I don't remember exactly, but I think this update was later. Sorry! Though there is a little less action than I would have liked. At least someone got hurt last chapter. Please, pardon my bloodthirstiness~- Remember this when Heracles leaves for an adventure on his own. I learned from the masters of cruel and unusual cliffhangers.
Also, since the Underworld exists here, there is absolutely nothing that says there can't be a little...accident...on Heracles' quest...One that he - and Hades - neglected to tell Athena, or anyone else. *Evil grin*
...I didn't scare you off, did I? I completely understand if I did. I won't do it if you guys don't want me to.
I'm really happy! I got a Wikia account today. I'm WikiGhost, in case you want to know.
Oh yeah, and there's something special at the bottom A/N.
Enjoy~
Heracles could barely keep from grinning as, swinging his club, he jogged up to the school, past the olive grove. He knew he should probably be heading down to Earth to take on the Hydra, but there was still plenty of time. How often was he going to get an offer like this? Heracles saw the MOA's solid-looking bronze doors a little ways off, the ones even he was sure he could never knock down, no matter how hard he tried.
Heracles slowed to a walk. He was a bit late, about twenty minutes. Heracles knew it was probably ridiculous to wish it, but he half hoped that Athena was also late. That way, there was less of a chance of her getting mad at him.
"Psst!" A voice hissed from behind a particularly dense cluster of trees.
Heracles did a double take. "H-hello?" He said, not much louder than a whisper.
The branches rustled, and a familiar head poked around. There was a cold, amused glint in his eyes. "What's wrong, little cousin? Did I scare you?"
Heracles roughly shook his head, furious that he'd let himself be surprised like that. "No, of course not, Eurystheus. What are you doing here? Don't you have someone else to annoy?" He snapped. Heracles neglected to mention that he was hardly the little cousin, seeing as it wouldn't make Eurystheus leave any faster.
Eurystheus grinned and fully emerged from the trees He stood in front of Heracles. "Touchy, touchy. Ah, I can see that you're in a bad mood. No worries, I have just the thing to change that."
Heracles gave his a cautious look. "What would that be?" He asked, seriously doubting the other boy.
The older cousin smiled again. This time, it looked smug, like he had caught Heracles doing something terrible. "I came to tell you that your first labor didn't count.* You'll have to make up for it."
Heracles was shocked, and soon seeing red. "What do you mean, IT DIDN'T COUNT?!" He yelled, remembering everything he had to go through to get it done.
Eurystheus shrugged. "I don't know. You just didn't do it right. You didn't kill it the way you were supposed to."
Heracles seethed. He knew what Eurystheus really meant. You weren't supposed to come back."That is the most..." He growled, not trusting himself to speak. Heracles thought he would yell and rip Eurystheus' head off if he tried-WHICH, though it would be kinda fun, considering how Heracles felt right now, doing so would mean he would be kicked out of the MOA for sure. Honestly, sometimes Eurystheus took the rivalry thing too far.(And he needed to learn how to make better excuses...) He tightened his grip on his club until his knuckles turned white and shook his head again, trying to clear his thoughts. He noticed someone coming through the bronze doors. Holy Zeus! It was Athena, and she looked mad. No wonder, Heracles was now half an hour late. He turned back to his cousin. "I have to go." He said, as calmly as he could muster, turned, and started to walk away. He rested his club on his shoulder.
Eurystheus reached out and grabbed Heracles' lion's pelt by the mane. Heracles spun around, hefting his club. "Not yet," Eurystheus warned. "There's still the matter of that make-up labor to discuss."
Heracles drew back, away from the other boy's hand. "Fine." He snapped. "What suicidal task do I have to complete now?" The way Eurystheus' eyes gleamed made Heracles wish he had worded that differently.
"Change Task number twelve." Eurystheus said. "Instead of the previous task, you have to capture Cerberus and bring him to me."
Heracles' eyes widened, then narrowed again. "Are you INSANE? I know Hades! ...He's a friend of mine!" He added at Eurystheus' disbelieving gaze. "I can get into all kinds of trouble for stealing Cerberus, and not just with Hades! I can get into trouble with Zeus, and pretty much every god or goddess in the Underworld!" He yelled.
