25-Jan-2001
As promised, here's part 3!
Thanks to Diane, Emi-chan and Danielle for their quick responses - Danielle, I'm glad you decided to give it a chance before automatically hitting delete - *huggles* - I hope this meets your expectations!
This part is dedicated to the three of you for letting me know if I should continue it!
'You're Hercules?'
'No, I'm what's his name."
-- H:tLJ
'The God of Death? Well, it sounds much better then "a hero who commits mass murder."'
-- Duo Maxwell - "Gundam Wing"
Hercules squeezed his eyes shut as the yawning chasm of light seemed to swallow him up. If he was going to die, fine, but he didn't want to watch it happen. He was vaguely aware of his half-brother shouting in his ears and he wondered what Ares would say if he asked him politely, over the howling winds, if he would kindly shut the Hades up so he could die in peace? The sheer absurdity of this statement hit him just as he felt a strange tugging as the void tried to pull him somewhere. Then the winds died abruptly and he was dumped unceremoniously to the ground. Hard ground. Not the dirt-covered clearing he was expecting. He opened one eye cautiously, and blinked.
A boy about his age, with shaggy, dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes was crouched in front of him, anger, fear and shock waging war across his face. He was shouting something at him and Hercules shook his head, not understanding. Suddenly the boy's eyes widened and he pulled Hercules towards him, shoving him behind a stone pedastal. Hercules was too confused to do anything but watch as the boy held out what looked like a piece of Hephaestus's specially-forged metal. Spurts of light shot from the end and Hercules watched as they struck a group of people at the end of the strange-looking room.
'What the...'
His own eyes widened as he saw his half-brother stagger to his feet.
" Ares!"
Heero watched in disbelief as Duo and Relena were swallowed up in the green inferno raging in front of him. Too stunned to even yell, he watched numbly as they disappeared. Pure, unadulterated rage filtered through him, igniting his senses and he growled deep in his throat. About to let loose the rage that he kept such a tight reign of control on, he stopped again as the light reappeared briefly, depositing someone on the floor in front of him.
'Duo?'
He rushed forwards, and then pulled up short, taking in the taller, more muscular frame.
'Not Duo.'
He crouched before the boy, watching with angry eyes as he regained his senses.
"What did you do to Duo?" Heero snarled at him. The boy blinked at him in confusion, and Hercules growled again. About to repeat his question - and subsequently teach the stranger why it was never a good idea to make Heero repeat his questions - he realized that the scientist that had fired the laser at Duo was warming up for a second round. Latching on to the strange vest the boy was wearing, he yanked him over and behind the brick display case, whipping his own gun out and firing three times in rapid succession. All three bullets struck their mark and Heero watched with satisfaction as the scientist fell over.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the boy start violently.
"Ares!"
'Ares?' Heero wondered. He looked over and saw another stranger, dressed in black leather, struggling to his feet. Heero looked at the boy beside him, noting the recognition, and came to the conclusion that the other stranger also had something to do with Duo's disappearance.
And Relena's, but Heero wasn't too worried about that.
He checked his watch again - Quatre was waiting outside by now. As if on cue, Trowa appeared in the front door. The plan was for him and Wufei to sneak outside and wait in the car for Heero and Duo once they had the disks. Heero surmised that when he and Duo hadn't returned, Trowa had been sent to find out what was holding them up.
"03!"
Trowa acknowledged him with a quick nod; then turned and began firing on the scientist. Two more keeled over, blood pouring across the ground where they fell.
"That's all of them," Trowa said, eyes scanning the ground. They fell on the dazed-looking man in black. "Who's he?"
Heero snatched up the shocked boy next to him. "I don't know - light flashed and then Duo and Relena were gone, and these two arrived."
"Relena?" Trowa's one visible eye boggled.
"Don't ask. Grab that guy and let's go."
Heero started half-carrying the sandy-haired boy when he cried out and pulled away. Heero glared at him and then stopped, watching as the boy seemed to pounce on the green stone that the light had emanated from. The boy studied it anxiously, nodded and then slipped it into his vest, cinching the drawstring and throwing a mild glare over at the black-clad man. Heero shook his head - they'd figure it out later.
Trowa stooped next to the older man and reached to help him. The man snarled and batted his hand away, and the boy Heero was helping shouted something. The man, 'Ares', Heero guessed, growled and then nodded to Trowa, holding one hand out dramatically as though asking him to go first. Trowa shrugged, and with a final glance behind him, went back through the doors. Ares followed and then Heero with the still as-of-yet unnamed boy.
Quatre blinked as Trowa and Heero emerged from the smoking inner remains of the museum with two complete strangers, but didn't stop to ask questions as Heero yelled at him to go. Throwing the car into gear, he cranked the steering wheel hard to one side and pulled away with a screech of the tires. Wufei, waiting just up the street on his bike, popped a wheelie before speeding out in front of them.
