A hero will arrive from another world;
They will travel with whom they are connected to over islands.
The hero will make many friends; some unexpected.
On an island where villains are caught, the hero and their friends will decide:
To save their world or watch it die.
Those were the words that woke me up early in the morning. Panic washed over my body like a current. I felt sweat drench my forehead. I leaned back in my white bed, my pale blonde hair roughly spread out. For the entirety of the hero business, I'd been mostly confused. What did it mean? What was going to happen? Now I felt a stab of fear. This prophecy could end the entire world, or save it. And by the prophecy, I meant me. Or Louisa?
"Alice?" Mom's voice. Relief flooded through my body. I sat up. Mom entered the room, bags under her eyes. She seemed to have been worrying as well. "This… this… island. This is the one… that god will be on, right?"
"Yeah…" I replied, biting my lip. Mom put her hands on my shoulders.
"D-don't die, Alice..." she sobbed. She smiled gently. "But I believe in you. I know your father would have… he was so encouraging. I wasn't… and I wish I was. But it's never too late to change, right?"
I couldn't help but think about Fierce Fox. "Never."
"Well," I sighed as we landed on the oil rig that is Super Villain Island. "Here we are. Your favourite island." Fierce Fox flinched a little at that. I guessed it was because of the prophecy business.
"Nice day for saving the world, huh?" she asked, shrugging at me. I chewed my lip as a response. The oil rig's a few layers, with barrels of oil hanging from rope. The sky is a beautiful blue, though I could hear the echoes of storms in the distance. Silt-covered cranes hold up the many platforms.
"Don't die, Alice." Mom's voice echoed in my head. I gulped.
"This way," I led Fierce Fox up the platforms and into the pale green, dirty control room. It's much less interesting than the one on Lunar Colony. There's only one computer, and the room's much dirtier and scruffier. A woman wearing sunglasses and a helmet was frowning over something. And I knew exactly what she was frowning over.
She sighed. "What is he planning now? That girl he's working with… much too confusing. And now he needs another volunteer."
"We'll do that." I volunteered, my breath clogging in my throat. Fierce Fox nodded in agreement.
The woman stared at us. "You sure about that? Previous volunteers never came back."
"We're sure." Fierce Fox confirmed, putting on her brave face. Mine faltered.
The woman sighed again, sounding heavier. "I'll have our chopper give you a lift. The pilot will meet you outside. Just promise me to be careful, and come back right away." Fierce Fox and I glanced at each other. We exited the small room and came to the cool, crisp environment that is outside. A loud engine sounded above our heads. It was a sleek, white and navy blue helicopter, with lighting designs. It parked on the roof, its door opened.
Fierce Fox and I climbed aboard. It lifted gently into the blue sky, taking us away from the oil rig. I slumped on a plump seat next to Fierce Fox.
"We'll be fine, okay?" she assured me. She flexed her muscles. "I betcha Dorkarama can't stand against this!"
I pouted. "I hope."
"So, what island's next?" Fierce Fox asked, the helicopter approaching some rumbling clouds.
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," I answered. I shook my head. "But let's not think about the future. We… we need to focus on now." We might not even get to the future, I mentally added. If I give up trying… you never fail if you don't try.
My thoughts turned to the present as wind and rain slammed against the windows. I saw lightning in the sky, which was really not a good sign.
"It's too windy!" the pilot cried. "I can't land! You'll have to jump!"
"Jump?!" Fierce Fox repeated. The two of us stood at the open door, wearing parachutes.
"You'll be fine!" the pilot assured. Probably not, but thanks, pilot. "When the weather clears, call me on this walkie-talkie and I'll pick you up!" A walkie-talkie entered Fierce Fox's inventory. I stared at the dark, stormy abyss we had to jump into.
"Never been skydiving before," I admitted. "And, unfortunately, I'm not really in the mood for it."
"Are you crazy?!" Fierce Fox shouted, glaring at the pilot.
"We've done worse." I argued, shrugging. Fierce Fox aimed her glare at me.
"Go!" the pilot ordered. And that's when I skydived for the first time. I mean, I'd done worse. Don't even talk about jumping into the Underworld. But at least Zeus wasn't trying to kill me then. And now he was. I think. Anyway, skydiving in stormy weather was pretty scary, I must admit. Rain was pouring down my body, and lightning flashes were everywhere.
"This way!" Fierce Fox cried. I darted towards her. A flash of lighting soared down from the sky. I closed my eyes, feeling my skin prickle. I was not having fun. Even Fierce Fox seemed a bit frazzled. Suddenly, I got an idea.
"Let your parachute go," I blurted. "And grab onto me. We'll fall faster."
"What?!" Fierce Fox bellowed, staring at me as if I had turned green. "You're as nuts as that pilot!"
