Meeting the Good Guys
"That was too close!" Nattie cried, panting for breath, finally setting foot outside the invisible line of Hades's territory. She was so thankful she had that euro in her pocket, and Charon was kind enough to make an exception.
It took her a moment to realize she was one step closer to the small town she had seen earlier. From what she gathered, she wasn't close to home, even though she was currently in the same city. This Athens had huts instead of houses and torches instead of electricity. The Parthenon in this timeline remained intact and brand new, unlike the future - that's still under construction and less white. Then again, this was a Disney movie. She still couldn't grasp that fact entirely. Despite the adrenaline and pain, Nattie still believed it to be a dream.
Little did she know, pushing aside the pop-cultural references, the way of living was still different, starting with no electricity and a change of clothes.
The girl explored the little town, taking in the details, not realizing that people were staring. She gazed at the Greek theatre and couldn't help but laugh at the titles above.
"Toy Story, Greek Pie, Silence of the Sheep."
Nattie wanted to go in and see how they pulled off Toy Story.
"Excuse me?"
The girl perked at the man in the ticket booth paying no mind to her, merely reading his scroll.
"You gonna pay or go away?" Nattie pursed her lips, looking over her shoulder to see a line behind her. All of them stared at her in anger and disgust. She didn't know why until she heard the whispers.
"What is she wearing?"
"How inappropriate!"
"Mommy, why isn't she wearing shoes?"
Nattie widened her eyes and quickly ditched the group to hide behind the stone building. She self-consciously crossed her arms over her chest, even though she was wearing a tank top that covered her bust. She didn't have much cleavage. Nevertheless, people were talking, completely offended. The cops here might arrest her for public indecency.
"I need to find something else to wear," Nattie looked around for a clothing store or a sale sign. All she could find in the ally was stone and a woven banner of Toy Story. No pictures of Woody and Buzz, just a blue flag with white clouds as the background, the title stitched vertically in yellow. That's when it clicked.
Most women here wore silky wraps or peplos in the hot sunny weather. Nattie could use that too. Making the decision, without anyone looking, she yanked the banner down and wrapped it over her shoulder and around her legs as if it was a toga dress. She plucked bobby pins from her hair to hold the outfit together. She didn't care if the strands of her hair were falling and sticking to her sweaty cheek. Hopefully, the letters on the banner wouldn't be noticeable. She took a deep breath, bracing herself back to the outside world, going the opposite way this time. With the need to blend in, Nattie pulled her ponytail out and created a high bun instead. The loose strands remained by her cheeks.
Nattie was so caught up with the other people in her peripheral vision; she didn't see who was in front of her. Her body collided with something hard that could've easily bruised her breasts. Her ears perked at falling objects meeting the stone-tiled floor.
"Hey, would you watch where you're go..." Nattie slowed her rant to realize who she had bumped into.
He was tall, slender, with red hair. The sheepish smile and the gentle blue eyes could soften a cold woman's heart. It was none other than Hercules himself; only he wasn't as muscular as Nattie remembered him.
"I - bu- but - I - I mean! I'm so sorry," Hercules got down on his knees to pick up the scrolls he had dropped.
Nattie's stomach twisted in knots at the sight before her. This sweet kid didn't know better. He was a klutz but a loving man, and she had to be a jerk. Sure, she had a traumatic experience today - getting sucked into a movie, kidnapped by kiss-ups, and coming close to meeting eternal torment. It still didn't give her the right to be rude. She nearly slapped herself for standing there and not helping the boy with his stuff. With that in mind, Nattie groveled to help him pick up the mess she had created.
"No, no. It's fine. It's my fault."
"No, it's mine. I should've been paying attention. You see, I'm just excited because I'm starting my first day of school tomorrow."
"School?" That didn't sound right. She was in the movie. Hercules should be training with Phil, wholly committed. There was no scene about his education. Nattie believed that he was homeschooled or dropped school altogether. Precisely, what stage of this movie did she walk into? Before or after Hercules found out he was adopted? The muscles in Hercules's arms indicated that it might've happened in between. There was only one way to find out.
"Really?" The girl raised a brow in interest, putting on the sweet charm. "What school?"
"Prometheus Academy," the boy replied with excitement.
So he wasn't homeschooled. This might be the time before Hercules started his quest - before he created the domino effect at the market.
"Great," Nattie grumbled, earning a skeptical glare from the boy. She blinked, quickly regaining her composure. "I-I mean great!" The goofy smile returned while Nattie did the same. She believed her huge smile was creepy. Though, he wasn't making an excuse to leave right away. His adoptive parents raised him to be polite. He wasn't leaving until the conversation and introductions were complete. Whatever works.
"You're starting school tomorrow? Me too!" Nattie lied, meanwhile dreading the idea of school, let alone her exams in thirteen days. She fought the urge to slap herself on the head. Why did she have to say that?
"Really? Well, that's great! T-That I'm not the only one new. I-I just turned in my application and got approved immediately by the headmaster. So now..." Hercules lifted his scrolls and slate with one hand. "I-I'm getting ready for the big day! Oh! I - I - um - I'm Hercules, by the way," he reached out his free hand for a handshake.
Nattie grasped his hand, returning the greeting. "I'm Nattie."
"Nattie, huh? Is that a nickname or-or-"
"It's a nickname," the girl explained. "Short for... Natalie, but please, call me Nattie."
