Big Sink - Part 2

Disclaimer: read the beginning

"And now... Athen's daytime host... Merv Griffin!"

The crowd went wild as the talkative griffin made his appearance on stage, greeting everyone with his friendly smile and wave.

"Thank you! Thank you! What a crowd!" Merv commented.

Backstage, behind the red curtain, the now-famous teen seer was grinning ear-to-ear, excited by the crowd's cheer. It had been two hours since the Big Sink announcement, and already she was the most talked about in Greece, along with the dating rumor between Persephone and Orpheus.

"Excited?"

Cassandra paused her daydream to see her best friend leaning against a column. Nattie was smirking with a hint of mischief behind her orbs. Cassandra didn't reply to her, but Nattie continued.

"You know, after all this time of getting to know you, I have never seen you welcome fame with open arms."

"That's because I didn't care what others think at the time, but now..." Cassandra peered through the red curtain to see Merv Griffin warming the crowd up. "They all believed in me!"

"They believed the story you didn't predict," Nattie pointed out.

Cassandra casted Nattie a look, "Didn't you say that Atlantis is going to sink anyway?"

"Yeah, but when is the question. I may be the girl from the future, but I am not a seer like you."

"Have you ever thought about it?" Cassandra wondered.

Nattie furrowed her brows in confusion, "What?"

"Have you ever thought of telling everyone where you came from?"

Nattie scoffed, "No! Because alpha: people will think I am crazy. Beta: it might jeopardize the story."

"A little too late, Nattie. The plot already twisted the moment you set foot here..." Cassandra snorted, "Or fell here. There's no telling how much you changed the story, or how you're going to save the original plotline."

Nattie shrugged, "Who said anything about me saving it? I am just going with the flow."

"Are you going with the flow when the war comes?"

Nattie paused. All this time, she focused on the past and present, she never thought of the future. The wait wasn't very long. She knew there will be chaos, titans, betrayal, and death. Cassandra's question hit Nattie square in the chest. She needed to think about it. Could she really have the heart to step back, or do something about it? She already put herself in the middle, in between good and evil.

Would she help Hercules out, when the time comes; or let him battle on his own? He's a demigod, he can take care of himself... most of the time. The only thing he required was a brain, and that's Phil's job. Could she have the heart to betray Hercules, and help Hades take over, just to go home? Could that be Hades's big favor? Can he express gratitude by taking her home? How can Hades do that? How can he send her home? She never asked him that question before. Curiosity got the better of her. She added a memo to herself - Ask Hades how I'm getting home.

There were a lot of things to consider. Like the plotline, Hades's plan, Zeus, Megara... Meg...

Nattie growled at the thought of that woman.

That little bitch ruined her night. Meg paid a centaur to steal Lethe water, just so she could forget Adonis. She got the worst taste in men. Didn't she know that he's with Helen, currently? Doubt it. At the end of the night, the Lethe water spilled on Meg, making her forget ever meeting Hercules. That was a good thing. Meg and Hercules wasn't supposed to meet anytime soon.

Nattie looked over her shoulder to see Hercules listening to Icarus go on about the snow globe he bought at the gift shop. Meg may have forgotten Hercules, but Hercules didn't forget her. Nattie wondered if Hercules ever thought of Meg. He claimed that he loved Nattie, but that wasn't supposed to happen. Hercules not loving Meg was a major plot twist on Nattie's part, unintentionally. Nattie basically took Meg's spot. Meg was supposed to be the one working for Hades, falling for Hercules, dying to save him. Nattie worked for Hades, she had Hercules fall for her. The hero may loved her, but there was no way she could risk her life for Hercules, as he would do for her. How could she? She wasn't strong enough, nor a hero. She was too selfish. She wanted to live, be happy. Right now, she was confused, conflicted, and bitter.

"Nattie?"

Nattie returned to reality, seeing Cassandra's concerned face.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just... I just feel bad about forgetting Icarus's birthday."

Cassandra raised a brow, "Do I detect a guilty conscience? Natalie Camden admits she is guilty about something other than her selfish self?"

Nattie glared at her friend sharply, "Shut up."