"Science isn't nuts," I replied, though inside me doubts were growing. "Let go!" Fierce Fox frowned. "Do you trust me or not?!"
"No," Fierce Fox grumbled. She pouted. "But I'm from Mocktropica Island. So I'm kinda used to craziness." She released her parachute and grabbed onto me. Just as I predicted, we started falling faster, though it got harder to control. Soon, we started dropping, falling through the rain and clouds. I felt like screaming, but fear closed my throat. I was so relieved when we finally landed in the ocean.
We swam across the wild seas to an island made of cliffs. Cliffs are bounded together in dark shadows, covered in vines and other plants, supporting Erewhon Prison. Fierce Fox and I scaled up such cliffs. I slipped a few times. Maybe the falling rain contributed. Eventually, we reached the top. A camera scanned us. A brick wall covered with vines opened up, revealing Erewhon Prison. We went inside.
The inside is much nicer than the crazy outside. Security technology is on the walls. The walls and floor are made of marble. Lights hang down from the ceiling and some of the wall is made of black brick. A security guard let us through the security system; it was not pleasant.
"It's your life..." the guard warned us as we finished. That did not sound good. I gulped as Fierce Fox and I entered the guard room which is full of monitors and cameras. A lift is at the end, with the words, 'Dr. Jupiter's Lab', though they'd been scratched out.
"Weird," I observed. "They weren't scratched out in the original island…" I sighed and shook my head. "Well, here we go. I don't know what's going to happen behind these doors, but I hope it's not my death." Fierce Fox nodded in agreement. We headed inside the elevator (which made me uncomfortable- still hate elevators).
The elevator passed a bunch of previous villains, who I didn't want to look at. They appeared quite sad; I couldn't help but feel a little bad for them. Oh well. My heart stopped as the elevator arrived at 'Dr. Jupiter's' lab.
In there it was quite dark. Dark platforms stood on pillars. I saw large engines and experiments, though they were turned off. I gulped when I saw that the Dream Machine wasn't activated- and the four villains weren't there, either.
"There's supposed to be a machine here…" I gaped as we leaped down to the cold, hard floor. I gazed at the shelves of strange objects on the wall, while Fierce Fox shrugged at me.
"Alice!" a voice croaked, echoing through the empty lab. A girl raced over to us. She had long, soft, brown hair that reached her chest, though it appeared frazzled. Red glasses were over her eyes, accompanied by completely black clothing. She had pale skin. Her body seemed weak, like she hadn't eaten for a while. Stress filled her eyes, and her hands stuttered as she talked. Though she looked different, I couldn't doubt I recognized this person.
Louisa Van Tulleken.
"Thank… goodness you're here!" Louisa breathed frantically. "You've… you've got to stop him! He's going to use me to… to destroy Poptropica!"
"Zeus?" I questioned, raising my brow.
"Yes!" Louisa cried, sitting on one knee. "Alice… please. He'll… he'll kill me. You. Your friends."
"How do we know you're not lying?" Fierce Fox queried, scowling.
"You can't," Louisa said, staring at us. "But you must… stop… him. I… c-can't. Please… Alice." She gazed into my eyes. "Don't fail Poptropica like… this. This game is… your solace. Don't… don't let it die. Don't fail it now."
Pressure burned into my shoulders. "I… don't know. I don't know if… you're just saying that."
"I'm… not," Louisa breathed weakly. She stared at me again. I saw that kind girl inside her, asking for help. "Don't… fail… us."
I sighed and stretched out my hands. "Alright." I took a deep breath, feelings building up inside. "Where's Zeus? What do I need to do?"
Louisa, legs shaking, stood up. She gestured me to follow her, but shook her head at Fierce Fox. My Poptropican raised her brow. I gave her an assuring nod and trailed behind Louisa. My fellow human led me to a small, enclosed room. The four villain totems were inside. I gaped, feeling my heart pumping.
"Here they are," Louisa explained. "Zeus… he knows only a human can activate their true power. Well, they are strong without human power, but godly power can still overcome them. Zeus knows his brothers will be able to stop him, even with this power. Unless… unless a human chooses to unlock their power. Then Zeus will be unstoppable. That is… that is the hero's choice." She faced me. "But only one human- not Poptropican- can do it." Her smile became cruel. "And that human is me. Goodbye, Alice."
Suddenly, the roof burst open, and good old Thunderpants himself entered the room. His body was glowing with electricity; fear raced into my heart. He glared at me, his red toga flowing. Thunder boomed in the background. Zeus raised his lighting bolt.
"Goodbye, mortal." Zeus boomed, throwing the lighting bolt. The last thing I saw was a tremendous explosion, and then there was darkness.
...
"Dad, why do you want me to be a hero? Like Hercules?"
