FaerieTales4ever: YES! The title was from "Tuck Everlasting". I got to see it two days before it closed on Broadway (and stagedoored and met the cast!). It was such a beautiful musical!


"H-Hey, Hermes. Long time, no see," Fiyero said, chuckling nervously. "Wh-What brings you by?"

"Someone decided to run away from home and Artemis, being the ever-so-motherly goddess she is, sent us out to find her," the god of travelers said, looking over Fiyero's shoulder at the green girl. "Oh look! Found her!"

Elphaba's shoulders slumped. Somewhere deep down, she knew that it would have been hopeless.

"Look, Hermes, we can explain…" Fiyero started.

"You just better be glad I found you guys before Artemis did. She's mad and worried enough about Elphaba, but to see her with a guy would probably near give her a heart attack."

"Hermes, please," Elphaba spoke up. "I really need to do this."

The Olympian looked at Elphaba. "Elphaba, Artemis is worried sick over you. I have to take you back to her. The sooner you return, the less-bad the repercussions will be… hopefully."

"I know, but I really have to finish this. I have to find my family. Please, Hermes."

The Olympian sighed. "She told us that as soon as we find you, to let her know and bring you back to her." He tapped his fingers on his chin, though he looked very serious. "So, there's only one thing I can do."

Elphaba bit her lip.

"I'm going to help you."

"Hermes, you don't understand, please, I have to – wait, what?" Elphaba blinked.

"I'm going to help you," Hermes smiled. "Maybe that will teach Artemis not to be so mean to me."

Elphaba was shocked and Fiyero looked completely overjoyed. "Thank you," she managed to say after a while.

"Don't mention it. Especially to Artemis. As you can imagine, she wouldn't be the happiest to find out," the Olympian smiled. "Alright, kids! Got your things?"

Fiyero smiled. "We do."

"Then let's hit the road!" The god of travelers led them through the forest to the train tracks on the edge of the woods.

"Where are we going?" Fiyero asked when they stopped.

The Olympian waved his hand and two train tickets appeared in his hand. "You youngsters are going on a little field trip. These tickets will get you to Dixxi House. Get off there and take the Gillikin River down to the Vinkus. I recommend starting your search there. The Traum station is a few miles north. You'll have to walk it."

"Thank you, Hermes," Elphaba said again.

"You're welcome, Elphaba. I hope you find what you're looking for." In all honesty, he hoped she didn't. There was so much at stake, but he saw in her eyes that she really needed to find her family. And he was sending her to the Vinkus, farther away from where Artemis was in Munchkinland. Who knew, maybe she would find what she was looking for.


"Ready?" Maia asked as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"No," Seraphia whimpered.

"Good! Let's go," Carisse smiled.

"I still think this isn't such a smart idea," Seraphia said.

"We have to find Elphaba," Maia said, stuffing the map into her bag.

The other two girls followed her out. They were almost out of the camp when a voice called them back.

"Where do you three think you're going?"

The girls whipped around to see Antheia, one of the original Huntresses standing a few feet away from them. "We were going on a hunt," Carisse said nonchalantly.

"With all that baggage?"

"We pack heavy," Seraphia said.

The huntress narrowed her eyes at the group. "Lady Artemis left me in charge and said that no one was to leave the camp for any reason. We don't need to go on a hunt, and we won't until she returns."

"But –" Seraphia protested.

"No buts. Am I understood?"

"Yes," the three girl grumbled.

"Good," Antheia nodded and left.

"What do we do now?" Carisse sighed. "That was our only way out."

"We'll wait until early tomorrow morning, before everyone else wakes up. We can have a sleepover in my tent and that will give us more time to review our plan," Maia said, dragging her things back to her tent.

"You know, I'm starting to think that this might not be such a good plan after all. Sneaking out and trying to find Elphaba, I mean," Carisse said after a while as they walked back.

Seraphia merely gave her a look and slapped her arm before turning and walking away.


"It's been almost a week. Has anyone found her?" Artemis asked as the Olympians gathered in the throne room of Mount Olympus.

A chorus of "nos" and "I'm sorrys" floated amongst the gods. Well… all except for Hermes.

"You're being awfully quiet," Athena said, looking at the god of travelers.

"Hermes, have you found Elphaba?" Artemis asked.

