Terra rushed out, a deep frown on her face as she looked up at the sky. "He could be here at any moment." She muttered, absentmindedly holding the door for her companion.
Hazel peeked out of the door, looking both ways before nodding to herself. She motioned for Terra to follow her as she jogged through the city. "Come on. We have no time to lose." She turned to her before motioning her head in the direction they needed to go.
Terra nodded, her eyes locked onto the clouds as they narrowed. She finally looked down at her and shook her head. "Whatever you do, don't say the king's name. Call him whatever you want, even insults, just don't use his name. He can hear that thing across the world." She advised the girl, biting her lip as she thought.
Hazel nodded keeping focused on her current path. "I won't say his name again, okay?" She said in a reassuring manner. She glanced back at her, offering a small smile.
Terra sighed in relief and nodded. "Thank you...I just can't shake this feeling that he is close." She said in mild confusion.
Hazel raised her eyebrow. "Really?" She looked down. "Maybe we should go faster…" She picked up her pace.
Terra's eyes narrowed and she looked ahead. "Good idea-"
All of a sudden there was a loud "boom!" followed by the rumbling of thunder as the wind picked up. With it, the snow clouds began blowing away as dark storm clouds replaced them, bright blue lightning shooting about wildly in a magnificent display. The clouds being so thick that they blanketed the land in a shroud of darkness. The temperature begin to rise while the winds howled, warning the kingdom of their master who was quickly approaching.
Hazel jumped at the sudden change of weather and loud noises. "Oh boy...let's get out of here. Now!" She said, hurrying even more.
Terra's eyes widened as she saw the color of the lightning flashing about. "I knew it...He's almost here." She said, her voice growing quiet as the thunder rumbled even louder at her words.
Hazel stopped on a whim. "Terra?" She called as she looked around for her. She saw her back where they were before seemingly stuck in her thoughts. "No no no! We don't have time for this!" She mumbled to herself.
She ran all the way back to her and grabbed her hand. She tugged at the woman. "Terra! We have to go!"
Terra shook her head. "If we run right now he'll spot us. The wind, it'll blow off the hoods. Those storm clouds are a warning…" She mumbled, taking a deep breath as she searched the clouds for something.
Hazel looked around frantically before asking, "Then what do you suggest we do? Stay here and get caught?" Slight panic in her voice had shown through.
Terra was about to respond when she heard the call of a bird, clearly a second warning of just who was following it. The large golden eagle glowed against the darkened clouds, bringing with it countless more lightning as it effortlessly dodged the bolts. The bird quickly landed on top of a building and let out another call before bowing its head.
The goddess shook her head again before looking around. "That was our second warning." She stated, her eyes landing on a dark alleyway off to the side. "There." She said, promptly pulling the girl to follow her into the shadowy area.
Hazel did not protest when she was pulled into the dark space. It made her feel uncomfortable, but it was better than being out in the open! She breathed heavily, turning her head and keeping silent.
Terra glanced down at her. "The eagle belongs to the king. We should be safer within the shadows, as soon as Hades comes out he'll sense us." She informed her, before looking back up at the sky.
Hazel nodded. Looking around and trying to keep her mind off of the shadows. "Okay." She whispered. She also began to reroute her plans.
Terra watched for a moment more before holding up a hand. "...He's almost here. I can feel it." She breathed, watching as the lightning strikes became more erratic.
Hazel looked up at her with surprisingly calm eyes. "I know. Be calm and wait for an opening." She said, keeping herself very still.
Terra looked at her before tugging on her hood so that it covered her eyes a bit more. "...Okay." She mumbled out, returning her gaze to the heavens.
The thunder boomed in an ominous rhythm, almost like that of a drum sending out its own warning, and final one at that, to anyone who might be listening. At last, the cause of all this strange phenomenon came thundering in atop a massive golden chariot pulled by four horses made completely out of wind. Each horse was tinted a different hue, the two in the back being tinted red and yellow while the two up front were a dull green and blue. Their eyes glowed menacingly as they let each let out a shrieking whinny that caused the wind to speed up.
Terra let out a quiet gasp and inched away from the sight. She placed her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stay silent, though it seemed to not be working that well as she was trying not to let out muffled whimpers.
Hazel, who glared at the sight, looked to her with sympathetic eyes. Hazel went over to her and wrapped her in an embrace. "Shhhh...it's okay. He doesn't know we're here." She kept her eyes up above.
The god piloting the large chariot was none other than Zeus. At an incredible height of ten feet tall, the King of the Greek gods towered over, seemingly, the entire city as his electric blue eyes glowed in the darkness he had created with his arrival. Electricity seemed to buzz around him while his long black hair blew in the wind. The air grew dense with magic and power at his very presence as the sky appeared to obey his every thought.
Zeus looked over the city in slight annoyance, shaking his head when he didn't sense who he was looking for or the clones. How dare she hide from me. He thought, frowning deeply at the fact that his niece would go as far to hide once more. Especially when she knew that she had committed a crime.
His eyes flickered up as the lighting shot around him at his change in mood. "Heidiana...come out now or all of Auradon shall pay!" His voice boomed with the thunder, the wind whipping and carrying the threat all across the land.
Terra practically squeaked at the name he had just said, her eyes seeming to shrink while her body gained a noticeable tremor to it. Still, having her hand over lips, she could only shake her head.
Hazel continued to watch him and attempt to pat Terra up at the same time. "Shhhh…" She said in a hushed whisper, still watching silently.
Then, out of nowhere, there was a dry chuckle as a portal opened, causing Zeus turning his head in the direction of the sound, his eyes widened at the sight of who was staring back at him. "Hades?"
All at once, Terra froze while her eyes widened, slowly removing her hand from her mouth as she gaped. "He really came…" She whispered, eyes shaking at the sight of the god who had just entered the scene.
Hazel's face slowly grew a smile when Hades showed himself. She pumped her fist in the air in silent victory. Step one of her new plan is complete. "Yes!" She whispered. "Now we just wait for the perfect moment."
