Hours and classes passed by at turtle speed for him. Luckily he would have breaks in between classes and was able inform his siblings on his afterschool whereabouts. The last class of the day for Heracles was phys ed. And lucky for him he was the teacher's assistant; so all he had to do was keep the student's moral up and occasionally join them in what was going on. After that Heracles had finished his school day and now he could join his friends in the band room. "Hey guys you ready for practice and what's with all the girls outside?" Heracles asked everyone as he entered the large band room. "Maybe we're so sexy girls can't resist us?" Gilbert answered laughing while petting his bass. "It could be also that I might've told Elidora I had band practice. So maybe she told her friends and word spread?" Vasile chuckled grabbing his guitar. "I like this attention!" Martino said sitting at his drums set. "Well then let's do this mates; I vote we try out one of the songs we've been doing the past few weeks." Arthur told his friend as he tuned his guitar. "Okay but which ones is the question I mean all we know is the latest songs and some old songs." Heracles asked his band buddies. "Hey we could try Everybody Talks. And I think we should let some of the people in. The doors look like they're about to break." Martino said pointing a drumstick to the doors. Heracles walked over to one of the doors and carefully stuck his head out the door telling all the girls to come inside and find a spot.
A giant mob of girls entered the band room giggling and cooing as they saw the boys holding their instruments waiting for their lead singer to get ready. What Heracles and his friends didn't know was that Natalia; the girl Heracles was supposed to tutor got stuck in the giant mob of girls and was pushed into the band room. Herc returned to his spot on the stage and motioned 3..2..1. with his fingers until the music started and he began to sing. Natalia was pushed towards to the front to see Heracles singing and having so much doing it. She was confused, how could someone like him supposedly a genius be good at academics and be good at singing. Looking around her she saw girls dancing with the music even though they were just having practice. An hour passed and the other girls let the band room talking about how much fun they had. Natalia just stood in the corner and watched the boys pack up their instruments. "Hey you guys have the feeling we're being watched?" Vasile asked looking around. Everyone nodded yes to his question. Suddenly a door to the room opened and in the doorway stood the twins and Christos. "There are my Kiddos! Come here you two, you just missed a great practice!" Herc said squatting down and having his sisters run into him knocking him down. "He has kids? But he's so young…" Natalia thought to herself as she stepped to the boys. "Hallo… I saw your so called concert." She said making herself known. "N-Natalia you saw it? Oh where are my manners, these are my little sisters Ellenie and Chrisitema. Say hi to my classmate Natalia you two." The eldest Karpusi sibling told his sisters pointing to Natalia. Looking at her the twins waved hi at her with giant smiles.
"Ehem Heracles I do believe you and I have a tutoring session today." Natalia said smiling at the twins. "Oh yeah that's right, listen you two I promise to be back home after I finish tutoring okay?" Heracles told his sisters ruffling their hair making them laugh. "Okay big brother, we'll go visit Elidora then. " The twins said hugging herc and then grabbing Christos's hands. "See you around bro!" Christos said being dragged out the door. "Well we're off good luck on your tutoring session you two." Arthur said leaving. "Yeah have fun with your girlfriend Hercy boy." Gilbert said to his friend as he followed the other band members. "Fuck off Gilbert at least I'm not the one failing." Greece said flipping off his friend. "My you guys get along well.." Natalia said raising an eyebrow at the door. "Don't mind them especially Gilbert he's always like that. Now let's see what Mr. J gave you for homework. I always get mine done during break." Heracles said sitting on the stage behind him and dragging his bag next to him trying to keep calm. "Very well then I guess our first session should start then." Natalia said carrying her back over to where he was and sat next to him. "Now let me see what he gave you and the other students. I bet it's different than what he gave me. Mr. Jacobs is one of those teachers that I have who try to stump me with homework." Heracles said pulling out his Trigonometry homework to show her the difference. "Those problems have to be three fourths into the book I don't even think our class has gone over that yet." Natalia said looking stunned at the finished homework. "I guess I'm just too smart for them then." Heracles said trying to seem calm although nervous as he received his homework from her. "So it seems, shall we get to work then?" Natalia asked pulling out her homework for him to see. For the next hour and half Herc explained how to work out the problems given and eventually helped her finish her homework.
"Thank you very much.. I never really got your name." Natalia said putting the work away. "I'm Heracles, but my friends call me Herc. Mind if I walk out with you? I'm pretty sure my sister is done with track practice and is waiting for me outside in the front." Herc said getting up and reaching his hand out to Natalia. Natalia grabbed his hand and was helped up. Both grabbed their bags and headed towards the front. Out of nowhere screams rang out making Heracles go on alert. "That's the twins come on we have to hurry!" he said grabbing Natalia's hand and started running with her following him to keep up. Reaching the front Heracles opened the doors to find Elidora holding the twins behind her with tear streaks on her cheeks and Christos trying to defend his sisters. In front of them was Sadiq and bunch of his so called friends who followed his every word. Natalia looked at her classmate to see that his calm demeanor had changed to pure rage. She watched him roll up his sleeves and walk towards the people bothering his family. Natalia walked over to his sisters and watched him beat the gang members mercilessly.
