The man was a giant. If that was the one word to describe the hulking, now shirtless mass of muscle before him that was the word he’d use. ”I don’t care who told you about him. The man is busy and you need to schedule an appointment!” Sam said sternly folding his arms and looking up to the man who introduced himself as Hercules. The icemancer didn’t like when people demanded stuff like the mansion’s healer.

”I will not repeat myself again! I demand the healer! The lizard queen told me about him and I’ve come to collect him!” Hercules was angry, filled with rage and an incredible amount of sadness. His thirteen year old master had a bad day, a break down and it was painful to watch his master experience such emotions. The boy should have been running and playing like the children around the school here. Maybe he’d bring him here? ”I want the healer.” he said repeating himself.

”And I want you to leave and call the school to make an appointment.” Sam said the air around them becoming colder. Doc was irreplicable in the mansion and a friend. Sam didn’t like the idea of a big guy stopping by and potentially injuring him or worse. ”Last chance...” Sam said his breath now becoming more visible as the air grew colder.

”Oh? Are you challenging me? A god? Very well. When I defeat you I will take him.” Hercules said slamming his massive fists together. ”For I Hercules, god of strength and willpower shall quickly dispatch you to obtain your healer! I gave you a chance!” mortals. Always wanting to test themselves and the gods. Hercules was not in a mood for it today. Not after seeing William break down over his mother like he did.

”Fine by me, not really a religious type anyways!” Sam said raising a hand and blasting Hercules with a cold beam after the hulk of a man started to glow.

It was almost a game between them. Megan had arachnid sentries and spies posted all over the mansion and Elizabeth knew for a fact she used them to stalk people and learn their secrets. In general, Liz didn’t mind too much - it’s fairly similar to what she herself did. The issue was that Megan didn’t seem to have any boundaries. So Liz was enforcing some.

Yes, Liz could’ve called her into her office and given her a dressing-down (that probably wouldn’t have been effective) or she could’ve brought in Gemma or someone else to ladle out actual warnings and such, but that wasn’t really Liz’s speed. Not when she could turn it into an educational experience.

Which is why Liz was piloting a five lined skink through the halls, walls, floors, ceilings, and grounds of the mansion, on the hunt for spiders she couldn’t sense but the skink could. Her skink’s cohort traveled along with them and together they’d already tracked down several dozen of the false spiders and devoured them. This was the lesson to Megan - if you’re going to spy, make sure you don’t get caught.

They had cleared a path from the kitchens to the front door, Elizabeth’s psychic senses constantly scanning for other animals to make use of them as counter-spies and extend her network of informants. Now they were outside, scurrying along paths, enjoying the sun’s warmth upon their backs, even as they sought to cull the spiders from the outdoors.

And then they hit a wall of cold.

The skinks froze (but not literally) and darted off a gravel path as two massive shapes started moving and shaking the ground with their steps as the cold intensified.

What on Earth was Sam up to?!?!?

The cold littered the demi-gods body, something he wasn't expecting this was however a place for mutants to learn in safety from what he heard about the place and while Hercules didn’t want to break the peace they had the man was on a mission. He was here with purpose. The healer. Hercules’s hands were brought up to his face as he waited the cold blast out. He could feel his forearms starting to go numb until hey stopped. He lowered his arms and then took a punch to the face as the one who was wielding the chill with ease.

The punch connected and Hercules didn’t falter, or seemed to react at all to the punch Sam gave him. So he wasn’t just big he was strong too... and now glowing. Why was he glowing? Was he a mutant as well or one of the others that had been popping up all over the place. ”Good, you’re strong. Was worried I was going to kill you!” Sam said as he tried to sweep the leg which didn’t move either when Sam attempted it.

”Ha! A mortal killing a god? You mortals amaze me! Thinking yourselves more capable then you are! Excellent! This will be a great warm up!” Hercules said then started to laugh when realized the pun a few seconds after he made the comment.

Sam wasn’t as amused as the demi-god was apparently. He increased the distance while Hercules attempted to grab him. He was big , but slow. Which Sam was used to dealing with, as long as he didn’t get caught it would be fine. What wasn’t fine was the group of spectators who were now gathering to see Sam fight a stranger. ”Everyone inside now! Grab the teachers and tell them what is happening!”

