Author's Note: Only Own Blaster, Nox, Xarch, the Hybrids/Partials, and the Seekers of the Keyblades. This Episode is brought to you by the Keyblade Exchange. Whether you need a new Keyblade, or just need your old one resharpened, the Keyblade Exchange can get what you need. Currently located next to Uncle Scrooge's Sea-Salt Ice Cream Store in Radiant Garden.
Secondary Note: This update is a little late because last weekend was a little hectic. Especially with exams coming up.
Chapter Eleven: The Deal
"Hello guys," Hades said, looking around. "We need to talk."
In an instant, everyone turned and brandished their weapons. The Blizzard Seeker held up her hand and created a shield of ice, extending it to encompass Hades, Sora, Blaster, Hercules, and herself.
"We seem to have gotten off to a bad start," the Blizzard Seeker said. "Hi, my name is Ventisca, Seeker of Blizzard. I'm sorry for Inferno's overreaction back in Radiant Garden. He is in love with Keyblades and just loves to make out with them."
"Okay," Blaster said, advancing with the Thirteen Order Crystal still drawn defensively. "That was a little too much information."
"What do you want, Hades?" Hercules demanded angrily, also approaching with his weapon drawn defensively. Sora was a little more antsy, and had his blade ready to swing, with the muscles in his scrawny arms bulging.
"No need for weapons," Hades said, snapping his finger and dismissing Hercules' sword. Blaster stopped his approach when Hercules lost his sword, but kept his Keyblade out. Sora relaxed his stance, but still held his Keyblade defensively. "Now," Hades continued, "It seems to me that you keep working and working, and all you do is fight. Well, I'm offering you a chance to take a day off from your hero business. I mean, you don't have to save the world every day."
"Are you out of your mind?" Blaster exclaimed.
"Ah, well, we have a little bit of leverage," Hades said, snapping his fingers. In a cloud of black smoke, Kairi disappeared and reappeared inside the shield, tied with ropes of darkness, right next to her was Meg, tied similarly.
"Meg!" Hercules shouted
"Kairi!" Sora added.
"What have you done?" Kairi accused. "LET ME GO!"
"Don't listen to them, Herc-," Meg began to say, but she and Kairi disappeared in another cloud of smoke.
"Now that's going too far," Blaster said. "Let them go!"
"Well, here's the trade-off," Hades replied. "Hercules gives up his strength, and you two Key-Brats give up your blades for 24 hours, okay? Say, the next 24 hours and both Meg and Kairi here are free as a bird and safe from harm. We dance, we kiss, we schmooze, we carry on, we go home happy. What d'ya say? Come on."
"Are people going to be harmed?' Sora asked.
"Well, it happens, cause it's, ya know, war," Hades said.
"There is a slim chance that anyone will get hurt," Ventisca said. "In fact, we won't send any monsters to destroy you." As she said this, her hand was behind her back, but covered in her blue cape, so that no one could see her cross her fingers.
"Anyway, what do you owe these people, huh?" Hades asked. "Isn't Meg more important than they are? Isn't Kairi more important than a whole horde of Heartless?"
"Stop it!" Sora exclaimed, his arms tensing up again.
"Aren't they?" Hades asked.
"You gonna swear that they'll be safe from harm?" Hercules asked.
"Fine, okay," Hades said. "I'll give you that one. Meg and Kairi will be safe. Otherwise, you'll get your strength, or your blades back, yadda-yadda, fine print, boilerplate, baboom, okay? Just one injury to both and you'll be back." There was a pause while everyone thought about it.
"Don't listen to him!" Riku shouted, Way to the Dawn drawn.
"You, in the peanut gallery," Hades said, turning to the dark keyblade wielder. "No interfering." Hades turned to the trio again. "We're done, what d'ya say we shake on it?" Hades held out a hand to Hercules, while Ventisca held both her hands out for Sora and Blaster. Blaster was slowly undoing his blade-belt, but had his hand on his blade just in case. "Hey, I really don't have, like, time to bat this around. I'm kinda on a schedule here. I got plans for August, okay?" Still no response, except from the clinking of the hasp of his belt. "I need an answer, like, now."
Blaster still held his blade in his sheath, but he held it by the blade, still suspecting foul play. Sora did too as he twirled his blade so that he held it backwards.
"Going once," Hades said, impatiently. "Going twice."
"Alright," Hercules said.
"Okay," Blaster said. Sora just nodded.
"Yes," Hades said as Hercules took his hand. "We're there! Bam!" As soon as Hercules grabbed Hades' hand, he began to feel weaker as light went from him to Hades. Sora dropped his Keyblade and ran to help Hercules to help him if, and when, he fell. Blaster just threw his blade down, while Ventisca threw a set of golden bracelets at Blaster. Blaster went to dodge, but the bracelets clapped onto his wrists like a set of handcuffs. He could feel his power draining, but he didn't have the dramatic fall to add to it. He then watched as a silver set of bracelets clamped onto Sora's wrists.
"You may feel a little queasy, it's kinda natural," Hades said as Hercules predictably fell backwards. Blaster ran over to help catch Hercules.
"Easy there, Herc," Blaster said.
"And, a deal's a deal," Hades said. With a snap of his fingers, Meg and Kairi reappeared, lacking the ropes of darkness. "Meg, Kairi, you're free to go. Sorry about the short notice Kairi. As for you Herc, don't you think Meg is the perfect little actress?"
"So she HAS still been working for you," Blaster accused, accidently forgetting that his blade was now unavailable to him.
"Yup," Hades said. "Well, gotta blaze. There's a while cosmos up there with…hey, my name on it." Hades climbed into a demonic chariot, with Ventisca at his side, as it appeared in another flash of smoke. He snapped his fingers, and the chariot took off. "So much for the preliminaries, and now on to the main event."
