More female elephants came to where Mrs. Jumbo was and decided to see her.

"I wonder why the others going to see Mrs. Jumbo?" Cherry thought out loud.

"I don't know, maybe they're expecting like a baby or something." Atticus shrugged.

"Oh... Makes sense..." Cherry nodded then. "I guess she'll have a baby soon... Hmm... Wonder if we'll meet the baby... Never saw a baby elephant before."

"Maybe we will, maybe we won't." Atticus said.

"Oh, well..." Cherry shrugged.

A man with a black top hat was putting his hat on and going to a tent.

"Must be the ringmaster..." Cherry guessed. "Hope he's not like Uncle Al."

"Well, we'll soon find out in the big top." Atticus said.

"Let's take a look around until they announce." Cherry then suggested.

With that, Cherry and Atticus wandered around the fair ground.


"You ready, big guy?" the ringmaster asked Atlas as he smiled smugly in the mirror like he was in love with his own reflection.

"I sure am, boss." Atlas told the ringmaster with a smug smile.

The ringmaster hid an eye roll over Atlas's narcissism. "There's a lot of kids out there, go be their hero."

"I sure will." Atlas said with a smug smile.

"And remember, we are still having that challenge." The ringmaster told him.

"Right, like there's any doubt..." Atlas laughed.

"True, but still, I know how funny it is to you, so that's why we do it to keep you happy and besides, we might get another member to the circus and where he or she will be your partner while a friend of his or hers will also come along, but we keep that part secret." The ringmaster said.

"Gotcha..." Atlas chuckled. "Oh, I almost feel sorry for those victims..."

"Be ready in about five," the ringmaster told him. "I'll make up a contract."

"Perfect, either way, it will be entertaining." Atlas said.

The ringmaster gave a thumb's up and left to his own tent. "This'll be a great closing show for this town."


A lion was circling its cage as Cherry stared back and then it came up close and roared in her face, blowing her hair back.

Cherry slid her glasses off, rubbed them against her shirt. "Very good..." she then pushed her glasses back. "My turn..." she then cleared her throat and roared viciously back at the big cat.

The lion mewed weakly like a kitten and backed up.

"That's what I thought." Cherry glanced.

"You amaze me sometimes, Cherry." Atticus said to his best friend.

"I'm just full of surprises, you can never tell what I'm going to do next." Cherry told him.

Atticus lightly laughed to this.

Cherry checked the time. "Come on... Come on..." she then looked to the center where the show would be held and she was getting impatient. "Get started already!"

As if on cue, people began to come right in and the show was going to start very soon.

"Finally..." Cherry groaned.

"Come on, let's get a seat." Atticus told her.

Cherry nodded and followed him.


They both entered inside with the rest of the crowd and decided to sit on the bottom bleachers. The female elephants were getting in position as there was upbeat circus music now playing.

"Well, girls, it's time for the show to start." The first elephant told the rest.

Another elephant giggled like an easily impressed child. "Oh, I just know they'll love us!"

"Why wouldn't they?" The second elephant asked with a scoff.

"Now, girls..." Mrs. Jumbo giggled to them, settling them out. "We're all wonderful in our own special and unique way."

"Yes we are, thank you for reminding us that, Mrs. Jumbo." The first elephant told her.

Mrs. Jumbo giggled as she stood with her fellow elephants.


Soon a little while later, the ringmaster came into the center of the huge tent. The audience then ended their personal and private conversations until the show started and they all started to shush each other.

'And the show is about to start.' Atticus thought to himself.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys, and girls, welcome to the Casey Junior circus!" the ringmaster introduced. "This is our final show in this town as we'll be packing up to leave first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Aww..." some of the kids groaned in dismay.

"However, we promise to come back to your wonderful town again very soon!" the ringmaster continued with a friendly smile.

"Yay!" The kids and adults cheered.

"And don't forget, we are still having our challenge to see who can match the strength of our one and only strongman Atlas and to see if one of you will be the lucky winner!" The ringmaster told them.

Atticus was really looking forward to that part.

"But first, may I introduce our lovely elephants?" the ringmaster introduced. "Our Matriarch, Mrs. Jumbo, Catty, Prissy, and Giddy!"

Each of the elephants came in as their names were mentioned and everyone in the crowd began to cheer as each elephant came in. Mrs. Jumbo seemed to stare off into space, but she did come when her name was called.

'She seems distant, she must be waiting for something, but what?' Atticus thought to himself.

After the elephants, next was the rest of the circus before Atlas and the challenge. The elephants wowed and amazed the crowd with their performance.

"Good show, ladies, really good show..." the ringmaster smiled to the elephants.

Mrs. Jumbo gave a sweet smile while her fellow pachyderms looked rather smug about his compliment. The ringmaster then introduced the clowns.

"Of course..." Cherry lowly scoffed.

"Oh, great." Atticus said with rolled eyes, even somehow finding these clowns annoying.

Cherry leaned back and folded her arms. The clowns came in their tiny car and filed out one-by-one and did their lame juggling tricks and making most of the audience laugh at their pain and expense. Cherry visibly yawned and folded her arms.

