Chapter 2

Jason woke early with a start to the sudden cacophony of birds rocketing from the trees with the ominous rush of wings. The air was fresh with the bite of morning frost, small crystals tracing intricately swirling patterns on the ground. Long dead, the fire he had started earlier was nothing but charred lumps of charcoal and ash dug slightly into the earth. Moving as cautiously as possible while still retaining haste, Jason rolled up his blanket and slung his small pack back across his shoulder, strapping his sword securely at his waist before circling round the gnarled tree he had slept beneath. Clambering with unnatural agility through the contorted branches he shifted to rest quietly in a particularly dense cluster of leaves, blanketed in shadow. Beneath him, crashing clumsily through the undergrowth, were four bodies. Three he knew, the hulking mass of Hercules brazenly held back no noise, while Pythagoras and Ariadne trail along a little behind him with the fourth. He appeared weak, shuffling in the robes of a leper. Jason sneered in derision at the sight before him, wondering how he ever thought they had a hope. They were weak and clumsy, poor even at hiding. It was a wonder that Pasiphae's guards found them so few times.

It was as he turned to leave, slipping quietly through the tangled branches, unknown to those below, that he spotted a flash of dark red in an adjacent tree. Gone as quickly as it appeared, he wondered briefly whether his eyes were mistaken. Until he saw it again. The streak of red moved swiftly through the trees, slipping down to the ground quickly and rushing off. Jason hastened after it, knowing that whatever it was would have been able to see him if they were there before the group had appeared.

He lost sight of them a few times – he knew it was a person he was following by now – but always, they reappeared within seconds, a subtle splash of red slashing between the trunks of the forest. Not once did the figure turn back, but he made a conscious effort to remain hidden as he followed behind them. It took only a few minutes for them to ground to a halt, their quick progression through the forest abruptly stopping upon reaching a small camp, smoke twisting up through the foliage and into the sky.

His eyes narrowed as he watched, concealed in the shadows of the still-early morning, whilst Medea slipped down her hood to reveal braided black hair and olive skin gleaming with a slight sheen of sweat, puffs of air escaping into the cold. She hailed the few men gathered around the fire and indicated the way from which she had come, gesticulating as she gave them their orders. The soldiers ran off and Jason wondered if going back to help was worth it, but all those thoughts were cut off as the woman before him turned and scanned the trees with searching eyes. She knew he had followed her. Yet she had not stopped him, or alerted the soldiers. There had been no sign. He still had a chance to escape, she knew he was nearby but hadn't yet spotted him, but something made him hesitate. Of all the people who had betrayed him, and there were many, only one had done it for something that he could understand. Medea had often fought for Pasiphae, but she was treated as a daughter by her. He could understand her loyalty. Yet, for all her dedication, she had betrayed her queen. She had betrayed Pasiphae for Jason – the man who threatened her very existence. Her eyes settled on him and he made his decision, stepping out into the clearing, hand warily set upon the hilt of his sword.

"Jason." Her voice was soft, lilting and something in her tone made his eyes cease from roaming around his surroundings to settle on her eyes. Deep within the rich brown, emotion tumbled and swirled. He wasn't sure what he anticipated but the sympathy and understanding in them startled him and his hands dropped unconsciously to his sides. Still, he made an effort to appear unaffected.

"You knew I was following you."

"Yes."

"Why didn't you hand me in? This could all be over by now."

She paused for a second before she replied, her words were somehow unsurprising but he hadn't expected to ever hear them out loud. Some acknowledgement of the thing that repeatedly drew them to one another. He had certainly never admitted it out loud. "I don't want to watch you die. I can't let you die." Her voice was soft as she spoke, comforting, and he couldn't help but draw closer to her. It was as though a string was tugging his body like a ragdoll closer to her and she took a faltering step towards him at the same time.

"JASON!" A shrill scream split the air, slicing between the two. Ariadne stepped into the clearing with an arrow aimed at Medea's heart. The three others stumbled in behind her, swords drawn. "Get away from him!"

Jason's expression was blank as he turned towards them, not knowing how they got there or why they came. Medea made no move to back away, her mind reeling with the sudden invasion of the moment. "I said get back!"

Hercules stepped forward. "Jason. We're here, you don't have to worry. We can go back, we have a way to save you." He was joined by Pythagoras. "Jason. We…we found your father, you're not evil. You can be good." They turned as one, though Ariadne kept her bow fixed on Medea with a look of fury that rivalled a harpy's. The leper stepped forward, his shuffled footsteps slow and weary, before wheezing to a stop and tugging down the hood that cast his face in shadow. It was the man from the leper's caves. His father. He was old and the wrinkles in his face seemed more prominent in the dim, dappled light of the forest. His face was sallow and dull with a sickly pallor.

"Son. I –

"You? Why didn't tell me before. You had the chance. You let me believe you were dead!" The group seemed shocked by his reaction, as though they believed he would be grateful and run to them with open arms. Instead his face was twisted with rage, a snarl carved in to his features. "You let me suffer. You let me be alone in this world with these," He broke off for a second as he hopelessly searched for the words, "these liars. These traitors!"

Medea stepped towards him with concern upon her face, reaching an arm towards him so that she might comfort him. Ariadne jerked up her weapon again, face twisting. "Back off."

Unfazed, Medea took another step, reaching for Jason to pull him from the darkness he had drifted to. Just as he looked up, Ariadne loosed the arrow. His eyes widened as it whistled through the air. It flew straight and true towards Medea's chest. A fatal wound. He lunged towards her and in that split second a dull thud echoed through clearing with deafening finality.

For one long moment Jason stared into Medea's eyes.

Then he crumpled to the ground, the world fading to black as he made out one last sound. It blazed through everything around him, scorching hot but somehow it soother his skin, wrapped him in safety.

"JASON!" Medea's desperate scream rang through his mind as he tried to claw his way back to her. Tried to answer her. Medea…

A/N So it's been a pretty long time since the first chapter but here, finally, is an update! Yay…hope you liked it. There will be more, but it might take a while as I should really be doing work. Right now I should be writing a few essays, but hey ho clearly that isn't happening today so lucky you, you get this instead. I have a plan for what's going to happen next but by all means, thought are welcome.

Please review!