AN: I really loved this show when it was on, so what better way to show my appreciation than to write a fic in the style of an episode! This isn't great drama, or high art, it's just a fun little piece that I think fans of the cartoon will enjoy, especially people who's favorite character was Cassandra!

Disney's "Hercules" and all its characters are the property of Walt Disney Entertainment.

"Hercules: And the Curse of Aphrodite"

Chapter 1

Cassandra warily opened her eyes and squinted at the sunlight streaming into her room. Everything was quiet and still, it was time to go for it. Shielding her eyes with one hand she quietly threw off the covers and slipped out of bed. Creeping across her room she headed to the sunny window. She reached it safely and breathed a sigh of relief. Now all she had to do was open it and crawl through and she would be -

"Oh Cassie honey you're up!"

Cassandra froze, one leg already hanging out the window. "Good morning, mother."

Evelyn swooped to her daughter's side and gave her a crushing hug, not bothering to ask why she was half hanging out her bedroom window in her nightgown.

"Good morning my baby girl!" Cassandra gasped for air. The hugging was relentless, she was losing consciousness – had…to…escape….

"Um, mother," she struggled to say under her mother's rabid affection, "I hate for this to end but I have to get ready for school."

That did the trick. Evelyn let go, reluctantly, and shooed her daughter off to the bathroom with a cheek pinch and a "Go get 'em Kiddo!"

Cassandra closed the bathroom door as quickly as she could, and then proceeded to bang her head against it. Foiled again! It just wasn't fair, she had been so close! She sighed heavily and looked at herself in the mirror. "I don't need a vision to tell me that today just isn't my day."

Defeated she began to brush her teeth and tell herself that there was always tomorrow, but for now she would have to face school after all.

"Maybe if I disguise myself as a burglar…"

Later on that day Cassandra found herself staring, with muted fear, at the hourglass in her history class. As the last grain dropped a loud bong echoed over the campus. Class was over and with a groan Cassandra dragged her feet to her last and most hated class, home grecenomics.

The room was pinker than Eos' rosy dawn and the scent of frosted pastries and sugar could be smelled a mile away. The teacher was at an oven with her frilly white apron singing a cheery tune. "Come on students, come on!"

"Hey Cassandra, over here!"

"There's room for one more snuggles!"

Cassandra went to her usual seat in the back of the room where she sat with Hercules and Icarus. Ignoring Icarus' open arms she sat down next to Hercules and dropped her head in her hands.

"Something wrong?" asked Herc.

"No, other than the fact I'm getting a toothache just from breathing the air in this room."

"Oh come on sweetums, it's not that bad! Think of all the delectable eatables we get to have afterwards!" said Icarus, licking his lips.

"I know how you feel Cass." said Hercules, in his usual bid to be helpful, "I'm no good at all this homemaking stuff either. Remember when I put salt in that midterm cake? The nurse's office was pretty busy that day."

"It's not just the pastry parade," Cassandra admitted, "This class goes against everything I stand for! Who wants to go through life as some little happy housewife forever?"

A peppy, 'Hi kids!' was the answer to that particular question. Cassandra sank lower in her seat and tried not to roll her eyes at Herc's stuttering, 'Oh hi Helen.' as Helen of Troy made her way to their table, outfitted in a blue cheerleader uniform.

"Hiya! I came to make sure you guys all know about the big pep rally on Friday! You'll be there, won't you Hercules?" She asked batting her eyelashes. As she flashed her million dollar smile Hercules all but snapped the table in half from nervousness.

Icarus' priorities were, as usual, a little skewed and Helen's perfect face had little effect on him. It was the idea of a pep rally that got his blood going. "A little sis-boom-ba for Eagle pride. Go Eagles go!" He said doing a cheer dance on his stool.

Cassandra blushed and covered her face trying to block out the fact she was now in the middle of an idiot sandwich.

Helen only clapped her hands and giggled. "That's the spirit Icarus! What about you Cassandra? You know, there's still room on the squad. I'm sure we could get you a uniform in extra long."

"Well, I foresee that I'm going to be watching plaster crumble, but if my schedule clears I'll send you a smoke signal."

