After following Jay and Carlos around the world, she headed back to Auradon Prep by teleportation.
She didn't learn much about the party, but she learned a bit about this alternate world. It seemed that not much was different except for the people. Their attitudes varied from the ones she knew.
As Ara walked back, she thought aloud. "No wonder our personalities changed when Heidi was in our world. Our personalities were trying to fit themselves into an unbalanced universe…" She blinked. "Wait, how did I know that?"
She shook her head immediately dropping the thought as she made it back to the populated area of the school. She looked around as the other students talked in each other's company. She kept looking, trying to see if one person she knew was around.
The students off to the side paid her no heed as they frowned at each other. "Seriously, you'd think she'd be dead this time." One said in aggravation.
Another rolled her eyes. "Her father is the god of death, I'm pretty sure there's a clause in there about his kids not being able to actually die."
"Or she's a zombie? You know, one with pale skin and humanoid appearance." The male of the group offered up.
"Hah, if she was a zombie there'd be students with a bite out of their heads left and right." The first one answered back and shook her head.
Ara whipped her head at the students and laughed. Unfortunately, she was very audible. "Those have to be the most ignorant-the dumbest..!" She couldn't finish her own sentence, she was so entertained. What she didn't know is that she could be heard.
The female who had talked last looked at her before scoffing. "Then you clearly haven't met the devil. Chad got a look of her up close and he said you could see the evil in her eyes when she spelled Audrey."
This caused Ara to grin. She turned to them. "The devil? The closest thing we have to a devil is Hades, and I have literally walked through Hell and took selfies with demons, so I should know!" She folded her arms as she looked at them. "I am sure Chad did something to Heidi. She would never wish anyone ill will intentionally. Chad is just a jealous prick." She spat at the thought of him.
The three shared a look before they smirk. "Oh, you know nothing then? Heh, you'll figure it out soon enough." The second girl said, placing her hands on her hips.
"Yeah, and if you don't, well, you can grab the next train to Crazy Town because everyone knows what that demon did." The first girl responded before turning around and walking away with her entourage following closely behind.
Ara's fists clenched as she felt her temper rising. "Oh! You must not know how things work in my world." Her eyes flashed as if they had electricity in them. "No one disses my BEST FRIEND!" She said as a random lightning storm was summoned.
The three stopped and looked at the quickly darkening sky. "What the hell?" The male of the group murmured.
"Great, another magic user." The leader of the group muttered as she looked around for someone to inform.
The second girl looked around as well before running to a nearby teacher. "Um, we have a magic user out on the lawn…"
The teacher blinked before smirking. "A magic user, eh?"
Ara using her advanced sight raised an eyebrow. "Is that Hermes wearing teacher casual!?" Ara grimaced at the image. Then she shook her head as she began to calm down the slightest. "Great! Now I exposed my magic. Stupid temper…" She looked at the storm and stretched her arm out.
Once the lightning storm turned into a light rain, she nodded. "I gotta get outta here." She mumbled to herself and tried to slip away.
As soon as she tried that, Hermes was in front of her with a laidback look. He shoved his hands in his white dress pants and looked at her. "Lightning storm? Classic, I like it." He commented before shrugging. "The thing is...you aren't supposed to really use magic on the grounds."
Still in shock, Ara blinked, "Sorry. My upbringing caused me to grow up with a short fuse…" She said still blinking.
Hermes smirked when he heard that. "I get it, look at my father, when he sneezes he causes lightning storms like the one you did." He pulled his hand out and scratched the side of his head. "It's school policy I turn in all magic users to the Headmistress and, well, I just got the job and I'm trying to last more than a week."
Ara rolled her eyes. "Oh, fantastic." Her voice dipped in sarcasm. "Well...let's go, then. First day here and I'm already in trouble…" She grumbled.
Hermes chuckled and looked down at her. "To be fair, if most of Olympus wasn't betting against me losing the job in under a week I'd let you run free." He said jokingly.
She gave him a dry look and a shrug. "I'm used to getting in trouble. I just want to get this over with." She stated plainly.
Hermes shrugged and looked around. "If you say so. Hold on, I'll get us there fast." He said before placing a hand on her shoulder and zipping away with her.
Not even five seconds later they landed in front of the doorway to Fairy Godmother's office.
