The Great Disney Adventure III: Heroes and Villains
A Disney story by talking2myself
DISCLAIMER: See Chapter 1.
Chapter. 12 Not The Hero
DISNEY GREECE
24 HOURS EARLIER
"You might feel just a little queasy, it's kinda natural. Why don't you sit DOWN!" Hades used his newfound strength to lift a massive dumbbell off the ground and slam it into Hercules. Hercules toppled to the ground feebly as Hades leered over him.
"Now you know what it's like to feel like everyone else," he sneered, "Isn't is just peachy?" Hades's face suddenly broke into a grin. "Oh! You'll love this!" While Hercules lay there pinned beneath the dumbbell, Hades returned to Meg's side.
"Meg babe, a deal's a deal," he paused and snapped his fingers, "You're off the hook!"
The smoke binds that were wrapped tightly around Meg's body instantly dissolved into the air. Meg gasped for breath as she was freed. Hercules struggled to get to his feet again.
"By the way, Herc," Hades added smugly as he pulled Meg into his arms and spun her around, "Is she not like a fabulous little actress?"
"Stop it!" Meg sighed as she pulled away.
Hercules gazed at the two of them in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"I mean youre little chickie-poo here, was working for me all the time," Hades said before pointedly adding, "Duh!"
Meg looked at Hercules helplessly. His whole face was wrung with agony. He shook his head in disbelief, "You're… you're lying!" he sobbed.
At that moment, two boys scampered out of thin air. Hercules recognized them immediately as the two boys that he rescued from a rockslide several days earlier.
"Help!" one cried in mock horror, faking a cough.
"Jeepers mister, you're really strong!" the other smirked. Suddenly, the two wickedly transformed into Hades's two minions, Pain and Panic. The two laughed cruelly and swung from his arms.
Hades grinned at Meg, "Couldn't have done it without you, sugar, sweetheart, babe!"
"No!" Meg cried rushing to Hercules's side, "It's not like that! I didn't mean to… I… I'm sorry!"
Hercules broke away from her toppling to the ground as everything he thought he knew about his world crumbled around him. Pain and Panic gleefully chased after him chanting, "A hero's a zero! A hero's a zero!"
Meg felt hot, helpless tears spring to her eyes. She wanted to run to Hercules's side. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold him as she wiped his tears away, but there was nothing she could do.
As she stood there, Hades had bounded into his chariot. "Well, gotta blaze! There's a whole cosmos out there with, hey, my name on it!"
Hades called out as he flew across the sky. "So much for the preliminaries and now off to the main event!"
-888-
Emma may have played a fearful child before, but she wasn't acting as the ship lurched and bounced about. Emma clung to Jackie and Alice and cried out in terror. Despite the two girls attempts to be brave, it wasn't long before they were crying out with her. All they could do was cling to each other until the waves calmed and the storm ceased.
Alice was the first to move, "Is it over?" she whispered.
Jackie's eyes popped open from behind her diamond spectacles. "I th-th-think so." She peered down at the child sitting half on top of her lap, half on top of Alice's. "Are y-y-you alright Emma?"
"Who me?" Emma piped blushing. She puffed herself up with a false sense of bravado, "I wasn't scared at all!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"EEK!" Emma wailed clinging to her new protectors again.
"It's Aaron," Alice said getting to her feet.
"Oh." Emma said sheepishly, "Him."
Alice and Jackie swept down the hallway to Aaron's makeshift prison. They had forgotten all about their prisoner during all the excitement. "I hope he's still alive after all that!"
Jackie pulled open the door.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON UP THERE? I'VE BEEN FLYING AROUND THIS ROOM LIKE A PINBALL…"
Jackie slammed the door close and rolled her eyes, "He's st-st-still alive."
Alice sighed and pounded on the door. "Will you please be quiet! We're not entirely sure what happened, we're going to find out."
"GAH!" Aaron cried, "Throw me overboard! I'll be safer!"
"Keep it up and we just might!" Alice snapped, "Come on girls, let's go above and inspect the damage."