Hades looked at Zeus with a relaxed expression. He was in his own pitch black chariot that was decorated with skulls and countless images of tortured souls etched into the object. Four horses made out of shadows with glowing red eyes were pulling the fearsome looking chariot. The god himself was still in his normal outfit, though there seemed to be small additions of iron armor attached to the clothes. The armor gave off a terror-inducing feeling when looked at and appeared to be glowing purple.
The blue-haired god gave him a lazy finger wave and chuckled once more. "Sorry, Heidi is out of commission for the day, as her father I find that I am the perfect stand in to hear what you are yapping about this time." He said calmly, playing with a bone that had been in the chariot.
Zeus stared at him in confusion. "How are you free?"
Hades grinned as he floated the bone around. "Oh, it was nothing. Do you remember when I was pulled out of the Underworld? You said something along the lines of..."If you are truly a god then you will simply free yourself from those mortals!" The god said in a mocking way before chuckling. "I freed myself, little brother, and I've come to kick your ass."
Zeus frowned deeply as soon as he heard that. Unleashing the Master Bolt from its container, he quickly summoned countless white-hot lightning bolts that rocketed straight towards Hades.
Hades, with the most bored look possible, waved his hand and created a dense shield made out of shadows and watched with halved eyes as the bolts bounced off and went into the sky, clearing the clouds as they exploded. The god looked down at Zeus and slowly blinked as if he wasn't even bothered by such a sight. "Seriously? The first thing you do is throw lightning at me?" He let out a scoff and folded his arms. "Wowee, Zeusy is sooooo predictable." His voice was in a baby tone that seemed natural to him. The blue haired man rolled his eyes. "C'mon, don't tell me that's all you've got. If it is, well, I just feel sorry for you." He chuckled and lit the bone on fire, black fire.
"Hades, stop this nonsense at once. If you are out you must know what your daughter has done." Zeus regarded the other god with a look of anger.
Hades rolled his eyes and twirled the bone in the air a few times, his easygoing smile slowly disappearing with each rotation. "Oh, you mean the part where she cloned herself and made them goddesses or the part where she hid them? Neither violate divine law might I add. She merely hid them because she was fearful of you, brother. If she had nothing to fear she may have not done that." His eyes glowed for a moment before they dimmed. "Y'know, I have quite a few reasons to want to kick your ass. Heidi's unfair sentencing, your treatment of her, you allowing us to be taken by Beasty and the Beauty, and the cherry on top of the bullshit sundae...You trying to kill three innocent girls."
"You have no business with them, Hades. They are your daughters mistake that she hasn't bothered to handle herself." Zeus stated, looking down at the Master Bolt in his hand. "It is harming her. You know that, don't you Hades?"
Hades kept his cold expression up, not appearing swayed by Zeus's words. "My daughter would much rather live in agony then allow them to die at your hand. She is far more powerful than you believe, brother, and I know she can come back from this. I know my daughter...You know nothing. The only thing you will ever care about is yourself, and no amount of time could change that."
The god lifted his hand and summoned hundreds of black fire covered bones. "As for the triplets? They became my business when I said they were mine. If they aren't my daughters...then they are most definitely my granddaughters. And guess what Zeusy?" He let out a dark chuckle and bent down before picking up something. "Unlike you...I will always be there for my children and grandchildren, I will fight any foe that stands in my way no matter the size or power." The object quickly began changing until it was the single most terrifying helmet anybody had seen. Hades slipped it on and smirked. "You are nothing to me, Zeus. You never will be. You lost me as a brother the day you disrespected my daughter and threw her to her death." His voice became warped and demonic sounding as shadows began surrounding his chariot. The bones became jagged spikes and floated around the god as a dense energy poured out into the air, the terror-inducing properties blanketing the land. "Now...Zeus, I believe I do have business with them."
Zeus flinched at the sight of the helmet, and immediately raised the Master Bolt into the air. "If this is what you wish, Hades, then I will fight you. Know that when you are defeated that they all shall perish." He announced as white-hot lightning began shooting across the sky.
The shadows swirled around Hades before quickly forming into a dense shield. The lightning bounced off as soon as it hit and was launched like before and exploded in a loud "boom!" Hades let out a low laugh and pulled out his ember. "Me? Defeated? Why, Zeus, I'll have you know I have been preparing for this day ever since you told your stupid son to leave me in the Styx. While you have been sitting on that throne ranting and raving...I have only grown more powerful. See this Ember? I was inspired by one of my daughter's abilities and now it can steal others life force, magic, soul…" His smirk widened as he tossed it up. "...Divine power."
"You couldn't possibly have created a weapon that could steal that!" Zeus exclaimed, firing several more bolts at him.
The shield once again deflected them and Hades shook his head in amusement. "Not normally, no, and it certainly took awhile for me to get it just right. It can steal the first three, but I haven't tried it out on a god yet." His smirk turned deadly as his eyes glowed. "You stole six years of her life away...I find it only right to do the same. Then...I'll just give her the divine power I stole from you to her. Consider this a light punishment, Zeus, what I really want to do would require countless years down in Hell and we would have quite the amount of time...alone." He let out one last dark chuckle before the shadows engulfed him and his chariot.
Zeus let out a grumble as he reluctantly backed away. He knew what Hades was doing and it wasn't good. He's completely invisible. The god instinctively turned around and sent several lightning bolts, causing them to collide with a blue beam that resulted in an explosion. His eyes narrowed and he raised the Master Bolt up before the lightning began to shoot around him in a protective manner.
Hades laughed when he noticed this, the sound echoing in a menacing tone. "I can sense your fear, Zeus. You know you aren't going to win and you are stalling. Isn't it unfortunate that you locked all the other gods up?" The god let out a mocking gasp. "Oh, wait! You locked them up because they agree with me, the rational one. How many votes did you get in your favor? Two? Ah, Ares and Demeter, one likes the blood of babies and the other one just hates my guts. I admire your sheer stupidity, it is a rarity even among mortals." As he said this, a second blue beam shot out, hitting the lightning shield and causing it to explode. Hades chuckled and fired yet another beam. "Let it be known, Zeus, I didn't come prepared to fight you. I came prepared to annihilate you and watch you burn with the world watching."