Cassandra chuckled, wiping the dust from her clothing, "Look if you really want to make it up to Icarus, without him knowing you forgot - just buy him a gift."

"Yeah, good idea." Nattie spat with venom. "But here's a tiny problem with that... I don't have the money!"

"Then get a job!"

Nattie groaned, face palming. Getting a job was the last thing in her mind. It was hard to picture herself waiting tables, listening to complaints on front desk, trying to lullaby a baby monster to sleep. When she worked for Hades, she lived the life of a rich girl, now she was cut off and owed so much. She hated this arrangement, but then again, a part of her wanted a challenge.

"How you managed to afford that hair, I don't know. If you can buy it, you can Icarus's gift the same method."

That's easier said than done. No doubt Hades cancelled the card after receiving the shopping bill.

"Today, folks, we have a few special guests..." the girls perked at Merv behind the curtain.

"I guess I should get ready," Cassandra stated, shaking her arms.

Nattie raised a brow, and gave her a teasing smirk, "Nervous?"

Cassandra snorted, "No. It's not like I have never been on stage before."

"Cassandra, you have never been on stage before."

Cassandra tried to act confident, but exhaled shakily. She normally was the emotionless girl in the group, but this was a different side, Nattie was witnessing.

"Here's some advice," Nattie patted her friend's shoulder, "Just imagined the audience in the their underwear. That would do the trick... Although, don't laugh like Hercules did."

Cassandra chuckled at that idea, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Break a leg... theatrically speaking, of course.."

"Thanks."

~000~000~000~

Meanwhile, the imps were hiding behind the bushes, watching Nattie leaving her best friend alone backstage. Big mistake. The imps were shocked when they found out who they were supposed to steal.

"C-Cassandra!" Panic asked in disbelief, "H-He wants to kidnap her?!"

"Well, how about that..." Pain seemed to get out of shock state quickly, and returned to the important task. "Come on, lets get her." Pain was about to leave his hiding place, but Panic pulled him back.

"Wait!"

The imps stumbled onto the ground, rolling down the hill like a bowling ball. They cried as they flew in the air. Pain landed on the ground first, face-down; followed by Panic. He was flying, until he landed on top of Pain, with this pointy horns piercing his butt... again.

Pain yelped at the stinging sensation. He pushed himself up from the ground, casting Panic a mean look, "Watch the horns!"

"S-S-Sorry, Pain! So sorry!"

Pain grunted as he pulled Panic off his butt, rubbing his sore backside once Panic was removed.

"What's with you?!" Pain demanded.

"A-Are you s-sure that t-this is a good idea?" Panic stammered.

Pain put his hands on his hips, casting Panic a disapproved look, "Hey, our temporary boss ordered us to take the girl, we're taking her!" Pain's frown deepened when he saw the guilt look in his eyes, "Don't tell me that you have a crush on her still!"

"No!" Panic denied, though his cheeks reddened. "I-It's j-just that she is Nattie's friend."

"So?!" Pain asked.

"So Nattie will kill us when she finds out what we're doing!"

"You mean... if she finds out," Pain pointed.

"Of course, she's..." Panic's nervousness slowly melted, his quivering lips stretched into a smile, "If... If is good."

The imps returned up the hill, happy to see Cassandra glued to her spot, ready for her cue. They looked both ways to see anybody around, specifically Nattie. When the coast was clear, they began to disguise themselves, starting with the make up.

Pain was applying a coral colored lipstick, while Panic was applying mascara.

"Let me see that eye pencil, I want to bring out my eyes," Panic said. He took the dark eye pencil from Pain's hand and applied to his eyelids. Pain smacked his ruby lips together with a pop. Once they were finished, they transformed into drag queens.

~000~000~000~

Cassandra was anxious but excited all at once. She never done this before, but she couldn't wait to sit down next to Merv and talk about her vision. All the attention will be on her.

"Just picture the audience in their underwear, and you'll be just fine." She snorted into laughter at the thought of Hercules in his underwear. Maybe Nattie's method was a bad idea.

"Oh no! This is all wrong!"