-888-
At that moment, Jack Sparrow was doing the very same thing. The Pearl had weathered many storms and come through fighting, but right now Jack was astounded that the ketch was afloat. Will and Rob had managed to free the ship from the ice, but not before the hull had suffered immense damage. The deck was soaked with water, the sails torn to shreds. And thanks to Rob's landing, the mast was halfway snapped.
Jack shook his head and summed up the situation with one word.
"Oy!"
"Why is there ice in the water?" Kelsey asked she gingerly got to her feet.
"Do you really not notice the frickin' ice titan?" Rob cried.
Kelsey's whole face paled and then her anger spiked once again, "No, Rob. I was a little distracted by the gigantic sea witch looming over me! What ice titan?"
"The one that Hades just released," Rob cried, "The ones that went that way." He pointed towards Greece.
"WHAT?" Kelsey groaned. She scampered to the edge of the ship, snatching a spyglass from Jack as she ran.
"Love!" Jack snapped as she bumped him.
"I can't see them anymore!" Kelsey cried, "They must be half-way to Greece by now! Damn! They're too fast."
"Kelsey…" Will sighed taking a step towards her.
"Turn the ship around!" Kelsey cried, "We need to head back to Greece." Will's shoulders slumped dejectedly.
"Love!" Jack snapped suddenly.
"I'll speed this up as much as I can," Kelsey said, not paying him any attention, "With the wind and waves on our side we should be okay."
"Love!"
"Just hang on tight everyone!" Kelsey insisted.
"LOVE!" Jack yanked on Kelsey's arm and pulled her back a few steps.
"What?" Kelsey sighed impatiently.
"Kelsey," he snapped, "Have you neglected to notice my ship?"
"I don't have time to notice your ship!" Kelsey snapped.
"Love!" Jack sighed, "LOOK!"
Kelsey turned around and as she did, the mast snapped and fell to the deck besides The Spirit as if to prove Jack's point.
Rob let out a sad sigh, "And not a roll of duct tape in sight."
Kelsey rolled her eyes and turned to Jack, "I know it will be difficult but if we put Will and I to work on repairs we can get it going!"
"That's insane!" Jack cried.
"Yes, but you're captain Jack Sparrow," Kelsey insisted, "You thrive on insanity!"
"Forcing my ship to move that fast would destroy it!" Jack cried, "We can barely float let alone sail!"
Kelsey let out a sad sigh, "It's just a ship, Jack."
"No!" Jack cried suddenly, "No, no! It's not just a ship! It's MY ship. A fact that you seem to have forgotten!"
"But we need to get to Greece!" Kelsey pleaded.
"Why?" Jack demanded.
Kelsey cried out desperately, "Because, we need to help Hercules!"
"Love," Jack sighed heavily, "Allow me to be frank…"
"Jack," Will cautioned.
"Pipe down, whelp," Jack snapped. Will clicked his jaw shut before Jack returned his attention to Kelsey. "Now tell me, Kelsey," he said coldly, "What do you suppose the Disney heroes of The Kingdom did before you came here?"
Kelsey didn't speak immediately. She didn't have an answer.
"They would go and save the day without your interference, that's what they would do!" Jack snapped, "You've assumed control of this vessel and for the most part I've allowed it, but this time I'm putting my foot down. This may be a Disney world, but it's NOT a Disney movie and you're NOT a Disney hero! You don't need to save EVERYONE!"
Kelsey stared at him for a moment in shock and hurt.
"Jack!" Elizabeth cried from behind them.
"It needed to be said!" Jack snapped. He caught sight of Kelsey's face and sighed. "You need to trust us, Unreal and Animated folks," Jack said gently, "We know what we're doing. We'll stick to the plan and try to begin repairs as best we can." Kelsey didn't say anything. She just stood there for a few moments as though she had been struck before she nodded curtly. She muttered something about going to look for a hammer and vanished below deck.
The others watched as she fled. She nearly crashed into Emma, Alice, and Jackie as they emerged from below.
"Kelsey!" Emma yelped happily. Kelsey distractedly ruffled Emma's pigtails was seemed quite eager to get away from the others.
Jackie was staring at awe at the half-destroyed ship. "W-w-what happened here?"
Rob let out a sigh of frustration, "Would you be referring to the titans, the sea witch, or the chewing out that Jack just gave Kelsey."
