Me: Hello again! :D
Tintin: Oh. You're all here again, huh? :I
Me: Ah, don't mind him! He's just pissed at me cos I like to beat him up~! 8D
Tintin: W-well, yes! Wouldn't you be angry if I beat you up all the time? :(
Me: Ohhh, no~! I would like that very much... *crazy fangirl rage* 8D
Tintin: Great snakes! I don't want to know what you're thinking about... D:
Me: *ahem* Anyway, uh... Tintin! Why don't you do the disclaimer? :D
Tintin: Sure. AkuRoku18 doesn't own The Adventures of Tintin, nor is she making a profit. :)
Me: Thank you! Now you all enjoy some fanfiction and beating up the poor Quiffy-one! 8D
Tintin: ...Quiffy-one? D:
Chapter 1
October 12, 1940
"Ahh, don't you just love this weather, Snowy?" Tintin asked. He was standing on the balcony of his hotel room, which had a superb view of the sea. The sky was clear and just the slightest breeze made the weather just perfect. However, Snowy yipped agitatedly and tried to curl up back into a cozy ball to get more sleep. "C'mon, lazy bones. Get up and smell that marvelous sea air!" said Tintin enthusiastically. Snowy huffed in annoyance, but got up to join his master on the balcony. "There, see? It isn't so bad. It wakes you right up, doesn't it?" Snowy gave Tintin the sure-whatever-let's-get-some-food look. Tintin seemed to understand and said, "Okay. I am pretty hungry myself." The reporter hastily dressed himself and went to the elevator.
"Where to, sir?" the bellboy asked in a heavy Greek accent.
"The bottom floor, please," Tintin replied, stepping into the elevator with Snowy following close behind him. The bellboy nodded. Soon, they were on the bottom floor. Tintin thanked the bellboy and walked out of the hotel. He'd heard of a good restaurant not very far from where he was staying.
When he was outside, a man wearing an expensive looking suit standing in front of an expensive looking car said, "Your car, Mr. Tintin."
"Hmm? A car? What for?" Tintin asked.
The man chuckled and said, "Yes, Mr. Tintin. The car Master Metaxas sent for you, sir."
"Oh, that was kind of him. I'll give him my regards," said Tintin, walking into the car. Snowy leaped after him before the chauffeur closed the door.
"Where to, sir?" the chauffer called over his shoulder.
"Oh! Er…I heard of a restaurant that was near here," replied Tintin.
"Ah, yes, sir. The 'Naó tou Poseidó̱na.' A very good choice, sir," the chauffer said, and began to drive. When he stopped, the car was parked in front of a very fancy looking restaurant with words 'Naó tou Poseidó̱na' in a pretty looking cursive scrawl.
Tintin murmured, "Wow. This looks like a really extravagant place, huh, Snowy?" The little white dog yipped. "Er, chauffer? I'm not sure this was the restaurant I read about…I don't believe I have enough euros…"
"Do not worry yourself, sir. Master Metaxas has all of your funds covered, sir," the chauffer said, stepping out of the car and opening Tintin's door. The reporter came out and dug around in his pockets to find some spare change. He tipped the chauffer and walked into the 'Naó tou Poseidó̱na.'
As soon as Tintin came in the restaurant, a waitress immediately strode over to the young reporter and said, "Welcome, Mr. Tintin. Your seat has been prepared. Follow me, please." Even though he was slightly appalled, Tintin followed the waitress. He was led into a private room on the top floor where there was a small table next to a large window. "Your seat, sir."
"O-oh! Thank you very much," Tintin said. The lady pulled out his chair and he sat.
"What will you have this fine morning, Mr. Tintin?" asked the waitress, handing Tintin a menu.
Tintin looked at the menu and said, "Well, coffee to drink, and omeletta me tiri to eat, please." The waitress bowed and left the room. "Great snakes, Snowy! A private room, all to ourselves! Mr. Metaxas is a generous man, isn't he?" Snowy barked in approval. They'd even been kind enough to let Snowy come into the place.
