Concules
Years ago in the city of Happy Harbor, on a bright, sunny day, townsfolk busied themselves by shopping in the local farmer's market. Men checked out various tools for sale while women fretted over dresses made of the finest materials available. Animals wondered around enclosed pens, just waiting for interested buyers to take them home.
Down the road of the farmer's market, a trail of dust shot into the air as it traveled ever closer to the thriving center. To someone not familiar with the weekly sight, it would be cause for curiosity. Those who knew what it was; however, knew it was absolutely cause for panic. Maybe it was the many deals, or how beautiful the day was, but no one seemed to have been paying attention to the oncoming dust trail.
"Concules, slow down!" a dark skinned young man with tattoos of sea serpents covering his arms yelled as he held on for dear life to the edges of a wooden wagon. What used to be jet black hair on his head was a shade of yellow, something he blamed his friend for by the way he behaved and the frights he would give him when he did things like this.
"Sorry, Kalryon, but you told me not to stop for anything or slow down." Heading for the central market at his top speed, a broad-shouldered teenager picked up even more speed than he was already running at to do as his friend had asked of him. His white toga was stained with mud at the bottom.
Barreling head first down the dirt road, Concules ignored other, slower, cart drivers and was constantly being yelled at to slow down or watch where he was going. Gentle turns were skipped as he simply continued on a straight path with a large stone archway marking the market grew closer every second. It wasn't until he was in the center of the flea market type shops when he finally came to a stop. The sudden application of resistance to his forward momentum caused his body to be buried up to his neck in the rocky dirt.
Patting himself over, Kalryon counted his blessings he was still on one piece. "Th…thank you, my friend. For both the invigorating ride into town and the…the early morning wake up call. My hair may be a shade lighter now."
"No problem. I just hope the bridge over that gorge is repaired by next week. Jumping over it is easier without a cart full of hay bales."
"Yes, well, maybe on the way back we can take the detour instead of the…airborne route you suggested. Now if you'll excuse me, I must find Garthideas and haggle my price for the hay with him as well as visit the facilities…and buy a new toga."
"I'll be here by the cart, as usual."
As his friend walked off to tend to his business, Concules ran a hand through his short, black hair and rubbed the back of his neck. People walking by paid him no attention except for walking away or turning their heads up at him. His bright blue eyes loathsomely scanned each and every one of them, sizing them up in case any should try something stupid like antagonize him into a fight as he leaned against the cart with his arms crossed. None ever did try anything funny as they all must have learned from the time Pretzeldo dared to make fun of him for his lack of emotions. The shape Concules twisted him into is said to have been the inspiration for a salted bread.
As he stood by the cart, a group of boys his own age ran by while playing a game of discus. The clay toy landed at his feet where he simply stared at it and gave a snort.
"Concules…it's…it's you," one of them said as he ran up to the youth.
"You, uh…you guys need another player?" he asked as he picked up the disc and handed it back to them.
"Nnno, no. That's okay," the boy told him. We already have three and an odd number would be weird to play with."
"Wait a second," Concules said, raising an eyebrow. "Three is an odd number. It's also the second smallest prime number and is the first lucky prime-"
"What are you? A walking encyclscroll?" another boy said as he snatched the disc from him and ran off with the group.
"What a geek!" the third boy said.
"Destructo boy," added another.
"Maybe we should call him 'Jerkules'," the first one said.
As the three ran away mocking him, Concules stared at them with a sneer. He didn't know why he was like that sometimes, it was just the way he was brought up at the orphanage he lived at. Because of his attitude, he was always alone, except for Kalryon who was the only one to befriend him.
"A little help! Please, a little help!"
Switching his gaze from the teenagers to where the shouting came from, the dark haired teen saw a large clay pot being carried by a plump older man. Rushing up to his shop, Concules grabbed the pot and took it from the man quite easily.
"Don't worry, I got it." Taking it from the plump man, the teen turned to the front of the shop where several other large pots were.
"Oh thank you. I…uhhh…Concules?" The man's eyes widened at the sight at who was helping him. "Uhhh nevermind, I got it, I-"
"Are you sure? It doesn't look as if you can carry it."
"No, no, I just didn't have a good enough grip on it."
Over by the cart Concules was at, the three teenage boys who were playing discus kept their eyes on him.
"Hey," the first boy from earlier said. "Wanna see something funny?"
At the snickering of his friends, the boy tossed the discus over to the shop Concules and the man were in. As the teen went to hand the man the large pot, he stepped on the disc and slipped backwards into a support pillar. Fortunatly, the pot he carried didn't fall and break. Unfortuantly, the pillar he fell into was the main supported for all the shops around them.
One by one, they fell in order from the first one he hit and down the line. People ran for their lives as animals panicked alongside them. Purchases were dropped, money spilt out of hands, and cries rose to the heavens as the pillars continued to fall. It wasn't until some minutes later when the last one fell and the dust settled.
"Concules?" Kalryon said as he walked up to his friend while overlooking the destroyed area. "Concules, what happened?"
"Uh, the monkey did it." Concules said as he stood rather stiffly amongst the rubble.
"My shop!" the plump man yelled. "My wares! My…my…"
"Um, this one…didn't break." Concules pointed to the pot he was carrying, the only pot that wasn't lying in pieces that is.
"Freak!" someone yelled.
"Menace!" another said.
"Bombastic muscle-headed simpleton!" shouted another.
"Get out!" the man yelled. "Get out of here and never come back! You…you…degenerate, hooliganistic, son of a senseless, no good…thing! GET OUT!"
"I…" Concules tried to say.
"My friend, I think it is best we just leave." Kalryon told him.
