Oh Lawd, and update!

Chapter 10:

The four of them clamoured back inside the tunnel and shut the door behind them. "That should get us off our tails for a while," Herc said, "But they're everywhere, we haven't got too much time."

"Right. Follow me." Cleo lead the way through the darkness, all of them feeling their way since the torch had been left behind. The stone floor of the tunnel sloped up beneath them, and just when it seemed like they would never reach the end, a dusty beam of light appeared ahead.

"Ugh...how far up are we?" Meg panted, trying to catch her breath.

"...It's the North tower," Cleo explained, "This room is only used for storage, and one floor down is the thrown room and I have a secret escape near there. We'll just have to avoid my father, I doubt the guards will look up here for us." She pushed against the thick wooden door, but it wouldn't budge. "Damn. I knew it."

"Let me." Herc moved her aside gently and then used his weight to break through the door like it was nothing.

After the dust had cleared and they'd all stopped coughing they saw that behind the door was a tiny circular space lined with large stone blocks, and about halfway up the space one of the larger stones had been removed, revealing a vast storage room on the otherside. They all piled inside...and looked at Cleo. "Um...door?" Antony suggested.

"It's...it's here...I think."

Herc pushed against the walls but they wouldn't budge. "There's no door here! We've hit a dead end."

"What about the space there?...I think it goes all the way through," Antony offered, "We can climb in."

Herc raised an eyebrow at him. "I can't fit through there. Can you?"

Antony's face fell. "No...But one of the girls can."

"If there's a door we can unlock it from the other side," Cleo said.

"Good idea." Meg nodded...then raised her brows as she realized that all three of them were looking at her. "Me!?...Why me!?"

"You're the smallest. I'll hoist you up there."

"What!? Cleo's just as small as-"

"My boobs are bigger." Cleo interjected.

"Excuse me?" Meg looked down at her chest sadly.

"Come on, honey." Herc said, putting his hands out for her to step onto.

"Oh!" She glared at Cleopatra before putting her foot into Herc's hands and stepping up to grab onto the ledge of the opening. "Good thing I used to cheerlead."

Cleo snorted. "You used to cheerlead?"

Meg ignored the comment and crawled through the hole, but she suddenly stopped halfway through..."Um..."

"What's the matter?" Herc called up.

"I..." she reached her hands out the other side and pushed at the wall, but it was no use. "I'm stuck." She grumbled. "My hips...are stuck."

Herc, Antony, and Cleo exchanged glances before Herc gave a choked laugh, and then all three of them lost it.

Meg stopped struggling. "...Laughing?....You're laughing!" But this only made them laugh harder. "Hercules! I'm going to kill you!"

Antony gave a cough as he tried to surpress his laughter. "Quite a woman you've got there, Herc."

"Don't I know it- Ah- Sorry, honey." He said, still laughing, "I uh ahem It's cool. I'll get you through."

"What!? No!" But before she could protest he had given her a hard push on the backside and she fell through the other side with a crash.

Meg surpressed an aggrivated scream as she stood and dusted herself off. "THANKS ALOT!" She yelled back and then looked around...."...Holy Hera."

"What now?"

"Some 'storage room'!" It was filled with golden chests, pearls, necklaces and bracelets, huge stone cats, and golden statuetts of Egyptian Gods.

Cleo shrugged, "We've got no other place for it all."

"Yeah," Meg mumbled to herself, "Wish I had that problem."

"Meg, is there a door?" Herc yelled over.

"Um...yes! I think so. Hold on."

The three of them waited but soon heard footsteps running up the hall behind them. The guards must have found a way in. "Hurry! They know we're in here!"

"I'm trying, it's stuck!" Meg whined as she pulled hard on a lever. Herc started pushing at the wall again in no particular place. "Pull harder!"

"Oaf!" Meg gasped as the lever finally gave way and she went tumbling over backwards as the stone wall swung open. "Come on!" She stumbled to her feet over some golden coins.

"Holy Hera!" Herc echoed as they entered. Cleopatra blushed. "It's nothing, really."

Herc and Antony ignored her and pushed the wall shut again just as the guards were coming. "They know where we are- lead us to the thrown room, quick!" Antony said, grabbing Cleo's arm and hurrying them along.

"Your Highness?"

"Yes?..." The king whispered destractedly, glancing down at the palace grounds. Beyond everything seemed peaceful as night fell on his kingdom. Even the palace was quieter since the gates had been closed and the search for the prisoners had moved inside.

"Your Highness, I'm glad we have this chance to speak in private," His advisor said, turning him respectfully from the window. "I wish to express my concern about this Roman spy. It seems she has teamed with Mark Antony and Hercules. Not a simple problem to deal with."

The king shook his head. "No...but we have it contained now inside the palace. My only concern is that Cleopatra is brought to me safely."
"I think," his advisor said, raising an eyebrow, "That you should be more concerned with submitting to the glory that is Rome."

"Submit?" The king sputtered, "Submit! I know you're not trying to suggest to me that we join with Mark Antony! After all that's happened I want to cut relations completely." He turned quickly from his advisor and towards the way the guards had gone. "What on earth is taking them so long to get her?!"

The advisor pressed on. "Cut all ties?"

"Hurry!" Cleo was in the lead with Antony's hand in hers as she pulled him along. Meg was next, and Hercules was bringing up the rear in case the guards got too close. Right now none were in sight- they had lost them again in the winding hallways of the palace. Meg stumbled and Hercules almost ran into her.
"I can't run anymore," She groaned, "It's starting to hurt." Her back, she meant, and Herc didn't argue, he just snatched her up in his arms and kept running. It would be faster anyway.

"We're almost there-" Cleo panted as they neared the throne room.

"Yes. Cut all ties!" The king turned on him. "You're beginning to sound like Cleopatra! Remember who you work for!"

His advisor glared at him as his hand reached behind him to pull a knife from his belt. "I am remembering for whom I work." The Pharoah's eyes seemed to glow with rage as his advisor approaged and grabbed him by the shirt.

"For the rebel force of Rome!" He declared as he raised his dagger and plunged it into the King's heart just as Cleo and the others were coming to the doorway.

"DADDY!" Cleo screamed and ran to her dead father's side, and before the advisor could do anything about it Mark Antony's strong hands had grasped the sides of his head and twisted his neck.