(1) Not THE fates- just fates, as in destiny etc.
I couldn't decide if I was more nervous or excited. I couldn't focus properly in class; my mind kept sailing all over the world. My teacher had to smack my desk a few times, which was rather embarrassing.
I couldn't even walk properly- well, I never could- when school finished. All these thoughts were clouding my brain and brewing in my stomach. My arm kept twitching, yet a smile managed to stay on my face. The boy who likes My Little Pony said he'd never seen me smile so much. But of course, this couldn't last forever.
"Crashice!" somebody's taunting voice called behind me. My smile seemed to melt off my face. That voice... That awful voice. I hadn't heard it in so long. My body froze up, and my heart started beating. Steps approached from behind me, every one sending a chill up my spine. "Long time, no see, Crashice." It was Chrissi's voice, which sounded like it surfaced from the pits of Hell.
I turned around, as if I was going to be arrested. Chrissi and her stupid gang were standing around me. I scanned my heart for courage, but Chrissi's presence alone seemed to suck it all away.
"Aw, afraid again?" Chrissi sneered, taking a step towards me. "So typical of a little nothing like you, Crashice. So very typical. Why do people even talk to you? All you do is mess up all the time." I didn't reply, though I felt my cheeks burn. "That's what I thought. Luckily you'll be taken care of."
"Huh?" I asked, my brow raised.
Chrissi smirked, with Louisa standing next to her. "You'll see. Now, get lost," she dismissed me, like a teacher. "Oh, and have fun tonight, Alice."
A lot of my exhilaration had been replaced with anxiety by the time we got to my favourite island. However, on the contrary, I did get a rush of joy as soon as we landed on the island. The sky is a shining blue, full of puffy clouds. Ancient Greek temples surround us, made out of pale, crumbly stone. We landed next to the museum of Olympus, which is a perfect example of a temple.
I turned to Fierce Fox. "Let's go into the museum."
The museum has a picture on the wall, which is a cutscene of the three brothers- Zeus, Hades and Poseidon, battling the Titans. The brothers won, split the world up, and ruled different parts of it. Zeus, God of the heavens, believed he could make all bow before him. The other brothers refused, so Zeus swore to make them one day. I'd only seen Zeus from behind a computer screen, and although I knew how to beat him, it seemed a little scary that I was going to meet him in real life.
Once the cutscene finished we entered the statue room, which is full of statues of the many gods. I eyed the ones we were going to meet. I then paid attention to Poseidon, who had a starfish on his face. I pointed to him; Fierce Fox grabbed the starfish.
We exited after that and headed to the Grove of Temples, which is where some of the gods' temples are. Along the way, I explained to Fierce Fox about the island, and what we needed to do. We arrived at Apollo's temple, which is a beautiful temple made of cream walls and gold plated on such walls. Music symbols are decorated everywhere, reminding you who is the patron.
Inside, there are golden statues of lyres and the Muses, who are all cradling art-related objects. A huge picture of Apollo is in the middle; he's playing a lyre with a big grin. At the end of the temple, a basket of free reed pipes stands on a platform. I picked one up and let it fly into my inventory. Then I faced the statues, handed my reed pipe to Fierce Fox and explained what to do. She hopped up to the statues and played her flute, creating beautiful music for later reasons.
It was time for the Apple of Immortality. Chrissi's words started popping up in my head, which always seemed to happen when I was anxious. No, you can't think about those, I told myself. I gestured Fierce Fox to follow me towards the Tree of Immortality, which is surrounded by splendiferous bushland. Olive trees are planted in the pale green grass, standing next to a polished, white temple. One of the biggest trees I've ever seen is stuck in the ground there, its roots twisted through the earth. Signs and statues are all around it, convincing us to eat an apple.
Fierce Fox and myself arrived at the stump. A cracked, stone staircase leads into the tree. We climbed this staircase then jumped up some wooden platforms, heading into the tree. My feet made contact with the wooden ground, and I observed the area around me- snakes hanging from branches; sticky sap drooling from leaves. It almost sent my heart into overdrive seeing all this in real life... In real life...
Luckily you'll be taken care of. The voice rang in my head again, as I grabbed onto a dazed snake's body. It surprisingly spooked me, and I let go in fright. Fierce Fox gave me a look.
"Sorry," I said remorsefully. "Go ahead without me. But don't talk to anyone." My acquaintance gave me a nod and hopped off. I sighed and got to my shivering feet, feeling like I had when I first got to Poptropica. I didn't know why... I didn't like it...
With my arms feeling oddly limp, I slithered onto a snake's hanging body. With a frightful leap, I made it onto a platform, which is covered in sticky sap. I ran over a branch, then to a mushroom. My heart started racing as I apprehensively placed a foot on it. I almost screamed as I was flung into the sky, especially flipping in the air. I was taking little steps as I got to the edge of another branch. A snake is hanging down from the leaves, waiting for me to slither up it.
I crawled cautiously across the branch, nearing the snake. I knew I wasn't going to die (I hoped) but I was getting awful rushes of anxiety. My courage seemed to have been flushed down the toilet, and I didn't want to jump onto the snake.