Zeus quickly deflected the beam as it continued to fire at him. "You are too cocky, Hades! There is no way you will ever-"
Hades' loud laugh cut him off as the invisible god sent a bone spike at him, managing to draw a bit of golden blood as it nicked Zeus' neck. "Yeah, yeah, shut up already. I'm ready to end this, Zeus. Not only for me, but for every person you abandoned, neglected, abused and destroyed. I'm here for everything. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen...Game on."
Hazel blinked before turning to the woman still in her embrace. "We need to go." She stated simply.
Terra slowly nodded as she saw the scene slowly descend into chaos, explosions booming at every other second while the two fought. "...He's keeping him busy."
Hazel nodded, releasing the woman, and grabbing her hand. "Exactly. That's why we need to go now." She turned to her fully. "Don't stop until we reach the barrier, got it?"
Terra took a deep breath before nodding. "Got it." She said in a hushed voice, glancing up at the bright explosions.
Hazel nodded, her face becoming one of determination. She took a deep breath of her own. "Okay...let's do this." She tightened her grip on Terra's hand before blasting out of the alley way.
Terra easily matched her pace, her free hand keeping her hood on securely while she looked up occasionally at the battle above her. The woman shook her head and tried her best to ignore the sight, knowing that it would probably only end up getting her in trouble.
Hazel, on the other hand, had no trouble focusing on the task at hand. Every now and then she would look up to magically divert incoming debris, but other than that she was completely focused. She rapidly changed direction when needed. Another thing she did do was glance back at Terra every once in a few seconds to see how she was holding up. Once she saw she was fine, she'd keep leading them and tightened her grip as she ran.
Despite the fact that Terra knew they were getting closer, her eyes couldn't help but attach themselves to every single attack and explosion booming above her. Something about it didn't sit right with her, but she shook the feeling away. Hades was...Hades, and if anyone could be distracting enough, from what she learned at least, it was him.
"Terra!" Hazel said to the woman being pulled. "Keep up with me! You almost ran into at least five things so far!" Hazel yelled in concern over the explosions.
"I can't help it! I need to keep an eye on him." Terra called back, looking back down at the road as she shook her head.
Hazel glanced back at her before looking at the path. Thankfully she looked back when she did because they nearly ran into something else that fell in their way. Hazel skidded to a stop before changing direction again. "Jump on my back!" She said to her with confidence.
Terra blinked at her in confusion. "What? Are you sure?"
Hazel nodded without hesitation. "Yeah. I have advanced strength. You know, it's all apart of the earth magic." She pivoted and scattered around before continuing. "I just don't use it much. Hurry! Still running out of time here!"
Terra looked at her for a few more seconds before sighing in defeat and doing as the girl said. She took a few seconds to get secured before she shook her head and returned her gaze to the sky.
Hazel smiled before returning her gaze to the path ahead. At least she didn't feel like a train anymore and can move about faster. She even took the time to jump over obstacles instead of running around them. That alone saved plenty of time. "You good!?" She called over all of the noise.
"Y-Yeah!" Terra called back, blinking at all the bright flashes of light before looking at the ground.
Hazel nodded at this. That's when she returned her gaze to find that they were almost to where the bridge should be. Hazel's eyes squinted as she bent down and leaned their body weight forward. With steady legs and an increased pace, Hazel used this shift in gravity to her advantage. She kept her arms behind her as she continued to zoom forward. "We're almost there! Get the key ready!" She said without looking at the woman.
Terra quickly summoned the key to her hand as she took her eyes off the sky. "Got it!"
Still focused on keeping up her speed, she spoke, "Good! Press the button in twenty seconds. No later, got it?"
"Okay." Terra said with a nod, looking down at the button in her hand.
Hazel released a ragged breath, but continued even though her body began to protest. "Starting...now!" She sped up despite her body's pleas. Her eyes focused on the bridge point.
Terra stared down at the button as she mentally began to count. She tuned out the sounds and continued counting, her finger slowly inching towards the button. As soon as she hit nineteen, she quickly looked up and pressed the button exactly a second later, summoning the bridge almost immediately.
It proved to be perfect timing. When Terra pressed the button, less than a second later Hazel ran across the bridge full speed. She did not plan on stopping anytime soon as she bombed through the bridge. When she saw the isle up ahead she smiled. "We just might make it!" She exclaimed despite her lack of breath.
Terra was about to respond when she paused. The explosions had stopped only a mere second before and an eerie silence rang. She quickly looked and her eyes widened at what she saw. "Oh my god." She said, gaping at the sight.
High in the sky, instead of continuing to argue and fight with Hades...Zeus was looking at them. Like dead on, not at the bridge, at them. The god smirked and raised the Master Bolt. "Found you."
Terra gasped and closed her eyes, throwing up a massive shield. "Crap, crap, ugh, shit." She said so quickly it ended up coming out blended together, looking down at Hazel. "This...might not end well…" She said slowly, eyes locking back onto the Bolt.
Hazel released a gasp of her own before closing her eyes. She did not think to answer the goddess right now. The only thing she repeated to herself was, "Don't stop...don't stop...don't stop...don't stop…" She shook her head, fighting herself to go faster.
Zeus chuckled when he saw this and, much to the absolute terror of the goddess, fired off countless white-hot lightning bolts at them.
Terra grimaced and closed her eyes, silently praying that her shield would hold up. She counted down the seconds and took a deep breath...until nothing happened. The woman's eyes flew open and she blinked before finally seeing just who had stopped it.
Standing there was a furious looking Hades who had taken off the helmet, or so she thought. The god had stopped the bolts with a shadow shield before he promptly launched them back into the air. "Oh, now you are getting it!" He yelled before vanishing again as the explosions quickly resumed and the air was filled with chaos once more.
"...H-Hades stopped it." Terra said in a dumbfounded manner.
Thankful that they are still alive, Hazel called, "The barrier!" She said, referring to the button Terra had.