”Yes! Bring all the staff for all I care! I only want the one! The healer!” Hercules repeated himself again as he charged the icemancer with heavy fists one contacting with Sam after a series of missed blows. The one was enough to shatter the ice armor that was quickly growing around his opponent the punch also sent him a few feet back.

Flung backwards more from the ejecting out of his ice armor Sam wheezed as he tried to empty his lung. That one punch that connected must have broken two ribs. ”....Shit... you’re strong.” ice quickly reformed around Sam denser than before hoping he could at least gain a little time till the kids were all in. There were a few stragglers and with them around Sam couldn’t do what he needed to to win. ”Go!” Sam shouted stepping out of a grab and returning with a kick to the ribs.

The kick landed and Hercules showed little reaction other than booming, ”The children have nothing to fear from me! Just you! And whoever else will get in my way!” brushing off the kick he charged again.

Understanding of the situation dawned on Elizabeth quickly. Peering through two sets of eyes, she took in the scuffle between Sam and the brawny man. Recognition flared in her mind. She’d seen this man before, the last time she’d possessed a skink in fact. His name was Hercules or Heracles, she thought. She knew it was one of the two, although it didn't matter too much.

What mattered was how seriously things could escalate.

She’d seen Hercules rip a door off a bank’s vault and effortlessly shrug off gunfire. True, she’d seen Sam perform equally impressive feats, but they all tended to have one thing in common: they could be very dangerous to be around. And all Liz had was a couple of lizards.

There was no way she could make it back to her body in time to do anything, so she cast out for options. This fight needed to end, or at least be contained, but Sam was already on that.A crunching and shattering of ice made the skink’s earholes reverberate. Okay, maybe Sam didn’t have things fully under control. Which made it more imperative to get the kids out. And these lizards were not going to cut it.

Directing the other skink to stay frozen in alert fear, Liz turned around to the students. THey were at a decent distance back, although it wasn’t far enough, not with the power levels the brawlers were operating on. They clearly didn’t take Sam’s command too seriously. Light shifted across her parietal gland and the skink wanted to freeze or bolt in terror, so on a hunch Liz cast out with her mind.

Aha! That’ll work!

She locked onto the curious mind of Huninn, one of the ravens she’d been working with for about a year now. Clearly the raven had been attracted by the chaos and, as a long-term resident of the mansion, also wasn’t very frightened. It was more interested in the little lizard it could see…

Liz flashed an image of her human form into the bird’s mind, exactly as she’d look from the raven’s perspective. <<Repeat after me!>> she told it, using one of the commands she’d worked hard on getting Huninn and Muninn to learn. She could feel understanding in the bird as it connected the dots. And that’s why Liz loved smart birds so much.

<<Attention students!>> she thought to the raven, it’s scratchy voice echoing the words aloud mere moments later. <<This is Ms. Sundance. Go inside the mansion and begin initiating lockdown procedures. Samantha, please spread the word.>> The girl in question was commonly called Gossip, due to her ability to telepathically implant words in people’s minds, privately or en masse. It made giving tests around her tricky as she was sometimes known to give other students answers. In this case, though, she’d serve as a decent messenger, far better than Sam or Liz at the moment.

Most of the students just blinked at the raven and then turned their gaze back to the fight, so Liz placed another compulsion on the raven and it began shrieking and cawing at them. <<NOW! Scotty! Lisa! Frank! Melvin! Scram!>> she said, the raven repeating her words and puffing up its feathers, catching the vehemence and authority behind her words. Only then did the kids start moving.

”Well....” he said spotting one of the ravens fly by as he inhaled quickly even the ice he was layering his ribs with did little to dull the pain. Short breaths were all the icemancer could muster at the moment but that would have to be enough till someone could come give him a hand. Shin, Mirror, Becca, Saph? Any of them would have been a welcome distraction to give him a moment to figure out how to beat this brute.