"Oh, Heavens no, Spark! Heroes aren't about saving the world and all that. Heroes come in all different shapes and forms. I think you can be a hero that inspires people. Travel, and teach them about whatever is right. That's heroism. I think you can do that, Spark. Be much better than me."
"Really, Dad?"
"Really, Spark. I believe in you."
...
White spots covered my vision and my whole body felt numb. Am I dead? I tried to move, but my aching body wouldn't let me. I didn't know where I was. My head was on a soft, white pillow, in some kind of bedroom. A creepy bedroom. The walls are black and the bed-frame is a dark green colour. The floor is marble black and there are creepy skull candles on the wall, which gave me serious déjà vu.
"Where am I?" I wondered aloud, my body screaming at me to stay still. "What happened…?" My memories felt a bit blurry. I think something hit me… but what? Where's Fierce Fox? Maybe this is a dream… Though I'm getting some serious déjà vu. I'm sure I've been here before… Or at least somewhere like this. That's when I heard some weird murmuring outside.
"I think she is awake, m'lord." a woman's voice. I didn't recognize it, but according to my logic it sounded like it belonged to a servant or something.
"Excellent," a male voice replied, which sounded awfully familiar. "When she is ready, tell her to come to the throne room." I raised my eyebrow, trying to get the pieces to come together. Lord… throne room… who is this? Though they seem so familiar-
"Greetings," my door opened. A ghost entered my room. Yes, you read that correctly. A ghost. She had pale, flowing robes and long hair. I felt sweat build on my palms as I crawled up against my pillow. "Do not be afraid, human. I am only here as a messenger from the lord."
"Um…" I chewed my lip, feeling a bit awkward. "Where am I? What's going on?"
"Your questions will be answered," the ghost replied calmly, in a whispery voice. "Are you capable of walking?"
"Not really…" I said. I took the black duvet off and noticed my clothes had burn marks on them, and a black cloak had been tied around my torso.
"Try walking." the ghost said, gesturing. I stood up. As soon as I touched ground, I felt perfectly fine. You gotta love Poptropican physics.
"Whoa…" I breathed, because I still wasn't used to these physics. I stared at the ghost. "So… can I see this lord guy now?"
"Of course," the ghost nodded at me. "This way, human." She floated out of the room. I followed her, mixed feelings brewing inside me. We walked through more creepy corridors, my mind finally taking everything in. I've definitely been here before, or some part of it. The ghost, the skulls, the black colours… wait a second… I know where I am! I'm in the-
"Long time no see." the familiar male's voice greeted me as we entered the throne room. The ghost disappeared into thin air; I was left alone in the room, where I'd definitely been before. The man- or should I say god- stared at me with dark eyes and black hair.
"Um, hi… Hades," I greeted, feeling uncomfortable, weak and scared. I was in the Underworld, in Hades' throne room. The Underworld. Does that mean I'm dead? "Err…"
"I suppose you'll want an explanation," Hades mused. I nodded eagerly. "No, you are not dead. But you almost died."
"How?" I asked, chewing my lip. Hades frowned.
"My youngest brother tried to kill you." he answered grimly. That's when the memories flooded back- Louisa, Zeus, Fierce Fox, Super Villain Island… I remembered it all. And I knew what Zeus was going to do.
"So… how was I saved?" I asked, raising my brow.
"My niece Athena figured out Zeus' plans just before you arrived on Super Villain Island," Hades answered. "She saw what Zeus was going to do with that other girl… what's her name…"
"Louisa." I blurted out, lacing my fingers together.
"Louisa," Hades continued. "Anyway, she knew that Louisa was going to assist Zeus and destroy you. Athena saved you. She contacted me and brought you down here. Zeus can't get you down here, even though he would assume you are down here regardless, being dead, but not alive. If you were anywhere else, he would try to kill you."
"So…" my brain put it together. "Louisa is helping Zeus… she's going to activate the totems, then Zeus will take over Poptropica. However, I could also be the hero, and Zeus doesn't want that… so he tried to kill me. But… can't you stop Louisa? Like, kill her or something?"
"I am afraid it's too late for that," Hades sighed. "She and Zeus are working together as we speak." He frowned. "We only kept you alive because if you're dead, Poptropica is doomed. You must stop my brother and his human assistant from destroying Poptropica."
"How long has she been here for?" I asked. "Has… Zeus been hiding her or something?"
"I assume so," Hades answered, appearing annoyed. Well, I'd be annoyed too if I had Zeus for a brother. "This ridiculous prophecy business… why did I partake in it? Oh well, too late to turn back now."
"So, how do I stop Zeus?" I asked, peering up at the god. "Also… do you know where Fierce Fox is?"