"Alice! Where are you?" Fierce Fox called from a level above me. I sighed, feeling most idiotic. Closing my eyes, I jumped, relief flowing through me when my legs and arms automatically grabbed the snake. I slithered up, got to the top, and joined Fierce Fox. She gave me an unfavourable look. "What took you so long?" she asked sharply.
"Uh..." I pointed to a satyr, who was standing underneath a glowing, golden apple. "Talk to him. I'll help you find what he needs." Fierce Fox glanced at me for a moment, thinking, before she faced the satyr. Then, she rushed off again, looking for the satyr's honey. My controlling fear wouldn't let me jump too far, so I collected the nearby honey. I was pretty unavailing, to be honest. Fierce Fox did most of the work.
"Thanks for 'helping'." she grumbled, passing me. She spoke to the satyr; he gave her an invisible path to the apple. I knew what was going to happen when she got that apple, and I was not willing to face it. So, with frantic energy pulsing through my veins, I snuck into a bush, leaves scratching my skin. Through a small peep hole I could see exactly what was happening, in case of an emergency.
Fierce Fox stomped on the branch; the golden apple fell down. The satyr grimaced at it, then vanished in a puff of smoke. Suddenly, dark thunder clouds appeared, and lightning filled the sky. I felt a great sensation of strong power, and I cowered deeper into the bush.
"Who has picked an Apple of Immortality?" a powerful, enraged voice demanded. It was none other than Zeus, god of all gods. He has a grey, stormy beard; a red, flowing toga; carries a lighting bolt; he's at least twice my size. I was extremely thankful I was hiding in a bush.
"Um, sorry. Do you want it back?" Fierce Fox asked sheepishly.
"I will grant you immortality. But first, you must perform a task." Zeus replied, almost glaring at Fierce Fox. I had a feeling he was expecting to see me. Again I was extremely thankful I was hiding in a bush.
"And what if I refuse?" Fierce Fox courageously asked.
"Then all of Poptropica will feel my wrath." Zeus answered. Not good.
"Okay, then. What do I have to do?" Fierce Fox asked, lacing her fingers together. Zeus did not reply, and instead floated into the clouds. It flashed white a few times, leaving nothing behind except for a floating scroll. Fierce Fox wordlessly gazed at it; she needed the voice to tell her what to do.
However, I wanted to be completely sure Zeus wasn't around. Out of all the villains, Zeus- in my opinion- is probably the most dangerous. He almost got away with taking over Poptropica, twice. Plus, he managed to capture the other super villains and somehow get into their dreams. And since every villain knew who I was, including the queen of Arturus, I would've been surprised if Zeus didn't know too. And that was not a good thing.
Finally, I gave myself the thumbs up and crawled out of the bushes. Hesitantly, I grabbed the scroll. Fierce Fox stared at me.
"Hey, where'd you go?" she asked, raising her brow.
"Mission. We've got a mission." I replied flatly, feeling pricks down my spine. "Let's go."
We exited the tree. An old lady- who was standing near the temple- transformed into Athena, goddess of wisdom. Thanks to Poptropica game physics, Fierce Fox was forced to talk to her. I followed her, ignoring the lump in my throat. Athena smiled at us, and seemed especially happy to see me. She has short, black hair; wears a white chiton that covers her body; a gladiator helmet sits on her head; she wields a spear. She's taller than us- not as much as Zeus, but she's at least a head taller.
"Greetings, I am Athena, goddess of wisdom," she greeted, in a calm tone. "It is quite good to see you at last, Alice- we've all been waiting for you."
I raised my brow. "You have?"
Athena nodded. "Of course. You are the one they spoke of." Her voice, I realized, sounded awfully familiar. I've heard it somewhere before... I searched my sick head, trying to find the source. Then it hit me.
I held up my hand. "You're... That woman. You're that woman who spoke to me while I was unconscious... You helped me get to Fierce Fox... You've... You've been helping me." It all clicked.
Athena gently smiled. "But of course. You needed that help. Especially when it is so dangerous now. But to be fair, I was intervening a little too much. Perhaps my worries got the better of me? I don't know. But I did not want the other villains to get ahold of you- bad things would come upon Poptropica if they did."
"Bad things?" I questioned, my curiosity taking over. "Why does everyone want me? What's going on?" Questions seemed to burn.
"It is a long story, child," Athena replied, almost disconsolately. "I don't think it's safe to tell you now, for you have a journey ahead of you."
"But..." I stammered, feeling frustration with the lack of answers again. However, I wasn't going to yell at a goddess.
"Go," Athena said, gesturing Fierce Fox and I away. "You have a mission ahead," We turned to walk off, when Athena called, "Remember, look to the olive trees if you ever need my guidance."
Fierce Fox and I arrived at the Garden of Sphinx. It appeared to be a formerly-beautiful garden: rotting grass on stone platforms; a dried-up lake with cracked mud; cutlery and pottery in the cracked mud. A sphinx is standing on piles of broken human bones- we'll get back to her.