”That’s good! Don’t want to have to worry about the kids too.” he said grunting and bringing his hands up into a guard. The air got colder when the kids started to scatter back into the mansion. That was good. Sam didn’t want them to see what was about to happen. Cold erupted from Sam as he pushed out as much cold as he could muster. ”You see.... this is a school for kids. Where they can grow up and be kids.... you’re ruining that for them and well.... I don’t like it.” two clones crawled out from the ice next to Sam all of which had similar bodies to Sam the frozen one.

”An admirable goal, but like I said! I just want the healer!” Hercules said his skin coating in ice for a moment till his fists struck into each other and he exhaled himself activating a surge of green light from his tattoo’s. With this he could withstand the cold a bit longer than normal meaning he had to end this quickly. ”Allow me to take him and use him and you can have your peace.” Hercules stepped forward lodging his feet past the layer of ice into the ground then pushed off high into the air.

”Give up! You can not win!” Hercules came down hard on the area where Sam and the ice clones were standing both clones reached for Sam and slingshot him out of harms way as Hercules came crashing down to the spot they were standing moments ago. The impact alone was impressive, a crater formed where Sam had been as the massive demi-god brought both hands down to where Sam was seconds ago the ground gave way and the vanquisher of titans stood upright smacking once clone away and the other apart as he turned.

Sam slid to a stop and turned reforming the one clone and having it grab onto the bulky man. ”That’s fine I just need to hold you off till the big guns get here.” Sam shouted and shot an ice beam at Hercules again this time with a little more ‘umph’ knowing that he can withstand his normal attacks and that the kids weren’t about to see their teacher kill someone.... again.

After ensuring the students were gone, Liz turned her attention back to the fight. She saw it from two different lizards and a bird’s eye view and it was not looking great. Sam was no longer hampered by fear of endangering the students, but none of his ice constructs seemed to be doing more than momentarily inconveniencing Hercules.

Fortunately Liz now had access to Huninn’s ears, which were far more adept at picking up sounds and perceiving words. Even amidst the bravado and shattering ice, Huninn (and therefore Liz) could hear Hercules' words very well from the tree it was perched on.

Hercules was here for a healer. Of course! If Liz had had access to fingers she would’ve snapped them. The last time she’d encountered him, he was trying to steal money to pay for healing for someone. Liz had volunteered the Doc’s services and given him her card. And apparently he didn’t think to call.

Men.

Liz retreated from range of the battlers, enticing the other lizard to follow her. They streaked across the pavement to hide under a bush. Liz called up to Huninn again, to have the bird repeat her words so the humans could hear her. <<Hercules! Hercules, Sam, stop! This is Liz. There’s been a misunderstanding!>>

The ice quickly overtook the mass of muscle and within seconds his body’s glow started to dim obstructed by the thick layer of ice that continued to grow on him from Sam’s control. There was no movement for a second then he heard the crow’s voice and knew that Liz was somewhere nearby. ”Misunderstanding? He’s openly threatening anyone who interferes with him kidnaping Doc!” Sam shouted at the bird still laying the cold on.

”Oh ho!” his head was free but his body was restrained currently frozen in position of him blocking. ”I threaten all who stand in my way, most people get hurt otherwise!” Hercules looked to the speaking raven and wondered if it was one of the one-eyed gods ravens. Was Odin alive as well? ”Raven! I was told by the queen of lizards I can find the healer here! I have come for him!” Hercules boomed to all who would hear. He had no idea the raven and the lizard queen were one and the same.

”I don’t have time for this!” while they talked the glow of both the demi-god and the ice continued to grow until there was a loud ‘crack’ like a glacial movement hundreds of miles away however this was right here on the mansion grounds. ”There is no prison that can hold me once I set my mind to something! HMMMMMMMRRRGGHHHH!”

There was panic on Sam’s face all but for a moment as he realized what was about to happen. The density of the ice the strength behind the giant.... Sam stopped shooting the beam of cold and quickly waved his hands free allowing Hercules to break free without sending dense chunks of ice everywhere. The school would have been an easy target with the ice flying everywhere. Instead the ice shifted and grew down to the man’s feet instead of his whole body.

