|
Post by Herc's_Girl on Dec 11, 2007 20:14:36 GMT -5
Perfection.
|
|
|
Post by megatude on Dec 18, 2007 13:45:27 GMT -5
(I'm so glad you think so, thanks)
Hercules met his mortal mother's eyes and immediately blushed. "Gee Mom, you didn't mention you had hired 'female' helpers." Alcmene laughed, knowing her son all too well. "You never asked."
Coming-up over the rise, the Agora, a market shopping center, came into view. It was nothing like Zebra had ever seen before; Hundreds of people gathered within the square, shouting and bartering deals, left and right. Amphitrion led Penelope just inside, coming to a halt. Zebra jumped down from the wagon before Amphitrion could help her down, drinking in the sights and sounds of history in the making. Amphitrion came up behind her and placed a concerned hand upon her shoulder. "I'm going to go and see what kind of deals I can strike on our ware. Why don't you go look around?" Zebra nodded eagerly. "But don't stray too far, this place can be quite unpleasant once the sun sets."
Chapter 19
Zebra wondered through the numerous stalls. Merchants selling everything from pottery, live stock, and an endless array of clothing. 'Perfect', she thought, shouldering her pack of goods, and approached the first stall. Among the crowds were a couple of known troublemakers, though not in their current forms. "Is this what we're looking for?" He held up a sausage link for his partner's inspection. "No pain!" His tall, thin friend shouted, smacking the back of his head. "The list the boss gave us says; 'A link CHAIN', you idiot!" "Fine. Fine. Let's keep looking." The mysterious men continued their search, to complete their shopping list. They made their way through the crowded melee of merchants, when a certain discussion between consumer and merchant, caught their attention. Zebra took out her right tennis shoe from her pack and displayed it before the potential buyer. Despite it's travel wear, the shoe wasn't in terribly bad shape. Though, she blushed slightly at the apparent odor. Intrigued, the merchant took the shoe to get the feel of this new piece of footwear. "This is an interesting object. What do you call it?" "I believe they're called Keds", Zebra responded shyly.
The sly looking men moved in to ease drop. "Hey, that looks neat Panic." He nodded. "Let's get a closer look."
Being the shrewd business man that he was, the merchant put on his game-face. "The quality seems pretty poor. I'm afraid the best I can offer is.....10 Drachma." Zebra look disappointed, but she had a few ideas of her own. "Really? Well, that's too bad." She took back her shoe. "I suppose I'll just try my luck elsewhere. Thank-you for your time, sir." She turned to leave. "Wait!" The merchant shouted, not wanting to let this object slip from his grasp. "P..perhaps we can work something out." Zebra paused in her stride and smiled before returning. "What did you have in mind?" She asked coyly.
|
|
|
Post by Herc's_Girl on Dec 19, 2007 0:04:37 GMT -5
Better and better! I can't wait to find out what happens next!
|
|
|
Post by megatude on Jan 1, 2008 16:06:06 GMT -5
The merchant cringed. He knew he had to offer something of equal value, or more, to close the deal. "Make an offer." 'Now that's more like it.' "I request your finest, most exquisite, women's apparel you've got." The merchant cast a weary eye back at his goods. Folded nicely, in the back, were his most valuable merchandise; two elegant gowns, imported from Rome, and crafted in silk. He was planning on saving such for royalty, or at least someone of great importance. He smiled nervously. "Feel free to look around." Zebra browsed through a few drab outfits, unsatisfied. Then her eyes caught sight of something quite promising. "What about those?" She asked, pointing at the fine dresses. The merchant quickly stepped between Zebra and the goods that interested her. "What, these? Oh these are just rags, not worth your time." Zebra scrutinized him and pushed the merchant aside. She held one garment up against her body and slid her hand delicately over the rich fabric, instantly falling in love with it. "I'll take these!" She proclaimed. The merchant snatched the outfit back, smoothing out the wrinkles. "Perhaps I could interest you in something else?" Zebra took the dress back. "It's either these, or nothing." The merchant seemed to be in physical pain, trying to decide which merchandise would bring him greater profit. He shut his eyes tightly. "Very well", he finally agreed. Zebra gladly handed over the shoe. " As a bonus, I'll even throw in the matching shoe, no extra charge. It was a pleasure doing business with you", she said with a curt smile. "Good day to you sir." The merchant scowled after Zebra, feeling slightly cheated. He'd have to inflate the price on the so-called shoes to make-up for his loss. As an after thought, Zebra quickly turned back. "Oh sir?" She had almost forgotten her main reason for coming along. Feeling slightly embarrassed she asked: "Have you heard of a man named, Julius Sanders?" "No ma'am, I haven't", the merchant sighed, not giving it much thought. Zebra nodded. "Thank-you again." She went on her way, to inquire the same question to the other patrons.
