Author's Note: This is my challenge response for June 2001, which was to write a story putting Hercules and Iolaus on opposite sides (not due to godly intervention or mind altering drugs, etc). I do not own these characters, and I am not making any money by singing their praises...
Iolaus’ eyes narrowed critically as he surveyed his location. An open clearing to the north. A rocky ridge to the west. A thick stand of trees, encircled by a wicked growth of thorn bushes to the south.. And a lake to the east. It was perfect. Anyone trying to approach from the north would be immediately spotted, and the natural landscape made attack from any other direction virtually impossible. Iolaus gave a small nod of satisfaction and started through the clearing, heading back to the Academy.
It was competition time once again. Every year the Academy held a mock battle, although it was far from a game for the cadets. The students all divided into teams and claimed an area of their choosing. Each team was given a flag, which they had to defend while attempting to capture the flags of rivaling teams. It was a chance for them to apply and hone the battle skills they had been taught. A chance to experience war without the bloodshed, before they were thrust into the real thing. It was a competition, but was enacted with utmost seriousness. Chiron continuously reminded them to act as they would in a real war. They were to behave exactly as if the battle were real, except for the fact that no one actually got killed, only “removed” from the game.
Iolaus had been looking forward to the event for weeks. It gave them all a chance to display their skills, and got them out of the classroom for a few days. The blond cadet always relished the adventure and the excitement that the competition brought, but this year was special, for it would be the last time he and Hercules would be participating. They were in their last year at the Academy, and soon they would graduate and follow their destinies out into the world. So, this time Iolaus was determined to do it right.
Sauntering in through the Academy gates, the cadet soon spied his friend huddled in deep conversation with Theseus.
“Hey, Herc,” he called, approaching the two cadets. “Guess where I’ve been?”
“Knowing you,” the demigod commented wryly. “I’m sure either girls or food were involved.”
“Ha ha,” Iolaus retorted, sitting next to his friend. “For your information, I was scouting a good place for our base camp. I went up to that place I was telling you about along the ridge...”
Hercules listened patiently to his friend’s excited chatter for a minute before he interrupted.
“Iolaus, we already talked about this. That place is too far and there’s going to be too many other camps between it and the Academy. Anyway, I thought we already decided on building our camp in the grove.”
“No, you decided,” Iolaus told him, becoming defensive as he realized how he was being brushed off.
“Look, we’ve been planning everything around the grove, so let’s just stick with that, huh?”
“Planning what?” the cadet demanded. “You haven’t been planning anything with me. So you’ve just appointed yourself the team leader now and the rest of us have no say?”
“What, you want to be the leader?” Hercules was joking, but Iolaus quickly bristled.
“You think I can’t? You think I’m just a big screw up that can’t do anything right?”
“That’s not what I meant,” the demigod tried to placate his friend. “It’s just that... Well, you never really cared about this stuff, and you don’t always pay attention...”
“In other words, I’m a screw up,” Iolaus filled in for him. “Well, I have news for you, Hercules. You aren’t the only cadet around here who can lead an army. You may be the son of Zeus, but I’m the son of a great general. As of now, I’m forming my own team. Enjoy your flag while you have it, because its going to be mine when the battle starts.”
“Iolaus, wait.” Theseus had been silently watching the heated exchange, but he felt compelled to try and help smooth things over as Iolaus stormed off.
“Let him go,” Hercules commanded. “He’s going to go sulk for awhile, but he’ll get over it. By dinnertime, he’ll be pretending that this never happened.”
But the demigod had missed the rigid determination in his friend’s eyes. Far from sulking, Iolaus had marched into Chiron’s office and demanded another flag.
“Iolaus,” the centaur reminded him. “The teams have already been divided. Who are you going to get to make up the rest of your army?”
“I’ll be my own team if I have to,” the cadet answered stubbornly. “But I’m not going to be part of an army if the general doesn’t think I’m good enough to contribute anything.”
Chiron opened his mouth to argue with his student, then thought better of it.
“Remember your lessons, Iolaus,” the centaur advised, handing the cadet a dark green flag. “Battles are won with strategy and skill. Don’t let pride or ego get in the way of that.”
Iolaus nodded his understanding and took the flag, leaving Chiron to stand looking after him, shaking his head slightly. The blond spent the rest of the day skillfully avoiding Hercules, but as he went to his bunk that night he found the demigod waiting for him.
“You’re not really going to do this, are you?” Hercules asked.
“Yes, I am.”
“All right, if it means that much to you, you can be the leader,” the demigod said with a sigh. He expected his friend to be satisfied with that, but Iolaus turned to him reproachfully.