She blinked a few times before she looked at the door. She glared as she looked at it. "Ughhhh...this woman gets on my nerves…"
"Well, teacher? Open the door." She said with a raised eyebrow.
Hermes chuckled and he raised a hand to knock. "Believe it or not, she hates it when you waltz in without knocking. Learned that one the hard way." He told her before knocking twice.
It was silent for a moment or so before the fairy called back with a, "Come in."
Hermes smirked and opened the door before gesturing for her to enter. "Ladies first."
She looked at him before her phone went off with a "bing". She moved her cape aside to pull her phone out of her pocket. It was a text from Chester saying he found Heidi. She smiled a bit at that and texted him her situation while entering the familiar room.
Hermes followed in behind her and smiled when he saw Fairy Godmother look up at him. "Fairy Godmother." He greeted, bowing his head slightly as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
Fairy Godmother looked at the girl before looking back at Hermes. "Hermes. Why are you here?"
Hermes shrugged and tilted his head. "You see, I was just walking out when I ran into a student who said there was a magic user out on the lawn. The magic user caused a lightning storm. Naturally I stepped in, read her the rule and here we are."
The woman blinked in surprise when she heard that and turned her attention to the girl. "You were the cause of that storm?"
Ara glanced at her and sent the text. She put her phone back in her pocket, moving her cape once again. "Pretty much." She said plainly.
The headmistress nodded and looked at her quietly before pursing her lips. "We have a strict no magic policy that all students are to follow when they are on the grounds."
Hermes raised a finger. "What if its self-defense?"
Fairy Godmother shot him a look that seemed to question the very sanity of the god. "If it is in self-defense it is permitted. Hermes, did you read the handbook?"
Hermes blinked and slowly smiled. "I skimmed?"
The headmistress shook her head at him and returned her gaze to the girl. "You are not a student, however, so I must ask, why did you summon the storm?"
Ara sighed. "I got angry because some idiots were talking about my best friend." Ara looked to the side with folded arms. "It's hard for me to keep my magic controlled because it's emotional magic. It reacts to my mood." She clarified.
Fairy Godmother nodded once more and she looked thoughtful before smiling gently. "I understand. I will consider this time as an accident and due to Hermes stepping in I am willing to let you off with a warning."
Hermes blinked and raised an eyebrow. Wow, she must have a ton of sympathy for those emotion-based magic users. I wish she was this sympathetic to me…
Ara nodded. "I will keep that in mind." She said as she thought. "I'm gonna need a stress ball to survive in this place."
Fairy Godmother gave her another smile before nodding at Hermes. "You may both leave."
Hermes gave her a thumbs up before walking over and holding the door open. "Thank you." He said to the woman with a smirk.
Ara looked at both of them before pulling out her phone again. "Now where did Chester say they were? With Mal and Evie, huh. I guess I can stop by and do what I am here for before I get into anymore chaos…" Once she decided this, she put her phone back into her pocket and walked out of the door.
Hermes followed out and closed the door. As soon as he did this he grinned widely like a child in a candy shop. "You know Heidi, don't you?" He asked, obviously happy at this.
Ara's eyes widened significantly at this. She blinked before her eyes became more confused looking. "Yes… She is the "best friend" I was referring to, why?" She asked as her eyebrow raised.
Hermes chuckled. "She's paired up with me since she is still a baby. I've known her since the day she was born. It's nice to see someone standing up for her." He told her, looking up in thought.
Ara smiled and said, "Yeah, that's my thing. I stand up for the ones I care about." She scratched her head at the memory of her first lightning storm in Auradon. "I got in trouble the too…" She chuckled.
Hermes scratched the back of his head. "That's good, 'cause we all know she won't fight those rumors herself. They've been out of control since she got back from her six-year assignment." He looked down at her. "That's why they didn't take you seriously, because Heidi hasn't denied or confirmed anything."
Ara rolled her eyes. "That's just like Heidi. Taking the calm, non-violent course. I am the exact opposite. I guess that's why we are such good friends." She said with a shrug.
Hermes rubbed his chin. "If you ask me it is because she is calm and non-violent that she is such a good goddess. I've never seen anyone calm Hades down like she does." A smirk crossed his face. "Though, you see when she goes after Zeus, she sure shows her violent side then."
