One-Legged Discounts

[Hercules]

The Binship would swoop over Hephaestus' forge, a massive volcano not far from Mt. Olympus. As they began their descent, Hercules couldn't help but count their stars that their destination took them in the complete opposite direction as the Harbinger. Had they needed to go any other way, they would have easily been spotted, and destroyed.

The ship would circle its way down through the thermal vent, the outer hull rapidly super-heating as they did. Thankfully, the ship was designed to handle extreme conditions, and the two inside were comfortable...

What was more amazing was when they had landed and were due to step out. Now, you'd normally think of Hephaestus' forge as being hot, sweaty, and overall nasty, but you'd be wrong! The lava pit nearby barely altered the pleasant temperature of the workshop proper, which looked very much like some eccentric best-friend's dad's workshop. Daedalus would geek out if he saw this place.

All over, there were swords, armor, and various electronic devices hanging on the walls. You were just as likely to find a blender sitting next to an impact hammer as you were to come across a power drill poised atop a minifridge here. The atmosphere was cool and pleasant, a jarring fact in the heart of a volcano. It was because of a single air conditioning unit sticking out of a nearby wall which blew super-frigid air into the room that they were enjoying a 70 degreeish temperature.

At the far corner of the workshop, loud banging and the grunting of an artisan hard at work could be heard. Stepping closer, they'd find the master craftsman himself busily banging intricate and amazing details into a metal trebuchet of some kind. His skin was dark like ash, but his beard was fire-red and his rotund belly was covered in a leatherlike worksman's apron. One leg was replaced by an ionic pillar...

Hephaestus turned and smiled, setting his tools aside to throw his arms wide. "HERCULES, MY BOY!" he beamed, waddling over to take the demi-god into a massive hug before releasing him and slamming a monsterous hand onto Gabranth's back. "And friend!" he said cheerfully, his smile wide, and his cheerful belly bouncing with the force of his deep-down, rumbling chuckles.

"What brings you two to my shop, then??" he asked, waddling back to his work. "Not up to any mischeif are we?"

Herc smiled apologetically to Gabranth before nodding, indicating that he could ask the God of the Forge for his helmet now... Like he'd be the one to do it.

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]Feeling that they hit atmosphere, she quietly made her way up to view their location, and saw them passing Mt. Olympus. She made her way quietly to the back, before picking up a location just bellow the base of the God's mountain, and using Corridor to get there this time around. She stretched a little, and while she remained stretched, the hidden keyblade, and shield appeared wrapped around her fingers, and resting against her arm respectively.

"I don't think I'm getting that good a pay for this." she would mumble to herself, closing her eyes and opening them to look above, grinning psychotically, " but eh, I haven't had this much fun since the time I stole Pumpkin's syntho-drome boyfriend... Anyway, we know what time it is!!"

She stretched her arms to the side, with sword and shield in hand, and dashed forward, up Mt. Olympus, screaming bloody murder, to attain the attention of the Gods... but could this really be part of the plan?[/glow]

[Hades]

"-and then, she just BREAKS MY CONTRACT!!" Hades was practically screaming, fighting to keep his flames from erupting everywhere as he complained to the other gods atop Mount Olympus. "There's gotta be a rule somewhere about this! I may not be one of you hoity-toity, head-in-the-clouds type, but I'm a hard-workin' stiff and I deserve a little RESPECT!" he roared.

The other gods held a mix of reactions. Some genuinely saw Hades' point, like Ares, Aphrodite, and Artemis, the gods and goddesses who regularly dealt with humans and deceit. Others like Athena, Apollo, and Demeter were less concerned, and rather found the fact that Hades got the once-over was poetic justice and fair play.

Poor Zeus had to be the one to make a judgement call on this issue. On the one hand, Hades had a bad habit of doing nasty things, and in this case had conveniently left out the details as to why he let Gabranth run loose. While he knew his brother was a slimy snake in the grass with his own agenda, that didn't exactly set aside the fact that it was a serious crime to cheat a god. What to do, what to do?

