"AAAAROOOOOOO…CRUNCH…"

"Bad dog," Shego growled as she backhanded the Rock Wolf with her gauntleted fist. The great armored beast staggered back, leaving her the perfect opening. Tightening the grip on her plasma-wrought blade, she slashed across the wolf's neck…and heard the clatter of a helmet striking the rocky ground beneath. With a dull THUMP, the rest of the body collapsed to the ground. She could pick up a faint gust of wind and Shego couldn't help but wince as the rest of the armor seemed to collapse in on itself.

Satisfied with her work, Shego turned to face the rest of the fight. Angus, the black-haired knight in the silver armor, appeared to be more than busy keeping those hoards of…they called them Spriggans, she thought…at bay. Shego hardly seemed to notice the dull thud…thud of the giant rocks his flail seemed to create out of thin air. Man…how messed up were things that something like THAT didn't even register with her now? Her life had certainly been crazy enough to drive most people straight to the loony bin but this…anyone looking at this had to think it was taking thing to an entirely NEW level of crazy.

That just left Ivar and the Sea Serpent of Temra.

According to Conchabar and a few others she'd spoken with back at the castle, while the meta weapons the knights used all came from Finvarra, each of the knights had earned their armor by defeating one of these…she'd charitably call them "knights"…in a one on one fight. After all, the Rock Wolf…while a LITTLE on the intimidating side…frankly looked like the thing had just jumped out of a Saturday morning cartoon…

…the Sea Serpent on the other hand; God, upon first sight, Shego had crossed herself and uttered a prayer before she'd even realized she'd done it. What had she really been expecting; maybe a man in some kind of enchanted armor like the knights. With a moniker like the "Sea Serpent", maybe he'd have a bit of a Poseidon flavor to his appearance.

What had greeted them upon arriving at this rather picturesque inlet, unfortunately, was something out of a psychotic nightmare. At first glance, Shego's initial thought had been Damn; if Hell had been an ocean, that had to be Satan…was that whip made out of a SPINE…and Ivar had faced this creature not once, not twice, but THREE times and won? Having to keep this hormonal yutz away from her…to be fair…equally hormonal yutz of a daughter or no, seeing him move straight for that monstrosity, putting himself directly between her and the creature, his stock may have gone up a point or two.

Shego glanced up the hill, trying to spot the young prince in question. All she could see was a whirl of blue and a trident being spun like a cyclone. He seemed to be matching the Sea Serpent blow for blow with no signs of slowing down. She half considered jumping into the fray to give the guy a hand but…at the speed the two were moving at…as much as she hated to admit it, she'd be more in the way than anything else.

At any rate, with "Fido" over there down for the count, she needed to find that stone!

Finvarra had been right. Whatever this stone was made of, she could feel it, as sure as she could feel her daughters miles away. Unfortunately, that wasn't all she could feel. Whatever this meta-energy was coursing through the mountain, something about it felt…wrong, like a rotting taste that Shego couldn't get off of her tongue no matter how hard she spit. The closest thing she could think of was…well…to be honest, it kind of reminded her of the time Kimmie tried to make jambalaya. Shego had done her wifely duty and had a bowl…and thought she'd been convincing it making it look edible. Heck, even the twins had done their duty and finished a bowl without comment. That night though…God, Shego didn't think one stomach could heave that much up short of downing a case of ipecac. Wherever this hunk of magical rock was…God, it was coated in her wife's cooking.

Shego circled around the mountainside, her cat burglar senses kicking in. Okay…wherever the rock was, she couldn't get at it directly, at least not without getting in Ivar's way. The brawl seemed to flow across the entire plateau like a river. The only spot they didn't seem to come near was a small cave opening. If the stone was somewhere in the mountain, THAT was her point of entry.

Damn it; this shouldn't be that hard. At 19, Shego had been one of the best cat burglars in the world. Multi-million dollar security systems laid down for her like lovers. For God's sake, she'd broken into the Louvre on a dare, completely undetected. She didn't even steal anything, just left a friendly little note in the protective case of the Mona Lisa.

HERE was a location with absolutely no security system; hell, it didn't even have a wall. For all it mattered, she could drop right out of the sky and…and…

…if she could've backhanded herself across the head with a plasma engulfed fist, she'd have deserved it; how could she have missed it? This was just like that time she'd had to break into that chalet outside Zurich so she could lift a pair of Van Goghs. The security in that joint WAS one of the better models Shego had gone up against, motion sensors covering every inch of the property AND up and down the only road leading into it, cameras covering every entrance point. The entire security team was former Vatican Swiss Guard and Israeli Defense Force and they had the shift change down to 20 seconds.

As brilliant as the setup was, there was ALWAYS a way in! To the owner's credit, Shego's plan HAD been half crazy and even Shego herself had been shocked that it had worked.