|
|
|
Post by megatude on Jan 8, 2008 19:04:03 GMT -5
The men whom had ease-dropped, now approached the merchant's stand. "Excuse me good sir, but how much for those fine looking slippers?" Still moping, the merchant scoffed. "A lot more than you could offer." Three large purses, filled to the brim with Drachmas, were tossed onto the counter. One or two spilled out and rolled, knocking into the merchants trembling fingers. "W...w..well perhaps w...we could come to an agreement." The men exchanged a greedy and triumphant smile. "Excellent."
Away from town, the men transformed into their natural forms; a pair of devilish imps, henchmen to the Lord of the Underworld. "Man, I really hate changing shapes, let alone species", the thin, blue demon complained. "Ya, I know wha'cha mean", agreed his plump, magenta colored partner. "I prefer going au natural", he made an unforgettable pose. They returned to their underground home and admired their loot. In a fit of girlish giggles, they each tried on and modeled their own shoe. "Look'en good Panic!" "Thank-you. I do feel rather....sophistocated." The God of Death himself, heard his minions return from what, he hoped and darn well better be, was a successful plunder. "Pain. Panic; my loyal servants. I trust you have brought me the items I had requested....." The Imps were too busy in their own world to notice their boss' presence, or his incredible short temper. Hades changed from his normal cool hue, to a much 'hotter' shade. The flame, from his bunsen-burner like hair, spread throughout his body, making his annoyance apparent. "HELLO??!!" Embers burst from his godly form, singeing anything and everything in sight, including two oblivious minions. Blackened to a crisp, Pain and Panic coughed and moaned. The only part un-touched were the whites of their blood-shot eyes. "Oh! Hi boss." Slowly gaining his composure, Hades rolled his eyes. '"Oh, hi boss."' He mocked. "You two are such gluteons for torture." The devil-like Imps stood at attention. "Sir! Yes sir!" "Great. Now that I have your attention.....where's the items from my list?" The two demons exchanged a paniced glance. "Uhh, items? What items." Hades started to simmer and boil. "Ohh, I don't know. The items I sent you two dimwits to retrieve. Does that sound familiar?!" Panic laughed nervously. "Oh, those items. The ones on the list, right? Umm, well they're...." Hades noticed the new wear that covered one of each of his servants feet. "And what have we here?" He robbed the shoes from their feet and shook them before their faces in a fit of rage. "These...were NOT what I requested!!" He snatched them by their necks and squeezed until breathing was impossible. "Hades?" A new presence entered the fray. "What's going on? Did they get what I needed?" The man wore a scraggly, un-kempt beard. His eyes were sunken and worn from age and lack of sleep. Hades smiled a wide, fanged grin and set his minions gently upon the ground. "Ahh, Julius, my friend. Everything's fine. There's just been a slight delay. Apparently, my boys were unsuccessful in retrieving the necessary materials, this time around. But, I'm sure...." He gave Pain and Panic a stern look, his eyes ablaze. "they won't fail again." The older gentleman nodded and retrieved back through the darkened tunnel from whence he came. Hades turned his angered attention back to his employees, whom had shape-shifted into lowly rats, showing their regret for their failure. "Will they?......Or.........ELSE!!!!" A layer of smoke filled the cavern, snuffing out the remaining light.
