The first frost of the year coated the land within the week. Leaving Zebra and Meg laboring, mostly, indoors. They would venture into the chill to help gather firewood, for the hearth. During the late fall and early winter months, no road trips would be taken. Meg hated being stuck inside. She also disliked this feeling of ill-progress, since they wouldn't be able to pick-up their search, for Julius Sanders, for months yet. This fact didn't dampen' Zebra's spirits, she was content with the way things were turning out. Sure, she was worried sick about her grandfather, but like was good here, life was meaningful. She couldn't understand why Meg didn't share in her enthusiasm. Truth was, Meg hadn't been enthusiastic about anything since the break-up, with her ex-boyfriend. She had a hard time entrusting her feelings to anybody. Maybe that was it. Maybe if her heart were healed by the right guy, she wouldn't always want to be on the move, trying to run away from her feelings. Zebra felt she was up-to the task of seeking this person. She was a good judge of character. Even from the beginning, Zebra saw through Josh, Meg's ex-boyfriend, for what he truly was; A slimy two-faced, chauvinistic pig. Meg was just blinded by being in love, she couldn't see it herself. But this time, it would be different, Zebra was on the job and she would succeed. But she had to do this without Meg's knowledge or approval. Otherwise, she would put an abrupt halt to the whole operation (not to mention, throw a tremendous fit). So, Zebra would have to work in secret. First, she had to find a potential candidate. But where was she gonna find such a Superman......?

Mr. Elwood had about reached the end of his rope. It had been months since he'd last gotten in touch with his client; Her professors at school, her landlord, classmates, neighbors, Nobody seemed to have the faintest idea of her, or her roommate's, whereabouts. She had simply vanished, without leaving a single trace. Where was she? Still on the hunt for answers, Mr. Elwood went to investigate the final location he had not ventured; the house in question. When he arrived in Homer City, parking in the cracked driveway, he noticed that a scooter, also, occupied the space.
'Strange', he thought as he heaved his weight through the door-frame of his vehicle. He grumbled approaching the doorway, then struggled to find the right key to unlock the front door. Only, to be further flustered when the matching key broke in-half, wedged in the lock-set. His chubby, double-chinned, face lit-up like a Christmas tree in heated anger. How was he suppost to get in now?! He thought about calling a Locksmith for assistance, but.......no. That might take too long, and he'd already wasted, important, good time, concerning these.......college kids! Then, he had an idea. What was it that girl did to open the door when it was jammed earlier? That's right; she kicked it in! Taking a moment, he looked down upon his stubby legs, feeling doubtful that he could even mimic such actions. Then, he dismissed it. Of course he could do it. OK, so he wasn't in his best, physical shape. And, yes, maybe he'd snuck in a few extra Twinkies here and there, simply because they were there, and calling to his unappreciative belly. But you must understand, that this extra layer of flesh on his body was, simply......padding; Intended to protect his overwhelmed muscles, hidden somewhere beneath. He was still a capable specimen, a worthy opponent to stand against a mere door. If she could do it, surely he would have no complications. He took a deep breath, expanding his chest, then releasing it, making his stomach swell. He then, clumsily, raised his leg as far as it would go, and kicked at the door. The good news was; the force of his kick got him inside, the door flew right open. The bad news; this force sent him stumbling forward and crashing onto the floor. Though he got close enough to the dusty carpet to chew a few fibers, he was feeling pretty good about himself.
'Whaddaya know? That wasn't so bad', he thought, pulling himself upright.
Unbeknownst to him; the door hadn't even been locked, or tightly shut, in the first place. But, it's probably best, to leave him in ignorance.
He straightened his suit-jacket, and proceeded in searching the house for clues. Taking himself in-and-out, of the numerous rooms, he found nothing out of place. The last place to check was, the basement. Mr. Elwood was a little apprehensive about the idea; After all, it was dark, and who knew what filth could be down there. He stood at the top of the stairs, leading down, debating the idea. Loosening the collar around his neck, he took a step down. As the step beneath his Loafer groaned with age, his mind began to spin. He'd heard stories told of certain buildings being haunted by the unseen paranormal. And, come to think of it, the disappearance of the original owner, and that of his client, had both started with this house. Could it have been due to their untimely fate, to have been carried away by............ On that thought, Mr. Elwood's body flinched back, as if a couple thousand volts of electricity shot through him. His spine tingled with chills. What if THEY were below, waiting for him to descend into THEIR trap? He couldn't take it any longer, he had to escape. They wouldn't take him alive!