Ara grinned. "Man, I would love to see that!" She pulled out her phone and looked at the time. "Speaking of Heidi, I wanted to go see her, so I must get going. I hope she is still in the same spot." She said the last part to herself.
Hermes looked around before shrugging. "I can get you over there if you want. Knowing Heidi she's probably trying to go visit her princess. I hope she isn't expecting a peaceful trip down that road." He shook his head as he thought of the giant dog he had seen in passing.
Ara blinked, "Well, should I wait until she's finished with that?" She looked at him in confusion.
Hermes hummed in thought. "If you want to see her right away I'd suggest going right now. If she goes she'll be dealing with a canine issue for at least thirty minutes. I have no idea how long she'd take with her girlfriend."
Ara nodded, "Maybe I should go, then. I have nothing to do around here since I am from-uh...out of town…" She nervously smiled.
Hermes smirked before winking, silently telling her that he knew. "Ah, it's fine. Understandable." He waved off her nervousness and folded his arms.
She sighed and gave him her own wink. "Alright, let's go." She said, smiling.
Hermes nodded and placed his hand back on her shoulder before quickly zipping away towards the dorms.
"I am really going to have to get used to that." She said, shaking off her dizziness.
Hermes chuckled and stepped back. "It takes a bit for mortals to get used to my speed. Heidi will tell you something different, but she also struggled to get used to it and she's a goddess. The only reason she doesn't mind now is because she trained herself not to." He said with a wide smile, not one bit concerned that he was telling his buddy's secrets.
Ara chuckled. "Yep, sounds like Heidi." She blinked and smiled. "Ya know, in my dimension I challenged you to a race." She grinned. "I already know I'm gonna lose, but it's for learning purposes. Oh, and I want to be the first Mortal to race Hermes." She scratched the back of her head.
Hermes raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, well you would be the first. At least you admit you will lose, Heidi says she'll beat me everyday and she hasn't won. Not even once."
Ara smirked. "No wonder she gave me a hard time when I said I wanted to race you! Good thing I'm stubborn. I don't want to win. I want to learn how to increase my speed, and there is no one better at speed than you." Ara said fondly.
The god laughed and gave her a thumbs up. "That makes you smarter than her already. The secret behind her speed is because we spent a week up in Olympus only training. Zero communication with the outside world."
Ara nodded in thought. "Yeah, Heidi is experienced with her magic. I am pretty much just starting." She put her hands on her hips.
Hermes raised an eyebrow as a confused look crossed his face. "Her magic? She doesn't know how to even levitate an object properly. Always sends it flying at someone in the room when she tries. She knows how to use her powers she got from Hades and his side, but she knows nothing about how to use her magic since we don't know what on earth her mother was. If we did we could help her but…" He trailed off and shook his head.
Ara nodded. "Yeah, I know what that's like. I still don't know my father. Common ground." She said in thought.
An unreadable look crossed Hermes' face before he chuckled. "Well, I'll be off, Zeus is bound to ring me at any moment." He said before floating and zipping away into the sky.
Ara raised an eyebrow at his sudden exit. "Well, that was...sudden."
She turned her attention to the door he left her in front of. "I guess it's this room?" Then she knocked and waited, but still put off by his sudden retreat. "Was it something I said?" She mumbled to herself.
There was a grumble from someone within the room and another person sighed. "Oh, okay, I'll get the door seeing as you just want to lay there."
"My ribs are bruised, cut me some slack…"
The other person snorted. "I stopped cutting you slack when you started taking trips with a god on a weekly basis."
The person must have reached the door as the door knob turned and the door opened to reveal a highly amused Mal. "Who is it?"
Ara thought for a moment before shrugging. "Friend of Heidi. The talking cat called me." She summed it up.
Mal blinked before shrugging. "Okay." She said, unbothered by all of this. "Heidi, you have a friend."
Heidi, who was still flopped on Mal's bed, let out another groan. "Ribs...bruised, visiting hours are closed."
Mal's eyes halved and she shook her head. "We didn't even break or crack a rib…" She muttered, exasperated with the bluenette at this point.
Ara's eyes halved. "I will turn to air and seep through the cracks, but I am trying to be mannerable!" She leaned on the wall. "The door; please." As she leaned and yawned, all of how she was feeling finally caught up with her. "Yikes, I am wiped! This has to be one of the busiest days of my life!"
