Beyond Grim And Evil Installment 1: So It Begins

(A/N: A turkey, by the way, is a term in bowling signifying I think about three strikes in a row.)

God And A Half (Late Afternoon)

Destroy the full-sized goddess and the pint-sized pain.

Sorella appeared back in her house calling, "Hey big brother, I'm home! Pinface!"

Pinface emerged from a room saying, "About time. Where have you been all day Sorella?"

"At Toadblatt's library, then shopping. Got into quite the little tiff with a friend of Grim's children around lunch at Toadblatt's," Sorella replied. "Oh, and get this, remember Nergal?"

"The lonely loser from high school?" Pinface asked. He burst into laughter saying, "What brought him up? He's long gone. We threw him in the lava."

Sorella frowned, then replied, "Guess what, someone saved him, and I'm betting that someone was the Grim Reaper. I thought I heard his voice when we were down there. Oh, and by the way, Nergal's married. His wife was the one who helped me in the fight."

Pinface's breath caught in his throat, and he blinked blankly at her. After a moment he asked, "What?"

"You heard me," Sorella replied.

"That loser has a wife! I thought Boogey was kidding about him having a family!" Pinface exclaimed.

"It surprised me too. Maybe I should have given him another look," she replied.

After a moment, Pinface opened a portal and gazed inside only to see the very woman Sorella had told him about waving to a little boy who was heading up towards the surface. "Oh boy. Get this. The guy has a son too."

Sorella gasped. "No!" she exclaimed, peering in as well.

"Little sister, I do believe this is worth examining a little more," Pinface said.

"Go for it," Sorella replied, smiling. Pinface smirked and leapt into the portal after the child.

Eris yawned tiredly, lounging outside of the mines and watching the scenery, dreaming up ways to cause chaos everywhere. She leaned back, closing her eyes. "Miss Eris?" a voice asked suddenly.

Eris' eyes flew open. "Nergal Junior?" she asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Junior replied, "Mother sent me here to find Fred Fredburger."

"Ugh, that pest? Fred Fredburger is sleeping right now, last I checked. Must have been why Harold and Hoss didn't take him along with them. Anyway, I tried to pick a fight with him, seeing as I was bored and all. So much for that. The annoying little brat wouldn't wake up if a nuclear bomb had gone off above his head. Why on Earth are you looking for him?" she questioned. Junior took a deep breath, then explained it all. Of course this was all old news to Eris, but she kept quiet about knowing. "Oh you poor dear," she said in a sympathetic tone. Not even a professional could have caught the falsity of her sympathy. She felt sorry for the brat, at first, but it wasn't like Nergal wouldn't go back. Now she just figured it was all exaggeration. Nergal was weak like that; hopelessly devoted to his family. It was all he had talked about at first, before that last tussle at his house that is. But still, it's not like he'd stay away.

"Eris!" a new voice exclaimed. Both Eris and Junior looked up with a gasp.

On seeing the figure, Eris' eyes widened and she shot up from the ground, exclaiming, "Pinface! No way!"

Pinface gaped, high school coming back in a rush. "You made high school a living Hades for me and Grim!"

"Oh and you and Grim didn't made it Hades right back!" Eris shot.

"Grim had nothing to do with those jokes sister! He tried to talk me out of it! He even tried to challenge Boogey and Pain to a fight for your honor!" Pinface shot back. "You think that bonehead would hurt and humiliate the girl he loved!"

"So it was all you!" Eris shot. "Nergal didn't lie."

Pinface burst into laughter, saying, "Nergal told you! That loser! I told him to keep his trap shut and make sure no one else leaked, or else life would be made a living nightmare for him and anyone he even remotely liked. I thought he'd back down, coward that he was, but apparently he was crueler than others gave him credit for. He laughed in my face. I'm guessing his defiance, though, was what broke the friendship between him and Grim. He blabbed to all the wrong people and kept quiet from all the right ones. Huh, a traitor too to forsake his only friend to the bullies merciless clutches because of a big mouth."

"I thought he'd told Grim about how you threatened him," Eris muttered in disbelief.

"My dad isn't cruel, he's not a traitor, and he's not a loser!" Junior yelled.

"Well he hasn't come back to you and mommy yet, has he you little semi-mortal?" Pinface said.