"Um, okay. Well, Nattie, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Same here..." There was that awkward silence and nervous laughter between them, waiting for the other to speak up.
"Oh, well... A-Are you here to get supplies for school?" Hercules asked. "The Agora Mall is good at giving away supplies for free." Nattie didn't know what surprised her more than Ancient Greece having a mall or the latter.
"Free?" Nattie perked in interest. "Like they give away clothes and shoes?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Hercules shook his head, opening his mouth to clarify. "No. No, I mean, school supplies."
"Oh," Nattie would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed.
"Athena - the goddess of wisdom. She believes everyone should have an education - n-no matter how much it costs."
"That's really nice of her."
"Do you want me to escort you to the mall? It's not far, I promise. There are a lot of benches to rest your feet."
Hercules didn't have to remind her she wasn't wearing shoes, unlike him. She didn't want to lift her wrap to see the bruised and filthy evidence. Why couldn't Athena give away shoes for free? Better yet, why not give it to people who were homeless and immigrants? Was Nattie an immigrant? Technically, this was her home country.
The boy realized his embarrassing mistake. "Oh, I mean! Not that you don't need to. Your feet are fine and fishy." He widened his eyes, facepalming. "No, what did I just say? No, your feet don't smell like fish-"
Nattie refused to hear any more stutters, silencing him by patting his bicep. "It's okay, big guy. I'm actually on my way to sign up for the school." She paused to realize that this cartoon may be a little bit different than her country's educational system. This was an American Disney show that only paid attention to the myths and America's pop-cultural. If she were right, Nattie would be entering her sophomore year of an American school instead of an Upper Secondary School. It's technically the same thing, only the lyceum was a three-year education instead of four.
"Y-You wouldn't happen to be a sophomore, right?" she asked.
"A-Actually, I'm going to start junior year."
Nattie nodded, keeping the smile intact. "Oh, that's great. Me too!"
The boy's smile widened at the thought of being in the same class. "That's great!" He realized that he sounded a bit too ecstatic. He rubbed the back of his neck, toning it down a notch. "T-That we're going to be in the same class. I-I can escort you to the school if you like."
Nattie would've been the type to do things herself, but after what happened earlier, she needed a lot of friends and help she could get. She needed muscle in case the idiot imps found her again.
"That would..." Nattie pressed her lips for a moment to swallow her pride. "That would actually be helpful, thank you."
"Great!" Hercules gestured the street ahead, indicating that they should start walking. "Let's go!"
Nattie nodded, beginning another antagonizing walk on the hot stone ground. She thought the freezing Underworld floor was terrible for her feet. If she continued the pace here, her arches might receive third-degree burns.
"So, I'm Hercules-"
"We've said our names already."
"Oh, right!"
The ten-minute walk to Prometheus Academy wasn't so bad, except they had a run-in with Officer Chip-something. Someone tipped him off about a woman fitting Nattie's description, showing off more than the guidelines required. To think indecency wasn't an issue when artists and sculptors created bodies Nattie sadly saw at an art museum. No child should see that kind of artwork without a blindfold.
Thankfully, Hercules jumped to Nattie's defense, gesturing her outfit to the police.
"Look! Is she exposing anything to you?" The hero added that the cloud pattern was a nice touch to the color top. Nattie knew she should've gone with the Silence of the Sheep banner. The cop reluctantly left the girl in peace, but not without warning her to wear shoes. Unfortunately for Nattie, the memo reached too late.
Before and after the incident, Hercules talked about his demi-god discovery. Nattie jumped in the movie after Hercules began his quest to become a true hero. The time when Hercules lacked the big guns. Nattie was slightly disappointed at that thought. As he was chatting about how he was working hard to be a true hero, Nattie nodded and gave the occasional uh-huh with a hint of false surprise.
"No way," Nattie uttered.
"Way!" Hercules cried. "It's not going to be easy - you know, with Phil training me and all. At least he's patient with me. Anyone would've kicked me out if I had accidentally knocked someone's head off."
Nattie blinked, "I'm sorry, what? Head?"
"Oh!" Hercules widened his eyes, realizing his poor choice of words. "No! Not someone's actual head... W-Well, Phil's home is a head."
Nattie raised a brow.
"A headstone," Hercules facepalmed. "Yes! Phil's home is a large head-stone. I accidentally knocked it over with an oak tree. Ooh!" Hercules took Nattie by the hand, hurrying them to their destined location.
"Here we are! The Prometheus Academy!" Hercules gestured at the red-roof palace; its sign above proudly stated the school's name - the Prometheus Academy. Nattie was relieved to see students and teachers inside not wearing matching uniforms. Everyone could dress what they wanted.
"What do you think?" Hercules asked.
"It's um..." Nattie averted her eyes from the school's statue of a Titan chained to a rock while an eagle pecked the man's organs. Disney didn't mind going graphic for its viewers.
"Red," she finally responded, taking note of the red roofs instead of Prometheus's insides.
Hercules chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, "I know, right? I-It's nothing like the lower class o-or the other school back home."
"Where did you originally go to school? Where were you from?"
"Tiryns," Hercules replied. "A little farm up a hill."
"That's in...?"
"Argolis, Greece."
"Ah," Nattie nodded in understanding.
