Hey everyone . . . I know it has been a REALLY long time. I've had some personal things going on. This is just to assure everyone that I have not given up on the story. In fact the entire thing is finished, is just a matter of formatting and editing, so if you bare with me, I'll make an effort to be more active in the future. Hopefully things slow down and I'll be on my feet again.

Thanks to all of you who have to stuck with me.

Scoots

Part Thirteen

"Are you sure this was where you two went, Pegasus?"

The large, winged horse landed with a heavy thud, nodding excitedly. Herc jumped down and helped a wobbly-legged Meg down beside him. She was clinging somewhat to his arm still, though there was certain firmness in her violet eyes. The three of them walked forward, Pegasus leading to where he had been threatened and where he had thought Cassandra had been taken. There was a cold feel about the place and Herc, all senses alert, drew his sword with his free hand, keeping Meg close to his side. He began to study the surrounding area, noticing that some of the surrounding foliage had, in fact, been bent and damaged. He looked quietly at Meg and then turned his head into the trees and trudged forward, determined to find Cassandra.

But after an hour or so of going around in circles, Herc was starting to feel discouraged. He stopped back where they started and sighed, looking hopefully at Pegasus. The winged horse continued to sniff the air and Meg looked up to Herc, touching his cheek sympathetically. She felt hesitant to mention Hades again, knowing that already Herc was going through a stressful time, but it made so much sense! Wouldn't he want some sort of "prize" that was close to Herc since he was defeated? She sighed inwardly and Hercules looked at her, aware that she wanted to say something.

"What is it, Meg?" he asked softly.

She looked almost guilty, but plunged right in anyway. "Maybe you can't find her because Hades took her, maybe we should still go confront him."

Pegasus snorted and stomped his hoof indignantly, in a way that said that it wasn't Hades who had taken her. Meg shrugged defensively and Herc looked ultimately lost.

"Meg, I don't know," he said slowly. "What would Hades want with Cassandra? I mean . . ."

"To get back at you, to lure you to your death, or to make another one of his deals . . ."

He saw the desperation in her eyes rather than hearing it in her voice and felt a pang of guilt. He wanted to find Cassandra so bad and she knew it and was willing to go to the bowls of the earth to help him. On some level, what she said made sense but still, he felt another part of him not accepting that Hades would be acting this soon upon defeat. He may be a power hungry god but he wasn't stupid. Hercules looked back at Pegasus, knowing the look his best friend was giving him. He also saw how tired and worn Pegasus looked and breathed in deeply. His eyes drifted slightly to Meg's bandaged wrist, the cast itself extending up the length of her arm. He tore his eyes quickly though, afraid that she might notice.

"Maybe we should search the hills some more. I think I saw a small farm house, maybe they'll know something?" He offered this response a little timidly, noticing that it was already late afternoon.

Meg crossed her arms and jutted a hip out to one side, studying him. He shifted slightly, preparing himself for some sort of lecture but she looked again and relaxed her stance. She acted as though she had heard something and held a finger to her lips, turning slightly. Herc didn't say anything and Pegasus perked his ears curiously. He seemed to have heard something too. Meg dug around in the foliage a little bit, Herc kneeling down next to her, looking around him for any sign of danger. Pegasus continued to sniff the air.

Finally, Meg paused. "Herc, look at this,"

He looked down at her, taking the object she was holding up to him. He held it in his hand, realizing it was a small sandal, a woman's. It didn't take him long to figure out whose this was, either.

"This is Cassandra's!"

Both came quickly to their feet. Someone had to have thrown it, someone who had Cassandra. Or maybe it was Cassandra . . .

"Cass!" Herc called out, anxiously hoping for a response. "Cassandra! It's me, I'm here! Where are you? Cass!"

But his voice echoed hopelessly over the forest. Meg came panting beside him, grasping his arm. Both were out of breath and were now just getting lost.

"It had . . . to come . . . from some . . . from somewhere," he said between breathing. "It had to . . . she's here, she has to be here!"

Meg pulled him close to her, his breath hot and short as he breathed brokenly into her ear. She clutched him with her good hand and he gripped back tightly, as though afraid that if he let go, he would lose her again. She knew he was struggling so much to keep himself together, knew that he was feeling helpless to find her, even when it seemed they could be so close . . . She stroked his head comfortingly.