Later, back at the orphanage Concules and Kalryon lived at, the dark headed youth sat on a hill overlooking the countryside as the sun set. He had been doing this since they had arrived back home with Kalryon giving a portion of his money from selling the hay to the headmaster to support the place for a while longer.
"My friend, you shouldn't let those things they said back there get to you," Kalryon said as he joined the brooding teen.
"But they're right. I am a freak," Concules said with a sigh. "Sometimes I feel like I really don't belong here. Like I'm supposed to be someplace else."
"Concules, there's, there's something I think you ought to see."
In a large wooden shed behind the orphanage, Kalryon moved a large panel from the floor and took out a white tubular basket with a small object wrapped in it.
"While cleaning out this place a few months ago for extra scrap metal, I came across this hidden compartment. I think the original woman who found you must've had a good reason for not showing you this before she died last month."
"Why would she not show this to me? She showed you the basket you were left in. Why was I different?"
"Because, she said this was around your neck when she found you." Unwrapping the small object, Kalryon showed his friend a red metal shield with an 'S' in its middle. "Do you know what this is? It's the symbol of the leader of the Superheroes, Supes."
Taking the red object, Concules looked it over carefully then looked back at Kalryon. "This is it. Maybe this is what I've been looking for. I'll go to the temple of Supes and get my answers there. Kal, thank you."
"You're welcome, my friend. Good journey."
Arriving at the temple of Justice well after nightfall, Concules brashly stalked his way up to the large statue of the leader of the Superheroes. It was a massive structure standing in the center of several other equally large statues of several other supers including the Superhero of Speed, Superhero of The Night, Superheroine of Women, and so forth.
"Okay, so, I normally don't do this because you've never done anything for me but…I kinda need some answers like, 'Who am I? Where do I belong?'"
He waited patiently but nothing happened.
"Knew this was a waste of my time."
As he turned to leave, the wind began to blow hard, forcing him to put his hands up to block his face. A loud bang and flash struck the temple and a rumbling filled the area as the statue of Supes came to life.
"My boy. My little Concules," the representation of the king of the Supers said. He took a step forward off the large pedestal he stood on as Concules looked up at the living statue with wide eyes. A yell flooded out of his mouth as he turned to run out of the temple but was picked up by one of the statue's large hands. "Hey, hey, hey, hold on kiddo. A superhero doesn't run at the sight of a challenge. They stay and fight."
"I'm not running," Concules said as he used his great strength to force the statue's hand open. "I'm moving from a confined space to a more open one so I can kick your…a, a superhero?"
"Why yes. You my boy are an honest to goodness superhero, taking after your surrogate mother and myself. How else do you think you're so superhumanly strong?"
"Wait, so you're…you're my…my…father?"
"Well, kinda. You were made from part of Diera, Wonder Heroine of all Women and I. The two most powerful supers created the next generation to bring justice to…to…the unjustified."
"So are or aren't you my father?" Concules asked with his hands crossed over his chest.
"Well, see, that's a…"
"Nevermind. But, why did you give me away like that? Didn't you want me?"
"Concules," Supes sighed. "Of course we did. You're a part of us. You were going to help us keep the evildoers at bay but someone stole you from us when you were an infant and turned you partially mortal. That is why you cannot fly like Diera or I. Hey, that sort of rhymed."
"Ugh" The teen rubbed his hand over his face. "Then what do I need to do to become a full superhero?"
"Concules, if you want to become a superhero and live up on Mount Watch where you can monitor the Earth, you need to prove yourself a true hero to the people. Then, and only then, will your true herohood be restored."
"Okay, so, save a few damsels, beat up some criminals, and become a superhero. Got it." Leaping down from the stone hand, Concules started for the door. "I'll be done in no time."
"So stubborn. You must get that from Diera. If you are to be a true hero you must get proper training first. Seek out Robitetes, the trainer of heroes."
"I can do this by myse-" Before the hardheaded teen could finish, two red beams of energy struck the floor where he was heading. Black smoke rose from the foot deep craters that he stared at with a shocked expression. "So, I'll give this Robitetes a visit. No problem."
"And you'll need this," Supes added.
With a loud whistle, he summoned a large white wolf with wings coming out of its sides. "You probably don't remember Wolfasus but you two go way back. He was a gift to you when you were born."
The white wolf sniffed the teen then licked his face. Instantly, a long forgotten memory flashed before Concules' eyes and he remembered the animal doing the same thing so many years ago.
"Oh, Wolfasus!" Climbing on his pet's back, the youth held on to the thick fur as they went airborne.
"He's a magnificent animal with the brain of a bird," Supes told him. "Now go and become a true…huh?"
Looking around, Supes saw the teenager had already left. "Kids. They grow up so fast."
The next day, Concules arrived at a large island with a bird shaped mountain at its southern end. Tall trees lined an overgrown grassy area with a lake bordering one side of the mountain where the two landed and began their search. It didn't take long to find someone or something as the case may be. Sticking out of a bush, a pair of bird legs bounced up and down as a cackle emanated from the hidden portion within it. Looking at where the head was looking, if it had one that is, the teen saw a trio of young women wearing yellow and blue skirts.
"He's a peeping tom. Whatever he is."
Grabbing the birds exposed end, Concules pulled it back and was taken by surprise when he saw the upper torso of a young boy.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Let me go!"
Doing as he said, Concules dropped the bird-boy on his head. He landed with a thud on the ground and quickly looked at where the three females were.
"Aww, they're gone. You know how many girls I get to come to my island? Not that many, big boy." The black haired bird-boy dusted himself off, taking care to not ruffle his crimson feathers more than what they were when he saw the taller boy looking at him strangely. "What? You've never seen a bird satyr before?"