“Herc, this isn’t about me wanting to be the leader,” he explained. “It’s about you not thinking I’m good enough.”
“I think you’re good enough,” Hercules protested. “Didn’t I just say that you could...”
“You didn’t mean it,” Iolaus accused him. “You just said that thinking that it would fix everything. Well, it won’t. You don’t have to lie to me, and you don’t have to patronize me. The honest truth is that you don’t think I’m as good as you are. You don’t think I have what it takes to lead an army.”
“Iolaus...”
“It’s ok,” the cadet continued. “I’m not mad. I just want the chance to prove you wrong. You know, we’ve been partners ever since we came to the Academy. Maybe it is time we picked opposite sides.”
“I guess a little friendly competition never hurt,” Hercules agreed slowly.
“You know what Chiron says,” Iolaus reminded the demigod as he rolled over in his bunk to face the wall. “In war, there are no friends.”
“Then you’d better not be expecting me to go easy on you.”
“You just worry about yourself,” came the muffled reply.
Hercules sat for a moment, staring at his friend’s back. He was miffed that Iolaus was pulling this attitude on him, and yet, he couldn’t deny the accusation that he’d been faced with. The demigod knew that his friend was brave and strong and skilled, and there was no other person on earth who he’d rather have guarding his back. But deep down inside, he’d had to admit that Iolaus had been right. Hercules just didn’t think that his friend was up to leading an army. He’d either fooled around or slept through so many classes when Chiron had been instructing them on battle strategies, defenses, and teamwork. Iolaus’ first instinct was to charge head on in every situation, with no regard to the possible consequences, and Hercules seriously doubted that his restless friend had the patience necessary to let the battle play out before him.
With another sigh, the demigod lay down on his own bunk. This was only a game, after all. The fact that he and Iolaus were on opposite sides for the purposes of the competition had no ramifications on their friendship. In a few days, the battle would begin. And once he’d defeated the other teams, including Iolaus, then everything could get back to normal.
“The perimeter is secure, General Iolaus.”
“Good work, Theseus,” the cadet replied, grinning at the gentle teasing. “Tell the soldiers to relax and get some sleep. I’ll take the first watch.”
“Yes, sir.” Theseus saluted grandly and went back to the fire, conveying Iolaus’ orders to the rest of the team.
Iolaus watched them for a moment, talking and joking in the flickering firelight, before going and concealing himself at his post. Chiron’s fears that he would be a one man army had turned out to be unfounded. Soon after defecting from Hercules’ team, Iolaus had been approached by Theseus. He’d been suspicious at first, wondering why Theseus would take his side over the demigod.
“Hercules is the best cadet at the Academy,” he’d explained. “Everyone’s favoring his team to win this thing. Now I’d like to be a part of that, but even more, I’d like to beat him. The underdog team that overthrows the son of Zeus. I could definitely be into that. And, I figure, who better to lead that team than the guy that knows all of Hercules’ tricks. I have faith in you, Iolaus.”
It took a bit of persuasion, but eventually the blond cadet welcomed Theseus to his team. Gradually, more cadets left their various teams in favor of Iolaus, largely for the same reasons. He didn’t really mind why they had come to him. Iolaus needed a team, and he had a few tricks of his own up his sleeve.
Hercules had been right about his lack of attention during class. However, the demigod was forgetting that his friend had already gotten an education from the street. Leading an army wasn’t much different than leading a gang, and Iolaus had learned plenty about that. The first step was to garner the men’s absolute loyalty. This wasn’t accomplished through fear, or bribery, or even respect. It was done through love. Men that loved their commanders would be loyal to the death and would obey without question. Iolaus began this process a few days before the competition began. He and the rest of his team had begun setting up the base camp, building a crude sort of fort that would offer a degree of protection in the event of an attack. As they worked, Iolaus made sure to treat each cadet equally and to give each one equal importance. He treated the cadets with the utmost respect, and made sure that he was doing his fair share of the labor. While giving instructions, he took care not to seem pompous or overbearing. And before long, the cadets were working seamlessly together and were showing complete devotion to their leader.
The second step of war was to act with cunning and stealth. Iolaus had these two characteristics in spades. He never could have survived on the streets without being able to sneak up on the wary, attack with speed and silence, and melt into the background. A battle was no different. Approaching, unseen, persons that were expecting an attack, and dispatching them as quickly and efficiently as possible before disappearing with no trace. Iolaus drilled these ideas into the heads of his teammates, giving them tips on how to accomplish these tasks and laying out the strategy before them.