We needed to help the Sphinx's garden regain its beauty. And to do that, we needed to get the aqueducts working again. So, Fierce Fox climbed up the stone wall, which is made of pipes that carry water into the lake. The strange fear stopped me from climbing the wall. No matter how hard I tried, something kept me from jumping. But what? I wanted to punch something. As soon as I was airborne, fear totally took control. But why? I thought I was over that!
My useless self wouldn't budge, so I had to yell at Fierce Fox what to do, which seriously strained my voice. I could tell Fierce Fox wasn't satisfied with my lack of helping, and it put pressure on my feelings. But, she succumbed, and water flowed into the lake. The sphinx awoke. She- I must admit- made me a little scared. She is quite large, and has a feathery backside. Her lips are red, and behind them are sharp teeth. She has red claws, connected to lion-like paws. A bun of auburn hair is twisted on her head. She told Fierce Fox and I that fate awaits us. (1)
We took a rose from the Sphinx's garden, which had blossomed in the water- it was one of the five sacred objects. The next task was the Labyrinth. Before we got in there, we grabbed some pomegranates, which were for later. Then, using the reed pipe, we got past a locked door and went into the Minotaur's area.
The Minotaur's area is like a dungeon; we passed a statue of the Minotaur himself. The actual guy stands at the entrance of the Labyrinth, waiting for us.
"The Prophesied Hero arrives at last." the Minotaur said, gazing at me. Shivers crawled down my spine. Prophesied hero? Questions were everywhere. "What do you desire?" the Minotaur asked, in his gruff voice. He's at least twice my size, and covered in thick, brown fur. He has the figure of a human, yet he's shaped like a bull. A golden ring was hooked in his snout.
"Uh... T-the r-r-ring in your nose..." I answered, feeling intimidated. "Please..."
"You may be the Prophesied Hero, but I grant favours to no one unless they complete my Labyrinth. And that includes your friend." the Minotaur replied, gesturing to the entrance of the Labyrinth. I sighed and faced Fierce Fox. And so we trotted into the Labyrinth, my hands shivering.
Athena appeared as soon as we entered the labyrinth. She gave us a magic thread to help us through the maze. We started walking through the maze, golden thread trailing behind us. I jumped- well, a pathetic excuse for a jump- up the walls. Fierce Fox was way ahead of me, just like old times. Horrible old times.
"C'mon, Alice!" she called over her shoulder. I didn't move much faster. Especially when we got to sliding down the chains. Finally, we got to the first puzzle: counting the bones. For once in the entire island, I was actually helpful and did the puzzle. We continued after that, winding through the dark and stony labyrinth.
The second challenge was the scorpion. I squealed and tried to avoid it, but it hit me; pain surged through my body. Fear made me stressed out, and I couldn't jump properly. With much protest, Fierce Fox had to save the both of us. Thankfully, the maze part was over, and we got to the final challenge: hitting the red-eyed snake.
Green snakes peak out of a picture of the Minotaur, one of them with red, swirly eyes. I halved the picture so it'd be easier to smack. The snake appeared on my side, so I reached out and hit it. Fierce Fox did the same, and we managed to get past that stage. The Labyrinth was finished, so we exited and returned to the Minotaur.
"I can't believe you're still alive," the Minotaur observed, as we walked out. "I guess you are a bit of a hero after all."
"Yeah..." I said, biting my lip. "So, may I... please have the ring now?"
"It is yours." the Minotaur handed it to me, much to my relief. He gazed into my eyes before we turned around to leave. "Be careful, young heroine. Certain people can't be trusted."
"I-I know." I replied, flinching at 'heroine'.
We returned to the Grove of Temples, except we passed Apollo's temple and went to the edge of the cliff, much to my anxiety.
"So..." I laced my fingers together. "Hades or Poseidon?"
"Uh..." Fierce Fox observed the temples ahead of us. "Whose is who's?"
I weakly smiled. "That one down there is Hades', and the blue one is Poseidon's. Personally, I prefer Poseidon's. Hades' is a little... Well... Let's just say not as good-looking. And... well.. I have a bit of a bad feeling about Hades."
"Okay," Fierce Fox put her hands on her hips. "Poseidon's then."
We got to Poseidon's temple, which is made of blue alabaster and surrounded by a pool of water. The pillars are decorated like seashells, and sea-inspired designs are on the walls. A picture of Poseidon himself is on the roof. It's quite an exquisite temple, despite the graffiti on the walls, which I see in my world all the time. I sighed, fear tingling my nerves.
The temple's inside is just as stunning as the outside. A little door is at the end, next to a pillar. Fierce Fox, with my shaky orders, placed the starfish on the pillar. The door quite literally vanished, so we walked through to Poseidon's realm. His realm is basically a beach, with people chilling out on such beach. Two ladies are sitting underneath umbrellas, enjoying the pleasant weather.
Ahead of us is Aphrodite- a goddess. She has blonde hair in a bun, with roses sticking out of it. Her cheeks are covered in blush, and she has red lipstick on. A pink chiton with a red cape is stretched across her body. She was carrying a mirror in her hand.