End of chapter 19
|
|
independentmegara
Hero In Training
life size ideas comes from an imaginable head=)
Posts: 135
|
Post by independentmegara on Jan 9, 2008 7:52:28 GMT -5
i wish this was a book so i would read it day after day after day after day!!!yay!!!!
|
|
|
Post by Herc's_Girl on Jan 10, 2008 18:35:27 GMT -5
Lyndsay your writing skills are just amazing!
|
|
|
Post by megatude on Jan 15, 2008 19:08:15 GMT -5
Really? Do you think I could make a career out of it? You see, I'm trying to write a book.
Chapter 20
I sense a few uttered gasps, resulting from the previous paragraph. So, let's take a few steps back and see if we can clarify a few things before we move on. Shall we? Did anyone wonder what happened to the scientific genius, Julius Sanders? Well, after the explosion in the basement, Mr. Sanders was transported back through time, just as planned. But something happened. One, tiny mistake altered everything, it could have happened to anybody. As the earth shattered from the electronic force, Julius's body swayed violently. Trying to right himself, he accidentally bumped the switch that controlled the time destination. That was all it took to alter his plans, dramatically. When he arrived in the ancient world, he was disoriented and confused. Where was he? What had gone wrong? When he was able to collect his thoughts, he finally was able to put together where he was and what had happened. He paniced. Wasting time feeling time for himself, he hugged his knees, rocking back and forth, mumbling pathetically. Later, he wandered aimlessly through the woods, unsure of what might lay ahead of him. Thinking only of his failure and his wife.
Meanwhile, Hades found himself in yet, another meeting.....I mean...get-together, with those spinners of Fate themselves; The Fates. Trying to be the charming, generous host, he offered the twisted sisters a variety of refreshments. Everything from, Frog-eyed salad, Jelly Worms, and Bloody Marys. After a fine meal, Hades got right down to business. "So my lovelies, seen anything interesting through that 'all seeing eye' of yours? Perhaps something to my benefit?" The sister, deemed Clotho, huffed and hocked a loogie. "You know very well, Hades, that we cannot reveal what is to be." "I should have know this was all a trick", Atropos commented. (No kidding) Hades smiled sweetly and pressed his clawed fingers together. He couldn't believe he was stooping so low to commit to this. But he was getting desperate; none of his evil plots had been successful. He needed some....insentive. "Pwetty pwease?........" He babbled in baby talk. "Wit bile on top?....." Clotho, of course, fell for the act and turned to her sisters for their approval. Lachesis and Atropos considered their gullible sister. "Hmm....I don't know....." Lachesis pondered as a hairy spider crawled out of her empty eye socket, from which she quickly snatched and popped into her mouth. Atropos was catching and throwing their shared eye-ball, up and down, in the air like a ball, also thinking. "We cannot show you what lies ahead, but we can show you someone who could become a useful friend." She tossed the eye into the congested air, as it began to display a new visitor upon the Greek shores. It showed a man, obviously lost and discouraged, wandering alone. "He....has a gift." Lachesis pointed out. "One of which that will give thee a much needed lift." The eye went blank and fell back into Atropos's scaly palm. "Do with what you will. That's all we'll spill." They disappeared in a swirl of smoke, leaving Hades with the new found information. He shrugged. "OK. That was helpful", he muttered, not fully understanding.