Terra blinked down at it and quickly pressed the button again. "G-Got it!"
Hazel threw herself through the opening as soon as she had the chance. She landed on the ground sliding a bit, but was relieved to make it. "Ughh…" She groaned, her body finally catching up with her.
Terra quickly stood up and looked at her in concern. "Do you want me to heal you?" She asked uncertainty, still a bit shaken from the close call only moments earlier.
Hazel looked at her tiredly before chuckling. "Heh, usually I do all of the healing." She rolled over, looking at her. "Yes, please." She gave her a smile.
Terra nodded and got to her knees before gently placing her hand on the girl's forehead before summoning her magic. It only took her a few seconds before she smiled and stood back up. "There…" She said, shaking off the excess magic dust that had gathered on her hands.
Hazel sighed and stood herself. "Much better. Thank you." Then she looked around. "See? Told you we'd make it." She said, following Terra to the cave.
Terra looked down at the ground as she walked. "If Hades weren't there…" She shook her head and chuckled. "...I suddenly feel like I owe him something."
Hazel raised an eyebrow. "I mean...you could try to pay him back, but I think having you as a daughter if enough." She said with a shrug.
"Probably...Besides, judging on how much money Heidi has, I think Hades has just as much." Terra replied, chuckling at the thought.
Hazel chuckled, nodding. "I know that's what I thought when that question spun around my mind." She shook her head, looking at her companion. "I am just thankful we are still alive…"
"Same...We should be safe in Hades' Cave. I think there's that goddess still in there and Hades seemed pretty...angry that the king had even aimed towards us. Not only because of me...but because he would have also hit the Isle." Terra said, pursing her lips in thought.
Hazel nodded. "Yeah. Heidi...and a ton of other people are here." She shook her head at the thought. "That would have been just...wrong."
Terra's eyes narrowed. "I don't know if he had a certain reason in mind, only Heidi would know that side of him, but he definitely had a motive...and it wasn't just me." She said, looking up as they turned into the alleyway with all the "GO AWAY!" signs.
Hazel chuckled, eyeing all of the "GO AWAY" signs with humor. "Well I know it wasn't because of me. I am popular for being a pest when it comes to Heidi." She looked around for a moment. "I wouldn't be surprised if Hades already knows about me." She said as a frown grew on her face.
Terra sighed as they reached the gate. She stopped and looked down at her. "He...knows, but not enough to do anything. I don't think he wants to do anything until he has the full story on his hands...and the only thing on his hands right now is clearly his brother." She told her, pushing open the gate.
Hazel looked to her with saddened grey then looked to the gate. "Well...that's nice...temporary good news. All it takes is for Heidi to point me out and I'm done for." She looked to the ground while walking.
Terra looked at the blue flame lit torches with a small frown. "In her current condition...I'd be surprised if Heidi even recognized me as her clone...Aside from the fact that we are exactly the same in almost every way physically. There isn't a lot left and I'm not sure how she'll react." She said in thought, turning and beginning towards the mineshaft.
Hazel shrugged, still following and looking to the ground. She kept her frown. Her eyes only deepened, turning from a grey to deep silver color. She decided to remain silent as she now kept her focus on her swirling thoughts.
As they entered the mineshaft, Terra placed a hand on the wall. Not gonna slip this time. She thought, grimacing at the memory of her crashing in last time. And I can't believe they acted so naturally about it!
Hazel tilted her head before copying her companion. She placed a hand on the wall and continued into the room with a blank expression.
After a minute or so of silence, they reached the bottom and entered the massive room. Terra looked around and smiled at the familiar sight...until she spotted something strange. She blinked a few times and tilted her head. "Uh...Hecate was it? Why do you have a flat screen TV floating in the middle of the room?"
Hecate looked up and grinned. "Ah, it's you!" She looked at Hazel and her grin widened. "And you as well!" She allowed the remote to float as she sat up. Looking at the TV, she chuckled. "What can I say, I needed to catch up on this show I was watching back at Heidi's. Turns out they got no TV access here so I just summoned one in!" She gestured to the TV, prompting Terra to look at her in confusion.
Hazel chuckled, looking at the TV. "Of course you did." She placed her hands on her hips. "Hello to you too, Hecate." She smirked at the goddess.
Hecate gave them both a wave before standing up and walking over to them. "So, what are you two doing here? They are having quite the show out there." She said with a grin, chuckling at the mention of the two gods.
Hazel pulled back her hood before looking at the goddess. "We are here to take cover and for Heidi's sake." She said, gesturing to Terra.
"Oh, right." Terra nodded as she threw off her hood. "I was really concerned about her since she is…" She trailed off and looked at the unconscious woman on the couch. "...like that."
Hecate nodded and placed a hand on her hip. "She's been out since I got here, pretty sound sleeper might I add. Before Hades left, he dropped one of those stress balls on her head and she didn't even budge." She summoned one to her hand before floating over to Heidi. "Watch." She allowed the levitation to fall and in turn caused the ball to hit the slumbering woman on the head before it bounced off and rolled elsewhere. Heidi didn't do much, aside from snore, and Hecate shook her head. "See what I mean? And I've been doing that on the commercial breaks!"
With a raised eyebrow, Hazel watched the sleeping woman. "I see you point...wait, you've been throwing stress balls at her during commercial breaks?" She asked with complete confusion.
Hecate shrugged, not appearing to notice the issue. "What? Hades and her throw them at each other all the time and, man, do they have great throws. If those could do damage, I'm sure one of them would have a messed up nose by now."
Hazel slowly stared at the goddess before shaking her head. She washed her hands with the matter. "Well, we might be here for a while so I'm going to find somewhere to sit."
Terra nodded in agreement before pausing. She blinked and looked down before waving her hand and summoning two magical chairs. "There we go." She said with a smile.
Hecate leaned over with a raised eyebrow. "Did you copy my spell?" She asked, trying to get a better look without actually moving closer.