Cassandra perked up and looked over her shoulder to see two, ugly women wearing too much makeup. One tall and skinny, dressed in blue, holding a big makeup bag. The other blonde but obese, dressed in magenta.

"You can't go out there like that!" The skinny women pointed at Cassandra in disgust.

"You're not a spring!" The fat woman spat, "You're a winter! Take it from us - we're professionals."

Cassandra widened her eyes in sudden panic. All this time, she thought about how she's going to act on stage, she never gave a damn about her looks. The fat woman was right about one thing, she was a winter. No glow or vibe in her. She needed to hurry so she can look good for her fans. A part of her wished that Nattie was here. She was an expert when it came to things like this.

"What do you think I need?" Cassandra asked.

The skinny woman smiled, "Lipgloss, some rogue..."

"A blindfold and a gag," the other woman added.

'Okay,' Cassandra thought, 'Lipgloss, rogue, blindfold, gag... Wait! What?!'

It was too late for Cassandra to react, because her eyes were quickly covered. She attempted to scream, but tasted another piece of cloth in her mouth, keeping her from calling for help. Next thing she knew, her hands were tied behind her back, and was carried away to a place only the Fates know.

~000~000~000~

Hercules and Icarus were seated in the VIP section, waiting for their friend to make her appearance on stage. Nattie finally returned to her seat before Merv finished warming the crowd up.

"How is my muffin doing?!" Icarus asked happily, hopping up and down his seat.

"She's fine," Nattie replied casually.

"Not nervous?" Hercules asked.

Nattie rolled her eyes, "You know Cassandra."

"I still can't believe this is happening," Hercules said to himself. "I can't believe that she actually lied about-"

"Herc, stop and chill!" Nattie commanded, "For the last time, it's going to happen anyway. Cassandra did these people a favor, before their asses went under. You should commend her for being heroic and warning everybody."

Hercules sighed, "But I don't feel right about this. Like how you forgot..." Hercules trailed off to see Nattie's dangerous glare. If looks could kill, he would be dead.

"Then, feel right about this, Herc!" Icarus patted his friend's back, "My honey-boo-boo is going to be a star!"

"And now, lets give a big, warm, Athens welcome to my special guest!" Merv raised his paw up towards the big, red curtain that slowly raised itself from the ground. "Cassand-" He stopped himself when three figures jumped on stage through the curtain, none of them was Cassandra. The three surprising guests were the dark-clothed, ancient hags that knew everything - past, present, and future.

"Whoa!" Merv cried and stared at his guests in wonder, "The Fates?"

The crowd oohed and awed at this unexpected twist, especially the trio.

"Hey, where's Cassandra?!" Hercules turned to Icarus. "She was supposed to be his special guest."

Nattie was confused as well. What the hell were the Fates doing here? Nattie never thought they would like to appear on camera. Something was not right.

"C'mon." She hurried back towards the stage, the boys followed right behind her.

"Well, unexpected to say the least, b-b-but welcome!" Marv greeted the hags heartedly, "I mean, Ladies, this is an honor! You know I have been trying to get you on my show for years!"

"Well, we have been pretty busy," Clotho said nonchalantly, "weaving the future, crocheting death and pestilence into people's lives."

"Cassandra?" Nattie called out, once they reached backstage, "Cassandra, where are you?!"

She was getting anxious. Cassandra wasn't here. A part of Nattie thought that Cassandra bail from the bad case of butterflies, but another part of her was telling her differently. The fear rise when Nattie spotted something Cassandra would never leave behind - her sandal. She kneeled down and picked it up to examine it. If Cassandra really bailed, she would never run with one shoe. This could only mean one thing. Someone kidnapped Cassandra, and replaced her with the Fates. Question: who took Cassandra?

"Nattie!"

She turned and almost gasped when Hercules and Icarus were behind her closely.

"Where is she?" Hercules demanded.

"Yeah, where is my delicate flower?" Icarus asked with worry in his tone.

Nattie handed Cassandra's sandal to Hercules, who stared down at it with widened eyes. He came to the same conclusion.

"Oh no!"

