As she reached the end of the trail, Madhatter stopped to take in the peaceful scene before her. Calee's new castle shone brightly in the distance, surrounded by beautiful woodlands and a sparkling lake. "What a wonderful spot!" Maddie thought. "Perfect place for Calee's new home. And what a wonderful day for a party! HerK and Iolaus can get in some fishing and Auto . . . . wait a minute, where's Autolycus? he was just behind me a minute . . . " A loud crashing sound followed by Autolycus' trademark yodeling startled Maddie out of her daydreaming. She watched as a tall handsome blur flew through the trees and landed just inches away. "Autolycus, can't you just walk like everyone else?" Maddie asked. "And miss the opportunity to make an entrance? I have a reputation to uphold!" Auto replied. "Well, you can't hold up anything if you're in multiple pieces." said Madhatter and speaking of pieces, did our housewarming gift survive your trip? You did pick up the vase I ordered like I asked . . . didn't you . . . you didn't did you?" "Now, Maddie my sweet," Autolycus said as he backed slowly away from Maddie's steely gaze "what I 'picked up' is every bit as lovely!" He placed the burlap bag he was carrying over his shoulder on the ground and removed a porcelain box of cobalt blue studded with sapphires and emeralds. "It's lovely but . . . " Before she could finish, Autolycus had bounded to the huge front door and was knocking briskly. "Auto," Maddie whispered almost to herself, "where did you get this?" There was a sudden foreboding rumble of thunder as the door opened . . .
Posted on Dec 29 1998, 01:08 PM
Chapter 2 by Aquillea
There was a sudden foreboding rumble of thunder as the door opened. . .
At the sound of the thunder Madhatter had whirled around, disconcerted. She wondered whether the thunder marked the arrival of a storm. . . . . or perhaps some vengeful god or goddess previously possessed of Calee's gift. Either could put a mammoth damper on the planned festivities.
When nothing materialized before her, Maddie cast a wary glance upwards. The sky was leaden and she asked herself, "How could I not have noticed the quick and total change in the weather conditions? It had been quick hadn't it?" But the sound of Autolycus' energetic knocking provided the answer. The journey to Calee's castle had proven to be a memorable treat in itself. Autolycus could be quite an intriguing traveling companion when he was of a mind to be. Whenever he was with Maddie he was always 'of a mind to be.' The smile illuminating Maddie's thoughts had no time to reach her lips before another thought struck her.
"There's no point in knocking. . . .," she began. The party was supposed to be a surprise. The final crescendo of thunder finished her sentence. Maddie had been struck dumb with astonishment when the massive wooden door began to swing open.
"Madhatter?" A wide, welcoming grin spread across the face of the dark haired woman in the entryway. "Oh, I'm so excited to finally meet you! I'm Aquillea."
"Aquillea, thank the gods! For a moment there I thought you were Calee. Some surprise party that would have been . . . . .I guess the surprise would have been on me!" she laughed.
"Not to worry, Calee was gone by the time I got here. Your plan to have her Amazon friends get her away from the castle appears to have worked like a charm."
"This place seems to be overflowing with charm," Autolycus said, reaching for Aquillea's hand and kissing it. Maddie resisted the urge to frown realizing that was simply Auto's way. She couldn't help but smile when Aquillea looked at him rather quizzically, clearly unimpressed. Joxer could make Aquillea smile but Iolaus was the only man who really impressed her these days.
"Well, something's overflowing here. 'Charm' huh? `That's one way to put it." Aquillea smirked. Maddie had to turn aside to stifle a snicker. "Serve's Auto right," she thought.
Just then, Aquillea's attention was captured by the shiny blue box in Autolycus' hand. "Wow," she exclaimed! It was breathtaking. It was exquisite. It was clearly a gift for Calee. "Oh Hades. The messenger arrived so late, I rushed to get here in time to help you set up. A gift never even crossed my mind!"
"Don't be silly," Madhatter protested. "Your presence is what is important and showing up like this to lend a hand is more than gift enough."
"For you maybe," Autolycus sniped, his pride still a bit wounded by the earlier exchange.
"Nonsense," Maddie countered. "Calee will appreciate this party and the company of all her friends far more than any gift." She repeated her previously whispered question, more forcefully this time. "Autolycus, where did you get this? How did you get it. . . .as if I have to ask? Whose is. . . .Whose was. . . .Is it?"
