A Hercules story by Yuchtar
©2000

       Iolaus strode confidently through the woods, his curly blond hair swaying behind him and his bright blue eyes gleaming as he made his way to visit Erantha - his new true love. He was grinning to himself as he pictured her long braided hair and perky ………… lips. Preoccupied as he was, he didn't notice his attackers until they were right on top of him. The first one fell back with a broken nose and the second one would have quite a headache if he came to, but the other five overpowered him and trussed him up like a prized boar!
       After an interminably bumpy ride slung across a very uncomfortable saddle, he was tossed unceremoniously into a dank dungeon cell. A guard removed his bindings and clubbed him about the head for no apparent reason before leaving and slamming the cell door behind him. His loud protestations went unheeded. Once he realized he was being completely ignored, Iolaus sat back and perused his surroundings. A typical dungeon cell as far as he could tell. A low groan from the corner caught his attention - he was evidently not alone.
       Iolaus crept cautiously into the shadows and spotted a man chained to the wall. His leather breeches were slick with blood and his tunic was so tattered and stained, it was impossible to guess what colour it had originally been. The man was unconscious and his head was slumped against his chest, but there was something oddly familiar about the shock of black hair hanging down over his face.
       Iolaus gently lifted the man's head and brushed the thick wavy hair aside. By the Gods, he'd been worked over badly! His face was bruised and swollen, but the thin mustache and tiny tuft of beard reminded him of ………. Iolaus tore a square of cloth from his vest and gently wiped some of the blood from the face of …………
       "Autolycus," he whispered in surprise. He spat on the cloth and wiped some more blood away. Autolycus stirred and groaned again. His deep brown eyes fluttered open and Iolaus cringed at the vacant pain-filled look he found there.
       "Not today, I have a headache," Autolycus muttered.
       Iolaus winced at the raspy, barely audible voice that was usually so forceful and glib. "Autolycus," he said. "Autolycus, can you hear me? It's me - Iolaus."
       "Water."
       Iolaus looked around for a water skin. All he could find was a dirty clay bowl half full of water. He scooped out the dead bug floating on top and wet the cloth before brushing it against the other man's swollen lips. Autolycus moaned and asked for more, so Iolaus held the bowl to his lips as he greedily swallowed what little water there was.
       "Iolaus," he stammered. "Get out of here - now."
       "Well that's a fine how do you do!"
       "You have to get out while you can - don't give them a chance to start in on you. That was my mistake."
       "What's going on?"
       "King Newlin is in a bit of a snit."
       "Newlin? He's always been a peaceful man."
       "Yeah, well, not any more. Some very special jewel has gone missing and before you say it - I didn't take it. I would have told them where it was a long time ago if I knew, believe me."
       "What were you doing here?"
       "Believe it or not, I was just passing through."
       "I believe you - so was I!"
       "Against the wall there - somewhere under the straw - my lock picks - use em and get out now while you still can. I thought I'd bide my time, but they beat the Tartarus out of me before I could make a move." Iolaus found the picks and tried to undo the shackles holding Autolycus to the wall. "What're you doing? I'm too far gone, Iolaus - you have to leave me!"
       "Leave the King of Thieves to rot in a dungeon? Not a chance."
       "Oh, very noble - very nice - you've made the gesture, now get out of here!"
       "I can't get this."
       "Gimme the pick." Iolaus handed Autolycus the pick and the battered thief had the chains off quickly. He tried to get up, but fell back with a groan. "Help me up," he muttered.
       Iolaus helped him up and they staggered to the door. Autolycus had trouble breathing through the pain and almost blacked out. "Oh, I wish I would just die and get it over with."
       "Shut up and open the door."
       The door swung open almost instantly and Iolaus supported the larger man as they made their way toward what they hoped would be an exit. It was.
       They made it out and into the woods. After a short rest, they started off again. A guard must have seen movement, because he fired his crossbow. Poor Autolycus took the bolt in his right shoulder. Well, that was the limit to his stamina and he passed out. Luckily, the guard didn't go searching for what he'd shot at. Iolaus had to carry the big man back to the village where he'd left Hercules earlier that day.

       The King of Thieves was lounging on a bed of jewels. Ahhhhh, this was the life. But someone was arguing nearby and the jewels were getting lumpy and he ached all over and the arguing wouldn't stop and he was going to have to wake up, wasn't he?
       He opened his eyes and tried to move, which he instantly regretted. He shut his eyes and tried to breath again. He ached everywhere. There was a sharp pain at his right shoulder and his ribs seemed to be bandaged tight. There was a dull throbbing at his wrists and the whole left side of his head felt like it was about to explode. Who the heck was arguing? He listened for a moment.
       "King Newlin is a fair-minded, peaceful man - he wouldn't do that!"
       "I was there! Remember?"
       "All right, I'll go speak with him - there might be some reasonable explanation. You stay here with Autolycus."
       "Okay, Herc, but be careful."