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't," Hermes said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Arg! Now is not the time to act like a baby, you dolt!" the goddess shouted.

Hermes clicked his teeth. "Learning something aggression from Ares, aren't we?"

The god of war didn't even look up from where he was polishing his sword.

"I'll show you aggression!" Artemis growled before rising from her throne and advancing at Hermes, grabbing him by the front of his toga. "Where. Is. Elphaba?"

"Probably half-way across Oz by now."

"WHAT?!"

"I sent her and her new friend on a little fun adventure."

"New friend? What new friend?"

"Oh, you haven't heard?" Hermes smirked. He knew this news would make his half-sister furious, and he took pleasure in doing so. "You're gonna love this. She made friends with Fiyero Tigulaar, the son of Dionysus. They're so close that she even stayed over at his house for a night."

Everyone turned to look at Dionysus briefly before turning back to Artemis. The goddess's eyes turned yellow in rage and steam was literally coming out of her ears.

"Don't ask me what they did, though. I don't go that personal," Hermes said, shimming away from the steaming goddess.

"Artemis…" Athena said gently, placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Don't. Touch. Me!" Artemis growled, punching Athena in the gut and sending her flying into the wall.

"Hermes, why would you do that?" Hephaestus asked.

"Do what?" Hermes questioned.

"Not return Elphaba to Artemis."

"Maybe that will teach her not to be hostile to me," Hermes said, glaring at Artemis.

"I think you'd better get your son before Artemis does," Athena said to Dionysus, recovering from crashing against the wall, rubbing the back of her head.

"Artemis, there is nothing to worry about. I know Fiyero, and he would never dare to touch or do anything to Elphaba in any way that wasn't deemed appropriate," the god of wine said gently.

"I don't care about your party-crazed, half-drunken son, Dionysus," Artemis sighed.

Dionysus narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything.

"It's Elphaba I'm worried about. And since none of you are being of help, I will just continue this on my own."

"Artemis, we do want to help you," Demeter spoke up. "Really, we do."

"How hard is it to track down a green teenager?" Artemis asked incredulously.

"Artemis, darling, don't you think you're getting too wound up about this?" the goddess of the hearth, Hestia, asked quietly.

"I agree with Hestia," Hera said, surprising everyone.

"Again, you would be the only one to despise Elphaba. She had nothing to do with what happened," Artemis growled.

"And you're standing up for her?" Hera challenged.

"It wasn't her fault."

"Yet someone has to pay."

"People have paid."

"Not enough. It never should have happened anyway."

Artemis knew that arguing with the queen of the gods wouldn't do much good, so she shut her mouth and turned away.

"I'm sorry," Hera said after a while, though it sounded insincere. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"No," Artemis said shortly. "And don't even bother to help me look for her. And that goes for all of you. I don't trust any of you to do what I ask, so I will do it on my own."

"Artemis…" Ares started, but the goddess had already stormed out of the room.

The Olympians looked at each other and sighed. "Let her learn the hard way. You can't play with fate. There are some things even we Olympians should not get involved in," Hera said.

"If that were the case, none of this would be happening right now," Aphrodite said, glaring at the queen.

"Thank you, Aphrodite. When your opinion is needed, I will request it," Hera said.

"Now, dear…" Zeus sighed.

"If this meeting is adjourned, I have things I must finish."

The lord of the sky bit back a groan, but dismissed everyone. He knew how sensitive his wife was to things like this, but sometimes, he just wished she would lighten up. Out of all the things she could have done, she didn't have to go after Elphaba the way she did. He knew it was her job, but sometimes, he wished that she would just think a bit more before letting her anger cloud her better judgment.


Fiyero looked out the window as the scenery whizzed past them. He looked over at Elphaba, whose nose was buried deep in a book. "So…"

Elphaba didn't look up from her book.

"Hey," Fiyero said gently, nudging her with his foot.

Elphaba grunted.

"Elphaba."

Finally, the green girl looked up. "Yes?"

"What do you plan on doing now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what do you plan on doing if you find your family?"

Elphaba blinked. "I… don't know. I haven't… thought that far yet."

"Have you at least thought about how you are going to find them?"

"Well… my last name is Thropp. Maybe we could just ask around. Someone has to remember a little green girl."