"No, and I'm not looking for one now. I'm searching for a Robitetes and I-"
"You're looking at him, but ex-nay on the Robitetes and call me Rob."
"You're Robite…Rob? The trainer of heroes? But…you're so…small."
"First of all, I don't train heroes anymore. But if I were, I'd give you some advice like, 'It's not the size of the hero's body, but the size of the hero's heart."
Grabbing the waist high bird-boy, Concules looked him square in the eye as he picked him up and shook him roughly. "Look here, I need to become a true hero to live on Mount Watch and the only way I can do that is to have you train me."
"I can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"Two words muscle head, I…am…retired!"
"That's not two words, that's three. Learn to count bird brian!"
"Yeah, like you're changing my mind about training you, bicep boy!"
"Fine." Tossing the younger lad back on the ground, Concules headed over to a semi buried statue and ripped it out of the ground. "I'll give you a reason to train me."
After widening his stance, the super strong youth hurled the large statue far into the ocean. A large splash could be seen where it landed, which made Rob's eyes widen in shock and jaw fall to the floor. Concules simply slapped his hands free of any dirt. "If that's not good enough, then how's this?"
Heading back over to Wolfasus, Concules pulled out a dagger and proceeded to stab himself in the heart. Rob yelled for him to stop and couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the dagger bent and break upon refusal to pierce the teen's chest.
"Whoa, wait a minute. If you're that strong, maybe I could tra…nah, forget it. You'll just end up like all the others."
"What others? How many people have you trained?"
"Well, Jason for one; taught him how to sail. Odysseus, Perseus, Theseus. A ton of "yeuseus." Anyway, every single one of those wannabes let me down flatter than a discus. Not a one could go the distance. And then there was Achilles. He had it all, the build, the speed, he could jab, he could take a hit, he could keep on comin' back for more... but that jacked up heel of his! He barely got nicked there and BOOM! He's down for the count. I wanted to train the greatest hero there ever was, so great that the Gods would hang a picture of him in the stars and people would say, "That's Rob's boy." But dreams are for rookies and a guy can only take so much disappointment."
Concules took a knee before the trainer of heroes and softened his gaze. "I'm different. I'm not like those other guys."
"And why should I believe you?"
"Because…I'm…kinda the son of Supes."
"Supes."
"Yeah," Concules said as he rubbed the back of his neck like he was embarrassed to reveal such information.
Letting out a cackle, Rob couldn't believe his ears. "Supes! The big blue guy? He's your daddy? Mister spit curl? Mister 'Don't tug on my cape'? Yeah right."
"It's the truth!"
"Please!"
"It is!" Concules stomped the ground hard, making the water in the lake ripple from the force.
"I may be young but I wasn't born yesterday, blockhead. So the bottom line is I'm not going to train you and if you need me to spell it out then-" Before he could say another word, a beam of red energy shot from the sky and struck Rob on the hind end, setting his tail feathers on fire.
With a scream, the hero trainer dove into the water to put himself out. "Like I said, I'll spell it out for you, O. K."
"You'll do it? You'll train me?" Concules said as he helped him out of the lake and drug him onto the bank by an arm.
"Yeah, yeah, you win! Now let me go! You're yanking my arm out of socket!"
"You won't be sorry, Rob. So when do we start?"
"Oh, Supers, this is gonna be a looooong day."
It took some time to get Concules to prepare the training grounds according to Rob's specifications. Grass was trimmed, trees were removed roots and all, without the use of an ax or saw, and obstacle platforms were built. Hours upon hours were spent on getting his already built physique into an even more impressive shape but not all of his training was physical. Rob threw in several mental challenges as well while reciting rules for when he was executing various objectives while running an ever changing obstacle course. He lost count of how many togas he lost because of this.
One such rule was Rule #6: When rescuing a damsel, always handle with care. Concules had already gone through forty seven of the practice dummy damsels before he managed to get one all the way to the finish line without it suffering an injury. The worst was the one that caught on fire, skewered with a spear, decapitated, amputated, gutted of its stuffing, and losing its clothing, leaving only a burlap hand for Concules to rescue. All that happened before he even got it to the start of the course.
Rule #95 was Concentrate as he was quick to anger and was easily frustrated, but he learned to control it eventually. Missing various moving targets, Concules almost gave up and smashed them with his bare hands when he took a deep breath and succeeded in hitting the bull's eye of one of them with his last throwing dagger. When he looked over at Rob for approval, he saw the youthful bird-boy pinned to the wall by the other daggers with one dangerously close to his crotch from all the times Concules missed while practicing his blind throws. To this Rob shouted, 'Rule #96: Aim!'
It took some time but as the years went past, Concules became an image of what a hero should look like with a strong muscular build but not overly developed. Rob was sure he was better built than Achilles ever was.
"Did you see that?" the now adult Concules asked. "I took out all the practice monsters and recued the damsel faster than I ever have. Next stop, Mount Watch."
"All right, just take it easy, Supey," Rob told him.
"Rob, I am ready. I'm ready to get off this island. I want to battle criminals and monsters while rescuing some damsels in distress. You know, heroic stuff."
"Well, I don't know."
"Aw, come on, Rob. You know I'm ready. I know I'm ready. And you know that I know that you know that I'm ready. So what do you say?"
"That sentence has just out whelmed me that it's not even funny. But if you want a road test then saddle up, big guy. We're going to Metropolis. It's a city filled with good people with lots of problems. But first you need to dress the part. Togas don't really say 'hero'.
