The early morning sun peeks through the window and shines it's warm rays into the once darkened room. This automatically causes Hazel to stir. After a while of fighting and trying to go back to sleep, she gives up. There were two reasons why.
Number one: the sun's awake, and whenever the sun's awake she's awake too. Number two: she feels Vetiver walking on the bed trying to wake her purposely. "She is hungry, no doubt." She thought, opening one eye to see purple eyes staring back at her.
Hazel blinked both of her eyes and yawned. "Give me a few minutes, okay? I have to get ready for the day." Then she thought. "Most likely another sucky day." She said, literally rolling out of bed and flopping carelessly onto the floor.
Vetiver watched her with humor before waltzing downstairs. Hazel groaned, picking herself up and started her morning.
After all of the morning necessities were completed, she looked herself over in the mirror before leaving to downstairs. She did pause for a moment to think of what she wanted to make for breakfast. Well...what she wanted to make herself, Vetiver, and Audrey for breakfast. If Heidi flipped out yesterday, she will definitely flip out again. So...oh well. Cooking is one of her favorite pastimes. She's not giving that up! With that in mind, She continued her track down the stairs, thinking of her options.
"I could do...omelettes, crepes, French toast...no. I don't really feel like dealing with all of that sugar this morning. I'll pass on the toast for now. I could make the classic; bacon, eggs, toast. Wait...how about that Japanese omelet Kaito taught me how to make? Omurice, I think? Yep! That'll do nicely!" She tossed around possible dishes in her mind before she settled on one.
All of that pondering on food to make and thinking about all the other things on her checklist, nearly made her overlook the interesting sight in the living room. Heidi passed out on the ground, hopefully sleeping, while Hestia was reading a book.
Not knowing how to react to this, she kept silent. She didn't want to bother them, or be seen at all for that matter. So she speedily and quietly attempted to get to the kitchen.
Hestia, who was still in her child form, closed the book and looked up at the girl. "Oh, hello Hazel. Lovely morning, no?" She greeted her with an innocent look on her face, a knowing look entering her bright orange eyes.
She mindlessly waved, still heading toward the kitchen. "Hello, Hestia." She immediately stopped on a dime and whipped around in shock. You would've thought someone broke some glass because of how fast she'd turned.
Hazel didn't know what was worse. One was the goddess knowing her and calling her by her real name or two. Two was Hazel responding to being called by her real name, easily giving herself away. "Wh-? I...huh..?" She stammered in her confusion and shock.
Hestia looked at her in amusement as she grabbed a red pillow with an angry emoji on it. "Your disguise was easy to see past. All of my siblings could have spotted you from a mile away." She informed her, setting the pillow aside and grabbing a blue one that had a happy emoji on it.
"...How do you know me?" Hazel said while staring at the child goddess owlishly.
The goddess smiled and tilted her head. "Quite simple, actually, I overheard Hermes talking about you and I was curious. When you went into Heidi's room, the one in this house, I teleported over here. I was invisible while you were speaking with Hecate." She said casually, looking at the happy pillow before chuckling.
Hazel's eyes grew halved. "Of course...different dimension, same Hestia…" She finally shook off her initial shock and took a deep breath. "Well...uh. This is...awkward…" She slowly said, not sure whether to run off or stay at this point.
A serious look suddenly replaced Hestia's permanent smile and the goddess looked up at her. "Heidi isn't trying to be mean or rude." She said softly, a small frown on her face as she glanced down at the bluenette.
Hazel froze in shock until her mind took time to process what she said. "Well...even if she's not trying to be, I am getting those vibes." She said, looking to the side.
Hestia got up and looked at her. "You don't know what you did when you stole Audrey's appearance and faked an injury, do you?" She asked calmly, eyes boring into hers with an unreadable emotion.
Hazel swallowed and wondered to herself how a child's eyes could be so intimidating. "Not...really…" she said staring owlishly at the goddess.
Hestia let out a soft sigh and tilted her head. "When Heidi found you in a puddle of blood looking like Audrey, you didn't just scare her, she is beyond terrified. Heidi thinks that it's her fault that this happened and she won't stop blaming herself." Her eyes softened. "You have no idea how close you were to death. That is why Heidi is so scared. She almost lost the one person who loved her for something other than her looks or her powers or her goddess status."
Hazel looked down to the ground. She took a moment to respond before saying, "I-I had no...ahh. That was dumb, Hazel. That was really dumb." She said mostly to herself, now back in her thoughts.
"It was certainly not the brightest idea, but it is okay." Hestia looked back down at Heidi. "It will take her some time to heal. Empaths, they always go above and beyond with their reactions to traumatic experiences." She said with a frown as she saw the bluenette twitch in her sleep.
Hazel's eyes watered before she said, "I wasn't thinking straight. My emotions got the best of me and now if I tell her she's going to kill me!" She said, her anger now flaring to the surface.
Hestia's orange eyes flickered up and the goddess immediately sent out a wave of soothing energy. "No, I do not think she will do that. She was responding well to therapy all night and morning."
Hazel flipped on the floor unceremoniously. She deeply sighed, "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who threw someone in chains, bribed them, and impersonated them all for selfish reasons." She said covering her face with her hands.