”Liz! Send Doc to the danger room and then get Saph out here yesterday!” Sam shouted as ice clones started to climb out of the ice formed around the hulk’s feet reaching up and pawing at him trying to use him to climb out from the sheet of frozen liquid surrounding them.

”I grow weary of this! No matter how you form your power you will only slow me!” Hercules said grabbing the nearest golem of ice and ripping him from the sheet half formed. The golem grabbed onto his arm and held tight as Hercules brought it down with a loud ‘thud’ ”I’m becoming irritated!”

”Good, you’re on my level then!”

Not only was her entreaty shot down, but the pieces were torn apart and scattered to the four winds as neither man ceased their tusseling. First Sam shrugged her off. Hercules at least seemed to consider her words but none of his actions changed. <<I know! That’s what I was getting to!>> she said, the raven repeating her words with an occasional caw. He clearly didn’t recognize her name, only referencing the “lizard queen”.

Now there was an idea!

The men amped up their attacks and Liz lost any ability to get a word in edgewise. Men! she thought again. She was going to have sooo much to talk to Becca about at the next midnight wine sesh. First of all, it seemed along with his eye,Sam had lost an ear because he wasn’t listening! And Hercules? Who knew what was up with him?

It looked like Liz would have to step in. She was already regretting her decision to wake up this morning.

She completely ignored Sam’s order. She wasn’t an X-Men and besides, he didn’t know what was going on. In her past encounter with Hercules, he’d proven reasonable, if impatient, and seemed to escalate things only in response to opposition. She needed to get in between them somehow.

Elizabeth slid a thought in Huninn’s mind with a stab of curiosity accompanying it. Interest peaked, the raven redirected its eye to where Elizabeth’s hiding spot was. At the same time she darted out from under it, a simultaneous line of panic and curiosity aimed at her fellow skink driving it to follow her. Then Liz focused back on Huninn and his the bird with a wave of desire and memories of hunger, laced with intense fascination and boldness. That was all it took.

The bird swooped down off its branch, skirted the brawlers, and skimmed low to the ground. The two skinks stayed frozen, held down by sudden waves of numbing panic, until the bird snatched them up in its talons. Quick as a wink, Liz slid out of the skink and poured her mind into Huninn’s. For the next phase, she needed direct control. “Hercules, you will get what you want!” she yelled through the raven’s mouth.

Elizabeth smoothly arced upwards and beat her wings against the chilled air, straining against its heaviness. She finally achieved sufficient lift and crested over Sam’s head, where she opened a talon. Seconds later she’d flown over Hercules, opening her second talon. Two skinks fell, each one aimed at a man’s face.

“For I am the lizard queen! Now STOP!”

”Ha! Mortals, you continue to surprise me with your arrogance! Me, a god! On your level!” he shouted shaking off the flecks of ice that dared try to slow his pace. Two more formed and grabbed onto the prince of powers legs slowing him. ”I do admit I enjoy a challenge! However I don’t have time for this!” Hercules said glowing more while tears welled up in his eyes thinking about his master’s recent breakdown over his mother. Rage filled his resolve and he kept moving forward towards the school.

”You’ll find it here!” Sam shouted throwing his hands up and directing the ice to take shape latching on to the man, if he couldn’t hold him in place he could at least slow him till he could figure out what to do next. If all else failed he’d at least have his ace in the hole. Problem with that he would have been next to useless after.

Hercules stopped when he heard his name, looking up to the raven again. ”If I have a say in it I always get what I want!” he shouted to the bird doubting now it was one of Not-his-All-Father they usually didn’t talk like this. From what he recalled they spoke in riddles. It flew in front of him distracting him. He could afford it. This ice was nothing but a nuisance.


”Oh-Ho!?!” animals were often regarded as sacred, Hercules had a habit of avoiding killing any animal unless necessary for his list of gods that he had offended over the millennia was long enough as it was. When the bird swooped he didn’t swat it but rather opened his hand to the offering of lizards as it spoke. ”I had hoped you’d be the one to great me!” he said not hiding his irritation. ”Far from welcoming!” he said allowing the lizards to rest on his face.

