CHAPTER ONE
Vigilante No More
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“We’ll be in the Crucible’s airspace in fifteen minutes,” reported the slim, youthful-looking, brown-haired man in the crisp gray suit and fedora that marked him as one of the Wardens, a U.N. affiliated organization mandated with monitoring ‘gifted’ activities on a global scale.
Sam, who’d been inspecting the portable, power-dampening cell the Wardens had locked Apex in, absentmindedly nodded his head at the warden.
“Are we sure this ‘coffin’ will hold him?” Sam asked for the tenth time.
‘Coffin’ was an apt name for Apex’s current accommodations.
The Wardens had placed the villain inside an upright ten-foot rectangular box made entirely of a rare adamantine alloy, the only metal on Earth that could disrupt and absorb various types of energy, including the kinetic energy born of physical attacks.
“The power dampeners are working just fine,” Thunder answered.
The blonde beauty was strapped to a seat along the aircraft’s right-side wall. She’d chosen it because of its proximity to Apex’s coffin.
Within the spacious interior of the Wyvern C-7 Aircraft Carrier were a small team of US Marines—all of them armed with state-of-the-art elemental hand cannons—along with three ‘gifted’ wardens whose abilities Sam had learned were focused on debilitating their targets, ensuring the captured villains couldn’t escape them. Like Sam, all of these people had their eyes glued to the coffin that had been locked into position in the middle of the transport’s tubular interior.
“You don’t have to worry about him breaking out either. The air inside the coffin will keep Apex sedated for the duration of the trip,” explained the warden who’d made the earlier announcement.
“Warden Salvatore is implying that you should stop fidgeting and take a seat, Herculean.” Thunder patted the seat next to hers. “Let’s just enjoy the ride for now.”
“Right…” Sam walked back to Thunder and plopped his butt on his seat next to her. “Sorry, I just—”
“I know, but it’s okay. Apex can’t hurt anyone anymore.” Thunder offered Sam a warm smile, one that made him all giddy deep inside while he remembered the last few hours when he had shared his secret with her.
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While the Wardens and local law enforcement secured Apex inside the coffin, Sam took Thunder, Farsight, Jackboot, and Dr. Hearthstone aside and told them the truth of Apex’s tragic story.
“Technically, he’s my cousin, and we’re the last of the Heraclidae, which is a name the ancient scholars gave to the direct descendants of Hercules,” Sam whispered embarrassedly. After all, it wasn’t every day that one got to admit they were related to the biggest superstar of all time while also sharing blood ties with one of this era’s worst villains.
None of his friends seemed surprised by Sam’s big reveal though. Not just because he had been weird throughout their battle with Apex on the Golden Gate Bridge, but, because, in Dr. Hearthstone’s words, “I think I speak for the team when I say you don’t have to be embarrassed. You’re living up to ‘his’ legacy just fine.”
Sam blushed at Dr. Hearthstone’s praise.
Seeing his friends nod in agreement to the doc’s words even brought a lump to his throat that made it difficult to answer the inquiries of the wardens who arrived to question him and his friends afterward.
Not surprisingly, the wardens wanted to arrest Sam along with Apex, but the other heroes were quick to come to his defense.
Thunder’s influence as a former US top ten hero was particularly helpful in swaying Warden Salvatore and his cohorts away from the idea of slapping the power-dampening cuffs on Sam. It also helped that his first-ever press conference, which occurred as soon as the wardens finished interviewing him, also came with a promise that his time as a vigilante was over.
Herculean was stepping into the limelight.
“You’re going legitimate?” confirmed a female reporter from NNC.
With a glance in Thunder’s direction, Sam nodded. “Yes. I’ll be taking the ‘gifted assessment’ as soon as we’ve made sure Apex is locked away.”
Sam gazed out into the sea of expectant faces and their cameras while doing his best to tamp down the anxiety threatening to overwhelm him. He wasn’t used to all the attention and flashing lights. Luckily, Thunder came to his rescue.
She took her spot beside him and said, “Herculean played a major role in bringing Apex down.”