Hestia's eyebrow rose before she smiled. "No, I have not done such a thing, but most of my siblings have done selfish acts that are far worse than yours. Hades unleashed the titans, imprisoned all of us, tried to take over Olympus, and attempted to kill a child. All because he was unhappy. I forgave him, Hermes forgave him...If Hades can be forgiven you can too." She told the girl, her eyes softening as she gazed down at Heidi.
Hazel looked up at the goddess then to Heidi. "I don't think it's going to be that easy…" She wrapped her arms around herself while looking elsewhere.
"It never is." Hestia said before sitting down next to the passed out goddess. "As long as you have kept the real Audrey safe and healthy, she might disregard some things." She stated, tilting her head in thought.
When the goddess finished speaking, she shrugged. Hazel still rummaged through her thoughts, thinking of the best way to handle this mess. None of the possibilities were great, but at this point, beggars can't be choosers. She is also exhausted with this whole thing so it would be a relief to end it.
Hestia noticed the look on her face before looking back down at Heidi. In one quick move, the childlike goddess grabbed Heidi's phone and began rapidly texting someone. "I will help you as you have admitted to your mistake." Hestia told her before quickly finishing up and shoving the phone back into Heidi's hand like nothing was wrong.
Hazel looked back up at the goddess in a confused manner. She tilted her head, "W-what?" She asked, wiping a tear from her face.
"You feel guilt from your actions, so I feel it is right to help you." Hestia explained before standing up and looking at a wall. Not even a second later, a familiar portal appeared and Hecate ran in before blinking at the two other people.
The goddess of magic quickly closed her portal and leaned over before looking at Hestia. "Sleeping powder? I like your style." She commented as she looked at her passed out student.
"Sleep therapy." Hestia replied simply before looking at Hazel. "Tell Hecate about the problem, she is very good at working her way through interesting situations."
Hecate peered at the child and shook her head. "Why did I think of something completely different when you said that?" She asked as she teleported onto the couch and began looking at the pillows.
Hazel groaned for at least a good five seconds before turning into a small potted plant. It made her feel more comfortable. Somehow, her voice projected from the plant as if she were still human. "I locked Heidi's girlfriend up in the workshop. I impersonated her. Then faked an injury and have been faking amnesia for two days and made a grass cat that got Kirby out in Hell…" She speedily said, all in one breath.
Hecate nodded as she took in the info, not seeming one bit surprised at the girl's ability to change into a plant. "That's quite a bit." She commented, tilting her head at Heidi before shrugging. "No worries, I'll just change her memory a bit. That way she won't blow up. As her teacher, it is not pretty to see Hades' kid channeling the great god himself." She grimaced and sat up. "It always makes me feel like he's nearby."
Hazel, as a plant, wilted. "I guess that could help. I don't even know if I can confess all that!" She waved her leaves frantically. "If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a...coward." She wilted again.
Hecate's eyebrows flew up and she smirked. "Well, I sure wouldn't admit to all that. I've done something along the lines of that and I confess that I simply fixed it by way of magic. I suppose that makes me a coward." She shrugged as her green aura glowed dimly. "I don't consider it cowardly simply because nobody should have to face down wrath like that."
Hazel shivered. "I guess...someone will have to do it." She sighed heavily before saying, "I will...I just need a few moments." She said, shifting a bit.
Hecate looked at her fellow goddess and tilted her head. "So, what's with the whole child get up? You usually only look like that when you are hanging around fires…" She held the word out as soon as she saw Hestia pointing at Heidi. "...Oh. Right, she's the embodiment of fire, to an extent." The goddess chuckled and folded her arms. "Sorry, I always forget that you can teleport to any flame and that she is a flame." Her words caused Hestia to smile softly and shake her head in amusement.
"I will be back." Hazel said after transforming into her rightful form in a flash of light. After that, she headed outside to get some desperately needed air and space.
Hecate blinked before looking at Hestia. "She did want me to do the memory spell, right? I was getting mixed signals."
Hestia raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Get started on it, you have done it many times, correct?"
"More like hundreds...or thousands, and I have at least hit Heidi ten times with it when she'd sneak around in places she wasn't supposed to be in." Hecate commented as she raised her hand, a magical circle with runes appearing beneath the slumbering bluenette. "I'm a pro."
Hestia simply smiled back as her book appeared in her hands and she began reading it again, practically ignoring the magical activity going on in front of her.
88888888
Hazel had the house well memorized by now. Because of this, She teleported into the workshop instead of walking this time. Now, she had nothing else to hide. She did wonder if Audrey was already awake, though. If she wasn't, she would have to wake her herself. No big deal either way.
"Princess?" She called, walking closer to where Audrey slept. "Princess, are you awake?" She asked, tilting her head.
There was a soft groan followed by a yawn. "Yes." Audrey murmured, still waking up a bit.
While she was still out of it, Hazel made her way over and grabbed her right hand. "So, how was your sleep?" She asked while releasing her arm from the chain and began to work on the other.
Audrey tilted her head and blinked a few times before rubbing at her eyes with her freed hand. "Best night sleep of my life. Why would my mother dislike being a heavy sleeper?" She asked aloud, closing her eyes in thought.
Once the other chain was removed, it disappeared along with the other chain. She, then lead the princess out of bed carefully. Once she was standing on her own, she flicked away the tv and the night stand and everything else she had for her. "I am glad you enjoyed it. It was my...pleasure." She said with a sad smile.