"We'll find her," she promised. "I swear to you, we'll find her. She's here, she has to be. Come on, sandals don't fall randomly out of trees."

They broke apart and Meg was relieved to see him a looking a bit more confident, even with a pair of black eyes and bruised arms. She forced a smile and gently punched his shoulder, making sure not to hurt anything already sore. "Come on, we'll ask around, we'll look around, we wont give up until we find her. She's here, she has to be."

It seemed Meg had given up her idea of Hades.

Hercules looked upon her with nothing but adoration, thankful for the strength she leant him when he needed it.

Returning back to the main situation, Herc backtracked, finding Pegasus inspecting the area to. The lost themselves in the forest, trying to look for a trail or any other sort of clue. Even foot steps, other fallen objects, but nothing seemed to show up. It was as though the sandal had fallen from nowhere.

Night came quickly and Hercules was feeling discouraged again. Everyone was hungry and tired, Pegasus most of all. After much planning and with much reluctance, the search was set aside for the next day. Herc was not about to give up on one of his closest friends nor was Meg about to let him lose hope. They agreed to return soon, perhaps question the family at the base of the hill, and continue their search until they found her.

When they arrived back at the hospital, Icarus was eating heartily, obviously feeling better than he had that morning. Hercules felt some stress leave him to see Icarus bright eyed and awake again; there was nothing more downing than to see a happy-go-lucky person like him depressed or sick.

"So, did you see Cassandra today?" asked Icarus hopefully, in the middle of their conversation.

Both Herc and Meg hesitated, looking at each other.

"What is it?" Icarus asked suspiciously, slanting his eyes at the two of them.

Meg nodded to Herc, who sighed and forced himself to look Icarus in the eye. "Uh . . . Icarus . . . she, uh, isn't here . . . right now."

"Well, sheesh, Herc! I can see that. I'm not that far gone, you know!"

Herc looked at Meg for support and she nodded at him again. Sighing, he tried again.

"Listen, Ick, she . . . she's gone. We don't know where she is. She left last night and Pegasus . . . came back without her." A large weight had settled in the bottom of Herc's stomach as he said this and the look Icarus gave him didn't help matters.

"What do you mean . . . you don't know where she is?" color seemed to drain from his face again and his expression seemed to become unreadable. "Where . . . where is she?"

"I don't know, Icarus," he repeated, wincing inwardly.

Icarus struggled to stand and Herc pushed him back down. "No, Icarus, you . . . you can't get up yet, you're to weak . . ."

"I have to find my sweet Cassandra!"

"Icarus, we're looking for her, don't worry! I swear, we'll find her, I'm just as worried as you-!"

"But Herc, if there's a man looking for her . . . I gotta . . . I gotta be there! I can't . . .just lay here!"

"Yes, Icarus, you have to!" Herc said firmly, holding him down. "You wont be of any help to her in the condition your in. You need to heal, Ick!"

Icarus gave up the struggle, feeling as though he had run a thousand miles and Hercules let go, looking down sadly as Icarus struggled with words that wouldn't come.

"Meg and I are going to head back tomorrow right away. Promise me you'll stay here and allow yourself to heal . . ."

Icarus could only gaze up at his best friend with anxiety. "What if you don't come back?" was the feeble question.

Herc forced a determined smile. "I'm the last person you need to worry about Icarus . . . don't worry, we're all going to come back, and Cassandra will be yours to obsess over once more."

Icarus didn't say anymore and Herc felt as though his friend, for once, doubted him.

"He's just worried, Herc," Meg told him once they were outside the room. "Don't fret to much, you have so much on your mind as it is."

"Gods, what if we can't find her Meg? I don't know what I'll do with myself. . ."

She gripped on of his shoulders tightly, looking him in the eyes again with the fiery determination and will that she had when they had first met. "I don't ever want to hear you say that again . . . you will find her and you will get her back, even if we have to send the entire Greece army to get her."

Herc could only grin halfway, his gaze traveling to the window and to the stars outside. He took down things ten times his size everyday.

He just had to find Cassandra.