One more question burned in Maddie's mind. She didn't quite know why. She reached out to take the box from Autolycus and asked, "Is there anything inside?". . .
Posted on Dec 30 1998, 01:26 AM
Chapter 3 by Lyrical
Ok sisters here goes nothing. . .
There was a thunderous knock at the door. All three people inside looked cautiously at the door. Another very loud knock!! Carefully all three opened the door expecting a Giant. . .Instead there stood a 5'2" blonde smiling. "Hi," she said. "I'm Lyrical !" She spotted the box in Auto's hand and said, "Auto, what are you doing with Jason's box?" Auto said, "I didn't steal it, if that's what you mean. Honest. I traded him something he has always wanted, which shall not be revealed, and in turn he gave me this!" he was referring to the box. "Excuse me," Lyrical said, "Are either one of you Madhatter?" "I am, why?" answered Maddie. "Because a delivery guy stopped me and asked if I was on my way to Calee's party, how he knew about it is beyond me. Anyway, he asked if I would give this package to Madhatter and I said sure. It is yours right?" "My vase for Calee!" exclaimed Maddie, "now you can give her the vase Aquillea and I can give Calee the box." "Great idea," said Aquillea. "Nice to meet you Lyrical, I'm Aquillea and this is Madhatter. Just to keep it formal, Auto you know." "It is a pleasure to finally meet both of you!!" said Lyrical. "I don't mean to change the subject," said Maddie, "but just what is in that box?" Auto was about to answer her when …
Posted on Dec 30 1998, 09:46 AM
Chapter 4 by Hibblette
Finally, she arrived after a most exhausting and confusing time with a Dragon that would not let her approach this one castle. A Castle where she had heard there were friends that waited to hear from her and she to listen to them.
Along the way she had heard of the Castle of Calee but her mission was to get to this golden commercialized pumped up castle she had heard so much about. Once she slayed the Dragon named Server Down she made it inside. Yes, the friends were there and there was pretty gems all around but it was so confusing and complicated, our dragon slaying heroine Hibblette shook her head backed out and resolved she would be back when she wasn't so exhausted.
So she arrived at the castle and there Madhatter, Aquillea, Lyrical and of course that charming Rascal Autolycus was there-they immediately saw how tired she was and listened with great patience to the story that they also had lived.
Now the matter of the blue box . . .
Chapter 5 by ANGEL
Just as the question of the box was about to be answered, there came another knock at the door. Madhatter opened the door saying "are we ever going to see the inside of the box?" "What box?" Asked the new arrival. "You must be Madhatter, I'm Angel, & I believe you all know Ares." Seeing the looks on their faces she quickly added "Don't worry, Ares will be a good boy, he's promised not to pick a fight with anyone." She turned to Ares & said "Isn't that right Ares?" he muttered "Yeah, I'll be good, promise." "Well, if you think you can get along with Herc, you can stay Ares." Madhatter turned to introduce the other guests to the new arrivals. "this is Aquillea, Hibblette, Lyrical, & of course you know Auto." "Nice to meet you, Hey Lyrical, we've met through the old Forum, good to see you. Beautiful vase Lyrical. Ares has promised to grant Calee a wish for me. What's in the box?" Inquired Angel as she spied the Blue Box. . . . . . . . .
Posted on Dec 31 1998, 02:30 AM
Chapter 6 by Madhatter
Madhatter sighed to herself. This day was already starting to take an interesting turn. Ares and Autolycus had worked out a tentative truce after the Discord/chicken incident but the god of war had always had a hair trigger and Auto was just the guy to set him off. She could only hope that Ares wouldn't break his promise to Angel to be a "good boy". Besides, time was short - the rest of the Amazons would be back with Calee soon and the place wasn't near ready for their arrival. "I think we better get to work," said Madhatter. "Maddie's right," said Aquillea, "let's get this place ready. Then we'll have a peek in that box." "Perhaps that's not such a good idea," said Autolycus "I had this friend named Pandora, see, and she . . . " His words trailed off as Maddie dragged him into the kitchen. "Well!", said Lyrical as she placed the finishing touches on the table "Look who's finally arrived!" The front door had swung open to reveal Hercules and Iolaus, dressed in their finest party clothes. The arrival of the two heroes brought an appreciative cry of greeting from every Amazon in the room. "Oh, for Zeus' sake. . ." said Ares. Meanwhile, Autolycus had misinterpreted Maddie's desire to get him in the kitchen and responded with a swift but passionate kiss. "Quit fooling around!" said Maddie after she managed to untangle herself from Auto's embrace. "That's not what you said last night" he replied. Maddie glared sharply, "I'm only interested in not being embarrassed later!