"And you?" Hercules asked. "Are you new to Athens?"
Nattie opened her mouth to say the location but immediately closed it. There was no way Hercules could know that she was from 2012 Athens. He might drag her to an asylum somewhere. Instead, she said a random country that came to mind.
"America."
Hercules furrowed his brows in confusion. "Um, I don't know where-"
"It's not in Greece. It's a country... really far away... over a couple of seas. Yeah, it's called the United States of America."
"Huh," Hercules tilted his head, skeptical of the name. Nattie refused to let him ask more questions, returning to the task.
"Is there a tuition fee for this school?" Nattie asked, pointing at the sign above.
Hercules's smile returned, shaking his head, "Oh, no. L-Like I said before, Athena believes in free education."
"That's good," Nattie breathed from her lungs, partially happy to enter the most prestigious school in Greece - at least, that's what it said besides the gates — conceited, much?
"I'll be happy to escort you inside," Hercules offered.
"Oh, that's okay," Nattie declined softly. "I think I can take it from here."
"Okay, b-but what about the mall? D-Do you know where that is?"
"I'll figure it out," Nattie playfully hit his bicep. "I'm a big girl who can tie her own shoes." Her face slackened, realizing what she had just said. Did she just steal a line from Hercules's future wife?
"Well, I would believe that if she has any shoes."
Nattie let out a laugh, taken by surprise by Hercules's comeback. His cheeks flushed, completely embarrassed.
"Why did I say that?" Hercules closed his eyes, refusing to see a sign of Nattie getting offended. He was close to making a friend from school, but he had already wrecked it. "I-I'm sorry-"
"It's fine, Herc. It's funny, I promise."
"Really?" Hercules opened his eyes, still uneasy about how he talked back at her. "You sure you're not mad?"
"Mad? Why would I be mad? It's true. That's what makes it funny. I can't wait to hear more of the sass from the pure Son of Zeus."
Hercules breathed out with relief, relaxing a smile across his face, "That's good. T-That you have a sense of humor."
"Herc! Where are you?" The sweet moment didn't last when a particular hero trainer called for his trainee.
Hercules gasped, following the voice to his right, "Phil?" They both watched the satyr looking all over for the boy, slightly peeping around a woman's skirt as if to make sure Hercules wasn't hiding under there.
"Front and center, right now. You better be here with those scrolls, or I'm adding another thousand laps."
"Uh-oh," Hercules tensed up at the idea of running two thousand laps. "I better get going. It-It's very nice to meet you, Nattie. I-I'll see you tomorrow?" He said the last statement like a question. Nattie asked herself the same thing. Was she actually going to sign herself up for school when she was about to be done on the fifteenth of June? It would seem like a never-ending two years of schoolwork. Nattie's brain would surely die if she tried to do homework with a slate instead of a computer, let alone another round of math that's more complex. She was lucky to have the minimum passing grade for Algebra.
Then again, Nattie didn't know long she would be stuck here. She had no money, family, friends, job, or place. How was she going to survive this dimension? She couldn't get a decent job without a high school degree. She remembered applying for a job at a post office so she'll have enough money for a car, but they said that she needed not only a diploma but a driver's license. It sucked because her family was too busy to teach her how to drive. She wished Pappoús spared the road lessons instead of gambling tips.
Her mother always told her three kids that if something gets in the way unplanned, suck it up and make the best of it. She had learned that lesson at age seventeen, pregnant with Johnny Jr.
So, after all that thinking and brief planning, Nattie had made her decision. As much as she wanted to wake up from her coma, her banged-up brain must heal. That's what she gets for breaking the rules. Until then, Nattie needed to suck it up and stay alive. Becoming close friends with the Son of Zeus was the first way to go about it.
"Can't wait," Nattie faced the hero-in-training with a teasing smirk. "Thanks again, Wonderboy. It's been a real slice." She ground her teeth and quickly hurried inside. Why did she steal Meg's line again? Walt Disney was going to kill her.
"Y-Yeah, I'll see ya." Hercules hurried to his trainer, but not before casting a glare at the girl's way. He couldn't believe it. He told her that he was a demi-god with crazy strength, the embarrassing moment at Phil's house, and yet, she did not call him a freak or that nickname he despised. For the first time in his mortal life, he made a friend that wasn't a horse. A real human friend.
He beamed at the thought of seeing his first human friend again tomorrow.
"Herc!" Phil called.
"I'm coming!" Hercules rushed back to his trainer.
~000~000~000~
Nattie felt uneasy walking down the Prometheus Academy hallway. So many doors, lockers, and tiled floors. It was like starting high school all over again. Unlike her old school, this academy was more extravagate, cleaner, and cheaper. Any rich girl alone could afford to attend here if it wasn't for the free education rule.
A part of her wished that Hercules was here to help. How could she apply? Where's the headmaster's office? She tried to ask a group of girls in cheerleading outfits, but most of them apologized and said they didn't have time to stop. She asked a group of security guards in spears who looked to be protecting somebody in the middle. They pointed in a direction, but not the right one. A nerd's eyes never left his scroll, didn't bother to acknowledge the modern girl as he fast-paced towards the library - to think that jocks were ruder than him. So much for making friends.
"Hey! Ya going to school here?" Nattie gasped and turned her attention to the voice standing behind her. He was a short kid who looked younger than her. He had black, spikey hair and a bulging redness in one eye, dressed in a green, long-sleeved chiton. Nattie was crept out by the eye; she couldn't help but stare.