Eurystheus shrugged. "That's not my problem. It's yours. And you better find a way around Hades if you want to stay here." Eurystheus gave Heracles a sideways look as he turned to leave. "And I doubt another school would take you after your attack on the music teacher." He disappeared into the trees.
Heracles almost called after him, to remind him that it wasn't an attack, the music teacher was being a complete Son-of-a-Geryon and Heracles just lost his temper. Really, it was something that could happen to anyone. He broke away from the grove and jogged over to where Athena was waiting. "Athena!" Heracles called. He finally reached her. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "Are you mad?"
"A little..." Athena said, seeming unsure. Then she grinned. "But I'll get over it. Do you still want to go?"
"Yup!" Heracles said, relieved that Athena hadn't decided to abandon him yet. He didn't feel any of the previous anger now that he was with her...and away from Eurystheus.
They walked in silence towards the sports field. Athena broke it after a minute. "Who was that boy you were talking to?" She asked.
Heracles frowned. "My cousin. Eurystheus." Unfortunately, he added inside his head.
"Sounds like you weren't happy to see him," Athena said, sounding a little out of breath.
Heracles felt bad, and slowed down a little. "You got that right," He muttered.
Athena raised an eyebrow. "Something the matter?"
Heracles shook his head. "It's nothing," He lied. "Nothing I can't take care of, anyway."
They walked in silence for a bit longer. Heracles wished that it was true, that he could take care of it, but Heracles just couldn't see himself doing some of them, including that...ninth task.
"If you ever find yourself in trouble here or need help, will you ask me?" Athena asked, jolting Heracles out of his thoughts.
He glanced at her in surprise, and shrugged. "I guess so," He said, slightly confused. How in the Underworld does she know...or does she...?
They walked a bit farther. Heracles pointed to a huge, round building. "Is that the gymnasium?"
"Uh-huh," said Athena. "Sometimes the school holds dances there, and Apollo's band plays. It's open to the sky in the center."
"Wow," Heracles said. "My old school's gymnasium wasn't even half as big. It sure was nice of Principle Zeus to invite me here." He hesitated, not sure if what he was about to say was a sore point for Athena. "Guess he's your dad, huh?"
"Yes." Athena didn't seem bothered, thankfully.
It took a little while, but they finally arrived at the doors of the market. Three dogs, a greyhound, a beagle, and a bloodhound barked loudly and bounded over to them, all three tails wagging. Heracles guessed that they were Artemis';Apollo had told him that she had pets. The beagle went to Athena, who reached down to pet him. The greyhound and the bloodhound growled at Heracles. He guessed it was because of his cape. Heracles faintly remembered something about taming dogs, and held out his hand for them to sniff. Soon they were licking his fingers and yipping. Heracles smiled inwardly; He had remembered right.
"See you later, boys," Athena said. She patted the beagle one last time before going through the doors. Heracles followed, passing shelves of snacks. They came to a rack filled with Teen Scrollazine issues. Athena flipped over one featuring Orion's grinning face. "It's a long story." She told Heracles when he gave her a curious look.
They came to the back of the store, where the people Athena and Heracles had sat with earlier were gathered around a large round table, along with two others, one with spiky orange hair and the other with blue and gold hair. Heracles only recognized Pheme from the two.
Aphrodite waved. "About time you got here!" She called.
"Heracles!" shouted Apollo. "What are you doing here?"
Heracles responded with a grin. "I was invited," he replied. "And you?"
Apollo laughed. "Touche." He motioned to an empty seat between him and Poseidon. Still grinning, Heracles sat.
Persephone pulled Hades up by the hand. "We'll go get more shakes."
Artemis got up too. "I'll help."
Shakes...that sounded good to Heracles. He almost asked what kind, then realized that that was a stupid question. Athena had already told him that they were ambrosia shakes.
Aphrodite murmured something to Athena as the latter sat between Pheme and her, something Heracles couldn't catch. He shrugged it off. Probably some weird goddessgirl thing that he wouldn't understand anyway. Girls were just like that sometimes-No, all the time. Heracles had no idea how he was going to pull off the 9th labor.
They all laughed and talked for a bit. Eventually, Persephone, Hades, and Artemis returned with the shakes. Persephone handed one to Heracles, and he took a sip.