"We'll talk to Aphrodite first," I said to Fierce Fox. "When we need to go somewhere... What she'll give us will make it easier." The two of us approached Aphrodite. "Hello," I said politely.
"Well well well, if it isn't the infamous hero!" Aphrodite laughed, grinning at me. "Goodness, has Athena been going on about you! I half-expected you to have superpowers, to be honest. But although you may be this amazing hero, I don't really believe you are. If you can prove to me you are what Athena says you are, you'll get my favour and something to help you with your mission."
"If I answer your quiz, you'll give me that mirror." I pointed to the mirror in her hand. I was smiling, but not about the mirror. I was smiling about the favour. Aphrodite raised her eyebrows.
"Hm, you are smart! But I think we need more proof," she said. "And did you say quiz? Well, smarty, that's exactly it! Good luck." The quiz is basically naming some of the gods. I've done it numerous times, so I easily passed it. Aphrodite was impressed. "Well, you've got my attention, Alice. Here you go." She handed me the mirror.
"Thank you," I dipped my head. Then I faced Fierce Fox, a stone at the pit of my stomach. "Ready to kick some sea butt?"
The swimming wasn't really the part that scared me, I discovered. Neither was grabbing the pearl from the shell. It was fighting the Hydra. And it was then I really stuffed up.
We got into the Hydra's cave; it viciously hissed at us. It's a pale, ocean-green creature, with five heads with mouths full of fangs. It lunged at me straight away; I narrowly avoided the blow with a scream. Fierce Fox leaped into the air, as a head flung itself at her. Luckily, she dodged it.
I took a few good steps backwards, searching for bravery to help me attack the Hydra. Not much came. Come on! I told myself. Suddenly, I saw Fierce Fox jump forward again. The hydra growled and bared its teeth. It was heading straight for her, its eyes blazing with fury. Fierce Fox was flung to the ground in a painful knock. The hydra reared above her, ready to strike again. It did; Fierce Fox was bashed into the wall. The hydra was approaching her again.
Save her, idiot! A voice in my head said. You have to save Fierce Fox! You're the hero, after all! I got to my feet, and attempted to clench my fist. But my hand felt feeble and weak, and fear made me shiver. So typical of a little nothing like you, Crashice. Chrissi's voice surfaced in my head. That horrible voice made me stop in my tracks, and fear totally took over. I couldn't save my Poptropican while she was getting hurt. So very typical. All you do is mess up all the time.
I didn't know why everyone thought I was a hero.
Fierce Fox had to save herself, because I was so redundant. And with my instruction, she had to grab the Hydra scale. With the help of Aphrodite's mirror, we left Poseidon's realm. Fierce Fox finally lost her temper.
"What's wrong with you?!" she growled, in her fierce tone. "You're not even helping anymore! You're acting like you did when you first came here!"
"Well of course!" I shot back, tears building at the corners of my eyes. "I'm too cowardly and useless to do anything, aren't I?"
"But... you weren't acting like this before! Why are you now?" Fierce Fox demanded, clenching her fist.
"Because it's the truth! I'm a useless nothing!" I sniffled, my voice choking up. Fierce Fox raised her brow.
"I don't want this Alice. I want the old Alice. The good Alice." she sighed. We didn't speak anymore.
We headed to Hades' temple, which is far less appealing than Poseidon's temple. It's made out of human skeletons, and coloured a gravelly grey. Torches spewing out green flames are at the front, and graffiti was all over the temple.
"Can you help me clean this graffiti? I'll pay you one drachma." a boy- who was standing outside the temple- asked. Fierce Fox and I nodded. We cleaned off all the stupid graffiti, making me wonder who put it there. According to people on Mythology Island, it was Zeus.
"Thanks for your help! May Hades look favorably upon you." the boy said, handing us a drachma, or a Greek coin. I nodded, and faced the entrance to Hades' temple. I sighed and went inside.
Unfortunately, it's not anymore pleasant inside the temple. There are grave stones embedded in the walls, and skulls with alighted, green candles. Hades had always been my least favourite god, second to Zeus. His realm gave me the creeps, and I think I had a nightmare or two about it. So of course I wasn't thrilled about going into his realm. I kinda had a feeling he'd be evil, too. Have you seen Hercules? I wasn't supposed to trust anyone, anyway.
Fierce Fox placed the pomegranates on the altar, and the door to Hades' realm opened. Unlike Poseidon's, there are no people hanging out. It's just a gritty cliff, with skeletons in the walls. Beyond the cliff is an extremely long and dark drop. I couldn't help sweat-beading as soon as I saw it.
"Uh... Foxes first?" I asked, gesturing to the drop. Fierce Fox gave me a look. She seemed to know I didn't want to jump. So she grabbed my arm without my consent and leaped into the darkness, ignoring my frail screams. If you're wondering about the experience... remember when I fell off the bridge on Early Poptropica? Now multiply that experience by about twenty, and make it much darker and scarier. Not even close to pleasant.
Finally, the drop finished. I landed on another rocky cliff, completely alive- contrary to my fear. I didn't even earn a scratch. Beneath is the River Styx- a grand, glowing, green river. A man with pale skin, a grey beard and green-skull insignia clothing sits in a boat, ready for passengers. Fierce Fox and I climbed into his boat. I was praying that he wasn't going to set some sort of death trap for us.