Fiyero regarded her. Their eyes met briefly before Elphaba turned to gaze out the window. "So… Elphaba, I was wondering if –"

"Dixxi House! Next stop is Dixxi House!" the conductor called as he walked down the aisle.

"We should get ready," Elphaba said as she marked her page and placed her book back in her bag.

Fiyero watched her and then slung his bag over his shoulder. The train slowed to a stop and as soon as the doors opened, Elphaba had hopped off. The hero followed her and they could see the river around a mile away.

"There's the river," Elphaba said, pointing to the water. "Let's go."

Fiyero followed her and they found a boat about to leave the dock. "Halt! Where do you think you're going?" a really buff man said, stopping them right before they got on. "It cost fifty green pennies per person to get on. No money, no ride."

Elphaba sighed. "Hermes couldn't have given us travel money?"

Fiyero tug into his coin bag and handed the man one hundred green pennies.

"Enjoy the ride," he said sweetly after counting and pocketing the money.

"Thanks," Elphaba said as she stepped on board.

"Don't mention it," Fiyero smiled.

Elphaba blushed, and quickly hid her face, but Fiyero had noticed. He was all too familiar with what he was feeling, but something was different. With Elphaba, it seemed… stronger. More forceful. It was so powerful that it frightened him. He really liked Elphaba, but knew she didn't like him back. At least, not the way he wanted her to. She did, after all, had all the strength needed to kill him.

"Fiyero?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you looking at?"

Fiyero blinked and realized that he was staring at Elphaba. Had he been staring at her this whole time? Oh Oz, he hoped he didn't look like a creep. "Nothing. I was just… thinking."

Elphaba narrowed her eyes, but then a smirk appeared on her face as she stepped closer to him. Fiyero's breath caught in his throat and for a moment, he forgot how to breathe. "Really? What were you thinking about?"

"Emeralds," Fiyero said in a daze.

Elphaba frowned and stepped away, and Fiyero immediately realized what he said. "Emeralds? Are you…" Elphaba's eyes widened. "You're falling in love with me, aren't you?"

Am I that obvious? Fiyero thought. "I…"

"I can't believe it! You're such a man!"

Fiyero gaped at her. What had warranted this behavior? He hadn't done something brainless, had he? He couldn't remember doing anything stupid. "I can't help the way I feel, Elphaba."

"You can't fall in love with me! I only brought you along because you wouldn't shut up when I wouldn't let you. You only wanted to come with me so you could try to make a move!"

Fiyero frowned. "That's not true!"

"Yes, it is, and you know it!"

"If I wanted to make a move, I would have done it when you were out-cold because of those berries."

As soon as those words left his mouth, he knew that it was the wrong thing to say. Elphaba's glare hardened and she looked like she was going to slap him so hard that he would fall overboard, when a giant wave came out of nowhere and soaked both of them to the bone.

"What the…" Elphaba gasped, sputtering water out of her mouth. She and Fiyero looked over the edge and saw a woman emerging from the water, a hard look on her face as she glared at them. "Who is that?"

"Seeing that we're traveling down the Gillikin River, I'm guessing that's Mydia, the spirit of the river," Fiyero said, flicking his wet hair away from his face.

"What is she doing? Why does she look angry? And why is she looking right at me?"

"I can hear you, y'know," Mydia said, sounding very cross.

Elphaba gulped. "What's going on? Why are you doing this?"

"Hera asked me to put an end to your quest. Well, put an end to you, specifically, though," Mydia said as she caused another wave.

Elphaba held her breath and held onto the banister as the wave hit her. Hera? Why was Hera trying to kill her? Had Artemis asked her to? The boat rocked back and forth, threatening to capsize. The crew and the other passengers were frantic, all running all over the desk.

"Why is Hera after me?" Elphaba asked after she spit the water out of her mouth.

"I don't know. Something about 'proper punishment'," the river spirit said, causing the biggest wave of all to come speeding towards the boat.

Elphaba gasped, but quickly shut her mouth, held her breath, and held on. The wave hit her and she was knocked off her feet. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was still on boat, but someone else wasn't. "Fiyero!" she exclaimed, running towards the opposite edge and found the hero-in-training being swept down the current of the river. Without thinking twice, she jumped in and swam after him.


To those who guessed Hermes (which was everyone!) You were right! Virtual chocolate cake for everyone! Hopefully my next god/goddess guessing game will be harder.