Mal moved aside while nudging the door to open with her foot before going back to her bed and sitting down.
Ara tiredly walked inside. She yawned and said, "Hey, Heidi I-" Until she saw how she looked. She began to laugh, forgetting about her energy. "This is worse than the time I found you on the floor after your fight with Harold!" She said in amusement.
Heidi grumbled and held her hand out, causing a nearby pillow to shakily levitate over to her before falling on her head. "Stupid no good magic." She muttered before rolling over and burying her face in it.
Mal looked up from her phone and smirked. "Oh, about that...I may have uploaded it."
Heidi looked up with a mortified expression. "How could you…?"
The purplette shrugged back. "What kind of...friend, would I be if I didn't showcase your grand failures? You were trending for forty-eight hours."
The bluenette let out a moan before shoving her face back in the pillow.
Ara chuckled and said, "Well, hello again." She beamed. "Man, we went through Hell without you." She blinked. "No, really. We literally went through Hell to find you. Check out these sweet selfies we took!" She said tossing her phone beside Heidi.
Heidi raised her head, eyes still closed as she rested her chin on the pillow. "If ya'll took selfies with my throne I'm gonna get you." She muttered shaking her head at the very thought. "It was gold before Hecate did it up and I had to stop Hermes from taking selfies in it as well...And he calls me the young one, I don't sit in someone else's seat and snap pics."
Ara nervously smiled, remembering all of the selfies they took with the demons and her throne in particular. "By, "get me", do you mean verbally or physically?" She asked hesitantly.
"I'll chase you to the Isle and back as soon as my ribs stop hurting." Heidi answered simply, almost as if she had answered such a question before.
Ara nodded. "Well...I'm a dead chick walking, then…" Ara shrugged with her usual guilty smile.
"You'll be a dead chick walking when I chase you pass my father's cave, he tends to get interested when I go after people. He always comes up with a new way to scare people." Heidi answered, her voice slightly muffled by the pillow.
Ara's eyes halved, "How exciting…" She said with sarcasm. "I'll cross that bridge when I get there." She shrugged.
Mal looked up at her then smirked. "Don't worry, she doesn't actually hurt anyone when she does that. She just leads them onto the Isle so her father can scare them for her."
"I heard that." Heidi grumbled, reaching over and whacking Mal on the leg.
Ara blinked. "I just planned on teleporting and flying." She scoffed. "I hate running! I am pretty out of shape…" She said sinking to the floor to sit.
"Then I'll just teleport and fly as well. That's how I chased Hermes all those times he called me a baby in front of the other gods." Heidi replied, curling up on the bed much like how an animal would.
Ara smirked and put her hands on her hips. "Then...I will jump into a pool or the closest body of water." She smiled in victory.
"I'll send a demon in after you, I know a few who can swim." Heidi said with a muffled laugh.
"I'd actually like to see that. The water is my element." She says pumping her fist in the air. "I can literally turn to liquid if I want. What are they going to do? Pour me in a jar?" She chuckled.
Heidi shrugged. "They might, I never said my demons were intelligent. Also, if you see Poseidon stalking me, big dude with a glowing trident, tell him off for me. The douchebag has been following me ever since I tried to steal his trident."
Ara shrugged and tilted her head. "I will put that on my to-do list." She said with amusement.
"To be fair, it was my dad who told me to steal it. We both thought it would be funny if I smuggled it out of Olympus and hid it somewhere in Auradon. Too bad that guy looked back in time." Heidi said before going back to snuggling with the pillow.
Ara grinned, "Heh, classic…" She said, imagining the scene.
Chester woke from his cat nap and looked at Ara with a smile. "Back from trouble so soon?"
Ara looked to the ceiling. "Yeah. I got off easy." Ara said as she turned to the feline.
Heidi yawned and moved her head so she could see the girl. "What did you do?" She asked, her tone filled with exasperation like a mother who knew that their child had done something wrong.
Ara blew her bangs out of her eyes, then rolled them. "Why do you sound like you know I did something wrong?" She smirked at the end.
"I put up with Mal everyday and she likes to test out her dragon half not too far from the school." She jabbed her thumb at Mal who shook her head. "Last time she landed on the Tourney Field...in the middle of practice."