Heracles was filled with enough rage to scare off Ludwig; one of the toughest students at the school. Herc's reputation for being merciless in fighting was being shown off right at that very spot. Heracles was throwing punches every which way hitting the members hard enough to make them spit blood. Eventually all of Sadiq's goons were either beaten so much they couldn't move or ran away leaving their leader to feel Herc's wrath. "Would you like to know why I'm sometimes known as the Nemean Lion Sadiq? I'll tell you why, because no matter how many hits I take I won't go down until I'm crippled." Heracles said furious picking up Sadiq by the collar. "And it looks like you've been locked in my cage. I'll leave you with a few warning bites asshole." He said placing his prisoner down on the sidewalk and then punching him in the jaw and stomach "Now get your ass out of here. I don't want to see it till our next class." Heracles said cracking his knuckles as he watched his classmate run away. Turning around he walked over to his siblings and then smiled asking if they were okay. "The twins are fine; I'm hurt emotionally not physically though." Elidora answered rocking the twins to calm them down. "A few cuts and bruises but you came just in time to beat the crap out of him bro." Christos said smiling patting his brother on the back, bleeding from cuts on his face. "At least most of you guys are okay. Elidora we'll talk about what happened when I get home. Now hurry on home before they come back." Heracles said pushing his siblings to get up and head home quickly, and watched them disappear in the horizon.
"I hope you don't mind me asking you this but is it alright if I walk you home? They might've seen you with me and my family. I don't want them to come after the sister of my friend Ivan. And if anything happened well.. heck I have no clue what he would do to me." Heracles asked walking up to Natalia. All Natalia did was nod yes because she was stunned at how a guy like him. A guy who was so calm, smart and cheerful could be so violent. Violent enough to make a group people run away by seeing one of their own curl into a ball and bleed from so many cuts. Yes she had seen Ivan and her real brother Nikolai become angry. Angry enough to beat someone to a pulp. But the rage her classmate displayed was as if his killer instinct took him over. Both students walked together leaving an awkward silence between each other. "I know what you're probably thinking. How could a guy like me be so violent like that? Well there's a reason for that a reason that's my entirely fault." Heracles said stopping in mid-step breaking the silence. Natalia stopped and turned towards him wondering what he meant. "No one but my family and Martino's family knows why I act so violent towards those who try harm my siblings." He said making a fist. "You have to promise you won't tell anyone. I'm trusting you with because you're one of the few people I know who will talk to me in trig class. Promise not to tell anyone?" Herc asked looking at Natalia with a sad look on his face. Natalia looked at him she knew that look he had, it was filled with guilt, pain and loneliness. She nodded yes as she saw him uncurl his fist.
"I'll tell you as we walk." He said walking again and having her walk beside him. "You see I wasn't always the oldest brother. No we had a brother named Kratos, yes like the video game character. He was the oldest by a few hours before Me. Elidora came three days later. And Christos the day after. You see he was the one to defend us whenever something happened to any of us younger siblings. But a few years ago he died and it was all my fault. Kratos, Christos Elidora and I were just starting our freshman year. Kratos and I usually argued about who was better at what since we were the eldest of the bunch. And one day.. one day Kratos and I got into a huge fight. He was the sibling who would choose the wrong people to become friends with. So the night we fought he stormed out on all of us. A few hours later we had a pair of policeman come to our house while mom and us eldest three were still up watching late night TV." Heracles said tears forming eyes as both of them walked down Natalia's block. Natalia was watching him as he told his story but when she noticed the tears. She realized he hated himself immensely. "The police told us that Kratos was found dead hit by car whose driver was intoxicated. He someone was hit so hard his upper half spilt from his bottom half. It hit us all hard. It was now up to me to be the protector of all of my siblings. Now that he was gone. I would watch fights on the TV, internet and even gang fights so I could learn battle moves. Learn how to be tough. As I continued fighting and protecting my siblings in high school and the younger ones in middle school I gained the name "The Namean Lion". Not just because I'm Greek, it was because I would fight the most powerful students who picked on us and I wouldn't give up. That's why I have such a rep of being a merciless fighter. I have to protect my brothers and sisters, specially the twins. I won't lose anymore of my siblings; I'll fight to my last breath to protect them." Heracles said stopping in front of a house with tears streaming down his face.
Natalia couldn't believe what he said, this was why he was so protective, this was why he was so violent. "This is my place thank you for walking me home and helping me with my work. I'll see you in class or maybe around in the halls. Don't worry I'll keep your secret safe, just have a safe trip home Heracles." Natalia said walking up the walkway stopping and turned around. "Thank you I hope to see you around too. Good night." Heracles said to her and then turned around walking into the dark.