"Mmm." He said, and glanced at the undistributed shakes that Hades and Artemis still held. "You can just leave all of those with me," he said, and everyone laughed.
"Is that lion skin for real?" The blue-haired girl asked, staring at Heracles from across the table.
"Sure, " Heracles replied. "Is your blue hair for real?"
She blushed and reached up to pat her hair. "It's the school colors, didn't you know?"
Heracles smiled. Yes, he did know.
Apollo nudged Heracles with his elbow. "Tell the girls that story you told us at lunch," he said.
"Yeah, the one about how you got your lion cape." Poseidon agreed.
Heracles shrugged. "They don't want to hear about that."
"I do," Artemis said, "As long as you stick to the facts."
Heracles glanced around the table at the other goddessgirls for confirmation. They nodded.
"Go on, tell us," said Athena.
"Okay, but I hope you aren't squeamish," said Heracles, a little worried. "Truth is that I had to kill this lion because it was a big problem for the people of Nemea. Afterward I skinned it, and now I wear its pelt." He smiled at Artemis. "And those are the facts."
Poseidon thumped his trident on the floor. "You left out all the good stuff. Tell them about the lion's impenetrable skin!"
"Impene-what?" Persephone asked.
"Heracles' arrows weren't any good against the lion," Hades explained. "It's skin was so thick and tough, the arrows just bounced off."
Picking up the story, Apollo began miming the actions as he described them. "So he chased the lion into its lair, wrestled it to the ground, and snapped its neck with his bare hands."
"Goodness!" Aphrodite exclaimed. "How gruesome! I can't help feeling sorry for the lion."
"Don't," said Poseidon, shaking his head. "That lion was a menace. It got kicks out of terrorizing the Nemean people, killing their farm animals, and-" He paused, not wanting to say what might come next.
"And worse." Heracles finished, remembering the stories he had heard from the villagers.
Athena looked slightly confused. "If the lion's hide was impenetrable, how did you manage to skin it?"
Heracles ran his hand down the side of his pelt. "I puzzled over that for the longest time," he admitted. "It could have come back to life if I hadn't, so I had to find a way. Can you guess?"
Athena looked thoughtful. Then, almost as soon as he asked her, she snapped her fingers. "The claws!" she exclaimed. "You cut the pelt with the lion's own claws!"
Heracles was surprised. He would have never figured it out that fast. Not even close. "Wow. You sure figured that out fast. It would have saved me some time if you'd been with me." Heracles said, completely serious.
The other godboys laughed, but Heracles ignored them.
"Why couldn't the Nemeans kill the lion themselves?" asked Pandora. "Why did you have to kill it for them?"
"Um, well," said Heracles, not wanting to mention his current dilemma. "I just did." Then he abruptly changed the subject. "Hey, Apollo, Artemis. I hear your practicing for a new archery competition."
The twins exchanged a glance. "Yeah," said Artemis. Apollo nodded in agreement.
After that, they talked until it was almost time for dinner, when everyone started back to the Academy. The godboys walked ahead of the girls, who were chatting.
Heracles dodged a mock punch thrown by Poseidon. Heracles was about to retaliate when Hades-who was right behind him- mimicked Ms. Nemesis so well that Heracles jumped. Laughing, they continued until they crossed the courtyard.
"Bye," Heracles told the others, and broke away. He headed for a trail that led down to Earth. It was lined with different trees and clusters of grapevines, which made Heracles feel slightly claustrophobic. Time to go fight the Hydra. He told himself, less than thrilled. He barely noticed the loud hoot as he trekked down to the Hydra's lair, dismissing it as unimportant.
*=Actually, in the legends it was the second labor that didn't count, but I'm changing it to first for story purposes.
Whew! Another one done! I thought I'd never finish it! And this one is longer than the others. Yes!
And here are responses to your wonderful reviews!
Ophelia Lokisdottir-I answered your question already.:) And you're welcome!
NightenGale10-Thank you so much! Reviews like this make me so happy! Even a little 'Good Job' every now and then is wonderful! Though, forgive me if something happens to Airlia, I need this story to fit as much as possible. Sorry.:(
Apollower-I know you didn't review, but you let me know anyway, and that's just as good. Thanks, and I'm sorry you can't get Pheme the Gossip yet. It's a great book. My offer is still valid, if you want. Have you thought about writing a story? I'd read it if you did.