"Yep," Nattie nodded, taking the shoe from Hercules.

Icarus looked at Hercules and Nattie frantically, not having a clue to what's happening, "What? What? What's going on? Oh no, what? Tell me! Tell me!"

"Cassandra is in trouble," Nattie blurted.

Icarus gasped, placed his hand around his throat, having trouble breathing. He fainted in Hercules's arms.

"Icarus," Hercules shook his little friend, urging him to wake up.

"We're a hit, girls!"

Hercules and Nattie jumped at the hagging voice of Lachesis nearby.

"Let's take our show on the road!"

Hercules jumped behind a column, pulling Nattie and Icarus along with him. Hercules covered Icarus mouth to keep the snores from escaping his mouth as he was waking up. Nattie and Hercules were intently watching the Fates glide past them and towards a figure standing by a big tree. The duo squinted their eyes at the shadowy figure, not recognizing him.

"Who is that?" Nattie asked quietly.

The mysterious man cackled, "Let me be the first to say, you ladies, knocked them dead!"

"We have a knack for that sort of thing," Atropos said with an evil glint in her eyes.

The man pressed his fingers together, "I appreciate your assistance, Ladies. Now if you continue to be cooperative, I will double your payment."

The ladies cackled.

"It's a deal, Croesus!" Clotho shook the man's hand, who winced at sudden gross contact. He planned to sanitize his hands after this.

That's when everything clicked... for Hercules and Nattie.

"Hey, that's Croesus," Hercules whispered to his friends, "The owner of Atlantis."

Icarus jumped out of Hercules grip and grasped his toga in agony, "There's no time for the who's who in the cradle of democracy!" Nattie and Hercules shushed him, covered his mouth, and scooted directly behind the column when a pair of eyes turned their way.

"Be quiet!" Nattie hissed at Icarus.

Icarus mumbled against his friends' hands with tears of agony in his eyes, mumbling words Hercules and Nattie didn't understand.

"What?" Hercules removed his hand from Icarus's mouth, "What did you say?"

Icarus sniffled, "We gotta find my honey-bun."

"Icarus, focus!" Nattie slapped the side of Icarus's head, pointing at the man resuming his conversation with the clothed hags. "It's Croseus. He's the one that kidnapped Cassandra."

Icarus raised a brow at her, looking at her dumbfounded, "Huh?"

"Can't you see?" Hercules demanded, "Thanks to Cassandra's prediction, he's now losing a lot of money! And now, she has disappeared. See the connection?"

Crickets chirped in Icarus's mind, not catching on like Hercules and Nattie did.

Hercules and Nattie groaned.

"We follow him, we find her," Hercules explained.

~000~000~000~

They did just that. They followed Croesus by using Pegasus. They flew in the air, until they reached Croesus tower on empty Atlantis. Pegasus dropped them off at the tower balcony. Hercules, Icarus, and Nattie could see Cassandra all tied up, blindfolded, and gagged.

"Cassie-lassie!" Icarus rushed towards her, but Nattie and Hercules pulled him back and hid themselves out of view. They noticed that Cassandra was guarded by two figures they didn't expect to see.

"Pain and Panic," Nattie hissed in shock. "What the hell are they doing here?"

"I don't know. Maybe Hades must be involved with Croesus's scheme," Hercules assumed. "Somehow."

He tightened his grip on Icarus fort the boy was trying to reach out to his princess. Hercules urged him to be quiet. The trio stood still when doors flew open on the inside.

The trio heard a voice and footsteps. They peered over to see Croesus approaching Cassandra. He ungagged and removed her blindfold. She immediately started coughing and spitting in disgust.

"Hey! Stop that! The flooring isn't cheap you know!" Croesus cried, wagging his dark finger at her.

"Would it kill you to at least wash the rag?" Cassandra asked, cool and collected, opposite of what a prisoner should be.

"How dare you! Don't you know who I am?"

"Yeah," Cassandra grumbled. "You're that cheapskate Croesus that owns this joint."

Croesus growled pacing back and forth the room.

"Be careful!" Panic warned her, "Y-You don't want to mess with him."

