Disappearing Heroes - Part 2
Disclaimer: read the beginning
"Mentor. Nestor. Meleager. All heroes. All gone. Question." Chipacles turned his attention to Hercules, "Who's behind it?"
Hercules tapped his chin to think, but he couldn't figure out the culprit, "I don't know. I was bowling, when it happened."
"Suck at bowling if you ask me," Nattie muttered.
Chipacles gave her a sharp look, "How many times do I have to tell you?! Shut your trap!"
"Aren't you forgetting that I saw your idol getting kidnapped?"
"Nattie, you saw Mentor getting kidnapped?" Hercules asked.
Nattie nodded, "Yeah. While that guy-" Nattie pointed at Chipacles, "-was reading my rights, Mentor was wrapped up like a caterpillar in a cocoon and was in the air, carried by two winged creatures."
"Two winged creatures?" Phil questioned her.
"I didn't get a good look, because Chip's big head was in the way."
"I don't need that from you!" Chipacles snapped, "I can book you if I please."
Nattie fell silent. She didn't want to go to jail. She don't do jail. Her mind was giving her reason, telling her to think before speaking.
Hercules was thinking about Nattie's description. His face turned outrage when he figured out that the winged figures were really minions. He realized whom the minions were with wings, and they were working for one villain. Only one villain was on the top of his suspect list.
"I know who," Hercules said angrily. Everyone turned to Hercules, curious to know who Hercules was referring to.
"Who?" Phil asked.
"Those winged figures, Nattie described, I know them. They are minions, working for someone. Someone named... Hades." Hercules said the name with disgust.
Everyone gasped in shock.
"Hades?!" Phil cried out.
"Hades?" Nattie questioned nervously.
"Hades?!" Chipacles cried, "You're talking Underworld!"
"Hades sent Pain and Panic to kidnap the heroes!" Hercules stated, "Nattie saw two creatures with wings, and they work for Hades. I'm sure he's behind this."
"Herc," Nattie began, "I didn't get a good look at the perpetrators. It happened so fast, but I only saw them with wings. Big ones!"
Hercules nodded, "Yeah. And Hades' imps have wings and can shift-shape into anything, right?"
"Yes, but-"
"But nothing! Hades is the guy behind this! He's responsible! I say we go into the Underworld and save the heroes, before Hades does something with them."
"But we don't know for sure it's him!" Nattie argued, "You don't have evidence!"
"Not true!" Hercules pointed at her, "You are our witness. You are the only evidence we need."
"But I didn't get a good look! What if it's not the imps, but another pair of minions with wings?"
"Hold on!" Phil stared down at Nattie suspiciously, "Are you actually defending the Flamehead? Our arch enemy? The Lord of the Dead?!"
"I'm not defending him." Nattie assured him, "But I believe that we need strong evidence against him. What if Hades has an alibi?"
"I have no problem questioning the guy," Chipacles stated with a hint of nervousness. He always felt a tremor when Hades was brought up. He wished he was tougher like Mentor. "We can take him in custody and interrogate him. Right now!" He slammed his fist against his other palm.
Chipacles stomped towards the door, while Hercules and Phil followed, leaving chained Nattie alone in her chair.
"Wait!" Nattie cried out, "You can't just barge into the Underworld and arrest him!"
"And why not?!" Phil demanded, looking at her over the shoulder, "I always wanted to see Hades in chains!"
"He's a god, you IDIOTS! He'll flame you! Maim you!"
"She's right!" Hercules spoke up, "We can't go to Hades and burn to death."
"Thank you!" Nattie was relieved when Hercules found reason. However, that quickly disappeared when Hercules said next.
"We can ask my dad for assistance!" he suggested.
Nattie groaned, attempting to face palm despite the chains.
"Hey, not a bad idea, kid," Phil patted on the back. "Smart move."
Hercules shrugged, "Oh, thanks. Well, I couldn't have done it without Odysseus' scroll." Hercules pulled out the scroll from his toga, "It's really helpful. You should read it, Phil."
The satyr waved it off, "Maybe later. First, let's take that god down!"
"You can't do that!" Nattie screamed out. The two men and the satyr looked at Nattie as if she was insane.