Audrey tilted her head upwards before looking back down at the girl. "Are you taking me elsewhere?" She asked, yawning once more before shaking her head.
She looked at the princess with softened eyes. She took the princess's hand again and dropped something very unexpected into it. It was her necklace. The one she asked Hazel to take. "No." She smiled a bit before turning to leave.
Audrey looked quite confused to say the least as she looked down at her necklace. The princess looked back up and stared at the girl in silence, having found that she didn't have the words at the moment.
Hazel looked over her shoulder, barely making eye contact. "Give it to her; the necklace. Tell her to search it...bye." After that, she left, leaving the door wide open for the real princess.
Audrey held the necklace up before sighing. Looking around the room, she walked over to a desk in the far corner of the room before opening a drawer and tossing it in. "I've always hated that camera." She mumbled before turning around and walking out the the door.
Hecate had to jump back as Heidi suddenly awoke and sat up. With a quick flick of her wrist, Hecate got rid of any sign of magic and jumped into a nearby portal, leaving Hestia as the only other goddess in the room.
Heidi blinked and looked around before looking at Hestia. "Did you use sleeping dust on me?"
Hestia looked at her innocently with her orange eyes before smiling. "Yes I did. Sleep therapy is wonderful for the anger issues." She told her and grabbed the angry pillow. "Are you still angry? Here is a pillow for the anger."
Heidi's eyes halved at the sight of it. "Do you have one for, "Aunt Hestia, you are confusing me?" She asked, placing a hand on her head as she stood up.
Hestia tilted her head before smiling and summoning a pillow with a question mark. "Will this do?"
"...I wasn't being serious." The bluenette deadpanned before beginning to walk into the kitchen. She looked at the food that was still there before tilting her head. "Hmm…" She hummed before shrugging and disregarding it as something she must have done before Hestia came over for therapy.
The goddess was about to move to another room when she heard a yawn, prompting her to turn and see Audrey walk into the kitchen with a thoughtful look on her face. Heidi raised an eyebrow before smiling. "Hey. Looks like someone slept well."
Audrey chuckled and ignored the nagging voice that was telling her to tell Heidi what happened to her over the past couple of days. "That is an understatement." She looked over her shoulder at the child version of Hestia in mild confusion. "Who is that?"
"That would be my Aunt Hestia in her child form. She was saying how I have anger issues and decided that therapy was the best." As Heidi said this, Hestia waved at them from the living room with a wide smile. "She learned from one of those Dummies Guide books."
Audrey slowly nodded as she looked away. "That is, admittingly, a bit weird."
"It's a lot weird." Heidi deadpanned before taking her hand and leading her to the living room. The goddess looked at Hestia before shaking her head. "Can you please look like an adult? The pillows are weird enough without seeing you in that form."
Hestia blinked before smiling and, instead of obeying Heidi, she simply disappeared from the living room. Heidi tilted her head in confusion and clicked her tongue. "I really should have seen that coming." She stated as the two sat down. Heidi pulled out her phone before blinking as she saw a text message she didn't remember sending out.
"What's wrong?" Audrey asked, noticing the amount of confusion on the goddess's face before looking at the text message. "Hecate? Didn't you say she was your teacher or something?"
"Yep. She is indeed my teacher and it would seem as though I texted her to come here an hour ago." Heidi replied before sending out another text. "Let's see why."
Audrey raised an eyebrow before nearly jumping in surprise as a portal opened on the ceiling and Hecate landed in front of them in a long black dress. The goddess looked at the location of the portal in annoyance before snapping it away. "Morning, my dear student."
"Why did I text you?" Heidi asked, getting to the point as she knew Hecate could be one to babble.
Hecate shrugged as she patted off her dress. "Nothing important really, it had to do with Hestia and that sleeping dust she threw on you. She threw a bit too much if you know what I mean."
Heidi raised an eyebrow before tilting her head. "Huh, and here I thought she was more careful with that stuff." She commented before looking at Audrey. "Oh, hey, I have to go talk with a few people. It has to do with the Underworld." She said with a slight grimace before smiling softly.
"A few people?" Audrey, who wasn't going to be left behind this time, shook her head. "I'm coming with you."
Heidi blinked and smiling and shrugging. "Okay. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Besides, you need some fresh air after all that sleep you got." She joked before looking back at Hecate. "They are still in Auradon, right?"
"The group that passed through the gate? Yep. All of them are in Auradon…" The goddess trailed off, thinking of the girl she had given the map to. "More or less."
"More or less? Should I be expecting a rescue mission for one of them due to a god?" Heidi asked as she stood up, prompting the princess to stand up as well.
Hecate shook her head. "Nope! No rescue missions needed. Anyway, I have some shadow business to attend to. You know how that is-" She said before suddenly falling into a portal that formed beneath her.
The two stared at the portal as it closed before Heidi shook her head. "And that, was my kooky teacher." She deadpanned before looking at Audrey with a smile. "She's a nutty goddess alright."
"No kidding." Audrey chuckled, biting her lip before abruptly hugging the goddess tightly. This appeared to surprise Heidi quite a bit as she blinked a few times before smiling and returning the hug.