"Hello... Charon..." I asked, my voice cracking ever so slightly.
"Greetings, prophesied hero," Charon replied, recognizing me too. "I believe you desire to cross the River Styx? It's very dangerous, even for you."
"Well... I-I kind of h-h-have to..." I said, suddenly realizing how nervous I was. Fierce Fox didn't even look at me. Charon nodded, and the journey begun. And it didn't go any better than the incident with the Hydra.
I tried my hardest to ignore the blackened walls and deathly stalactites. Speaking of stalactites, one fell at my head. I narrowly dodged it, my shaky hand grabbing Fierce Fox. A flaming skull flew at us; we ducked. Then, a scary-looking crocodile peeked its head out from the river, sending us to the back of the boat. We quickly got up again and moved to the front. Another stalactite fell down. Before I could breath, it suddenly knocked Fierce Fox. She was flung from the boat; I frantically reached out to grab her. But my grip slipped, and she fell into the river.
"Fierce Fox... No!" I cried, as she vanished. My heart skipped a bit, and I almost started panicking. The memory of the fight we had flashed in my head, and I felt tears stung my eyes. She is fine, a voice in my head, a man's voice said. Then I heard another voice. Yes, fine, with Hades! It sounded like the man's voice again, although it sounded a bit like Zeus', too. I felt a shiver up my spine. Fine with Hades? Did that mean... No...
I wanted to go right up to Hades and force him to give Fierce Fox back. I knew he wasn't on my side! I thought, as the River Styx finished up ahead. But why would he take her? I guess he wants me like all the other villains. I got out of the boat, and onto the barren land. A skeleton of possibly a dinosaur is up ahead, and above it is Hades' throne room. But before all that, I had to deal with Cerberus. The problem was, I didn't have the reed pipe.
"Alice," a voice said behind me. It was Fierce Fox, almost appearing scared. "I got out! I escaped. I'm okay."
"Oh my goodness!" I cried, filled with joy. She's okay! She's alive. I almost throttled her with an embrace. She awkwardly pushed me away. "That really scared me! I can't believe Hades took you! How'd you escape?"
"There's no time for explanations," Fierce Fox held up a hand. "We need to get the whisker and get out of here." I nodded and took Fierce Fox's reed pipe. I faced Cerberus, who was growling. His food bowl was full of human bones, which was not very comforting. I played a tune on the pipe (learnt from the Muses), and he fell asleep. Carefully, I plucked off one of his whiskers. Then I pulled out the mirror, and escaped the Underworld. I was not in the mood for sticking around there.
We returned to the area near the Tree of Immortality. I knew what was going to happen next- Zeus was going to betray us and take the five sacred objects. Athena was waiting for us, underneath a tree.
"I see you have the sacred objects," she said, gazing at us. "I have learnt something about them. They are dangerous!"
"Yes," I replied. "Whoever wields them will rule all of Poptropica." I gulped. "And Zeus is going to take them."
Right on cue, lightning filled the sky, and the world flashed. I yelped and ducked behind an olive tree, nearby Athena. Zeus appeared, and started cackling.
"You are mostly right, Alice!" he grinned, his red chiton flowing. Before I could breath, he took the sacred items away. "But there is more I want!"
"If it's me, I'm not for sale!" I cried in desperation, turning to run away.
"You are going to run?" Zeus cackled. "Aren't you the prophesied hero? Or do your friends have to fend for themselves?" He raised his fist. "Don't worry, I won't take you," He suddenly grabbed Fierce Fox, ignoring her screams. I gasped in horror. "By midnight all of Poptropica will be under my control, and you'll never see Fierce Fox again! If you turn yourself in to me by then, I will release her safely. But if you don't, I will kill her!"
"What?!" I screeched, my heart pounding. "No! You can't do that! Why are you taking Fierce Fox and not me?! I'm right here!"
"I could," Zeus gazed into my eyes. "But knowing that Fierce Fox will be alive will always keep you on my side. You heroes always have your weaknesses- yours is cowardice." Then he disappeared with Fierce Fox, lightning flashing in the sky. I stood there for a moment, completely dumbfounded.
"Oh Athena," I faced the goddess behind me. "What am I going to do? Zeus is right- I am a coward," Then I bit my lip. "I couldn't save Fierce Fox before. She was yelling at me, for a good reason. I'd yell at myself, too. I've just been slacking around, caught in my own fear. Why does everyone keep calling me a 'prophesied hero'? I'm not a hero! I'm just a worthless nobody who won't be able to save her friend. Or Poptropica. I thought I was... But I'm not."
"Alice..." Athena looked into my eyes. "I don't believe your weakness is cowardice- it is failure. You lost something in the past- not just your leg. That leg is a reminder of what you lost, and so it haunts you to this day. You only find solace in this world, Poptropica. And, when you arrive here, you lose that haunting memory, like when you play this 'game'. Your fear you started to overcome. But something stopped you today. I believe that was something in your world- fear of getting hurt again."
