A/N: I had trouble with this one. Ugh.
Disclaimer: Check Chapter 1
We left Hollow Bastion the next morning, after Sora had gotten some decent sleep and we'd all eaten something better then rehydrated meals from Infinity's supplies. Goodbyes went quickly, and we were off into space once more. The route to the Coliseum was full of ship debris, and it gave Infinity trouble. She was barely holding a steady orbit when she beamed us down, so I'm not surprised that we ended up below ground instead of near the main gates. Sora looked around confused, while Goofy and Donald wandered around.
"Are you sure this is the Coliseum?" I nodded, gesturing towards the stairs.
"We landed a bit off, but we're in the right place at the right time." Sora turned, tilting his head. He jumped a foot in he air as Meg screamed, running from the door that lead to the Cave of the Dead with Rabid Dogs on her heels. We ran over that way, and the dogs turned tail and ran. Meg picked herself up off the ground, and Sora offered a hand.
"Thanks, but I'm fine." She stood, dusting off her dress as she looked at us suspisciously.
"And you four are supposed to be who?"
"I'm Sora, he's Donald, he's Goofy, and that's Christie. We came to check on Hercules." Meg raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.
"You know Wonderboy?" Donald nodded, tapping his chest with a smug look in his eyes.
"Yeah, 'cause we're heroes too! Well, except for Christie..." He backed off a step when I sent a glare his way, but I just shook my head as Meg laughed.
"Look's like we've got a friend in common. Name's Megara, but my friends call me Meg." Sora nodded, then looked towards the stairs.
"So, how's Herc?"
"Wonderboy? Well, he's duking it out at the Coliseum every single day. You know, "A heros work is never done" and all that crap. He's ready to drop and never get up, but he keeps on fighting. Even Wonderboy's got his limits though. These opponents are bad news, deliveries from Hades himself." I nearly spit out the water I'd been drinking, but swallowed in time for Donald's reaction.
"HADES?!" Meg nodded.
"Right. Lord of the Underworld. I was on my way to see him now. Maybe I can get Hades to give Wonderboy a breather for a week or dozen. If anything happens to him..." Meg looked at the stairs, something in her eyes. I shook my head.
"It sounds to me like you and Hercules are more than just friends." Meg jumped, blushing crimson red.
"Oh...uh, I mean..." Sora smiled.
"We'll go talk with Hades for you. I'd hate for anything to happen to you on your way to see him." Meg's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline as she stood rigid in surprise.
"You'd really do that? Well, it does look like you know what you're all getting into. I guess I'll take you up on that offer. But, let's keep this whole chat-with-Hades thing our little secret, ok?" Sora nodded.
"Our lips are sealed!" Meg headed back towards the stairs to return to the upper level, while we headed into the Cave of the Dead. I rubbed my arms, it was cold here. With the curse of the Underworld, I couldn't hear Greiver at all, so if we got into trouble with Cerberus, I wouldn't be able to summon him to help us. I shook the thought from my head as Demyx ran in front of our vision.
"The Organization!" Sora nodded, and we ran after him as the boy led the way through the tunnels. Sora stopped suddenly as a Lancer appeared in front of him, then faded into the ground. He stared at it strangely, Keyblade in hand.
"What the heck was that?" I snapped my fingers.
"Heartless don't like the cold! They can't stand it any better than we can, but they can leave." Sora nodded, and we entered the Inner Chamber. I summoned my daggers as Demyx ran at us, but he didn't attack, just ran for the stairs.
"Run! Run away!" Sora screwed up his face in confusion
"Okay..." Donald sneezed, the cold was getting to him too. As the Duck kept sneezing, we proceeded into the Valley of the Dead. Sneezing fit over, Donald shivered. Goofy stayed close to his friend.
"I'm scared too Donald." Sora glared at the little room at the top of the stairs, walking to the edge of the ledge.