They glanced at each other, each smiling warmly at the other—all while flashing lights lit up in front of them.
“He didn’t just keep Apex from destroying the Golden Gate Bridge either,” Thunder continued, “but he did it while prioritizing the safety of the civilians trapped on the bridge.”
This time, Jackboot joined in on the interview, and with a grin, he said, “Crazy bloke threw himself and Apex into the San Francisco Bay to make sure his rampage wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
Unfortunately, Jackboot’s words caused a backlash of negative comments, with one reporter stating, “Wasn’t that a reckless action that could have caused your death and the death of the villain you were trying to capture?” while another reporter linked today’s events with the past three weeks of adventure Sam and his friends had gone through. “Apart from the damage done to the Golden Gate Bridge, aren’t you also the chief perpetrator responsible for the massive property damage done to two other national landmarks in two different states?”
It didn’t surprise Sam when he noticed that this reporter’s badge had ‘The Herald’ logo splashed across it since his grandmother’s newspaper had gone completely negative on him since he’d left New York with Thunder and Farsight.
Sam assumed this was Marie trying to toughen him up—her weird way of showing him support in his choice to become a hero. Though, in truth, that might just be wishful thinking on Sam’s part. He couldn’t ask her. He’d tried a bunch of times while on the road, but she’d been ignoring his texts these past few ways.
“N-No, you’ve got it all wrong!” Jackboot protested. “It was Apex who’d ruined the Chicago Water Tower… Herculean saved a boy’s life during the villain’s rampage, and it was bloody heroic how he got there in the nick of time.”
“We would’ve all died inside the Endless Maze too if Herculean hadn’t stepped up to save us from Medea and her dragons,” Dr. Hearthstone weighed in.
The sight of the big man standing next to Sam shut everyone up, though it might also have been because the doc had mentioned Medea, a villain worthy of her legendary notoriety.
“You may see him as a vigilante now… but I know him to be a hero who’s trying his best to make a difference,” Dr. Hearthstone declared.
Interestingly enough, none of the reporters mentioned the destruction of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, which probably meant no one knew that the team was directly connected to that incident as well. Also, Dr. Hearthstone failed to mention the involvement of Chimera, the secret organization that was seemingly hellbent on resurrecting the great horrors of the ancient world—the Gigantes. It had been decided by the team earlier on that this information was too dangerous to expose to the public. Particularly since Sam’s sister Serena was an unwitting member of the evil organization.
“If you don’t believe Doc and the rabbit, then believe me.” Farsight stepped into the line of cameras to deliver the final blow to the press. “As the last Fated Sister, I’m privy to the plans of the gods… and—”
She glanced mischievously in Sam’s direction before turning her gaze back to the cameras.
“—I’ve forseen Herculean do great things in the future… Probably. Maybe.”
“What sort of great things have you foreseen?” asked a middle-aged female reporter from the BBN.
“Great things don’t necessarily mean he’ll do good. It can also mean Herculean might be responsible for terrible calamities, right?” confirmed a gray-haired male reporter from the California Times.
His question pivoted the direction of Farsight’s comments into a wholly negative direction that was emphasized by a reporter from the New York Post when he asked, “Will Herculean become a calamity-inducing villain? Or is he fated to go insane like other fallen heroes such as the Jackal?”
Sam sighed.
It seemed whatever his friends said to defend him would only add fuel to the fire of ‘menace’ that had somehow become his brand.
“It’s going to be okay,” Thunder whispered.
She nodded her head to the back of the crowd—a familiar face had his hand raised.
“Oh,” Sam couldn’t help grinning at seeing his old colleague. One who was possibly Sam’s only supporter in the Herald besides Mr. Kim, the Herald’s editor-in-chief. “It’s Lara.”
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Of the many news reports they’d seen in the past few weeks, Lara’s column had been the only one that wasn’t anti-Herculean.
