Title: Horse Shoes for Sale

Author: Smenzer

Rating: PG

Pairing: None. Young Hercules

Archive: Yes, please. Let me know if you take it, OK?

Teaser: The Academy holds a Fund Raiser. Comedy.

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They belong to Studios USA or

Whoever owns the Rights to Young Hercules. This is just for fun. No money is being made.

It was a warm spring day at the Academy, a Saturday to be exact. Normally all of the cadets would have dashed out the gates towards freedom the very moment the first rays of sunlight brightened the eastern sky. But today was a special day at the Academy. The school, run by the great centaur warrior Chiron, was holding a Fund Raiser. The proceeds were to buy new equipment the school needed and to help cover the cost of repairs. Students were encouraged to donate excess items they owned and didn't need any longer. Dozens of cadets carried long tables outside to hold the varied items they had collected for the sale.

Hercules sat on his bed and opened the small chest where he kept his few belongings. Searching through the chest, he pulled out a pair of well worn boots. The boots were made of brown leather and had long laces going up the leg. The outsides were scuffed and the heels worn down but they were still usable. He tucked the boots under his arm, closed the chest and headed for the door.

Prince Jason appeared in the doorway. He was dressed in fine dark Corinthian leather studded with shiny silver studs. "You're not going to sell those, are you?"

"Yeah." Hercules replied as he stopped to talk to his friend. "I got a new pair so I don't need these anymore."

"Oh, come on, Herc! Look at those boots!" Jason pointed at the boots and rolled his eyes. "Who would buy those? We're trying to raise money, not scare the customers away!"

"But someone could use them." Hercules pointed out as he squeezed past Jason into the long hallway of the Academy. "I'm not about to just throw them out if someone else could get some use of them. Not only would it help someone who can't afford to buy a new pair of boots, but help the Academy, too. And I'd feel better, too, knowing that I'm helping someone."

Jason laughed and gathered a few items off his bed. He held them up for Hercules to see. The first item was a fine black scabbard made of tooled leather. Beautiful designs ran up and down it's surface and light shone off the metal studs. Second was a pair of brown leather gauntlets with red stones. Last was a bandoleer studded with silver. "Now these will bring in some real money to help the school! Chiron will be lucky if he can buy some nails with the money you get from those boots."

Hercules shrugged. "Without nails, the rest of the supplies is worthless. You know how the story goes."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Jason followed Herc into the hallway and they went outside. By now the other cadets had everything set up, with each cadet in charge of selling his or her own items. Everyone was welcome to the sale, as long as they had dinars to spend! "I'm going to be selling some old horse tact, too. From the Palace. That should bring in good prices!"

Hercules placed his boots on the table. He knew compared to Jason's fine items his appeared old and trashy but he didn't care. Not everyone could afford Jason's high prices!

A few moments later Iolaus showed up, chewing on a handful of cookies. "Hey, Herc. Your Mom is here! Look what I bought! Yumm!" The curly haired youth chewed on his cookie, then almost choked when he saw Hercules' boots on the table. "You're selling those?"

"Yeah." Hercules replied, not bothered at all. "I don't need them anymore."

Just then a group of girls from town showed up. They laughed and giggled among themselves as they wondered from table to table examine the wares. One had bought a plateful of cake from Alcmane but so far the others hadn't bought anything. They wanted to see everything before they spent their money.

"Ooooh!" One girl cried as she snatched up Hercules' old worn boots. "How much?"

"Uhhh.... 3 dinars?" Hercules stuttered. His mouth hung open part way as he stared at the beautiful girl holding his boots.

"I'll pay 5 dinars for them!" Another one of the girls offered, reaching into her drawstring money pouch hanging from her hip. She had long wavy blonde hair and clear blue eyes.

The first girl, Helena, spoke again. "Oh no you don't, Pasiphae! I saw them first! And I'll have them at 10 dinars!"

"15 dinars!" Pasiphae shouted as she pulled out more coins.

"30 dinars if you sign your name on the boots!" Helena offered

"Where's a pen?!" Hercules looked around frantically for a pen.