"Hades, come out!" The Lord of the Underworld made no sign than he'd heard us, and Sora growled. He led the way across the bridges, only to fall face first onto the ground as something tripped him up. He sat up, rubbing his ankle. I kneeled down next to him keeping one ear focused below us. There it was! I stabbed one dagger into the soft ground, and there was a screech. A plant Heartless popped out of the ground, looking mighty pissed off. A Fire Spell from Donald finished it off before it could attack, and Sora huffed.
"Great. I get tripped up by a weed. If Riku knew he'd never let me hear the end of it." I giggled, helping my friend up as we continued into Hades chambers. Once there, Sora raced into action, jumping in front of a red lump on the floor. I knew that so called 'lump' was Auron, and Sora called ober his shoulder as he reflected one of Hades' fireballs.
"Get up!" Sora cried out, knocking the fireball back to it's creator. Goofy and I grabbed Auron under his shoulders, pulling him from the ground as Sora and Donald tried to knock Hades away. After a minute, they stepped back, looking very woozy. Sora shook his head, rubbing eyes that were darting in and out of focus. Donald stumbled back, landing on his rear end as he weakly clutched his staff.
"Something's wrong." Hades smirked.
"That's right! See, that's the thing. In the Underworld, heroes are zeroes. Comes with the territory." He gathered energy into his hands, and charged at Sora and Donald. All of a sudden, Auron was in front of them, cleaving down with his massive sword to make Hades back off. It worked, and Auron turned to Sora.
"Go now!" Sora shook his head, trying to get my hand off his shoulder as I tried to drag him out of the room.
"But we've got to talk to Hades!" Hades plugged his ears, pretending not to hear Sora.
"What was that?" Sora snarled, charging at Hades before Auron grabbed him on the arm.
"We can't fight him here! We have to go---now!" Auron tried to pull Sora out of the room, but the teen wouldn't budge. Auron snarled, grabbing Sora in a firemans carry and running from the room. Donald and Goofy left the room last, and we raced to shut the door as Auron set Sora down. The huge doors shut with a bang, and we leaned against them as we tried to catch our breath. Donald shook his head.
"Is he gone?"
"Don't count on it." Sora ceased glaring at Auron for a moment, and furrowed his brow.
"What?" The boy and I yelped in tandem as Hades appeared right next to me, and I jumped away.
"Going somewhere?" We took off down the slope, evading Creeper Plants and Large Bodies. Sora was tripped up a second time by a Creeper Vine, and rolled to a stop without getting up. Auron raced back, picked up the boy in another firemans hold, and we raced for the Inner Chamber. Auron set Sora down against the wall, and the boy groaned as he returned to conciousness. He looked up at Auron.
"You're really good. Are you some kind of hero?" Auron shook his head.
"No. I'm no hero. I'm just an..." Sora tilted his head, confused. Auron smiled slightly, just an upturn of one corner of his mouth.
"Auron." Goofy and Sora shared a look of confusion, and Auron sighed.
"Zicd mega Tidus..." Sora snapped up at the sound of his friends name, only to sway and fall over again. I clicked my tongue, holding up two fingers in front of his face.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Sora blinked, squinting.
"Um...four?" I sighed, and Auron handed me a small vial filled with a clear liquid.
"Eye Drops. Clear his eyes, we have to keep moving. Two in each eye." He walked off into the Passage of the Dead, leaving us behind. I stared after him a moment, then uncorked the vial. Both Sora and I screwed up our noses at the harsh chemical smell, and Donald and Goofy backed off, hands on their faces. Sora sighed, then tilted his head back. I understood, and followed Auron's instruction of two per eye. Sora winced at the chill of the liquid, and managed to stand without falling over this time. Auron was clearing Heartless from our path when we entered the Passage, and I frowned. He fought with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I knew that wasn't so far off. He cleaved a rogue Shadow into two, then turned to us.
"The way is clear, come." Sora nodded, and let Auron lead the way into the Chamber of the Dead. We started to run as we got closer to the entrance, but Donald came to a stop as he almost ran headfirst into the massive doors.
"What? It's closed." The boys tried to open it by force, and I stood back. Donald backed away from the door, and pointed up at the Keyhole that was there. Sora nodded, summoning his blade as Auron stood beside him.