“Lara Zamora with the Herald,” stated the pretty, curly-haired reporter with piercing green eyes. “There’s been a lot of discussion about your ‘gift’ in the news and the internet ranging from super strength to indestructible skin, but an interview I had with several heroes on the scene of the Endless Maze incident claimed you also healed their injuries?”
“Um, yes”—Sam gave Lara a grateful look for the leading question that allowed him a chance to clear the air regarding his gift—“I did heal them.”
He trained his gaze on the closest camera, the one manned by the NNC crew.
“I know people think I’m just an irresponsible vigilante who only causes trouble, but…” Sam took a deep breath and then gave the press what he hoped was his best red-carpet smile. “…I don’t just break stuff. My job’s fixing people… I’m a healer.”
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Back on the plane, Sam belatedly realized that his press conference hadn’t gone as favorably as he hoped. He’d received more skepticism than applause. It was a skepticism that followed him even here on the Wardens’ transport plane hours after his interview at the beach.
Several of the marines gave Sam dubious looks after he took his seat next to Thunder. Some of them were even showing him downright hostility in their expressions. Though Sam guessed that might have more to do with him sitting next to the gorgeous, blue-eyed, blonde hero who had just linked her arm around his.
Yep, they don’t hate me, they’re just jealous… which I guess is the same thing… Sam avoided their accusatory glares. Can’t blame them… Thunder’s way too pretty and cool to be sitting next to me… right?
“You did well at your first press conference,” Warden Salvatore said as he strolled over to Sam and Thunder. “I appreciated your candor and how you stood your ground while the vultures tore into you.”
Short, wavy chestnut hair framed a youthful oval face with a pointy chin, thick eyebrows above caramel-colored eyes, a pointy nose, and pale pink lips, which were at that moment smiling pearly white teeth down on him—and Sam couldn’t help but smile back at Warden Salvatore.
“Thanks,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if I made a good impression or not…”
“Oh, you definitely made an impression,” Warden Salvatore replied.
“Not all of it good,” Thunder weighed in.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Warden Salvatore chuckled, adding, “But at least Captain Malarkey’s been forced to rescind his order to have you arrested on sight… By all accounts, that’s as good a result as you’re going to get in this business.”
Warden Captain Malarkey had been after Sam since the Brooklyn incident where Red Weaver was attacked in her home by the Trickster. Sam and Thunder had been there when it happened, leading Warden Malarkey to draw a conclusion about Sam that tied him to a series of recent incidents, all of them involving the villain who’d been Crow-Man’s archnemesis. He’d wanted to arrest Sam ever since for what he’d deemed were ‘vigilante activities’ but lacked the evidence to do so.
Remembering Warden Malarkey’s accusing glare, Sam sighed in relief.
“Thank the gods for small favors,” he whispered.
“As long as you stick to your promise about going legitimate,” Warden Salvatore reminded him.
It took Sam another moment to keep his anxiety in check, but he eventually nodded. “I’ll apply for a gifted assessment as soon as Apex is secure in your secret prison.”
Warden Salvatore’s face turned to the monitor directly above Sam’s and Thunder’s seats. On its screen was a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. In the distance was an island that was growing closer and closer with each second.
“We’ll be at the Crucible soon,” Warden Salvatore promised. “You two can relax for now.”
“What’s it like — the Crucible?” Sam asked.
Warden Salvatore’s expression darkened. “It’s a state-of-the-art prison built inside the crater of an active volcano…and it’s the one place in the world I wouldn’t want to visit as often as I do.”
“So, it’s the worst place on Earth…” Sam’s gaze drifted to Apex’s coffin. “I guess that’s where he deserves to go…”
He couldn’t help but feel guilty that he was throwing his last living relative apart from his sister and grandmother into a prison that was basically a high-level dungeon. It made him wonder if this truly was the right choice.
Was this what it meant to save someone, and if it was, then why did it leave such a bitter taste in his mouth?
“With all the people he’s killed, Apex deserves to be incarcerated at the Crucible,” Warden Salvatore asserted, brow furrowing. “Honestly though, I wouldn’t wish that prison on my worst enemy.”