What's in the box?" "Fine", he said, "If you must know." he removed the jewel-encrusted lid to reveal a larger jewel inside. Shaped like a rounded pyramid, it glowed from within with a strange green light. "The Cronos stone! How on earth would Jason have that?"
Posted on Dec 31 1998, 11:03 AM
Chapter 7 by Aquillea
Meanwhile, back in the entry hall, Iolaus had dropped a large, somewhat soiled sack that contrasted sharply with his fine party attire. Joy sparkled in his eyes and it was evident that he planned to warmly embrace each of his Amazon friends. Herc, torn between his feelings for the women and the practical concerns of the moment, was a step behind but followed Iolaus' lead.
Aquillea's heart seemed to stop beating; her simultaneous pleasure and discomfort at the prospect of being in Iolaus' arms had upset its natural rhythm. She cherished her friendship with both heroes of New Greeceland, but when it came to Iolaus, there was something more in her heart. Aquillea had been attracted to the Golden Hunter from their first meeting many years ago, and she had fought that feeling every step of the way. It would be foolishness to sacrifice the strong bond between them on a romantic whim. "Besides," she always told herself, "I'm hardly Iolaus' type."
As the Hunters and Amazons shared affectionate greetings and Ares watched dourly from a dark corner, Aquillea slipped behind the group to examine the contents of the sacks. Just has she had expected and hoped, they were filled with game, fish. . . . .and shellfish too! She tried to make room in her heart for some excitement. Hunters are not especially fond of gathering, no sport in it. So the inclusion of the shellfish was an unexpected treat. . . . .
Posted on Dec 31 1998, 09:55 PM
Chapter 8 by Hibblette
As Hibblette mingled and talked with all of her buds, commenting on how warm and cozy the Castle was, there was another knock at the door..
It was Salmoneus! he had a new sure-fire gadget with him that was going to bring in loads of dinar. It was a handy dandy shellfish combined cleaner and opener tool. Everyone laughed at the coincidence of how much he knew it would come in handy.
Posted on Jan 01 1999, 06:59 PM
Chapter 9 by Aquillea
Aquillea's flanking maneuver had not gone unnoticed by Iolaus and Hercules. Sweet happiness yielded to puzzlement in the Hunter's eyes as a 'Gee, what did I do?' expression flickered across Iolaus' face. Hercules could not help but be amused though the feeling was fleeting, quickly to be replaced by concern.
He knew his friend so well. One of two things was just about to occur. Either Iolaus would sweep Aquillea up in a big bear hug or he would question her about her apparent aloofness. Oddly, Herc could see positive outcomes arising from either course of action. Just not in front of an audience. . . . .even if it was a gathering of good friends. Aquillea would likely withdraw further and Hercules knew that was something that must be prevented.
Aquillea too had assessed Iolaus' expression and drawn the same conclusion as the son of Zeus. "Don't panic," she tried to tell herself even as she added a few more bricks to her emotional defenses. "Iolaus is a dear friend."
Iolaus, mouth open and hand raised in preparation to speak, stepped toward the friend he had cared for so long and so deeply. But Hercules moved simultaneously, and in two long strides had managed to partially block his buddy's path. A sideways glance communicated Iolaus' annoyance but the taller man seemed not to notice.
Hercules smiled warmly at Aquillea. "God's," she though to herself. "Sometimes, I swear he can read my mind." She felt as though she had been rescued and the tension in her eased just a bit.
"Bet you'd like some help getting this into the kitchen," said Hercules. he nodded to the three bulky sacks on the floor, two which he had carried in, the other Iolaus'.
It seemed like a good idea to the woman but she hesitated. "Come on, Aquillea," she chastised herself. "Get a grip and try to think." What was it about going to the kitchen that bothered her? Then she remembered.
"Uhh. . . . .yeaahh. Well, you see. . . . .Maddie and. . . ." Aquillea paused for a second to gather her thoughts. "Let me go see if Maddie has everything. . . ready. . . in there first. Be right back."
"Ready?" Iolaus questioned no one in particular, confused now as well as annoyed. "What's to get ready?"