"How on Earth did Grim stay friends with you?" Eris asked.

"Bonehead was crueller than he let on too. But then you already knew that, didn't you Eris? And after the break between he and Nergal, then Velma later, everyone else knew as well," Pinface replied. "You knew about Nergal's hidden cruelly too, didn't you. That was why you acted like you did towards them. They were a threat. A powerful threat," Pinface accused. "Maybe you should have hooked up with those two way earlier. Joined the ranks of the losers. Apparently they became the real powers in the school." Junior was lost.

"That's it! I'm through with this bothersome argument! You'll never know what hit you when I'm done," Eris shot.

"No one talks about my dad like you did!" Junior yelled at Pinface, springing his tentacles.

"Too easy," Pinface said. That was it. None of them were taking these insults anymore. They ran at each other, Eris and Junior against Pinface.

Eris and Junior attacked with a vengeance. Pinface, though, was ready for the battle and fought viciously back. Quickly, however, Eris beat him to the punch, knocking him down. "Gobble, gobble! Who's got the turkey now?" she exclaimed. Pinface, though, quickly recovered and attacked her and Junior violently. Quickly he'd stunned Eris, who cried out in pain.

"Apple polisher," he taunted. All at once, though, Junior attacked him viciously, quickly finishing him off again. Pinface rose up. He could see he would have to pull himself together quick. He leapt up and shot a powerful heavy attack at the two, knocking Junior down and stunning him. "Nergal's spawn would be as pathetic as him," Pinface insulted. Eris leapt at Pinface again, though, tearing into him. Pinface fought back. Junior leapt in, but before Pinface would have been stunned, he managed to roll away. He attacked heavily then growled, "That's it, no more games!"

Eris and Junior, who were running at him, slid to a stop with gasps. They saw the glint in his eyes betraying mojo meltdown. Eris silently cursed Grim for letting his mojo out for a breather. "Eris!" Junior exclaimed. Too late. It was initiated, and the two went flying.

Eris rose up, shaking off the dizziness, and glanced at Junior. The boy wasn't getting up! Great. That meant she was alone. She scrambled up, saying, "Oh now you've done it! You've made me mad!"

"Oh I'm so scared," Pinface retorted, running at her. She met the attack, or was about to. All at once, however, an image flashed through her head of a type of trap filled dungeon. A figure was there, trying to get out. She recognized that figure. Nergal! Pinface sent her flying, but this time she didn't fight back. There were words coming through. By the immortals, she hadn't been actually contacted by another god for years. It was quite a surreal experience.

He was talking to her. He was telling her what had happened. He and Grim fighting, Grim tearing open the portal, nearly beating their enemies when Nergal had been knocked inside as well, and Irwin had been accidentally pulled in. She was told about everything, Jack, Pain, Boogey, Skarr, and then came the surprising part. "Eris, if you and Grim come here, be prepared. There's some other gods spell on this dungeon. I was drained of my energy just getting the others out. I couldn't escape. My power still hasn't come back. I don't know which deity holds possession over this, but his or her power might be more than my own."

"But you're a god of the Underworld! Only a handful of others could possibly be more powerful than you!" Eris replied to thin air. Pinface stopped in his attack, curious. Junior, who had just woken up, looked confused.

"I don't know. I need help though," Nergal replied.

Eris looked up at Pinface, then to Junior. After a moment she replied, "Oh all right, but I hope you know you've cost me a fight."

"Really? Never mind. Get Grim and get over here!" Nergal said.

"Don't get so pushy," Eris replied. She then stopped contact. Glaring at Pinface, she added, "All right, you win this round."

"What's going on?" Junior asked.

"Oh Junior, we have the Grim Reaper to find and somewhere to go. Your dear old dad has gotten himself into a bit of trouble," Eris replied.

"What!" Junior exclaimed.

Pinface blinked, then burst into laughter saying, "So you did join up with them! Popular Eris became friends with the underdogs! I never thought I'd see the day!"

"I'm not finished with you yet!" Eris yelled furiously. "Junior!" Junior raced over, and Eris snapped her fingers transporting them away before she had a chance to lose it on Pinface, who remained laughing.

"Double strike!" Pinface exclaimed in victory.