After seeing the change of attitude and determination Sam’s sudden need to protect the mansion from a stranger that could knock him around like it was nothing lightened.... slightly. Enough for Sam to question Liz. ”Liz?” he asked the air cooling slightly around the giant and lizards. His power focused more closer to himself.

Elizabeth flooded the skins with calmness and peace, washing over the prior panic she’d pushed upon them. They stilled and slowed, resting on the man’s face, even as he talked and spoke and sent rumbling vibrations through them with every syllable.

Meanwhile, from the pilot seat of Huninn’s body, she landed on the ground between Sam and Hercules, her back to her friend. If she could’ve rolled her eyes, she would’ve. “Perhaps if you had called ahead, I would have been able to greet you,” Liz said drily, the raven’s voice managing to somewhat convey her tone. “That’s why I gave you my card. Next time, l believe that would be simpler for all parties involved.”

Liz fixed Hercules with a predator’s stare, the eyes that had seen hundreds and thousands of dead things and had feasted upon them all.

Keeping a part of her mind focused on the skinks (and therefore on Hercules’s actions and position) Liz hopped around and turned to Sam. “Sam, l promise I’ll explain everything later. I invited Hercules here, although I didn’t expect it like this. I’m taking him to meet the Doc - I will let you know if anything at all goes wrong. Trust me on this, okay?”

She really hoped he would. She didn’t completely know what she was doing, but she had faith Hercules wouldn’t go crazy. And if he did, well, she’d had time to consider countermeasures.

Liz turned back to Hercules. “Before I take you to see the Doc, though, you will agree to some rules.” She didn’t ask if it was okay. She felt the direct approach was best in this case, especially in the wake of this opening scuffle. “You will not harm anyone inside the building or on, above, or below the mansion’s grounds. You will not damage or destroy anything while you are here. This is our home - you are a guest here and I expect you to behave as such. Likewise, you will be treated as such. Finally, you are here to speak to our doctor. I make no guarantee he will be able to help. If he can, it will be up to him if he chooses to, and under what conditions. You will not force or coerce him to comply - his decision will be respected.”

She paused for several moments. “Do you agree to these terms?”

”I agree! However I not only lost my phone but the shirt pocket where I had your contact information was destroyed in an inferno.” the demi-god said as a matter of fact before lowering his arms. The glowing softened as he talk. Sam took that as a ‘we don’t need to fight’ at this point he didn’t want to, but rather wanted to discuss the proper protocol for inviting strangers to the mansion. Though the more they talked the more she seemed to be a voice of reason to the big guy.

”.....Yeah.... let me head that way first so I can heal up. I think your ‘friend’ cracked two of my ribs.” he said the ice around the grounds started to melt slowly as they were no longer under his control. Just the ice on his person. Turning and walking back to the mansion, ”Give me a shout if you need me to.... help your friend find the exit...” the icemancer said through gritted teeth.

”I believe I’ll use the way I came! Thank you for your offer!” Hercules said with a wave of his hand not getting what Sam meant. ”I am very capable in finding entrances and exits!” he said looking around. With the open sky he could have just jumped the gates. Security didn’t seem too tight here. ”Right....” Sam said looking to the bird wishing Liz could see his one-eyed stare down.

The icemancer slowly backed away eyeing the whole situation then making sure any kids who were about to go outside didn’t until he made it to Doc. Once he was healed he’d wait to see if Liz could handle the muscle head. Seriously... where was Saph?

Hercules watched as the winter warrior exited the field of battle slightly relieved and slightly upset. The demi-god didn’t advertise it but he was a breaking a sweat and wanted to see what else the one eyed ice-man was capable of. The god of willpower grew tired of talking to a bird however. He felt like he was about to get a quest. ”Hmmmm?”

”.....” his fists and jaws clenched and he suddenly felt rage like he hadn’t felt since he was summoned to this era. Mainly because he was amped up from the fight and now was tired of waiting on the healer. ”Very well...” it wasn’t like the verbal agreements or pacts he had with his master. They could be broken if need be. Even if he hated going back on his word. His master needed him. Hercules wasn’t sure he could sit idly by if William started crying again.

