Chapter Eleven

In the cave, Nero searched the wall for a button to open the door to the secret lab. Finding the big red rock, he kicked it and it opened the door.

"Okay, why do they have a green rock for?" asked Nero.

Now that they're in the lab, they both looked through all the potions.

"Which one is the human potion?" asked Pyrrha.

"I don't know. Just keep looking."

Pyrrha opened an eagle-shaped cabinet with labels singed underneath the bottles. "Over here. It has to be one of these. Lions, tigers, bears-" But there were no bottles in the human section.

"Oh my." said Vulcan's voice. He stepped out of the shadows with the potion that should turn Nero back. "Is this what you're looking for?"

"What?" puzzled Nero. "How'd you get here before us?"

"We didn't." said Mars also coming out of the shadows. "He brought it with us… just in case of emergencies. Like right now."

"Wait!" objected Nero. "I admit it. I was a total jerk. Maybe I wasn't as nice as I should have been. But Vulcan… I can make it up for you. I can get your old job back. And you don't have to kill me."

"Do you really think I wanted to be in the senate? I wanted the rule the Roman Empire. I was first in line, until you were born. It is MY destiny. I am the oldest. So think of it as… you're being let go. That your life's going in a different direction. That your body is part of a permanent outplacement."

A look of fear crossed Nero's face as he finally understood Vulcan's motives.

"Hey," said Mars to Vulcan, "that's kinda like what he said to you when you got fired."

"I know. It's called a cruel irony. Like my dependence on you."

"I can't believe this is happening!" panicked Nero."

"Then I bet you weren't expecting this…!" Vulcan started to pull up his tunic, making Nero and Pyrrha recoil and start yelling objections. Then he revealed a knife strapped to his thigh. "A-ha!" Nero and Pyrrha were relieved and passed it off as Vulcan throws the knife to Mars. "Finish them off!"

However, Mars looked reluctant about the option to kill them both. He walked to the two and asked "Uh… what can I do here?"

"Mars," said Nero, "you don't have to kill us. Just let Pyrrha go. She had nothing to do with this."

"Okay, but I-"

Then Vulcan, annoyed, interrupted "Mars! Why did I think you could do this? This one simple thing. It's like I'm talking to a monkey."

"Whoa, now!" said Pyrrha, shocked.

"A really, really big, stupid monkey named MARS!"

"Ouch!" said Nero, also shocked.

"And another thing, Mars… you're FIRED!"

Hearing that made Mars gasp, he broke down into tears and Pyrrha comforted him. He looked above Vulcan and noticed a chandelier. Making his choice, Mars cut the rope to the chandelier, sending it falling down towards Vulcan, but due to its wide form, it fell around him instead of on him.

"Strange." said Mars. "That usually works."

"And so does this!" Vulcan pulled over a large vial, which turned out to be a lever for a trapdoor below Mars and he fell through. Then Pyrrha took the vial from his hand. "Give me that vial, you wretched girl!"

He stole the vial back, but Nero pushed him away, dropping the vial. Vulcan tipped over the shelves with the vials, now there were a dozen of them on the floor. Nero and Pyrrha were trying to fine which one is human.

"Oops. Clumsy me." Vulcan pulled a lever and the floor began to elevate upwards. "Better hurry. We don't wanna miss the game."

Then there was light coming from above the two. They've found themselves in the coliseum. A dozen gladiators arrived with lethal weapons and Vulcan climbed up the stage to his seat.

"Kill the peasant girl!" he ordered. "She murdered the emperor!"

The gladiators charged for attack while Nero said "No, wait! I'm the emperor! It's me - Nero! They're not listening to me!"

"Just take them all!" said Pyrrha grabbing all the potions and running away with Nero. "Try this one!"

Nero drank a potion from Pyrrha and he turned into a baby seal. "Uh, Pyrrha? A little help!"

The gladiators were closing in on the slowing seal. Pyrrha picked him up and carried him while running away. But there were more of them in front of her. She looked at one of the vials. "Oh, please be something with wings."

She made Nero drink another vial, he turned into a falcon and flew over the gladiators. But he swooped back to claw at the men that were about to kill Pyrrha.

"We're not getting anywhere with you picking the vials." said Nero. "I'm picking the next one!"

"Fine by me!"

"Give me that one!" Nero drank another and he changed into a whale. "Don't you say a word."

With the gladiators closing in, Nero used his massive tail to swat them like flies. He drank another vial and he changed back into a lion.

A gladiator was charging at Pyrrha. With an idea, she said "Take this, ya bully." She threw a vial at the gladiator, turning him into a cow. He tripped over and crashed on the wall, much to her amusement.

"Oh, yeah?!" said the gladiator with a vial he found on the floor. "Well, take that, ya lil' chicken!" He threw at her, but Pyrrha ducked to dodge, and it turned another man in a chicken.

"Hey!" said another gladiator. "Gimme those potion-thingies!"

"Quit your squawking!" said Nero.

Nero threw a vial with his tail at the gladiator, which turned him into a crow. Having enough with his cousin, he jumped up to the stands and confronted Vulcan. He looked very apprehensive, seeing he was cornered and at a lion's mercy.

"Now, now." said Vulcan. "Listen to me, Nero. I just…"

Then Pyrrha climbed up with one vial left and said "I've found it. The one that should turn you back into a human."

Distracted to hear that, Vulcan got the opportunity to pick up a dagger and throw it at Nero. But he quickly realized it, and he ducked before it would hit him. Pyrrha dodged it too, but then two guards grabbed her and took her to Vulcan's left side with a knife sticking on her throat.

"Time to finish you." Vulcan took out one potion and drank it, turning him into a tiger. "I'm gonna…" he said, but he sounded like he's got something in his throat. "Is that my voice? Is that my voice? Oh, well."

"Vulcan," said Nero, "let her go. Please."

"You don't order me anymore. She has the vial I'm going to drink. And once I've turned back into myself, I'm going to make her watch you die!"

Nero looked up and saw a pile of hot coal. While Vulcan was closing in on Pyrrha, Nero swiped the coals into Vulcan's face. With a cry of surprise and pain, Vulcan pawed the coals away as Nero leaped and attacked. Both Nero and Vulcan landed heavy blows. Nero got knocked on his back. Vulcan leaped through at him, but the lion gathered courage and used his cousin's momentum in a "throw" to send him flying over the edge. Vulcan tumbled to the bottom and he weakly got up.

Then some lions appeared from below and see the tiger as food. Vulcan roared, but it didn't work on them.

"Wow, Vulcan." said Nero, smugly smiling. "You're just not used to being a tiger."

"Nero." begged Vulcan. "Spare me. I beg you!"

Ignoring it and with Vulcan getting devoured by the lions, Nero approached the guards who backed off and released Pyrrha. Thankful, Pyrrha ran and embraced herself on Nero.

"Here, uh, let me get this for you." Pyrrha pulled out the cork and handed it to Nero. But before he could do anything, she interrupted "Wait. You might need this." She handed him her blanket so he can hide his private parts.

"Well," smiled Nero, "see ya on the other side." He drank the potion and he's finally changed back into a human.