"And why not?!" Chipacles demanded, "I'm about to find an officer to put you in a cell where you belong!"
"Never thought I would agree with you on anything," Phil said to Chipacles.
"Nattie, what is going on?" Hercules asked, "Why are you insisting it wasn't Hades?"
Nattie's clenched her jaw, silently asking the same question herself. Why was she defending Hades? There was a seventy-five percent chance that he was the culprit. She could've allowed Team Hero to go downstairs and investigate. Instead, she stopped it. Why?
Without thinking, words spilt from her lips with regret.
"Because it wasn't Hades," Nattie stated quietly. The trio walked back to Nattie's chair, facing her intently, demanding answers from her.
"And just how do you know that?" Phil challenged her.
Nattie pressed her lips together. She didn't want to say it. She couldn't say it. How would Hercules react if she told him?
"Nattie?" Hercules asked with worry.
Nattie sighed. She might as well finish the defense so she won't look bad. "I know Hades didn't kidnap those heroes... It's because he was with me."
The trio gasped in shock.
"What did you just say, Missy?!" Chipacles demanded angrily.
"I said he was with me!" Nattie stated with more confidence. She looked at Hercules, whom was shaking his head in denial.
"No. No. No. No way!" Hercules stammered, tears were watering his eyes, "You can't - You wouldn't - You couldn't - You weren't with him!"
Nattie nodded, confirming her statement, "Yes, I was. From five to - I think - almost eight or seven." Exact time when she and Medusa were hanging out at the Agora Mall.
"That's around the time when Nestor and Meleager were captured," Phil said.
Hercules continued to shake his head in denial, "No. It's not possible."
"It's the truth, Herc," Nattie insisted. "I know that Hades had done a lot of nasty things in the past, but this was something he didn't do. I know you don't want to believe it, but it's true."
"W-What were you doing?!" Hercules demanded.
Nattie shook her head with narrowed eyes, unclear by his question, "Not sure what you mean."
"What were you doing? With him?!"
"I ask the questions here!" Chipacles stepped in front of Hercules and faced Nattie with an intense look, "What were you doing with him?"
Phil scoffed, "Maybe they are dating."
Hercules gasped, "No! That is not true! Nattie, tell Phil it's not true!"
"It's not like that!" Nattie assured them, "We were just talking."
"Talking?" Phil narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.
"Yes, talking!" Nattie said, mocking Phil's tone.
"About what?" Chipacles pressed.
Nattie turned to Chipacles as if he was stupid, "I don't think it's relevant."
"Actually it is, Miss Camden. If you are willing to prove your best friend's innocence, I want to know every detail of the conversation you two had."
"You know what?!" Hercules stepped in front of Chipacles, "I don't care about that! What I want to know is how you were with Hades in the first place?"
"It's not like we're best friends or anything," Nattie assured him. "We kinda ran into each other... and-and... He tried to make me an offer with dinner and persuasion."
"Offer?" Chipacles raised a brow in interest. "To do what?"
Nattie offered him a dark glare, "It's not what you think, Chipacles." Then she mumbled 'pervert' under her breath. "He wanted to be on his A Team to take down Hercules."
"Not surprised," Phil grumbled.
"Why would Hades - the powerful Lord of the Dead - need help from sassy, big mouth chick like you?" Chipacles demanded.
Nattie glared at Hercules with pleading eyes. She couldn't say it. Not in front of Phil and Chipacles.
Luckily, Hercules caught the message, quickly dismissing the question with another. "What did you say to him?"
"What do you think?" Nattie asked. "We wind out arguing afterwards, and believe me, it was not very pretty."
"And Hades can confirm this?" Chipacles challenged.
Nattie nodded, "Absoluetly."
She needed to get out of here and make a phone call. Everything she said was somewhat untrue, but the men and goat didn't know that. She needed him to cooperate with her story.
Hercules let out a puff of air, relieved to know that Nattie didn't join the dark side.
However, Phil wasn't entirely convinced, "So you said no? Just like that? I couldn't help but feel that you're fraternizing with the enemy."
Nattie rolled her eyes, looking down at her chipped nails, "If that were true, Phil, I would fraternizing with y'alls enemy. I try to be on Hades' good side as possible to avoid being barbecue."