"I..." I bit my lip. Is it time to tell the truth? "Well... in my world... I'm not treated very well... All these people, they've been bullying me and making my life a misery. A-and it feels like they're right. I... I can't save anyone..."
"You can, child," Athena persisted sympathetically. "Remember when you saved Fierce Fox on Astro Knights?"
"I wouldn't have been able to if you didn't help me..." I sighed, shaking my head. "Besides, there always has to be someone else to save me. Fierce Fox had to help me that day. She always has to."
Athena shook her head. "That's sometimes true. But think of what you can do. You tried to help Fierce Fox- and you were brave enough to tell her the truth. You pretended to be another Poptropican to protect her feelings. And in your world, you use motivation everyday to go to school, even though it harms you. You do have courage- and it will come out when you need it most. That's why you were chosen."
"'Chosen'?" I echoed. "What do you mean?"
"I'm afraid there is not much time to explain," Athena replied, staring at the sky. "You must go- speak to my brother, Hercules. You need his help! Then you must get to my uncles- they can help you."
"Got it!" I said, turning around. Then I looked over my shoulder. "And Athena?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks." I headed to Herc's Hero Hut.
Herc's Hero Hut is a white, marble building with a Greek feel to it. Girls are sitting around fancy tables, all wearing chitons. It's decorated with signs, saying things like 'Meet Hercules the great'. The actual Hercules was at the end of the room. He was about a head taller than me; had mud-brown hair, similar to Elvis Presley's; belts were strapped across his chest, connected to his light brown skirt.
"Hercules." I approached said hero. He gazed into my eyes.
"Oh, you're that hero," he said grudgingly. "What do you want?"
"I need your help," I replied, folding my arms. "Before you say anything, your dad's pretty much going to take over Poptropica by midnight. Aphrodite gave me a mirror so you don't have to walk anywhere. We can just teleport."
"To where?" Hercules asked, tapping his chin.
"Throne rooms of the major gods. The doors are blocked; I need you to open them." I answered, praying he would succumb.
"Well... Autograph sales have been slow lately... Let's do it!" Hercules said brightly. I gave him a nod and whipped out Aphrodite's mirror. I pressed the purple section, which has a picture of a trident. I wasn't sure if I wanted to meet Hades straight away. I had a feeling he was going to capture me or something, and if I had Poseidon's trident, I might be able to escape.
We teleported to the middle of the sea, the opposite side of the Hydra's cave. A rock platform was beneath us; it was loosely placed in. I gestured to it; Hercules swiftly smashed it with his foot. I swam down to the entrance of Poseidon's throne room, which welcomed me with seashell pillars. The inside has fish statues spewing out water, and grey pillars with fish statues. Tridents are on the lower wall, dipped in a pool of water.
The god of the sea himself was standing on a seashell throne, with tridents sticking out the side. Seashell statues are on both sides. Poseidon has an ocean-blue beard, which moves around like seaweed in the ocean. His skin is baby-blue, and he isn't wearing anything over his chest, aside from a starfish necklace. A trident- the trident I was going to use, was gripped firmly in his hand. He's also at least twice my size, like Zeus.
"Hello, Poseidon." I greeted deferentially. After all, this was one of the major gods- not someone you wanna mess around with.
"I know why you have come, prophesied hero," Poseidon replied. "My brother Zeus is mad with power."
"And he wants me really badly- so he's taking me in the worst way," I sighed, shaking my head. "Will you help me?"
"I cannot leave the sea," Poseidon said, which was what I expected. "But I will give you my trident to aid you."
"Thank you," I grinned faintly, as the trident went into my inventory. I bit my lip. "Just a question… is every god except Zeus on my side?"
"You will have to find out for yourself, I'm afraid," Poseidon answered, much to my dismay. "Now go. Poptropica requires saving."
I apprehensively sighed when we teleported to Hades' realm. What if he traps me or something? I thought. A boulder was in front of his throne room's entrance. Hercules pushed the 'little pebble' out of the way, revealing the door. I shivered at the pomegranate designs, wondering what would happen when I entered the throne room. But although I was nervous, Hades had taken Fierce Fox, and would've gotten away with it if Fierce Fox hadn't escaped.
So, with a mix of anger and fear, I entered the throne room. It's a very dark throne room, with a green tinge. There are... Interesting statues, like dragons and bats. Skull candles are glowing in the pale light. Half-expecting something to grab me, I took a step. I took a few more steps, approaching the throne. It's made of green metal, with horns sticking out the side.
Hades himself was standing on the throne. He has albino-white skin, and shoulder-length black hair. A small, black beard is on his face, and he carries a white staff with skulls on it. He's wearing olive-green robes, covering his entire body. He didn't exactly look friendly or approachable, but he didn't look like he was going to capture me either. I felt my anger and fear build.
"H-hello, Hades." I greeted, not as nicely as I did with Poseidon. I felt my hand slither to my inventory, almost reaching for Poseidon's trident.
"The prophesied hero," Hades replied. "I know why you have come. My brother Zeus is very dangerous."