"Huh?" Jackie stared at them blankly.
"Her heart was in the right place, Jack," Will said gently, "Did you have to be so hard on her?"
"Her heart was in the right place when she blew your one chance at freeing her father," Jack snapped coldly, "I seem to recall you two being angry with each other for days."
Will frowned. Time hadn't completely healed all the wounds of that fight. The topic was still a sore subject that both Kelsey and Will had been avoiding like the plague in order to preserve their friendship. Unfortunately, Will saw Jack's point.
"We can't be afraid to tell her when she's wrong," Jack asserted, "That's the difference between heroes and villains. Heroes LEARN from their mistakes!"
"Oh for the love of God…!" Rob groaned, "I am so tired of these philosophical arguments about what it means to be a frickin' hero or villain!"
"Agreed," Sophia said stepping into the fray, "All of this talk is useless. We can talk all night while we sink to the bottom of the ocean or we can attempt to begin repairs."
"Very well then," Alice sighed, "We'd best begin."
"Right," Sophia said, "Just give me a moment to change out of these hideous clothes."
"Eh Ahem!" Will cleared his throat loudly. Sophia flushed bright red, forgetting just whose wardrobe she was wearing.
"But they look good on you Will.." she added sheepishly.
-888-
For the most part, Kelsey spent the rest of the day in relative silence. She helped work alongside the others, but she seemed quite subdued and kept glancing off at the horizon, towards Greece. Rob found himself wanting to say something, but it didn't seem like anything he could say would help. Kelsey wore her emotions openly on her sleeve. Whether she was happy or sad or frustrated everyone knew it. This new quiet Kelsey was disturbing. The absence of any sort of emotion was more unnerving than any fit she could have thrown.
Evening brought a new sense of calm over the ship. The only person who was still moving about was Sophia, who wouldn't get any sense of peace until the main deck was spotless. She sat there scrubbing away feverishly. Rob wondered whether she was that particular about the decks or if she just needed the physical exertion to drain of her of all the emotions bubbling inside her. Everyone was exhausted, physically and mentally.
Kelsey had disappeared again that evening. A long night of work had ensured that the mast had been repaired, but the sails were still torn into shreds and hung limply in the air. There would be no traveling tonight. The sails needed to be replaced and there were still numerous holes in the hull of the ketch. Kelsey had dragged The Spirit down below deck. The Spirit had suffered a lot of damage as well. He figured that Kelsey was attempting to fix the vehicle.
Rob stood on the deck alone. He paused there and took a deep breath of the clean night air. He just stood there staring up at the stars. He found Montressor right away. He grinned at the way it twinkled, bright and luminous like Alice's eyes. Rob shook his head. It was amazing how easy it was for everything and anything to remind him of Alice.
The soft sound of footsteps echoed behind him. Rob glanced up and saw Will stepping out onto the deck. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" Rob asked.
Will offered him a small tired smile. "Can't sleep. Even though my whole body wants to, I can't stop my mind from thinking."
"Elizabeth?" Rob asked.
"Drifted off a couple hours ago," Will said, "Jackie and Emma are asleep as well, but I think your lady is still wandering the corridors. Probably looking for you."
"Probably," Rob agreed, "How are your fingers?"
Will glanced down at his bruised hands. "I'll heal," Will shrugged, "It would have been much worse if you didn't come after me. I never got the chance to thank you properly."
Rob blushed at the praise and smiled, "Forget it."
"Not likely," Will smiled, "You Hatters are made of stern stuff."
"I'm not a hatter," Rob said, "But I see your point." Rob stared at the skyline and sighed, "I'm wondering if we're stern enough."
"You're worried about Kelsey?" Will asked mildly.
"Aren't you?" Rob asked.
"Yes," Will admitted. He joined Rob, leaning on the edge of the deck. "I can still remember the first time I met your sister. Jack and I literally fished her out of The Ocean."
"What was she doing out in The…?" Rob asked.
"I never did find out," Will interrupted "I feel as though the explanation would be far too exhausting to endure."
"Yeah, that's probably true," Rob admitted.