The two separated and Heidi cleared her throat. "Well, now all we have to do is find that group. Shouldn't be too hard, it's almost as easy as finding me." She chuckled as her coat appeared on her.
"And you are incredibly easy to spot." Audrey said with a smirk as the two headed for the door. The princess looked around before looking back up at Heidi in confusion. "Where did Kirby go?"
"Ah, you know, just a good old trip to the Underworld to be with his mom after he destroyed the living room." The goddess said as she held the door open. "Then he found an animal in the house and chased it around a few times before trying to burn down the kitchen. It is safe to say he earned his trip."
The princess rolled her eyes in amusement. "You should really invest in some sort of fence or something, there are animals constantly running in and out of here."
"I blame Kirby." Heidi said before pulling out her ember and setting it on fire. "Time to go find the trouble." She said cheekily before the two vanished in a flash of light.
88888888
"You're out, Chester!" Deuce shouted.
Chester sighed. "Who said I was in!? I told you that I DID NOT want to be apart of this game!"
Triple G grabbed the nearby ball and said, "Well, now you don't have to...because you blew up." He chuckled while Chester rolled his eyes.
Currently, Ara and her crew were outside playing their very unusual/made up game. Well, Ara occupied herself with one of her many stress balls while the rest of her friends played their unusual/made up game. The game is called boom ball. Mainly because it's about throwing and catching a bomb. Something about that really caught the group's interest.
The ball casually landed near George's foot. George looked at the ball blankly. "I exploded." He stated.
Deuce smirked and said, "Well, George is out." He stood on his hind legs and cracked his neck.
Triple G smirked. "I guess it's just you and me, little man." He caught the red kickball that George threw to him. He squinted at the cat.
Deuce squinted back, as if they were in some type of stand off.
Ara looked over her shoulder to see the two going at it with eventually they could get a hold to. She shook her head at them and chuckled. "It's just a game, guys! It's not that serious!"
Triple G and Deuce turned to her in surprise. "Yes it is!" They both said in sync before battling it out again.
Ara rolled her eyes. Then she held up her stress ball, which turned into lava, and chuckled as she moved it around in her hands.
There was a familiar lightning strike beside her and she didn't even have to look up to know who it was.
"Whatcha up to, Thunderbolt?" Jupiter called to her.
"You are very bored." Ara stated, her eyes never leaving the ball.
Jupiter nodded. "Yes, yes I am." That is when his eyes caught the familiar sight. "Hey! Is that one of those shape-shifting stress balls? I love those things!"
Ara looked up at him in surprise before asking, "...Really?" She tilted her head at him. Then, she went under her cloak and dug into her shirt pocket. "Here. I have another. I always carry an extra just in case something happens to the first one." She held it out for him to take.
Jupiter smiled a bit before taking it. "Thanks. After I'm done I will give it back." He said, squishing it. That's when it turned into a ball of mud. "Heh, heh. Cool." He mumbled to himself as he began to play with the stress ball himself.
About a hundred feet away, a flash appeared to reveal two women. Heidi and Audrey. The goddess was holding onto her companion tightly so that the princess didn't fall over from the sensation of the teleportation. "I will never get used to that." Audrey muttered, using Heidi as a way to steady herself.
Heidi looked at her with a sheepish look. "Sorry, I didn't think it would take me ten tries to find them. I forgot that I don't recognize their signatures that well." She explained, scratching the back of her head as she checked the girl over.
"YOU. ARE. OUT!" Deuce shouted. After that, he started to shuffle in victory.
Triple G scoffed. "Oh please. I am sure you cheated. You must have. Any other time, I would've won." He folded his arms over his chest.
"Buuuut…" Deuce begins. "This is not any other time! I won! You lose! Ha ha!" He continued his victory dance. Apparently, it included break dancing and doing the worm.
Ara shook her head at them. "Still not that serious." She stated with a chuckle while Triple G grumbled to himself over losing to a cat.
The two women watching from afar looked equally confused before Heidi chuckled and shook her head. "Audrey, meet the troublemakers. They are the people I have to talk to concerning the Underworld."
Audrey tilted her head and looked at them all. "Them? They all look my age and that one is a cat." She said incredulously, shaking her head before looking up at Heidi. "I think you've got the wrong group."
"On the contrary, they are indeed the group. I never said they were old people or gods." Heidi said in amusement before noticing something. "I hate to only inform you of this now, but you...never got changed. Pajamas."
Audrey eyeballed her before looking down and gaping. "Ugh, I must have forgotten!" She exclaimed, quickly moving behind Heidi as if the goddess was a pillar of some sort.
Heidi raised an eyebrow before lifting her hand and snapping her finger, immediately changing the princess's outfit into a short pink dress and a pair of sparkly pink heels. "No worries. I got you covered." She said casually, taking the princess by the hand before beginning to walk again.
Audrey looked dumbfounded at this and looked herself over. "Have you always been able to do that?"
Heidi shrugged and smiled. "Nope. Learned it a couple months ago from Hecate. I just never found a reason to use it around you. I only have one outfit." She said with a small laugh, prompting the princess to shake her head in exasperation.
Deuce was currently spinning on his head. Afterward, he went into a one handed headstand; he tilted his head. He saw two upside down people walking toward them. He recognised one of them immediately and went back on all fours. "Sup, dudette!" She said, shaking off his dizziness.