After Warden Salvatore left to reclaim his seat up front, Thunder, who’d noticed Sam’s pouty face, elbowed him playfully in the shoulder.
“Penny for your thoughts?” she asked.
“I…” Sam sighed. “I’m just not sure locking the guy up and throwing away the key is the right thing to do…”
“I know it doesn’t seem like he’ll get a fair shot at rehabilitation”—Thunder squeezed Sam’s hand—“but even if we’ve cut away the strings of his puppeteer and confiscated his indestructible fur, Apex is too dangerous to leave anywhere else.”
“I know, I know… It’s just…” Sam turned away from Thunder so his gaze would fall on Apex’s coffin. “…I wanted to save him…”
“You did save him.” She patted his shoulder. “You saved him from being an elder giant’s murder puppet.”
“I guess he can use his time in prison to do a bit of introspection… Maybe he can even change like I did,” Sam said.
He sounded hopeful, but deep down, he wasn’t sure it was possible. Not for the man who’d murdered most of his family to acquire power.
“Speaking of change, are you going to go through with the assessment?” Thunder asked skeptically. “What about…you-know-what?”
Thunder was discreetly referring to Triple-A, the secret hero training system she’d passed onto Sam that enabled his growth from a zeta-level healer into the gamma-level hero he currently was.
“You’re only going to get stronger,” she reminded him. “And it’ll be hard to explain how a zeta jumped to gamma level in under four months, won’t it?”
For an answer, Sam tapped on the side of his temple. “Our mutual friend told me it’ll be fine.”
Of course, it’ll be fine. I helped build the framework they used for the assessment. It’ll be easy as pie to tweak it and keep Triple-A under the radar, Chiron whispered into Sam’s head, which Sam then repeated out loud for Thunder’s benefit.
“That centaur has his fingers dipped into every pot, doesn’t he?” Thunder mused.
Sam noticed that she seemed genuinely happy for him. Her pleased expression gave her away.
In truth, Thunder’s approval meant the world to Sam, but the fact that she had accepted his past self—relied on him even then—earned her an even more important place in Sam’s heart that had nothing to do with the fact they’d kissed recently.
Thinking about that blissful moment caused Sam to blush. It was a reddening of cheeks that both Thunder and Chiron noticed quickly.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, while Chiron neighed in Sam’s ear. Loverboy’s got his head in the gutter again.
“Um, nothing,” Sam said, his face reddening even more so that his cheeks were now a colorful shade of apple.
Should I just ask her if the kiss was a one-time thing?
It probably was, kid.
Sam hadn’t meant for Chiron to hear but it was sometimes challenging to distinguish between his mind and the telepathic link he shared with the centaur.
Sam couldn’t retort though because he didn’t think Chiron was wrong. He assumed Thunder kissing him back then was just her way of showing gratitude for healing her of the Blight and not that she was into him too.
Seriously, kid, no one’s that lucky, Chiron insisted, but on the off-chance that Thunder’s as into you as you are with her, then it wouldn’t hurt to ask and set the record straight. Remember, lesson number eight…
Never lose hope, Sam restated.
Well, lessons one, two, seven, and thirty-five work in this case too, Chiron added as an afterthought.
It was surprisingly encouraging advice. One Sam didn’t often hear from the not-so-gentle centaur.
Thanks, master…
Don’t thank me now and curse me if you crash and burn later.
I won’t.
Sam felt the time was right, but the resolve to ask her was quickly stiffened by bubbling anxiety once he’d thought about actually doing it.
“Um, Thunder,” he called, his voice soft and cracking.
She glanced his way. “Yeah, Herculean?”
Thunder was careful not to say his real name out loud while they were surrounded by law enforcement as Herculean’s identity remained a secret to everyone except for his teammates, Crow-Man, Marie, and Mr. Kim.
“About last night…” Sam began.
He only belatedly noticed it thanks to the screen showing the pale light of dawn peeking through the heavy clouds but a full day had passed since they first arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge in search of the enchanted grove that hid the Golden Fleece away from the world.