|
|
|
Post by megatude on Jan 22, 2008 21:14:28 GMT -5
Julius spent many years testing out different prototypes, in which he planned to return home. He didn't have his notes or anything to refer to that would help in the construction. The first few months in the past were mostly focused on survival. He was, after all, a stranger in a new world, he wasn't use to the primitive way of survival; Finding one's own food and building a shelter. Julius had to re-learn how to live, if he expected to see his own time again. Once he got himself settled, he went straight to work into building a new time machine. Unfortunately, all of his attempts were failures, due to lack of useful materials. He would often weep mumble about his wife. "Forgive me, Layla. I never meant for this to happen", he would pray silently. Julius Sanders lived like a hermit, alone in the past, for nearly two decades. Until, one day, he got an unexpected visitor. Inside his meager hut, he prepared himself a small meal, over the fire. He had spent all day trying his luck on re-creating what had already been. If only he had thought of a way to retrieve one's self from his time traveling. He poked and tempered the flame, encouraging the heat speed up the cooking process. For a moment, he stared into the hearth with a bored, distant look. Suddenly, the flames seemed alive and throbbing; Shifting and changing colors before his eyes. The once orange spark was now a brilliant blue, dancing upon the wooden logs. Unsure by the fire's behavior, Julius took and instinctive step back, afraid but all the while; Mesmerized. The flaming energy jumped from it's birthplace and landed before Julius's feet, upon the dirt floor. Startled, Julius fell back, landing on his rump. His instincts warned him to flee, but he couldn't pry his eyes away from the scene before him. Some odd part of the human psyche that draws one to witness horrific events; Like when you're driving down the freeway and come upon an auto accident, it's hard not to take more than one glance. Smoke billowed up, swirling around the flame, towering above to form the figure of a man. Julius coughed and choked, waving his hands about to help purify his incoming oxygen. When all the smoke cleared, a powerful being was standing before him. He wore long, flowing, gray robes. His skin, the color of ash. His nose was sharp and pointed, as well as the teeth beneath his menacing smile. A blue flame adorned the top of his head, in place of hair. Julius was, understandably, frightened. Never in his life had he experienced what was before him. He shook his head, not believing what he was seeing. His mouth moved to form words, but it took a few tries to apply voice to the life-less words. "Wh.....what are you?" Which was strange; because normally when you first meet a stranger you ask, 'who are you?' But Julius couldn't help it, he had no knowledge of that world's workings. He was a scientist. To him, the delicate balances of the universe could be interpreted through careful study and observance. He didn't believe in an all-powerful being that governed and sanctioned the world. Or in this case, numerous ones.
|
|
Mercury
Hero In Training
Stockholm FTW
Posts: 131
|
Post by Mercury on Jan 23, 2008 9:43:14 GMT -5
It's so exiting!!!!!!!! longing for more!
|
|
|
Post by Herc's_Girl on Jan 24, 2008 10:25:00 GMT -5
Yes. I personally think you have the skill to be a professional writer. And I can't wait for more.
|
|
|
Post by megatude on Jan 29, 2008 17:30:12 GMT -5
Hades straightened his spine. "Name's Hades, Lord of the.....what? What...am...I?!" That was a new one. He was clearly insulted. How dare this lowly mortal refer to him as a....? Well, he never specified what, but it was definitely disrespect. "Why you little......!" The hot flames around him intensified. He was about ready to repay the offense by giving him a one-way ticket to the Underworld. But, like it or not, Hades needed the pathetic, little mortal, and it would get him nowhere to throw his anger about needlessly. He'd been watching the man carefully for almost two decades to decipher if the Fate's prediction was worth-while. Hades was intrigued by what he saw and knew the mortal had potential, despite his numerous, failed attempts, to reproduce the device that had brought him there. Perhaps, with his generous help of course, he would, again be successful. Since he could not conquer this world, thanks to some second-rate demi-god, then he might have a chance to conquer another, in the future. Though, he would need to offer a trade for his services. Hades could not simply threaten the wining pup, that wouldn't do any good. He had nothing of value to confiscate for collateral. But there had to be something he could use to persuade his loyalties.... Hades noticed the man inch away from him, cowering in fear against the far wall. He made a conscience effort to cool his short temper, and