Like Sands Through the Hourglass

Disclaimer: read the beginning

"I still can't believe that Zack was my dad the whole time!" Hercules laughed as he walked with his friends down the hall. "I mean, wow! Who would've thought it?!"

"Someone who isn't a bonehead," Cassandra bluntly replied. "His voice was a dead giveaway."

Hercules huffed and rolled his eyes. He refused to let Cassandra ruin his day.

"Oh, c'mon, Cassie-wassie!" Icarus cooed, "You were in the dark like everyone else! This was a creepy twist no one would expect..." he paused to scratch his spikey hair, "well, if we were in a soap opera." He gasped and grinned widely, "Oh man! Are we on a show right now?! Cool!"

"Wait, what do you mean, 'creepy twist'?" Hercules demanded. "What my dad did wasn't creepy at all! I mean... sure, he transformed into a teenager... and kept it a secret... and mirrored every move I've made, especially my eating habits... but I thought the gesture was nice!"

Icarus laughed, "I did love the part how he smote Adonis's butt with his lightning bolt! Ha! Ha! Ha! Good times."

"Yeah," he agreed. "And the way he sent Hades and his mutt back down under. I am so glad we all dodged the chomp in time."

"All as in you, Zeus, and Nattie?" Cassandra offered.

Hercules sighed dreamily, "Yeah, you should've seen her, guys. How she tamed the beast like that, risking her life for us..."

Cassandra scoffed, shaking her head at the change of Hercules's color skin, "Again, can't you get any redder?" Hercules stiffened up, stammering his denial, claiming not to know what she'd meant.

"Yeah, you look like a tomato, Herc! Let me try!" Icarus puffed air in his cheeks and held his breath until his face turned purple. Hercules and Cassandra moved on to the conversation, ignoring the boy's struggle.

"Cassandra, I don't know why you keep saying that, my face looks fine."

The seer's smirk deepened, "Really?"

"Yeah, really! Stop looking at me like my dad! I don't want to hear it."

"Hear what?"

"About Nattie and me!"

"What about Nattie?"

Hercules whirled around and gasped at the expecting girl behind him. He stammered her name, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Dang, Herc! Did you forget to put on olive oil or something? Your face is ripe!"

"Uh-uh, no," he shook his head. "I mean, yes, I didn't put on oil, but I didn't-"

"Say, Nattie!" Icarus high-fived the girl, "Nice going with Cerberus! Huh?!"

"Heh, it was nothing. I always wanted a dog, and Cerberus was practice. No biggie," she couldn't ignore the flutters in her stomach. It wasn't nerves, but anticipation. She had tamed Cerberus. He belonged to her whether Hades' name was in the adoption certificate or not.

"I like dogs," Hercules finally managed to make a clear sentence, even though it sounded rushed.

"Aw," Nattie cooed. "It's nice to know Cerberus didn't take away your love for a man's best friend. I mean, you have your horse and all, but it might nice to have a furry friend. Don't you think?"

Hercules nodded, "Uh-huh, dogs are great. Dogs, flying horses, and cats, too."

"Cats? Ugh! I hate cats," her blunt statement earned a frown from the hero-in-training before she could explain why Hercules blurted out a retraction.

"Yeah, I hate cats, too!"

Nattie blinked in confusion, "What?"

"Smooth move, Zeus Jr.," Cassandra whispered to Hercules. Icarus pointed at the deeper color on Hercules's face. Nattie opened her mouth to ask why the sudden change of heart for cats, but didn't get to speak. She perked at her name being called. She leaned her head back in dismay when she saw Parentheses motioning her to come into his office. The girl recognized the look; it was another detention for her. For what exactly? She wasn't too sure; maybe it's missing half the day of school.

"I guess I better get going. No doubt, Parentheses has prepped another corny 'Full House' speech for me to listen to."

"Uh, Full House?" Icarus asked.

"It's an expression," Nattie explained in a dismissing manner. As she was about to leave the group, something entertaining happened.

"Cuddle-cub, what are you saying?" Adonis was having a conversation with his girlfriend. Judging by the cheerleader's pouty face, she didn't seem too happy with him at all. Everyone except two wondered why.

