fandomhigh | True Heroism! The Olympian Way! Session 7. Period 3

For today's final, Hercules again directed the class into the Danger Shop.

"We have done many things, fought dragons, rescued kittens, designed outfits. But this class is also about the Olympian way, so today we go to the great deeds of Olympic heroes. And I don't mean those of Jesse Owens, whose deeds were that of legend as well."

He grinned as he gestured to what lay ahead of them. In front of the class was a big wooden door, the kind one would normally expect in front of a dungeon. But surely they'd done a dungeon already?

"Ahead of you lies the mighty labyrinth, that which Theseus conquered," Hercules said. "Ah, but you are thinking, 'Hercules, why not one of your own triumphs?'. Those I am saving for my fall class. This... this is a classic. You should be happy I did not pick Icarus! Though... Warren here would be at an unfair advantage, there." He laughed.

"The task is almost sheer elegance in its simplicity," Hercules said. "Get to the center of the labyrinth, where there is punch and pie."

He pressed open the doors to the labyrinth.

"Oh, and there is a minotaur in there. And some trolls. And a few goblins. Just to make it interesting."

He laughed, and gestured for the class to enter.

"I shall see you at the center!"

[ooc: ~~OCD first, por favor~~ Open class! Woo!]

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Warren looked only a little frazzled by the time he'd found his way to the center of the maze. Too many enclosed spaces lately meant that the first thing he did once he was out in the open again was stretch, and with the wingspan he had, he could do some pretty serious stretching.

He would thank people to not comment on the rainbow plumage. He was still trying to figure out what to do about that.

It was completely inappropriate for a teacher to do this, and yet...

When Hercules saw Warren, and his rainbow plumage, he started laughed. And literally fell out of his chair while doing so.

Dammit, Hercules! Warren was quitting school and going to move to some rainforest somewhere, where his wings would be considered drab and dull until his next molt!

Or he was going to stand there, pulling his wings tightly to his back and grinding his teeth a bit. One of those.

"Thanks."

He was totally pricking a finger on a claw and activating the illusion to hide his wings that Karla had put into a bracelet for him, now.

Hercules picked himself up off the floor.

"I take it you had fun on that outing you had?" he asked, completely unapologetic.

"I think we all needed it," Warren replied, with an audible ruffle of feathers that couldn't be seen now. "It's been a rough month, and we all just needed to get out and be stupid for a while to get it off our minds."

Very, very stupid.

"You should have invited me! I am the king of revelry!" Hercules said, grinning.

Yes, he was totally saying he'd get drunk with his students. Hercules was not exactly responsible.

"We'll have to keep that in mind for next time," Warren replied, somehow not expecting an answer much different from the one that Hercules had just given. "I guess if you had come along, we wouldn't have needed to call Mr. Rogers for a lift out of Madripoor."

There would have been so much less incriminating picture taking courtesy of Bucky.

Maybe.

"You got a ride from the nice man in the sweater?" Hercules said, momentarily confused.

Well, that would have also been awesome.

"We called the cooking teacher for backup," Warren clarified. "He showed up with a friend of his and got us out of there." In a flying car. "They called it a rescue, but we probably could have handled it."

The delusion was all his pride had, now.

"Always have a designated driver," Hercules said. "Or someone with a teleporter."

"Next time, we'll be sure to keep that in mind," Warren replied, solemnly.

They totally wouldn't. They were going to end up in weird realities until the end of time, most likely.

"But perhaps now you should consider the name 'The Mighty Macaw'," Hercules said. "Or the Perilous Parrot!"

Well, if nothing else, it alliterated nicely!

"... I think I'm fine with just being Warren, but thanks."

Never. Going. To live. This. Down.

"The Rainbow Rooster?" Hercules offered. "Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Coat of Feathers!"

He was having fun.

Warren could tell.

"If you weren't about ten times my size and a teacher, I might actually be considering trying to punch you," he shared, not entirely unpleasantly but with complete sincerity.

It had been that kind of month.

Hercules' mirth dropped, and he gave his young friend a brief look of inquiry.

"Would it make you feel better to do so?" he asked.

Hey, he'd take a punch for his friend's wellbeing.

For about a half-second, Warren looked just slightly tempted. And then, a moment later, his shook his head, shoulders drooping a bit, gaze falling to the floor.

That kind of month. The very, very long kind.

"No," he admitted, "probably not. Not really. I'm just..." Tired. Stupid. He saw bodies when he closed his eyes and nothing seemed quite vivid enough when he opened them again. Mutant. Landen. Monster. Child. "Frustrated with myself. That's not your fault."

"No, it is not," Hercules said. "But it does have me concerned. Obviously the classroom is not the place to discuss this, but... I would like to hear about what troubles you. If you would talk with me, of course."

It took a few moments more, but Warren did look up again eventually, quietly appraising the look on Hercules' face.

And then he nodded a little bit.

"I'm not very good at talking, though," he cautioned. Because apparently that was something that was supposed to be some sort of big deal. In Warren-land.

"Neither am I," Hercules said. "But I am told I can be a very good listener."

"Well... then, I think I'll take you up on that," Warren decided, offering Hercules a tiny smile. "When we're not in the middle of class, huh?"

"When not in class," Hercules replied with a nod. "For now... have some pie!"

That man's mood could swing on a dime.

It could, but that was kind of refreshing, in a way. Warren smiled a little, nodded, and took a thoughtful look at the selection.

"... Thanks."

That time, he actually meant it.

True Heroism! The Olympian Way! Session 7. Period 3

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