A short time later, the same waitress came back with Tintin's coffee and food. "Here is your food, sir."
"Thank you."
Snowy barked at Tintin. He nodded and said, "Sure, Snowy. We should go get our interview from Mr. Metaxas now." He stood up and went to the door, Snowy trotting behind him.
The waitress bowed and said, "We hope to see you soon, Mr. Tintin."
"Yes. Thank you very much," Tintin replied. He walked outside and the same chauffer from earlier in the morning.
"Hello, again, Mr. Tintin. Master Metaxas sends for you, sir," the chauffer said while bowing. He opened the back door to the car and gestured for Tintin to get in.
"Ah, great!" said Tintin. He stepped into the car and it drove off. Eventually, they arrived at a huge, old looking building.
The chauffer, again, was the first one out of the car and instantly opened Tintin's door. He said, "This is the parliamentary building, where Master Metaxas resides."
"Parliamentary? Isn't Greece a dictatorship?" asked Tintin in curiosity.
"Ah, yes, sir. However, we still prefer to call this the parliamentary building, sir," the chauffer replied. "Now, if you please, allow me to show you to Master Metaxas." Tintin was led inside the stone marvel. Inside, the walls were decorated with paintings of ancient Greece, important battles, and old rulers.
Several flights of stairs later, Tintin and Snowy were outside of Ioannis Metaxas's room. At the door were two guards, both carrying M1911 pistols and truncheons at their sides. The chauffer whispered something to the guard on the right side of the door. The guard nodded and said with a thick Greek accent, "Master Metaxas sees you now." The left hand guard opened the door and showed Tintin in.
"Master Metaxas. The reporter here to see you, sir," the guard muttered. The man sitting at his desk looked up, gave the guard a look to leave, and went back to his paperwork. The guard grumbled something or other and shut the door behind Tintin.
After the guard had left the room, the man at the desk looked up again and asked quickly, "You are…Tintin, correct? Have a seat."
"Ah, thank you, sir," Tintin said politely; he tried his best to be polite. "Mr. Metaxas –"
Metaxas coughed and said strictly, "I prefer either 'Sir' Metaxas, or 'Führer' Metaxas, thank you."
"Er, right. Forgive me, sir."
"Apology accepted."
Tintin sighed. This is going to be a long interview… "Führer Metaxas, I'd like to start, if you may, with the increasing threat of the Italian troops on Greece's border."
"Hmph. I don't know what you have heard in Austria, dear boy—"
"Belgium, sir."
Metaxas's eyebrow twitched and he continued in an angrier tone, "Right, yes, Belgium. Whatever the country you hail from, you have heard nothing but lies! There is no danger from the pasta-loving anói̱toi here!"
"Er…yes, but from even your fellow Greek citizens, I have heard the rumors of more and more Italian battalions on the bor—"
"Sio̱pí̱! There is no danger from those white flag-waving treloús! I don't know what anyone has told you, but they are all liars!"
"But, sir! Surely you must see…" But Tintin stopped himself. He knew there was no further arguing with Ioannis. "Right you are, sir. But, have you actually sent anyone to investigate these rumors?"
"Tch! They are rumors, they do not need investigating! A bunch of propaganda conjured up by some frightened elaiokalliergi̱tés, nothing more!" Metaxas insisted, with a hint of a snarl coming into his voice.
"Right. But do these, er… 'olive farmers' have any validity in their claims? Or has the government not done anything about—"
This was when Metaxas slammed his fist on his desk, sending papers and ink bottles flying, and the noise made Snowy leap about 5 feet in the air (he was sleeping almost peacefully). Metaxas roared, "Sio̱pí̱, na sas xegelásei! I have told you! I deny everything about the Italians on our borders! Af̱tó eínai éna pséma! You hear me? IT IS A LIE!"