That's when they all turned to her in surprise, then sent them their own greetings. George mostly waved and Chester tipped his hat to her in recognition.
Ara stood, then turned her attention to the two. "Hey, Heidi." She folded her arms calmly while Triple G said his own greeting.
"Good morning! Hope your night went well." He said, coming up to meet her as well.
Jupiter raised his eyebrow and stood. Well...his attention was still on the stress ball, but he waved in greeting instead of speaking.
Heidi smiled while Audrey, on the other hand, stared at them all in confusion. "Hello, everyone." She said before stopping and looking at Audrey. "It's okay, they are friends of mine." She murmured before looking back up at them. "I would say my night went as planned had not Aunt Hestia turned it into an all-night therapy session. I only got some sleep when she knocked me out with sleeping dust." She said in amusement, tilting her head at the thought of her aunt.
Ara chuckled at that. "Ahh, so she used dust in this dimension too, eh? I am glad to see somethings aren't that different." Ara turned her head to the left, looking for something before saying, "Just so you know, my mom will be here in a little bit."
Heidi nodded at that, rubbing her chin with her free hand. "Good. I have to talk to you guys about something. It's important that all of you hear it." She said, closing her eyes as she thought about something.
Ara glanced at everyone and they all shrugged in return. "Ooookaaay…" But then she thought of something. "You might need to catch Hazel on her own. I, honestly, haven't seen her since the fight." She said, sadly.
The goddess frowned at that and opened her eyes. "Hmm. I'll ask Hermes to help me when he gets here." An exasperated look replaced her concern as her eyes halved. "He's racing over here for some odd reason."
Ara nodded, but before she could respond, she heard, "Good morning everyone!" From her mother wearing her dazzling white ice dress.
Ara smiled at her while Elsa glared at Jupiter for a few seconds. He returned it also before they went back to smiling at everyone else.
"Good morning, mom. Heidi wanted to talk to us." She said calmly. Elsa responded by smiling at the young goddess, waiting for her to speak.
Heidi smiled back and cleared her throat. "Well, we have to discuss when you are-" She suddenly stopped and looked towards the sky as if she had heard something. Seconds passed before there was a boom followed by a second boom.
"HEIDI! WE HAVE A HUGE, AND I MEAN HUGE ISSUE!" A voice yelled from the sky, prompting Heidi to facepalm.
"Losing a letter addressed to some poor sap from Zeus is not a huge problem Hermes!" The goddess called out, looking at the group with an exasperated look as Hermes landed a bit away from the group.
"That only happened once and I got it to that guy in no time." Hermes responded, completely ignoring the others as he zipped over to her. "This is something worse, and incredibly urgent."
Heidi raised an eyebrow and looked at the group then at the princess at her side. "I'm sorry, I should go find out what's the problem before he loses his mind." She told them all as she shook her head.
Ara blinked before saying, "Um, okay then. We'll be around." She said with a smile. The others in the group nodded with smiles of their own.
Heidi smiled gratefully before glancing at Audrey and tossing her a remote. "Press that red button if you want to leave. Just in case Hermes takes too long." She told her with softened eyes before looking at Hermes. "Let's get this over with, I still need to talk with them." Hermes nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder before the two zipped away into the sky.
Triple G scratched his head. "Well...that was awkward." He stated, still keeping his smile.
Ara shrugged. "Eh. I bet it's more god stuff." She put her hands on her pockets. "Well, back to what we were doing. Oh, and you." She called to Audrey. "You can chill with us. Don't worry, we've been told we're the life of every party."
"Ain't that the truth." George agreed, picking up the kickball.
Audrey looked at them before very reluctantly approaching them with a cautious expression, keeping the remote tightly in her hand as if she wanted to leave at any moment.
…
Heidi was strolling alongside Hermes in a nearby forest as the two talked about the little cross-dimensional visitor problem. Turns out the problem had been upped to "HUGE PROBLEM!" by Hermes and that is why he had interrupted her. He had already informed her of his worries by this point, and there were quite a few, and now that he was calmer they were trying to discuss some things.
"First it was just one group and now we got another Elsa running around." Hermes commented, glancing upward at the cloudy sky. "It would seem as though the other Hades is letting anybody through nowadays."
Heidi shook her head. "Even if he was, I don't see how they all managed to leave the Underworld on our end." She let out a sigh and folded her arms. "Do you know if Hecate was down there at that very moment?"
Hermes looked thoughtful before shaking his head. "Last I heard she was hanging out in the shadow dimension for a year...something about a "Ward growing powerful" and how she needed to "Increase the chains."
The goddess looked confused before looking towards the sky. "Why am I surprised to hear of her doing such a thing?" She muttered, slightly disturbed about the idea that there was something powerful in the shadow dimension.
The blonde god beside her shrugged before stopping. He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, almost as if he was listening for something. Then without warning, he grabbed her by the wrist and muttered something under his breath before opening his eyes and looking at her. "We've got company. Stay quiet."
Heidi was about to protest when she saw the unusually serious look on her partner's face. With a hesitant nod and a deep breath, she matched his gaze with an emotionless look. "Who?" She whispered, her voice barely audible.