       When Autolycus opened his eyes again, Iolaus was frowning down at him. "Do I look that bad?" he asked.
       "No, no," Iolaus stammered. "I've just been ……. Well, worried."
       Autolycus grinned as well as he could manage. "Aawww, how sweet."
       "Oh, well, let's just take a look at that shoulder." Iolaus pulled the sheet back to uncover the other man's chest.
       Autolycus now realized he was, in fact, naked beneath the sheet. Iolaus changed the bandage at his shoulder.
       "It's a clean wound - it should heal well," he said.
       "Thanks for rescuing me, Iolaus."
       "Are you kidding? You rescued me, remember?"
       "I really hated the thought of dying for something I didn't even do."
       "Well, you're not gonna die, so be quiet." As he pulled the sheet back up, his hand brushed lightly against the injured man's chest and he felt a rippling sensation beneath his hand. When he noticed the growing bulge beneath the sheet, he blushed furiously and leapt to his feet. "Uhhhhhhh," he stammered. "Think you could eat something? I've got some stew." He hastened to the next room and started banging pots and pans.
       Autolycus grinned after him, admiring the way the smaller man's buttocks rolled beneath the tight leather trousers.

       Hercules had no trouble getting in to see King Newlin's Captain of the Guard. When he woke up, however, he found himself chained to the wall in a dungeon cell with quite a headache. This certainly seemed to be a cleaner and more spacious cell than the one Iolaus had described to him. He sighed and decided to break the chains and find out just what was going on.
       When the chains wouldn't break, he frowned in concern. There was no way Newlin could have gotten hold of Hephaestian steel. Not unless ………..
       A figure shimmered into existence before him. Hercules found himself staring into the bemused dark eyes of Ares.
       "Well, if it's not the God of War!" he proclaimed. "Slumming?"
       Ares laughed. "You are so predictable!"
       "Don't tell me you tried to kill my friend just to get to me?"
       "Oh, well, that was an added bonus, but I hadn't planned on that."
       Hercules regarded his brother a moment. Finely chiseled muscles rippled beneath black leather. The black curly hair, finely trimmed beard, gleaming dark eyes - he'd be quite handsome if he weren't so sinister!
       Ares admired his captive with a grin. Hercules was a fine specimen, even if he was half mortal. The well muscled body, the fine features, long light brown hair - but the sickeningly compassionate blue eyes ruined the whole effect! Why did he have to be such a goody all the time?
       "Okay," Hercules finally said. "I can see you're just bursting to gloat, so why don't you tell me how you turned Newlin into a monster."
       "Easy! I simply convinced him that his new bride would never marry him without the Xara Stone."
       "Which is?"
       "A hunk of quartz - you're friend Autolycus wouldn't have looked twice at it, which is why it's so amusing he was accused of stealing it."
       "And that's all it took to corrupt Newlin?"
       "He loves her very much, the poor sap, but no - that's all it took for Newlin to give his Captain free reign in the search. Taggart is my man."
       "I see. And all this was to get me?"
       "No, all this was to have some fun. But when I saw your friend had been taken and you were in the area, I knew you'd try to stick your nose in and you didn't disappoint me."
       "Now what?"
       "More fun."
       Hercules didn't like the tone Ares had used, nor the gleam in his eyes and he sure didn't like the evil grin he'd flashed as he calmly removed the black leather vest he wore.
       "What exactly … ?" Ares pulled a whip out of thin air and lashed it across Hercules' chest, which answered the question he'd been about to ask. "You must be joking," he hoped.
       Ares walked up and ran his hands beneath the loose fitting shirt to caress his chest. With no effort at all, he had the shirt torn and tossed aside. He pressed his body up against his captive and took a handful of hair to yank his head back. He gently ran his tongue along the bulging vein at his throat and reveled in the way his captive squirmed and struggled against him. With his lips right up against the other man's ear, he whispered, "What's the matter, brother? Do you really find me so hideous?" He placed a hand over the bulge in the other man's trousers and grinned. "Evidently you like what you see."
       Hercules cringed at the other man's touch, but he couldn't suppress the tingle he felt as the tongue raked his throat and the beard scratched his chin. When the strong hand closed over his crotch, he groaned and closed his eyes.
       Ares laughed, stepped back and lashed out with the whip again.
       Hercules sighed in relief. The pain he could handle no problem - it was the gentle touch that drove him wild.