"Like sands from an hourglass," Cassandra folded her arms and smirked at the sight, waiting for the impossible to happen finally.

"I'm saying we're through, Adonis," Helen declared. "You, me, over!" That statement cued a set of gasps across the hallway; Hercules and Icarus's jaws dropped.

"So are the days of our lives," the seer finished. It made Nattie wonder if she had watched some soap opera at the weekend.

"You can't mean that," Adonis reached out to soothe his girlfriend, forcing a smile as if fooling the school that everything was dandy in Adonis's world. "My darling, you're clearly under stress." He released the blonde's shoulders when a disgusting thought entered his mind, "Is it your time of the month?"

Helen's frown deepened and folded her arms, obviously not taking Adonis's words too kindly. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't find out that you came onto another girl? Nattie told me that you'd kissed her behind my back?!" More gasps echoed the hallway.

Hercules glared sharply at Nattie, who was transfixed on the drama before her with satisfaction. He didn't miss the part that Adonis had kissed Nattie, while he was still dating Helen. Hercules knew that Nattie didn't want anything to do with the snooty prince, but his self-esteem craved some reassurance.

"Nattie, did you-"

"He kissed me, Herc," Nattie explained without taking her eyes off the pair, "and I didn't enjoy it."

"Are you okay? Did he-"

"Don't worry. I gave him his just desserts. I made sure Helen knows that she's dating a cheating scumbag." Hercules was debating whether to laugh or breathe with relief first. Ignoring Parentheses's questions and demands, all were consumed to the soap scene. Eventually, he quietened down to listen.

"Whatever that girl has told you, Helen - my blooming blossom - she's lying!" Adonis denied. "Our friends will tell you that she came onto me! Right, men?" He turned and begged his minions - jocks and servents alike - to back him up. All reluctantly spoke the lie until one spilled about how Zack pulled Adonis off Nattie, who slapped him hard. That servant earned a harsh look from the prince. No doubt, his punishment would soon come after school.

"Are you seriously asking her to believe a man who has a history of cheating over a girl who has pushed him off the balcony?!" Cassandra asked.

"Stay out of this, freak!" Adonis barked.

"Hey!" Icarus cried, shaking a fist. "No one talks to my girlfriend like that!" He leaped towards the prince, only to land on Hercules's awaiting arms that swung him back around his starting point.

"No," Helen jumped to the seer's defense, "she is right. Cassandra was right about you all along, and Nattie is kind enough to inform me of your crimes, unlike the others you have preyed upon. One of them was my best friend!"

"But baby bum-"

"And it's not just that! The way you treat people is appalling! And what you did to Hercules and Zack," she shivered at the horrible memories invading her mind. She wanted to slap herself for not stepping in to defend the boys in need, "never in my life have I seen anyone so cruel!"

"Helen, snookums, all of those incidents are just a silly little misunderstanding," Adonis offered a hand for her. "Come, let's talk about this in private."

The cheerleader shocked the crowd once more by slapping the prince in the face, "No, Adonis, you have made a fool out of me for the last time. I am through being your doormat!" For that, she departed with her friends, not without having the single boys follow her like love-sick puppies. Hercules and Icarus remained in their spot with their friends. As Helen was walking past the group, she stopped and offered some parting words.

"Oh, Nattie, thank you!" Helen grasped the woman's hands. "Thank you for informing me about Adonis. I am eternally grateful."

Nattie shook her head, "It was nothing. Sisters before misters, right?" That quote earned a heartwarming smile from the cheerleader; it sealed the deal that Nattie was going to be Helen's new best friend. "I'm just sorry that he couldn't treat your right."

"Oh, Nattie, I wasn't the only one," Helen peered at the boys over Nattie's shoulder, expressing nothing but remorse. "Oh, Hercules, I should've put an end to Adonis's torment. I just-"

"It's okay, Helen. There was nothing you could've done," Hercules put his hands on his hips, couldn't help but form a heroic pose for her. Nattie and Cassandra rolled their eyes at the dramatic. "I am a hero-in-training. Nobody, not even Adonis, can put me down - not anymore."