"She was so frightened," Will said, "She was stuck there in the middle of The Ocean, clinging to Emma and praying for a ship to pass by. I'm so used to seeing her cursing down villains, I sometimes forget that she was that girl in the water."
"I don't like seeing her like this either," Rob sighed, "It's this place! It changes people. Kelsey's a legend even Emma's building a reputation."
"Not to mention yourself," Will pointed out mildly.
Rob shrugged, "I'm getting there. But the girls have at least one adventure on me. We're all so different here. I just can't help but wonder… what will happen after all this?"
"What do you mean?" Will asked.
"I mean," Rob said, "Back home, my biggest concern was making it to level 12 on my videogame. Here, there are lives on the line. I have people depending on me, and… it's not all bad. I mean, don't get me wrong or anything, I don't like the fact that there are so many people in danger, but the responsibility isn't all bad."
Will smiled at him, "I don't know what your future holds, but I'm glad that Disney brought you and your sister to The Kingdom. You both have some purpose here."
"Thanks Will," Rob smiled, "I just wish that it were a little more obvious what I'm supposed to do."
"Only time will tell," Will shrugged, "Now, I'm going to give sleep another shot. Good night, Rob."
"Night Will," Rob murmured. He stood out there on the dock listening to the sounds of Sophia scrubbing away at the floor. He sighed and glanced up at the night sky as though the stars would provide the answer, but they were silent as they stared back down on the sleeping ship.
-888-
Kelsey had disappeared down below. Jack's words ripped into her skin like daggers, they hurt much more because she knew that everything he had said was true. Now she found herself questioning every move that she had ever made. A thousand voices were echoing in her head and she needed to silence them somehow. She couldn't take her inner confusion.
Kelsey sighed heavily as she looked over The Spirit. The vehicle had suffered a million dings and one fin was nearly torn off. "Wow," she sighed, "My poor baby what happened to you!"
"I was thrown around in this damn prison!"
Kelsey jumped at the voice. She turned around to see Aaron. In all honesty, she had totally forgotten about him. "Not you," she snapped.
"What happened?" Aaron demanded.
"Long story," Kelsey said curtly, "But your former organization is down a member."
Aaron looked nervous, "What do you mean?"
"Ursula's dead," Kelsey said, "Eric killed her."
"Oh," Aaron sighed, "Unfortunate for The Thirteen."
"No remorse for your former colleague?" Kelsey asked as she wiped a smudge off the hood of The Spirit.
"Not HER," Aaron admitted, "She and Yzma never particularly warmed up to me."
"Gee, that is SHOCKING," Kelsey snapped.
"You know you piss off just as many people as I do," Aaron snapped defensively, "Will, Jack, your brother... God, you make Sophia mad almost every day."
"I didn't realize we were keeping score," Kelsey snapped, "If this is another, 'You're a villain' speech, I'm warning you...!"
"It's not!" Aaron sighed, "Well, I mean we ARE, but I'm done trying to convince you of that." The two sat there in silence for a few moments before Aaron sighed heavily. "I heard some of your friends talking about what happened up there with Jack."
"And what's your point?" Kelsey demanded.
"Easy tiger!" Aaron snapped, "I'm trying to say, from a Villain's point of view, I don't think you acted like a villain right there. That doesn't mean I'm changing my stance on the role of Real people in the Kingdom, I just... thought it might cheer you up to hear that."
Kelsey eyed him suspiciously, "Did you hit your head when the ship was flying around?"
"Yes, about three times," Aaron grumbled, "But it's not a head injury talking if that's what you're getting at!"
"Why are you trying to cheer me up then?" Kelsey demanded.
"God! I don't know!" Aaron cried, "Forget I tried!" Aaron threw up his hands and crossed to the other side of his prison.
Kelsey let out a frustrated sigh before storming over to his prison. "Aaron," she snarled.
"What?" he snapped.
Kelsey groaned before muttering through gritted teeth, "Thanks."
"Yeah," Aaron sighed, "Whatever."
Kelsey let out a sigh and returned her attention to The Spirit. After all that, she STILL didn't know how to feel. In frustration, she tossed a tarp over The Spirit. She needed to go to bed and pray that things would look clearer in the morning.