"This is it! I'm gonna become a true hero and please the gods!" Hercules rode on Pegasus with pride. He would finally belong somewhere for once!
The smile faded from his face when Pegasus landed and made a confused whinny. "Pegasus, where are we? Are we lost?" Pegasus reluctantly nodded.
"Aw man! If I don't find Philoctetes, I'll never become a true hero!" He disappointedly sat on a log and sighed. "The only way I'll get there now is if I ask a god for directions. Hey, that's it! We'll find a temple and ask a god where to go! But, wait. We don't know where to find a temple either."
Hercules then saw a beautiful girl walk past him heading for a farm. "Hey, excuse me miss." The girl turned toward him. "Do you know where a temple for the gods is?"
"I am not sure. I've never left this area. Why do you need to speak to the gods?"
Hercules' face flushed with embarassment. "I need help to find Philoctetes, the trainer of heroes."
"You want to be a hero?" She asked. "I want to be a knight. May I come with you?"
"I can't guarantee the results you want, but you can come if you want. By the way, my name is Hercules."
"I'm Kayley." The girl replied.
"Kayley. That's such a nice name." Hercules commented.
"I'll be right back," Kayley stated. "I need to ask my mother where to find the temple." She then ran into her house.
"Absolutely not, Kayley! You must stay here to help around the house."
"But, Mother, I don't want to work around the house. It's boring! If I go with Hercules to find Philoctetes, I will gain the experience to become a proper knight. But for that to happen, I need to know how to get to the temple."
"Kayley, I do not think it is safe for you to-"
"Mother," Kayley cut her off. "I want to make my father proud. Please allow me to do that."
Lady Juliana looked into her daughter's eyes. She saw the spirit of an adventurer who was not going to give in. She sighed. ""Follow the main road in the opposite direction of Camelot. That will lead you to the temple."
"Mother, thank you!" Kayley embraced her mother lovingly. "Goodbye."
As Kayley headed out the door, her Lady Juliana sadly whispered. "Goodbye, daughter."
As Kayley and Hercules rode on Pegasus, they conversed with each other. "Kayley, when we were at the temple, what did Hermes instruct us to do?"
"We have to follow the shooting star. I think I see it. It's over there!"
"Pegasus, chase that star!" Hercules' winged horse obeyed instantly. "Kayley, why do you want to be a Knight?"
Kayley paused at Hercules' question. After a few seconds, she responded. "My father was a Knight of the Round Table in Camelot. After he died, I swore to live the life he had. If I become a knight, I will make Sir Lionel proud."
"Your father was Sir Lionel?" Hercules was in awe. "That's amazing! If he was my father, I would want to be like him too."
"Herc, why do you want to be what you call a 'true hero?'"
"Because if I don't become one, I will never rejoin my father, Zeus."
It was Kayley's turn to be amazed. "Zeus is your father? My father was only a knight but yours is a god!"
"Your father was still amazing, Kayley. I always admired knights. They are a symbol of heroics."
Finally, Pegasus landed on an island. The area looked run down and almost deserted. "Are you sure this is the place?" Pegasus nodded to answer Hercules.
"Maybe if we yelled for help." Kayley then called out, "Hey! Somebody! We need help over here!"
Someone came towards them. It was a satyr. "Hey! It is not smart to yell for a stranger to help." He said.
"So then, you're Philoctetes?" Hercules wondered.
"Yeah, but call me Phil. So what do you kids want?"
"I'm Hercules, she's Kayley and this is Pegasus. Kayley and I want you to train us."
"Sorry, can't help ya. Lots of people came before you. They all failed."
"That was before you met us," Kayley commented. "Heroics is in our blood. We get it from our fathers."
"I doubt it," Phil scoffed.
"Oh, yeah? She is Sir Lionel's daughter and I am Zeus' son."
"Sir Lionel and Zeus?" Phil started cracking up. "You're telling me that Sir Lionel and Zeus are your daddies?"
"We're telling the truth!" Kayley exclaimed.
"You want me to make you heroes? Well I got two words for you:"-A lightning bolt fried Phil here-"I'll do it."
Hercules, Kayley and Pegasus started cheering and embracing.
"Okay, for this exercise you gotta rescue the damsel from the fiery hoop. Any questions?"
"Phil, what is a damsel?" Kayley asked.
"It's a lady in distress. Now ready, set..." Phil blew his pan pipes.
Hercules and Kayley ran and quickly grabbed the doll-damsel. However, they tripped and fell in the river. Both of them laughed at their predicament.
"No! Wrong! Hopefully you'll do better on the next exercise." Phil lead them to the target monsters. "Kayley, Herc, rule number 96: Aim."
Kayley and Hercules threw swords at the targets. Herc hit only one while Kayley almost impaled Phil.
"Not bad, Herc. Kayley...we gotta work on you."
As the years passed, Hercules grew stronger and buffer and was acing every single hero test. On the other hand, Kayley was behind. On the river guardian test, she only managed to be captured while Hercules had to rescue her.
Once Hercules beat the river guardian, Phil came running over. "Great job, Herc! You always give it all ya got! But you-" Phil pointed at Kayley. "Ya gotta try harder. You're aiming to be a knight, not a damsel in distress! If your pace remains this slow, you'll never reach hero status. Well, let's take a break."
After Phil left, Hercules did a cheer with Pegasus. "Did you see that? I'll get to Olympus quicker than you can say 'easy street.' Right, Kayley? Kayley?"
Kayley sat near the lake weeping. She had not felt this sad in years. She just let her tears flow freely.
Kayley felt a warm hand on her shoulder. "Kayley, what is it?"
"Oh, Herc. I'll never have what it takes to become a knight. I am a failure. I'll never be like my father."
"Kayley, you seriously don't think that. You shouldn't."
"What?" Kayley faced him.
Kayley, you are not like an ordinary girl. You are very unique. In time you will be the knight you always dreamed to be."
"Are you really sure about that, Herc?"
"I'm positive."
Hercules placed his hands on Kayley's face and gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs. Kayley gazed into Hercules' eyes. She found herself mesmerized by them. Eventually, their faces leaned closer together.
A bright light shone in their faces.
"Break it up! Party's over! Time to get back to training! We need all we can get!"
"All right, Phil, we're coming!" Kayley frustratedly responded.
"Okay, I can't decide which mission to test you guys with. Kill the Hydra or slay a dragon. Tough pick here, kids." Phil stated.
Kayley pondered this and got an idea. "Phil, how about I face the dragon and Herc battles the Hydra?"
"Ya sure you can handle that, Kayley?" Phil questioned. You couldn't even match the river guardian!"
"Phil, it will give me a chance to prove my heroic heritage. I will not fail. I promise."
Phil thought for a minute. He shrugged and said, "Fine, but be sure to take a strong sword."
After Phil left, Herc turned to Kayley and smiled. "Good luck, Kayley."
"Likewise, Herc."
A/N: I wrote this story years ago when I was big at watching Non/Disney crossover couple videos on YouTube. Which explains the style of this fic. I'm not crazy about this pairing like when I wrote it, but I liked this story enough to try and post it here. Hope you like it too! BTW more is coming, and I'm working on my other fanfics just wait.