AthenaTheWisdomGoddess-Thanks! I'm glad that you want to read my story!
A Guest- I'm touched. :')
Wow. Only three more reviews, and I'll have more reviews than there are Goddess Girls Fanfics.
On a completely unrelated note:
Okay, so, I made this story. It has nothing to do with this fanfiction/story/characters. It's just a story that I had nowhere else to put. I think I gave my muse too much sugar or something, because I was eating cookies, and I had a sudden shot of inspiration. Nothing about cookies, though. Just read and see.
You've heard them all. A broken mirror means bad luck. Never open an umbrella indoors. Don't walk under ladders. It's only good luck to find a penny if it's heads-up when you find it. Never stop at 13. Be especially careful on Friday the Thirteenth. Don't step on a crack.
Bad luck, good luck, all these 'superstitions' have been around as long as anyone can remember. But how was it started? How does it work, and why does it seem to not to anymore?
This is how. I am an age old spirit who knows of these things. I am, more or less, the embodiment of what you call Luck. Do not confuse me with my twin, Karma. That is another spirit, another legend. I assure you, Luck is entirely different.
Not everyone could see me, but everyone knew who I was. Who we were.
Before I explain, I must say that everyone starts out with, and eventually receives, equal good and bad luck.
You see, when you things like, say, walk under a ladder, it twists around time and space. For the tiniest of a split second, what is wrong is right, what is up is down, and what is black is white. In other words, everything is its total opposite. This happens so fast that very, very few can perceive it. I am one of those, and I have everything to do with the misfortune that follows. What happens is, when you do this, someone on the complete opposite does something to receive 'good luck', such as finding a penny. They do not actually receive any, of course. Only bad luck can be given, or in this case, taken away. The vast majority of that other persons bad luck is simply transferred to you, and something terrible follows as a result. That is my job. It is-sorry, was a job I took very seriously, and with great pride. I'll elaborate why it is no longer in a second.
Friday the Thirteenth, a day that sadly doesn't come often enough, was the day where I no longer followed the rules. Where, no matter if they had twisted the Universe with unlucky actions, I cause misfortune to everyone and everything. How? Well, the whole world isn't in the same day. Think of it like this. You don't notice it, but you are reasonably luckier the days before and after Friday 13th. I'll let you figure it out, as my ancient mind has become tired of writing.
I used to be known. I was feared throughout the world. Many thought me to be a god. They weren't far off. It was a good feeling, being believed in. It is a feeling I have long since missed deeply. People just aren't as superstitious as they used to be. They write me off as a fairy tale. Bah! Silly fat man in a red suit. Tall, faceless man. Little green one with pot of gold. That is a fairy tale. I am not. I am real. It is sad, they do not even think of me as a living being anymore. I grew bored, eventually. Tired. I was getting no recognition for my hard work. Until you read this, no living mortal knew I existed. You will find that luck no longer works the way it used to. I have faded away, waiting in the unending darkness. I am everything and nothing at the same time. At least, I used to be. Now, as you read this, I am imprinting myself onto you. In your mind. I will feel and see as you do. You will be a wonderful host. I will reward you, when I fully return. And I will return, perhaps sooner than you think. The time will be right. Even now, I am saving energy to make a full recovery. In the meantime, go. Go spread the word that Luck is returning with their twin, Karma. Yes, Karma has also faded. We are as separate as you can be yet as intertwined as you can get. We are linked to one another.
Spread the word. Pass it on. For me, Luck, for Karma, and for all other old, forgotten spirits. Tell all who we really are. Tell all where those legends came from. Tell all why we faded. Tell all this story. Tell all that we will return.
Because, I promise you, before this millennium is up, we will return.
DunDunDunnnn...Well? Whadda think? Good? Bad? Wonderful? Terrible? Did you even read it? Tell me what you think!
If I got any part of the dialogue wrong, if I misspelled a single word, let me know. I want to know.
Review! Flames, Bashers, and Trolls, do your worst! I've got a banana and I'm not afraid to use it! *Holds up apple*
Oh, and I made a story for NERDS, if anyone likes that series.
With love,
~Riverstone