Tintin stood abruptly and practically shouted, "Very well! With that, I bid you GOOD DAY, SIR!" He whirled around and stormed out the door. Snowy growled at Ioannis and loped after his master. "Confound him! An interview is when you answer questions, not explode in the reporter's face! "
The right hand guard stopped Tintin on his way out and asked, "What happened? Master Metaxas sounds angry…"
"Let's say I'm not collecting any further comments from 'Führer' Ioannis Metaxas," Tintin said with annoyance. "Come on, Snowy." The little white dog huffed with the same feeling as his master: Ioannis Metaxas was agrivating!
Later on, Tintin was walking back to his hotel. He had refused the chauffer's offer to drive him back. "I say, Snowy, this doesn't look like the right way back…" said a puzzled Tintin. Snowy whimpered. "Crumbs! Now I've gone and lost the both of us! Great thinking back there, Tintin…" A car drove past Tintin, coasted for about 10 meters, and came to a stop. Three men got out and began to follow the reporter. Tintin noticed and began to walk faster.
The three men caught up to the young reporter. One of them asked, "Eíste Tintin?"
"Excuse me?"
"He asked, 'Are you Tintin?'" another of the men said. The first one nodded.
Tintin looked shiftily at the three men. All three were dressed in black, and they had undoubtedly hid police truncheons in their pockets. The reporter questioned warily, "And if I am?"
"Emeís tha sas párei na Tágmatos tou Ádi̱! Tágmatos tou Ádi̱!" the first man said, and started laughing. Now, Tintin didn't catch much of that sentence, but he recognized one word. 'Ádi̱.' Hades. This can't be good…
"Now, come with us quietly, and we won't have to resort to physical violence, boy," the third man threatened. He beckoned for Tintin to come to the car.
"And if I say no?" Tintin asked.
The third man cackled and said, "I just told you, boy. We won't have to hurt you. We won't resort to physical violence." At his sentence's end, Tintin had heard enough. He moved faster than a bullet and smashed his fist into the cackling man's face.
"Well, I think you'll have to resort to physical violence to get me to come!" Tintin yelled. The man who only spoke Greek charged at Tintin, but the smaller reporter was faster. He sidestepped the thug and tripped him. The man shouted something profane in Greek and slammed into a wall. The second man took out his truncheon (just as Tintin thought; they did have weapons on them) and lunged at Tintin. The thug brought the bludgeon down that would have knocked someone out, but Tintin head-butted his enemy in the stomach. He fell to the ground. The one who only spoke in Greek had time to recover and pulled out his truncheon. In a desperate attempt, he threw the thing at Tintin while he was trying to wrestle the other cosh out of the other man's hand. Unluckily for the reporter, the flying bludgeon hit him straight in the eye. He tumbled off of his enemy, holding his eye. While Tintin was distracted, the second thug raised his truncheon to knock out his foe, but was thwarted by a flying ball of white, angry fur. Snowy lodged his teeth into the man's leg, causing him to swear loudly in Greek.
"Get off, you blasted animal!" the thug shouted furiously, hitting Snowy with his cosh. Snowy crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Tintin yelled angrily, "You brute! How dare you do that to Snowy!" He ran to the thug and fist met face when the enraged reporter punched the man as hard as he could. The third man, who Tintin had knocked out earlier, awoke.
"Synchéontai vlax! You're tougher than we thought!" the thug hissed under his breath. Quickly, he yanked his bludgeon out of his pocket, ran up behind Tintin, and hit him as hard as he could.
CRACK!
Wh-what hit me? It must have been the one I punched earlier! I've got to… But it was too late. Tintin's vision had already started to blacken. His knees buckled and he fell to the cold stone underfoot. I…I need to…get up… The last thing Tintin saw was the three thugs and their black car before blacking out.
Dun dun DUN! What will happen to Tintin? What do the thugs want? Find out in the next exciting chapter of "Tintin and the Order of Hades"!
Me: Yeah~! I just thought I'd let everyone know that my Greek is coming from my wonderful Google Translator! So, my apologies to anyone who speaks Greek because I've probably misspelled something or other! :)