"Will that open it?" Sora nodded.
"I think so." We all jumped as Cerberus roared behind us, and Auron grabbed his blade.
"Hurry!" Sora nodded, raising the Keyblade to unlock the door just as Cerberus arrived in the chamber, drool strings falling from his jaws. The doors unlocked, Donald and Goofy ran through the doors with Cerberus at thier heels. Auron shoved his blade into the middle heads tounge, making it rear back in pain and howl. As Cerberus tried to regain it's mind, Auron shoved us through the doors. Sora and I shared a look, then ran back into the Chamber even as Donald and Goofy cried out to us. We stood close to Auron, weapons drawn as Cerberus roared at us. We leapt aside as the heads snapped at us, and Sora jumped over it's tail and onto Cerberus' back with a yell. Auron stared after him, good eye filled with shock before he shook it off and began to slash at the head on the right. I took the head on the left, slashing at it's visible eye and tounge. Auron and I were forced back as the heads began to snap at us, trying to get to Sora. The almost succeeded, and Sora's Keyblade clattered to the ground as the heads caught him between thier collective jaws. Sora was left pinned between all three heads, until they launched him up into the air. The middle head opened it's jaws to catch the falling boy, and got a mouthful of fireballs for it's trouble. As it shook the burning out of it's tounge, the left and right heads began squabbling over who would eat Sora, and said boy crashed to the ground in a heap. Auron and I were at his side in an instant, pulling the boy from the ground and shoving him to the barrier. Auron drew his blade in front of us, and snarled at Cerberus.
"Come and get some good meat, you damn mutt!" Sora snapped awake, and I yelped and jumped back as instead of sky blue eyes I'd come to know, there was cold amber in his face. Sora curled into himself, cried out in pain, then disappeared in a flash of black. He raced past Auron, and in less than a moment, Cerberus was lying on the ground in a pool of blood, viens in his neck having been cut to shreds by claws to big to have been Heartless. Sora, or something like him, was standing on the edge of the pool, blood dripping from his claws. Auron drew his sword as I came to stand beside him.
"Is that...Sora?" I shook my head.
"No. That's Anti-Form. Sora's Darkness made real." As if on cue, Anti turned around and hissed at us, dropping on all fours like a cat. He spat at us, and I summoned my daggers. We stared at eachother for a long moment, before he left the edge of the blood pool and walked closer. In a flash of light, the real Sora was standing there, looking very confused. He blinked, eyes wide and confused at the lack of any roaring. He turned before I could stop him, and his hands flew to his mouth. He backed away from Cerberus, before turning and kneeling over the ground as his lunch made a return appearance. I kneeled beside him, hand on his back as Auron stared at the damage one teenage boy had done to a three headed dog ten times his size. Sora wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, standing on shaky legs. I kept one hand on his back as we left the dying Cerberus in the Chamber behind us. Donald and Goofy stared at Sora for a moment, before Goofy took Sora's arm as the boy fell unconcious. Auron stopped at the gates, nodding up to the stairs.
"Take him to get some rest, you'll speak with Hades later." I nodded, waving goodbye over my shoulder as we trekked up the stairs. Hercules was just coming out of the Arena proper as we came up the stairs, and he called over his shoulder.
"Phil! Get a bed ready!" Hooves clopped on stone steps for a moment as the tiny satyr came running to see what his student was yelling about, but jumped a foot in the air and raced back inside. Hercules ran down the stairs and took Sora gently from Goofy and I as Meg came out the door, pressing herself against the wall as Hercules ran inside with Sora. I shook my head as Meg opened his mouth, and she sighed. We entered the lobby, and Phil called us over and into some kind of locker room, where Hercules was setting Sora down onto a bed. The demi-god turned, hands on his hips as he stared down at me.
"And you must be Christie. Sora's told me an awful lot about you." I rubbed the back of my neck in embarresment for a moment, before he smiled and extended a hand.
"I'm Hercules. Sora, he said he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." We shook hands, and Herc patted me on the shoulder gently.
"Take care of him."