There was a third step to a successful battle. It also paralleled survival on the streets, and Iolaus did not hold back the secret from his team, as it was perhaps the most important of all. Bravado. Never act afraid, and never acknowledge fear. Always seem fearless and confident. And if you are scared, fake it. Rush into the situation head on, as if the very outcome is never in dispute. At best, it will throw the enemy off and unnerve him enough to grant the attacker an edge. But at the very least, it may provide the motivation to keep going when the chips are down and all appears lost.
Under Iolaus’ leadership and adherence to these theories, the first day of battle had gone very well. The team had managed to capture one flag, and had only lost one cadet in the process. Iolaus was satisfied with that outcome. True, with a team of only six cadets to start with, the loss of even one was a blow. But the team had fought well, and he was pleased with the day’s activities. Shifting a little to make himself more comfortable, Iolaus swept his eyes across the clearing in front of him. He didn’t really expect anyone to attack from that direction, but under the cover of night anything was possible. Still, if anyone was foolish enough to try, he’d be ready. He wasn’t about to lose the flag and let his team down.
Hercules tensed as he realized that someone was coming through the grove. His hand reached for his sword, but he quickly relaxed as he heard the tell tale whistle.
“Hey, Jason,” the demigod greeted his friend as he strolled into the camp. The former cadet, now the king of Corinth, had returned to the Academy for the competition, graciously agreeing to act as liaison between the teams to keep them all updated.
“Two teams are out,” Jason informed Hercules’ team. “You guys know about Marcus’ team, because you have their flag.”
“Who captured the other one?” the demigod asked.
“Iolaus.” The king grinned at his friend’s reaction. “Think you may have underestimated him?”
“Maybe a little,” Hercules admitted. “But he’s still going down.”
“Herc, what is going on?” Jason demanded, the grin fading from his lips. “You and me and Iolaus always used to be a team. I used to love this competition, and a lot of that was because of the fun the three of us had together. What happened to that?”
“I don’t know,” the demigod sighed. “I guess Iolaus and I just disagreed on... You know, I’m not even sure what we disagreed on. But somehow, we wound up on opposite sides.”
“I never thought I’d see the day. I guess I hoped I never would.”
“Jason, this is just a game, ok? We’re still friends. This isn’t changing anything.”
“I hope you’re right,” the king told him, his face indicating that he didn’t share his friend’s optimism.
Day two of the competition had gone even better than day one for Iolaus and his team. They had captured another flag, with no losses to the team. Thanks to the snares that Iolaus had set around the camp, they had also managed to take out several cadets from a rival team who had been attempting an ambush. The fearless leader had even found time to do a little hunting, providing his men with a meal of roast rabbit, for which they were very appreciative. All in all, it had been a good day.
Jason had dropped in to update them on the status of the competition. Only five teams were left, half of the original number. The teams of Iolaus and Hercules were tied, having captured two flags each. Once the king left the camp, Theseus approached Iolaus, who had been absently doodling in the dirt with a stick.
“So, what’s in the cards for tomorrow?” he asked, slumping on the ground next to the blond cadet.
“Tomorrow?” Iolaus looked up with fierce determination. “Tomorrow we go after Hercules.”
Hercules wasn’t a fool. He had worked out for himself why Theseus has deserted his team in favor of Iolaus, and he had to admit that he understood the reasoning. Nobody knew his strengths and weaknesses as well as his partner. But, what everyone seemed to be forgetting was that the opposite was true. He was well versed in Iolaus’ tricks, as well.
The demigod was tired of waiting. He wanted to capture Iolaus’ flag and put an end to the rivalry. But, as he had originally underestimated his friend, he was now careful not to make the same mistake twice. Hercules tried to picture in his mind the area that Iolaus had claimed for his base camp. There was no way to charge through the clearing without being spotted a mile away. The ridge was impractical. He could climb it, but he was likely to be spotted with no means of escape, and he’d surely be captured. Hercules grudgingly had to admit that his friend did have a point about the security of the area. Going through the woods was out, as he’d never be able to get past them without making noise. And he didn’t really want to try going through the thorns, anyway. That left only the lake, which triggered a flash of inspiration in the demigod. Speaking of weaknesses, water was Iolaus’. He couldn’t swim, and since he wouldn’t count the lake as a potential route for himself, maybe he was overlooking it as a route for everyone else. At any rate, it was Hercules’ best option. He’d attack by way of the lake.
“Iolaus, we have a problem!”
“What is it?” the blond cadet asked as Theseus came running up to him.
“Ledron,” he panted. “He fell out of the tree. I think his leg is broken.”