Taking his protégé back to the weapons vault within the bird shaped mountain, Concules was outfitted with a leather cuirass that resembled armor, which was something he didn't need as he was invincible, and leather strips that covered his legs. A red cape flowed behind him as a statement of his lineage to the Gods. This was quickly replaced with a pair of dark cerulean trousers and a black leather top with black leather sandals that covered his feet more. When asked about his decision on his choice of clothing by Rob, he replied with a 'No skirt, no cape, no offense.' The last thing Rob made sure to do, besides pack enough leather tops for replacements, was create an area on each top so the new hero may wear his red metal shield.
"Here, now that you're dressed for success, you may want to take this with you." Rob handed Concules a weightless metallic sphere, which the hero in training looked over carefully.
"A ball. You gave me a ball."
"Actually, it's a weapon."
"Well, I guess I can throw it-"
"No, you don't throw it," Rob said as if it were obvious of what he wanted him to do. "Just imagine a weapon while holding it and it'll become what you are thinking."
Doing as he said, Concules imagined a spear and the sphere molded into the exact image in his mind. Liking what he saw, he next pictured a sword and the sphere molded into that as well, then another, and another.
"Whoa, what's that?" Rob asked as the weapon became a sword hilt with a beam of light coming out of it.
"I don't know," he said as he waived it around. It hummed with every pass it took in the air. "But it looks kinda cool."
"Well, whatever it is, it's extremely hot. In the meantime, put it away and saddle up, cause we're out of here."
The two flew to Metropolis on Wolfasus with a full list of heroic things to accomplish once they arrived in the city. Unfortunately they lost it when the flying wolf hit some light turbulence between Gotham and Star City.
"Wow! Is this all one city? " Concules asked upon landing.
"Yup," Rob said. "One city with a million troubles. The one and only Metropolis. The big enchilada itself. Stick with me, big guy. This city is a dangerous place."
The two ventured around the city with Wolfasus close behind them. While passing by numerous people, they overheard every problem imaginable from a tragic fire, barbequed cats, earthquakes, floods, the ever rising crime rate, monsters, plagues, and many, many more. It was after an hour when the panicked cries of a woman came from down the street and a young auburn haired woman in a white and red toga with a blue cloak flowing behind her came into view.
"Please! Help me!" the woman yelled. "There's been an accident!"
"Ooh, what luck," Rob said while elbowing his trainee, "your basic D.I.D, damsel in distress."
Concules stared at her and didn't realize his jaw had fallen open.
"Please, I need a hero! He's got to be strong, he's gotta be fast, and he's gotta be larger than life!" the young woman continued saying. "Outside of town, a little girl was playing in the gorge and there was a terrible rock slide. They're trapped!"
"A trapped kid?" Concules said. "Rob, this is great!"
"What's great about a trapped kid?" an elderly man asked. "Who are you?"
"I'm Concules and I happen to be a hero."
"A hero?" a woman asked. There's no more heroes left anymore. They all live on Mount Watch and only come down when something big happens."
"Well not me."
"Have you ever saved a town before?" another man asked.
"Well, uh, no, not exactly, but I-"
"Have you ever reversed a natural disaster?" a woman carrying three screaming infants asked.
Concules rubbed the back of his head. "Well, uh... no."
"He's just another chariot chaser!" a man yelled.
"I am not!"
"Are too!"
"ARE NOT!" Concules was beginning to lose his temper.
"You're no hero, just a wannabe!"
"I AM TO A HERO AND I'LL PROVE IT! Wolfasus, come on. You too, you're going to show me where the brat is so I can save her." The hero made his way over to his pet and the woman who alerted them all to the problem at hand.
"The name's M'gra or Meg as my friends call me, if I had any that is, whoa, hey!" Tossing the white and red robed woman over a shoulder, Concules mounted his flying wolf and shot skyward.
"Wait, wait, I have this terrible fear of Heiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiights!" She had no choice but to hang on for dear life.
It didn't take long for the two to arrive at the gorge and begin looking for the little girl. The woman, who held on tightly to him, was completely dis-shelved with her hair in a mess and toga completely wrinkled.
"Um…sorry," Concules told her as he helped her down from Wolfasus' back. "I kinda-"
"Need to work on controlling your temper?" the woman told him as she straightened out her clothing and hair.
"I…I'm sorry.
"Yeah, well, just get the girl out. She's down there under that boulder at the far end of the area." She looked him up and down as he headed into the gorge and admired his physique. "And Superboy," she shouted with a grin, drawing his attention. "Good luck."
Maybe it was how pretty she looked or the way she looked at him when he first saw her in the city, then there was the fact that she was the first woman his age he had seen in a year, but his thoughts kept going back to her. Being around her even made him feel calm, at peace. He continued to head to the boulder she had pointed out when he heard the cries of a little girl coming from ahead of him
"Help! I can't breathe!" the small voice shouted.
"I'm coming!" Concules yelled.
"Hurry! Get me out! Call IX-I-I! I can't last much longer!"
With a grunt, the super strong young man lifted the boulder over his head and freed the little blonde girl underneath. She looked up at him with a smile as she came skipping out happily.
"Jeepers Mister, you're really strong."
"Thanks," her savior said as he tossed the heavy object to the side. "Now just, try to stay out of trouble."
"I sure will. Thanks again."
As the little girl ran off, a crowd of people from the city and Rob applauded, somewhat, for the hero who had save the child. No one noticed the little girl climb up a cliff and looked back as a dark cloud formed behind her and a tall, gaunt, bald man with flames on his head stood behind her, clapping softly.
"A stirring performance, I was really moved," he said. "But 'Jeepers, Mister'?"
The little girl looked up at him. "I was going for innocence, Lord Lexdes." She then turned into a woman with short blonde hair and wore a gray toga.