It wasn't until nightfall that Sora woke up, and he sat up on the bed. He stared at the wall across from him for a moment, then jumped as I spoke up from the doorway.
"Feeling better, Sora?" He nodded, and I smiled.
"Good. You had Donald, Goofy and I worried sick." Sora laughed embarrased, and hopped from the bed. He swayed for a moment, then stood up straight.
"Sorry about that. Where are we?" I opened my mouth to answer, but Phil cut me off, hooves clopping on the stone floor.
"You're in the Coliseum kiddo. You passed out in the Underworld and your friends brought you back up here. Although, what the hell you four were doing down there escapes me." Sora opened his mouth to protest, but his words turned into a massive yawn, making me smother a laugh behind my hand. Phil smirked, turning on his heel.
"Get some sleep champ, we'll talk in the morning. Come on Christie, you're stayin' with Meg." I turned to follow Phil, but stopped as Sora called out.
"Christie, thanks. For everything." I tilted my head in confusion, but nodded.
"You're welcome. Night."
"Night." I ran after Phil, said my goodnight's to Meg, and drifted off on a borrowed bed. Next thing I knew, Meg was shaking me awake and dawns first rays were creeping in through an open window.
"Sora's awake, he's in the Arena." I nodded my thanks, tugging on my shoes as I ran into the courtyard, almost running straight into Sora's back. He laughed as he held me straight, and I smiled my thanks. Sora turned back to Hercules, and continued his explanation of our situation.
"We tried to go teach Hade's a thing or two, but the Underworld drained away all our strength. Don't suppose you've got any ideas?" Herc titled his head, nodding.
"Well, there is a stone that gaurd against the Underworld's curse. The god's on Mount Olympus use it whenever they have to go down there." Sora bounced on one foot.
"Think we could use it?" Herc nodded, smiling.
"Sure, why not. I'll go get it for you. But still, guys, Hades isn't a pushover, even with the Olympus Stone. And I've got a match for today, so I can't go with you." Sora and I shared a look, and Sora shook his head.
"That's ok Herc, a friend of ours is down there, he'll help us out." Herc nodded, looking less than convinced, but trusting Sora anyway.
"Alright, just wait here." Herc left the Arena, and Sora sighed. He plunked himself down on the stands, crossing his legs. After a moment, he turned to face Donald, Goofy and I.
"Did...did something happen yesterday? All I remember was going back to fight Cerberus alongside Christie and Auron, then waking up here." I looked at the ground as Donald and Goofy heaved a sigh. They turned to me, gesturing to Sora. I groaned quietly, but nodded. Sora looked at me as I sat beside him.
"Sora, you know how the clothes the Fairie's gave you have powers, right? And you also know that with great power comes with responsibilty, right?" Sora nodded, to both of my questions. I sighed, clutching at my necklace.
"During the fight with Cerberus, you were knocked out. I guess, the Darkness in your Heart took over for a moment, becuase next thing I knew, you were looking a bit like a Heartless and Cerberus was, well, like you saw him." Sora shook his head.
"No, that's not right. It can't be...I turned into a Heartless again?" I shook my head.
"No. You were forced into the transformation. Sora, none of that was your fault, ok? You just can't control it yet." Sora bit his lip and turned away.
"I could have hurt you or Auron." I sighed, and Goofy tilted his head.
"Yeah Sora, ya could have hurt them, but ya didn't. Truth is, no matter how much Dark ya got in your heart, you've got more than enough Light in you to make the Dark stop." We smiled at Sora, and he nodded, wiping his eyes as Herc returned.
"Sorry guys, the Olympus Stone has been stolen." I put my head in my hands as the boys made various sounds of surprise and asked who had done it. Hercules shook his head.
"We don'y know who did it yet. All we're sure of is that is was a guy in a black hooded cloak. And he had accomplices, a bunch of creatures in white." Donald and Goofy exchanged a look, nodding to eachother and Sora stomped his foot down. Herc raised a brow.
"Someone you know?" Sora nodded.
"I think so. Hey, if we can get the Olympus Stone back, can we borrow it for a while?" Hercules nodded, biting his lower lip.