"Err... Hades... I-" he started, struggling with something to say here. If he looked weak in front of the other Gods, they had the right to overthrow him as king of the Gods, but at the same time, was it really right to take HADES' side on things? He was about to try and ask a thousand questions in order to avoid having to make a call on this when a loud noise came from outside the gates.

"Oop, emergancy! Gotta go!" Zeus said suddenly, grabbing a thunderbolt for good measure as he made good his escape from diplomacy.

"HEY! C'mon, you can't just drop this issue dead!" Hades yelled, then chased after his brother as they made their way to the gates.

Looking out upon the mountain, they saw the green girl making her way up here, which was REALLY shocking because mortals normally can't make it this high without passing out. "Gotta give her credit..." Zeus would mutter. "Girl's got some brass to make it this far, but no mortal can enter Mount Olympus..."

Hades looked over his brother's shoulder before pointing down at her with an angry and accusatory gesture. "That's her! One of the green ones I told you about! The one that went and mucked up my endgame! What the heck's she doing here, anyway???"

He glared... waiting to see if by some off chance she came to apologize and pray he didn't cook her like a Girl-kabob down under when her time was up...

[Gabranth]

After the ship landed, Gabranth gathered his things and follow Hercules out. Upon leaving, Gabranth was surprised with the atmosphere. Although they were in a volcano it was very comfortable temperature.

As they walked, the banging of metal rang through the air. He could see the simple duct system, and many various weapons and armors setup along the walls and stands. Some adorned with bright and lavish metals and others plan and simple. Pressing forward, the banging became louder the further in they went.

A figure could be seen afar what seemed to be hard at work. As the two grew closer to the figure, it became clearer. A man much taller than Gabranth and what seemed twice if not more the size of Hercules. Although he was covered in soot and ash from work, his fiery red beard still seemed to stand out. This must be Hephaestus. At this point Gabranth was a bit uneasy seeing such a man or God in this case, especially after his dealings with Hades. Who knows what he would do. Just as his thoughts come to a pass, Hephaestus turned and bellowed out to the demi-god.

“HERCULES, MY BOY! And friend!”

Gabranths eyes grew a bit larger than normal as he watched Hephaestus wobble over with his iron peg leg as he gave Hercules a massive hug. Gabranth was a bit shocked as he turned to him with that big smile and cheerful attitude, he slapped him on the back which left him slightly winded and stunned. His deep voice chuckled as he spoke to the two.

“What brings you two to my shop then? Not up to any mischief are we?”

Gabranth still a bit stunned from the slap Hephaestus gave him, he made a slight mumble and glanced to Hercules to answer. Although Hercules seemed to have other plans, as he gave Gabranth a goofy smile and a nod. A slight chill went up the Judges back, seeing as how he would have to ask. Standing straight he reached under his cloak to reveal a small burlap sack. “Hephaestus, I’ve come to ask a favor.” A bit wary of the God his voice remained stern as he revealed his shattered helm. Most of which was still intact, with the exception of the whole left side. “It was shattered in battle with a black creature. Hercules said if anyone could repair it, it would be you. Any repairs to my armor would be greatly appreciated.”

He glanced back at Hercules as see if he hadn’t done anything to upset the God.

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]All she needed to do was get there half way, she held up the shield as a barrier against the strong winds hitting her, and she held the sword behind it for some type of aerodynamic impulse. As long as this was seen comical, or a threat, the Gods would surely be gathering to see this odd event. Shego was already half way up Mr. Olympus, and still climbing. If anything, this should be more than amusing to the pompous Gods. How to fully gather them-- of what she read... what would REALLY cause them to panic?

She grinned widely at this, breathe in and scream, "THE TITANS ARE COMING!!!"loudly at them, each step becoming harder, and heavier-- or so it seemed. She would wait about a minute more before doing anything else, "THE TITANS HAVE ESCAPED AND ARE COMING-- AFTER YOU ALL!!"[/glow]

[Hercules]

"Aw, now ain't that a bleedin' crime..." the great god of the forge moaned as he waddled over to where Gabranth was, taking the helm in both hands like one who handled a bird with a broken wing. "... Look what ya done to 'er..."