"I heard from Hades that he's got the biggest toys when it comes to torture!" Pain added, "Don't ya, boss?!"

Nattie and Hercules looked at each other with confusion, "Boss?" This was confusing. Hades would never allow the imps to call anybody boss, unless he allowed them. Where was Hades? Why were the imps doing Croesus's bidding?

"Why am I here?" Cassandra demanded.

"Well, Miss Prophet, your prediction has cost me a lot of drachmas. Now..." He approached her, placing both hands on either side of the chair, towering over her, "How much will it take to shut you up?"

Cassandra shrugged, "Nothing."

Nattie widened her eyes in shock. Nothing? If Nattie was in Cassandra's shoes, she would've gave him a number on his little checkbook. Enough to afford Icarus a gift. Cassandra should go home with money. What's wrong with her?

"Oh, come on!" Croesus stepped away from her, pulling out his ink and checkbook, "Everybody's got a price! Name it! Ten - Fifteen - Twenty million?"

Nattie wanted to rush inside and accept the twenty million dollars on Cassandra's behalf, but Hercules pulled her back, ignoring her silent protests.

"Nothing, really!" Cassandra insisted, "Look, I made up the whole thing! Atlantis isn't going to sink!"

"What?!" Croesus cried in disbelief, throwing his things in the air. "I bribed a major god and three cosmic croons for NOTHING!"

"Is it too late to stop payment on the checks?" Cassandra asked.

Croesus face palmed and grumbled, "One of them was to Hades."

Cassandra widened her eyes, "Yow-za."

Nattie covered her mouth to hold back the gasp. Hades was bribed? She never thought this would happen in a million years! There was bribery with massages, but drachmas was a different story. He was a god! He couldn't be bought! Though, that would explain the imps being here. It didn't matter how much money was offered, Hades knew Cassandra was Nattie's friend. Would he really do that to her?

Nattie mentally slapped herself for asking that. Hades was a villain, of course he would do something like this.

"Nattie, are you okay?" Hercules asked, noticing her tan face turning red.

Nattie nodded, "Yeah. But after this, I am going to kill Hades for this."

Hercules widened his eyes in shock. He don't know how she was going to do that, but he knew better than to doubt her abilities.

"I demand a full confession!" Croesus growled.

"Ooh! You want her to talk!" Panic said happily, hopping on Cassandra's back, "Well, that brings all sorts of torture!"

"But she already confessed," Pain scratched his head. "Seems kinda backwards."

"This job does not have perks!" Panic pouted like a four-year-old but leaned against Cassandra's body.

Cassandra frowned at Panic for being too close, but ignored him. She was already used to certain boys clinging onto her like she's their favorite toy.

Outside, Hercules and Nattie were trying to hold back Icarus from being Cassandra's knight and shining armor.

"You have to let me go! I want to save my Cassie-poo!"

Hercules and Nattie tried to keep him quiet, but it was too late.

"Who said that?!" Croesus demanded, marching outside, along with two imps.

Icarus seemed to have cold feet when it came to rescuing his girl. He whistled for Pegasus, "I change my mind. Let's go! Let's go!"

"Too late."

Before Pegasus could arrive, the trio was face-to-face with Croesus and the imps.

"What do you kids think you're doing?!" Croesus demanded, pointing at them accusingly, "How did you get here?"

"By a flying horse," Icarus replied.

Nattie and Hercules face palmed, they knew they should've left Icarus behind.

"Who are you, brats?" Croesus demanded, placing his hands on his hips.

Hercules cleared his throat, standing in a heroic pose.

Nattie rolled her eyes, "Oh boy, here comes the speech."

"As a hero-in-training, I insist that you release Cassandra!" Hercules commanded. The others were looking at him in disinterest.

Nattie pushed him to the side, it was her turn to speak, "What my friend is trying to say - 'hi, I'm Hercules. It's nice to meet you'." She gestured herself, "My name is Nattie, and this..." She placed her sisterly arms around Icarus, "is our loving, forgiving friend - Icarus-"

"If you hurt my Cassie-boo, you will regret it!" Icarus cried.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. Panic seemed intimidated by Icarus's threat, it looked like he's got some competition. He blocked in front of Cassandra protectively.