"You must seek Athena," Hades replied, leaning back in his throne. "I believe she'll know what to do." His expression changed. "I'm not sure where your friend is. But she is not dead."
"Alright…" I replied, feeling nervous. "How long do I have before Zeus destroys Poptropica?"
"I don't know exactly," Hades answered. "But knowing my brother, he will probably want to do it sometime dramatic, like midnight. Which is probably why he chose to kill you near the totems instead of when you were skydiving."
"What time is it now?" I asked, lacing my fingers together.
"You have a few hours until midnight arrives," Hades replied. He stared at me intensely. "You'll have to hurry with whatever Athena needs you to do."
"Got it," I said, trying not to shake. "So, where is Athena?"
"That mirror in your inventory will take you to her." Hades said, pointing at my inventory. I reached into it and pulled out the mirror. A glowing, golden olive symbol was on it. I sighed deeply.
"But… when I go to the, uh, surface…" I began. "Won't… Zeus find me?"
"You have been here long enough for Zeus to believe you are dead," Hades replied, standing up. "But don't be ignorant. Try to stay incognito and hide from him best you can. If anything, it's good to wear something that disguises you."
"Thanks," I replied. The whole world at stake… I didn't know what to make of that. I felt knots in my stomach. "And thanks again for the hospitality… Hades. I don't like the hero stuff either, to be honest. But I might not be alive without you."
"And they call me a death god," Hades sighed. His lip twitched. "But we have no time for a conversation. Go, girl. You must save the world."
"Saving the world," I said, fear clenching my heart. My feelings were still mixed, and I didn't like it. "Alright… goodbye then, Hades." I lifted my hand and brought out the mirror. I pressed the olive; glowing light covered my vision.
The light cleared. The physical atmosphere around me felt much lighter. I was no longer in the Underworld; instead, I was in the area nearby the Tree of Immortality. I was underneath a bushy olive tree, the sun shining above my head. I heard a few birds chirping in the distance. Leaves fluttered into my hair.
"Uh… Athena?" I called out quietly, in case Zeus was around. "Are you… here?"
"It seems my uncle did his job." a woman's voice said nearby me, aged with wisdom and familiarity. Athena, in the disguise of an old woman, approached me.
"Hey… Athena." I greeted, straightening my posture. She was a goddess, after all. Though I felt a little awkward. "Hades said I needed to... uh, speak to you."
"I won't tell you exactly what you must do," Athena replied, her eyes glimmering. "But I will guide you. Remember the prophecy, Alice."
"The prophecy…?" I questioned. I chewed my lip and thought about the prophecy. "The hero will travel with whom they are connected to over islands… Fierce Fox? But I don't know where she is!"
"Think of the entire prophecy." Athena encouraged. I racked my brain. The hero will make many friends; some unexpected. On an island where villains are caught, the hero and their friends will decide… friends? Friends… friends…
"Other friends?" I asked. Athena nodded, gesturing me to continue. "I need… I need help from other friends?"
Athena bowed her head. "You have made friends on other islands. Now it is time to find them."
"And… with their help, save the world?" I asked, tapping my chin. Athena nodded again. "But… how do I get to them? I have no transport."
"Are you sure?" Athena asked, raising her brow. "Think about what you've received from Poptropicans on other islands." I searched my brain again. What've I got from other islands? Think, Alice. No, don't think about school! Think about now… Hey… wait a second, Dr. Harold gave me a plane on Game Show, didn't he?
"Dr. Harold's plane?" I questioned. I reached into my inventory and grabbed the remote. Athena stared at it approvingly.
"You are understanding now," she confirmed. "You must go and seek your friends. Then, you must stop my Father and the other human before they destroy the world."
"How will I do that?" I asked, fumbling with my fingers.
"You will know when the time comes." Athena answered, gazing into my eyes. "But it'll involve teamwork with these other friends. I wish you luck."
"Thanks, Athena," I said, bowing my head. I hovered my thumb over the airplane button on my remote. I pressed it; Dr. Harold's plane arrived, with the words, 'Property of the inventor'. "Well, goodbye... I guess."
"Before you leave, human," Athena raised her hand. "Do not forget your fatal flaw. Don't let your guilt get ahead of you… if you do, you could fail us all."
"A-alright," I nodded. "I'll try." I climbed into the plane, facing the control screen. Athena seemed to have disappeared, which left me alone. I sighed, taking in a deep breath.
It's time to save the world.
…
"Mom, why did Dad lie to me?"
"Dad didn't lie, sweetheart. He… he just wanted to encourage you… especially after what'd happened to himself."
"What happened?"
"Nothing, sweetie. Now, off you go, to school."
"But people bully me!"
"Just… ignore them, Alice. You'll be fine."
"Yeah. Of course I will."