The massive, muscular man went back to his anvil, carrying the helmet in hand. "Ye oughtta be ashamed of yerself," he gruffed, setting it down slowly and examining the damage. "Every piece of metal forged is a thing of beauty, and should be treated with that level 'o respect, yanno..." He picked up some tools and started tapping on it as he spoke.

"Sure, this beauty's seen some battles, I'm sure of that... but ya gotta treat yer armor like ya treat a lady..." he said as he worked. "Ya gotta pamper her, ya gotta clean her up pretty time and again, and when she gets a little damaged, all she needs ta treat ya right again is a little..."

Here, he lifted the helmet, showing it in perfect repair. "...TLC, if ya get my meaning..." He turned his head, his usually cheerful smile turned down into a deep frown. "Lemme guess, you ain't been takin' care o' your lady like yer supposed to, hm??" he said, looking quite displeased.

Herc, who had been doing his best not to say a word, coughed a bit. "Great Hephaestus, we've been-"

"Clam it, boy-o, I wussunt talkin' to you..." Hephaestus interrupted, waving a meaty hand as he walked over to Gabranth, that same hand coming down to tap the armor on his chest.

"Best be thankin' yer lucky stars this particular lady got a fondness for ya... Strip it, Judgey-boy. I'm gonna take your lil' girls shoes and give ya back a well-endowed woman so yer less likely to go bustin' her up like some meatheaded spartan..."

Hercules blinked a bit, seeming confused. "Uhm... what do you-"

"Aw, for cryin' out loud in the quietest part o' Tartarus..." the lord of craftsmen muttered. "I said I'm gonna make his armor tougher!"

[Secondary Characters]

Beside Shego, who was well on her way up the great mountain of the gods, a rainbow-haired figure dressed in a multi-colored dress came swirling out of the mists that surrounded the mound. As it materialized and became more solid, the figure being born would hum an eerily-cheery melody as it came to settle draped over the green woman's shoulders.

"What'cha doing?" it asked, fully formed now, revealing the Goddess of Discord. "It's been a while since you took my babies, and you didn't even come back and say hi when you arrived." She made a face that would show she was hurt, but one would guess it was simply feigned.

"Regardless, I felt your presence, and that of my lovelies and just had to come and see what the yelling was all about. What've you got for me? A show? I hope it's good. Come on, come on."

[Gabranth]

Gabranth wasn’t sure what the God could do with his tools and anvil once he took his broken visage. He listened to the God as he hit and bent the metal of his helmet. It almost sounded like he was giving a lecture on how to treat his armor. Little to the Gods knowledge, Gabranth had his own armory in a past. This wasn’t something a Judge of his stature would expect to do.

Hephaestus rose up his voice when the Judge Magisters helmet was finished. He walked over to Gabranth and handed him his finished helmet. Upon inspection of his visage, he was surprised with the craftsmanship. The bronze and black materials shined, and seemed darker, and more vivid with color. Curious about the methods, he was about to speak up until he was interrupted…

"Best be thankin' yer lucky stars this particular lady got a fondness for ya... Strip it, Judgey-boy. I'm gonna take your lil' girls shoes and give ya back a well-endowed woman so yer less likely to go bustin' her up like some meatheaded Spartan..."

With a confused almost shocked expression “Excuse me…” he replied simply. Then Hephaestus turned to Hercules which in turn seemed completely oblivious to the Gods analogy. While he spoke to Hercules, a flash back of the fight with the Blot ran in his mind. After a few moments he thrust his polearm in the ground and with sigh he said “…so be it.” He rested his visage on the top of his polearm, unlatched his cape and removed his armor. Underneath was a well toned man. He wore a heavy long sleeve shiz and pants, leather black gloves and covers for his feet. He set his armor to the side for Hephaestus to do as he does.

[Hercules]

It is said that the great god of the forge can hear the story of every piece of metal that comes to his anvil. This one simple, albiet extraordinary fact would seem the stuff of myth and legend to some, but let's face facts...