"Sure. By the way, have any of you seen Meg around?" We shook our heads, and Herc sighed. We all jumped as Hades' voice rang throughout the courtyard.
"What's wrong your hero-ness? Feeling under the weather?" Hades appeared behind Hercules, and placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder. The young man snarled, ducking away from the fiery gods hold.
"You know, I thought staying in shape was part of the hero job description...you know what I'm saying?" Hades chuckled at his joke, and I nudged Sora in Hades' direction. He nodded, getting up in the god's face.
"Hades, we gotta talk!" Hades gave Sora a sideways glance, then flicked the boy on the forehead with one finger. Sora yelped as he landed on his back, shaking his head.
"I came to share a bit of mildly intresting news." Hercules tried sneaking up on Hades from behind, but the god poofed away before the hero could throw the punch.
"Seem's your dear, sweet little Nutmeg has gone and gotten herself lost in the Underworld." Herc snarled.
"You mean you kidnapped her!" Hades smirked coldly.
"Well, maybe...but why get caught up in the details?" Herc whirled on his heel, whistling into the air. Over the Coliseum walls came Pegasus, bright white pelt shining in the sunlight. He landed next to Herc, bending down slightly to let his companion onto his back. Just as Herc was about to mount up, Hades shook his head.
"Uh-uh-uh, you can't leave now, ok? You've got a very important match today, against, um, the Bloodthirsty Hydra! I mean, if you don't stick around, who knows what kinds of accidents might happen." Sora huffed, stamping one foot onto the ground as he clenched his fists.
"Yeah, accidents you cause!" Hades smiled, and I stepped back subconsiously in fear. He smiled as badly as Xehanort.
"Like I said: details, who needs 'em?" Herc glared, and Pegasus ruffled his feathers.
"You're just a coward!"
"Aw well, can't all be heroes." Hades vanished in a puff of smoke. Herc crossed his arms, turning to Sora and I.
"Can you four handle this?" We nodded, and Donald puffed up his chest proudly.
"You got it! We're heroes!" Goofy leaned down to Donald's level.
"Junior Heroes, Donald." Donald glared and Goofy, and Sora chuckled before sobering and turning to Herc.
"You take care of the Hydra. We'll handle the rest." Herc nodded, placing on hand on Sora's shoulder and the other on mine. He looked to the two of us.
"I'm counting on you both." We nodded, and Herc turned to Pegasus. The touched foreheads like old friends, and Herc looked sadly into his companions eyes.
"You've got to find Meg." Pegasus nodded, taking off into the sky and flying over the walls. Herc sighed, and we left the Arena, running through the steadliy filling Lobby and into the hot courtyard. We passed through the crowds and down into the Underwolrd, where Phil laid on the ground, clutching his head and moaning in pain. Sora called out to the satyr, and we ran over to him. Sora helped him up, before Phil was able to stand on his own.
"What happened?
"I spotted this strange guy all dressed in black. I chased after him, but he turned on me. Next I know, I'm shaking stars from my eyes." I tuned out of the boys conversation as Greiver spoke up from the back of my head.
Child, something is wrong. I sense too much blood here, even for a land of death. I looked up, towards the door where Phil was pointing. Griever roared, then piped down.
"To the Underworld. He's a bad apple though. All I wanted to do was find a backup hero in case Herc needed a break." Sora smirked.
"Heroes, eh? You could've just asked!" Phil jumped up.
"You know someone!?" Sora and Donald grabbed thier weapons, and Phil sagged.
"Oh, good one." The satyr clopped up the stairs, leaving Goofy and I in giggles and Donald and Sora stared after him. They shook off thier confusion, and we headed into the Underworld proper. The next chamber was filled to the brim with fog, and with the fog, came stepping over eachother. After a few near trips, Donald's foot got the better of him. Sora tripped over the webbed foot, and was sent sprawling onto his dominant shoulder. He sat up, rubbing it fiercely. Normally, a bump like this wouldn't even have fazed him, but since we were here, well...