Terra shrugged and tilted her head. "Not...exactly, but I got the idea from you." She admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Hecate stared at her for a moment before grinning widely. "You are already so much better than Heidi on the magic front." She summoned a piece of paper and handed it to her. "Give me a ring and we'll discuss it." She said before teleporting over to her chair and resuming her show.
Terra blinked owlishly at the woman. "She is...something, alright." She said slowly, shaking her head at the goddess.
Hazel, who was putting her chair to use, chuckled. "Yep, she sure is. Apparently, she is also a family friend." She said, shrugging.
"Huh." Terra said, taking a seat before looking at the number on the paper.
Hecate looked at her and smirked. "Don't worry, you can call me no matter the realm!" She said, almost as if she had been watching Terra until she had looked at the paper.
Terra's eyebrows flew up. "It's like she knows…" She mumbled in disbelief.
Hazel chuckled at Terra's reactions. "She's Hecate. Of course she knows." She said in a laid back manner.
"That is...kind of freaky, actually." Terra said, storing the number away in a magical purse she created.
Hazel smiled at that. "I didn't say it wasn't." She smirked before reaching for a pouch strapped to her hip. She loosened the drawstring, the interior revealing an array of chocolates. "Ha, ha! They're okay!" She exclaimed, happy they weren't crumbled.
Terra blinked as she summoned her magical tablet to her hands. "You brought chocolate?" She asked in curiosity.
Hazel looked to the side and gave her an embarrassed smile. "Umm...yes? I need my comfort foods every now and then…" She unhooked the pouch and brought it into her lap.
Terra smiled and chuckled. "No worries, I was just wondering." She said before looking back at the tablet as she began typing in something.
Hazel smiled at her, holding up the pouch. "You want one?" She said, taking one for herself.
Terra looked up and stopped for a moment before levitating one out and into her hands. She chuckled and looked at her. "Thank you."
Hazel shook her head at the goddess. "No problem." After about five minutes of deep thought and silence, Hazel glanced at Terra, her eyes changing multiple hues. "Terra? Can I ask you something?" Her eyes darting from the goddess to the floor.
Terra looked up from what she was doing and looked at her questioningly. "Sure." She caused the tablet to disappear and laced her fingers together.
Hazel blinked before taking a deep breath and gathering her courage. "Great, thanks. Um...do you..? Are you..?" She shook her head, trying to word this correctly, but it proved to be challenging. "Is there...do you like anyone?" She finally got out.
Terra blinked and tilted her head. "Like anyone? I mean I like my sisters, Heidi, you, my friends, and now Hades." She answered in thought.
Hazel blinked before nodding. "Not...exactly what I meant." She looked to the side when she asked, "I mean...do you...like like anyone?" She said raising an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that?" Terra asked, looking completely clueless at the term.
Hazel inhaled. Of course she saw this coming. Terra even said herself that she was not good with romance. "Do you have a boyfriend? Girlfriend?" She asked simply.
Terra looked even more confused and before she could ask what the girl meant, there was a nervous laugh that cut her off. The bluenette turned to see Hecate looking rather sheepish about something.
"So...You guys remember how I was throwing the balls at her during the commercials?" Hecate asked before slowly looking away. "It...actually got her this time." She pointed and sure enough, Heidi was looking around through almost closed eyes.
Hazel looked at the nearly awake Heidi before looking at Hecate with the halfest eyes. "Hecate!" Hazel said in a scolding way.
Hecate simply held up her hands in innocence before retreating back to her seat. Heidi, on the other hand, looked towards them before tilting her head. "Hey…" She began looking at the two, her lips pursing as she folded her arms.
Hazel looked around for anyone else she could be talking to before looking back at the sleepy goddess. "Um...hi?" She cautiously waved.
Heidi continued staring at them before her gaze shifted onto Terra. "Hey you…" Terra blinked and pointed at herself, causing Heidi to nod as her eyes narrowed even more. "Why...do you...have my face?"
Terra paused and tilted her head as she heard Hecate almost choke on something before breaking into a fit of laughter. "I...You have no idea, do you?" She asked, nodding when she received no response. "Knew it."
Hazel sighed and looked at Heidi with halved eyes. She assumed that Heidi was too tired to be a threat right now and too tired to carry a conversation. So, Hazel pretended she wasn't there. "Terra, do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend? Person you are dating?" She clarified desperate for an answer.
Terra looked back at her and slowly shook her head. "I...have no idea what you are talking about."
Abruptly, Heidi pounded her fist into the armrest. "You steal my face and you don't even know what dating is?!" She sleepily yelled, leaning on the armrest with a suspicious look. "You are no good at this, copycat."
Hazel blinked. She was with Heidi on this one. "Y-you don't know what dating is?" It felt weird coming out of her mouth.
"Not...really. I mean I've heard the word, but I don't know what it is." Terra said, looking between the two in confusion.
Heidi let out a huff and sat up. "How can you not know? Even people who hate other people know what dating is...look at my dad, copycat. He's a guy who puts tens of go away signs and he still has three kids." She said, shaking her head while yawning.
Hazel blinked. "I guess I am going to have to be very specific. At least I know she's single. Yes!" She thought to herself before speaking. "Umm...you find someone you're attracted to emotionally, if you like the person you find you date and spend time with them, if you feel like you can spend the rest of your life with them you get married, and it's all based on love... Romantic love." She said, remembering that she had to be specific.
By the end of the explanation, Terra looked...even more confused?
As soon as the other bluenette saw this, she let out a loud groan and shook her head. "You...You are one of those aren't you? Not incapable of love, but stupid about it. Agh, how dare a love stupid person take my face." She stared at her with a scowl.
"Uh…" Terra only managed out before Heidi pointed at her.
"No, "Uhhh…" just listen. C'mon...Even the dumbest knows this stuff. Y'know, you feel happy when you are around someone? You get all stuttery and you turn into a mess? You feel the butterflies? You have to know about the butterflies!" Heidi was practically ready to jump her if she wasn't so tired.
Terra held up a finger and slowly shook her head, causing Heidi to gape and look at her with wide eyes.