'They're good, not great, but good.' Atticus thought to himself.

"Next..." Cherry rolled her eyes.

The clowns ended by shooting each other out of cannons and landed in cream pies which splashed over the audience. They then took their leave and the crowd cheered them off.

"Thank goodness..." Cherry was relieved.

"Hopefully the next act is more entertaining." Atticus whispered to her.

Cherry slowly nodded, feeling bored that they came to this circus.

It seemed to take forever, but the ringmaster had finally introduced Atlas.

'Finally!' Atticus thought to himself.


Atlas grinned to the crowd and waved to show off his strength until the little contest after his act. The crowd was amazed at what he could do like they had never seen anything like it before. Cherry was not all that impressed though, after Atticus got his strength, anyone else who was not a god or superhero who was that strong just bored her. Atlas did his act by lifting up a 500 pound dumbbell weight and where this did impress the entire crowd except for Cherry and Atticus.

"Ugh, I wish I had a fancy phone like everybody else..." Cherry took out her flip phone and stabbed the buttons just to get on the internet which took what felt like an hour.

After Atlas's act, it was now finally time for the challenge.

"Now, as you all know, whoever can match Atlas the strongman's strength or maybe even is stronger than him wins!" The ringmaster told everyone while Atlas was flexing his muscles. "Now who feels like he can beat or match his or her strength against the mighty Atlas!"

"I'll take the challenge!" Atticus's voice called out.

The audience gasped and turned to Atticus, thinking he was silly or dumb for his request. Cherry pointed to Atticus.

"You dare challenge the world's strongest man?" Atlas laughed. "This'll be fun... Hopefully he doesn't cry when I beat him since I'm a grown man and he's a mere child..."

"You better hope so..." the ringmaster said to him, then called out to Atticus. "Step right up then, young lad!"

Atticus then came up from the bleachers and went up to the strongman. Cherry lightly clapped.

"A round of applause for the brave and daring boy!" the ringmaster told the crowd.

Everybody else clapped for Atticus.

"You dare challenge me?" Atlas laughed. "You probably can barely lift your school textbooks let alone a dumbbell!"


Atticus ignores his comment and went over to the dumbbell, ready to lift it up. Atlas hid an amused chuckle, like he was expecting Atticus to fail and make a fool of himself. He really was a selfish and vain bully when it came to his own personal strength. Little did he know, he was the one who was going to be shown up and not Atticus. Atticus bent down and grabbed the 500 pound weight dumbbell and lifted it up with a few grunts even if it wasn't that hard. Atlas laughed at first, then the ringmaster nudged him, he then stopped laughing once he saw what Atticus had done.

The audience oohed and awed in surprise and amazement. Atticus then bent the dumbbell into a loop which amazed everyone once again. Cherry quietly clapped, she had already seen this all before, so she wasn't as impressed, but she was surprised to learn that her and Atticus's adventure with Hercules was not a dream.

"Looks like you got some competition." the ringmaster chuckled to Atlas.

"Just get the contract ready." Atlas whispered to the ringmaster.

The ringmaster took a brief leave. Atticus laughed as he used his new strength that was rewarded to him for saving Hercules and bringing him back to Mount Olympus.

"You from Krypton or somethin', boy?" Atlas scoffed.

"No, just gifted with incredible strength." Atticus smirked.

Atlas snarled and looked like he really wanted to hurt Atticus for showing him up. Atticus put the bar bell down and smiled to the crowd as they cheered for him.

"I know him!" Cherry told the crowd, pointing to Atticus. "I know him!"

Atlas began to try to straighten out the dumbbell as best as he could.

"Guess you're not so strong now, eh?" Atticus laughed a little.

Atlas glared to him. "You're such a fool..."

Atticus straightened the dumbbell out for him before letting it drop to the ground. This made the audience thump slightly.


"Oh, my..." one of the female elephants said to the Matriarch. "He seems rather good for his size..."

"So it seems..." the Matriarch looked to Atticus long and hard.

"He must have been gifted with that strength somehow." Mrs. Jumbo said.

"Yes..." the Matriarch rolled her eyes.

"I think he's cute!" one of the female elephants giggled.

"Oh, brother..." The Matriarch groaned.


"Mercy me!" the ringmaster rushed to Atticus's side with a contract. "You are brilliant, my boy! Your parents must be so proud of you!"

"Oh, um, I-I don't know if I have any parents." Atticus frowned.

This caused for everyone to gasp.

Atticus shuffled his foot to the ground with his hands behind his back.

"He lives with me," Cherry walked over. "I found out who my parents were and reunited with them, but I didn't want Atticus to be alone since he's my best friend and I offered to let him stay with us."

"Oh, how kind of you." The ringmaster smiled. "Now why don't I speak with Atticus alone?"

"I don't like this..." Cherry said softly, she then walked away and accidentally ran into the elephants. "Whoa!"

"Oh, careful!" Mrs. Jumbo helped her up with her trunk.

Cherry patted herself down and smiled to Mrs. Jumbo.