Chipacles gazed down at the burnt mark hidden on her arm, "Well, you certainly did a great job at that."
"Sheesh!" Nattie backed away from Chipacles invasive body, "Is this what you do to everybody, or underage girls in general?"
"She must've been hanging around in the Underworld so many times, Herc, it explains how she's picking up Hades' speech and habits!" Phil stated.
"I'm NOT picking up Hades' habits!" Nattie argued.
"And you have his temper too," Chipacles added.
"I don't have his TEMPER!" Nattie screamed.
The men stared at her with wide eyes, cautiously taking a step away from the fiery woman.
Nattie sighed heavily, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to snap at y'all like that. Don't be scared, I'm fine. I'm cool, I'm fine."
"You see, Herc?" Phil whispered in Hercules' ear, "She is trouble."
"Look, I don't think we should focus on the whodunit right now." Nattie suggested, "We should focus on who's going to be the kidnapper's next target."
"As much as I despise you and your attitude... you're right," Chipacles admitted.
"Thank you!" Nattie looked at the satyr and Hercules.
She wasn't surprised by Phil giving her a death glare. Hercules? He wasn't even looking at her. Was Phil getting inside his thick skull? Showing that there was more to her than meets the eye? Not really. Although, Nattie did feel a little guilty about lying and defending Hades like that. If Hercules didn't take well to this lie, she wondered how he would react if she told him that she used to work for Hades. Not good.
Seconds turned to minutes. Nobody has any idea which hero could be kidnapped next... until Hercules spoke up.
"Uh, Phil, you know that new scroll by Odysseus?" Hercules asked, reading the scroll he had been reading recently.
"The one you can't keep your nose off of?" Phil nodded, "Yeah."
"Odysseus is at Athen's for a scroll signing tour."
"Kid, he's one of my former students." Phil walked toward his current student, before sitting on the table, Hercules was reading his scroll. "If you want an autograph, we can get you one, but lets focus on the disappearing heroes."
"Wait, Phil!" Nattie spoke up, "I think Hercules is onto something."
"Shut your lips, Missy!" Chipacles snapped at her, "No one wants to hear you talk."
Nattie snorted, "I'm just saying, Geeze Louise..." Nattie widen her eyes in shock. The satyr and the two men turned her way, also in disbelief. Nattie mentally wanted to slap herself for saying the last line. First she stole Meg's lines, now Hades. She needed the muses to come up with original lines, if they weren't busy singing about Hercules and only Hercules.
"Like I said, you're acting like Hades," Phil said.
"Shut up!" Nattie snapped.
"Phil, listen!" Hercules explained, focusing on the subject at hand, "If you were kidnapping heroes, would you pass up the chance to get Odysseus?"
Phil gasped in realization, "He could be next!"
"Let's go find him!" Nattie stated.
"Whoa!" Chipacles brought his hand up at Nattie's face, "Hold up, Missy. You're not going anywhere!" Chipacles tapped Nattie's nose with his accusing finger, "You're still under arrest for driving under the influence."
Hercules gasped in shock, "Nattie?!"
"First, you're fraternizing with the devil, and now you're driving drunk." Phil shook his head, "Why am I not surprised?"
"I haven't been drinking!" Nattie cried out in anger, "And I'm not fraternizing with Hades! Look, I can help y'all. Unlike you, I know martial arts and have a brain."
"Sorry, Nasty," Phil said with less sincerity, "this is a hero rescue for heroes only, and you are obviously not a hero."
"I may not be a hero, but I'm not a villain either. The only reason I want to help is because of Hercules."
"Look, even if I want you to tag along," Chipacles began, "I can't. You're still under police custody, and should be behind bars."
"Is there anyway for me to bail out of jail? Anything I can do at all?! I really don't want to go to jail."
Chipacles tapped his chin, "Well... You could sign a bail bond."
"I'll do it!" Nattie stated. "Where do I sign?!"
"Do you even know what a bail bond is?"
"I don't care!" Nattie insisted, "I want to leave this freakin' prison!"