He shot himself outta there, like a cocked bullet, throwing himself into his SUV, whimpering like a baby. The vehicle squealed out of sight, with a new determination to look for a new line of work.

Phil gave Herc his, well deserved, crunch-time, but it wasn't so bad. The hero-trainer may have been demanding and impatient but, he still retained a human heart, half-goat or not. And, truth-be-told, he cared, deeply, for his student and his well being. Hercules was the best trainee he'd ever taken under his wing. Compared to all the other, hot-shot heroes, Herc was like a dream come true. Yes, at times the kid would fumble and make uncalculated mistakes, but he'd always redeem himself and pull through, in the end. Focus was his main flaw, he could be easily distracted. Phil understood that Herc was still young and needed his leisure time. But there was also a time, and place, for everything; A time for work, and time for a......semi-personal life.
As of late, Herc was on fire! He obeyed whatever Phil requested. It seemed as if he were trying to make amends for his recent tardiness. Though the temperature was dropping steadily, this didn't slow down Greece's need for a hero; Crime and distress still ran rampant throughout the country-side. Still, the famed hero seemed slightly distracted. Not enough to keep him from completing the challenges he faced, but his mind seemed elsewhere; Like a boy racing to finish his chores before being allowed to go out and play.
Phil had watched this behavioral pattern with interest and concern. It was natural for a coach to observe his student's performance, and offer advice and tips (Or, in this case, give colorful criticism). So, Herc was unaware of Phil's worry. It was during a typical D.I.D. (damsel-in-distress) rescue, did Phil's suspicions mount.
For example; Twas but a normal day, until trouble arose. Phil and Herc, along with Pegasus, were just patrolling the City-State, when a shout of warning erupted their watch.
"Look out! Run-away chariot!" A pedestrian shouted.
The trio's head's whipped towards the shout, just in time to witness just that, as it whizzed-by, carrying the echo's of the fair occupant's shriek. Apparently, the horse pulling the cart had, somehow, gotten spooked and was now running wild down the streets of Thebes, placing the fair damsel, and other pedestrians walking the road, in danger. Hercules, fearlessly, sprang into action. With a determined look upon his god-like features, he raced after the cart. Playing his part, Pegasus took flight, to help overcome the distance. Coming-up beside Herc, he leaped onto his partner's back, and flew together in pursuit. Floating just above the girl, Herc came-up with a strategic plan.
The lovely, but frightened damsel, peered skyward. "Help me!" She screamed, her blonde curls flapping haphazardly in her face.
Hercules urged Pegasus closer, where he jumped, landing in the chariot next to the maiden. He searched for the bridle, in which he'd hoped to stop the rampaging beast. He found them, slapping against the horse's mane, out of his reach. He groaned, nothing was ever easy.
He prepared for another leap, when the damsel grasped his arm in panic (and the chance to feel his steel-like arms was just too good to pass up). "Where are you going?! Don't leave me!"
Hercules gently, but with slight annoyance, pried her grip from himself. "I'm going to stop the horse!" He shouted over the commotion, as if it were obvious.
Without waiting for further objections, Herc leaped forward, landing upon the steed's back. He quickly snatched up the tangled bridle and pulled back, hard. Still frightened, the horse protested, throwing it's head from side-to-side. But, before long, the beast gave in to Herc's superiority, and slid to an abrupt halt.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Herc dismounted the nervous horse, and tied him to a near-by post. The spectators cheered wildly as Herc stroked the animal's muzzle, in an effort to comfort it.
On cue, the rescued damsel threw herself onto her rescuer, in gratitude, and the desire to be under his sapphire gaze. "My hero!!!" She gushed, taking advantage of the situation.
Receiving praise from the crowd and his trainer,(whom had finally caught up, having been left behind. Let's face it; the coach was not in as great of shape as his student. Those who can't do; Teach)
Hercules graciously stepped away from the girl and politely patted the top of her head, her stiff curls bouncing. "Glad to be of help. Try to be more careful." He casually walked away to join Phil, still panting and heaving, and Pegasus.
The girl's face fell with shock. Did she just get the brush-off? Was she not as beautiful as she'd been told? Whatever happened to; A champion always gets the girl? She almost felt like crying.
The hero's heart seemed unattainable. In truth, his heart was elsewhere, on a farm in Arcadia.
Phil was dumbfounded. Hercules never responded to his rescue-e's advances, but he at least acknowledged them. Something had happened on his last visit to his mortal parent's farm, and Phil was determined to uncover what.