"And, two thumbs way, way up for our leading lady, M'gra," Lexdes said as said woman joined them. She had her head down and covered by her blue hood with her shoulder length hair tucked behind her. "What a doll. Without you and Mercic doing your parts, I would never have been able to get rid of so many heroes."
Looking down into the gorge, M'gra could only barely whisper, "Get outta there while you still can, big guy."
"Tuh, can't they at least be grateful I saved the girl?" Concules muttered as he looked the crowd over. That was when the rumbling began.
Looking back, he saw a large cavern in the side of the cliff. Not thinking much of it at the time, he wondered if he should have put the boulder back after he lifted it, but it was too late. With a loud hiss, a large blue skinned serpent emerged from the hole and stood over the surprised hero. With an incredibly fast strike, it swallowed him in a single gulp.
The crowd let out an exasperated breath at the sight of the hero being eaten alive and cowered in fear as the serpent targeted them next. Before it could strike, a metal object exploded from the side of its neck and went about decapitating the beast. The crowd cheered as Concules fell out of the monster's throat.
Rob and Wolfasus were the first ones over to check if he were okay. He turned around and held up his five long tail feathers "Con, Con, how many feathers do you see?"
"Ugh, fifteen?" he replied.
"Close enough. Come on, let's get you out of here."
Above the gorge, M'gra looked on and was relieved that Concules was alive and okay. She had a small grin on her face until she overheard Lexdes. "If you can't beat them one on one, call for back up."
Not even twenty feet from the serpent's body, Rob and Concules heard another rumble and turned to look at the creature stand back up and sprout three new heads. They all looked down hungrily at the hero.
"This is so not asterus," Rob said.
"What does that mean?" Concules asked.
"Two words, Am-scray!"
As Rob took off in a dead sprint, Concules dodged an attack by the monster. Wolfasus landed nearby to allow him to climb on and the two took to the sky to do battle. Grabbing the sphere, Concules formed it into a sword and went about cutting the creature's heads off. One by one they fell but each freshly cut nub grew two more in its place until he and Wolfasus were facing an army of serpent heads.
"Rob!" Concules yelled. "I don't think we covered this one in basic training!"
"Will you forget the head-slicing thing?" Rob yelled. "It's a Hydra! It'll keep growing more if you keep cutting them off and not sealing the wounds!"
"Sealing the wounds?" Thinking back to when he formed the light sword, Concules remembered how hot it felt and immediately made the sphere morph into the choice weapon.
He began to re-cut the hydra's head and this time none grew back as the sword instantly cauterized the stumps and prevented any more from growing. Concules did his best to dodge the remaining serpent heads but they eventually managed to knock Wolfasus out of the air and the young hero along with him. He was then pinned to the side of the nearest cliff with his weapon falling to the ground.
With no options left, Concules stared down the hydra as it reared its left over heads back and opened dozens of sharp-toothed mouths. They all charged at him at once, dead set on making him their meal. With the sight of all those teeth closing in on him, Concules resorted to the only thing he could think of. He bashed the side of the cliff with his fists and caused an avalanche of boulders to fall upon the monster and didn't stop until the entire thing was crushed, heads, body, and all.
"And another one bites the dust." Lexdes said as he slurped up a worm like a pasta noodle. "Mercic, how many heroes does that make that I've taken-"
"Sir, he's not dead." Mercic told him.
"What?"
Looking down at the battleground, Lexdes saw several boulders move and fall to the side. Up stood Concules who was now missing most of his leather top. He took a step forward and tumbled out of the rubble with the crowd cheering and applauding loudly as he stood back up.
"You did it, Big Guy! You killed the hydra!" Rob shouted as he and Wolfasus ran up to the worse for wear hero.
"Yeah, well, I guess that was heroic," he told his buddy.
Above the event, M'gra bit her lower lip and smiled under her hood. "Well, way to go, Superboy."
"Wait a second, I've seen him before. I've seen that symbol on his chest before." Lexdes said as he looked closer at the day's savior.
"Maybe you owe him money?" Mercic said as she filed her nails. "You aren't exactly known for paying your poker debts."
Ignoring her, he turned to M'gra. "Did he tell you his name?"
"He…he said it was Con…Concules," the young woman hesitantly told him.
"WHAT?!" The fire on Lexdes head exploded at that name. "That's Concules? The Concules? Son of Supes? Mercic, I thought you got rid of Superbrat when he was an infant!"
"Um, well…you see…it could be another Concules. It's a very popular name." The blonde woman backed up against a wall as she continued to try and explain. "Remember how a few years ago the girls were all named Bella and the boys were all named Edward? Well…"
"Let me get this straight, I'm trying to rid the world of heroes so that I may rule it, and the one schlemiel who can louse it up is waltzing around in the woods! I gave you a very specific order to take him out. To kill the next generation of heroes and you didn't do that?!"
"Well, I…there was a woman who was going to see me kill him and she was carrying a torch and, well…I did make him mortal, kinda."
"Fortunately for the two of you, we have been granted an opportunity to save face. Mercic, you will keep an eye on that boy while M'gra, my sweet, I have an idea of what you can do to him. I'm about to throw him a few curves he won't be able to ignore. Unless, you want to go back to your old self now, would you? Meg?"
M'gra wrapped her arms around herself and shook her still covered head with a worried expression etched on her freckled face.
"Good." He reached into a pouch and produced a small glowing green orb. "Now…here's what you're going to do."