As Aquillea approached the kitchen she began humming the first song that came to mind, "Joxer the Mighty." She made sure she was humming very, very loudly. But just to be safe she paused before the entrance.
Autolycus took the opportunity to quickly replace the lid on the porcelain box and tuck it under his arm and out of sight. Madhatter rolled her eyes and sighed. "All right, I don't know what you're up to but. . . ." Maddie's words trailed off just before Aquillea walked hesitantly through the door.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Aquillea apologized, "But I thought maybe we ought to start heating thing up." Maddie's eyebrows nearly rose right off her face. "No," Aquillea nearly blushed, "I mean we probably should get cooking. . . . . The food," she stuttered. "We should start cooking the food. Hercules and Iolaus brought all kinds of meat and fish." Thankfully, Maddie giggled and Aquillea joined her.
"Food! Well, 's-about time!" exclaimed Autolycus as he sauntered off toward the door. "Guess I'll take my leave. Wouldn't want to be under foot while you gals work your culinary magic," he grinned.
Maddie glared after him. Once again he had successfully evaded her questions and now she was getting nervous. The Chronos Stone! Where had it come from, and more importantly, not Jason surely. And what did Auto plan to do with it now that he had it? It obviously wasn't meant to be a gift for Calee.
It was all Maddie could do to keep from running after him and demanding answers. A couple Amazon techniques to make people talk sprang to mind that she might really enjoy using. Unfortunately, it would just have to wait. Aquillea was right. It was time to "get cooking".
Chapter 10 by Lyrical
Aquillea said, "Salmoneus you have arrived just in time. Grab that bag and you, Hibblette, & Iolaus come with me to the kitchen and we can start this feast!" Salmoneus said, "Lead on oh Beautiful one I will follow all of you lovely lady's anywhere!" "I agree with Salmoneus, although I don't know how much help I'll be in the kitchen," exclaimed Iolaus. Lyrical came out of the dinning room and announced "The tables are ready to be set, if the rest of you lovely ladies can handle the plates I'll go out in the garden and get some fresh flowers to put on the tables. Lyrical went out in the garden carrying a large basket and a small dagger. As she started to cut the flowers she heard a very familiar voice call her name. "Aphrodite" she exclaimed, " I thought you were on Olympus working on something or other" "Oh I was," said Aphrodite," and at first it was really fun, but then it turned into a bore so. . ." "I see," said Lyrical, "You heard about Calee's party and just couldn't stay away." Lyrical and Aphrodite had been friends ever since Lyrical was little. She doesn't consider herself very attractive and always wanted to be more like the goddess of Love. Of course to anyone looking at her Lyrical was talking to no one at all. The other Amazons were watching from the Castle and were growing concerned. "Well, what do you know," said Hercules, just loud enough for the women to hear, as he walked toward the garden, "Aphrodite has a friend at last." Lyrical looked up from talking to Aphrodite and collecting flowers, as Hercules approached them. Her heart skipped a beat, and then she laughed at herself for even thinking what she was thinking. Imagine tall gorgeous Hercules being even remotely interested in 5'2" me. "Greetings little sister," said Hercules, "I am very happy to see this wonderful friend you have told me about is non other than Lyrical." Lyrical said, "I'm sure you two want to talk and catch up so I'll just get these flowers back to the castle. I know there's very little time left until Calee gets back." "I'll see you both soon," said Aphrodite, "I really think Lyrical could use a little help with that big heavy basket. Ta," and she vanished leaving a very embarrassed Lyrical behind.
As Aphrodite vanished, Hercules smiled at Lyrical saying, "My sister is right I should help carry such a large basket for such a lovely lady." As Hercules reached for the basket his hand grasped Lyrical's and she could only pray that the sound of her heart beating that fast could only be heard by her. All of her instincts told her to tell Hercules how she felt, but past experience with men wouldn't let her say a word. She only wished she could learn to trust her instincts once more. Lyrical knew that Hercules wasn't the one who had hurt her so deeply but the scar was there and until she could deal with it part of her would always shy away from anything other than friendship. "Besides," she told herself, "I'm not good enough for Hercules. he deserves so much more than I can ever give him." Realizing Hercules had been saying something to her, Lyrical smiled up at Hercules and said, "I'm sorry, I was thinking about something. What did you say?" Before Hercules could answer her they both heard Calee and the Amazons approaching. "By the gods we better get going and tell the others" said Lyrical. Hercules said, "We have time before they get here. As I was saying. . . . .
