Iolaus let out a huge breath, wiped the sweat from his head and stood back to admire his handy-work. He'd spent the good part of a day re-forging his sword, and at last it was finished.

He plunged the blade into the water barrel to temper it and, when the cloud of steam had dissipated, looked it over carefully. Not seeing any flaws, he spent some time re-sharpening it, then took it back to the house and put it with his always prepared travelling pack. Then he was ready for a drink and to cool off for while.

He'd spent the last few days catching up on small jobs too, trying to keep himself busy so he didn't have to think about the turmoil that clouded his mind. He knew he would have to deal with it eventually, but for now, he'd relax, do some hunting, a bit of fishing, perhaps, and try desperately not to think about his best friend, the other half of his soul.

He drank a mug of water, filled the cup again and poured the cold liquid over his head, gasping as the shock of it hit his hot sweaty chest. Gods that felt good. Perhaps a swim would be a good idea. He could do with a bath, but the river would be much more refreshing.

As he wandered down to the riverbank, he felt a pang. It wasn't half as much fun swimming alone, he thought, pulling off his questionable vest. Usually he raced Hercules to the water, then wrestled with him, wet arms and legs slipping over each others skin....

He let out a soft groan. "Why did I have to fall for the one person who won't have me?

"You never can think with your brain, can you Iolaus?"

Iolaus turned and saw the god of war standing behind him. "Ares!"

"The one and only," Ares said.

"What are you doing here?"

Ares scowled. "Why does everyone ask me that question? I'm a god. I can go anywhere I damned well please!"

"Well go somewhere else. I'm taking a swim and I don't really want a spectator."

"Oh yes you do."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hercules. Ring any bells?" Ares grinned evilly.

"Oh," Iolaus slumped. "You know about that huh?"

"Why are you wasting your time on him?" Ares asked.

"I... I want him. I can't help it," Iolaus mumbled, not meeting those unreadable black eyes and felt the hot touch of the gods fingers stroking down his cheek. He jumped a little. He hadn't noticed the god move closer.

" I just think you need a good... hard... fucking."

Oh, my gaw... He looked up at the god. "You think so?"

"I know so," Ares purred. There was a sensual half smile on his face as he ran his fingers through the hunter's hair.

"And you think you're the guy to give it to me, do you?" he asked, lowering his voice to a whisper. Iolaus shut his eyes and tilted his face upwards as if begging for a kiss.

"You know I can give you what you need." Ares said, brushing Iolaus' mouth with his own, then running the tip of his tongue over the hunters slightly parted lips.

Iolaus leaned wantonly against Ares' chest, pulled apart the folds of the leather jerkin, nuzzling against the furred skin, his hand crept down and rubbed at the leather covered crotch. He could see and feel that Ares was getting very turned on by his sudden acquiescence.

The god pulled him closer and Iolaus kissed him again, sucking at his tongue briefly, then breaking the kiss but still rubbing lightly at the god's hard cock.

"Oh.. yeah, Ares. yeah.. I know exactly what you can do for me," Iolaus moaned, his whole body quivering with suppressed desire.

"What do you want me to do, Iolaus?" Ares asked, lust thickening his voice - and a few other things apparently.

Iolaus let out a deep sigh and bit on an erect dark nipple, prolonging the immortal's hunger a little longer - before telling Ares exactly what he wanted.

He opened his eyes and stared straight into Ares'. "You can... Fuck Off!!"

Iolaus danced away laughing as Ares gave a roar of anger and grabbed for him, catching him by the hair, and jerking him close until Iolaus was pressed against him, unable to struggle in the godly embrace.

"Oops, maybe that was a mistake?" he suggested.

Ares scowled down, crushing him against his body. Iolaus stared defiantly up, pushing away with his hands, repelling any closer contact. But his mortal strength wasn't enough and Ares pulled him close and kissed him cruelly.

Iolaus felt his lip split as the god's teeth ground into it, before he was pushed backwards. Trying to regain his balance, he tripped over a root and landed ignominiously on his ass.

He glared up at Ares from his place in the dirt. The god of war loomed over him, and if looks could maim, Iolaus would have been carried off in a basket. Perhaps he 'had' taken things a bit too far.

"Ok. You've pissed me off, and you're not going to get off lightly, "Ares said softly.

"You know what? I don't give a shit," Iolaus returned, wiping a smear of blood from his mouth. "Do your worst," he was suddenly fed up of his own raging emotions and just wished Ares would get it over with... at least he wouldn't have to worry about Hercules anymore.