"Where's Duo?" Quatre asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. Heero shurgged.
"I don't know," he said in a level tone. "But these two--" he gestured to the two men squished in the back next to him "-- are going to tell us."
Trowa turned around in his seat and stared levelly at the two of them.
"So where's our friend?" he asked quietly. His calm tone did nothing to hide the icey stone of his eyes. " I suggest you tell us."
Twin looks of incomprehension, one genuinely sorry, the other positively hostile, stared back. Heero groaned.
This could take a while.
Iolaus covered his head as the ground seemed to explode. Heat from the light of the Chronos Stone washed over him and he heard the sounds of Ares men scrambling for their lives. Then the winds died back down, and after a minute, Iolaus cautiously raised his head. Hercules was gone. So was Ares, for that matter.
A whimper came from beside him. Turning his slowly he stared directly into the face of one terrified-looking Strife. When their eyes met, twin shrieks went up as they backed away from each other.
"What did you do!" Iolaus shouted angrily at the godling. Strife's eyes zeroed in on the last spot they had seen Ares.
"I am *so* dead when Uncle Ares comes back..." he whimpered, covering his eyes. Iolaus growled and waved his eyes, trying to get the ghosty-white God to look at him.
"Come back? From where? Where did you send him??"
Strife's dazed eyes looked at him.
"Me? It was the Stone! I didn't do anything!" With one last whimper, Strife disappeared in a ball of light. Iolaus blinked and watched as the dust began settling. A sound caught his attention and he snapped his head around.
"Herc?"
He blinked as two figures stumbled forwards. He took in the long hair on both of them, the slender builds... two girls? Iolaus's eyes lit up.
"Ladies, do you need a... hand?"
As the air began to clear a bit more thoroughly, Iolaus blushed as he realized one of the two figures he'd been addressing was a boy. A slender, long-haired boy, but a boy nonetheless. But the other one...
Iolaus gasped - the girl was covered in blood! Her golden-blonde hair was straggley, small twigs caught up in wind-swept tangles. Dried tear stains marred her otherwise flawless complexion and Iolaus narrowed his gaze at the boy with her. He didn't know what was going on, or where his best friend was, but this looked wrong.
"Who are you?" He challenged, stepping forward, hands loosely curled just in case the strange boy decided to start anything. The boy looked up, surprise mingling with confusion and he held up his hands peacefully. Ioluas watched suspiciously. The girl let out a cry as she took in her own blood-soaked appearance, and Iolaus watched as the boy comically rolled his eyes, turning to face the girl. Placing his hands on his hips, the boy began yelling at her.
'Dare I intervene?' Iolaus wondered, his chivalrous nature betraying him. Suddenly fire spat from the blonde girl's eyes and she began shouting back, shaking her small fist at the long-haired boy. Back and forth, back and forth until Iolaus began to get a headache from the sheer volume.
"Um... Hello?" he tried to separate the two of them, when they whirled around, shouted something in unison and then began screaming at each other again.
Iolaus backed away slowly, jaw agape. Then, as though a switch had been thrown, the two immediately turned their backs on each other and crossed their arms, studiously ignoring each other. Iolaus scratched his head.
"They act like me and Lillith," he muttered in disbelief, referring to the only female cadet at the Academy. At the sound of his voice, the boy blinked and turned to face him. Still wary, Iolaus watched him carefully, until the boy laughed, a sheepish expression on his face. The boy said something and then shrugged apologetically. Iolaus realized he must be apologizing.
"This is nuts," Iolaus growled. " I'm never gonna find out what happened to Herc unless I understand these two." He thought for a moment, wondering what to do. An idea struck him and he groaned as he realized it was his only idea for now. As much as he hated to do it, he knew it had to be done for the greater good.
"Aphrodite?" He called out, through cupped hands, to the only deighty besides Hephaestus that genuinely liked the cadets, specifically their half-brother and his mortal friends. "'Dite, I need you!"[1]
Duo groaned as he pulled himself up. Next to him, Relena was still whimpering slightly as she sat up dazedly.
"Someone better have gotten the license plate of that suit that blind-sided me," he threatened under his breath. Staggering to his feet, he reached down and unceremoniously yanked Relena to her feet. The girl was too shocked to object to the harsh treatment and stayed silent, blue eyes impossibly wide. A voice rang out through the clearing dust, and Duo's head snapped up. About to answer, Relena decided it was time to lose her mind.
Relena was somewhat in a fog, but slowly awareness seeped abck into her. She held up her hands slowly, noting the red and greyish mottling on her hands and wondered what it could be...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Duo swore and rolled his his eyes, turning to face the upset princess. Hands on his hips, he yelled out, " Would you cut that OUT!!!"
Relena stopped her shrieking long enough to realize what had been said, and who had said it to her. The combined shocks made her stand ramrod straight.