"Heroes trying to save their friend, huh?" Croesus asked, nonchalantly.

Hercules was about to say something heroic, but Nattie jumped first.

"No, just friends that don't want their friend killed." Her eyes lowered down at the imps, who were smiling at her sheepishly.

"H-Hey, Nattie," Panic began.

"Y-Yeah, how's it going, Nattie?" Pain tried to start sweet, because he knew that he and Panic were in hot water now.

"Hey, boys," Nattie waved at them. She rolled her eyes as she faced the imps again, about to hear a stammering apology.

"N-Nattie, this isn't what you think!" Pain began.

"Y-Yeah," Panic nodded, "We-we would never hurt-"

"Save it!" Nattie raised her hand up, silencing the imps. They cowered behind their current boss. "There's important things to discuss." She approached Croesus, who was looking at her with disinterest.

"Listen, missy, if you think I am going to let her go-"

"I understand," Nattie cut him off. "How about we discuss this inside?"

"Why should we?"

"Because there is a better way to handle this peacefully than torture and waste of paychecks."

She was right. There was a better way to handle this situation. Hercules asked nicely to go with peace.

Eventually, Croesus ushered them inside the tower.

Nattie sighed, "Look. I get that you're pissed about what Cassandra predicted."

Croesus scoffed, and Cassandra sighed.

"And that prophet cost you a lot."

"You don't even know half of it!" Croesus snapped.

Nattie winced at Croesus's yell, she stuck a finger inside her ear for a few seconds, regaining a bit of sound.

"I understand. But I also understand that you're a reasonable guy. How about we both get what we want without a bloody mess on your ten thousand drachma floor."

"It's actually a hundred thousand drachmas," Croesus corrected her.

Everybody else rolled their eyes. Nobody cared how much money he had spent on the marble flooring. He's a rich man, they get the point.

Croesus continued as he set himself back in his large throne behind his desk, "But I'll be willing to take a bite on your offer; if you find a way to assure everyone that what that prophet said about Atlantis isn't true-"

"Say, didn't Nattie say that Atlantis is go-" Hercules cut Icarus off by covering his mouth again, the spikey haired boy earned a warning glare from Nattie. Icarus needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.

"I'm sorry, didn't you bribe the Fates to do that?" Nattie pointed out, turning back to Croesus.

Croesus shrugged, leaning back against his chair, "Sure. But people needed to believe it from the horse's mouth." He chuckled.

"How about a public confession?" Cassandra suggested.

"I told ya to be quiet!" Croesus snapped.

Cassandra's jaw snapped shut, but a groan escaped her.

"Hey, wait! Wait!" Hercules spoke up, releasing Icarus, "That's not a bad idea."

Nattie nodded, "Yeah. Cassandra tells the world that she lied, people will come back to Atlantis, you earn money, and nobody dies - Bada-bing, we all walk home happy. (Well, for now at least).

Hercules gasped, "Nattie!"

"What?" Nattie demanded.

The imps snickered.

"You are using one of Hades's catch phrases!" Pain pointed.

Nattie widened her eyes in realization, 'Oh shit! I need to stop being under Hades's influence!'

"I think Hades is growing on you!" Panic teased.

"No, he's not! Shut up!" Nattie snapped. "So what do you think, Croesus?"

"About what?" Croesus asked.

Nattie raised a brow, Didn't that bastard heard what we all just said? "About the public confession, what do you think?"

Croesus perked up at the idea, "Yes! Yeah, that's it! A public confession!"

"I tell the world that I lied, you will let me go. Deal?" Cassandra offered.

Croesus turned to Cassandra with a smirk, "My dear, the sooner you spill the beans, I am more than happy to have you out of my life - forever! Now if you excuse me, I have a press conference to call!"

Croesus went behind his office desk and sat down on his large chair. He opened his drawer and pulled out an iPhone - no, an eye-phone. It seemed like Nattie, Cassandra, the Fates, and the gods weren't the only ones that got one.