Chapter Text
The group arrived back in the Underworld and the first thing they noticed was the lack of green flames that once blocked a path.
"That path was block when we were here before, right?" Donald asked.
"Yeah. I'm willing to bet the Organization guy went that way." Sora said.
Corrin took a glance at the door that lead to Hades's chamber. The lock from before was back on the door.
"The path we used last time is locked and I don't think the Organization has a Keyblade. At least I hope they don't." Corrin said.
"So, then I guess we go this way." Kaze said pointing to the now unblocked path.
"Seems so, but we need to be careful. Until we can get the Olympus Stone back, we are at the mercy of the Underworld curse. And the further down we go, the worse the curse gets." Corrin said.
"T-Then we'd better hurry and get back the stone." Sakura said.
With that, the group headed inside the chamber along the now opened path.
The corridors were a small tunnel that just kept going deeper and deeper. They were lite up with some torches on the wall that had blue flames, and white little spirit balls were floating everywhere.
"Th-This place is rather spooky." Sakura muttered as she was shacking like a leaf.
"I know it's unsettling Lady Sakura, but we must hurry. I can already feel the effects of this place starting to take effect." Kaze said as they walked.
"I-I'll try." Sakura muttered. But she was slowing down out of fear.
Takumi reached out a hand to his little sister.
"If you want, you can hang onto me." Takumi offered.
Sakura immediately latched onto her brother's arm like it was a lifeline. Everyone minus Kaze just looked at Takumi a bit surprised.
"What?" Takumi asked annoyed.
"Nothing. Anyway, how deep do you think these tunnels go?" Corrin asked changing the topic.
"Don't know. But more importantly, how far did that Organization guy go?" Donald asked.
"Good question." Kaze said.
"H-Hopefully not too far." Sakura said still clinging onto Takumi's arm.
"Don't worry Sakura. Just think of it as some scary house attraction at a theme park." Sora smiled.
"Th-Theme park?" Sakura asked confused.
"Like a big party with all kinds of attractions." Sora said smiling. "Don't you guys have anything like that back home?"
"We have festivals in Hoshido, but they usually don't have those attractions like you're talking about." Takumi said.
"I remember that one haunted house that I had to drag you out of once." Corrin smirked.
"Sh-Shut up!" Sora shouted embarrassed.
Corrin chuckled before turning to the group. "So, one time me, Sora, Kairi and Riku went into this haunted house attraction several years ago. Sora wanted to prove to Riku that he wasn't scared, and Kairi and I had nothing better to do. But Sora was already shacking like a leaf even at the entrance."
"YOU WERE SHACKING TOO!" Sora shouted.
"I was a bit." Corrin admitted. "But anyway, we were nearing the end when they had this big fake ghost or something pop out and surprise us. Me and Riku were a bit startled, but Kairi was freaking out and Sora had nearly passed out. I had to drag him out of the Haunted House after that."
Donald and Goofy were laughing, and Takumi was chuckling. Sakura just looked at Sora.
"A-Anyway, we should hurry." Sora said with his cheeks red with embarrassment trying to drop the subject.
"Fine, fine. Let's go." Corrin said.
'So even Sora can get scared?' Sakura thought. While she hasn't known Sora for long, he always seemed to have a smile on his rather brave face no matter what happened. But based on that story Corrin just said, Sora acted like she would act in that situation. Maybe hanging around with Sora would be beneficial to more than just finding a way back home.
As the group continued forward, their footsteps became a bit heavier.
"I'm starting to see what you mean by the curse getting stronger as we go further down." Kaze said as he was slightly panting.
"Hopefully the Organization guy that stole the Olympus Stone is a bit further ahead, or we might have to consider withdrawing." Corrin said.
"B-But what about Meg?" Sakura asked.
"We won't be of any help to her if we collapse before finding her." Takumi said.
Suddenly, an unknown voice was heard up ahead.
"Man. If this place wasn't so eerie, this would be a perfect place to slack off at." A voice said.