"Well?" he pressed though the grin remained.
"Uh," Nattie averted the stare, focusing on the task in the most polite way possible. This kid could be the next Quasimodo - not attractive on the outside, but kind.
"Yeah, but-" Before Nattie could ask the boy's identity, he jumped into her arms, stealing her breath of air.
"Huh-zah!" He exclaimed loudly and wrapped his arms around her neck, giving her the biggest hug in the world. Meanwhile, Nattie turned her head away from the pairs of eyes on her, completely embarrassed.
"Listen, kid-" Nattie choked out.
"Kid you not! It's so good to see a fresh face! Yes, sir! The name's Icarus," He freed one hand from Nattie's neck, loosening his grip for a handshake.
Icarus? That's when it clicked - the story about the boy with wax wings who flew too close to the sun. She remembered writing a book report about him back in sixth year.
"Oh, yeah. You're the son of that inventor - Daddle something?"
"Dad-alus!" The boy corrected her, "and he's not just an inventor. He is the greatest inventor of all time, baby!" He enthusiastically pumped his fist in the air while looping his other arm tightly around Nattie's neck, causing her to choke again. She was lucky that her face didn't turn blue yet. This kid needed to take a chill pill.
"Anyway, Icarus," Nattie set the boy back down once her ears were clear from the brief ring, "since I'm coming here, could you help me find the headmaster's office for enrollment?"
"I would love to... Uh... what's your name?"
"Nattie."
"Nice to meet ya, Nattie!" Icarus grabbed her hand for another handshake. "I would love to help you out."
"Great," Nattie showed off a hopeful smile. This kid was going to get on her nerves, but he was the only one willing to help. She must ignore the obnoxious behavior and let this geek be her guide.
"But I can't."
That wasn't the line she wanted to hear.
"Huh?" Nattie asked.
"I would, could, but can't. I have a class coming up - poetry!" Icarus spun around and kneeled like he was Romeo from the Shakespeare crap.
"No act of love, however small, is ever wasted!" That quote rang a bell.
"Aesop?" Nattie assumed.
The wacky boy jumped and clapped his hands with approval, "Hey, you know your poems! Cool!"
"Thanks, I - uh - I understand why you can't help." Nattie backed slowly away from Icarus, "You got class, I get it. Thanks any-"
"But!" Icarus interrupted, "I didn't say I won't help you!"
"Thanks, Icarus, but I don't want you to cut classes to help me."
"Of course not, but I still want to help. Tomorrow, I myself will personally give you a grand tour of this fine institution, help you get oriented, and give you a few tips to become the center of sheek-greek."
The metal stomping behind them caught Nattie and Icarus's attention. The group of security guards that led Nattie to the janitor's closet earlier. This time they were carrying a lectus with a blonde, tanned student riding on top. Nattie assumed the boy's tan was a spray-on; his glow didn't look natural.
"Except he is not the man capable of doing such a thing," the man graced his words, sticking his chin high as his elbow reclined on his pillow. Before Nattie could have a word out, the blonde snoot laughed mockingly as his men carried him away.
"Who's the prince?" Nattie asked.
"Ah, another time, my barefoot friend," Icarus looped an arm around Nattie's shoulder. Nattie rolled her eyes at the barefoot comment. She got the message. She needed sandals.
"For now, let's begin with step one - enrollment."
...
It had almost been an hour since Icarus handed Nattie a map to the headmaster's office - Mr. Socrates. However, she had to backtrack because his assistant told her to enroll at the student counselor's office instead. That guy's name was easy to remember - Parentheses. She was interviewed intently with personal questions (luckily, not the sexual kind), forced to take a twenty-minute written examination, and received a grand tour of the school. The test questions were not as tricky as Nattie would expect. It's simple arithmetic, reading comprehension, and geography. She passed the test with a score of thirty-two out of fifty. However, Athena did have a free education law in Athens, so it wouldn't have mattered if Nattie had scored only one point.
After going through the school honor code, filling out paperwork, and forging her mother's name by the dotted line, she was officially welcomed as a new Prometheus Academy student - junior year. There were no fruit baskets or confetti, but Nattie was smiling on the inside. She never thought she would be excited about school until she saw her test grade. Better yet, she would become a junior, skipping the sophomore year. Her mother would be proud of her.
Nattie embraced the fresh air outside the office as she reread the acceptance memo in her hand.
"Your student counselor will offer you the following items below: locker number and combination, class schedule, school map, cafeterium menu, and a student identification card. Make sure that when you get to your locker, destroy paper with number and combination to prevent theft. Keep your student ID in place; otherwise, there will be a ten drachma fine whether it's lost or stolen. Most importantly, don't be late for homeroomium - your assigned teacher below will take attendance and spare announcements. Failure to attend will lead to dire consequences. Natalie the Daughter of Danae - Mr. Herodotus-"
Nattie couldn't finish the memo because the final bell rang. It cued the students to rush out of the school excitedly, running the poor modern girl over.
"Hey!"
Sandals repeatedly stomped all over her body, and it was not painless. Nattie screamed until it became too much to bear.
'Are you sure that this is just a dream? No way a concussion could put you through that much muscle pain.' Uncertainty waved through her mind till she was knocked unconscious.
