Hercules smiled as he lay back on the sand, idly staring up at the clouds drifting in the sky. He closed his eyes and sighed happily. He heard a shout, followed up with laughter and he lazily opened an eye. He rose to a sitting position and chuckled as Iolaus ran past him, White Dove chasing after her husband.
"Can't catch me! HA!" Iolaus threw over his shoulder and laughed as he ran out to the water's edge.
White Dove's face grew determined at his words and she increased her pace as she pursued Iolaus, who suddenly stopped running and held his arms out towards her. The two of them laughed as he picked her up in his arms and swung her around once. He put her down and splashed her.
Hercules started laughing as Iolaus and White Dove played in the water. His laughter stopped when a very upset looking Aphrodite suddenly appeared next to him in a shower of gold sparkles. "Aphrodite..." he said warningly, his blue eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What are you up to now?"
"Can it, Big Bro! We've got trouble in River City!" Aphrodite replied, stamping her foot in the soft sand and crossing her arms over her chest.
Hercules frowned as he rose to his feet and imitated his half-sister's posture. "What are you talking about?"
White Dove noticed that Hercules seemed to be talking to himself and she reached out and grabbed Iolaus' hands. Who's Hercules talking to, Iolaus? she signed, pointing at him.
"What..." Iolaus turned in the direction that his wife pointed in and his shoulders slumped and he rolled his eyes in exasperation when he saw Hercules appeared to be arguing with himself. "Oh, that's just great! We've got an uninvited guest of the Godly variety..." He cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled, "Herc! Who's there with you?"
"Whoops!" the Love Goddess rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, making herself visible to Iolaus and White Dove. "Hiya, Curly!" she said with a wave.
"Aphrodite. What a surprise," Iolaus said flatly. He reached out for White Dove's hand and together they began walking towards the two already standing on the beach.
"Jeez! Like don't sound so glad to see me and all that!" Aphrodite said, rolling her eyes. "What burr got in your britches today?"
"Just stop it!" Hercules growled, putting a hand to his forehead for a moment and closing his eyes. "You said that there's trouble," he continued, turning back to gaze at Aphrodite.
Aphrodite nodded, her beautiful face set in an expression of absolute misery. "Yep. Totally big trouble!" she informed the three.
"So someone broke a vase in one of your temples or you misplaced something that you just have to have," Iolaus said, shrugging his shoulders.
"AUGH!" The Love Goddess threw her hands up in the air and stamped her foot on the sand. "You are like so totally off-base that it's not even funny, Shorty!" Aphrodite exclaimed, tossing her head back and shaking her curls so that they settled perfectly across her shoulders. "I'm totally serious, Big Bro!"
Hercules raised a hand before Iolaus could interrupt and start an argument. "I don't think that she's kidding, Iolaus. She wouldn't be bothering us if it wasn't."
Aphrodite rewarded Hercules with a gorgeous grin. "Thanks!" She then launched into a lengthy explanation, signing as she spoke for White Dove's benefit, about the prophesized war between the Greek and Gaul Gods and of the consequences of what would happen if the Gods of Mount Olympus were to be defeated. She then explained what had happened during the council meeting earlier. By the time she was finished with everything, after stopping to answer questions from Hercules, Iolaus, and White Dove, the sun was beginning to set. "...and that's the whole nasty-smelling scoop," she finished with a loud sigh. "We really need your help this time! We're like totally bumming if you won't help us out!"
Hercules was silent for a few minutes, thinking over everything that had been talked about. Iolaus and White Dove watched their friend's face curiously while Aphrodite anxiously wrung her hands. "Okay. I'm in," he said.
"RADICAL!" Aphrodite shouted, throwing herself into Hercules' arms for a hug.
"Okay, okay!" Hercules said with a slight smile as he returned the embrace.
"We'll help in any way we can," Iolaus said. White Dove nodded in agreement.
"Thanks, Curly." Aphrodite removed herself from Hercules' arms and put her hands on her hips. She bit her bottom lip and sighed. "There's just one last thing..."
Iolaus' eyes narrowed. "I don't like the sound of that."
"Neither do I," Hercules agreed. "What haven't you told us?"
"Well..." Aphrodite began reluctantly. Her blue eyes darted back and forth between the three, who were staring at her curiously. "Oh boy..."
"Just. Say. It," Hercules ground out through clenched teeth, his patience beginning to run short.
Aphrodite closed her eyes. "Daddy said you have to work with Tall, Dark, and Grouchy!" she exclaimed.
Iolaus' eyes widened. Uh oh... He started counting silently, waiting for the explosion from his best friend. He actually managed to get to three before it happened.
"WORK WITH ARES? NO WAY! FORGET IT!"
The aforementioned God of War suddenly appeared on the beach in a flash of blue-white light, scowling darkly at the group. "Trust me, this isn't exactly my idea either!" Ares snarled, his hands clenched into fists. He stalked over to the demigod, fuming.
"BOTH OF YOU KNOCK IT OFF!" Aphrodite yelled, pushing herself between the half-brothers. "For once, the two of you are gonna get along and work together for a change! For crying out loud, BLISS acts more grown-up than you two!" she snapped. "So like suck it up and deal, okay?" She finished it up with poking both of them hard in the chest, making them yelp. "Get it?"
Hercules and Ares continued to glare at each other for another minute before the demigod growled low in his throat. "All right!" he relented.
"Cool!" Aphrodite grinned gorgeously at Hercules and then turned to face Ares. "And you?"
Ares fumed silently, his handsome face turned up in a ferocious scowl. "All right, already! I'll do it, but I don't have to like it!" he exclaimed finally, rolling his eyes.
Aphrodite sighed. "Like fine! But one totally not cool move from either one of you, and I'll make both of you fall in love with rocks! Got it?"
"Got it," the two chorused grumpily, both of them wearing sour expressions on their faces.
"Groovy!" Aphrodite exclaimed with a beautiful smile. "Be back in a bit!" She then snapped her fingers and disappeared in a shower of pink sparkles.
Ares continued to glare at the three for a minute. Then, he rolled his eyes and with a sneer on his lips, he also disappeared from the beach.
Iolaus sighed. "Well, there went the vacation," he said.
Hercules nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know. But you know something, Iolaus?"
"Yeah, Herc?" Iolaus asked as he slid his pants up his legs. "Thanks honey," he said to White Dove, who handed him his vest. She smiled in return as she knelt down to start packing up their possessions.
"I kind of wish Ares would've said no," the demigod murmured as he put his shirt on.
Iolaus' eyebrows rose. "Why?"
"I would've loved to see him fall head over heels for a rock."
Iolaus chuckled. "The only problem is, Herc, is that Aphrodite's so perturbed right now that who knows who or what else she'd decide to zap!"
"True," Hercules sighed as he bent down to help his friends pack up for their journey.