It didn't take long for Concules to find himself in the middle of a fame tornado and was so hot that steam itself looked cool. Everywhere he went, hundreds and thousands of people screamed his name at the sight of him. The rich would throw gold coins in his wake with the poor being surprised when he gave them a large sum of it. In fact, he had so much money, he actually had cash to burn. He didn't actually burn it, but he could. He sent some back to Kalryon and the orphanage, turning it into more of a mansion for the homeless children.
Every weekly Greek opinion poll had him as the person of the week and artists slapped his face on every vase…vahse…however you pronounce it. A shoe line, Con-Air was made for him and was dubbed 'The coolest kicks in and out of the labyrinth'. Women lined the streets to see him ride by on Wolfasus, oohing and ahhing as he flexed, as well as getting glimpses of the perfect package's pretty pecs. The believers of another rising religion would say, "Amen" or "Bless my soul, Con is on a roll" as he went off to battle every threat to the city. He was sweet and undefeated with the judges ranking his fighting style ten for ten.
He was a no one, a zero. But he soon put the 'super' in superhero and went from being a zero to a hero just like that.
"Rob!" Concules yelled as he ran through his new villa home, which sat atop of a mountain overlooking the ocean. "Rob! Help!"
He didn't know how they got in or how they knew where he was in his home, but three of those he wished to keep outside had broken in and interrupted his relaxing steam. He was now in a chase for his life with barely any time to get his pants and boots on.
"ROB, YOU LITTLE BIRD BRAINED IDIOT! HELP ME!"
"Escape plan Beta!" the bird-boy yelled as his trainee was tackled and devoured before him, not by monsters, but something far worse; a group of screaming fan girls.
"I got his boots!" one of the girls yelled.
"I got a lock of hair!" shouted another.
"I got his t-shirt!" the third one screeched.
"That makes one hundred and fifty two times he's lost it this month! The first girl said. "Eight more time and we reach one sixty!"
"Concules," Rob shouted as he looked out of the building, "why are you running out to the veranda?"
His superb acting was enough to make the girls head outside in search for him when they couldn't find him anymore with Rob close behind. A crazed grin spread on his face as he chased after the girls.
With his home now empty, a lite taping of leather soles filled the air. They were so lite in fact; it was like the person making them was partly flying over the floor. "Con…Concules?"
Peeking from behind a curtain, the hero spotted a blue cloaked figure and came out of hiding at the sound of her voice. "M'gra!"
"Con! Oh, you're…you're…"
"Uh…sorry." Turning around quickly, Concules grabbed a new leather top. Boots, and pants since his were torn to shreds. "Just, uh, give me a minute."
"It's all right. The sea of raging hormones has ebbed." She looked around at his mountaintop home and couldn't help but be amazed. "So, this is what heroes do on their days off."
"I'm…I'm no hero." He came out from behind the curtain where he was hiding and fixed his red shield back into place.
"Sure you are," she said with a smile. "Everybody in Greece thinks you're the greatest thing since they put the pocket in pita."
"Well…" Concules said with a chuckle. It's just been real crazy. I can't go anywhere without being mobbed. I'm not used to it is all."
Looking back at the muscular teen, M'gra hid a blush when she saw him smile at her. "You, uh, you sound like you could use a break. Think mother hen would go nuts if you disappeared for a while? I know someplace you would like."
He smiled at her offer. Her invitation was all it for him to forget the rest of his schedule for the day.
"Okay, Big Guy," Rob said as he re-entered the home, with a clipboard in his hands and lipstick on his face. "I got them to leave, so now we can get back on schedule. You've got a meeting with King Augeas at noon, tea with the Daughters of the Greek Revolution at two, and then it's off to the Amazons to retrieve a girdle. I think you may need help with that one so I'll, he he, be coming along to- Hey, where'd you go?"
Looking around, he found he was completely alone.
What was supposed to be a quick getaway for Concules had turned into a full day of hanging out with M'gra. The two spent time at a bayside restaurant, caught a play, and enjoyed time watching the sun set. It was already evening when the two found themselves in a large garden full of blooming flowers, trees, and statues.
"You, uh, mind if we sit for a while?" M'gra asked.
"Yeah, no problem." Bending down, Concules picked up a rock and tossed it several times from one hand to the other. "Can I tell you something?"
"Sure, anything," M'gra said as she took out a necklace with the small green orb Lexdes had given her.
"When I was a kid I, I would have given anything to be normal like everybody else."
"Normal? You mean you wanted to be petty and dishonest?"
"Not everybody's not like that."
"Yes they are." She palmed the necklace in her hand and closed her fingers around it.
"You're not like that," he said, looking back at her.
"Con, how do you know what I'm like?"
"I just…the time we had today, the things we talked about, I just feel like you're, you're the most honest person I have ever met. And even though I'm surrounded by people all the time, and Rob…when I'm with you I, I don't feel so alone."
A moment passed as M'gra contemplated his words. She closed her eyes and thought of what she had gone through before she met Lexdes. "Sometimes it's better to be alone. Nobody can hurt you that way."
"Meg, I would never, ever hurt you."
She dropped the necklace on the ground and let it fall between two stones in the walkway. "And I don't ever wanna hurt you." She was taken by surprise when she found him sitting behind her and took her face in his hands.
"You won't," he said as he the two drew close.
"Superboy…Con, Concules…we can't…people do stupid things…when there in…in love. We need to...stop this...before...we-"
They were so incredibly close to having their lips touching when a metal object smacked him upside the head and broke the two apart.
"Ow, what the…Sphere?" Reaching down, he picked up the metal ball and looked it over.
"Pet of yours?" M'gra asked. She was disappointed they didn't go through with the kiss but tried to hide it by asking the question.