“What about it?” Thunder prompted.
“Well, after I healed you, um, do you remember the thing we did next?”
The sudden blush on Thunder’s pale cheeks was proof that she did indeed remember yesterday’s kiss. She didn’t shy away from him though. She even teased him about it.
“Are you talking about your first time kissing a woman?”
“You aren’t my first kiss!”
While feeling like he needed to defend his manhood, Sam had inadvertently said those words a little too loudly. Loud enough for the men and women in uniform around him to hear his confession.
A second of doubt flashed on their faces before consideration of the rom-com vibe around Sam and Thunder led to understanding, which was then followed by the dismay that Thunder might no longer be the pure goddess her legions of fans believed her to be. The marines’ despair was quickly replaced with jealousy though, earning Sam several murderous glares from all directions.
Funnily enough, Sam had been too flustered to notice the hate he was getting. Meanwhile, Thunder’s fit of giggles kept her from pointing the growing atmosphere of animosity out to him.
“Dude, I was being serious,” Sam sighed.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Thunder wiped at a tear pooling beneath her eyes. She’d giggled that hard. “I couldn’t help teasing you a little.”
She gave Sam a mischievous look, the kind that made his heart flutter.
“You were saying?” Thunder prompted.
Gods, she’s way too gorgeous… This thought popped into Sam’s brain while he gathered his courage for his big confession. “T-Thunder,” he cleared his throat, “Thunder, I—”
Sam’s confession was interrupted by the sound of an explosion that preceded the shockwave that rocked the aircraft.
“Holy Zeus!”
Sam and Thunder grabbed each other as the turbulence rocked the cabin while the rest of Apex’s security team looked on in alarm.
Meanwhile, the blonde warden sitting beside Warden Salvatore was quick to encase Apex’s coffin in a glass-like bubble that Sam assumed was a manifestation of her gift.
“Everyone, calm down.” Warden Salvatore ordered just before he put on the headset he picked up from the empty seat on his left. “What just happened, Captain?”
Whatever the pilot was reporting on the other line must not have been good because Warden Salvatore’s brow furrowed more and more the longer he listened. Before he could explain the situation to the crew though, the blonde warden sitting next to him pointed a finger at one of the monitors lining the aircraft’s walls.
“What in Hades is that?!” she yelled.
Turning to the monitor above them, Sam and Thunder witnessed a scene straight out of a comic book; a glowing red column rising out of the crater of the volcano at the center of the island that was their destination. The red column soared up to the sky and disappeared within the folds of the thick gray clouds that were gathered only above the island.
“Styx…” Sam’s gaze followed the tail end of the red column as it disappeared into the clouds. “What kind of trouble are we getting into now…?”
“How much further?” Thunder asked worriedly.
It took Warden Salvatore a moment more to confirm before he replied. “We’re five minutes out.”
“That’s close enough…” Thunder got up from her seat and then walked over to the tail-end of the transport. “I’m getting off here.”
Warden Salvatore followed her, while Sam, who’d been watching the monitor for more developments, quickly jumped out of his seat after he heard Warden Salvatore explain that they would have to divert the aircraft away from the island.
“I’m sorry, but getting Apex to a safe location is my priority,” Warden Salvatore said.
“You go do that.” Thunder patted him on the shoulder before glancing toward Sam who’d come up behind them. “I’ve got all the support I need.”
“Wait,” Sam’s brow furrowed, “support for what?”
Thunder grabbed Sam’s arm and pulled him toward her.
At the same time, Warden Salvatore hit the switch that opened the transport’s rear loading bay door.
“You guys want a parachute?” he asked.
Thunder shook her head. “We’ll manage.”
“Thunder… neither of us can fly,” Sam reminded her.
“Who said anything about flying.” Thunder’s arms wrapped tightly around Sam’s waist. “Hold on tight, Herculean. We’re going for a ride.”
“What ride—”
Sam’s words were lost in his throat because Thunder had just thrown them both out of the back of the transport and into a cloudy sky twenty-five thousand feet above the Pacific Ocean.