Hercules AU!

This is my first Disney AU for Coldwave and I hope you all like it ?

Please read, review and enjoy ?

…

Hephaestus never believed someone as beautiful as Aphrodite would ever love someone like him.

Why would she?

Their marriage had been arranged by Zeus, probably as some kind of sick joke. Aphrodite was stunning, and she could have whoever she wanted…. Hephaestus, however, was the ugliest God on Olympus.

Hell, even his own Mother couldn't stand to look at him, casting him off the edge of Mount Olympus not long after he was born.

And yet…. Aphrodite surprised him.

Yes, they had their rough moments…. Usually involving Ares, but here they were…. Celebrating the birth of their first child.

"Michael!" Aphrodite giggled as her son grabbed at her hair, the giggle sounding like musical windchimes in the breeze, "Behave yourself!"

Hephaestus couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight, wriggling in fingers in front of his son's face, watching as Michael practically crossed his eyes trying to focus on them.

"Excuse me! One side! Coming through!"

The pair turned, watching as a red blur shot towards them. It was no surprise that Hermes was late, he did have an alternate persona on Earth… some kind of hero if Hephaestus remembered correctly.

Hermes beamed at Aphrodite, handing her a bouquet of flowers, which the Goddess of Love accepted gratefully. "Hermes! Oh, they're lovely!"

"I'm glad you liked them! I had Orphius do the arrangement, isn't that just nutty?!" He then zipped over to Hephaestus and beamed at him, unfazed by the glare in his direction, "Great party! I haven't seen this much love in a room since Narcissus discovered himself!"

As the pair were talking, Michael (who had been placed in his bed) leaned over and tried to grab his Father's prized hammer, the one that was used to build and form Zeus's lightning bolts and all the weapons of the Gods.

"Ummmm, Hephaestus, honey…" Aphrodite spoke up, her eyes on her son, "… should he be playing with that?"

Hephaestus glanced down, before shrugging. "It's not like he can lift i- "He stopped in shock as his son grabbed the hammer a little more fully and threw it at one of the pillars.

Thank Zeus they were made of cloud and the hammer simply came flying back to its owner.

"Okay…" Hephaestus winced, "… maybe he can lift it."

He cleared his throat nervously as Aphrodite glared at him, turning his attention to the other Gods. "On behalf of my son, I would like to thank you all for your wonderful gifts!"

"And what about our gift Hephie?"

Hephaestus beamed at this, "I never thought you'd ask…" He pulled a small figure out of his pocket, "… Meet Ray."

"…Ray?"

Hephaestus placed the tiny figure on the ground and waved his hand, watching as the figure grew to the size of a normal man, with a spark of life breathed into him.

"Ray is…. well, Ray is a guardian for Michael. A companion who can grow and shrink depending on what Michael needs…. He also flies, but- "

"- but Michael won't be doing anything like that for a few years." Interrupted Aphrodite, handing Michael over to his Father, "Mind his head dear."

"… He's so tiny."

Michael was clearly thrilled to be in his Father's arms, reaching up to try and grab Hephaestus's hair, before playing with the pendant attached to his nightshirt. After a couple minutes of contented silence, Michael eventually yawned.

Placing his son back in his bed, Hephaestus smiled fondly down at him. "Good night my little boy."

"How sentimental…."

Everyone turned to the entrance, frowns on their faces as they spotted a familiar, shadowy figure standing there.

Hades smirked at them, "… You know, I haven't been this choked up since I got a hunk of moussaka caught in my throat."

Hades…. Lord of the Underworld. Hephaestus didn't know whether the God was late because of his other role on Earth, or because he hated parties.

"So, is this an audience or a mosaic?"

Hades in his God form, had no distinguishable features, and was merely a vague form of shadows moving through the crowd.

"How are you doing… nice dress."

Zeus, who had been overseeing the entire party from his throne, quickly made his way down and patted his brother on the back. "So, Hades, you finally made it. How are things in the underworld?"

"Well, they're just fine. You know, a little dark, a little gloomy. And, as always, hey, full of dead people. What are you gonna do?" He then zipped over to where Michael was lying in his crib, "And there's the little fireball."

He then conjured a spiked object out of thin hand, "Here…. For the baby!"

Before Hephaestus could even think about grabbing the spiked object out of Hades's hand, Michael made that move for him… instead of grabbing the toy however, he grabbed Hades's finger… and crushed it.

"ARGH!" Hades cried out in pain, wrenching his finger away. "Strong little…. Tyke, ain't he?"

Zeus was the only God who had the audacity to laugh at the shadowy brother, "Lighten up Hades! Come and join the party!"