Hermes, however, heard it and shook his head. "Other gods...Chariots. Going invisible, now."
Before she could reply, she felt a surge of magic closing in on them along with the sound of a deep rumble. Hermes grimaced before turning them both invisible without a second thought.
Just as he did that, the forest around them began to shift and change as the trees were forcibly moved. The once dense forest soon became a clearing with the trees blocking every last escape route. As if that wasn't enough, thorn-covered vines shot out of the ground and intertwined themselves so that even the smallest openings weren't available to the two.
Up in the sky above the forest was a blonde woman in a long green dress. She had countless flowers in her long golden locks while her dress also appeared to be covered in them. The golden chariot she was currently in was decorated with the most beautiful flowers in all of history. Muttering something in an ancient language she halted the twin golden dragons pulling her chariot and gazed down at the clearing she had formed. "Hermes and Heidiana! You have been found guilty of allowing the use of the last gateway!" She boomed, retrieving a curved golden sword from her side before pointing it at the clearing.
As she made this announcement, another golden chariot arrived and glided opposite of her. The god smirked and looked down at the clearing. "Seems like the Tyke and Hermes are hiding!" He said with a chuckle.
Heidi resisted the urge to yell at the god as she bit her lip. Apollo and Demeter...Didn't see that team up coming.
Apollo shook his head as the two glowing horses pulling his chariot neighed. "They won't be staying invisible for long, Artemis is setting up down there for an all out arrow decimation."
Demeter's brown eyes narrowed when she heard that. "We must bring them unharmed to Zeus. As much as I would prefer for his spawn to be killed here, Zeus made it clear that he wants to deal with them himself." She stated, spinning the sword before putting it back.
Apollo clicked his tongue and shrugged. "No worries, if they do get injured, which would be a surprise since they are gods-" He almost laughed until he saw the look on the elder goddess's face. "-I'll heal them." He muttered out before grimacing and choosing to look at the school in the distance. "I wonder if they can see us from there." He wondered aloud, rubbing his chin before looking back at Demeter. "Not like they'd try to stop us or anything-That would be craaazy!"
Demeter didn't look amused as she waved her hand through the air. Turning her gaze to the clearing, she shook her head as she saw no sign of the two gods making any attempt to reveal themselves. "If you do not wish to surrender on your own accord, we shall be forced to retrieve you using any force necessary." As she said this, the sky around them began to darken while the temperature dropped to freezing. Lifting both hands high into the sky, she took a breath before throwing them down, a blizzard unlike anything ever seen descending with the simple action.
Apollo whistled in approval as the winds began picking up wildly. "Now I know why they always told me to never get on your bad side." He commented, looking at the clearing that was quickly becoming covered in snow.
Demeter ignored him as she searched for the sign of the two gods. Finally, she saw it...One patch of land that was staying thawed and alive as if there wasn't a blizzard going on. "There!" She pointed at the patch before frowning and flicking her wrist up.
Immediately, the thorn-covered vines shot out towards the patch, prompting the blue-haired goddess to become visible and shoot a blast of flames at them. The vines quickly caught on fire before, surprisingly, turning to ash and blowing away in the breeze. The younger goddess looked up at both of them before scowling. "Quite the spectacle you are creating, Demeter!" She called out, forming a barrier of fire as dagger-like ice began falling from the sky.
Demeter looked impassive as she glanced at Apollo. "Tell Artemis to begin. If Heidiana is in danger, Hermes will turn visible and try to protect her. It will be easy to retrieve them in a rain of arrows."
Apollo offered her a mock salute before making this strange bird call while grabbing his bow from his back. "I'm sure Zeus wouldn't mind a few scratches, he's fried her in worse conditions." He commented before drawing an arrow and aiming it at the blue-haired goddess's head. He inwardly grimaced at the idea of actually putting an arrow in the kid's head, that time he spent training her certainly changed his view of her, and with a sigh he let the arrow go.
Heidi wouldn't have had a chance of dodging it, so when she saw the arrow hit the ground only inches from where her head had been she looked up at the sun god in confusion. He...missed?
Before she could ask him, there was a loud cry before several more warlike cries followed it. "I do not wish to do this, Heidiana!"
Artemis. Of course she is here… Heidi thought, reaching into her pocket for her ember as she kept a calm expression on her face. "And I do not wish to fight back, Artemis." She stated as she drew out her ember. "But if it shall keep me from an eternity in Hell than I shall gladly fight you."
Demeter looked quite puzzled when she heard that. "How could she have possibly known that?" She asked, tilting her head as she placed a hand on her chariot.
Apollo shrugged again and glanced at her. "You don't know?" When the puzzled look didn't clear, he shook his head. "Zeus threatened her before with locking her in the Underworld. He never actually followed through, mainly because she abides by the rules and sticks to Hermes like glue, but that threat has always been looming over her."
Demeter's eyes narrowed and turned her gaze to the flame-covered goddess below. The blizzard continued to rage as the unusual sound of thunder boomed around them, a clear sign that Zeus was watching them closely. The elder goddess closed her eyes as she felt the wind around her speed up while the snowflakes hardened into ice. "It is truly a shame that it has taken this long for my brother to act on his threat." She stated, her voice as cold as the frigid temperature. Her eyes opened and a green glow glittered within them as the forest beneath her began to grow more and more dense. "No matter, it shall come to pass that she shall face the same fate as her father. Eternal Imprisonment."