Chipacles went to a shelf of scrolls and pulled out a random scroll that must've been a bail bond contract for Nattie to sign. Nattie didn't know much about bail bonds, but it was her ticket out of jail. A smart part of her told her that she should read it, but she didn't have time. Odysseus was about to be kidnapped any minute. Without thinking, she signed it, and was relieved when Chipacles unlocked her cuffs.
"I'M FREE!" Nattie cried, rushing out of Chipacles' office. "Let's go!"
"Hold it there, Missy!" Chipacles chased after her, followed by Hercules and Phil. "You can't drive! Your license has been suspended!"
~000~000~000~
While Chipacles tried to find a chariot available or at least Nattie's chariot that had been towed. Hercules and Phil were talking amongst themselves, while Nattie was in the corner with her eye-phone.
Making sure that no one was watching her, she quickly dialed her alibi. Her so-called alibi. It didn't take long for the other line to pick with an obnoxious greeting.
"Ah, Nattie. My sweet, little raven. So what do I owe this pleasure late at night?"
"Let's cut to the chase, Hades for I have little time left to talk," Nattie hissed, making sure that no one was looking her way.
"Okay..." Hades dragged the word with unease, "Something wrong?"
"Plenty. Look whatever it is you are doing, right now. Drop it. Hercules is already onto you, and I have to clean up your mess."
"Um, not sure what you mean, Nattie. But if you had to clean up my mess, I would've asked."
Nattie let out a quiet groan, placing the eye-phone against her toga, ignoring muffling words from Hades. She regained composure, returning her attention back to the eye-phone.
"Just stop. Stay in the Underworld, okay? Make sure that the imps are there, too. And if anyone asks, we talked and argued from five to seven."
"Babe, I don't know what you think I did, but-"
"Good. Keep it that way." She stated before hanging just in time for Hercules to join her side.
"Who were you talking to?" Hercules asked.
"Oh," Nattie showed off an assuring smile. "Cassandra. Telling me how disgusting the sheep milk fountain is."
Hercules nodded, taking her words like fish bait. "Well, Chipacles found us a ride. We better get going."
Nattie nodded, "Okay."
~000~000~000~
Meanwhile, Medusa was alone in the hut, eating ice cream and resting on sleeping bags. She waited for Nattie to come, but she waited for almost two hours.
"She will be here," Medusa told herself. "She has to be. She is probably stuck in bad traffic."
~000~000~000~
Chaos, mayhem, and fear were made in Pillars Parchment. People ran around screaming in terror as two flying wolves were in the air causing trouble. Hercules was right. Their next target was Odysseus, the cunning hero.
"Don't panic, people! Take cover!" Odysseus advised them, but their screams overpowered his voice.
Lupus, one of Hecate's wolves, landed on the ground, facing the cunning Odysseus.
"I guess you're not here to get an autograph..." Quickly, Odysseus threw two scrolls from the table and right at the two wolves, they dodged the scrolls and bared their teeth at the hero.
"Aren't you the clever one," Canis, Hecate's other wolf, said.
"I prefer cunning."
"Either way, you're mine!" Hecate appeared in front of the wolves, about to cast her wicked spell on Odysseus. The cunning hero quickly used a mirror as a shield, reflecting her magic against it. It zapped right at Lupus, who was knocked out.
Odysseus laughed triumphantly, "How do you like that, Hecate?!"
"Yeah, real cunning. Capture him already!" she ordered her wolves.
Meanwhile, the good guys and Nattie sped through the Agora with Hades' chariot. Chipacles pulled the reigns back, parking the vehicle in front of Pillars Parchment.
"Oh, they're here alright!" Chipacles stated, "I can smell 'em!"
The gang rushed out the cart and into the place.
Odysseus was dodging Hecate's magic by hiding under the table. Hecate zapped at the hero's hiding spot, only to have the broken pieces rebuilding a small Parthenon around him.
Hecate smirked at the cowering Odysseus, who used to be brave moments ago. She lighted her hand about to take his power away...
"Magic show's over, Witch!" Chipacles cried, gaining Hecate's attention. Behind the cop were Hercules, Phil, and a few more officers staring up at Hecate angrily. "I'm shutting you down!"
Hecate smirked at the good guys, then raised her arms, summoning her wolves. The men gasped in fear, but Hercules toughened up and threw a shelf right at one of them. With the men distracted, Hecate returned her attention to the cunning hero.