"I know one thing to do. I'm going to go to the headmaster's office and report Adonis's misdeeds!" She frowned at Adonis's prying presence in the background.

"That man can't punish me! I am a prince! My father pays for this school, pays me to have the best education in Athens! I own this school!"

"Education is free in Athens, Adonis!" A random student piped, who quickly cowered behind a taller student when Adonis's hateful glare met his way - a warning for the boy to keep his mouth shut.

"Don't worry, Hercules," Helen assured the hero-in-training, placing her hands on his chest. The warm contact flushed Hercules's cheeks. "From now on, I have you and your friends back."

"No, Helen," Hercules disagreed, grasping the cheerleader's hands gently. Helen frowned at his words, but it diminished after Hercules said the next statement. "We are all going to have each other's backs. You are our friend, too."

"She is?" Cassandra uttered in dismay, earning a jabbing elbow from Nattie.

"Yes, she is," Nattie agreed. Despite the high-pitched perkiness and over-the-top cheery attitude, Helen was a good person. Her voice belonged to the Little Mermaid after all.

"Aww, you all are so sweet!" Helen hugged the group that made Adonis faint into his servants' arms and the students to aww at sight. Nattie and Cassandra couldn't help but stiffen up, weirded out by this warm contact.

Parentheses ended the tender moment by clapping his hands and ordering the students to resume their lessons. However, two students required the headmaster's presence.

"Come along, Adonis. Come along, Natalie."

"I still don't know what I did wrong, Mr. Parentheses," Nattie said helplessly.

"Yeah, what did she do wrong?" Hercules repeated the question as well. "She is suffering malnourishment, sir. That could be why she has arrived late for school. Did you forget that most skipped fourth period to hide from a massive, killer dog?!"

"Her tardiness has nothing to do with this, Mr. Hercules (nothing funny about malnutrition or three-headed dogs," Parentheses assured him. "Mr. Daedalus, your woodshop teacher, wants Nattie to explain why she'd sacrificed his folding chair for her amusement (and mine as well)." He motioned the two to follow him. As Nattie was forced to walk, she turned around and walked backward, wanting to know who told the woodshop teacher of her misdeeds. All eyes trained on the sheepish, whistling geek in green.

"Icarus!"

Icarus's grin extended and shrugged his shoulders, "It slipped."

Nattie groaned, warning that they'll discuss his betrayal later. Icarus was on his knees, begging the girl for forgiveness. The modern girl refused to hear his excuses as she stomped inside Parentheses's office.

As the two troubled students sit down, Nattie didn't miss the sizzling rage from Adonis.

"You will pay for this, Natalie," Adonis growled out. "You will rue the day for ruining my life."

"No, Adonis," Nattie disagreed. "You did that all by yourself."

Their intense showdown ended when Parentheses snapped his fingers for their attention.

~000~000~000~

As usual, Nattie was rewarded with detention for sabotaging Daedalus's classroom. Despite the apology, her woodshop teacher didn't seem forgiving. She doubted that he had let go of the incident involving Hercules and the catapult. It's bad enough that her English teacher didn't like her, but now she must endure Daedalus's hatred for her too. Adonis was reprimanded for his behavior and was encouraged to use the Golden Rule (like that would ever happen). Much to everyone's dismay, he didn't get expelled only detention as well. Nattie didn't enjoy the company and was relieved but terrified to return to the Underworld, not because of the dog this time. Cerberus barked and licked her with affection. Despite the disgusting slime coating her hair, she appreciated the love.

Nattie knew that there was no escaping the devil himself. She may have handed Zeus's head on a plate but forgot the crucial detail that was Hades's downfall. Instead of coming to the throne room, he and the imps were kind enough to wait for her across the River Styx. Nattie sighed as she braced herself for the worst-case scenario.

"Hey," she uttered with exhaustion.

"You're late," Hades sang-song.

"I got detention... again." He raised a brow at her as if he was asking if she was serious. "It was out of my hands. I have no power over authority, unlike certain people..." She fiddled with her fingers, becoming uncomfortable with the silence. It seemed like whenever Hades was quiet for an extended time became more unnerving than his flames.

"Well," she pressed. "Aren't you going to go red on me? Yell and scream at me?"