"That can't be good," Blaster said, standing up to go over and help Hercules to his feet. The ice shield shattered, and instantly, Riku was on top of Meg. Everyone else rushed in to prevent any altercation.
"Why?" Riku demanded, blade threateningly near her neck. "Why were you working for Hades?"
"It's not like I had a choice," Meg replied, angrily shoving Riku's blade away from her. "Hades still owned my soul. I had no choice but to work for him."
"And now he's going to try something," Nox said.
"Are you okay, Sora?" Donald asked.
"I'll be fine," Sora replied. "But, I still feel defenseless. At least last time, I lost my Keyblade to a friend."
"We may have bigger fish to fry," Kairi said. "Hercules, do you think you know what Hades meant by a 'while cosmos?'"
Even weakened, Hercules gasped at only one thought.
"He's going for home," Hercules said. "Mount Olympus."
"Can we warn the gods?" Sora asked.
"You still got the Olympus Stone?" Hercules asked. Sora nodded. It was the first thing he remembered to pack of the essentials, after his keychains and all those maps. "If you can find Pegasus, you can try to get up there."
"I've got a better idea," Blaster said. Turning to Riku, he asked, "Riku, can you still summon that Guardian thing without turning into Ansem…I mean Xehanort's Heartless?"
"I've tried," Riku said. "It hasn't been working really well, but I have been able to use the Guardian sporadically."
"Learn to better control it," Blaster said. "That is your element. At least I think." Turning to Sora and Kairi, he asked, "I will send you two as well, but I think I have an idea."
"What is your idea?" Sora asked. "You know I can't go up there to fight! I'm lacking my Keyblade! Besides, how do we get up there?"
"Then Drive with Kairi, and hope her form has a set of wings," Blaster said.
"This may feel a little weird," Kairi said, laying a hand on Sora. "LIGHT!" Sora and Kairi were both engulfed in a flash of light, blinding everyone except Blaster. When the light cleared, Kairi was the same as ever, only her top turned into a perfect tank-top that was perfectly white, and short cut, showing a little skin between the bottom of her shirt to the top of her skort. Her skort ended up shorter, turning white, and gaining an angel-wing symbol along the edge of the skirt part. Her boots came up to her knee again, turning white as well.
In addition to that, she had some sort of glow to her, flaring around her head , causing a thin, golden ring to appear floating an inch or two above her head. A set of angel wings flashed into existence on her back, unfurling in a splendor of white feathers. Kairi summoned Island Memories, and Oathkeeper appeared. Both floated casually a few inches from her hands.
"Wow," Blaster said. "Sora would love to see you like that."
Like to see what? Sora asked Kairi through their telepathic link.
"This is weird," Kairi said.
Like to see what?! Sora repeated, impatiently.
"I think he wants to see," Kairi said. "And so do I."
"Pegasus," Blaster said into his wristband, "can you bring me a mirror?"
"Pegasus?" Hercules asked, confused.
"A part of that ship that crashed here over a year ago," Riku muttered.
A mirror appeared in front of Kairi, showing her in her new, Angelic Form.
You look beautiful. Sora said.
"Thanks," Kairi said, answering Sora and thanking Blaster for the ability to see herself entirely.
"Thank you, Pegasus," Blaster said. "Please return the mirror and bring me a short sword." The mirror disappeared, and in it's place, a replica of the King's Sword appeared, tip down in the ground. "Kairi, take the sword and give it to Sora when your drive is done. I don't expect a brute force attack"
"You might have a little problem at the gates," Hercules said. "Just tell Hermes to get my mother or my father to come so that you can warn them officially of an impending attack."
"Glad to," Kairi said, testing out her wings for a bit before flying at top speed towards Mount Olympus. Riku conjured the Guardian for the first time with confidence, then, with a nod, shot after Kairi, being held in the grasp of the Guardian.
"I just want to know what Hades is doing," Blaster said. "Meg, you'll be with me. We're going to find Pegasus, the horse, and see if we can get Phil."
"Why?" Hercules asked.
"Because, Wonderboy," Meg said. "You never know when you need back-up."
ITFITFITFITFITF
Hades and Ventisca hovered over the ocean as the planets aligned. A whirlpool appeared until it looked like it was spiraling down a large drain. At the bottom was a cage seemingly made out of lightning. Inside this cage were different creatures, about as large, if not larger than Optimus Prime standing erect. There was one made of ice, one of solid stone, one of molten lava, one of wind in the shape of a tornado, one of what appeared to be water, and the oddball of the group, a cyclopse.
"Brothers," Hades shouted down. "Titans! Who was it that put you down there?"
"Zeus!" the Titans replied, in a menacing way.
"And what would you do if I were to release you?" Hades asked
"Destroy Zeus," The Titans replied.
Hades conjured a large ball of fire.
"Good answer."
(Scenes from the next chapter.)
ON THE NEXT "INTO THE FIRE": With the Titans released ("My Lord!" Hermes shouted, skidding to a halt in mid-air. "My Lady! The Titans have escaped!"), the battle for Mount Olympus has begun (AND THEY ARE PRACTICLY AT OUR GATES!"). And not even Hercules is safe ("Phil, Hercules is in trouble!" Blaster exclaimed."). Tune in next week for an all new chapter of "Into the Fire." (Most) Fridays at (around) 9/8c.
VIRTUAL JOURNAL
VENTISCA: The Blizzard Seeker. She is a little friendlier than Inferno, but still, just as deadly. Her name seems to be the name for "Blizzard" in Spanish.
PEGASUS: The winged horse of mythology, and best friend of Hercules. He has helped once before, mainly being Hercules' trusty steed. He first appeared in Hercules in 1997.
Please Review/Comment. Constructive criticism welcome. Reminder: Flames will be launched into space.