ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT! (Fast forward gibberish about school and being busy) Wow, it's been a while, so let's jump right in! My apologies for that gimmicky cliffhanger- what happens directly after Marcia gets stabbed sets the tone for the remainder of the story and I was really on the fence about how I wanted to go about it. By the way, Jenna Heap is my new character interest- of course, no one can replace Marcia, but I think there are some interesting things going on with Jenna that get glossed over or simply included to comic effect in the canon. Marcia will be back in a few- although we actually find out what happens to her in this chapter, so no worries. Thank you for reading and reviewing and for your PATIENCE!

Marcia Overstrand had stopped keeping track of how many times she had faced death after the seventh or eighth time. Her predecessor had died on the job, as well as his predecessor (at least, he had tricked everyone into believing he had died). And ever since the horrible day of Alther's murder, she had been all too aware of the dangers of her job. She knew the likelihood that she would meet a similar fate.

And, it seemed, she was right.

The battle seemed to go on for hours, but the actual fighting barely lasted for more than forty minutes after Athena swept down, seized the burning thunderbolt from her θεία's falling body, and swung it down upon her father in a single motion. Zeus, already stunned by Marcia's spell, barely had a chance to whisper his daughter's name in horror before his head fell from his shoulders, cloven in two by his own weapon. Athena continued to pursue his body at it fell, relentlessly hacking at his remains, refusing to heed her siblings' cries to stop. And at last a skeletal figure emerged from his body, and Athena tossed aside the thunderbolt to fiercely embrace the being: it was Metis, the firstborn daughter of Oceanus- and her mother, whom Zeus had swallowed before Athena had been born.

Circe and Phillip fought their way through the crowd, throwing and ducking spells each second. By the time they received word that the army of Zeus had surrendered, Phillip was certain he had cast and deflected over two thousand spells. Circe eyed his exhausted figure with concern and muttered a spell to replenish his energy.

"Thank you," he muttered, slightly embarrassed that he had allowed himself to become so exhausted.

"I have never seen a mortal fight and conquer so many immortals. I pray it was not in vain," she said solemnly, looking distracted as she scanned the crowd.

"Seeker!"

Phillip whipped around and was greeted by the sight of Hermes hurling towards him.

"She is here. Come quickly!" he said without allowing Phillip to reply. Phillip followed him without question, trying to keep up as best he could as Hermes dove headlong through the crowd to the smoldering Port below. And there, on an ash-covered beach was Marcia Overstrand's charred body. Septimus Heap was kneeling at her side, shoulders shaking, bloody hands cradling her head. A small crowd had gathered, but lingered respectfully at a distance.

Phillip rushed forward, unaware of the blood-soaked sand beneath his feet, and of the cries of the gods calling to him. In a moment he had thrown himself beside her, and the healing spells he had begun to form with trembling hands winked out. Zeus' bolt had nearly divided her body in half, leaving a gaping hole in her middle. She was barely recognizable. Phillip touched her blackened hand and fought back the urge to vomit as he Listened for a Human Heartbeat. But there was none.

"Oh...oh, Marcia."

The battle was over. The Castle inhabitants emerged from the Great Chamber of Alchemie and gazed about in wonder at crumbled remains of their Queendom. A stunned Jenna Heap was escorted by Hermes through the smoldering remains of the old way. She could see the Palace looming in the distance, billows of smoke rising from its towers to the dark sky.

"What happened?" Jenna demanded, catching a glimpse of broken windows and crumbling walls as she rushed forward. Hermes did not answer. At last they reached the ash-covered Palace gardens, where a disconsolate-looking Septimus was deep in discussion with a tall woman with hair the same fair color as Hermes'. She turned and gave Jenna a solemn, appraising look, but before either of them could speak, Septimus took three steps forward and embraced his adopted sister within an inch of her life.

"Sep… Sep," was all she could manage as she hugged her burly brother back. They finally pulled apart and she stared at him. His clothes were in tatters and there was a look of defeat in his smudged face that she had never seen before.

"What happened?" she asked gently. He shook his head and didn't answer, and she was suddenly reminded of a Young Army Expandable who had spent months not speaking to anyone.

