Hercules and the Modern Girl

Episode 5: Visit From Zeus

Episode 5: Visit from Zeus - Part 1

Nattie finally regained her strength and was welcomed back to society with open arms on Saturday, mostly Hercules's strong arms. He smothered her with questions about her eating habits - 'How are you feeling?' 'Did you have breakfast?' 'Would you like a sandwich? My treat.' Much to Phil's silent dismay, it took the whole day to assure the Son of Zeus that she was fine. His scowling look said it all. Nattie ensured she didn't leave without a brutal comeback for the satyr, away from Hercules's prying ears.

With the magical swipe of Nattie's new credit card, she could eat properly again, bringing home groceries as snacks and dinner. The Underworld's chilly pantry closet was no longer forbidden. Now that the girl was healthy again, Hades made her play catch up with chores. His determined attitude didn't change much, demanding results instead of empty promises. He gave her one week to devise a plan to end Zeus's reign or Hercules's life - no excuses. She avoided the task successfully so far, changing the subject in the take-over-the-cosmos meeting and running for her life back in her room whenever the dog got loose. However, it's only a matter of time before her luck starts to run out. Hades wasn't an idiot.

On Monday, all her fears for her safety were put on hold for now. There was a geography project that needed to be graded. Nattie and the rest of the junior class were setting their hard work on pedestals. Hercules entered the class, carrying a mini Parthenon out of popsicle sticks. Nattie couldn't see how he achieved the delicacy without breaking the model; maybe Phil helped him out.

"Hey, guys!" After displaying his diorama of Athens, Icarus greeted Hercules, Cassandra, and Nattie. Mostly, Icarus was batting his eyes lashes at the seer. Cassandra rolled her eyes at the gesture, folding her arms.

"Hey, Icarus," His other two friends replied.

The boy analyzed Nattie's project; his eyes gleamed bright, "Amazing! Fantastic! Now that's what I call a geography project..." He gazed at his friend, asking, "What is it?"

Nattie scoffed, "It's a globe - our planet, Earth. My second attempt of it."

"Is it a cake?" He opened his mouth to take a bite. Nattie immediately protested, blocking the globe protectively. Meanwhile, Hercules grabbed Icarus by the waist. Cassandra suppressed the temptation to encourage the boy to eat it, for he may spend a week in the hospital or eternity down under.

"No, it's clay!" Nattie cried. "The earth is made out of clay!"

"No cake!" Icarus swayed side to side, almost ready to faint in Hercules's arms. His friends didn't pay mind to the dramatic.

"Uh, why did you make your map round?" Hercules asked.

"Because the earth is round," Nattie replied with confidence.

"Good luck proving it," Cassandra grumbled.

Icarus woke up, laughing. "Oh, Nattie," He placed an arm around the girl, clicking his tongue and shaking his head, "Nattie, Nat, Nat. Everyone knows that the earth is flat, not round."

"If it's flat, how come there are no reports of seeing the earth's edge or someone falling off, no less?"

Icarus paused to think.

"Careful!" a voice cried.

The gang turned to see Adonis gracing his presence with clean hands and the laborers sauntering behind him as usual.

"Watch out!" Adonis commanded. "I've spent several excruciatingly tedious minutes hiring a professional to construct that model."

Four armed servants carried Adonis's large volcano model, setting it down gently in the middle of the classroom. All the students cast a disapproving glare at the prince, not pleased or surprised to hear Adonis not doing any manual labor.