Apollo frowned when he heard that, lowering his bow and glancing at the other blonde as a blue bolt of lightning lit up the darkened area. Wait...So, Demeter hates Heidi because Hades tried to steal Demeter's daughter all those years ago? She still hates him for it? He grimaced and looked down at Heidi. Poor kid...Having to face Demeter's wrath just because she can't get over a grudge. Part of him considered the idea of rebelling and calling off Artemis, not to mention helping Hermes and Heidi out, but the other part knew that he would also get in trouble. And he was not going to be transformed into a mortal for a third time! So with a deep sigh, he put his bow on his back and watched the scene in silence.
Demeter pursed her lips at his reaction before looking back down at the clearing. "Artemis!" She didn't receive a reply as expected. "Do not hesitate because of who she is! Heidiana and Hermes have gone against our oldest rule and deserve to face punishment worthy of their crime!" She declared as a lightning bolt struck the ground nearby.
Heidi rolled her eyes as she made the fire barrier larger. "Well, it's not like anyone told me about that stupid rule!" She exclaimed as her ember turned into a black shield with glowing blue lines. The goddess formed a second shield out of gold before clicking her tongue. "Hermes, you've gotta help me out with this. Today is not the day I'm turning into a target for Artemis and her hunters."
Hermes let out a chuckle and turned visible next to her, taking the golden shield with a smirk as golden armor appeared on him. "That makes two of us. Maybe if we fight long enough our dimensional visitors will notice and join in."
Heidi raised an eyebrow as her outfit shifted to a long flowing black dress while stygian iron armor appeared on her shoulders, chest, and wrists with the strange metal appearing to glow a deep purple. Her black boots were also covered in the iron armor as a flame symbol appeared on them. To finish the look, a helmet of the same material appeared on her head, the helmet covered most of her face and made her eyes appear a menacing red. "Why would they interfere with this, Hermes? This storm would scare anyone away." She looked down at the shield attached to her arm before looking back at him. "We are gods, they are not. They have no reason to help us fight."
Hermes chuckled and smirked mysteriously. "Ah, but that hasn't stopped them before. Besides...I have a feeling they do have a reason to fight, and not just because of you." He said, floating a bit in the air as he saw Heidi's barrier grow around her.
The flaming goddess shook her head as her hair roared to life. "That is where we meet a disagreement, Hermes." Heidi stated, her shield erupting into flames as well.
The god shrugged with a crooked smile. "Perhaps we can discuss this after we defeat Artemis, Apollo, and Demeter?"
"If we defeat them. There are only two of us versus three and all of Artemis' hunters." Heidi reminded him as her magic swirled around her.
Hermes landed next to her as they heard the hunters let out another warlike hoot. "Well, more like Artemis and Demeter. Apollo already gave up when he purposefully missed you." He informed her before a golden sword appeared in his free hand.
"Huh, I guess I'll have to thank him later." Heidi muttered before forming a spear out of her fire. "For now, we have a bunch of ladies to knock out."
The two shared a smirk before falling into defensive stances. "Let's see how well they trained you." Hermes said, looking at all the hidden hunters.
Heidi chuckled as Artemis let out a cry in ancient greek. "Perfect time to test things out, no?"
As the hunters armed their bows, Hermes shrugged with a carefree look. "Nothing like a real battle to prove how skilled you are."
Heidi twirled the spear before glancing back at him. "True." Flames licked off her skin as a ring of fire surrounded the two gods. "Without further ado, shall we do this?"
The god stretched one last time before nodding. "We shall."
And the Hunters attacked as the blizzard grew in strength, the thunder growing louder while the lightning strikes grew more frequent. The storm could be seen from miles while its chilling temperature reached the school, freezing small portions of the building in its icy rage.
Demeter seethed as she watched the two begin to fight the countless hunters. In her anger, the forest began turning a sickly color while the storm grew in intensity. Those two believe they can defeat all of us? She thought as thunder rumbled with her rage. "Fools…" She muttered before looking at Apollo. "Are you not assisting your sister?"
Apollo shook his head, keeping his gaze on the school in the distance. "Artemis has it handled, she's taken down more with less. Don't worry about it." He said, not appearing to care one bit about the situation.
Demeter's eyebrows flew up in surprise at how the god was acting. Strange...He wouldn't throw away a chance to fight alongside Artemis. She hardly ever offers him this chance. The goddess looked at him and her eyes softened a bit. Must be a sibling related issue. She thought before shaking her head as her gaze quickly turned cold. Lifting a hand, she plunged the temperature to an arctic degree, hoping that it might end up freezing Heidi. If I freeze her that will make this much easier.
Apollo frowned at the drop in temperature before lifting his bow and arming it. I will regret this, but I can't let Zeus do what he wants to do when Heidi knew nothing of the law...Even if she is a brat. His gaze flickered down the arrow of light before he let out a small sigh. "If there is anyone out there...anyone at all, don't let her do this." He whispered, his message going into the arrow as light swirled around it. Aiming it at the school's roof, he let the arrow go. He watched it fly threw the air before it the highest part of the roof, exploding into a golden beam of light that cleared the sky above it of all the clouds.