       Autolycus took a deep breath and braced himself for the pain before sitting up and swinging his legs off the couch. When the wave of nausea passed, he braced himself once more and stood. The sheet slipped off and he steadied himself with his left hand on the wall.
       Well, that wasn't so bad, he thought. He could do this. He'd have no better chance of seducing the smaller man - Iolaus couldn't refuse him considering the helpless shape he was in. He'd never be this vulnerable again - at least, he hoped not.
       Iolaus was lighting the fire and muttering to himself when Autolycus crept up behind him. Iolaus swung around and found himself pinned to the counter with much of the larger man's weight against him. Autolycus had gone pale and tried to support himself with his left hand on the counter. He was also completely naked and quite aroused.
       "Autolycus, what're you doing?"
       "Well, I had planned to seduce you, but I think maybe I'll pass out instead."
       "Are you insane?"
       "That must be it, yeah." Iolaus practically carried him into the bedroom and gently lay him across the bed. "Oh, this is nice. Why didn't I get the bed in the first place?"
       "I couldn't carry you that far when I finally made it here."
       "Have I thanked you yet for rescuing me?"
       "Yeah, we've been through that - you seem a bit …. limp."
       Autolycus followed the other man's gaze and sighed. "Pain can do that - or so I've heard."
       "Well, we'll just have to see what we can do about that."
       Autolycus muttered, "huh?" and then watched in wide-eyed wonder as Iolaus slowly crawled up on the bed and straddled his legs.
       How could he resist, anyway? Iolaus ran his hands over the well muscled chest, tugging at the wisps of dark hair peeking out from over the bandages. "Have I ever told you how much I admire your style?"
       "Oh, well," Autolycus stammered.
       "Hey, I used to be a thief myself, you know. I can appreciate the skill, but then there's the flair. You can't teach that - you either have it or you don't."
       "Well, I was always - ohhhhhhhh, ho ho ……" Iolaus clamped his teeth over his left nipple, which cut the response off short.
       "Oh, good," Iolaus chuckled. "A sensitive man - I like that."
       "After the beating I took? I don't think there's a single spot on my body that's not sensitive right now."
       "Even better!" He attacked the other nipple and Autolycus groaned. Iolaus proceeded to caress, kiss and lick every bruise on the other man's body. Under the circumstances, that took quite a while. Autolycus groaned and writhed in a mixture of pain and pleasure.
       The final bruise to receive attention was a rather large one on Autolycus' scrotum - he'd evidently taken at least one good kick there. He sucked gently at one tender testes and then the other.
       Autolycus tried to buck his hips, but that proved a little too painful, so he gripped the side of the bed and groaned into the pillow instead.
       Iolaus grinned and studied the good-sized cock standing at attention before him. Could be a little stiffer, he thought as he wrapped his lips around the tip and sucked his way down.
       "Whoooooooa," Autolycus exclaimed.
       When Iolaus felt the time was right, he slipped off the bed and disrobed. Autolycus once again marveled at the size of the fully erect cock that sprang forth. (They'd once been shackled together naked - long story). For a slightly built man, Iolaus sure was well hung.
       The smaller man climbed back on to the bed. Autolycus grabbed a handful of curly blond hair and pulled Iolaus down into a kiss. As they kissed, Iolaus slowly lowered himself onto Autolycus, who tried to shift his hips again and groaned at the pain.
       "No," Iolaus told him. "Let me do the work."

       "What is he doing?!" Aphrodite's ample bosom heaved in irritation and threatened to burst forth from the scant garment containing it. "I put Newlin and Napea together because ….. well, because they're so cute together! Ares is ruining it!" The Goddess of Love rarely got completely pissed off, but when she did, it was usually at her brother Ares. She was watching his latest work unfold now from her perch on Mount Olympus.

       Napea was brushing her long dark hair while her mother and several other women cackled about the wedding dress behind her. As the young woman brushed and grinned at the other women, the reflection of a buxom blonde shimmered before her.
       "Aphrodite!" Napea exclaimed as she turned to face the goddess. The other women, who could not see the goddess, grew silent and looked around for a new comer.
       "Napea - we have a serious problem," Aphrodite told her.
       "Problem? What problem?"
       "Newlin. He seems to think you won't love him without the Xara Stone."
       "Xara Stone? That hunk of green quartz? Why would he think that?"
       "Never mind that now, you have to set him straight and make him stop his captain from torturing people."
       "Torturing people?!" Napea tossed her brush aside, grabbed a cloak and rushed out the door. The other women stood dumfounded, having witnessed only half the conversation.