"On accident. I didn't mean to land there, nor did I know they were still practicing." Mal said, trying her best to explain herself.
Heidi rolled her eyes. "As I said, I put up with Mal."
Ara smirked at Mal and decided that she liked this Mal way better than her own. "Well...there was a slight mishap they may have included a lightning storm." Ara thought. A look of aggravation on her face, remembering that annoying group which she now hates.
"I know my stupid uncle isn't in town, so I am going to assume that was you." Heidi said with halved eyes before shaking her head.
"Well, yeah! It wasn't my fault! It was this group of wasted skin that pressed my buttons...and that's when the storm came." She said, defending herself.
Heidi rubbed her eyes and shook her head again. "If this is about all that rumor and gossip crap then you shouldn't bother with them. They'll keep talking about me like that until either I die or they die and I look shockingly young for my age. It's best to just let them grumble and listen to Chad with his whimsical tales about me."
Ara shook her head. "That's not my policy, and I am not changing it now. I have always defended my friends. That won't change." Ara smiled in thought. "I need to become a lawyer." Her mind as scatterbrained as always.
Heidi smiled gently and looked at her. "And I thank you for that. I just don't want you getting in big trouble if you do something bad to them...or something like Mal would do."
Mal gaped and promptly kicked Heidi in the shin. "Would you quit it?"
"You went dragon on them and caused a fire in the eastern half of the school. Y'know, if you weren't Ben's girlfriend we both know you'd be suspended like that." Heidi replied and snapped her fingers. She looked back at Ara. "Mal tried to do something about the rumors and she blew up, I don't want you doing the same."
Ara raised an eyebrow as she thought. She took a deep breath. "That reminds me, I am gonna need a stress ball. If my anger spikes beyond return I don't know what I would do, and most people are allergic to tornadoes." She says as she tries to think of calming methods for herself.
"I have a bunch back at my house, you wouldn't believe how upset I get when I have to check in with my stupid uncle." Heidi replied with a chuckle.
Ara smiled and nodded. "That would be much appreciated."
Chester nodded. "Yeah, a stress ball may help buy you some time to calm down." He said in approval.
Heidi sat up a bit and tossed the pillow at the purplette beside her before stretching. "I have to go over there anyway…" She looked at Mal. "What kind of problem did you say I have waiting for me?"
Mal, who had thrown the pillow elsewhere, folded her arms. "Your dog is guarding the forest and, at the moment, he's bigger than your house."
Heidi blinked before rubbing her chin. "Right...Of course he is."
Chester swallowed and shivered at the thought of a dog that big.
Ara looked toward Heidi. "Well, you can do that. Hermes told me that you would be heading that way, so I'm not surprised. I will just...be around here." She said while thinking about how bored she was going to be.
Heidi's eyes halved as soon as she heard the god's name. "Right...Hermes told you, probably told you other things. I'm gonna get that man one of these days." She grumbled as she slowly stood up. "I would invite you along, but I'm not sure how my dog might react. He's prone to lighting himself on fire, shooting fire out of his mouths, and howling so loud that he'd even wake the dead."
Ara shrugged. "I can handle noise. I make thunder with my hands." She said blankly. She yawned and said, "Usually, I would love a good fire fight, but I am a dead battery." She said then laid on the floor below.
"I'm just as tired, but I have a dog to catch." Heidi said with a sigh, shaking her head at the thought.
Mal looked up and frowned. "Just don't get eaten, the dog wasn't acting...normal, per say. I think he was actively trying to eat me. He's usually pretty good with me."
Heidi's tired expression only tripled when she heard that. "Great." She muttered before looking out the window. "Here's hoping Hermes saves me if Kirby still has the taste for humans." She said and shook her head before vanishing.
Chester blinked. "Huh, I didn't get to tell her good luck…" He shrugged. "She'll probably be fine." He said then looked at the sleeping Ara on the floor. Small bubbles floating around her head.
Mal shook her head. "I'm not so sure about that. The last time I tried to enter the forest, the dog's eyes were glowing red. They've never done that before. I've also never seen it chase down someone like it did with me. I didn't tell Heidi this, but in order to get away last time I had to go dragon and fly away. I couldn't outrun it." Mal admitted, looking down at her phone.