"And so are you!" I blurted, my anger taking control. "You took Fierce Fox! Almost killed her, if she hadn't escaped! And.. you're probably plotting my demise right now!"
Hades appeared horrified. "'Took Fierce Fox'? I said she was fine! I regenerated her next to Cerberus. It was my brother Zeus who told you that information- he was trying to trick you."
"What?" I breathed, raising my brow. "But..."
Hades wasn't finished. "In fact, I have been trying to help you!"
"You have?" I gasped, suddenly getting weird feelings.
"Yes," Hades said, glaring at me. "I do not normally help heroes, for they can often be arrogant. Just look at Hercules. You? You're not like them. You are the one the prophecy spoke of, after all. You were a coward- I must say. I almost did not believe you were a hero. But I kept watching you, unlike the other gods, who wanted to wait until they met you or you did something impressive. And it seemed you needed help. If it wasn't for my earthquake, the Black Widow would've got you."
"That earthquake... You did that? But I thought you could only control the Earth on Mythology Island!" I gasped, lacing my fingers together.
"Although I don't rule the Earth on that island, that does not mean I can't control it," Hades said, like it should've been obvious. "That boy who gave you the application form on Reality TV Island. That was one of my minions, disguised as a Poptropican." This is nuts, I thought.
"All this time..." I bit my lip. "But I thought you were the bad guy!"
"Often people do," Hades sighed. "If I really was the 'bad guy', I wouldn't be giving you this to save Poptropica." He took off his crown, which is made out of human bones, much to my distaste. He gave it to me, and it joined Poseidon's trident.
"Thanks," I said. Then I raised an eyebrow. "I still don't know if I trust you or not."
"Maybe not," Hades shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know if you will be a good hero."
"Me neither. I'm not a good friend either, hence letting my friend almost die," I replied, realizing the truth in my head. "Anyway, sorry for thinking you were evil. I should've known better, considering you're not really a villain."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm used to it," Hades grumbled. "Now, you must go. You have Poptropica to save."
"Thanks again, Hades!" I replied, turning my back. I looked back. "Wait... did you cause that earthquake on Nabooti Island?"
Hades shook his head. "I've caused no earthquakes on that island."
"Alright..." I said uncomfortably, leaving. It felt a little weird that I'd just had a full conversation with the Lord of the Underworld. Not something you do everyday. It answered a few more questions, but not all of them. For one, WHAT IS THE PROPHECY EVERYONE KEEPS TALKING ABOUT?! The question burned in my head as I faced Hercules. "Don't worry Fierce Fox, I'm coming."
The mirror teleported us to the front of Zeus' realm. A golden gate stood in our path, with a large padlock. Hercules bashed through it with his mighty strength. We passed the busted gate. We came to a garden, with a Greek-style roof. A large, green snake peeped its head from the ground and wiggled around. I gasped.
"It's just a pesky snake. I'll take care of it." Hercules assured me. He walked towards it.
"Hercules, no! Don't touch that thing!" I cried desperately. Too late. Hercules reached down to the snake, when it suddenly transformed into Medusa. She has the same coloured skin as Hades, and withering, green snakes flowing from her head.
"You picked the wrong snake to mess with, buddy!" Medusa growled, her head steaming, literally. Hercules' body flashed, and he was transformed into stone. I felt a little sorry for him, despite him saying that he always wanted to be a statue on Mount Olympus. I passed him and came underneath Mount Olympus, which towers above my head.
A man that owns a stall was near me. He has a blue beard, that seems like it was created by the wind. His skin is baby-blue, and a leather bag hangs over his shoulder. Bags like his are hanging on the wooden stall- bags of wind. I paid him a drachma; he handed me one. I brought out the bag, and peeled off the top. A breeze danced out, and carried me swiftly into the air, dropping me onto a rocky, but flat cliff.
I have to admit- nervous was an understatement. I was just about to face the god of gods. That day was definitely interesting- I'd fought the Hydra, had a conversation with the Lord of the Underworld, found out I was some sort of prophesied hero, answered a quiz about the gods, and crossed the River Styx. And now I was about to fight the god of the gods. Lucky me.
The first thing that welcomed me into Zeus' realm was puffy, pink clouds. It was almost pitch black, and I could just see. I leaped in front of a statue of Zeus, and a light switched on. I repeated this for four other Zeus statues; a spotlight shimmered down from the sky, and the real Zeus appeared, hovering in front of a golden, glowing throne.
"So, you dared to come!" he boomed, clutching his fancy lighting bolt. "Are you going to turn yourself over or will your friend be annihilated?"
"Actually, I have a better idea!" I declared boldly. "Let's have a battle- if I win, then you'll surrender, give back the sacred objects, and hand over Fierce Fox. If you win, then you can take over Poptropica and I'll join you."
Zeus made a thoughtful expression. Then he laughed. "Very well! You have yourself a deal, prophesied hero! But you are a fool! You cannot defeat me! You don't even have any powers!"