Iolaus cursed as he followed Theseus to where their fellow cadet lay injured. The boy was white with pain, trying to hold back the tears as his leader knelt beside him.
“The branch broke,” Ledron explained. “I couldn’t hold on.”
“Did you hit your head?” Iolaus questioned, looking into the boy’s eyes, worried about a possible concussion. But the cadet shook his head, which meant the only serious injury was to his leg. Iolaus gently palpated the limb, feeling the bones moving under his fingers as the boy cried out.
“Need a splint?” Theseus asked.
Iolaus nodded and the cadet ran off to secure a suitable piece of wood. He returned quickly, and together they aligned the leg as best they could and wrapped it tightly.
“We should get him back to the Academy,” Cresius suggested. He had been holding Ledron’s shoulders, offering comfort while the other two cadets worked on his leg.
“We can’t take him back,” Theseus protested. “We’d have to go through two camps to get back to the Academy, and we’d never make it without getting caught.”
“Is that all you can think about?” Cresius demanded. “Ledron’s hurt. Are you going to let him suffer because of some stupid game?”
“Look,” Theseus argued. “You’ve never fought in a real battle before. I have. We’re supposed to treat this like a real war. And if it were, we’d take care of the wounded as best we could and move on.”
“But this isn’t real,” the younger cadet protested.
“The other teams are acting like it is. They aren’t going to let us have a time out to pass by. If we take him back, we lose. If you were any kind of warrior, you’d understand that.”
“Yeah?” Cresius challenged. “Why don’t I just show you how much of a warrior I am?”
“Guys, guys,” Iolaus intervened as the two cadets glared at each other. They looked to him, expecting an answer. One that he did not readily have. The blond sighed, running a hand over his face and tucking his hair behind his ear. “We go on as planned.”
“What about Ledron?” Cresius persisted.
“We’ll give him something for the pain and leave him here,” Iolaus continued. “When Jason comes in a few hours, he can take him back to the Academy. There’s only three of us left, and we can’t afford to spare anyone now. We have to act as we would in battle, and this is what a real army would do.”
Cresius and Theseus carefully picked up their fallen comrade and carried him back to the camp. Theseus steeped a few herbs in a mug of hot water as Cresius did his best to make his friend comfortable.
“You’ll be all right,” Iolaus reassured the cadet. “I promise.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Ledron said weakly. “I can hang on until Jason gets here. Just go and get Hercules’ flag.”
“In your honor,” Iolaus promised him, handing him the tea that Theseus had made. “This will ease the pain and help you sleep, and you’ll be back home before you know it.”
“I think in these situations,” Ledron began hesitantly. “Certain measures have to be taken. You know, so I don’t get caught and tortured by the enemy.”
Iolaus smiled his understanding and drew his sword. The tip of the blade was swathed in fabric, and as he touched it to the young cadet’s chest, it left a circle of chalk dust on his tunic, which signified that he was dead.
“You fought bravely and honorably, Ledron,” Iolaus told him. “When we accept our victory medal, it will be dedicated to you.”
With that, the trio left the camp and began setting off through the clearing. They had left the injured cadet with a good stockpile of necessities, so that he wouldn’t be in need of anything before Jason arrived. It was the best they could do, and they accepted it. But as they pressed on toward the next battle, Iolaus couldn’t help looking back over his shoulder with a heavy heart.
Hercules cautiously let himself surface through the water. It had taken him most of the day to reach his destination. First, he had to maneuver his way to the opposite shore of the lake where he could enter without being seen. Then he had to swim under water along the perimeter, using a hollow reed for air, until he reached the shore that bordered Iolaus’ camp. But all of the effort would be worth it, once he had captured the green flag.
Rising carefully out of the water to minimize splashing that would alert the team, the demigod crept up on the shore, discarding the weight that he had tied around his waist to help keep him submerged. If all was going according to plan, the rest of his team would be on the other side of the clearing, ready to create the distraction that would allow him to sneak up and grab the flag.
Darkness was falling. He was right on time, yet the distraction did not materialize. Hercules waited as long as he could, but he finally had to admit that something must have gone wrong. Unable to accept defeat, he decided to proceed with his ambush, trusting in the element of surprise to help ensure his victory. But as he crept closer to the camp, disappointment flooded through him as he realized it was deserted.
“All that work for nothing,” he muttered disgustedly.
“Who’s there?” came a timid voice.
Hercules drew his sword and warily entered the fort.
“Ledron,” he exclaimed, immediately taking in the splint on the cadet’s leg. “What happened?”
“I fell,” the boy whispered. “And broke my leg.”