"Where are the others- where is Marcia?" she asked, knowing the ExtraOrdinary Wizard would have plenty to say- besides, Marcia was required to keep Jenna informed on anything Magykal in the Castle, and the ruins surrounding them certainly fell into that category. Jenna glanced back at Septimus, but he wasn't looking at her.

"Did you-" But then her voice trailed off as she looked more closely at Septimus' dirty face.

"She's gone."

For a moment Jenna was too stunned to realize Septimus had spoken. She had never seen her brother cry before.

The Olympians left as quickly as they came, with an exception of a pale, dark-haired woman who had taken it upon herself to help repair Wizard Tower. The Ordinary Wizards eyed her suspiciously, but Simon Heap, who had had more than his share of dealings with shady characters, readily welcomed her powerful Olympian Magyk. Besides, she was the only one who could make his moody brother perk up as he rattled around in his ExtraOrdinary Apprentice rooms.

Septimus still refused to live in the Palace, despite its speedy recovery. And he refused to claim the title of ExtraOrdinary Wizard, even though Jenna had demanded he take up the responsibility. The two siblings had had a terrific argument which resulted in Jenna banishing Marcia from the Castle should she ever attempt return from the dead, and Septimus roaring that the Queen had never chosen the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, and he didn't even have the Amulet, and even if he did, there was no way he was working in any Castle where Marcia Overstrand wasn't respected and that was that. Every attempt from the rest of the Heap family members at restoring the peace between Septimus and Jenna was in vain, and Jenna retaliated by banning all Wizards from un-authoritized travel. Septimus struck back by changing the password to the Wizard Tower's main doors, requiring all non-Wizards (including the guards and officials Jenna sent) to wait outside and conduct their business on the cold steps or the snowy courtyard. Every sunrise brought about another round of angry decrees and orders from both sides- the Queen acting out out protectiveness and frustration, and the former ExtraOrdinary Apprentice acting out of grief.

And so, of all strange things to happen, it was Circe, the most powerful sorcerer of Olympus, who found herself emerging from the ExtraOrdinary guest rooms in Wizard Tower, and making her way down Wizard Way to the Palace.

"He acts like a child sometimes, your brother. Especially now."

"What do you mean?" Jenna asked warily, shifting uncomfortably in her velvet seat at the round meeting table. Circe had declined to be seated, and somehow, Jenna couldn't bring herself to demand it. She didn't dislike the strange woman, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy around her. Circe waved an elegant hand toward the windows, where the sea glittered in the distance.

"He feels abandoned. Phillip is gone. Marcia is gone. He needs your support, as a sister, a friend. Why do you treat him like a subject?"

Jenna sighed in frustration and rose to pace the meeting room. It was early afternoon, but the sun was already on in downward journey over the Marshlands. The cold light beamed over a low table covered with pastries and various teas and coffees, but she ignored the afternoon tea as she wandered over the thick wool carpet, her head spinning with thoughts of Septimus. Septimus Heap, ExtraOrdinary Apprentice. Septimus Heap, her brother. Septimus- Boy 412.

"He's so different," Jenna began, feeling as if this was going to be a very long speech. "I mean, I look for traces of the old Sep, but all I can see is this big, grim man who never smiles- he didn't even care enough to show up on time when I got the family together to welcome him home- he refuses to stay in the Palace with us where he belongs, and Marcia only made it worse, they were like their own family, and I respected her and appreciated all she did as ExtraOrdinary Wizard, but she became more and more difficult to manage over the years, and then she up and disppeared with the Ahku Amulet- and with that foreign prince, and I will not forgive or forget the way she used her Magyk to force me, the Queen, away from my own meeting room. And Septimus can defend her all he wants, but it's hard enough now for me to trust him, who I didn't fail to notice had helped her. I want to support him, I want him with me, but I can't if he's just going to mope around Wizard Tower all day and shout at me. The Castle is still in need of countless repairs thanks to this battle that he conveniently brought home with him, and I don't have time to deal with an angry, immature man who's acting like a spoiled teenager. He needs to get himself together, and I don't have time to hold his hand. He needs to do it himself."