'This isn't real,' she told herself. 'My body is just going through a muscle spasm from lying still too long. That's all!'
...
"Nattie! Are you okay?! Speak to me!"
The girl regained consciousness, recognizing the obnoxious voice immediately - Icarus. She could feel him shaking her shoulders aggressively.
"Looks like they knocked her out good," someone else was with him - another voice that sounded more female but bored.
"Don't worry, my sweet! I know what to do if someone doesn't wake up! First, I give the victim the kiss of life."
Nattie tensed up when she heard the last four words. The what of life? Suddenly, her nasal canals were blocked by someone's pinch, forcing her eyes to open.
"And there's no need to be jealous, my blooming blossom, for my heart will not astray, for it shall be yours and yours alone."
"Great," the woman grumbled, "I'll barter it later."
Icarus laughed, "You kidder."
Hovering above horrified Nattie was Icarus and his puckered lips, ready to give her that fairy-tale kiss. She screamed, pushing him away, wiping her mouth as if he did kiss her.
"You're alive!" Icarus hugged Nattie's head against his chest, another smothering technique to kill someone.
Nattie winced from the pain and soreness her body was forced to endure. Her eyes glanced over at the girl standing next to Icarus. She had long, purple hair, blue eyes, and ghost-pale skin. She was folding her arms and giving Nattie a stern glare. What was her problem? She wasn't the one who got run over by the entire student body and received the kiss of life from her boyfriend.
Icarus and the girl helped Nattie on her feet while she dusted the dirt from her movie banner wrap.
"You okay?" Icarus asked.
"Not really," Nattie answered honestly in a rude tone, cracking her joints and making faces in reaction to them, "but I'm not dead if that's what you're asking."
"Then praise the gods!" Icarus cried happily, clutching Nattie's torso once more. The girls looked at each other in silence. Nattie wanted to know who this goth girl was and why she was staring like Nattie was roadkill. Icarus realized that introductions were yet to be made, releasing the modern girl much to her relief.
"Nattie, this is Cassandra," Icarus gestured to the girl behind him. Unfortunately, that name didn't ring a bell in Nattie's head. "The fairest one in all the land!" Icarus was hugging her. Nattie couldn't tell if he, too, was cutting the air from Cassandra. Judging by Cassandra's facial expression, she didn't appreciate the gesture. Icarus was accurate about one thing, Cassandra was the fairest in the land.
"Icarus," Cassandra began in a low menacing tone, "What did I tell you about touching me?"
"That you're going to help Dad-alus invent a bone-cutter and then use it to extract my arms off," Icarus replied casually as if there was nothing gruesome about his words.
"And?"
"And?" Icarus repeated after her with a gleeful smile, still not processing the simple words. The sun may have fried the logic half of his brain. Cassandra cleared her throat, indicating the touch.
Icarus smiled sheepishly, slowly prying a hand from her before leaping towards Nattie and whispered, "We have a tough-love relationship." His eyes bolted wide, speaking up with that same gleeful grin, "It's great!"
Nattie patted the boy's shoulder, "Yeah, I know the feeling. I have a mom who isn't afraid to use the wooden spoon on me sometimes."
Icarus cocked his head, keeping the smile at bay, "I don't get it."
Nattie decided not to go into detail about her private life, turning her attention to the girl who was, no doubt, suspicious. It was time to make introductions.
"Well, my name is Nattie."
"Pleasure," Cassandra grumbled. "I assume that you are not from this world."
Nattie tensed up, silently gulping at the bold and most accurate accusation. She couldn't help but laugh, "What? What makes you think-"
Cassandra scoffed, "The weird-out look on your face - as if life has flashed before your eyes, the Toy Story movie banner to keep yourself in dress code, and I'm pretty sure you don't want me to light the fact that you are not wearing shoes."
Nattie wiggled her toes, biting her lip, wholly vulnerable and self-conscious.
"Hey, Cassandra!" Icarus jumped in front of Nattie, accidentally stomping on Nattie's abused feet. She yelped and clutched her big toe, hopping side to side, almost losing her balance. "That is no way to talk to our friend. I mean, sure, her feet are filthy and smell like fish, and sure her wails sound like a whale."
Nattie stopped hopping, glaring at the kid in front of her who was supposed to defend her. "Uh, hello?"
"And yes, she is wearing a movie banner. You know how much I love Toy Story! Who doesn't?"
"I prefer 'Silence of the Sheep,'" Cassandra grumbled. Icarus laughed, hooking an arm around her shoulder without thought. "Icarus!" she warned. The boy jolted back, remembering the threat.
"Okay!" Nattie raised her hands in surrender, "Okay, you got me, lady! You're right. I don't know how you know, but you're right! I'm not from here." The modern girl waited for the gasps, the spread of rumors, and the name-calling.
Cassandra breathed what sounded like her own version of laughter, rolling her eyes, "Obviously. I doubt you are from Egypt because you don't have the clown makeup going on."
Nattie blinked, gathering the courage to meet Cassandra's gaze. The modern girl thought meeting the devil's face was the worst. She might still be correct. Right now, she was processing what Cassandra was asking.
"So where exactly are you from that makes you dress..." Cassandra pulled the wrap up, indicating the skimpy denim shorts, "like that?" She released the hem of the banner, shaking her head slightly as if Toy Story was a disease. The movie theme song could be a plague in a positive way.