...Gabranth IS running around with HERCULES, after all. And now, as the aforementioned lord of craftsmen sat at his work station, this little bit of fantasy would encroach on reality. He muttered softly to the metal as he crafted it, his hands so large and blocklike that it was shocking that even the most minute details were getting the once-over. He chuckled, nodded, and made soft affirmations as he worked, like a man caught in the web of an infinately fascinating specimen of female.

Hercules would lean over to Gabranth while Hephaestus was busy. "Thanks. He doesn't really approve of the way I handle my sword and armor a lot of times, so you just saved me from a twelve-day lecture..."

"I can hear ya, boy-o!" boomed the creator-god. "An' now that I'm thinkin' on it... You had better start takin' better care o' yer armor or it'll fail ya one day, mark my words!"

As Hercules sighed at his own lack of ability to avoid the disapproving words of his relative, Hephaestus would be standing up, holding the armor to the light so he could see it better. "And blast it all, what do you take this metal for, DAIMOND?" he called to Gabranth before sitting down again to work.

"She be tellin' me all about ye, Noah Von Rosenburg, Judge so-an-so of the Archadian Ha-ha!" Lord Hephaestus went on. "Oh, you got a story on you, don't ye, bucky? All that privilege and status done gone straight to your head, I say... An' don't go blamin' the actions o' others in yer family, either..."

Sitting back, Hephaestus turned and reached up to pluck some sparkling metal from the wall near him before turning once more to the chatty armor on the forge. "Ye think ye can take shortcuts... shirk responsibilites because they be 'below yer status' an' whatnot... Well, let me tells you like I tells Hercules over thar..."

"Here we go..." Hercules bemoaned, and at the same time, both of them spoke the following.

"Ye gotta give it the personal touch..."

"STOP THAT, I'M TALKIN'!" Hephaestus boomed, silencing the son of Zeus. "Now where wuss I..."

Little tiny tapping could be heard as the hulking man leaned in close to his work, a magnifying glass coming down over his eyes for his benefit as he did. "Right... Lemme put it this way, bucky..." he said quieter, as though having to concentrate more even while he spoke. "How many times has ol' bright-eyes here saved your soft, fleshy butt? I'll tell ye, a hundred or more, I'd reckon!"

Here, the pounding stopped, and there was total silence except for a momentary chuckle on Hephaestus' part. "Good one, Bright-Eyes..." apparently, his nickname for Gabranth's armor. "A hundred times or more! An' how do you show yer appreciation when yer not wearin' her? It's a bleedin' shame, it is..."

Hepaestus rose from his spot, seeming quite pleased with himself as he kept the armor out of sight for the time being. "But at the end o' the day, Bright-Eyes still seems to love ye... an' if it weren't for that alone, I'd've told ye both to take a long windin' road back to Rome..."

He walked over to Gabranth, his hands behind his back, still holding the armor pieces. He leaned in close so that he was eye-to-eye with the only slightly shorter man, his voice hushed and deep, as though sharing a secret.

"Bright-Eyes also tells me ye got summit on yer mind, hm? If I were you, I'd do something worth rememberin' when yer all dressed back up..." he whispered, demonstrating a god's semi omnipotence.

Here, he stood tall, and brought the armor around, all neatly displayed. It was black now, with golden trim and deep red rubies encrusted in strategic locations. The underarmor was remade, whole and glorious, and glittering like mythril. The cape, even was redone so that it was no longer by technical reasoning, cloth. It was instead a fine ebony wire woven to give it perfect flexibility and weight, yet being serviceable as any shield. This all fit flawlessly to the helmet which was done only moments before, granting Gabranth a new, more powerful appearance to match the enhanced defenses and slightly boosted strength gifted from wearing anything touched by a God's hand.

"Well, stop sittin' there with yer mouth all agape!" Hephaestus boomed once Gabranth and Hercules both had time to admire the work. "Strap on yer dancin' shoes and take this lady to a ball!"

[Gabranth]

Gabranth stood at ease as the God came and retrieve his armor. Knowing his armor would be both repaired and improved by none other than a God, a small surge of adrenalin coursed through him. Clutching a fist, he glanced down thinking now he may stand a chance to take on Hades himself.

