Cherry's Adventures of Hercules

chapter 13

In the Underworld, Hades was throwing a temper tantrum over losing the battle over Mount Olympus. And where this, of course, scared Pain and Panic as they tried to avoid the flames of the tantrum.

"WE WERE SO CLOSE!" Hades snapped. "So close, we tripped the finish line! Why? Because our little Nutmeg had to go all noble!"

The ground shook slightly and Hades's three-headed dog demon broke through the ground with Hercules on top and Atticus was staying by him for security.

"WHERE'S MEG AND CHERRY!?" Hercules demanded.

"YEAH!" Atticus added in.

"Look who's here, Wonder Boy and his sidekick..." Hades commented.

"Let them go!" Hercules demanded.

"Get a grip..." Hades told them.

"Step down, release the girls, or FIGHT!" Atticus snapped.

"Okay, okay, listen, how about you two just follow me and I'll show you where they are?" Hades asked.

Hercules and Atticus glared at him, but they followed anyway.

Hades took them to the River Styx where all the souls were left to wander for all eternity. "Well, well, it's a small Underworld after all..." he laughed a little at his inside joke.

Atticus and Hercules looked down into the river to find the girls' souls. When they put their hands in, their hands suddenly looked like they were old and weary.

"No, no, no, mustn't touch," Hades told them. "You see, the girls are running with a new crowd these days and not a very lively one at that."

"Hmm, you like making deals, let me take their place." Hercules said to the Lord of the Dead.

Atticus saw where this was going and agreed. "Take us in their place." he then added.

"Oh, well," Hades chuckled sheepishly. "The son and new mortal acquaintance of my hated rival trapped forever in a river of death."

"Going once!" Hercules called.

"Hmm... Is there a downside to this?" Hades tried to think about it.

"Going twice!" Hercules then called.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay," Hades gave in. "You guys get them out, they go, you stay."

Hercules and Atticus nodded and dived into the river.

"Oh, you know what slipped my mind!?" Hades called in mockery. "You'll be dead before you can get to them! That's not a problem, is it?"

'Don't worry, girls, we're coming, we're not going to let you both go.' Atticus thought to himself.

Hercules and Atticus were turning older and older as they came for the girls' souls.

Atropos was set to cut their threads, but was unable to cut them for some reason and struggled.

"What's the matter with these scissors!?" Lachesis snapped.

"The threads won't cut!" Clotho added.

The Fates sent a look to Forte who was just standing there, minding his own business.

"What? I didn't do anything." Forte defended himself.

The Fates didn't believe him, but he honestly had not done anything.

Hercules lifted his hand up and he was slowly glowing and returning to normal. Somehow, Atticus was also survived and they both climbed out of the River Styx with the souls they were looking for.