Demeter shot the god a confused look as she saw him begin to take off. "Where are you going?"
"Back to Olympus. My sister has it handled." Apollo stated before taking off into the sky aboard his chariot.
The elder goddess watched him before noticing the pillar of light over at the school. She tilted her head a bit as she saw it continue to glow. "Interesting…" She hummed, finding the sight of it to be rather peculiar. It wasn't everyday you saw such a sight in Auradon, the land that has forsaken their past of magic. Demeter didn't pay the pillar too much attention, it would disappear soon enough, and she turned her gaze back to the battle that was ensuing beneath her.
With any luck...They will tire themselves out and surrender. She thought, not realizing that this was the last thing these two gods in particular would do. In fact, they were literally going to fight until the Hunters were the ones tired out and surrendering. Ah, but it is not like Demeter would know this.
…...
Ara's head whipped to the direction of the storm as soon as it began. That was no ordinary storm. That she was sure of. That storm felt ominous and threatening. It felt unnatural even. It was an awful feeling.
Elsa and Jupiter had a similar reaction as they saw the giant storm form. Jupiter had his eyebrow raised in initial confusion, before his gaze turned serious.
Triple G looked up at the sky in a mixture of fear and awe. "Did you guys see that? It came out of nowhere."
Chester shivered. "Most likely the work of the gods."
"Completely the work of the gods." Jupiter confirmed.
That was enough for Elsa to say, "We need to get inside. Now." She said, beginning to lead Ara within the school building while Jupiter kept a close eye on the storm.
Chester called to Audrey with urgency. "Excuse me, princess, but we should really be heading inside!" He waved to her with his paws.
Audrey looked at him before looking back down at the button. "I will be heading home. It's god-proof." She said simply, her frown deepening for a moment before she pressed it and disappeared in a bright blue light.
Triple G shrugged. "Well, at least one of us will live on." He put his hands in his pockets casually.
Ara turned to look at him. "No one is going to die." She said, right before she saw something zip to the roof of the school. "Wait, what was that?" She teleported out of her mother's grasp, to see a bright, golden light. It was hard to see exactly what it was at this angle, but she knew it was a lot of light.
Jupiter looked at the light with interest. "Oh. It's a message." He said, still looking at the light.
Ara turned to him and asked, "From whom?"
He shrugged in answer. Elsa, on the other hand, said, "Does it really matter? It's not our business. We should be taking cover." She said sternly.
Ara nodded at her mother. "Okay, but I have to at least check it out first." She said, preparing to fly up there and see.
"What!?" Elsa asked, completely not understanding.
Jupiter shrugged. "I think she should do it. She can handle herself."
Elsa couldn't help her eye twitching when she heard that. "I...say she should go take cover."
"I think she should go check it out." He stated obviously annoyed with the woman.
Aaaaand that is when the argument broke out. The boys just looked at the two of them shout at each other in confusion. Ara blinked at them and face-palmed. As of her hand hitting her head triggered her brain, she had the idea to let them argue while she checked that mysterious light out.
So, she did. It took no effort for the girl to float to the roof of the school. The only trouble was that the light was even brighter up close. When she stood on the roof, it was even worse. She has to rub her eyes multiple times for them to adjust enough.
When she did adjust her eyes, they widened. They searched the once boring school roof, now seeing golden light reflect off of every surface. Everything was so beautiful now. "This...is cool." She said to herself as she spun around, taking in the scene.
She smiled at everything, nearly forgetting why she was there in the first place. That was until she saw an arrow stuck into the roof. It seemed to be radiating with the same golden energy the roof was. She raised her eyebrow, before approaching it slowly.
Once she was close enough, she looked it over. Concluding that it wasn't going to explode, she got down on her knees and ripped it from the surface of the roof. She, then, looked at the glowing arrow in amazement.
Suddenly, the glowing arrow was covered in a swirling light before the sound of someone whispering appeared. The voice was incredibly quiet, yet it held a great amount of concern to it. "Demeter is attacking." The message was simple as it continued to be repeated in a foreboding way, almost like an alarm.
Ara's eyes widened, looking at the arrow. "Demeter is attacking. Who is she attacking?" She thought before she remembered how frantic Hermes was earlier. She had never seen him So panicked. "Oh brother…"
It didn't take Ara long to try and see who it was referring to. "Who? Who is she attacking? There has to be more details…" Then she blinked. "Why don't I feel weird for talking to an arrow?" She asked herself.
The arrow's light increased a bit as the voice grew louder. "The Tyke and Hermes, he just sent Ares after them since Demeter is taking too long." The voice informed her before going silent.
Ara gasped at that nearly dropping the arrow. "Ares...the one who breaks bones…" She groaned before saying, "Of course." Her head then snapped in the direction of the storm and her anger blazed.
It didn't take her long to make her decision. She flew off of the roof and landed near the boys. "Guys, I have to go now. Heidi is in serious trouble." She hurriedly handed to arrow to George, whom looked at her in shock.
"Wait, what!? You're going to go into that!?" Triple G said, pointing to the wild storm.
Ara stood taller and said, "I have to. I made a promise that I will always defend her, and I mean no matter what." She gave him a smirk and rocketed off in the direction of the storm, before he could tell her anything to make her change her mind.