Cherry's Adventures of Hercules

chapter 4

The next morning, bright and early, the young group went away to get going. They waved goodbye to Amphityron and Alcmene one last time and set their journey. They went through a canyon, went through a field, Hercules knocked over a tree and made a bridge for them to cross, came through the woods and dodged a thunderstorm. After the long adventure, the sky got dark. Hercules, Cherry, and Atticus made it to the temple. They then decided to quickly head inside and meet the figure of Zeus. Hercules just hoped this trip would be worth it and he would finally be happy with himself.

"Well, this is it..." Cherry whispered to Atticus.

"Yep, it sure has been quite a while since we've seen him." Atticus whispered back to her.

"You guys coming?" Hercules called as he had gone ahead.

Cherry and Atticus noticed they were left behind, so they went with him.

"Mighty Zeus," Hercules spoke up, looking at the statue of the mighty god of Mount Olympus. "Please hear me and answer my question. Who am I? Where do I belong?"

Suddenly, there came a breeze of the wind. Hercules looked around him and suddenly the torches were lit with fire and the statue came to life. Zeus was in his statue form, but he was the God on the inside now. His eyes opened and he smiled as he looked down at the teen with a bright, fatherly smile. "My boy, my little Hercules." his hand came down to hold the boy.

Hercules freaked out, then started to run away.

"No, wait, Hercules, stop!" Atticus called out to him while the demigod boy was running away.

"Hold on, kid, where's your hurry?" Zeus reached for the boy and held him in his ginormous hands for the first time in years. "Is this the greeting you give your father after all these years?"

Hercules's head popped out in surprise. "F-F-Father?"

"Didn't know you had a famous father, did you?" Zeus laughed as he held Hercules, now standing in his palm. "SURPRISE! Look how you've grown," Zeus was very happy for this moment. "You have your mother's eyes and my strong chin..."

"Yep, he sure does, sir, he sure has grown into quite a guy!" Atticus called up to the god statue.

"You have looked after him very well..." Zeus smiled to Cherry and Atticus as he carried Hercules in his hand.

"It was our pleasure..." Cherry said softly.

"Wait," Hercules stopped to think. "If you're my father that would make me a..."

"A god." Zeus finished for him.

"Wouldn't you guys be gods too?" Hercules asked, he did not know that they actually weren't his siblings.

"Well, yes, but we're not, because we're not your real brother and sister." Atticus said.

"What...?" Hercules asked.

"It's a bit of a long story." Cherry added.

"I trusted them to help look for you and help you understand your destiny." Zeus told Hercules.

Hercules was still shocked to discover he was a god and even fell in Zeus's large hand.

"Please, don't fall over this time," Zeus kept him from fainting. "You wanted the answers, now you got them."

"Yeah." Atticus added.

"But, why did you leave me here on Earth?" Hercules asked the statue. "Didn't you want me?"

"Of course we did," Zeus sounded sorrow, never forgetting the day the boy was taken from him and Hera. "Your mother and I loved you with all our hearts, but some vandals stole you away and made you mortal. Mount Olympus doesn't allow mortals."

"Then how did we get in?" Cherry asked.

"That is a question we have not found the answer for yet, but I trust you to still help my son to prove him worthy of the Olympian gates and you two will be rewarded." Zeus told the mortal children.

"So, there's nothing you can do?" Hercules sighed to his father.

"I can't, but you can." Zeus told him.

"Really? What is it?" Hercules brightened up. "I'll do anything!"

"Hercules, if you can prove yourself to be a true hero, your immortal-ship will be restored!" Zeus said.

"That's perfect!" Atticus cheered, happy to know there was a way for Hercules.

"A true hero, I like that!" Hercules praised, then grew low again. "Uhh... How do you become a true hero?"

"First, you must seek out Philetes, the trainer of heroes." Zeus advised.

"Seek out, Philetes, got it! I'll just--WHOA!" Hercules nearly fell from his father's hand.

"Hold your horses, son!" Zeus laughed, picking the boy back from falling any further. "Which reminds me..." he then whistled as loud as he could.

There came a shooting star which formed into a familiar horse with wings.

"I didn't think Pegasi were real..." Cherry whispered, then gave a shrug. "Well, I guess some legends are true... I wonder if there are any other real Pegasi in the world."

"Oh, I have a feeling you'll meet more someday." Zeus chuckled.

"Really? Well, when that day comes, we'll be surprised." Atticus said.

"Cna't you tell us when?" Cherry added.

"I don't want to spoil anything." Zeus laughed.

The shooting star became the white horse with the blue mane and of course, the wings.

"You probably don't remember Pegasus, but you and him go way back, son." Zeus explained.

Pegasus landed in front of Hercules, who was now on the floor with the kids. The horse grabbed Hercules with his hooves and bonked each other on the head like when the boy was a baby.

Hercules laughed, then instantly remembered as he hugged the horse. "Oh, Pegasus!"

"He's a magnificent horse with nerves of steel," Zeus explained as Pegasus posed to look heroic and had his wings over his head. "And the brain of a bird."

Pegasus snorted, then did a bird call, feeling confused with himself.

"I don't know either, boy." Atticus said to Pegasus.

Hercules came up on Pegasus to ride him and he was going to find Philetes. "I can do this!" he cheered for himself, then looked to Cherry and Atticus. "You guys coming?"

Cherry backed up suddenly. "I... I'm not good with heights..."

"I'm coming and Cherry, you don't have to look down, that way you won't be so scared." Atticus said.

"That just makes me want to look down..." Cherry looked at him.

"Haven't you ever heard of a blindfold?" Atticus asked her.

"You got one?" Cherry folded her arms.

Atticus took one out and tied it around her eyes, taking her hand and helping her onto Pegasus.

"Okay, let's go!" Hercules called once they were secure.

Pegasus then sprouted his wings and went off with them in a flight pattern.

"I won't let you down, Father!" Hercules promised as they flew off.

"Good luck, son..." Zeus whispered as he turned back into statue mode.

What the group didn't know, was that the planets were starting to align, but slowly.

"This is so awesome!" Atticus cheered.

Cherry sounded sick, but at least she couldn't worry about falling by looking down since the blindfold was tight and secure.