"Oh, um..." Nattie attempted to look convincing with her forced smile, "The United States..."
Cassandra raised a brow, "Never heard of it. Where is that?"
Nattie shrugged, "It's just there. A couple of oceans away. We have the Great White North above us," she raised one arm while indicating another place with the other down below, "and the little Spanish bridge that takes you to the south." Nattie blinked at the mere thought of Central and South America, "So I guess, technically - I take that back - we are in the north, but Canada is north-er-"
"Look," Cassandra interrupted the rambling, refusing to witness her obnoxious companion having another brain fart. "I really don't care. I don't care if you were raised by wolves."
"Did ya?!" Icarus's eyes lit up at Nattie with excitement. "How are you not food?"
"My family isn't with me," Nattie bit her lip, holding back the emotions. The sad truth of her comatose reality was finally sinking in. She was stuck here in this world without her family.
"You ran away or something?" Cassandra pressed.
Nattie shrugged, refusing to say anymore.
"Really?" Cassandra arched another brow in interest, "I would kill to be in your shoes... metamorphically speaking." She smiled slightly at the joke about Nattie's smelly feet. The Modern Girl couldn't help but snort a laugh at that. "So you have a place of your own?"
"Well... not, technically. I was thinking of camping out someplace."
Cassandra scoffed, "Yeah. Won't that be comfortable?"
Nattie sighed, "Tell me about it. I bet the tree up there is a good place to rest." She gestured the oak tree up the hill where a log was resting underneath, "Good view. Birds chirping in your ears like an alarm clock, especially the tiny ticks to keep you company."
Icarus scratched his spikey head, "Uh... what's an alarm clock?"
Nattie tensed up, realizing she had spilled out a piece of information that didn't belong in ancient Greece. "Uh... anything to wake you up - like a rooster."
"Ooh! How about... a cuckoo clock?!" Icarus spread his hands above his head as if the name alone was shining in bold lights before them, "A clock that clucks like a bird when the sundial hits the right spot! Cool! I should tell Dad-alus about it! He is going to like you!"
"But seriously," Cassandra returned to the essential matters at hand, refusing the thought of her parents taking an interest in the stupid idea, "if you have no place to go, you can always stay at my place."
"Oh, no!" Nattie shook her head, about to decline. "I-"
"Please," Cassandra scoffed, "spare the modesty. It's no trouble. My parents don't mind the company - heck, they once turned the hut into a homeless shelter."
"Is it still-"
"No," Cassandra assured her. "Apparently, the hungry couldn't take much of my 'bright' personality."
"Ah, don't worry, your pretty, tangled head, schnuckums," Icarus cooed, "not everyone can be a caregiver like our Mom and Dad."
Nattie blinked, jolting her head back in disbelief. Our Mom and Dad? She could've sworn that Icarus was pursuing Cassandra. Were the two really...? Nattie clutched her stomach, almost about to puke.
"Icarus," Cassandra ground her teeth, growling out her words dangerously. Her fist clenched, ready to punch him in the face, "what have I told you about calling my parents your parents?"
Again, Icarus explained the answer as if the words were simple and harmless, "That you will pry my tongue out with a butter knife."
"Yes," Cassandra patted his spikey head with false sweetness.
"But honey cakes, when we get married, that would make your parents my parents, too!"
"Icarus," she pointed at the flesh-eating bird fountain, "could you please stand over there?"
"Of course, my sweet!" Icarus complied with her request in a dash. Cassandra huffed out, facepalming. All the bile finally descended back into Nattie's intestines.
"So... you guys aren't..." Nattie stopped when Cassandra cast a warning glare, daring her to finish that statement. "Never mind! Never mind!"
Cassandra groaned, rolling her eyes, "He's not my boyfriend, only he -" she pointed at the unstable boy squirting water from his puckered lips as if he was a part of the gruesome masterpiece, "-thinks that."
"Ever thought about getting a restraining order?" Nattie suggested.
"Tried, but according to the law, serenading late at night by my open window doesn't count as a threat to my life... except for my neighbors' ears."
Nattie could easily picture the night in her mind. She suppressed the laughter by biting her lower lip.
"So yeah," Cassandra tried, once again, to focus on her limited time offer, "we can go to the mall and get you something to wear that doesn't scream, 'Hey, I'm from the United States! Stare at Me!'."
The snort escaped from Nattie, stifling the laughter with her hand. To think her day was originally going to be hell - it could still be hell. Who would've thought making friends with Disney cartoon characters could be easy? Not one friend but three. There was Wonderboy the klutz; Icarus the weirdo; and Cassandra the goth girl, who sounded just as antisocial as Nattie. She, too, had made sarcastic comments all the time that scared the boys and cheerleaders away - except for math teachers. They gave her a seat in detention while Mom spanked her with a spoon for it. Her only two friends from elementary school tolerated it. Admittedly, this goth could too. She was offering Nattie a place to stay, after all. It would be stupid not to take up the offer of free room, clothes, and sandals.
"Well, Cassie, I just might..." Nattie paused, curling her bottom lip with unease at the sight of Cassandra's eyes swirling green and yellow, almost drawing her into hypnosis.
"Cassandra?" Nattie waved a hand over her new friend's face. "Hello? You okay?"