"Love to…" Hades hissed, "… but unlike you Gods, lounging about up here, I have a full-time job that you, Zeus, so lovingly bestowed on me… so can't… love to, but can't!"

"You oughta slow down, or you'll work yourself to death." The unintentional joke suddenly seemed to hit Zeus, and he fell back laughing, "HA! Work yourself to death! HA! I kill myself!"

Hephaestus watched as Hades strode away, muttering darkly under his breath, before turning to Aphrodite. "Why do parties always turn into the Zeus and Hades drama show?"

"It's just their nature sweetie… it's all good-natured. Hades is probably really sweet behind all that smoke."

…..

But if there's one God you don't want to get steamed up, it's Hades…. Because he had an evil plan. As soon as he arrived at the gates of his kingdom, Hades bellowed up the stairs.

"Pain!"

Pain, who was a skinny young man, wearing multi-coloured clothing, came rushing down the stairs. "Coming, your most lugubriousness." He then tripped, rolling down the stairs with a loud yelp with every hit.

"Panic!"

Panic, a nervous looking being with spectacles and a flute by his side, quickly raced out, his face pale in worry. "Oh, sorry. I can handle it!" he exclaimed, hand reaching for his own throat to deliver his own punishment.

However, as he ran down the stairs, he tripped and crashed into Pain, the pair of them tumbling down the stairs with Pain ending up on the bottom.

Pain yelped and groaned, "Hartley Pain – ow!"

"And Axel Panic – eechk!"

"Reporting for duty!" "Reporting for duty!"

If he had eyes, they were sure that Hades would be rolling them as he groaned at their double act. "Fine, fine, fine. Just inform me the minute the Fates arrive."

"Oh, they're here!" Axel announced, clearly expecting a warm reception.

He was disappointed.

Hades span around as suffocating shadows filled the room and red glowing orbs appeared where his eyes usually were, "WHAT? The Fates were here, and you didn't tell me?!"

Pain and Panic both groaned, falling to their knees and grovelling.

"We are worms! Worthless worms!" "We are worms! Worthless worms!""

The shadows disappeared, as Hades turned away from them, "Memo to me, Memo to me: Maim you after my meeting."

Pain and Panic gave each a troubled glance as their Master glided through a doorway and into his council room.

"Darling…" crooned a female voice, "… hold that mortal's thread of life nice and tight."

With a snip of the scissors, the thread was cut, and a scream echoed throughout the room.

"INCOMING!" another female voice cried out as a ghostly figure flew through the entrance, heading straight for the Underworld as the soul count went up by one.

The sound and sight were un-nerving, but Hades was unbothered, making his way over to the fates.

"Ladies…" he began, clearly forcing cheer and politeness into his voice, "… Sorry I'm- "

"- Late." Interrupted one of the women, "Yes, we knew you would be."

"We know everything!" the second lady smirked, "Past…"

"…. Present …"

"…. And future!" finished the last woman.

"Yeah, great… you see I was at this party and- "

"- we know!"

Hades growled under his breath, "I know, you know." He moved over to his war-table, "So here's the deal, Scarface and Miss Perfect now have this- "

"- bouncing baby brat! We know!"

"I KNOW, YOU KNOW!" Hades bellowed, shadows filling the room, "I know, I get it, I get the concept!" He took a deep breath and calmed down, "So I gotta ask, is this kid gonna get in the way of my plans for global domination or what?"

"Weeeell- "

"- Oh no you don't." A second Fate scolded her sister, "We're not supposed to reveal the future."

Hades paused for a brief moment, before heading over to the more susceptible Fate. "Hold on, time out…. Did you do something with your hair, it looks fabulous, honestly, you look like a fate worse than death!"

The Fate blushed at the praise, giggling into her hand until her friend punched her in the back of her head, the All-seeing eye popping out and falling directly into Panic's hands.

"Oh gross!" the minion yelled, "It's all slimy!"

When he threw it at Pain, the other minion yelped and jumped back, "Don't throw it at me!" he yelled, kicking it away, where it rebounded off the wall and into Hades's hands.

"Ladies, please…" he beseeched, handing the eye back, "… my fate is in your lovely hands."

The Fates all glanced at one another, before the older one waved her hand. "Oh, go on then."

With a simple word, the eye started to rise into the air, turning into a white, glowing orb.

"In 18 years precisely, the planets will align ever so nicely."

Hades rolled his eyes, "Ay, verse. Oy."

"The time to act will be at hand. Unleash the Titans, your monstrous band!"

"Mmm-hmm. Good, good."

"Then the once-proud Zeus will finally fall… And you, Hades, will rule all!"