"Scream at you?" Hades laughed, "Why would I do that?" Nattie and the imps blinked and asked 'huh' in disbelief. "Nattie, baby," he cupped her shoulders, his grin extended. "Your plan almost gave me Zeus's head on a plate! Literally! I mean, I've never thought to sick Cerberus on a mortal, let alone Zeus! I'm blown away, babe! Blown! I knew recruiting you wasn't a mistake! Come here!" He pulled her into a hug, ignoring her stiff frame. Her eyes widened at another awkward embrace. Despite not having a relationship with teachers and princes, it seemed like her relationship with cheerleaders, dogs, and gods were growing. This was a nice change of pace. Perhaps living here won't be so bad after all.

"So... you're not mad?" Pain asked, just as shocked with Hades's change of tune.

"She let the dog out!" Panic complained. "Caused chaos to the other gods! Escalated your bill of damages!"

"And that dog nearly had lunch from the big man's head!" Hades hooked an arm around the modern girl, "This was a dream come true..." his eyes rolled by the downside to the plan, "except for the itsy, bitsy, tiny detail with the time limit, but there was no way you could've known about that, right, Nattie? I mean, if you did, you would've told me," he tightened his grip around Nattie as she suppressed a painful wince, "right?"

"Yes!" Nattie assured, squeezing him back and hiding his eyes so he won't see through her lie. She refused to let this tender moment slip through her fingers like sands through an hourglass. "Absolutely."

He sighed and patted her back as a proud father, clearly satisfied with her answer, "Good. Good. Good. That's my good girl." The embrace was a rare thing for both of them. They weren't the type to be lovey-dovey, complimenting, and accepting the niceties unless it was well-earned. Hades wasn't angry at her. No way Nattie was going to complain about that.

"By the way..."

The moment ended, causing the girl and the imps to stiffen up again. Just when things were about to calm down, Hades always finds a way to ruin it.

"How come you didn't tell me about the plan last night?" Hades grabbed Nattie's arms and pushed a distance apart to look at her, "Why the secrecy?"

Nattie opened her mouth to explain, but Hades' questions continued.

"And boys." The imps gulped at their names and the glowing eyes staring into their soulless souls. "How you two conveniently spilled the details of how Nattie let the dog out, tells me that you knew all along."

The imps stammered out a scattered explanation that neither Hades nor Nattie could comprehend.

Hades rolled his eyes, slapping his hands against his sides, "C'mon!" He motioned them to speak the truth, "Out with it! You two are hiding something. So do yourselves a favor - me especially - come clean!"

Pain and Panic looked at each other, expecting one another to spill the tea.

"Well, we-"

"The truth is we-"

"I told them not to," the person they've least expected to come to their defense exclaimed. All eyes trained on Nattie, who stepped in front of the little demons. Hades narrowed his eyes and folded his arms, definitely a mirror image of her father. This was more nerve-wracking than the flames.

"I tried to tell you last night, but I got tired of waiting, so I decided to surprise you instead." She cringed and raised her defensive hands at another thought in mind, "I admit the damages to the other gods' turfs were out of my hands. It was a risk, and it might've benefited you - maybe not. I mean, if I were you, if I were smart, I wouldn't attack Olympus directly, not with the gods around to have his back - literally, considering what happened earlier." She continued to babble, oblivious to Hades's perked brows and the turning wheels of his brain as he listened intently.

"Honestly, I would start somewhere small... a small town like Athens, then maybe work your up to the universe..." Nattie closed her eyes and shook her head, dismissing that ludicrous idea. No way Hades could agree to that, his ambitions reached too high, above the clouds.

"Anyway, I should've told you sooner, that's on me. I'm sorry... boss." She ended the speech by awkwardly clearing her throat and averting his gaze, only for him to tilt her chin back to look at her.

"One thing you should know about me, babe..." he hunched his posture to level their height, "I don't like surprises." She held her breath as he towered over her, not believing to be out of the woods yet. "It was a nice surprise, a merry unbirthday present to me. Don't get me wrong. I just don't like the unknown." Nattie nodded in agreement. "Next time you have a plan, talk to me. No more surprises."