Jenna finally ran out of breath and threw herself into the velvet chair at the empty round table. For a moment, she thought she was alone in the big room, but then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"My Queen," Circe said, her soft voice making Jenna shiver. "Do you know what happened during the battle? And why Septimus is still alive when Marcia and Phillip fell?"

"I know that Marcia disappeared with that prince from Massalia and that they both, presumably, are dead. And Septimus is heartbroken that she didn't take her with him," Jenna said resentfully.

"Is that all?" Circe asked, looking surprised.

"How could I know when Septimus refused to tell-"

"Stay your anger, I will tell you," Circe interrupted, sitting beside her. Jenna, unaware but still feeling the waves of powerful Olympian Magyk radiating from the woman, felt momentarily lightheaded.

"When we learned the Olympians were coming over the sea, Septimus and Marcia left to protect Port. Phillip and I cast a Barrier over the Palace, and then went to the portal when we heard Athena had been attacked there. Marcia- the foolish, brave child- left Septimus behind in safety and went to confront Zeus' army as they approached, hoping to delay their attack until Athena arrived. And she nearly succeeded, except Septimus had followed her, and in saving him from being captured, her own defenses dropped. She cast a final spell against Zeus, and he drove his thunderbolt through her. They both fell, and at that moment, Athena appeared, wretched the bolt from our θεία's body, and cut her father to pieces.

"We found Marcia after the battle was over, and Phillip tried but failed to heal her. And so he gathered her body and brought her to Oceanus. The last report from Hermes is that she is still healing, and he is dead."

"Marcia is alive?" Jenna said in disbelief, wondering why she felt a pang of resentment. "But how? And why, then, is he dead?"

"He has no Olympian blood, no blessing from the sea. He could not have expected to survive. It is only a wonder that he managed to bring her to her father."

"Whose father?" Jenna said, feeling rather lost. Circe looked at her strangely.

"Oceanus. He is the last of the Titans- Zeus destroyed all the others in the battle against Cronos."

"Stop with all these names- I have no need for your endless folklore," Jenna snapped. "Who is Oceanus?"

"Oceanus is the firstborn of the Titans- I am his daughter's daughter. And Marcia is his daughter."

"Marcia is what?!" Jenna shouted, leaping up from her seat.

"Peace, child, you act as if unusual parentage is something you have never encountered," Circe scolded, looking rather surprised at Jenna's violent reaction.

"Marcia is a… she's-" Jenna spluttered, not even sure of what she was saying. "Daughter of a Titan- then that means she is powerful-"

"Powerful?!" Now Circe looked scandalized, but she peered closely at Jenna's stunned face and relaxed slightly.

"You need not fear her, child," she said kindly. "Not unless you are determined to make an enemy of her."

Jenna paced the room, wondering why she felt so upset. Somehow, the idea of Marcia being some secret foreign royalty irritated her- not that she wasn't aware of how important and powerful Marcia was as the EOW, but Marcia had always been somewhat of a loner, someone who had to fend for herself without the help of family or close friends, whereas Jenna had always been surrounded by her supportative parents, family, and friends. If she had nothing else over Marcia, she at least had had that, and now it would seem that advantage no longer existed.

"Does Septimus know about this? Any of it?" Jenna finally said faintly. The last thing she needed was for Septimus to fall in love with some Olympian and run off to join Marcia in whatever world it was they lived, and never be seen by his family or the Castle again.

Circe turned and studied her, an amused expression on her face.

"He will love whomever he pleases, regardless of your opinion," she said a little too smugly for Jenna's taste. "But yes, Phillip told him of her lineage. And he knows she fell protecting him. He knows Phillip is dead. Do not judge him too harshly, my Queen. It is a terrible thing to watch your teacher perish. And it is even worse to know that you were the reason."

Septimus and Jenna at odds is a really interesting concept to me... they're both so powerful, and so interconnected, and so stubborn. So the dynamic is really interesting to explore. Sorry for this chapter being heavy on OCs and light on Marcia- she'll be back soon! She has a great showdown coming up with Sep since she has absolutely no patience for angst. :-D Until then, thank you for reading!