"Don't you yell at me you peasant!"
Duo growled. " Peasant? You spoiled little brat - it's your fault we're... well, whereEVER we are!" He gestured to the forest clearing.
"It is NOT!"
"It is too! If YOU hadn't followed us--"
"I wasn't following YOU, I was following Heero--"
"We never would have had to waste time saving your worthless butt--"
"Worthless?? How DARE you! I'm the Queen of the--"
"FORMER Queen, lady - you were deposed remember?"
"Insignificant streetrat!"
"High and mighty BITCH!"
"HARUMMMPH!!!"
With twin snorts, they turned their backs on each other. Duo was seething, and Relena was still breathing hard when a low mutter caught their attention. Duo blinked and turned to face the strangely- dressed boy, letting out a short laugh.
"Um... sorry 'bout that!"
He watched the boy's face stay confused and realized the language here... wherever here was, was apparently not English. Just as he was about to say something else, the boy cupped his hands to his mouth and began shouting at the air.
'Okay - that guys lost his marbles...'
After resolutely stating that mental fact, he then became convinced he was too, because just then, a woman barely covered in skimpy pink material, appeared out of nowhere.
"'Bout time ya realized it, sweet-cheeks!" At the sound of his dreaded nickname, Iolaus turned around. A shower of sparks heralded the arrival of the Goddess of Love. Iolaus blinked. The normally perfect Goddess was looking a bit dishevelled, and her usually- spotless pink swathes of fabric she called clothing were looking more mussed then she'd ever let it get. To top it off, she was carrying a baby. " And you picked a really, really bad time to realize it. Heffie absolutely refused to babysit."[2]
"A-Aphrodite?" Iolaus sqeaked.
"Yeah, it's me blondie. You've met my son, Cupid?" She hefted the baby in his general direction, making a face. " If I keep lifting this kid that way, I'm going to develop big muscles. Do you have any idea how unattractive ropy muscles are? Not to mention how difficult it is to get baby spit out of chiffon."
Iolaus bit back a laugh with some effort. " Um... 'Dite, this is kind of important."
"Whatever. You gonna tell me or what?" The Goddess was losing what little patience she had left. Suddenly she squinted past him and looked at the two dusty figures behind him.
"Whoa - major weirdness. They're like, not from here, are they?"
"I don't know 'Dite," Iolaus said speaking slowly, in an effort to not confuse the Goddess. In a few minutes, he'd sketched out a general idea as to what had happened. Aphrodite giggled.
"Ares got zapped? Serves big brother right!"
"Aphrodite, Herc got zapped too, ya know."
"Yeah, yeah - I heard ya sweet-cheeks." The Goddess winked at him. " So who are they? And can I borrow the brunnette? He's cute!"
"I can't ask them who they are, 'cause they don't understand our language." Iolaus pushed his hair out of his eyes. " They just spent five minutes yelling at each other in a language I didn't recognize."
"So? that's easy to fix." With a wave of her hand, pink sparkles bathed the two strangers. Aphrodite smiled sunnily. " See? It's all in the wrist. Geez Curly, why didn't ya just ask me to do that in the first place?"
Iolaus closed his eyes and counted to ten. A cough interrupted his inner mantra and he looked up to see the boy waving at him hesitantly.
"Hey, um, can you understand me now?" Iolaus asked slowly. A wide grin split the face of the boy, and he bounded over eagerly.
"Wow, that's cool! Now I understand ya! I'm Duo, Duo Maxwell, Shinigami himself! Who are you? Where are we? How'd we get here? How'd that lady appear out of nowhere and can I have her phone number?"
Iolaus grinned, sensing a kindred spirit in Duo Maxwell.
"Hi Duo, pleased to meet you. I'm Iolaus." He peered around the boy curiously. " Who's she?"
"A nuisance," Duo answered properly. A rock hit him in the head. He scowled back at her. " Knock it off!"
"Serves you right," Relena hissed. She sidestepped him, neatly bumping him out of the way with her hip. She smiled at Iolaus. "Hello - I'm Relena Peacecraft."
"Iolaus." He picked up her hand and gently kissed her knuckles as any true gentleman would. Relena giggled. Duo gagged, covering his eyes. Iolaus grinned as he watched him peek through his fingers at the shapely goddess though. This could be interesting.
End Part 3
Notes:
1. Aphrodite: Goddess of Love, mother of Cupid, lover of Hephaestus.
Ares younger sister, and big sister to Hercules. Loves to tease
Iolaus, help Hercules as long as it doesn't interefere with her
massages, pedicures or manicures, and makes it her goal in life to
avoid anything sticky, slimey or with an ick factor. *grins* Although
that last one has been a lot more difficult since she had Cupid...
2. Heffie - 'Dite's name for Hephaestus.
TBC, and C&C!
Stormy
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