Steam filled the air above a Styrofoam cup as Travis poured some coffee. He was standing in a communal kitchen shared by his dormitory floor, wearing a pair of cotton pajama bottoms and the wrinkled tee shirt he woke up in. Glancing down the hallway he made sure no one was in sight before pouring a second cup of coffee. Travis didn't need anyone to know he had company.
Slipping quietly back into his dorm room, Travis set both cups on a low coffee table before locking the door. With a glance towards his bed in the far corner he saw his guest was exactly where he left her, laying on her side sound asleep. Not wanting to wake her, Travis sat down on a loveseat couch to read from a college textbook but found he was unable to focus on the words. His gaze was distracted by the blonde in his bed, her beauty drawing his gaze as though it had magnetic pull. Her face had petite but even features, with a cute nose, rounded eyebrows, and a perfect golden tan. Her mouth hung open just-so and Travis could hear the rhythmic breathing of her sleep.
Guilt seeped into his stomach like a knot when he suddenly thought of Jordan. It had barely been a week since her death and Travis felt inappropriate for thinking about other women so soon after losing her, even if the other woman in question was a world famous superhero and sex symbol.
"...is that coffee I smell...?" Travis heard a groggy voice just as he was attempting to refocus on his reading assignment.
"Yeah," he replied, closing the book. "I brought you a cup but I hated to wake you. You were sleeping so soundly."
Penny slipped from beneath the covers and sat on the edge of the bed to stretch her arms. She was wearing one of Travis' tee shirts which was baggy and loose over her petite frame. Skinny tanned legs poked out from beneath the shirt and her shoulder-length blonde waves were tousled.
Once properly stretched she crossed the small room to sit beside Travis and enjoy her coffee. "You're such a sweetheart," she said after a sip.
"It's no big deal; I was getting some for myself anyway."
"It's not just the coffee," she glanced at him, "Thanks for letting me stay here. I feel bad for putting you out. I could have slept on the floor instead of you."
"I think you have enough to worry about," Travis commented, "You lost your apartment, your best friend, you're wanted for murder, and you're being hunted by a syndicate of super-villains trying to kill you. On top of all that, you caught your boyfriend cheating on you."
"With his twin sister," Penny added before lifting another sip of coffee.
"Right," Travis nodded, "You know, your life would make a really great country song."
Penny let out a breathy laugh, "Sad but true. You remind me of Jordan, you know that? She had this amazing ability to make me laugh under the worst circumstances."
Travis looked down at his lap, "I miss her."
"Yeah," Penny agreed, "I wish she was here right now, I'd ask her to find out where that Master Disaster creep is hiding. She could find anything online, it was unbelievable."
"What are you going to do about the warrant out for your arrest?" Travis asked delicately.
"I don't know what to do about that, either." Penny set her cup down and sighed, "The problem is that I'm guilty. I killed Deathstalker - I can't deny it. No judge, no jury. I took the law into my own hands and killed him to satisfy my own need for revenge."
"He had it coming," Travis stated firmly.
"I agree with you," she pushed a hand through her messy hair, "But I don't think that defense will hold up in court."
"Are you going to turn yourself in?" Travis wondered.
"I don't know, probably not. At least not until I've dealt with Master Disaster," Penny took a deep breath, "So I need to figure out a way to actually find him."
"That might be hard to do without anything to go on," Travis reasoned, "But look on the bright side. If he's trying to kill you, it's only a matter of time before he finds you."
=======
"The costumed girl all over the news?" Hercules lifted a thick brow, "What is your interest in her?"
Hermes climbed the two steps to stand on Hercules' porch but still had to look up at his half-brother who was easily a foot taller, "I'm convinced she has Olympian blood. Though the abilities of mortal heroes are wide and varied, there are no others like her. Her might defies reason. She's easily as strong as Apollo, perhaps stronger. The only other person I know who has ever been able to claim that in this universe or any other... is you."
"She's not mine," Hercules sounded sure of himself.
"You're certain?"
Hercules leaned on the railing of his porch, crossing heavily muscled forearms on its wooden beam, "Have you ever been to Hades, Hermes?"
Hermes moved to stand beside him, "No."
Hercules gazed across his herd of cattle, "I have."
"Indeed," Hermes nodded, "I am well aware. Pluto claimed the woman you loved and you swore to all of Olympus that you were going to kill our uncle and bring back the Olympian maiden. But you never returned... or so our fellows in Olympus believe."
"As you have discovered, I survived my trip to Hades. Among men and gods I am the only one to make the journey to Hades and return to the realm of the living."
"How
did
you manage to enter Hades?" Hermes asked curiously, "I know of no roads or conduits into Pluto's realm."
Hercules turned aside to give Hermes a simple reply, "I died."
"That sounds rather unpleasant," Hermes quipped.
Hercules snorted at the sarcasm.
"And your fair maiden?"
"I was unable to rescue her," Hercules answered ambiguously, turning back towards his pasture. "I was barely able to return with my own soul intact. Hades is a nightmarish place, unfit for anyone to maintain reason or sanity. It changed me, Hermes. My time in Hades opened my eyes to what is truly important in life. Upon my return I gave up my vices; brawling... drinking... women..." He rubbed his thick black beard, "I have lived a celibate life since my return, which should assure you that I did not father this mortal titan you're so curious about."
It was plain to see that Hercules was indeed different from his youth; Hermes felt no reason to doubt his brother, "Perhaps I am wrong about the girl. But if she is not the child of an Olympian, where did she come from? How did she achieve such power? Is she only the first of more mortals to come whose strength and power rival ourselves? Have mortals evolved?"