Hurrying towards it, they saw a man in a black coat talking to himself as he glanced at a golden round object in his hand.
"Why did they send me here? I told them I'm no good at fighting. Saix is such a jerk sometimes. And all this because I was kind of close to Roxas? Yeah. Compared to you Saix anyone but the boss was pretty close to Roxas." The man whined.
"This is a member of Organization XII?" Takumi asked flatly.
"Don't let this guy fool you Lord Takumi. I've felt first hand of their power. They are not to be underestimated." Kaze warned.
"Still, as long as I have this, I won't be affected by the Underworld curse." The man continued looking closely at the stone.
"The Olympus Stone!" Sora gasped as he ran forward. The man jumped at the sudden noise and stumbled to not drop the stone.
As soon as he caught it, he turned to face the group, though his eyes were mainly a Sora.
"Ah you!" The man said as he pulled off his hood. "Wait a second…Roxas?"
"Excuse me?" Sora asked confused.
"Hey Roxas! It's me Demyx! Remember? We went through that goat's grueling training together?" Demyx asked.
Sora was still confused.
"Ugh. It's no use." Demyx sighed as he pulled out a piece of paper. "Let's see…If the subject fails to respond. Use aggression to liberate his true disposition. I am totally not the guy for the job." He complained.
"Listen thief. I don't care about whatever this Roxas thing is about, but hand over the Olympus stone right now, or you're target practice." Takumi threatened raising his bow.
"Fine then." Demyx said as he raised his hand. Water began to gather into the form of a blue Guitar that Demyx began to play.
"Is that some kind of instrument?" Sakura asked confused.
Demyx began to strum some notes on his Sitar as water began to swirl around the group and take shape like Demyx.
"Guys, get ready!" Corrin warned as the group readied their weapons.
However, before Demyx could do anything, the water vanished and Demyx fell to his knees panting, dropping his Sitar.
"Wh-What the?" Demyx asked confused.
"So, this is the Olympus Stone." Kaze said from behind Demyx. Demyx turned and to his surprise, Kaze was standing behind him examining the Olympus Stone in his hands. Demyx quickly checked his pockets to find them empty.
"What the? How did you…Give that back you thief!" Demyx cried as he jumped towards Kaze, only for him to jump away and return to Sora and the others.
"You call me a thief, when you yourself stole this from Mount Olympus?" Kaze asked.
"Err…well…" Demyx stuttered.
"Well what now? You still want to fight?" Corrin asked readying his weapon.
"Ugh…I'm out of here." Demyx said summoning a Corridor of Darkness. Though before he left, he turned to Sora. "Please come back to us Roxas. We aren't mad."
Sora just looked confused, while Takumi started to fire arrows at him.
Demyx yelped and dove into the corridor closing it immediately.
"Looks like he got away." Takumi grunted as he turned to Sora and Corrin. "That was seriously a member of this Organization I've heard so much about?"
"I'm just as surprised as you are." Corrin admitted.
"Lord Takumi, it would be wise to still keep your guard up around them. I can't speak about for that man, but before you joined us we met another man from Organization XIII named Xaldin that completely blocked my sneak attack on him with ease. There are some powerful members in the Organization that warrants Silas's concerns." Kaze said.
"He blocked your attack?" Takumi asked surprised.
"H-He also sounded like he knew a lot about Hoshido." Sakura said.
That also surprised Takumi.
"Well, this is interesting and all, but we should probably save this conversation till later. We do need to rescue Meg after all." Corrin said.
"You're right." Sakura admitted.
Kaze handed the stone to Corrin. Corrin lifted the stone in his hand, as a bright light covered the world jumpers' bodies. Once the light died down, the effects of the curse were completely gone.
"Now THAT feels much better." Donald said relieved.
"Yeah. It feels great not having to worry about our strengths being drained." Sora said.
"Still, we can't get too comfortable. Who knows what Hades has waiting for us up ahead?" Corrin said.
The others nodded and continued down the corridor deeper into the Underworld.