As usual sarcasm was lost on Helen, who simply replied with a sympathetic, "That's too bad! But I'll see the rest of you there." With an extra wink at Hercules she flounced back to her own table at the front of the class.

"Come now class," The teacher said taking her place in front of the room, "it's time to begin making our fun little heart shaped cakes in honor of the Feast of Aphrodite! Kay? Recipes are page fourteen in your home grecenomics cook books! Now everyone get working!"

"Maybe later we'll make little paper mailboxes and drop the hearts in them." quipped Cassandra, but as usual no one was around to hear how brilliant she was.

Dragging her feet again she finally got to the supply closet after everyone else had already helped themselves. There were no more mixing bowls left, but that was hardly surprising; after all, she needed one, why would there be any? It was bad enough she didn't want any part of this assignment, it had to be difficult too?

She scanned the classroom for something she could use when an ornate little bowl off in a glass case caught her eye. It was pink, like most things in the room, but there was a very intricate pattern of ivy and hearts circling it. Cassandra plucked it from the case and examined it more closely. It wasn't exactly standard issue, but it would do for now. She was still examining the designs as she walked back to the table when Icarus bolted out in front of her still doing his cheer.

"Icarus!" She yelled as she pitched forward. The bowl went flying from her hands and crashed to the floor. Everyone turned and stared silently at the shattered pieces of the bowl and of Cassandra's dignity.

"Great," she said rubbing her head, "this is just what I needed to brighten my day."

"Fetta-cheeks, are you alright? Speak to me!" cried Icarus clutching at the hem of her dress.

Hercules took a more helpful approach by picking his friend off the floor. "Cassandra, are you ok?"

Cassandra dusted herself off, "I'm fine, but the bowl's had it."

"Oh, oh, oh! Oh dear!" The teacher exclaimed rushing over to the shards scattered on the ground. "Oh cream puffs! That bowl was a gift from Aphrodite herself!"

"Aphrodite? As in-"

But Cassandra never finished her sentence. As soon as she'd spoken the tinkling of bells echoed through the classroom and a sparkling pink mist appeared to form a pleasing shape in mid-air. With a crash of purple lightning Aphrodite, the goddess of love, appeared, followed by the scent of peppermint candies.

Nobody wanted to be the first to move and the entire class stood frozen as the beautiful goddess surveyed the room with a keen eye. Finally she spoke. "Do I smell cookies? I LOVE cookies!"

The tension in the room eased slightly until Aphrodite caught sight of the broken bowl bearing her seal on it. "Oh wow, what a mess. Well, who done it?"

Everyone in the class pointed to Cassandra. "Why didn't I foresee this?" She said, trying to hide her face behind her hair.

"You know hon, that wasn't very nice of you." The Goddess admonished, "You should have a little more respect for stuff. I think you're gonna have to be punished."

"Punished? Like, what kind of punished?" Cassandra swallowed nervously. Being friends with Hercules she had seen some strange things, but she'd never been singled out for punishment before, certainly not by a goddess. She shuddered as she thought of the name-sake of the school and imagined a similar fate. Maybe they would name a wing after her. With her luck it would be a new bathroom.

"Hmmm, well let's check the data scroll shall we?" After making a scroll materialize out of thin air she began to read its contents. "Oh Cassandra! Let's see - pessimistic, gloom and doom, boyfriendless… by choice?! Mmm, mmm, mmm, not quite the homemaker." The scroll disappeared and Cassandra closed both her eyes tightly. "Ok, well I think I've got it!" With that Aphrodite leaned in and touched Cassandra's forehead with one finger.

"That's it?" asked Cassandra opening one eye tentatively.

"Oh yeah, starting tomorrow you're cursed babe! Byeeeee!" and she disappeared in a cloud of pink smoke leaving some confetti in her wake.

"Oh my poor beloved!" lamented Icarus wrapping himself around Cassandra's leg.

"How do you feel?" asked Hercules worriedly.

"I don't feel any different." She said kicking Icarus off of her and sending him crashing into the garbage can. "Nope, normal as usual."

Class ended and the rest of the students went home gossiping about what had happened.

For the rest of the day Cassandra waited for something more horrible than usual to happen to her but nothing did. By the time she went to bed that night she'd forgotten all about Aphrodite's curse.