"I will! Watch for me, hunter, because I'll be watching you!" Ares disappeared, leaving Iolaus to pick himself up out of the dirt.

Hercules rounded the corner of Iolaus' cottage and stopped dead. He felt the blood drain from his face as he watched his friend kiss his brother.Was Iolaus so desperate for sex that he'd make love to Hercules' own odious half sibling?

Hercules knew Iolaus fucked like most people breathed... but this was ridiculous! He groaned as he watched the two men pressed up against each other, Ares was enfolding his best friend's half naked body in his arms, kissing him... caressing him... and Iolaus seemed to be loving every moment of it.

Hercules turned away, unable to watch his partner make out with the god of war.

How could he? How could he do that? Hercules shut his eyes, finally recognising his thoughts for what they really were. Gods. He was jealous. He really was jealous. Seeing Iolaus like that, giving himself so freely to the god of war made him furious.

He clenched his fists and the wild thought that he would rather send Iolaus back to Hades himself than see him in the arms of his brother crossed his mind.

"Cool it, Herc. You're losing it," he muttered to himself.

He found that mental lake once more and plunged down into it until he felt calm and collected. Now what should he do?

He looked round the corner again. Ares had gone, and Iolaus was stripping the rest of his clothes off. His leather trousers joined his discarded vest, then off came the breechcloth and Iolaus was gloriously naked, padding down to the river and diving in, his body cleaving the water with barely a splash.

Hercules breathed a sigh of relief. Not even Iolaus was that quick a worker. He didn't believe the hunter and Ares had become lovers... yet. Hercules felt himself grow hot and his groin started to ache as he replayed in his mind, first Iolaus and Ares together, then Iolaus naked and diving into the water.

"Stop that!" he ordered himself sternly. "You can't do this to him.. or yourself. Stop it!"

That nasty little nagging voice returned in his brain, worming its way into his thoughts.

You want him. You know you want him. You've thought about making love with him and you know he wants you. Take advantage... you want to, don't you? Go on... admit it... Admit it!

"No!" Hercules moaned putting his head in his hands. This was NOT going to happen. not now. Not ever.

Why not? Why not? Why not? Why Not? Make him yours. He wants you to do it? What's stopping you? Make the love you feel for him physical.

Hercules shook his head. He should just give up... Do as his rebellious mind ordered him. Could he?

As the demigod stood in an agony of self doubt and sexual frustration, he didn't notice that Iolaus had finished his swim, until the hunter still wet and carrying all his clothes rounded the corner of the cottage and ran headlong into him. Hercules jumped violently as Iolaus collided with him.

The blond back-tracked and glared up at the man-mountain that had suddenly grown in his path ­ obviously not realising who it was for a moment -he looked so wrapped in his own thoughts.

"Oh.. uh. Hi Herc. What're you doing here?" Iolaus stammered, sounding surprised and embarrassed.

Hercules attempted to hide his own agitation from the observant Iolaus and smiled, albeit tremblingly. Being faced with a naked and dripping Iolaus after the thoughts he had just been having was finishing the ruin of an already bad day.

"I was looking for you," he said, trying not to look at Iolaus' gorgeous bronzed muscular body. How many times had he seen him nude? Why had he never noticed just how beautiful his friend was?

Iolaus too seemed to realise that things weren't quite right. He hurriedly walked past Hercules into the house, grabbed a towel from the table and wrapped it round his waist. Hercules followed him inside, blinded and blinking at the contrast between the bright sunlight without, and the half light within.

"I was... uh... having a swim," Iolaus said, smiling and beginning to dry himself off with the towel.

LIAR! Hercules' mind screamed.

"I'm hungry. Want something to eat?" Iolaus asked, unaware of that mental scream.

"No. Thanks... you go ahead though," Hercules said, grabbing a chair and sitting astride it.

"So what have you been uh...up to?" he asked casually, watching Iolaus prepare a fast meal of bread, cheese and a cold haunch of what looked like rabbit.

Iolaus sat down and began to fill his face. "Oh, just stuff, mended my sword, fixed a few things. I've been lazy and it's been nice. So...What're you here for? Did the villager arrive? Medusa to kill? Uprising to quash?...Gods causing trouble again?"

Only one god. Hercules thought, biting his lip as that stray thought nearly came out aloud.

"I just wanted to... see you. I'm not used to being without my best buddy."