"Sort of, I-"
"Geez Louise! What is going on here?" Appearing in a cloud of smoke rising from the ground, Lexdes gave the two an accusing stare.
"Who are you?" Concules demanded as he had Sphere become a sword and stood in front of M'gra.
"Name's Lexdes, Lord of Dead Heroes. Hi, how ya doin'?"
"Whatever you want, you're-"
"Oh, I'm going to get what I want. I always do." Lexdes extended a hand behind him and summoned the necklace to him without the two noticing what he was doing. "All I require is a moment of your time. See, I've got a major deal in the works. A real estate venture, if you will. And Con, may I call you Con? You seem to be the only one in my way, so I would be eternally grateful if you would just…take a day off from this hero business of yours, okay?"
"Get out of here."
"Not so fast, because, you see, I do have a little leverage you might wanna know about." With a snap of his fingers, M'gra was levitated to him and wrapped up in ropes with a gag over her mouth.
"Meg! Let her go!" Concules yelled. His anger welled up inside and was ready to be unleashed should she be hurt.
"Here's the tradeoff. You wear this necklace for about 24 hours without taking it off, the next 24 hours, and your girl here is free as a bird and safe from harm. You two can then dance, kiss, schmooze, carry on, go home happy, get busy, pump out a few super babies and such, what d'ya say?"
"You're, you're going to hurt people, aren't you?"
"Why do you care? What do you owe these people, huh? They made fun of you. Spurned you. Belittled and ridiculed you. But isn't Meg, your little smoochy face, worth more than they are? Isn't she?"
"Stop it!" Concules yelled. "You have to swear she'll be safe from any harm."
With a grin, Lexdes trusted the necklace at the young hero. "Deal. Now put it on."
Looking at the bound woman, Concules put the necklace on without hesitation and immediately felt the energy being sucked out of him. All the strength he possessed was taken from his body and he soon fell to his hands and knees.
"YES!" Lexdes yelled. The strength the young hero possessed filled his body and gave him a huge power boost. "The power! The last of the heroes' powers are mine!"
Looking down at the weakened hero, Lexdes wound up and landed a kick to his midsection. "Now you know how it feels to be just like everybody else. Oh, and one more thing. Meg, darling, a deal's a deal. You'll never look like your old self again, which is an improvement of what you were before." He turned back to the downed hero. By the way, Conny boy. Is she not, like, a fabulous little actress." He turned to the still bound young woman and patted the side of her face. "Couldn't have done it without you, sugar."
"What, what do you mean?" Concules asked weakly.
"I mean your little chickie-poo here was working for me all the time. She so wanted to look like everyone else and not horribly deformed. Mercic, come, we have a job to do."
"Jeepers Mister, you're really stupid!" Mercic appeared and kicked Concules in the face. "Looks like the hero's a zero!"
"Hey, get away from him!" Hopping over the fence, Rob ran up to Concules' side with Wolfasus doing the same. "What happened?"
Before he could answer, M'gra was freed and fell to the ground. She then ran up to Concules and took him in her arms. "Please, please give him his strength back!" she pleaded with Lexdes.
"A deal's a deal, babe. And now I'm off to collect my prize, all of humanity."
"Come on, Big Guy, You've got to get up and fight back," Rob told his friend. "You can take this bum, he's a pushover."
Sitting up and shrugging off M'gra's hold on him, he stared down at the ground the finally back up at Rob. "Rob, you were right all along." He then looked back at a teary M'gra. "Dreams are for rookies."
"Concules, I'm sorry," M'gra said as tears ran down her face. "I was born deformed and, and, Lexdes, he made me normal and…you can't give up. You can't quit."
"She's right, Con. I decided to train you because you wanted to go this distance, farther than any other hero I know. Giving up's for rookies and that ain't you. I went the distance for you, are you willing to keep going as well?"
Across the garden, Lexdes and Mercic prepared to rain down fire and brimstone on the unsuspecting people of the world as they made their way to the exit. Lexdes flexed his fists repeatedly, thoroughly enjoying the feel of the newfound strength in his body when he was tackled from behind.
"Who dares…Superbrat? I'll-"
Concules didn't give him time to finish as the sword he wielded became a long hammer and slammed into Lexdes' face. He went crashing into several statues but recovered quickly.
"Mercic, take him down!"
Firing a blast of fire from her arm, Mercic closed in on the powerless hero who had managed to morph his sword into a shield and block the blaze. The heat increased as Lexdes' minion drew closer and continued to pour on the flames. Biding his time, Concules fended off the attack and ducked behind several statues. The moment Mercic stop her flame throwing, he hurled his shield at her and connected with her head. The weapon returned to him as she fell to the floor unconscious.
"Not so fast Superboy," Lexdes said as he appeared behind him. A back hand sent the hero sailing across the yard into a stone wall. "I was content in leaving you alone but since you want to die so badly I'll be more than happy to, AGH!"
Attacking the super powered villain from behind was Wolfasus who clamped down hard on his leg.
"Stupid mutt!" The animal was smacked off easily but only just before several saucer-like rocks collided with Lexdes' head.
"Lousy bird-boy!" He blasted the spot Rob was a second before being hit with a club by M'gra. He wasn't paying attention as he backhanded her into a shallow pool where she hit her head on its bottom.
"M'gra!" Concules yelled as he ran to her and scooped her up. "M'gra, wake up, please."
An eruption of light surrounded both Concules and Lexdes at that moment and instantly, the youth felt re-energized. The necklace he agreed to wear fell from his neck and disintegrated into nothing. His strength came surging back and Lexdes was once again without power as his part of the deal was broken, making it null and void.