Nattie forced a smile, saluting to the flame head, "Understood." Next time. He said, 'next time.' It was relieving to hear that she was going to stick around for another week in the Underworld. The imps were 'thrilled' to listen to that as well. She had done it. She proved herself to be a worthy asset to the team, and all it took was forgetting the padlock on Cerberus's door. She dodged a major bullet this time. However, there's no doubt that Hades was going to ask her another plan for conquest, worse than letting the dog attack mortal Zeus. How could she pull off the next time?

"Now I'm going to do some damage control. I trust you know your way upstairs," Hades didn't wait for anyone's response as he disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Good. Good. Great job out there, babe. Ciao, babe. Ciao.

Panic wiped the sweat from his forehead, and Panic heaved for breath.

"Whoo, that was too close!" Pain uttered.

"Yeah," Panic looked up at Nattie and put his hands on his hips, "why - why did you save us from the flame?"

"Yeah, we tried to throw you under the cart first," Pain added.

Nattie whirled around and folded her arms, pouting her lips, "You think I saved you guys out of the goodness of my heart?"

The imps looked at each other and scratched their heads in consideration.

"No," Nattie replied. "No, I didn't. I could easily go back upstairs and tell Hades the whole truth - how you guys tied me up and all - but... where's the fun in that?"

Pain's frown deepened; they knew it. Nattie wanted something from them. They knew better than to believe that Nattie protected them because she cared.

"Alright, what do you want?" the magenta demon asked.

Nattie smirked and straightened her posture to show some intimidation as she replied, "What I want from you boys is to back off. You had your revenge. Okay? You guys had it in spades! I still have a bruise on my tailbone from your neglect to help me tame Cerberus... but thanks to you two, I don't need your help. Cerberus is mine now, my baby to command. I can sick him on you two whenever I want, and I can make it look like an accident too!"

The imps gulped at that threat.

"Really?" Panic asked.

"Really, but I won't do it unless I have to. Let's behave like good little henchmen and not attack each other. We are all on the same side."

"Are we?" Pain challenged.

Nattie's mouth twitched, "Of course. I want to go home as much as you do. Don't make it harder than it needs to be." For that, she walked upstairs to entertain a furry friend.

...

It was easier to walk the dog for rode on his back instead. It was like riding a mechanical bull; she grew accustomed to the thrill and loved it. However, she had to hold on to the middle head's collar when the dog was ready to lift his leg. She made sure to close her eyes to conceal their privacy.

"Nattie!"

The girl groaned at the troubled triplet's call below. She peered between the third and second head to see them. Even though they were eyeless and full of wrinkles, Nattie could tell that they didn't look too happy.

"Ladies, fancy seeing you here... again. I could've sworn you have a mountain to weave your little tapestry."

"We could've sworn we had made an arrangement," Lachesis hissed.

Nattie tilted her head in mock confusion, "Did we?" She rubbed the middle head behind his ears and spoke with a sweet cooing voice, "Did we ever make a deal with the Fates? Huh? Did we, baby?" The middle head panted heavily at the soft caress, sitting his butt on the ground. Nattie lost her balance and slid down Cerberus's back then tumbled rolled onto the stone ground. She quickly dusted herself off and regained composure, ignoring the soreness throughout her back.

"Don't play coy with the Fates, my dear," Clotho warned.

"You keep that beast locked away for eternity!" Atropos pointed at the dog who was scratching the third head's ear by his foot, "in exchange for a spoiler."

"Oh!" Nattie awed in understanding. "Now, I remember."

"So..." Lachesis demanded an explanation, "what in Hades is he still doing out, making a mess no less?!"

"Ladies," the modern girl began calmly, holding back a yell, "as I recall, I'd promised to tell Hades of your proposal." She shrugged, "I did."

"And?!"

"And he told me to tell you that if you guys want to seal a deal..." Nattie raised a hand, "next time, shake on it." For that, she let out a triumphant laugh and clapped her hands at the Fates' expression. No doubt, she would regret laughing in their faces, but this was too good to pass up. It served them right for trying to lock her sweet puppy in a cage.