Chester blinked. "That's some dog." He looked back at Ara and sighed. "I am sure Heidi will find some way out of this...or gets saved by Hermes." He lays on the couch.
"Even Hermes was put off by the dog…" Mal muttered as she went back to furiously texting.
"I believe that if your description was accurate. Ara would have loved to help if she wasn't so exhausted. The past week really took a toll on her." He said while looking at the ceiling.
"I can believe that one." Mal said to herself, her attention solely on her phone.
Chester teleported on her shoulder, trying to peek. "Whatcha doin?" He asked being nosy.
Mal quickly shoved the phone under a pillow and shook her head. "Nothing." She said before looking away at nothing in particular.
Chester grinned much like his father. "Man, that was some very interesting nothing you were doing there. Can I do some nothing too?" He asked jokingly.
Mal's eyes halved and she shook her head again. "It's actually nothing, really, quite boring."
"Can I see if it's boring? If it is boring, I wouldn't give it a second glance and leave you alone." He said, turning to her.
"Nope. My phone, my rules, and one of those rules is nobody, not even animals who can talk, can go through my phone." Mal told him as she moved her phone to her pocket.
He chuckled. "Ohhh, you have secrets." He smiled as he teased. "What deep, dark secrets are you hiding, Mal?" He chuckled once more.
She blinked before folding her arms. "I was texting the boys the name of a type of cookie. That's it."
"A type of cookie?" He asked as he tilted his head.
"...I like cookies." Mal answered, looking away while inwardly grimacing at her words.
Chester smiled. "What type of cookie?" He looked back at her.
"Chocolate." Mal said simply, folding her arms while she kept her back to him.
He grinned. "Why do I find that adorable?" He asked, holding back laughter. Not wanting to embarrass her, he said, "You know, I have a friend that can make cookies and strawberries at will." He smiled at her.
Mal glanced over her shoulder when she heard that. "Lucky…" She muttered quietly before looking back at the wall.
"You know, there is no reason to be guarded. Honestly, I have heard worse." He said while typing on his watch phone. "Who am I to judge if you like cookies? I just have a nosey nature that I say I will work on, but never do."
Mal paused when she heard that and she sighed. "I'm not discussing it because I don't want to, it's because I don't want that information getting out and Heidi somehow picking it up. She's not supposed to know."
Without looking he said, "It's about the party isn't it?" Still tampering with his watch.
"Isn't it obvious? Why else would I be on my phone?" Mal finally turned around and looked at him.
That's when he stopped and looked back at her. "You seem stressed. Is everything going as planned?" He asked in concern.
"The boys are almost done and it's not them I'm worried about...It's that stupid dog. Audrey only told that thing to get all big and angry because Fairy Godmother sent me after the mirror." Mal replied, frowning as she grabbed a nearby pillow and held onto it with a tight grip. "Now Heidi has to go tackle a massive three-headed dog that wanted to eat me."
He nodded as he tried to understand. "You are worried that she would be harmed?"
"I'm worried she's not gonna come back this time." Mal mumbled to herself.
Chester's ears drooped a bit before he began to think. "What is the dog's weakness? What decreases its power?" He asked as he racked his brain in thought.
"The dog listens to whatever Heidi says unless Audrey has, well, has done this. The dog didn't even respond to Heidi's name when I said I knew her." Mal said, shaking her head.
"I know that Heidi is fire based and is "allergic to water". Is the dog the same?" He turned to her once more.
"He's fire based, but I have no idea about the water one. I've never even seen that dog near a body of water." Mal answered, narrowing her eyes in thought.
Chester nodded, "The elemental law states that water weakens fire. So it is understandable why you never see him near water when normal dogs love to swim."
Mal nodded in thought when she heard that. "Makes sense, but Heidi can't do anything related to water. The most she can do right now is get blasted with fire and tackle the thing."
Chester raised an eyebrow. Then he pointed his paw toward the sleeping girl on the ground. "That is going to be her assistant." He said with a smile.
Mal raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. "I thought I heard that she was tired, how could she help if those two end up passing out on the ground?"
Chester chuckled. "I have a friend that can replenish her energy. I will shoot her a text for her assistance." He said typing on his watch vigorously. "We really don't have time to spare."
Mal nodded, frowning slightly. "No, we don't."