"Man...this Underworld curse is really getting to me." Goofy nodded, and helped me pick our friends from the ground.
"We've got to get that Olympus stone back, and fast!" Sora nodded, and we took off running to avoid any Heartless on the way. We came to a skidding stope in the Atrium, where Demyx stood with his back to us. I put my arm out to stop the boys charge, and took a few loud steps forward. Demyx whirled on his heel, hood falling off to reveal a dusk blond mohawk and sea blue eyes. I dispelled my daggers, hands palm up.
"Demyx, right?" He nodded, looking apprensive.
"Axel told me a little about you. He said that you weren't the fighting type. Just give us the stone, and we can call it a win in your favor. How does that sound?" Demyx looked at the ground, before he furrowed into a pocket on the side of his cloak. He handed the stone to me, and I nodded my thanks. He smiled sadly.
"Do you have any idea where Axel and Roxas could be? I...I wanna see them again." I bit my lip in thought. If they were still at Hollow Bastion...I nodded.
"I don't know if they're still there, but I last saw them at a world called Hollow Bastion." Demyx's jaw dropped.
"WHAT?! You mean, I was there, and they...they...UGH!" He ran into an open portal, and I shook my head with a smile. Sora stared at the portal strangely until it closed, and I handed the Olympus stone to him. He raised it into the air, and it glowed a warm gold in his hands. I sighed in relief at the warmth it brought by lifting the curse, and Sora smiled for a moment, before we ran off into the Lock Chamber. After a few minutes of the boys running around looking for another exit out of this cave, I dragged Sora to face the stone in the center of the room. He looked from it to me, then finally caught on with a sheepish smile. I rolled my eyes as he did his little unlocking jig, and we jumped down into the Well of Captivity. Inside, Meg was glaring at Hades, arms chained to her sides. As we arrived, Hade's laughed.
"Now, that's what I all call a key! Gee, keybearer, thanks for your help, and have a nice day!" He poofed away, leaving us in the empty Well. I looked over my shoulder, pulling Donald out of the way of a Hook Bat's charge. Sora whirled around, knocking another one out of the air as Pete laughed.
"What's wrong? Can't fight in the Underworld?" Sora smirked, casting a Thunder spell that left my ears ringing for some strange reason. I shook it off, sticking close to Meg as the boys handled the Heartless. They came running after a Large Body appeared, and Sora freed Meg from her chains.
"We've gotta go!" Meg shrieked as the Large Body came charging over, and Sora leapt in front of us to try and knock it away. He never had to though, because Hercules suddenly appeared and threw the creature straight into Pete, knocking them both down. He whistled, calling Pegasus down into the Well. The winged horse clocked Pete over the head as he landed close by, and Herc set Meg onto his back. He turned to us.
"Get Meg outta here. I'll meet you back at the Coliseum." Sore grimaced.
"What about you?" Herc smiled.
"I'm gonna show these guys what happens when they mess with a true hero." He patted Pegasus on his flank, and the winged horse took off. We ran out of the cave via a pillar of light, just as Pete tried to follow us. Herc stopped him, giving us time to escape. We clambered out of the Well, while Pegasus landed nearby, Meg still on his back. She turned to Sora.
"Sora, I won't leave him behind." Sora shook his head, and I placed my hands on my hips with a smirk.
"He'll be okay Meg, we're going back in to help him." Meg looked at us with surprise in her eyes. But she smiled, nudging Pegasus on and out of the caverns. We nodded to eachother, jumping back into the Well just as Herc knocked Pete away from him. Herc, surprised to see us, didn't notice the Hook Bat coming up behind him until I'd cut it down with a thrown dagger. I summoned it back, and we got to cutting them down. Once all the Hook Bat's were gone, Pete tried to knock us all down and out. He charged at us like a Large Body, knocking Sora and Goofy into the walls, and Donald and I into one another. I helped the Duck up as Hercules knocked the dog man away with a well placed punch. Pete hit the wall, barely managing to pick himself up.