"Why you sneaky little-"

"Hey, hey, hey," Nattie interrupted Atropos, rubbing the dog's claw, "not in front of the puppy. He's six months old, you know, and still learning how to potty train."

Clotho huffed and facepalmed, "I should've known you would get attached to that animal; it matches your 'winning' personality." Cerberus' heads perked up at the insult. Nattie's frown deepened; she, too, didn't take kindly to the Fates constantly jabbing to her dog.

"Okay! First of all, he isn't it. Second, he is my baby, and I don't appreciate you coming here and insulting him for no reason!" Her ranting slowly came to a halt when the dog sniffed at the hags and started to lift his leg. She didn't need an eyeball to predict what he was about to do. She closed her eyes and endured the disgusting wails from the triplets. She was torn between laughing and praising.

"Control your baby!" Atropos screeched as she flapped her urinated sleeve.

Nattie did command Cerberus but had no meaning in her tone, "Stop. Bad dog. No, no." She tugged his leash, indicating him to sit down before tossing each head a treat. The Fates didn't require sight to hear what Nattie had done. She was praising the dog for peeing on them.

"Don't look at me like that," Nattie grumbled at the Fates' heated gazes. "I only give him a treat if he pees, which he did. A small step towards the paper." She smothered the first head's face, muffling praises against his furry cheek. "You are a good boy, such a good boy. Yes, you are!" She turned her attention back to the hags, "Oh, and before you leave, do you think you can dry yourselves on the newspaper in his playpen. It'll make the process much easier.

"To think we have come to warn you of the uprising," Atropos drawled. She smirked, finally turned Nattie's smug upside down.

"What uprising?"

"Oh, no!" Lachesis shook her head as her sisters backed a distance. "You cost us dry cleaning; now we mess with your head."

"It's your fault for giving him an idea," Clotho added.

"Idea? Who? What are you talking about?"

"Brush up your math skills, Nattie," Atropos snickered. "You're going to need it." The sisters cackled, swirling in the eyeball and disappearing by its blink. Nattie knew that she would regret tormenting the Fates. No doubt, she'll be awake all night with a math scroll in hand, dying to know the Fates' prediction. Then again, it wasn't her fault that they didn't predict Cerberus's peeing habits. No matter. Nattie couldn't grovel and set the clock back now. She must enjoy her day as much as possible, then worry and brush up on her arithmetic later.

"C'mon, Cerby," she uttered with anxiety, tugging the leash. "Let's go back."

...

Meanwhile, the Fates' prediction was in motion as they said. Upstairs in the throne room, Hades was spying on the modern girl through the opened window.

She was full of surprises today, and to think that Hades was ready to throw her to the dogs. Unfortunately, even if Hades wanted to, he couldn't. The girl tamed the beast, a task that no imp or himself could accomplish. She was slowly making a home for herself here, starting to accept what needed to be done. She proved herself again, not long after the incident. He didn't forget about what she said - more like babbled to him, how he must start small to climb his way to the top. All he could think about was the top - Olympus - never the middle ground. She was right about one thing, all the gods were loyal to Zeus and always will be. With an army like that, Hades was no match for them, unless he could pick them off one by one. Looking at each figurine on his chessboard - the council of the gods surrounding Zeus - he knew just where to start, better yet who to take out first.

"Sorry, Po-Po," Hades lifted Poseidon in his hand, "but my little raven is right. I must start small by making you fall hook, line, and sinker." He lit up a flame, watching his brother's statue burn to ash. He breathed it in with delightful satisfaction.

Very soon, Athens shall be his.

Like sands through the hourglass, so were the days of their lives.

A/N: Happy Belated Fourth, everybody! I would've posted this chapter sooner, but I was busy with family and continuing education this weekend. I hope you all had a good weekend despite the drama that's going on in our reality. I prefer not to talk about the horrible ordeals and focus on the positives.

Purposely dropping the hints throughout this chapter, I guess you guys had figured out what's the next episode. Can Hades succeed? Would Nattie offer a hand under the condition that no blood shall be shed? Does she require math or woodshop for the task? All will be answered next time on Hercules and the Modern Girl. Thank you all for supporting this story, leaving comments, and adding this story to your list. You guys, rock!

I hope you have a good day/night!