AJ


It was a weight of his shoulders to admit he was crushing on both Felix and Aria.

They had taken it pretty well. Aria seemed a bit embarassed, but she was fine with it while Felix...well, Felix's expression was priceless. His words after that sounded jubilant, like the shade of clover, but AJ could tell that he was still processing the fact that the rainbow kid found him attractive.

And now he was in a dressing room with both of them, trying not to be seen or heard. They took turns playing solitaire with Felix's new cards, while AJ practiced his new color-changing abilities on the clothing they had brought into the stall. So far, he had made the sweatshirt a shade of neon blue, the skirt caramel brown, and a leopard print scarf green and orange.

It was the sound of the gate rattling close that alerted the demigods that it was closing time.

Peeking over the top of the door, AJ watched as the last cashier walked out of view as he headed for the escalator.

"We're clear." AJ said as he got down, stuffing the clothes into his ROFL bag.

Aria raised an eyebrow, "Really AJ?"

Felix came to his defense, "Aria, we're breaking into a mall after hours to break into the owner's office so that we can steal a cursed necklace. Shoplifting is the least of our worries."

Aria shrugged as she opened the changing room's door, "I suppose you're right...come and help me get this grate up."

After slipping back into the mall, the demigods took a good look and listen.

"It's way to quiet..." Felix shuddered, "Where are all the mall cops?"

AJ had to agree, with a mall this size, you'd think there'd be a staff of twenty guards.

"Maybe they took a coffee break..." Aria suggested weakly, "...all at the same time?"

The demigods didn't even make it to the escalator before a bright spotlight caught them. Shielding their eyes, they could barely make out a large, bald man and a snarling hound next to him.

AJ gulped, "I think one came back from break early Aria..."


The demigods froze for what felt like an eternity before the man holding the flashlight lowered the beam, "Demigods...of course."

As their eyes re-adjusted, they saw a bald man with sunk in features and eyes that glowed blood red. He wore an extremely faded mall cop uniform with a badge that read 'Tereo'. As for the dog at his side, it looked like a cross between a German Shepard and a Hellhound (a real one, not the kind that you see in video games). It gave off a low, deep snarl as his eye seemed to say 'Come on run, I dare you.

Aria whispered under her breath, "Mormo..." the boys looked at her, waiting for an explanation, "Bit misbehaving children..." AJ didn't want to know what happened to the kids who got lost at the mall now.

"You have two options demigods." Tereo said, sharp teeth showing as he talked, "You can either let me take a bite out of you and let you go, or you can run so that I can let Laelaps here have some fun."

When AJ heard the name of the dog, the rest of what his mother said fell into place.

"Um...Tereo?" AJ spoke up, "Can me and my friends here have a minute to decide? Kind of a big deal for us."

The Mormo rolled his eyes, "Fine. But I haven't tasted demigod in years..."

AJ quickly pulled Aria and Felix into a huddle, "I may have forgotten to mention the dog..."

Felix snipped at him, "How could you forget being told about that monstrosity?"

"I had other things on my mind!"

"Yeah, me and Aria!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Aria shushed, "AJ, what do you know about the dog?"

AJ took a deep breath, "Just that running is the worse idea. Iris said that not even I can outpace it. She also mentioned having to stop an unstoppable force..."

Aria's eyes lit up, "I know the myth. There's a third way out. AJ, ask about the fox, we can use it as leverage."

Felix gave the two of them an uneasy look, but like AJ, he had come to learn that you don't question Aria.

Breaking, AJ turned back to the mormo, "Well, we we're actually here about your fox problem."

Surprisingly, the mormo shut the flashlight off, "Finally Plutus gets around to it! I've been complaining to him for the last decade about how I can't finish my rounds with that fox getting under Laelap's collar." He jerked a thumb down towards Nickelodeon Universe, "Damn vulpine has been making a home for itself down there." Turning around the mormo turned his flashlight back on and started heading the other way, "Best of luck to ya, damn beast is a slippery little devil."


AJ and Felix stared at Aria in shock

"What. Just. Happened?" Felix said, remembering to close his mouth.

Aria shrugged, "The dog's name, Laelaps, it was a gift from Zeus to Europa and passed down through her family. It was said to always catch it's prey, no matter what. That is, at least, until it went after the Teumessian Fox. The fox could escape anything, and when Laelaps was sent after it, the paradox forced Zeus to turn each one to stone. I figured if the dog was back, then the fox had to be nearby."

"Slay the vulpine who cannot be bound by cage." AJ recited, "Wait...we have to kill the fox?"

Aria nodded, "Yep, now lets see if we have better luck at this theme park."