Iolaus stopped chewing at his bread and fixed Hercules with puzzled eyes. "That's not like you, Herc. I'm supposed to be the scruffy little sidekick"

Hercules sighed and shook his head. "Please, Iolaus. Let's not go through that again."

Iolaus scowled. "But it's true."

Hercules gritted his teeth. "I'm not having this conversation with you anymore. Just leave it will you?" he spat abruptly. Damn it all. Wasn't this what he had come over to talk about with Iolaus? He could see the hurt look in the hunters eyes and immediately felt bad for his moodiness."I'm sorry. Today hasn't really been a very good day, and I'm a bit snappy," Hercules apologised with a rueful grin.

"I've seen crocodiles on the banks of the Nile with less snap than you right now," Iolaus replied, but the wounded look faded and the azure eyes twinkled as he began to eat again. "So what's wrong? Why has it been a bad day?"

Hercules watched Iolaus as he ate. Should he tell Iolaus about Ares' threat? Did he want to see the guilt on his friends face? In a sudden fit of uncharacteristic spite, he decided he did.

"Ares paid me a visit."

Iolaus dropped his cheese and sat back. "Oh?" he flushed just a little.

Hercules was amazed Iolaus looked as cool as he did, considering he had practically been caressing Ares' tonsils with his tongue. The hunter was usually a poor liar.

Hercules continued, wanting to extract a confession from his friend. "He mended my fence."

The sudden downward plunge of Iolaus' fair eyebrows gave Hercules the urge to giggle wildly, but demigod hero's did not... giggle.

"Your... fence? Uh... sorry Herc, but I could have sworn you told me Ares mended your fence."

"Oh, don't worry. I told him to put it right back."

"Um. Why would Ares be mending your fence? Am I missing something here? Is he suddenly the God of War and Broken Fences or something? If he does kettles... I've got one with a hole in it."

Hercules listened to the babble with impatience. Trust Iolaus to change the subject. How did they get from him wanting to see Iolaus' reaction to his news, to kettles, for Zeus' sake?

"Shut up, Iolaus!"

Iolaus stopped talking as if slapped.

"The fence is beside the point. He came to talk to me about you."

"Me?" a blush spread up Iolaus neck and to his cheeks. "Why me?"

"I think you know why," Hercules' voice was deadly quiet.

Iolaus blushed even more - if that was possible - and he looked down at his abandoned meal. "He, uh... came to see me too," his voice was quiet, but then he looked up, annoyance on his mobile features. "Can't you keep your family out of my business?"

"I can't stop him. He's the god of war. He can do anything he wants to."

"Funny. He said the same thing." Iolaus got up and began to dress, his movements abrupt, his lunch forgotten.

"Iolaus. If I had known that rejecting you would have sent you straight to the arms of my brother, I would have fucked you there and then." Hercules said, savagely using the word that Ares had taunted him with the inability to say.

He was unprepared for the hard blow that came crashing across his face. He rocked with the impact and stared up at Iolaus who was glaring at him with undisguised fury.

"Get out of here." Iolaus said, his eyes blazing sapphire hatred. "You really think I would fuck your brother? Fuck you! You think I'd do that to you? Get out of here and don't fucking come back."

"I saw you..."

"Forget what you saw! You don't know what happened! You accuse me of... fucking him without asking me what really happened. Just... just leave me alone!"

Hercules got up, his face burning, and not just with the punch Iolaus had landed on his cheek. He could see Iolaus was furious, possibly more furious than he had ever seen him.

"I'm sorry... perhaps that was the..."

Iolaus picked up the sword that lay by his pack and drew it, pointing it right at Hercules' heart.

"You wanna see what it's like to have your heart ripped out too? Wanna see what it's like to bleed and hurt?" he asked, his voice trembling. "Get out of here, before I do something we'll both regret."

Hercules slumped, wanting to apologise... beg for forgiveness for his thoughtlessness, but Iolaus faced the demigod with ice in his eyes. Hercules could see his lips quivering, but if it was with pain or rage, he couldn't tell.

He turned to leave, not knowing if it was because Iolaus was going to cry, or if it was because he was on the verge of tears, himself.

Pausing at the door, he heard the sounds of Iolaus' heart broken and furious sobbing. Did it really take all this pain to make him finally realise what he wanted? He wanted to go back but this was the moment to demonstrate that he respected the hunter as well as loved him.

He walked way slowly, wondering what he'd done, and not wiping away the tears that tracked down his own cheeks.

Go to Naming Stars part 4.