       Autolycus and Iolaus were both yelling in orgasmic release when Captain Taggart and his men burst through the front door. Iolaus jumped up and reached for something - a weapon? His trousers? Whatever it was, he never got to it. Three guards were on top of him first.
       Autolycus used all his remaining strength to leap for the window. A guard grabbed for him, but his hands slipped through the slick cum all over the naked man's chest. Autolycus made it through the window, but the fall knocked him out cold.

       "Where's Taggart?!" King Newlin was ranting. His closely cropped salt and peppered hair was in disarray and his clear grey eyes were on fire. "Where's the stone?! And where's that damned thief?!"
       When Napea breezed into the hall, the attendants scattered like birds. Newlin stopped in mid-rant when he saw her. His furious eyes cooled and he broke into a grin as she approached him with open arms. What could a beautiful young woman like this see in a silly old fool like me? he thought as he embraced her.
       "What's this I hear about you torturing people, my love?" she demanded to know.
       "Torture? Whatever gave you that ……………?"
       Just then, Taggart and his men clambered into the hall with Autolycus and Iolaus in tow.
       Napea shrieked at the sight of the naked and bruised men. The wound at Autolycus' shoulder had started bleeding again as well.
       "What is the meaning of this?" King Newlin demanded.
       "The Thief, milord!" Taggart replied proudly. "And his accomplice."
       "Why are they naked, Captain? And how did this man come to be in such a wretched condition?"
       "Well, they're naked because that's the way I found them, milord. As for the Thief - he wouldn't tell me where he hid the Stone. In fact, he kept denying ever having seen it."
       "So you beat him!" exclaimed Napea.
       "He wouldn't talk, milady!"
       Iolaus spoke up now. "Did it ever occur to you that perhaps he didn't take it?"
       Taggart raised a hand to strike Iolaus, but Newlin stopped him.
       "What's so special about this hunk of quartz anyway, Newlin?" Napea asked.
       Newlin turned to her in astonishment. "Well, I thought ………," he began. "I was told ………… It means nothing to you?"
       "Of course not! All I want is you, my love!"
       They embraced and kissed and Newlin smiled into her eyes for a long moment.

       Aphrodite grinned from a corner - unseen by mortal eyes. Ares appeared next to her and frowned. "Oh, how sickeningly sweet." He said.
       "You should be ashamed of yourself, Ares."
       Ares grinned. "Oh, I am, dear sister - I surely am."
       Noticing a wad of clothing in his arms, she asked, "What's that?"
       "This? Nothing - just a little souvenir." With that, he shimmered away and Aphrodite shrugged and followed after.

       "Newlin?" asked Napea finally.
       "Hmmm?"
       "The prisoners?"
       "Oh, yes - Release them!"
       "What about Hercules?" Iolaus asked as he was unchained. He went to Autolycus who had gone quite pale.
       "Hercules?" Newlin inquired. "What about him?"
       "He came here looking for you, your Majesty."
       "What?" Looking toward Taggart, Newlin demanded, "Is Hercules here?"
       "Ummmmmmm," stammered Taggart.

       When the cell door was opened, Napea shrieked again and turned her head. Hercules was chained to the wall. He had several welts across his chest, some of which had dripped blood down his body, which was completely naked.
       "Hercules!" exclaimed Newlin. "What? How? Release him!"
       "I can't, milord," mumbled Taggart. "I haven't got the key."
       "Allow me," grinned Autolycus. Iolaus helped him across the cell and the King of Thieves soon had the bound man freed.
       "I can't say it has been a pleasure, your Highness," said Hercules once he was free.
       "I am sooooo sorry, Hercules! Please, you and your friends must stay for the wedding."
       "Oh, well - that's very nice of you, but ummm, I think we'll need some …….. clothing?"

       After the wedding, which was lovely, the King gave the three of them a pleasant coach ride back to the village nearby. A strong odor attacked them when they entered the small cabin.
       "Oh! What is that?" wondered Hercules.
       "Errrrrrr," mumbled Iolaus. "That would be the smell of stew burning for three days."
       "Man! Lucky you didn't burn the house down!" Autolycus and Iolaus shrugged and exchanged a secret grin. "What were you two doing that you were captured naked anyway?"
       "Oh, well," Autolycus answered. "We'll tell you all about it - if you tell us how you came to be chained naked to a wall."
       Hercules looked at him a moment and shook his head. "No - we'll just leave it - I don't want to know anyway."