"YES! Hades rules!" Hades whooped in glee.

"But a word of caution to this tale..."

"Excuse me?"

"…. Should Michael fight, you will fail."

The three Fates all cackled and vanished into thin air, the white orb quickly following on behind, disappearing with a pop.

"WHAAAT?!" Hades bellowed, darkness encompassing the entire room, before he quickly calmed down and took several deep breaths, "Okay, fine, fine… I'm cool… I'm fine."

He stormed over to the doors that led further into the Underworld, closely followed by his minions.

"Pain… Panic, I have a little riddle for you. How do you kill a God?"

Pain frowned, "I do not know…"

"You can't!" Panic announced, "They're immortal!"

Hades chuckled, grabbing a small vial of pink liquid, and holding it up. "Bingo…. Which means we need to turn the little fire-ball…. Mortal."

…..

Less than a month later, night was falling across Mount Olympus.

Baby Michael was cuddled up to miniature Ray, hand loosely clutching the toy/bodyguard as he slept peacefully…. Unaware of the shadows creeping across the walls of his room.

In the next room over, Hephaestus and Aphrodite were startled awake by a loud crash and the cry of a baby.

"Michael!" Aphrodite cried out, leaping out of bed and racing towards her son's room, throwing open the door… only to fall back against Hephaestus, who had followed her in.

"No…" he whispered, when he realised why his wife had practically collapsed, "…. NO!"

"Michael!" she sobbed, her eyes on the over-turned cradle and the abandoned toy lying beside it, "Michael!"

"NO!"

…

Hearing the heart-broken cry shatter the night, Pain and Panic winced and quickened their steps.

"I can't believe we did this!" Panic groaned, "Zeus is going to use us for target practice and Hephaestus is going to make statues of us!"

"Shut up and just run!"

The baby started to cry as they slipped into a nearby alleyway, causing the pair to panic slightly.

"Let's just get this over with!" Panic exclaimed, as Pain pulled the potion vial out of his bag and shoved it into Michael's mouth.

"Come on kid…" he muttered as Michael gulped it down greedily, "… get it down, quickly now."

The glow of Michael's skin started to fade with every drop that he drank, prompting Panic to quiver in excitement. "Can we kill him now?"

"No, no, no! He has to drink it all! Every last drop!"

"Who's there?!"

The pair freaked out, dropping the potion vial and the baby, before disappearing into the shadows… missing the fact that one drop was still left in the vial, hanging onto the glass for a few moments before it dropped to the ground, quickly absorbed by the dirt.

Watching from the shadows, they saw a stern-looking man emerge from around the corner, torch landing on Michael instantly.

"Honey!" The man yelled, "Honey, come here!"

A woman emerged from around the corner, her face lighting up at the sight of the crying baby, "Oh you poor thing!" she cooed, lifting Michael into her arms, as her husband searched for anybody nearby.

In the shadows, Panic glanced at Pain. "Now?"

"Now."

Together, the pair transformed themselves into snakes and slithered closer to where their target was.

"He must have been abandoned." The man sighed.

"We've prayed so much for a child of our own, what if the Gods have answered us?"

The man didn't seem to agree with her but remained silent as he examined the necklace that was around the baby's neck.

"Michael?" he read out loud, noticing a strange symbol on the jewellery… until he spotted the shadows of the snakes on the alleyway.

The woman screamed as Pain and Panic dived in for the kill, however, the baby in her arms simply squealed in delight, grabbing the snakes and smacking their heads against the ground.

The skin of the snakes started to bubble and blister under intense heat, as Michael's hands seemed to glow red, like red hot metal being heated up. Tying the snakes together, he swirled them around for a couple of seconds, before throwing them off into the distance.

As the snakes disappeared into the night sky, Michael glanced back at the shocked adults and giggled.

…..

When they landed in a tree, quickly shifting out of their snake forms, Panic started to… well, panic.

"What are we going to do?!" he exclaimed, "Hades is going to kill us when he finds out!"

"You mean if he finds out!"

"What do you mean, I- "Panic paused, realisation dawning in his mind, "… If…. If is good."

…..

It was tragic.

Hephaestus and Aphrodite begged Zeus to lead the Gods on a frantic search for their new-born, but by the time they found Michael, it was too late.

Michael was mortal now.

But since he did not drink the last drop, he still retained his God-like strength and the fire powers inherited from his Father.

Aphrodite wept the night he was found, knowing that her son could never come home, knowing that she would have to watch her precious baby grow up from afar.

Even though Hades's horrid plan took place before Michael's first tooth, the baby grew stronger every day.

Which wasn't always a good thing.