make his voice lighter. "I'm....sorry." It took him a great deal of effort to utter that apology. "Please forgive my abrupt and brutal behavior. Allow me to re-introduce myself; I am Hades, Lord of the dead." He bowed low. A spark of interest flashed in the old man's hazel-colored eyes. Julius nearly lost his nerve before the dreaded Deity, but curiosity burned past his fear. He slowly found his feet, bracing himself close to the protection of the wall. "The dead? You rule the dead?" Hades sighed tiredly. "Yes. Unfortunately, that is the task I've been given to bear." "So....you have the power to retrieve those whom have passed on?" Mortals were so slow to catch on. Still, Hades smiled to himself; 'now we're getting somewhere.' He nodded. "If I ever had the need or desire to do so, then yes, I do have that power." Even though he never wanted to or even tried. Plunging to his knees Julius cautiously, yet anxious, crept before Hades. "Will you help me? Will you help me find my long-dead wife?" BINGO! Hades raised the fragile mortal to his feet and attempted to show sympathy in order to gain his trust. "Hey, I'm here for ya." He put a brotherly arm about Julius's shoulders. "Just tell me when the little lady passed on to my neck-of-the-woods." Julius seemed slightly awkward, as if trying to work out how to explain. "Well, she won't even born for centuries to come. You see, I'm not from this place in time. I'm....a wanderer, lost in time." He continued to explain how he'd arrived and by what means, while Hades tried not to look bored, since he was already aware of the circumstances. "Like I said before, pally, I'd be glad to help because, hey, that's the kinda God I am. But in order for me to retrieve the babe, I'd need to be in the same time as her death." Julius became thoughtful. "I've been struggling to re-create my invention. But, surely with your help, I could make it work." Hades feigned delight. "Oh, you think so?! I'd love to see the future in the flesh, so-to-speak." Julius shrugged out of Hades grip. "Only if you help me, first!" The God of Death smiled his acceptance. "Of course, my friend. Whatever you say." His mind was swimming with the possibilities. "Come. Let me take you away from this dump, you can crash at my pad." He snapped a finger and they disappeared in a fiery flash.
End of chapter 20
|
|
|
Post by Herc's_Girl on Jan 29, 2008 22:03:29 GMT -5
And the plot thickins! Way cool.
|
|
|
Post by megatude on Feb 5, 2008 17:04:46 GMT -5
Chapter 21
Discouraged and exhausted from her hunt for answers, finding none, Zebra returned to the wagon with a waiting Amphitrion. He smiled when she approached, one she did not return. "I take it you were unsuccessful." Zebra nodded, not meeting his gaze. The old farmer sighed and placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder. "Please don't let one failure crush your spirits. Greece is a large place to hide one's self, there are many gathering places to inquire about your grandfather." He lead her to the wagon and helped her board. "It's been a long day for both of us. Once we return home and have the opportunity to rest, we can continue the search." Feeling slightly more confident, Zebra smiled as Amphitrion jumped in beside her. "At least we're not leaving empty handed." She displayed the new dresses for him. "I was able to trade some old clothing for these." Amphitrion was impressed. "Those are some, exceedingly, fine dresses. How were you able to match the merchant's expectations? They appear quite expensive." Zebra waved away his concern. "Oh, they weren't as pricey as you may think. The merchant was actually pretty reasonable", she chuckled to herself. "How about you, Amphitrion? Were you able to make a profit off the Hay bails?" Now it was his turn to look disappointed. He pulled out a coin purse, with a small lump gathered at the bottom. "It's never what it's worth, but at least it's enough to get us by." Zebra felt a twinge of guilt forming in her gut, knowing that she could have received money in exchange for her shoes to help support the sweet couple, that took them in. Sensing her discomfort, Amphitrion touched her hand. "You and Megara are gonna look absolutely stunning in your new wear." Zebra drew the old man into a thankful hug, taking him by surprise. She then retrieved the coin, she had claimed from the band of bandits, from a pocket sewn into her skirt. She happily placed it into his bony palm and closed his fingers around it. He looked at her questioningly, but she just smiled. "For paying such a kind compliment." Hopefully, there would be more where that came from on there next trip. He nodded his appreciation and then signaled Penelope to merge onto the road. Traveling with the setting sun.
|
|
Mercury
Hero In Training
Stockholm FTW
Posts: 131
|
Post by Mercury on Feb 6, 2008 13:29:54 GMT -5
Aww..... This still is getting better and better!!
|
|