Derrick braced himself for shouts and angry parents, but they just gawked at him and the boys they way they had looked at satyrs, minotaurs, and the rest of the staff. Instead of giving himself away, Derrick turned and trotted back out of the building. He wanted to get a little more time with this mature, powerful body before he drank the potion to become 15 again. Nic and Alex followed. "Where are you going?" asked Nic.
"After I drink the potion your mom made, I'll be a kid again. I want to have some fun first." Derrick flexed his massive muscles. "This is going to be hard to give up, even temporarily."
Both of Hercules' sons nodded, understanding what he meant. "Go one for a good run, maybe try the weightlifting section. Or you could see if they need any heavy work done - you are strong as a small draft horse." Alex grinned. "You might even want to find a nice mare."
Derrick flushed a little, though the idea of mounting a mare was pretty interesting. "OK. See ya!" He took off across the open grounds, building up to a gallop that felt amazing and got his blood pounding. He headed away from the main grounds and found some rolling pasture that had horses grazing in it. Some were enormous, making even his drum horse parts look small.
Some were curious about him, and came over to snuffle and even rub against him. He tried rubbing one of the big males, which started chewing on his sire and back. It felt really good, and he realized the animal was grooming him as an equal.
"How do you like your new body so far?" A familiar, deep voice made him turn to see Hephaustus limping toward him.
"Super!" Derrick grinned. "Though being around these guys sure changes my idea of being big."
Hephaustus chuckled. "Drum horses are beautiful, strong animals, but they do not compare to a Shire. They are the largest breed of horse. And the most beautiful. They have such lovely heads, noble and graceful."
Derrick looked around and nodded. "Yeah, I see what you mean. They are incredible." It was true - the huge stallion still grooming him was glossy black with white feathering and was about the most perfect-looking animal he had ever seen. And there was a warm smell to him that made Derrick feel relaxed, like he was with family or good friends.
"I could make a few changes if you like." Hephaustus walked around them, admiring the Shire stallion and then looking over Derrick's smaller horse parts. "Since you haven't drunk the potion yet, you are technically an adult. Would you like to be more like this fellah?" He patted the stallion's rump.
Remembering Alex and Nic's reactions about Hephaustus, Derrick hesitated. What kind of 'tinkering' did the blacksmith do? Horse, stuff, of course. Which was exactly what the man was offering. He grinned. "Reay to 'play', then?
Hephaustus smiled broadly and nodded. "This is a perfect place for the kind of games I had in mind. And I promise you will be the most magnificent centaur this resort has ever seen!"
Derrick liked that idea. Nic and Alex were probably trying to keep him from being more powerful than they were. "OK. That sounds awesome!"
The blacksmith grinned. "So, how much do you want to play? The more creative you let me be, the more magnificent you will end up being."
Derrick thought about that. How much did he trust this guy? He seemed nice, and sure had a good point about the Shires and being stronger and handsomer. Alex and Nic didn't actually say Hephaustus was dangerous, just that he would 'find out.' This was his chance to find out. And this was a vacation, right? He was pretty sure that if he really didn't like what happened, he would be restored back to his normal self.
"Go for it! Whatever you want to do." Derrick stepped away from the stallion and faced Hephaustus. "Make me amazing!"