His thoughts were soon broken by the voice of Hercules giving thanks for the freedom of a lecture. Gabranth glanced over to him. He wanted to make heads or tails as to why he was timid around the God, considering the family ties. Then he heard the booming voice of Hephaestus.

“I can hear ya, boy-o! An’ now that I’m thinkin’ on it, you had better start takin’ better care o’ yer armor or it’ll fail ya one day, mark my words!”

Gabranth simply rising an eyebrow with a smirk, said “Humph.” Taking a seat on a nearby stool he waited while Hephaestus began the work on the armor. After a short while Hephaestus spoke up to Gabranth. The God seemed displeased in the condition the armor was in, to which Gabranth simply replied “It served its purpose. Now if you will, serve yours.” Gabranth was still hiding behind his visage. His relaxed demeanor was beginning to waiver as an uneasy feeling set upon him.

“She be tellin’ me all about ye, Noah von Rosenburg, Judge so-an-so of the Archadian Ha-ha! Oh, you got a story on you, don’t ye bucky? All that privilege and status done gone straight to your head, I say. An’ don’t go blamin’ the actions o’ others in yer family either…”

Of course the uneasy feeling that was lingering over Gabranth wasn’t without merit. He stood quickly knocking over the stool. He started to walk with purpose to the God speaking, pointing in his direction. With an angry and shameful passion, he shouted to the God, “I have no right to be called by that name! Nor you to speak of it, God or not I suggest you mind your tongue.” Standing his place, he lowered his hand and glanced away from Hephaestus, “My actions are from the hatred I bear, and… something you can assimilate to.” As he returned the Hercules, he made a note to him that what had been said does not leave this domain. Son of Zeus or not, his past was something that he did not noticed.

Gabranth and Hercules waited patiently as Hephaestus finished the armor. Brandishing the flawless craftsmanship of a God, it shined a bit elegantly than Archadian armor. This wasn’t an issue however; the increased durability and reduced weight would indeed make Gabranth, more lethal. Feeling vulnerable, he quickly armored himself with the brandished gear. Retrieving his helm and polearm, he thanked Hephaestus for the repairs, and improvements. “If we are done, then we shall take our leave.”

[Hercules]

"God or not I suggest you mind your tongue.”

Really? Right in the face of the forge-god, who just fixed up your armor? Ballsy. If not stupid. Hepaestus would glare at the man, his frown evident through his thick beard. "Ye watch yers..." the master craftsman muttered, his voice much darker than it had been, including with it a sudden spike in the temperature.

It would die off quickly, though. Thank goodness Hephy was one of the better-natured Gods. As Gabranth turned to leave, he would call after him. "Boy-o! This ain't no freebie, mind. Ye better be takin' care o' ol' Bright-Eyes by yer own hand from now on, or mark the words o' an immortal, she'll fail ye too someday!"

Foreboding words indeed. The tradeoff for this bit of work was that Gabranth was to take care of his own equipment from now on, no shortcuts. If not... well, there's a reason why it's called "forging".

"Thanks, Hephaestus!" Hercules called, waving and quickly turning as well, hoping to avoid-

"AND IF YOU DON'T START TAKIN' CARE O' YER ARMOR, I SWEAR I'M TAKIN' ME HAMMER TO YER HEAD FIRST!!!" the anvil-lord near-screamed at Hercules.

".......right......." the son of Zeus muttered, then leaned over to Gabranth on their way out. "Really shouldn't have said that..."

[Hades]

Meanwhile, back on Mount Olympus, the gods were scrambling. Shortly after Shego's declaration that the Titans had escaped, Hermes was sent to check on the matter. Sure enough, he found Tartarus empty! The swiftest of the gods was there and back in time to alert everyone, prompting a mass panic.

Zeus would be doing everything he could to organize the gods and prepare them for battle while his brother Hades kept buzzing about him. "Uh, bro? One thing at a time, huh? Let's focus here!"