"You...Oh, you are bad. You are terribly dense." Heidi managed out before yawning and reaching for a nearby blanket.
Hazel gave her a small smile. "The "butterflies" is a nickname for the warm, fluffy, fluttery feeling you get when you are near and think about that special person. It also causes you to blush from time to time. Ever had anything like that?" She asked, leaning back in her chair.
"Um…" Terra paused, trying to ignore the Heidi that looked ready to pounce. "...A few times as of late."
Hazel's eyes widened as if she was expecting Terra to just sit there confused again. "Really?" She asked, sitting up once again.
Terra looked cautiously at her, glancing at Heidi who was practically asking the same question through a stare. "Yes?" She said, though it came out as more of a question.
Hazel tilted her head before asking, "So, you like like someone." she hummed before going into her thoughts. "What does it feel like to be...around this person?" She wanted to make sure Terra liked someone before assuming things.
Terra looked away and twiddled her fingers. "Well…" She trailed off, almost as if she couldn't think of the right words to say.
Heidi took this as her cue and shook her head. "Hey!" She caught the other bluenette's attention and grinned sleepily. "For one...you are fidgety. For two…" She tilted her head as if she was listening to something. "Your pulse sped up. For three...The eyes are also sped up. For four, heh, your ears are red! C'mon, it just took me one look and I got you all figured out!"
Terra stared at her in shock. "How did you…"
"I...have a talent...I'm a love professional. I can tell every little sign." Heidi said in a bragging manner as she cuddled up to her blanket.
Hazel fully perked up at this, tilting her head the other way. "So you do have someone you like?" She asked with excitement and worry.
"I..I.." Terra was once again at a loss for words, her cheeks going red as she looked away.
Heidi laughed at the sight. "Oh yes she dooooes! Look at her, she's obviously thinking of them right now, or they are around here. And I know it's not me, you stole my face and it'd be pretty weird if it was me. Anyway, she is a mess because she can't talk around them." The goddess said, her head sticking out of the blanket as she peered at the TV. "Hey, turn it on cartoons or something!"
Hazel's eyebrows furrowed before she smiled. "Is your beloved far away...or close by?" She turned to the blushing goddess. Her eyes glittering with expectation and green with excitement.
"U-Uh...C-Clo…" Terra's was now beyond stuttering and into full mess mode.
Heidi, however, seemed to understand her perfectly as she smirked. "Close by."
Hazel nodded and bit her lip. "Have you guys always been friends or have you met them recently?" She asked while wiping the imaginary dust from her cloak.
"Ah...W-Welll…" Terra ended it with a squeak and looked towards a sleepy Heidi. "H-Help?"
Heidi's head turned in a lazy manner. "Recent. Also, she is the biggest mess I have ever seen, can't even talk without a translator."
Hazel looked to Heidi then back towards Terra. "Yeah...I'm losing her fast. I can probably get one more question in, but after that it may be a ton of squeaks. All ber answers fit me, but I have been badly hurt before. I just need to slow down and ask a question that would make it obvious to me without her flipping out." She took time to think. She looked away from her, careful to not pressure her with her gaze. "Your beloved...what is it that you like most about them?"
Terra looked down, her cheeks still red as ever. She took a deep breath, clearly trying to calm herself so she didn't need Heidi translating. "I-I...honestly can't pick just one thing. I-It's e-everything?" She asked herself before looking to Heidi.
"Uh, yeah, that's what your mind was saying, copycat. Your heart is...eh...indecisive as your mind. You can't decide on which feature is better, what about her you like more. That kind of stuff. Stop staring at me for a lifeline, copycat, you're doing fine and I'm trying to watch Tom and Jerry." Heidi told her before 'hmphing' and turning away to stare at the TV.
"Everything…" Hazel looked down at the ground perplexed. "Everything? That could be anything...anyone!" She looked back up at her, her eyes turning light grey before saying. "Okay." That's the only thing she could manage in her disappointment. "Obviously I'm making her feel uncomfortable. I won't pressure her anymore." She thought, pulling her hood over her head.
From the couch Heidi suddenly twitched before frowning in their direction. "In all my years of setting up people on this Isle, never have I seen two people more close and yet so dang clueless! That's it, I'm coming over there!" She announced, gathering up her blanket and beginning to stalk over towards them. "They just keep on getting harder to work with through the years." She muttered.
Hazel, who seemed to hide under her hood even more, peeked from under it. "W-what did I do..?" She asked, glancing at Terra before looking back at Heidi.
Heidi grumpily sat down on the ground before peering at them from under her blanket. "Kids...If you like someone, just say it for gods sake. And if you don't know what love is, like you copycat, say who you like to be around and who you would much rather spend a day with! I have seen a few people try and make the other guess that they like them and it didn't happen, so I am not going to sit here and watch it happen again!" She said with a huff, looking between the two girls.
Hazel looked to Heidi owlishly. Then she looked to Terra and swallowed thickly. She continued to hide behind her hood before gathering all of her courage. "Terra..?"
Terra looked at her, her blush still quite evident. She looked to struggle with even opening her mouth before noticing that Heidi had grabbed her by the arm for some reason. "Heidi...Why are you grabbing me by the arm?"
"So you can talk like a normal civilized copycat, kid." Heidi grumbled out, looking annoyed that she had to stick her arm out of her blanket.
"Oh…" Terra mumbled, blinking at how strange she was before looking back at Hazel. "Yes?"
Hazel opened her mouth. Then when no words came out, she closed it. Her eyes began to flicker every color of the rainbow as she kept attempting. Eventually, she closed her eyes and pulled the hood over her whole face. "For the love of…!" She said, becoming frustrated with herself and everything else. "I was asking you all of those questions because I fell in love with you and I wanted to know if you love me too!" At that moment…"Shit! Heart betrayal! What is wrong with my mouth!? Why can I never get control over my mouth!?" She lifted her cloak a bit in surprise. "You didn't hear that…"
Terra blinked in surprise, but before she could completely shut down, Heidi reached out with her other arm and grabbed the other bluenette's wrist. "Nope! No mental shutdowns today, missy. Not only does it send the wrong message but, frankly, it makes this a lot more awkward. I want you to respond to this girl who has just poured her heart out! Don't make me pull out the stronger emotion stuff, I only keep that in reserve for my special cases." She said in an annoyed manner.