”I agree to the terms, as long as I am not attacked I will do my best not to break anyone or anything.” his tattoo’s would have glowed if she was capable of forming a contract with him. Instead he flexed and clenched his jaw. ”A boy’s mother depends on it. He already lost his father. I’m desperate to help him and will do whatever I can to convince this healer. Even give my life for it.” Hercules said boldly knowing that some things required a price. His master was going to do great things. Hercules was going to see to it that he could do those things.

“Will do,” Elizabeth said through the raven’s mouth as Sam began making his way inside the mansion. That would work out for the best, she figured. He could warn everyone, set things up, clear the students out of the way, even prep the Doc if needed. Liz didn’t think Hercules would be a danger, but it was still better to be prepared. The school had gone through too much to just allow a wolf into its fold without countermeasures in place.

With that settled, Liz could focus on her end of things. She suddenly felt that Sam had the easier job.

“Ah, that makes sense,” she croaked in acknowledgement. Nothing about hercules gave any indication of insincerity. In fact, he came off as one of the most upfront individuals she had ever met. Even the sharpened senses of Huninn didn’t register any biological irregularities that might’ve signalled falsehoods.

“You certainly are,” Liz commented, remembering his bank entrance again. “Hopefully we can avoid such...dramatic displays.” And then, most importantly, he agreed to her terms. She watched him carefully, noting his tensing and the fists he made. She didn’t move, but only because she was preventing Huninn from automatically responding to a huge menacing threat. Liz remembered how impatient the man had been at the bank.

But she believed him.

“Excellent,” she said. “I’ll take you to our doctor now. As I imagine you’d rather not wait any longer, l will be unable to join you in person, so this current body shall have to suffice as a guide. With your permission, I believe it would be most convenient if I could perch on your shoulder, as ravens do not fly as well indoors and we’re not very good with doorknobs.” Having said that, she leaped off the ground and flapped up, aiming for a shoulder.

“Now, proceed through the door the other man went through. And while we’re walking, why don’t you tell me more about this boy?”

”Oh?” Hercules asked walking over to the raven and lowering a shoulder as the small creature jumped onto his shoulder, ”What a shame. I would have preferred in person. I remember you’re beauty fondly.” he said looking over his shoulder and smirking before walking towards the mansion entrance.

His demeanor changed once his mission progressed and he felt like he was no longer being slowed or obstructed on this trial. ”Gladly!” Hercules boomed ignoring the lizards on his person still. They didn’t harm him in any way and if he was to remove one of the lizard queen’s vessels he was going to ask permission. Like a gentleman!

”Though young William, would probably chastise me for talking about him to people he doesn't know let alone someone in a school of kids his own age.” Hercules said opening the door and noticing a tunnel of ice covering the halls. Shadows could be seen on the other side of the tunnels where the hallway’s split going in different direction. ”It seems my path is laid out for me! What a shame. I was looking forward to seeing a school for mutants.” he said before trailing off and continuing on about his master.

”Thirteen years old and the boy was able to have the willpower to summon me. Though he is modest I believe he might be one of the most powerful and intelligent magical users I have ever come across. It takes a great deal of power to be able to give me form and even more to give me my godly strength!” he said beaming with pride the way a father would brag about his kid.

Hercules passed several smaller opening the size of children as they passed clearly some of the kids didn’t want to find a way around the tunnel of ice but decided to go through. ”The young master is patient as well, I’ve never seen a child more determined to find out who attacked him the night I was summoned. Let alone explaining to me the intricacies of this era. I recently discovered the ability to record programs on the television, boy was that a long lecture.” Hercules said rambling on.

”He’s resourceful and responsible as well, top of his class at his school, even skipped a grade! Though I believe the other children in his classes are jealous, they tease him constantly for being in a wheelchair still.” he said his eyes filling with tears as he thought more on the burden that his master was under. Which was one of the reasons the god was here. To help William with his burden.

Liz almost croaked.

What? Did he just...was he...he thought she was beautiful?