The following morning, Phil found Herc just where he should be; In the fitness yard, building his strength. All this without being requested to do so? Something was motivating him, that much was certain. It was time to find out what was so different about his last visit to the farm than from his countless other visits.
Hercules was lifting a large barbel, weighing well over a ton, high above his head in steady repetitions, without any sign of strain or discomfort, while Pegasus watched on, offering his support when needed. Tentatively, yet in mind to be casual, so not to arouse Hercules' suspicions, Phil stepped onto the field and cleared his throat, to catch the kid's attention. Hercules paused in mid-lift, and rolled his head to glance behind him.
"Oh, hey, Phil. I was just, ya know, getting an early start on my morning workout."
Phil nodded. "Excellent kid." He combed through the few straggly hairs atop his head, contemplating, exactly how to approach the situation. "Say, Herc. Ya remember the D.I.D from the other day?"
Herc stopped lifting altogether, finding his teacher's question strange. Rarely did he ever discuss the girls he came across, except perhaps to chase them, himself. Perplexed, he set the barbel onto the dirt and rolled his square shoulders, loosening the muscles. "I guess....What about her?"
"Oh, no reason. Did you......think she was......pretty?"
Herc shrugged. "I don't know. I guess. To be honest, I really didn't notice."
Phil wasn't getting anywhere this way. He nervously tugged on his beard. "Well...have there been any gals that have caught yer eye?"
Now Herc was worried. What was Phil getting at? Wasn't he measuring up to his trainer's image of a hero? He'd been focused (for the most part) and followed through. "Have I done something wrong, Phil?"
The goat-man waved his hands, frantically trying to backpedal, clearly seeing that he was giving the kid the wrong idea. "No, no. It's not like that, it's......"
"Haven't I been doing a stand-up job?"
"No! I mean, yes. You've been doing great." Phil was confusing himself. "But you know what they say; All work and no play makes you a boring boy."
Herc scratched his head, finding error in his statement. "Uhh, I think you mean 'dull' boy."
"Whatever", Phil dismissed.
"Besides", Herc continued. "Back in High School, whenever I even looked at girls you scolded me in endless hero lectures, and told me..." He switched to his version of Phil's voice to impersonate; "'Kid, keep those bulging eyes of yours contained in yer sockets, or I'll give them on loan to Argus.'"
"OK! I get it", Phil yelled, his frustration building, trying to get his point across. "All I'm saying is that, perhaps, you could use a little...." He couldn't believe he was saying it. "....time off. You know....." He climbed upon his pupil's shoulders and padded his head. "...to clear yer head. You just seem, 'not all there'."
Herc lowered his trainer back upon the ground, and knelt before him. "Really? What did you have in mind?"
Phil had to choose his words carefully, so not to reveal too much of his plan. "Look, I understand than one must make an effort to see his family...."
"But, I see my father every night at his temple", Herc argued.
Phil groaned, sliding a hand slowly down his reddening face. "I meant yer mortal parents, rookie!" Phil didn't miss the glint of excitement spark within his pupil's peepers.
Hercules caught Phil's recognition and tried to cover-up any emotion he'd betrayed. He smiled. "Oh, well, if you think so...."
Phil nodded, grateful that Herc was playing along. "Absolutely, kid. I insist that WE pay them a visit."
We? Uh oh. Pegasus' head jerked up, looking quite unhappy from this news of returning to the farm. Was Phil crazy?
"P..phil....you don't have to... do that."
The goat-man felt triumph underway. "It's no trouble, kid. Besides, it's been ages since I've been to yer parent's farm."
Herc began to sweat, which was a rare occurrence, out of nervousness. How was he gonna hide THIS from Phil? As a final desperate act to ditch Phil, Herc offered; "But...what about the Villa?" That should hold him. "I know you don't like to leave things unguarded."
Phil waved this off. "No problem. Torrin can look after things for an afternoon, while we're gone."
"Torrin?"
Torrin was a young man with dark hair, and eyes to match, about Herc's age. He was hired to be a companion/bodyguard, when Phil was.....unavailable. Fortunately, he and Herc had become good friends, since him and his school chums went their separate ways after graduation. He had a lean, muscular frame. Uncomparable to Herc's toned physique, but less awkward compared to Herc's best friend from school, Icarus. The young-man also handled the hero's, largely, growing finances.
Herc sighed, there seemed to be no way around this 'disaster waiting to happen. "Ya. Why didn't I think of that..."