Terra stared at Heidi owlishly, prompting Heidi to gesture to her heart. "Oh...Stop using my head because I overthink things." Terra mumbled, causing the other bluenette to slowly nod. Terra took a deep breath before smiling. "Okay, I did hear that and...with a lot of help from a clearly psychotic Heidi-" Heidi's mouth went agape. "-I do know what love is. And...I guess that is what I have been feeling all this time. I didn't really think about it, I never experienced it before...I guess you could say I didn't know what it was." She said softly.
Hazel moved the cloak enough for them to see one eye. The scared pink eye looked to the ground before looking at the goddess in confusion. "What?" She asked, her voice coming out quiet and timid.
Terra tilted her head. "What I'm trying to say is...I didn't know what love was to begin with, in the sense of this, and I...just put it with different things. Not to mention, like this crazy lady said, I am a mess. I don't know how to talk properly about it because it's just so...new. I know I felt something though, and it was that kind of fuzzy, warm feeling...And if I had to choose who to spend my day with...it would definitely be you." She said, her smile brightening.
Hazel's eyes immediately widened. Her mouth was slightly agape as she looked at the other woman in surprise and confusion. "Me..?" She breathed out. "You...said...me..?" She asked, shaking her head as if it couldn't be true.
Terra nodded with a soft chuckle. "I can't think of anybody else I would rather spend time with. Definitely not this psycho next to me."
"Oh, just because you have free speech you are suddenly insulting me. Thanks Heidi." Heidi muttered to herself, sinking her head deeper into her blanket.
Hazel's smile reached all the way to her teary eyes, completely ignoring Heidi. She opened her mouth and no words came out once again. She chuckled. "I don't know what to say…" Her eyes suddenly turning golden.
"You know what they say, actions speak louder than words." Terra said with a chuckle.
Heidi looked between them with narrowed eyes before suddenly letting go of Terra's wrists and bolting back to the couch. "My work is done!" She announced dramatically before staring at the TV. "Why did you turn it back to the Witchcraft Channel?"
Once again, not minding Heidi, Hazel glaced from Terra to the ground before asking, "I wanted to make sure I asked this time. May I...uh...kiss you." She twiddled her fingers before looking back up. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to…"
Terra raised an eyebrow, her smile still remaining. "M-Most people don't ask, they just do." She said, her stutter returning slightly.
Just making sure, Hazel asked. "So...you don't mind..? Sorry. I am not good with this." She said, now her face turning a bit red.
Terra shook her head in amusement. "N-No, I don't. Not to mention...I-I was the one who had to get help. I am worse." She said with a small chuckle.
Hazel chuckled before moving in closer, nearly closing the distance. "...Last chance." She said, giving Terra one more chance to back out.
Terra smirked. "J-Just do it. Stop thinking I'm gonna backpedal into a wall." She said in a joking manner.
One last smile before their lips met once again. This time the kiss was more warm and loving. It lasted for a good ten seconds before Hazel parted with a large grin.
Terra chuckled before blinking as she suddenly heard someone cheer, loudly.
Heidi was punching the air like a maniac. "Yeah, another couple falls in love, nah, nah, nah." She sang, doing a bit of a jig in her blanket. "And another one down, and another one down, and...wait, I'm going down-" She suddenly fell asleep, causing Hecate to turn around and start laughing in a hysterical manner
Hazel, who was laughing as well, peered over at the sleeping goddess. "And she's gone again." She said with a smile.
Hecate looked at them through her laughter and she took a deep breath before shaking her head. "And that, was repressed memories! She was running completely on repressed memories! That was Heidi before she went to Auradon!" She explained before suddenly laughing again.
Terra blinked. "That...wasn't actually even her?"
"Nope! I was curious about what might happen but, man, did I not expect that! Wow!" Hecate said, looking rather excited over this.
Hazel looked at Heidi in wonder before looking back at Hecate. "I don't think anyone expected that! I feel like I just got couple's counseled!" She said with a chuckle.
"That is because Heidi was quite the love guru before she went to Auradon. She'd be able to spy a person with a crush a mile away. And that pulse thing? She can hear your pulse! If she had people pay for her services, well, she'd be the richest Isle inhabitant. Lots of people benefited from her." Hecate explained with a small smirk.
Hazel tilted her head, impressed by this information. "That's...quite impressive actually…" She looked up in thought.
Terra nodded with a smile. "It is. I wonder why she stopped when she went to Auradon…"
"Oh, I can answer that." Hecate folded her arms. "Heidi has been with plenty of people, she has quite the record, so when she finally found that one, she just kind of repressed all that love guru and emotion powers so that she wouldn't attract anybody with her powers. She felt like it wasn't fair for her if she had to keep watching Heidi be surrounded with men and women alike."
Hazel nodded with a smile. "Yeah, that's completely understandable. I don't know what it's like to have that power, but I do have an idea." She laced her fingers together, feeling calmer than she's been in a while.
Terra looked at her in curiosity. "What kind of idea?"
Hazel's eyes immediately widened and snapping in her direction. She inhaled and gestured without saying words as if she had trouble finding them. Eventually she sighed. "Okay. I have a story to tell…"
Terra immediately summoned the chairs over while Hecate proceeded to create a rocking chair. They both looked at her, though Hecate was also looking at Heidi as if the bluenette would do something again.
Hazel inhaled before snapping her fingers. This caused an iridescent, purple book with golden pages appear in her hands. It had a large golden lock on the book, but no key hole. "Open." Hazel stated, and the book turned its own pages as the lock disappeared.
Hazel glanced at them for a second. "This is to make sure I don't forget anything important." She eyed the pages of her diary, skimming over them in preparation. "Hecate knows a piece of the story, but Terra. Do you know why Heidi hates me so badly?" She asked, her eyes still on the self moving pages.