Liz stared at him through corvid eyes, momentarily at loss for words. Now that was an unexpected development. Maybe, maybe it was definitely for the best her body was back in her room. Definitely. At least ravens didn’t blush.

“Uh, thank you,” she said, because she didn’t completely know what to say. Time to move on, Liz! To anything else! As off guard as she was, her connection to the skinks lapsed and they began scurrying around the man, trying to find their way off him. Liz didn’t bother stopping them.

Huh. And he still seemed sincere. Clearly he was up to something!

They moved into a somewhat frozen world and Liz was pleased to note Sam’s precautionary measures. There was no chance for Hercules to get lost and she was confident Sam was going to block off every possible route. “Just follow the icy halls,” she remarked. Well that made guiding him easier. “We’ve had problems with outsiders before. We’re not keen to allow history to repeat itself.” Let him make of that what he would. She did her best to keep a neutral tone, the raven’s imperfect speech mimicry actually aiding that.

“I’m sure William will be okay with it this once,” she said, switching into support mode. They needed to know who they were dealing with if anyone was to be helped, after all. Besides, telling stories could help Liz learn about Hercules while also distracting him from anything else at the mansion, particularly any potential nefarious schemes he had in place.

And such a story it was.

It was like when he spoke at the bank. There was wonder in every word, as if he was discovering a world for the first time, and he was so passionate in what he felt! It was that passion that had moved her to offer her assistance in the first place. Even if some parts of the story were a bit too fantastic to believe, the realistic parts were hard enough.

“You’re not looking for a healer for William though,” she commented. “But for his mother, right?” Indeed, Hercules was right. “He’s a remarkable lad, he is,” she creaked out, “putting her before himself, if as you say he’s wheelchair bound and pestered like so.”

“What do you mean he summoned you?” she asked after a moment, clinical interest in her mind’s voice, if not the raven’s. “Is he a mutant as well?” Liz was aware that not all mutants regarded their powers in the same way. Various belief systems sometimes colored the perception of mutants. She’d known several who said they were blessed by some deity or another or their powers were spiritual or magical gifts, so she didn’t dwell too much on much of Hercules’s terminology.

The raven relayed the message and Hercules gave a meaty thumbs up with his massive thumb. She didn’t have anything else to say on the comment so he dropped it. He was on a mission after all he could flirt later.

”..... I understand...” Hercules said as he followed the corridor of ice. If he didn’t approach the school in the way that he did he would have been insulted if the ice was there. However the demi-god understood the want and need of being precautious. There were kids here after all. ”As I said before, the children have nothing to fear from me. Only those that would prevent me from my goal!” he said watching the figures on the other side of the ice cast shadows into the hallway. It reminded him of Hel, and then of his uncles realm. He pushed that thought away though, mortals had gone mad recalling those places.

”No, I am... however if the healer healed him before his mother I have no doubt someone would be kicked with his newly healed legs. The boy is quite stubborn. If we are only to heal one person he would prefer it to be his mother.” Hercules said staring forward as a few tears rolled down his face while he beamed with pride. ”My master is so selfless!”

”I’ve never been more impressed with a mortal than my current master. The qualities I hold in such high regard make up his personality. I don’t think I even had a more impressive master in all my years on this planet!” he said continuing to brag about the boy.

”I don’t believe he is.” the god said as he rounded a corner and eyed the glass doors that read infirmary, his stride increased as he moved with more purpose. ”I found those who channel magic often do not have the abilities that you’d associate with a mutant.” he scoffed, ”I find the word grotesque, we used to called them blessed or cursed. Depending on their abilities.” Hercules said recalling his earlier years. Before he joined the pantheon.

”I great deal of power and the willingness to sacrifice everything is required to materialize me in this form. Most mortals who try to tether me to this plain of existence die before I can form. But a child!” Hercules started to laugh still in disbelief, ”a child in this era!” he sighed, ”What a time to be alive!” he said before walking through the sheet of glass when it didn’t open for him in time. Hercules thought it was one of the ‘push doors’ instead of one that opened on it’s own. The glass shattered around him and he looked around hoping no one saw them. They did.