"DRAH! You little…fine, you may have won the battle, but I've got the prize. You're girlfriend's soul, muscle boy. I'll make sure she forever walks the earth, knowing how ugly and unloved she really is!"
A cloud of smoke surrounded Lexdes as he prepared to transport himself and Mercic back to the underworld but not before Concules charged him and was teleported there as well.
"Get off me!" Lexdes yelled as he and the youth tumbled on the floor of his cavernous domain. "You won, I lost. Let bygones be bygones and let me be!"
"Give me back Meg!" Concules yelled as he readied a fist to implode Lexdes' head.
"Okay, okay, you can have her. She's right down there." He pointed to a whirling green pool filled with souls with M'gra's among the ones at the top. "She's yours. take her and be gone."
Without thinking, Concules leapt in after her.
"Oh, before I forget," Lexdes yelled form the edge of the pool. "You'll be dead by the time you reach her! I hope that isn't a problem, muscle head!"
As Concules swam ever deeper, his skin began to wrinkle and age rapidly. His hair turned gray and his muscles began to deteriorate. He knew he was dying but he continued to swim forward, never giving up on reaching M'gra's soul.
Above the pool, Lexdes grinned and snorted, feeling the triumph that, despite his plans going awry, he had still won. He has succeeded in ridding the world of another hero, leaving it for him to take over. He left the edge to head back to his planning room when he heard a rock break from behind him.
"What? How is this…you, you can't be alive! You'd have to be a, a-"
"A Superhero?" Mercic said.
Standing before him with the soul of M'gra in his arms was Concules. A yellow aura of light enshrouded him as he gave Lexdes a death glare.
"Concules…it, it's impossible. You should be dead. YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!"
Stomping towards him, Lexdes was prepared to kill him himself when Concules grabbed him by the throat and chokeslamed him to the ground.
"Know this," he angrily told him, "The heroes are back. So get on board, or get the Hades out of our way." He shoved him into the dirt deeper and walked off.
Not letting his defeat stand, Lexdes charged the hero from behind with the full intent to kill him when Concules turned and unleashed a yell as he landed a punch that had all of his anger and strength behind it to the face of the Lord of the Dead Heroes. The villain sailed across the ground and fell into the pool where the souls were and was taken down by them. He began to age rapidly but with those in the pool holding him down, he was soon turned to nothing at all. As for the souls, they were freed of their prison and flew out of the pool to the sky above.
Back on earth, Concules gently held M'gra's soul in his arms. He looked down upon her and saw the true way she looked. Her brow was sticking out slightly and her hair was missing. Her skin was a strange greenish coloring and she looked rather sickly. Despite her looking this way, she was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen or knew. She was real.
Coming up to where Rob and Wolfasus were, Cocules knelt down next to M'gra's earthly body and placed her soul in it. He held her close as he waited for her to wake up and when she did, he let out a long held breath.
"Superboy, Concules, what, what happened?" She meekly asked.
"Like you said, 'People do crazy things, when they're in love."
He leaned in to kiss her when a white cloud appeared under them and lifted them skyward. Wolfasus grabbed Rob by his tail feathers and flew after the two, much to the bird-boy's objection. They arrived at a tall, gleaming tower in the sky and knew it was Mount Watch, home to the greatest heroes of all time.
"Supey's here! Hey Supey's here!" a red haired teen shouted as he ran across the sky to meet them. "I'm Wallmes, God of Quick Messages. I just got words of your heroic deed and, well, who cares what I have to say, you saved the day and all the heroes are waiting for you. Three Cheers for the mighty Concules! Yeah, baby! Chicken Whizzies for everybody!"
"Hooray for the Superboy, Concules," the God of feminine archery, Artemis, shouted as they passed by her post. She drew an arrow from her quiver and launched it skyward where it exploded in dozens upon dozens of colors.
"Hah! You've done it, my boy. You are a true hero," Supes said as the two cloud riders came to a stop at the front of the tower.
"We are so proud of you" Diera said as she hugged him. "You were willing to give tour life for this young woman. That right there is a sign of a true hero."
"For a true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart. Now, at last, you can come home where you belong."
Looking up at the tower, the newest of the heroes stared in awe at what lay before him. It was everything he wanted, a home, acceptance, a family. Then it hit him. He already had that and he didn't need to prove he was worthy of it to begin with.
As Concules stared at the tower, M'gra wiped a tear from her face at the thought of not seeing him again as mortals couldn't live amongst the heroes of Mount Watch. "Congratulations, Concules, Superboy. You'll make one heck of a hero."
As she turned to walk away, a hand grabbed her from behind, She turned back and was surprised to find Concules standing beside her. "Supes, this is the moment I've always dreamed of, but, a life without M'gra, even an immortal one, would be empty. I'm going to stay on Earth with her. I finally know where I belong."
He leaned down and kissed the woman he had fallen in love with and she eagerly kissed him back. Supes nodded to Artemis who fired another arrow into the heavens where it exploded into the design of his shield where it stayed suspended for all eternity as the heroes celebrated and Wallmes danced the cabbage patch.
Opening his eyes slowly and inhaling deeply, Conner looked around without moving his head. The expression on his face was one of embarrassment and guilt about him having a dream that was so corny and out of character for him that he hoped he hadn't said anything like the time he had first watched 300 and shouted 'Sparta' in his sleep.
Looking down, he saw M'gann sleeping soundly and carefully moved from under her. He then picked her up and carried her off to her room, leaving Wally sleeping on the floor in what appeared to be a puddle of drool.
"Conner?" she said tiredly as he carried her down the hall.
"Yeah?"
"Can you hold me all night?"
"Yeah."
"And under the sea?"
He stopped mere feet from her door. "What?"