Donald stared at the flower in wonderment, sighing as he remembered his day with Storkules. Donald let an exhausted sigh.

"Great...now I'm catching feelings for a demi-god", He realized, "You'd think a guy would learn". He tried to toss the flower into the pool, but his hand wouldn't let go of it. Donald kept staring at the flower, Hades stands behind him in the shadows.

"Well, I thought he'd never leave".

Donald quickly got up and turned to the God of the Underworld, "Hades"?

"Hello Donald, have you find that wimp's weakness?"

Hades asked with a sinister smile. Donald blinked.

"Get yourself another slave -- I'm through", Donald responded bitterly at the dark deity. Hades paused.

"I'm sorry...Repeat that", Hades retorted dangerously.

"Then read my beak! Forget it", Donald stated louder.

"Oh dear Donald! Aren't we forgetting one, but ever so crucial littledetail?" Hades then burst into purple flames, "I BLOODY OWN YOU, IMBECILE!!"

From afar in the bushes, Gus woke up in the bushes and rubbed the lump on his head.

"I'm gonna have that scoundrel running laps for a whole year", He muttered darkly, stumbling to his feet. He flittered through the bushes and saw Donald talking to Hades. He came closer just in time to hear their last few sentences.

"Oh no," Gus murmured, "This is all going to end in tears." He flew away to warn Storkules.

"I'm sorry ... you hear that sound? That's the sound of yourfreedom fluttering out the window ... forever", mocked Hades as he made tiny smoke moths fluttered at Donald's face. Donald waved them away.

"I don't care! I ain't gonna help you harm him", Donald snapped.

"Do you really believe you can run off with that pathetic deity, prince?" Hades scoffed in disbelief.

"W-what do you--", Donald was cut off.

"He is a weakling with his head in the clouds", Hades spoke coldly, "Honestly, you never needed a man, woman, nor gender-neutral person to begin with, why now??"

Donald snorted, "Probably trying to live my own life as possible being under your rule".

"Really? Your own life? What does that exactly mean?"

"It means you have no use for me anymore and besides...Storkules is different", Donald rolled his eyes, his composure breaking for the first time in years, "He's honest, and -- and he's sweet --".

"Rubbish!"

"He would never do anything to harm me ...!"

"He plots to wrongfully turn against me, along with his father and those who support him!"

Donald continues to ignore Hades, "Besides, oh Oneness, you can't beat him. He has no weaknesses! He's gonna --", the duck paused facing close to the Falcon deity.

"I think he does, Donald," Hades began, looking meaningfully at the flower," I truly think ... he does". Donald felt his heart drop in his chest as Hades realized what the flower meant. Hades burnt the flower into smoke and tears pricked at the corner of Donald's eyes as the flower turned into ashes.

Gus flittered into the training stadium, a downcast look on his face. Storkules, who had yet to notice him, was running around the track, crowing with happiness as he completed each exercise. Gus flew over, his heart heavy.

"Gus!" Storkules shouted, leaping onto a pommel horse and spinning himself around, "What took you so long!"

"Lad, we need to talk." Gus sighed.

"Can't talk Gus!" The demi-god yelled back, "I'm just too happy!"

"Storkules, it's about Donald." Gus continued unhappily.

"Oh Don-Don! He's something else!" He spoke lovestrucked,"Storkules will marry him one day!"

Gus inhaled, "He's a fraud", He spoke quickly. This causes Storkules to pause and look down at the gremlin.

"What?" The stork asked flabbergasted.

Gus gulped,"He's been playing you for a fool the whole time!" He responded.

"No he's not", Storkules spoke with a frown, "Donald would never do such a thing".

"He's working with Hades and he plotting against you!"

Storkules shook his head in disgust.

"Storkules can't believe you would just make something like that up, Gus," He responded, his voice full of hurt and betrayal, "Storkules thought we were friends".

"Storkules, I'm begging you, please listen to me." Gus pleaded, "Don't trust Donald, he'll just hurt you, sunce he's Hades' goon."

Storkules turned away from Gus.