"This place is giving me the creeps! I'll deal with you nitwits later!" Pete ran off, just as the Well began to collapse. Sora and Goofy managed to get up off the ground, and we ran for the exit. The Underworld around us was shaking, almost afraid as we ran back to the Entrance Chamber, where Hades was waiting.
"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite hero washout. You really blew it this time." Sora snarled.
"No one likes a sore loser, Hades." Hades turned on Sora, flames and skin going red. Sora yelped, stepping back.
"Can it, keyboy!" Herc stepped in front of us.
"Then let me." He turned to Hades.
"No one likes a sore loser, Hades." Hades snarled.
"Yeah, yeah, Styx and stones. Hey, maybe you should go check out that Hydra you neglected to finish off. I hear things are really falling apart up there, champ." He vanished again, leaving us staring at the spot the god had once stood as the cieling shook above us. We ran up the stairs, and Herc fell to his knees at the sight of the Hydra destroying everything.
"This can't be..." Sora jumped back, pulling me with him as a large chunk of what had been the roof nearly took our heads off. Phil, Meg and Pegasus ran to Herc's side, kneeling at his side. Phil sighed in relief, clinging to Herc's arm.
"Champ! You're safe!" Herc ignored him.
"I failed...I left everyone unprotected..." He slammed the ground with one fist.
"Hades was right. I'm just...a...a washout!" Meg shook her head, placing one hand on Herc's shoulder.
"Wonderboy..." She looked up at the roaring Hydra, glaring at it as Sora and I raced to Herc's side. I shook my hair from my eyes, helping Meg get Herc back on his feet. Sora huffed.
"This is no time to be beating yourself up! We've got to kill that thing before it kills us!" Herc, unable to fight, was heaved over Pegasus and out of the battlezone as Sora summoned the Keyblade once more. The Hydra moved out of the ruined Arena and into the Courtyard, as Donald, Goofy and I called on our weapons. The Duck clutched at his staff, seemingly psyching himself up for this.
"Herc needs help!" Sora nodded, locking his eyes on the Hydra.
"Yeah." Phil suddenly appeared beside us.
"Don't suppose you've got room for one more?" Phil punched and kicked the air, jumping around like a fat ninja. Meg and Pegasus joined in behind us.
"We're in!" A swipe from the Hydra's head sent us scattering across the area, Meg and Phil heading for what was left of the Lobby to stay safe. It was only after they'd vanished into the rubble that I remembered something from my Greek Myth classes back on Earth.
The Hydra's breath and blood were poisonous.
Thankfully, the snake hadn't thought to open it's mouth and breath on us just yet, but I was wary as we tried to whittle away it's defenses. After a few tense moments, it's head fell to the ground, knocked unconsious. Sora smirked, moving in for the killing blow just before the ground began to shake. He stopped in his tracks, looking around before he looked up at the three heads leering down at him.
"Oh...crap." He tried to turn tail and run, but wouldn't be able to get away in time. But before the Hydra could try and eat him, Pegasus swept the boy onto his back and out of danger. Sora clung to the winged horses blue mane, flying around all sixteen heads and hacking at them with the Keyblade. Donald, Goofy and I remained on the ground, throwing spells and weapons at the multi-headed snake. After all but two heads had been cut off and destroyed, Hydra opened it's mouth, breathing out a sickly green smoke. We raced away from the cloud, and I helped Donald up onto the Hydra's back. Sora and Pegasus, still in the air, nearly flew straight through the cloud, but the horse had the sense to pull up just in time, whirling around and back to us. He let Sora jump from his back, and we waiting untl Hydra had turned back around to face us to make any moves. Phil's cries made Sora run up the Hydra's neck, sending a massive golden pot at the head that was snapping at my friend. But while Sora and Phil were handling that one, the other was trying to make a meal out of us. Donald and Goofy hit the ground, barely ducking the creatures snapping jaws. I on the other hand, was sent flying past two pillars and straight into a third one. I groaned, barely managing to pick myself up from the ground as Hydra's only remaining head turned it's attention to me. I was literally staring death in the teeth when I heard wing beats, and Sora's voice.