"Nothing personal, darling," she said sweetly to him with no sincerity, "It's just business." Before the witch could do her magic, a scroll flew and hit her on the head. "OW!" Hecate placed a hand on the crown of her head, turning to see who dared threw something at her. Her fury risen when she spotted the annoying assistant of Hades. "Maddie, what a surprise?"
Nattie rolled her eyes, "Seriously? First you can't get my name, right, and now you stole my lines! You are sick!"
"Thanks," Hecate said sweetly.
Nattie faced the men, who were clearly busy by Hecate's wolves, "You see, guys? I told you! I told ya Hades was innocent, but did y'all listen to me? No! You just had to jump into conclusions and accuse the fiery god, when you should be arresting the wicked BITCH of the night!" Nattie gazed at Hecate angrily, while Hecate returned the look. The girl thought back to her last conversation with Hades, when he didn't know what she was talking about, he wasn't kidding. She made a mental note to apologize to Hades... eventually.
"I don't have time to deal with you! I have a cunning man to steal!"
Nattie smirked, "How could you do that if there's not a cunning man to steal?"
"WHAT?!" Hecate whirled around to see the built tiny temple empty. Odysseus escaped, while Nattie distracted Hecate. The witch faced her angrily, "You-YOU LITTLE-"
"What's the matter, Hecate, upset that I played you? I knew arguing with you would get your attention long enough for the clever man to leave! Like it or not, Hecate, I outsmart you... AGAIN! HA!"
Hecate growled and flew right at her, only to get have her arm cut by Nattie's pocketknife, she hid behind her back. Hecate screeched furiously, seeing the golden blood ooze out of her arm. The witch attempted to zap her, but Nattie flipped out of the way and grabbed a mirror (Odysseus used before) and blocked another round of Hecate's magic. She threw the mirror right at her, but Hecate dodged it. Nattie realized that was a big mistake, now she had no weapon other than her pocketknife.
Hecate flew right at her cautiously, attempting to strangler her once again, only to get kicked in the face by Nattie. She dodged Nattie's blade, but quickly caught her wrists with both hands. Nattie lifted her feet up and kicked Hecate's stomach, pulling her wrists out of Hecate's grip. Hecate planned to fly in the air to use her magic once more, only to have her leg pulled by Nattie's strong grip. Nattie grunted as she tried to pull Hecate down, while Hecate tried to fly up and out of Nattie's clawing grip. They continued the tug of war, until Nattie was knocked over by a bookshelf and flew to a large scroll that said: Cunning Odysseus, and it closed in on her.
Hercules face palmed and groaned, clearly didn't mean to hit Nattie, no matter how angry he was at her.
Hecate tapped her chin and started talking to herself, "Hm... Has brains, trickery, wit, knows karate, and a villain too." Hecate smirked, "This is perfect." She whistled for her wolves, "Darlings, there's been a change of plans. Get her!" Hecate pointed at the scroll, Nattie was trapped in.
"NO!" Hercules cried in protest. His desperate pleas reached deaf ears as the wolves opened the scroll and carried unconscious Nattie away. Lupus flew right past the red-head hero, while Canis knocked him off balance. Hercules flew through the wall and fell right into the Agora's fountain. The statue that was displayed in the fountain was knocked on top of Hercules.
Hecate smiled and waved goodbye to the brave men, "Tootles!" She disappeared in smoke.
"Nattie!" Hercules pushed the statue out of his way, and jumped out of the fountain to chase after the wolves, but it was too late. Nattie was gone.
"Okay," Phil began, "I know we should be upset right now, but... That witch did me a great favor!"
"Phil!" Hercules cried, giving Phil a disapprove glare.
"What?" Phil raised his hands up defensively, "It's not like Nasty is this sweet damsel that needs rescuing. She's friends with Hades, remember?! I mean what kind of hero/friend be friends with a villain?"
Hercules rolled his eyes and turned away from Phil, "And what kind of hero/friend are we, if we just stand here and let Hecate torture Nattie?"
Phil shrugged, "Terrible ones, but I'm willing to bend the rules and make Nattie an exception."
Hercules groaned, annoyed by Phil at the moment.