Back at the Colosseum:
Hercules faced off against the dreaded Hydra.
The creature itself was a massive reptilian creature with a bulky body, sharp claws, a long tail, and a long serpent like neck. Its mouth was filled with sharp teeth under its orange eyes and the back of its head had darker purple spikes that ran down its neck.
The Hydra lunged its head at Hercules trying to take a bite out of the Demi God, but Hercules knocked it back with his sword. The monster lunged again at Hercules, but Hercules dodged the attack and slammed his sword into the monster's head. The Hydra cries in pain as it wobbles and falls over seemingly dead.
"HERCULES! HERCULES! HERCULES!" The audience cheered as Herc waved to the people as he stepped closer and closer to the entrance.
"Thanks! Thank you! Hope you enjoyed it!" Hercules said as he bolted out of the Colosseum and towards the Underworld.
"I hope I'm not too late." Hercules said as he ran.
What he didn't know was that after he had left, the Hydra started to twitch.
Back in the Underworld:
Sora and co arrived in a more open room with a massive rock in the center with a black pillar behind it.
On the rock's surface was what looked like Meg wrapped around a lock that glowed in the center.
"That must be where Meg is." Sora said as he summoned Oathkeeper and pointed it at the Keyhole. A beam of light shot from the Keyblade and the lock, along with the stone vanished. The Black pillar was also replaced by a green light.
"I'm starting to get concerned. We didn't run into any Heartless yet." Kaze said.
"That's a good point. Earlier would have been an ideal time to attack us since we were being drained constantly by the Underworld curse, but not a single one showed up." Corrin realized.
"So what do you think it means?" Donald asked.
"If I were to guess, I'd say that Hades has something planned for us up ahead." Corrin guessed. "We'd best be ready for anything."
Everyone nodded as they stepped through the light.
The group found themselves in a small open room where Hades stood before them with Meg at his side, all tied up in chains.
"Now THAT'S what I call a key." Hades smirked. "Thanks for all of your help…Now have a nice day." With that, Hades just teleported away.
"What was that all about?" Corrin asked confused.
Sora shrugged as he and Sakura ran over to Meg.
"Are you okay?" Sora asked.
"Are you hurt?" Sakura asked.
"I'm fine. Sorry to make you worry." Meg smiled.
"It's fine. Let's just get you out of here." Sora said but Meg's eyes widened.
"Behind you!" Meg suddenly cried out.
Everyone turned around to see Pete with a group of Hook Bat Heartless at the entrance.
"You bozos walked right into my trap! Once I finish with you punks, Maleficent will see her mistakes in firing me and it will be too late!" Pete laughed.
"Fired? You mean she just NOW realized that you're an oaf?" Donald mocked.
"Can it duck boy! Just for that, I'm taking you two bozos out first. What better way to get back at those punks Mickey and Minnie than to present your beaten forms before them?" Pete growled.
"I'd like to see you try you big palooka!" Donald growled before turning to Sora and Corrin. "Goofy and I will deal with this bozo. You keep Meg safe."
"All by yourselves?" Corrin asked concerned.
"We'll be fine. Like we told you before, Pete's been causing problems for ages. Donald and I are familiar with him." Goofy assured.
"Well, if you think you're up for it, then go for it!" Sora said and the two residents of Disney Castle nodded.
Donald and Goofy readied their weapons to face off against Pete.
"You bozos forget where you are? I got Hades protecting me from the Underworld's curse, while you two nimrods got nothing!" Pete mocked.
"Shows how little you know." Donald smirked.
Goofy charged at Pete with his shield for his Goofy bash that knocked Pete back and Donald unleashed a mighty Thundara spell on him.
"Ouch." Pete groaned.
"We've got protection from the Underworld as well." Donald smirked.
"Oh yeah? Then fine! I'll do this the old fashion way." Pete growled as he got into position.
"Let's get him Goofy!" Donald declared as the two prepared for battle.
Pete tossed a bunch of mini bombs into the air towards the two, but Goofy covered Donald with his shield protecting them both from the explosions.