"Donald is the only one who hasn't harmed me." Storkules replied brokenly, "Thank you for your help Gus, but Storkules think that you should go home now."

Gus sighed in defeat,"Alright, I'll go. I just thought you were gonna be the all-time champ. Not the all-time chump."

Gus began flittering away.

Storkules watches guiltily after him until Hades suddenly appears, lying casually on the bar Storkules uses for his exercises.

"Poor soul, that was too difficult to watch", Hades began, emerging from the shadows at the top of the bar, "Especially with having nobody to help you and all".

"Hades?" Storkules asked warily,"What're you doing here?"

"Oh I'm just here for a little chit-chat", Hades replied.

"Storkules don't want to talk," Storkules said angrily, turning his back on Hades. Hades jumped over Storkules' head and landed in front of him.

"Oh, It won't take long, I'm a fast talker," Hades persisted, advancing towards Storkules with each word.

"Fine," Storkules spat, relenting as the god of death drew uncomfortably close.

"Wonderful! Now, I've got a little something in the works, it's taken a long time to do and you seem to be constantly getting in the way of it", Hades replied,"Why don't you go have a 24 hour break? You must be exhausted with all the fighting monsters and natural disasters".

"No!" Storkules replied incredulously, "Why would Storkules agree to that?"

"Oh, I had a feeling that you might say that," Hades continued, "That's why I brought a small…leverage."

Hades snapped his fingers and Donald appeared in the stadium.

"Donald!"

"Don't listen to him Storkules he--", Donald is cut off when Hades binds and gags him, then makes him disappear again. Donald reappear next to Hades.

"Let him go!" Storkules demanded.

"Aht! Aht!" Hades Chided,"I'll release him, once you agree to lose your strength for 24 hours".

"N-no one will be harmed...right?" Storkules asked fearfully.

"Nah! I mean, you know, it's a possibility", Hades dismissed with a wave of his hand, "They're not not Donald are they? Look at this adorable Duck," He continued, grabbing Donald's face and turning it towards Storkules, "you wouldn't want anything happening to him, would you?"

Storkules looked at Donald with a pained expression in his eyes and Donald tried to warn him, tried to shout out that it was a trap, but everything he said was turned into a panicked grunt by his gag.

"You've must swear he'll be safe from any harm", Storkules said, meeting Hades' gaze.

"Oh dear boy, I'm a man of my word", Hades saidslyly,"Do we have a deal?"

"Yes!" Storkules said, staring at the ground.

"Let's shake on it!" Hades crowed, grabbing Storkules' hand in his.

As Donald watched, Storkules' feathers became much more dull than before. Storkules fell to one knee and Hades finally let go of his hand. Storkules opened his eyes and let out a gasp, feeling weaker than he ever had.

"You look Exhausted " Hades said in mock concern, "Why don't you lie down!" He snapped his fingers and one of Storkules' barbells flew across the stadium and hit him on the chest, knocking him to the ground. Donald let out another grunt of concern.

"Now you know how it feels to be just like everybody else", Hades spoke darkly, "Oh, how peachy!" He then cackled.

"Well Donny, a deal's a deal," Hades said happily, snapping his fingers and causing Donald's bonds to vanish, "You served me well!"

"Donald what is he talking about?" Storkules asked, struggling out from under the barbell. Donald looked into Storkules' glazed over eyes and was filled with shame, regret, and self-loathing.

"He never told you?" Hades asked gleefully,"Your Don-Don here was working for me the whole time!"

"What?" Storkules asked, his voice small and confused, "Donald is it true?"

"No, it's not like that! I didn't mean to -- I -- I couldn't ...", Donald's voice cracked, unable to look at the Stork "I -- I'm so sorry!"

"Well it seems you two lovebirds have some catching up to do," Hades interjected, "If you'll excuse me, I haveone final important task to do."

Hades snapped his fingers and a jet-black chariot, bristling with spikes and pulled by two fiery steeds, appeared. Pain and Panic were on it, making room for Hades to get on. Hades stepped onto it and flew away.

Mean Hades is Mean and oh shit, things getting reaaal!! Poor Storkules and Donald.