"We'll see about that!" I yelled back, grabbing Hades' crown and Poseidon's trident. I placed the crown on my head and gripped the trident. Suddenly, I felt power surge through my body, like electric currents. My height increased, until I was as tall as Zeus. Sparks of electricity flew off my body, and faintly glowed. I waved Poseidon's trident, and pink clouds appeared beneath my feet.
Zeus growled. "Curse my brothers! Once this is over, I will have you all kneeling beneath my feet!"
I felt a little cocky, as I can be at times. "We'll see about that, grandpa!" Bad mistake. Zeus lunged at me with a huge lightning bolt. My clouds lifted me above it. Using Poseidon's trident, I shot a few bolts of my own, hitting the god. He growled and starting glowing white. Balls of electric power formed around him; they chased after me.
I floated around in the sky, avoiding the balls of power. I countered this attack with more bolts from Poseidon's trident. Zeus deflected those and turned transparent again. He charged straight for me; I dodged him with a faint squeal. His next attack was sending out a wave of lightning bolts; one hit me with a stab of pain. After that, he was vulnerable, so I hit him with a gazillion bolts.
Zeus cringed in pain, and glowed transparent again. The balls began to form around him; they soon started chasing after me. I yelped as one hit me, and one of my clouds vanished. I quickly flew around, searching for more clouds, when suddenly Zeus charged at me with full throttle. And then I only had one cloud.
"One more hit and you are finished, mortal!" Zeus cackled, as I desperately flew around. I shot a bolt at him, but of course he countered this with another lightning bolt. Then I did something extremely reckless and stupid.
I grabbed onto Zeus- I mean literally- and started blowing bolts in his face. Eventually he glowed white and shocked me off. Thanks to Ex Machina, I landed on a passing cloud. Zeus wanted revenge on me for grabbing onto him and rapid fired lightning bolts. I cried and flew up with my lone cloud, collecting a few more clouds. Zeus needed to be hit just a few more times- grabbing onto him had been really effective as well as dangerous.
So I went full steam ahead and flowed around, waiting for Zeus to become vulnerable. When he did, I went ballistic and bombarded him with lighting bolts.
"You never were my favourite god anyway." I smiled, once he'd been defeated.
"Curse you, Alice!" Zeus yelled, cringing and floating. "Take the items and your pesky friend back!" The five sacred items returned to my inventory, and Fierce Fox appeared with a flash of lighting. I was beyond overjoyed to see her. Zeus glared at me. "You have created an enemy, prophesied hero! One day I will have revenge, and you won't win so easily!"
I took off Hades' crown and Poseidon's trident, my legs taking me to Athena and Fierce Fox.
"Fierce Fox! You're alive!" I cried, almost throttling her with a hug for a second time.
"Thanks..." Fierce Fox chuckled, gently pushing me away.
"Hey," I said softly. "Sorry about before... All that arguing stuff. The truth is... It's just people in my world... They're messing with me again... And it stresses me out. Again, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry 'bout it." Fierce Fox patted my head, and I felt my heart leap with joy. Athena, meanwhile, smiled.
"Well done, Alice. You saved Poptropica!" she said cheerfully.
"Thanks. It's what heroes do," I replied, in a joking tone. It was only then I realized how happy I was to know that Fierce Fox wasn't in danger anymore- and Zeus was defeated, at least for the time being. But something was still on my mind. "But what about this.. Prophecy stuff?"
Athena took a deep breath. "It is a long story, child. But I bet you've wondered how you are getting to this 'world'."
"Of course," I said. "I mean, it's not something that happens to all humans."
"It is about time you know," Athena laced her fingers together. "A... little while ago, a prophecy arose. It said that a hero from another world would come to Poptropica, and help an ordinary Poptropican complete islands. This hero... Was said to do great things, and be quite valuable. Us gods were the first to hear it, although we did not know much. It soon spread to other Poptropica islands, and became quite popular. A lot of the major villains began searching for this hero, including Zeus, who apparently got in contact with people from your world. When the hero- you- arrived, nobody knew it was you, not even us. Then, on 24 Carrot island, we got signals from Dr. Hare, and he reported about a girl who seemed to know everything. That's when we knew the hero had come. We watched over you from then, overseeing your actions. Some paid more attention than others. I paied attention, and so did Zeus- he is interested in things like this. Hades also paid attention, much to my surprise. But the prophecy did say that some- even the unexpected- would be helpful. Then, the other villains attempted to capture you- we could not let that happen. I admit, I didn't expect that earthquake from Hades- but yet again, Counterfeit Island isn't too far from here. Same goes for Reality Television. And now you are here, proving yourself to be a hero."
"Whoa..." I breathed, trying to take it all in. Athena gazed at my eyes.
"You should return home- I believe you will need time to think," she said, holding out the medallion. "But before you do, I would like you to have something," She handed me a little necklace, which has the symbols of the three brothers. "If you need help from any god, just say their name and clutch this necklace. If they are listening, or if a god is nearby, this necklace will glow. We are not really supposed to intervene- this is your prophecy, your job, Alice. But just in case..."
"Thank you. Thank you very much, Athena." I said gratefully. I clutched the necklace as my screen flashed white. But I still had one more question- what's up with the people in my world?
Sorry for the chapter length :P