"Christie! Grab on!" I looked up in time to see Sora and Pegasus flying over, and I took Sora's hand. With Pegasus flying us to safety, Sora turned to face the still mad Hydra. He threw the Keyblade at it's neck, severing it at the base of the head. He took on a smug look, then pulled me up onto Pegasus' back as we headed back to what was left of the Lobby. I winced as the landing jarred my bruised back, but hopped off with Sora as Donald and Goofy ran up to us. Phil and Meg had set Hercules down onto the last remaining bench, and it was there he sat, head in his hands.
"I let you all down. I'm just...no use anymore." Meg shook her head, lifting his chin with her fingers to make him look at her.
"It's not your fault. Hey, even a god would be exhuasted." Sora nodded.
"She's right. Give yourself a chance to rest." He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, and I shook my head to ward off his concern. I'd sleep on Infinity later. I was jolted from my thoughts as Goofy spoke.
"There won't be any games for a while, anyway." Meg nodded, looking to us.
"Don't worry about Wonderboy here, I'll look after him. Sora, Christie, Donald, Goofy, I owe you big time." I shook my head with a smile.
"It's no big deal Meg. Just let us know if Hades or the Heartless acting up again. We'll handle it." Donald nodded, smugly hitting himself on the chest.
"Yeah, that's what's heroes are for!" Meg raised a brow.
"When did you four make hero?" Sora laughed, shaking his head.
"Let's save that for another time. We've gotta hit the road now." Meg nodded with a smile.
"Okay. Just don't be strangers." We nodded, and Goofy turned to Herc.
"I hope ya feel better soon, Hercules." Herc nodded tiredly, and Donald turned to Phil. The satyr jumped.
"Well, you take care now. Stay a little longer next time, we've got some serious training to catch up on!" Donald chased after Phil in anger, and Sora rolled his eyes at the Duck's antics. Still, he burrowed one hand into his pocket and fished out the Olympus stone. Hercules stood to take it from Sora, but before he could, it glowed golden. The Keyblade appeared in Sora's hands, and he nodded to himself. The wind I'd come to know as a gate opening blew through us, letting me smell rose bushes and hear the march of a band.
Disney Castle...
Goodbyes finished, we headed back to Infinity via the Transport Beacon at the base of the Underworld Stairs. She seemed a bit ruffleed as we beamed back on board, Holo-Form of a Chocobo warking and running around the cockpit. She screeched to a stop as she caught sight of us, shifting from Chocobo back to Moogle as Sora watched with wide eyes. She gave him a blank look, before turning to me.
Apologies for the rough entry Captain, I'd lost a wingtip in that debris belt. I shook my head, starting up the main engine cores.
"It's ok. Nothing to be sorry for---" The rest of my sentence was cut off as the radio squawked to life, video feed coming online. Goofy and Donald came into the cockpit as we stared at the static plagued radio, but Goofy jumped a foot in the air at the sight of a person who looked a lot like him.
"This is Disney Castle calling the R.G.S Infinity! If you can hear me, please respond! Repeat, this is Disney Castle calling the R.G.S Infinity! DAD!!" Goofy looked at me, begging me to take the transmission. But I was three steps ahead, letting the signal through as I had Infinity plot the course.
"This is R.G.S Infinity, what's the problem Disney Castle?" Max sighed in relief for a split second, then clutched at his ears.
"We're under attack by the Heartless, and we can't hold them off for much longer. Her Majesty has been secured in the Library, but the rest of us are trapped in other places. I'm begging you, come and assist us!" The rest of the transmission was cut off by an explosion, prompting Goofy to call out his sons name.
"Max!" Sora keyed the radio as I turned Infinity around, but got no response.
"I repeat, Disney Castle, please respond! Dammit, no good." Goofy clutched at the back of my chair, and I looked up at him.
"We're headed there now, sit down or fall down." The gratitude in his eyes was so deep I'd thought I'd drown, and he patted me on the shoulder as we took off towards their homeworld.
I could only hope we'd make it in time.
A/N: Disney Castle. Max. Oh boy. This is gonna be fun!
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