"Uhh, sorry Hades, but this is kind of more important..." Zeus tried to explain, while simultaneously dodging the entire issue that he had been forced to be a third-party to earlier. "Oh, gotta go! Titans coming, end of the world, you understand! I NEED MY THUNDERBOLTS!!"

Hades would stand there fuming, watching as his brother ran off once more to deal with "more important" things. He seethed all over, hating him all the more for it. But that was nothing for the rage he was feeling for the woman who started this little panic and robbed him of any kind of retribution YET AGAIN!

Hades walked up to the gates, frowning down at Shego as she advanced, the Titan Keyblade and whatever that shield was in her hands. "Why you little green SNOT!" he yelled down to her, his hands lighting on fire. For once, he actually felt compelled to fight on his family's side! Talk about greek irony!

"You know how much you've costed me here lately, evergreen? A boatload, that's what! I was THIS close to sealing the deal on wonderboy and his weirdly-shaped tincan friend, and you had to go glowing it up like a straight-up HERO! Well, joke's on you, girly because you will NOT survive the trip up this mountain!"

Looking now to Eris, Hades frowned deeply. "And where the heck do you stand on this, anyway?"

[Secondary Characters]

"I stand on THIS side, hon," said Eris, her catlike grin sparkling in the dazzling light beaming from her rainbow hair. She slithered through the air until wrapped around Shego's frame once more, and pointed upwards to where Hades and the others were.

"You should have forseen my actions, Hades. Goddess of Discord, babe." She patted the green woman on the head twice before melting away from her, reappering again on her side. "Yeah, Tartarus was nice, but I'm thinking about expanding my territory for a bit. This little fox's just helping me do that. She's got her motives, you've had yours, and I have mine."

Next she turned to Zeus, Ares and Hera. "You guys, y'know, might think about, perhaps, um...well, holding your breath; this is truly gonna stink for you. Ain't that right, Pepper?"

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]"Uh huh...yah, huh...hm..." The woman would say idly to his banter. If Hades wasn't so busy rambling on about whatever he was rambling on about, he would have figured why the woman was there just by looking down. [/glow]"You guys, y'know, might think about, perhaps, um...well, holding your breath; this is truly gonna stink for you. Ain't that right, Pepper?" [glow=green,2,800]said discord herself, a woman similar to that of Shego when it came to doing bad things.

Shego had just faced the key forward, and with a flick of her wrist, a dark light came from it, and surrounded the field that was Mt. Olympus. Suddenly, a lock appeared, and when it did, Shego turned the key 90 degrees quickly to the left, until there was a loud CLICK and the light was gone; All the Gods were DUPED by a mortal and fell right into the clever thief's trap. The titans were there, yes, and within the Keyblade they would cackle and cheer at the idiocy of the gods-- most of them... the neglectful ones anyway.

Once the deed was done, the girl rested the Keyblade down, and used it as a cane almost, leaning a bit of her light weight against it and giving the 'flaming' God one of her signature grins, "Right."
she replied to Eris' question, before shaking her head, "Come on, Bunsen Burner, ya' really think I wouldn't know what I was doing something all the way up here without a plan? Ain't revenge sweet enough?"


[/glow]

[Hades]

"I stand on THIS side, hon."

Admittedly, this statement confused the God of the Dead at first. It didn't dawn on him that the plan he knew about already was happening right now, not until Shego pointed that keyblade of hers right at the gates of Olympus!

"WAIT!" Hades tried to call, but it was too late. The gates locked, and he was trapped here with the rest of the Gods! He growled, trying to reach through to grab at the woman's face. "How DARE YOU!! I am the Lord of the Underworld! You NEED ME!!" he roared. Behind him, the other Gods were just now catching up and raising objections as well.

All the while, he glared at Shego, his pointed teeth exposed in a snarl. "No one outruns Death, Evergreen. When your time comes, I am gunna enjoy every second of YOUR eternity! I got all the time in the world to figure a way out of this... Know how much time you got? Doubt it..."

With that, Hades backed away from the Gates, swearing revenge on both Shego and Eris. For now though, all he could do... was wait.