"Ooh, did I miss it?!" Icarus returned to the girls, gazing into Cassandra's eyes as a real creeper would.
"Miss what?"
"A Cassandra vision. She predicts the future."
Nattie tensed up at the revelation. Did that mean that Cassandra knew where Nattie actually came from? "So she's... What? Some psychic?"
Icarus couldn't answer, for the prophet uttered her words of wisdom.
"It's dark. Really dark. You were alone."
Nattie furrowed her brows, suppressing the urge to take a massive step back. She didn't mind being friends with a sarcastic goth, but the whole voodoo was freaking her out a bit. Her Yaya always encouraged her family to steer clear from witches, for they were supposed to be condemned.
"He is there... he takes you by the hand, drags you down the hottest parts of hell!"
"What's happening?!" Nattie shook the poor swirling woman roughly. "Who's he? What do you see? Am I there? It's Icarus! Say it's Icarus!"
"Hey!" the boy cried in the offense.
"I'm sorry, Icarus, but it's every man for himself."
Icarus whimpered at the idea of being alone in the forest, "I had a buddy, right? Someone to keep me company in the Underworld?"
Nattie knew better than to be delusional. Hades was a persistent god, and the imps told him about her. He was coming for her. The question in Nattie's min was, when would he take her? How could she avoid it? Move to Rome?
"Beware, my friend! Beware!" Then Cassandra's eyes returned to normal, earning horrified looks from her friends.
"Whoa!" Icarus cried.
"Cassandra, you saw Icarus burn in hell?!" Nattie squeezed the psychic's shoulders tighter.
Cassandra scoffed, "I wish, but it was just a fuzz."
"A fuzz? You said someone was dragging another to hell?!"
"I didn't say it was you. It could be Icarus," Cassandra smirked at the thought of finally regaining that peace of quiet.
Icarus gasped, coming close to fainting.
"Besides, nobody takes my visions seriously. Nobody believes me."
"I believe you!" Icarus waved his hands for attention like a child calling for his mother.
"Shut up," Cassandra dismissed the boy's sweetness, returning her gaze to Nattie. "Look, I was born to see natural disasters. One percent chance of it ever coming true."
"Seriously?" Nattie squeaked.
Cassandra shrugged, "Last chance to run away. I won't judge."
Nattie knew she should. She could almost hear Yaya chanting about burning a witch to death. However, Yaya wasn't here to provide that kind of instruction, and Nattie wasn't the type to 'follow the rules' as long as no one was watching. She should, especially after hitting her head from falling off the pole, which put her in this situation. Nattie needed an ally who could see the future in case a natural disaster took effect, even though there was a ninety-nine percent chance that the whole psychic thing was just a term for obsessive negative thinking. Either way, Nattie needed friends. She wasn't going to run away.
"So, where is the mall, exactly?" she asked. Cassandra, willingly or not, had a tiny curl across her mouth, earning a smile from her new best friend.
Icarus jumped, hooking his arms around the girls' shoulders, "This is awesome! Another freak in the mix! A loser! Nat, you won't regret this! You are going to love living with Cassandra! It's like a girl's slumber party, but with someone you just met!"
Nattie pressed her lips together with a dreading thought, clearing her throat as she addressed the weirdo, "Exactly how do you know what a girl's slumber party is like, Icarus?"
Icarus's face turned bright red, stammering his response before he said the words that Cassandra longed to hear, "Okay! I gotta go! Dadalus is waiting for me!" He jumped away, "I will see you both bright and early! Don't be late, new freak!" Before the girls could blink, Icarus disappeared from their view; his feet reminded Nattie of Dash from the Incredibles movie. The girl was impressed.
Cassandra sighed with relief, "Thank gods! I thought he would never leave! Now I know for sure that we will be friends."
Nattie's heart raced at Cassandra's statement. She knew the two were going to be close, for they were going to live together. She didn't expect the goth to express happiness and claim the modern girl as her friend. Whether Cassandra's psychic ability was legit or not, Nattie was glad to have met her.
"I'm happy to be of service," Nattie saluted with a smile. Cassandra rolled her eyes as she started walking, explaining the directions to the Agora Mall and her hut.
~000~000~000~
The whole day Cassandra showed her around Athens - the shops, the food joints with cheap prices, and a club to chill and listen to bad poetry - The Pummeled Pomegranate.
Cassandra introduced her friend to her parents in proper attire that she and Cassandra had taken from a five-finger discount. Nattie felt guilty about committing the heinous act behind the kind shopkeeper's back, but desperate times call for drastic measures. She almost saw herself as Aladdin but with fashionable and comfortable white-lace sandals. Her tank top remained but with an aquamarine skirt around her waist and a leather band under her bosom. One change that won't apply was the brassiere of ancient Greece. It was a long band that could take hours of wrapping and pinning without support. She preferred the simple slip over the head and then pull down - her white sports bra.
Cassandra's parents - Nick and Evelyn - were so thrilled to meet their daughter's new friend they insisted that the girls should pose for a canvas. Cassandra dismissed the idea and led Nattie to the table, where all four enjoyed courgette balls, dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves), and Santorini tomato fritters as the main dish. This food was something that Yaya would usually make. Unfortunately, Mom wouldn't have time to cook and settled with frozen dinners or fast food - the kids didn't mind the latter.