"Got ya now!" Pete laughed as he tossed a larger bomb like a bowling ball at the two.
"Fore!" Donald shouted as he swung his staff like a golf club and knocked the bomb back right at Pete exploding right in his face.
Pete fell off his feet in a daze as stars swirled around his head.
"Still sticking to the old bomb tricks? We know how you fight. You can't beat us." Donald scoffed.
"Shows how little YOU know. I've picked up a few tricks since I was banished." Pete said as he raised his arms.
"D-Thundaga!" Pete shouted as his body vanished and a ball of Thunder magic appeared floating above.
"D-Thundaga? Goofy, watch out!" Donald warned as the ball hovered over Goofy.
*ZAP!*
"Gawrsh…" Goofy groaned covered in soot and in a daze.
"Cura!" Donald shouted healing Goofy.
"Thanks Donald!" Goofy said as the two ran away from Pete's thunder form.
"Don't worry. The spell only lasts a few seconds. Just keep your distance." Donald said.
Sure enough, the spell ended and Pete was back to normal.
"Now let's get him!" Donald declared charging up a fire spell.
Meanwhile with the others:
The Hook Bats started swarming the others as they provided a protective circle around Meg, striking any that came too close. Kaze had tried the Thunder Sword magic spell as his weapons were now covered in lightning as he attacked.
"There's too many of them." Sora said attacking another Hook Bat.
Just then, Hercules arrived, knocking a group of Hook Bats away, along with his Pegasus that tackled some Heartless.
"Sorry I'm late." Hercules arrived.
"You made it." Sora cheered as he sliced off the chains binding Meg and she got on the Pegasus.
Just then, the cave suddenly started to shake.
"We should get out of here. Now!" Kaze said.
"I'll clear a path." Takumi said as he faced another group of Hook Bats blocking the entrance.
Takumi jumped into the air and shot an arrow towards the ground.
"Tornado Shot!" Takumi shouted.
The arrow, covered in Aero magic summoned a tornado of green energy that destroyed the group of Heartless, clearing the path.
"Looks like all that training was worth it." Takumi smirked.
"Donald, Goofy, we need to get out of here!" Corrin shouted.
Donald and Goofy stood over the beaten Pete.
"How did I lose?" Pete cried in pain.
"Did you really think one new magic trick would help you win against someone who's been studying magic for years?" Donald asked flatly.
"What happened to ya Pete? You were always a jerk, but not this bad. Don't you remember our times in school together?" Goofy asked sadly.
"I remember a certain idiot kicking me in the face causing us to lose the big Football game and the coach calling me Putty Fingers Pete!" Pete growled as he slowly got up. "But this is far from over." Pete then vanished in a puff of smoke.
The cave's shacking got worse.
"Hurry!" Hercules shouted as the group fled.
Back at the entrance:
"Thanks for helping me back there…All of you." Meg said getting off the Pegasus.
"I'm just glad you're safe." Hercules said with a small blush on his face.
"Never be in danger while you're around." Meg joked.
"Ugh. Your little lover talk is sickening." Hades groaned as he approached the group from behind. "By the way 'Hero,' you really blew it this time."
"No one like's a sore loser Hades." Sora mocked.
"Can it Keyboy." Hades spat.
"Then allow me." Hercules said approaching the God. "No one like's a sore loser Hades."
"Yeah, yeah. Styx and Stones." Hades dismissed. "But instead of talking to me, maybe you should go check on that Hydra you neglected to finish off. Things are really falling apart up there."
"What? I know I killed that thing!" Hercules argued.
"CHAMP!" Phil shouted running towards everyone. "The Hydra! It's destroying everything!"
"WHAT?!" Hercules shouted as he bolted towards the Colosseum.
"As much as I would love to see this, I have other things I have to deal with. So, I will abide you all a do." Hades said as he vanished.
"We better go check on Hercules." Sora said.
"Be careful. That Hydra is no ordinary monster." Phil warned as the group headed towards the Colosseum.