Terra paused before shaking her head. "I thought it was over a miscommunication and a bit of...rage on Heidi's part." She said, rubbing her arm in thought.
Hazel looked at her and shrugged. "I guess you could consider it a miscommunication..? I don't know, but here…" She pointed to one of the earliest pages. "This is back in my own dimension when Heidi and I first met." She looked to them both. "At first she tried to threaten me...but it didn't work too well… I have a group of isle friends so….yeah. I am not that easily intimidated. After she explained that she was on the run, I took her to Ara and my dorm to hide away from Mal. After we got her a valid disguise at the mall we snuck to...I promised to return her home and with some convincing Ara and the boys joined. We ended up going on the trip together." She looked up in thought.
Hecate raised an eyebrow. "Well, the part where Heidi is bad at threatening is correct. Only when she goes full Hades." She said the last part to herself.
Terra tilted her head. "Huh, and you do know that she is the Goddess of Promises, right?" She asked, finding that part interesting.
Hazel nodded with a smile. "She told me that later on during the trip, but I am telling the simplified version. If not, I could go on and on." She shook her head. "Anyway, her ember was broken and her magic was acting a bit strange. That's why we had to help her. After I persuaded my sister to help, I woke up the next morning to get our recreational vehicle I rented for all of us to take the trip." She chuckled. "You wouldn't believe my surprise when I saw Heidi passed out in the bathtub! She died her hair sooo…" She trailed off in laughter.
"You probably freaked out didn't you?" Hecate asked with a smirk. "That's why I told her to use a spell to get herself clean, so she didn't pass out."
Terra chuckled at that before looking at Hazel. "You said her magic was a bit strange? Maybe just a general explanation, we are goddesses of magic after all." She gestured to Hecate who shrugged.
Hazel rolled her eyes, "This shouldn't be a surprise to you, but before Heidi, we had never met a god or goddess before. We didn't start learning until Heidi joined the mix." She shrugged. "Anyway, she persuaded me to take her to get the vehicle...yada yada yada…" She said, flipping through the pages. "Okay. Here is where we started to have problems. This was during the trip when my group of friends pretty much accepted Heidi as a friend. My sister and Heidi hit it off pretty well, I was in charge, I made sure everyone got their job done, and I would make breakfast in the mornings...the only problem was...I began to go out of my way to do certain things for her." She looked up from the book. "For example, if she wanted strawberries on her waffle, I would snap and about thirty perfectly cut berries would appear on the platter." She shook her head, pondering her memories. "Knowing me...as myself. I knew what was going on. I had a crush on her, but I already knew we couldn't ever be, so it put some serious anxiety on me."
She looked down at the pages and said, "My friends tried to tell me to talk it out with her, but...no…" She shook her head. "Instead, I constantly locked myself in my room, avoided her, never made eye contact, and everything else involved with running away from her in general. That's when we began to bicker some, I believe? Me and my sister got into a huge fight. Eventually we worked it out before she left back to her world."
Then she sighed. "But of course my sister is crazy and asked Hades in our world to hop dimensions. He didn't care. Hestia, who really likes us in our world, lead is to it. We found our own way out of Heidi's underworld and now I know why. All the back into the same awkward predicament Heidi and I where in before." She flipped the next couple of pages. "Hecate already knows about me impersonating Audrey, yes...yes...but that's a story for another time." She said, waving that off. "Okay and finally the mountain. By that time...I actually wanted to die. I felt like a total outcast in my family, I got into a really bad fight with my mother over defending Heidi, and I was horribly in love with someone I could never have. I went up there with death in mind. I mean, it would have been great if I lived, but death was the most realistic outcome." She said casually. "Then out of all people, Heidi came to knock some sense into me." She took a deep breath.
Then she exhaled. "You could only imagine how well that went." She said with sarcasm. "We were both screaming and angry and...I regret some of the things I said. I should have never said those things. I ended up passing out and waking up in Skadi's home. Instead of telling her "thank you" like I wanted to, I talked to Skadi without saying a single word to Heidi. Turns out, Skadi is my grandmother. I managed to help Skadi discover my mom was still alive and we headed back to Auradon. Heidi had ice over her mouth because of Skadi, who basically said she shouldn't speak. Then...I said that no where is quiet with her around." She looked up from the book, closing it with sad, grey eyes. "I didn't mean it. I just said it because that was the only way I knew how to get relief. After that, she flew off and I hadn't seen her till now." She finished with a sigh.
Hecate was silent in thought while Terra had a slight grimace. "That would explain why she kept going on and on about how everyone wanted her to stay away and be silenced. She was really upset about that as that's how her uncle treats her. The king, from what I hear, regularly tries to take her out." She said with a frown.
Hazel looked at her with tears streaming down her face. "I didn't mean it...I didn't want any of this to happen...and I blame myself." She began to wipe her face to no avail. "I am just so scared to face her. Especially now. I can't even die without her jumping in and changing up my plans…" She chuckled mirthlessly. "I just don't know what else to do…" She closed her eyes and snapped the book away.
Hecate opened her eyes and looked at her. The goddess wore a strangely serious look on her face that seemed completely out of place. "Heidi's fear and hatred stems from a deeper more paralyzing fear of abandonment. So...I can only assume that she felt abandoned once again. It may not even be actual abandonment but...That kind of stuff isn't something to toy around with when she's around." She said in a cryptic manner.
Hazel looked at her. Her eyes flaring red before turning back to their somber silver. "...and here I thought I couldn't possibly feel any worse." She said with a quivering voice dripping with sarcasm.
Hecate regarded her with a calm look. "What I am trying to say is...She doesn't know who to trust anymore because of how many different people and different gods have abandoned her over her lifetime...I don't know what is going on inside her mind, I can only make guesses here and there." She stated, lacing her hands together. "In her mind, you could have done nothing and she would have felt it."
Hazel looked at her before looking at the ground. "I didn't do nothing. I did something. I said something and she sounded so...shattered. Whatever she thinks of me, I deserve it." Her gaze remained on the ground.