“And the others just left you here?” The demigod was incredulous at the thought. He didn’t want to believe that Iolaus could be that heartless, but Ledron admitted that he had been left behind. “Come on,” Hercules commanded, pulling the boy up and supporting him. “I’m going to get you out of here.”
Hercules scowled slightly as he listened to Chiron’s speech. The fact that Iolaus stood beside him on the platform, grinning like an idiot, didn’t help his mood. As he had been taking Ledron back to the Academy, he’d been ambushed by another team and his flag had been captured. He was then out of the competition, along with the rest of his team, who had already been removed by Iolaus, Theseus, and Cresius. It did not take the trio very long to overcome the remaining teams, and they emerged as the winners with all ten flags in their possession.
“Some winner,” the demigod scoffed as Jason presented the team with their medal. The comment had been made under his breath, but Chiron had heard him.
“Hercules,” the centaur commanded. “Come up here, please.”
With trepidation, the demigod clambered up on the platform and stood beside his headmaster, refusing to look at Iolaus.
“Is there something you want to say?”
“They may have won,” Hercules finally began. “But there’s no honor in their victory.”
“That sounds like jealousy talking to me,” Iolaus retorted.
“You abandoned your friend when he needed help,” the demigod argued, growing angry. “You put the need to win over your fellow cadet. That goes against everything we’ve been taught.”
“We were taught to be warriors,” Iolaus yelled back. “This is how war is, Hercules. If you can’t take it, then maybe you’re in the wrong place.”
Chiron took a step forward, placing his imposing frame between the two heated cadets.
“Iolaus, you placed the collective over the welfare of the individual. Do you think you did the right thing?”
“Yes,” the blond insisted.
“Hercules, you sacrificed the war to help a colleague. Do you think you did the right thing?”
“Yes.”
Every cadet in the Academy looked to Chiron. This debate had been raging for days, and now they looked to the wise centaur to give them the answer that would finally end it.
“You were both right,” he finally concluded. “In war, there are no easy solutions. The normal rules of society don’t apply. It is often brutal.” The centaur turned to Iolaus. “You can’t always be concerned with the individual. You have to do what you need to in order to stay alive. You have to sacrifice in order to serve the greater good. It is often unpleasant, but if you don’t steel yourself for the task at hand, then you don’t survive.” Chiron turned to face Hercules. “But even through the horrors of war, you can’t let yourself become completely desensitized. You have to allow some scrap of humanity to remain, or else everything descends into chaos and you lose sight of what you were fighting for. And when the battle is over, you will be lost to the life that you were striving to maintain.”
“It is not an easy question, my students,” the centaur continued. “To find the answer, you must look inside yourselves. Each of you will react differently to these situations, and you must decided for yourselves what course of action you will take. A true leader is someone that can make these decisions objectively, but not heartlessly. I think the magnitude of this lesson is enough for today. Take some time to think about it, but you are all dismissed.”
“Hey, Herc.”
“Where have you been?” The demigod was starting to get worried. It was not like Iolaus to miss dinner, and no one had seen a trace of him all evening.
“I was doing some thinking,” the blond cadet answered as he dropped onto his bunk. “About what Chiron said, and the whole mess in general. I think you were right. We shouldn’t have left Ledron there. I never felt right about it, but... Well, its what my father would have done. I guess I just figured it was the right thing to do.”
“I’ve been thinking about it too,” Hercules told his friend as he propped himself up on his elbow. “I was actually kind of thinking that you were right. War has a different set of rules. I can’t get caught up with individuals and overlook the greater good.”
“Maybe its like Chiron told us,” Iolaus said thoughtfully. “Maybe we’re both right.”
“Maybe,” Hercules agreed. “But I did learn one thing for sure. Friendly competition is fine, but I hate being on opposite sides with you. This was our last time with this game, and instead of having fun like we did before, we wasted it fighting with each other.”
“Ok,” Iolaus grinned. “From now on, we’ll always be partners.”
“Equal partners,” the demigod stressed. “And I’m sorry I didn’t see us that way from the start. I was wrong, and you definitely proved that.”
“It’s ok. Just don’t let it happen again.”
“You got it.”
The cadets fell silent for a few minutes before Hercules spoke up once more.
“Iolaus? Just out of curiosity, if it had been me with the broken leg, would you have left me behind?”
“No.” There was no hesitation behind the answer, and Hercules smiled to himself. Chiron had been wrong about one thing. There WERE friends in war. Some things you just couldn’t come between.
The End
Disclaimer: The friendship between Hercules and Iolaus that we all thrive upon was never in any danger during the writing of this story.
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