Iolaus considered this, then eased casually out of his crouch and shrugged, half turning away. His eyes narrowing, Paulus instantly lunged a this back sword point first and then howled as Iolaus back kicked him in the stomach, having been expecting the move. Spinning on one foot, Iolaus then side kicked him, his foot smashing into the ex-slave trader's chest. Paulus lurched back dazedly as Iolaus stalked after him.

"Leave me alone," he protested.

For a split second Iolaus hesitated, then he lashed out in a another kick as Paulus made a jerky move with the sword. The blade bit deep as Paulus turned the sword with unexpected skilled treachery.

Hercules heard Iolaus scream in pain as he tossed an unconscious Lucius aside. The blond warrior was on the ground, clutching at his blood soaked thigh as Paulus raised the sword again, holding it two handed like a spear as he thrust it down on the helpless man. There was no way Hercules could reach them, nothing he could do except howl a wordless protest as he hurled himself towards them.

A shadow cross the moon and a lithe and lethal shape darted across the ground, lunging with incredible speed at Paulus. Powerful jaws snapped shut on his head and shoulders as he was ripped off his feet and hurled down the hill-side to crash into the trees far below. Rearing up protectively over Iolaus, Solius spun to stare down at the rest of the ex slave traders men with an angry hiss and lick a forked tongue down the gleaming foot long lengths of her fangs.

"Nathty little animalth. Get thee gone before I kill you all!" she screamed savagely. As one man the warriors broke and ran in terror, practically trampling each other in their panic to get away.

Solius arched her back, swaying over them all as her eyes glowed with fury. But as soon as the last warrior was gone, she dropped down beside Iolaus and anxiously nuzzled against the half fainting warrior. Tucked into a ball of pain with both hands clamped to his thigh, Iolaus barely had the energy to acknowledge her crooning.

"Let me see." Hercules knelt anxiously beside him, prying his friend's hands from the wound and using his own to clamp the wound shut. Iolaus yelped and almost kicked him with his free foot. "Don't make such a fuss," Hercules promptly scolded him, concealing his worry. The wound was a nasty gash, but not as serious as he had first feared. "You'll be fine."

"Here, we can use these as bandages." Salmonius parted willingly with his 'rescued' silks to make dressings.

"Let me lick the wound," Solius urged them.

"What are you? Strange for blood or something?" Salmonius demanded, forgetting that he was talking to a forty foot cobra for a moment. Solius glared at him.

"I can thtop the blood, Thalmonella, you thilly man," she told him.

"That's Salmonius, not Thalmonella!" the merchant complained indignantly.

Hercules ignored them, worried by Iolaus' slightly hysterical giggle of response and ashen features. "Iolaus?"

"Let her do it," Iolaus begged tiredly. "She knows what she's doing."

Hercules shrugged and parted his hands to let Solius lick the wound . He was grateful to see that Iolaus' pain was immediately eased as the bleeding slowed, until he finally felt safe enough to bandage the wound for his friend.

Iolaus cracked his eyes open barely enough to watch him and smiled weakly as he caught his anxious expression. "Don't look so worried, Herc, I'm fine," he assured his friend and promptly sent them all back into a state of panic by passing out on them.

* * *

It was two days before Hercules decided that he was willing to risk taking Iolaus home. By then, Paulus' camp had been abandoned and the local villagers informed that he was gone for good. Lucius vanished over night, presumably crawling back into whatever hole he had emerged from. After carrying Iolaus into the caves - where he stayed with him all morning making sure he was safe and comfortable - Hercules found Paulus' body lodged in a tree. He didn't tell Solius, fearing how upset she would be over actually killing the man, even accidentally. But he did tell Iolaus and was aware that the knowledge seemed to lift a weight off his friend's shoulders and allow him some much needed peaceful sleep.

Whatever magic Solius' licking contained, Iolaus failed to come down with the wound fever Hercules had dreaded and two days later he was settled comfortably in a heap of furs and silks from Solius' bed in the back of a wagon found in camp.

"I can walk, you know," Iolaus complained as Hercules deposited him in the wagon bed.

"Humour me," Hercules replied amiably, tossing a fur over his friend for warmth and getting glared at for fussing. "Like it or not, you're riding this trip." He turned to look round at Salmonius and Solius. "Are you sure you're not going to come with us?"

"I think I'll be safe with Solius," Salmonius grinned. "She can always turn into a serpent if we run into trouble on the way to Kalios."

"Now, the thpell is broken, I don't mind being a therpent for emergencieth," Solius agreed as she came over to the wagon to smile at Iolaus. "Perhapth you'll come and vithit me when I've thettled in. Thalmonius knowth thome nice people with a beauty parlour where I can work. I have lotth of recipeth uthing almond oil."

"I'll bet you do," Iolaus grinned at her, glad to see her happy.

"It won't tathte ath nice ath it did on you," she assured him, caressing his bare chest under his jerkin. "It'th made your thkin tho thoft."

Iolaus winced, suddenly aware that Hercules was grinning. He shot a look at him as Hercules raised an disapproving eyebrow. "Look, it isn't what you think," he protested. "I was tied up at the time." Both eyebrows rose into Hercules' hair line and Iolaus groaned, aware his friend was getting his own back on him. "It wasn't like that either!" he yelped and was abruptly silenced by Solius kissing him passionately on the lips and distracting him.

"I'm glad I protected you," she whispered into his ear as they parted.

"So am I," Iolaus whispered back, kissing her lightly on the cheek as she eased away from the wagon. With a little parting wave she headed over to the horses Salmonius was holding. Hercules boosted her into the saddle.

"Don't let Salmonius talk you into anything," he told her.

"I won't. Look after Iolauth for me." Giving Hercules a dazzling smile, Solius urged her horse into a walk and with a wave to the two warriors Salmonius urged his own mare into a plod after her. Hercules watched them for a moment, then turned back to Iolaus, catching the faintly wistful look on his face.

"I told you they weren't all bad," he pointed out. "Did she bite?"

Iolaus grinned. "No," he admitted. "Are you really going to make me ride in this wagon?"

"All the way home, yeah."

"Oh," Iolaus sighed and settled back into the furs with a shrug, folding his arms behind his head and revelling in the sunshine. "Okay. If we must," he said after a while. " But, I don't suppose we could stop off and see if can find any Dryads along the way, can we?"