Iolaus dropped his cookies on the ground, his hand going limp as he watched the girls in shock. Then he hopped on one foot as he tugged the boot off his right foot and placed it on the table. Switching to the other foot, he began to tug. He gritted his teeth. "You darn boot! This is no time for you to get stuck!"

Jason started to follow Iolaus' lead and began to remove his fine Corinthian leather boots.

Pasiphae dumped the contents of her money pouch on the table with a grin, gold dinars rolling everywhere. "110 dinars!"

"Aaahhhhhh!" Iolaus fell over and landed on the grass with a loud thud, his boot finally coming free and flying up into the air. A moment later it landed on his own chest and he went "oofh".

"You win, Pasiphae. I can't beat that." Helena admitted sadly.

"Sold!" Hercules shouted as he collected the dinars into a pile. He sighed his name on each boot and smiled at Pasiphae. His heart pounded crazily in his chest and he thought he might pass out. He wanted to scream and shout from excitement. Just think, 110 dinars for his old boots!

"Thank you, Hercules." Pasiphae said sweetly as she gathered the boots and showed them to her girlfriends. The girls giggled over them, whispering excitedly.

Iolaus picked himself up from the grass and eagerly planted his other boot on the table. "I got boots here! Boots for sale!"

Hercules collected all the coins into his money pouch, which could barely hold it all. He was afraid that the bottom would burst at any minute. "Good thing I'm a Demigod! These coins are heavy!"

A tough-looking bearded man stepped up to the table. He had long greasy black hair and a scar on his face. He snarled as he picked up Iolaus' boots, examining them. "I'll give ya 1 dinar for them and not a dinar more."

"What? Those aren't for you!" Iolaus said angrily as he snatched his boots back. "Those are for girls!"

"Girls?" The man stared at Iolaus, complexed. "Those are guy boots. Why would a girl want with them?"

"Uhh.... to remember me and my good looks?" Iolaus asked. The Golden Hunter stuck out his chest proudly and petted himself, a big grin on his face.

Jason laughed. "Ha! If you would ever be that lucky!"

"Hey! I look better than you!" Iolaus retorted as he shot Jason a dirty look.

"You can't look better than me. I'm the Prince!" Jason shouted back. "And believe me, I know the girls will be fighting over me."

"Are these boots for sale or not?" The man asked, annoyed.

"Yeah, for 20 dinars!" Iolaus told him.

"What? For these old things?" The man reached over the table and gripped Iolaus by the front of his tunic. "That's highway robbery! I can get a new pair for 5 dinars!"

"But these are special!" Iolaus squeaked as his bare toes dangled just above the grass.

"What's special about them?" The man asked, his lips curling up into a sneer. "They look like cheaply made boots to me and all worn out. The stink coming out of them could kill a man!"

"Stink? My boots don't stink!" Iolaus struggled to get free. He pounded on the big man's beefy arm.

Hercules and Jason laughed. "Last time Iolaus washed his feet was when he was tossed into that pond and almost drowned!"

"And they are special!" Iolaus said again. "I'll even sign my name on each boot!"

"What? That's the most stupidest thing I ever heard!" The man dropped Iolaus onto the ground and walked away. "Who wants boots with someone's name written on them? They'd be ruined!"

Once again Iolaus picked himself up from the grass. He frantically looked around. "Where are the girls?"

"I think they left." Jason said. He patted Herc on the shoulder. "You did really good with those boots. Why, that's enough to buy a War Chariot! Chiron will be proud!"

"What do you mean they left? They didn't buy my boots yet!" Iolaus hopped over the table and ran off barefoot, his brown boots dangling from one hand.

"I better go turn this money in to Chiron so he can lock it up." Hercules pressed the money pouch against his chest, holding it with both hands. Pausing, he glanced up at Jason. "But why did they spend so much on old boots?"

"Who knows?" Jason replied. He smiled brightly as a customer started to examine his bandoleer. It was going to be a great Fund Raiser Day!