After dinner, Cassandra showed Nattie to their room. It was small, originally supposed to fit one person.
Nattie asked if Cassandra was a righty or lefty; Cassandra claimed the right side. Nattie was more of a middle person who liked to take the entire space. She settled with the left side, hoping she won't fall off. She lay on her stomach, staring at the stars that twinkled in the night. Morpheus cast his blanket across Athens, lullabying the girls in dreamland. Even in sleep, Nattie couldn't stop thinking about her first day of junior year. If she was lucky, Nattie could wake up from this dream or her coma soon.
Little did she know that two birds - pink and blue - were watching the brunette with slanted eyes. They weren't like the other birds that could hold a catchy melody. They were here for a task, snickering amongst themselves - proud of how they had accomplished their tracking task. The next step was to alert the boss.
"Wait until Hades hears what I found!" the puffy pink bird declared bluntly as he flew away.
"What?!" Panic argued, flying after him. "What about me?! It was my idea to go to the mall!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Uh-huh!"
"Nuh-uh, lightning times a millennium!"
Pain groaned, "You and your millenniums!"
~000~000~000~
"Kid, it's late," Phil patted the hero-in-training by the arm, for he couldn't reach the head. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow is the start of your new life... well, technically," the goat man lifted yesterday's scroll, analyzing it while speaking, "your new life started when you found out your dad is Zeus." He snapped a bite of the scroll, oblivious to a piece of paper stuck between his teeth.
"Yeah, yeah," Hercules agreed in a dismissing tone, "I know, can't wait."
Phil paused, raising a brow. The kid seemed distracted, and it was Phil's duty as a trainer to steer his trainee back on course.
"Kid, I know you're nervous - perfectly normal. I know this is a change - new school, new friends, new teachers - did I say 'new school'? I know the kids from your hometown didn't treat you right - called you names like Jerkules."
"Phil!" Hercules cried.
"What?" Phil shrugged, tossing the half-eaten scroll over his shoulder. "It's the truth. Your parents had to pull you outta there and homeschool you instead to spare your feelings."
Hercules sighed, slumping into his chair, "Phil, I'm not worrying about school."
"Oh? Then what's the problem? I thought all teenagers would be a wreck about fitting in."
"Well, yeah, but I won't have a problem making a new friend, for I've already made one!"
Phil blinked in disbelief, "Is that right?"
"Yeah, I-I mean, I think so. I did introduce myself, she..." Hercules couldn't help but smile, "she was nice - is - she is nice. She even let me escort her to school for enroll-"
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Phil waved his arms. "Time out! Time out!" He forced the boy to snap out of dreamland and face his goat face. "You mean to tell me that you met a girl, and you didn't say anything?!"
"Well, y-you didn't give me a chance!" Hercules pried Phil's hands off his face, returning his eyes to the windows. "A-Anyway, she is nice. She's starting school, too. You should've seen her, Phil. She's..." he breathed out dreamily, "something."
"Kid, I got two words for you," Phil slapped behind Hercules's head, earning an ow from the boy. "Forget about it!"
"What?!"
"Listen, you're a boy - I've been there - and there is one thing that keeps a man from going the distance."
"Which is?"
"Girls! Lots of them! They could get under skin or hair!" Phil squeezed the base of his beard, "They are the number one distraction in a man's mind. They make you feel things!"
"Like what?" Hercules wondered.
Phil pressed his lips together, realizing he had talked too much. The last thing he wanted was to have this talk with the kid. Zeus fried the satry once, and he could do it again if Phil had put curious thoughts into Hercules's head.
"Point is, kid, girls shouldn't be in your life - at least, not yet. Now unless this one is a damsel in distress, that's a different story."
"But Phil," Hercules opened his mouth to protest, "Nattie is just a friend!"
"Yeah, and sooner or later, you will be worried about asking her to a school dance!"
Hercules huffed, resting his head back against the chair. Sure, the girl was pretty, but he wasn't ready for commitment - at least, he thought he wasn't. He didn't have time to argue because Phil spoke for him.
"Kid, if I were you, I would wait a bit before we ever have a talk about girls. Right now, school and training are your only priorities. Got it?"
Hercules sighed, nodding his head in agreement, too tired to argue anymore. If he could call it an argument. Phil sent him upstairs to sleep in the blue hammock. The boy gazed into the starry sky, smiling dreamily at the thought of school and making new friends - a fresh start. He didn't care what Phil said - at least for one percent. Nattie was the only girl his age who didn't freak about his demi-god strength nor called him 'Jerkules'. She was barefoot and wore a patterned wrap that looked like it came from a play banner. She was different, just like him — his first 'human' friend.
Even when Morpheus used his blanket all over Athens, Hercules couldn't help but think of all the fantastic possibilities tomorrow.
"I will find my way. I can go the distance. I will go to school, where I can show them all that I'm not a fool. I can go the distance and sit next to that girl in homeroominum, where I belong..."
Hercules breathed out in contentment after singing that quiet solo.
"Kid, please!"
The hero-in-training jumped with fright, spinning himself in a tangled lock of his hammock until it turned back around, causing the boy to thud onto the floor face down. He groaned in pain as the pillow arrived too late to break his fall, landing it on top of his head.
"Go to sleep!" the trainer begged from downstairs.
"S-Sorry, Phil!"