This was actually going to be relatively easy. Shego ignited her hands and pressed them against the rock surface. She tried to focus, turning up the temperature until her hands sunk into the mountainside like a hot knife through butter. With a stiff grunt, she hefted herself up and began climbing. God, she'd forgotten about this little part of the Zurich job. When your hands were bathed in red hot…or rather green hot…plasma, it was like trying to climb up a sand dune if a sand dune had a vertical face. She could feel herself sink back down a few inches with every grab but slowly…AGONIZINGLY slowly…she found herself hanging above the fray playing out on the plateau. A hormone-addled teenage male Ivar might have been but, as Shego gazed upon his movements, she couldn't help but admire his style. Each thrust, every parry, was like a flowing dance. She'd have to time this just right. If she slid down the mountain, she'd be deposited squarely in the middle of the melee. Ivar had to be as far away from the center as possible.

Ivar danced from position to position…and Shego spotted her opening. The Sea Serpent staggered back as Ivar delivered a swift kick to the demon's ribs. It was now or never! Shego let go of the mountainside and slid down. God, as hard as it made it to move, than God she was wearing armor. Rock after rock seemed to dig into her sides as she slid down. Armor or no, she was going to be covered in bruises after this.

…CRUNCH…

Shego felt her jaw snap shut as her iron clad boots hit the ground. No time to think. She spun backwards towards the cave. She could feel it! Whatever this stone was, she felt like she could just reach out and touch it. Bracing herself, Shego's hands ignited. This would need to be hot! Closing her eyes, the flaming plasma went from her familiar deep green to an almost white. She slammed her hands into the rock and raked a chunk out, heaving it aside. Scoop after scoop of molten rock fell behind her…

…the feeling was near indescribable! She was so close! Meta-energy flowed through every fiber, every molecule of her body. She felt ALIVE! More alive than she could every remember feeling. Her body WAS meta-energy!

Then, with a gasping cry, the meta-energy cascaded out of her like a tidal wave crashing against a rock wall. Even though she'd been at it for only a few seconds, Shego had grown so used to her hands moving so fluidly through the rock and stone that it completely failed to register that she'd hit something solid…so to speak. As much energy as she had drawn before, it paled in comparison to the torrent that she could feel now; it felt like the air itself was being sucked through her into…the crystal…

…BOOOOOOOM…

It felt like someone had shot off a rapid-fire howitzer next to her head. It was so brief that she couldn't even be sure it had happened but Shego's entire world went completely blindingly white. As soon as it had come, the light vanished…

…COUGH…COUGH…

God, Shego felt like she was going to barf up a lung. She felt herself double over in a coughing fit. What…what in God's name had she done? Her body felt like mush and the ringing in her ears was like a deafening roar. Had…had she blown something up? She felt a stinging sensation shoot through her eyes and she tried to bring her arm up to scrub the dust out but she might as well have been in a straightjacket for all that she could move.

"I…cough…Ivar? Angus?"

At least that was what Shego THOUGHT she'd cried. With all the ringing her ears, the pair of them could've been standing a foot behind her, screaming their lungs out and she wouldn't have been able to hear. Even through the dust, the only orientation she had was a glowing beam of light, almost floating in front of her…

"…go? La…go?"

It was faint but she could just make out a voice breaking through the ringing.

"I…Ivar?" Shego coughed.

"Lady Possible?"

There was a gust of wind and the dust finally began to clear. Shego was…OH GOOD GOD! What had Shego done? She honestly had no idea exactly how far she'd burrowed like a mole into the mountain…five…maybe 10 feet? So there had been plenty of mountain still above her…until now. Scrubbing away the dust caking her face with her left arm, the seasoned cat burglar and thief found herself not inside a cave but what looked far more like a crater. It…Shego didn't even know how to describe it. It looked like a perfect sphere had literally been burned into the mountaintop, vaporizing everything around it with the exception of her. It was like…almost like Arnold being sent back in time in Terminator 2. Everything was a perfect sphere.

And right at the center was her quarry, her fingers only millimeters away from it. Shego didn't really have any idea what she was expecting, some kind of pagan idol, a crystal skull; hell, with how crazy her life was, it could've been the Ark of the Covenant and she wouldn't have been all that surprised. The stone looked like an ordinary lump of quartz like you'd see in any number of jewelry stores, hobby shops, or science museums; but this…this was different. Now that she had time to think…really think…she could FEEL it, as strong as if it were Gracie standing in front of her. More than that, God, how did she explain this, it almost felt like the stone could feel her…or like it was calling out to her as well. Shego quickly realized that her right hand hadn't even moved, still hovering just over the stone. Oh God, she could feel it! The power in that piece of rock, pulsing like a heartbeat; she'd drawn so much power that…had…had she done this?

"Lady Possible?"

It took every ounce of willpower to tear her hand away from that glorious sensation. If she just touched it again…NO! No, this was starting to freak her out! This was…intoxicating, like the highest drug high you could ever experience. Shego…had to stop. Her hand tensed up and she closed it into a fist. She could do this; she had to! They needed that stone. She took a deep breath and channeled a ball of plasma. Taking careful aim, she slammed her fist into the rock, slicing a jagged hole. The crystal clattered to the ground.

"Lady Possible?"

Shego nearly leaped out of her skin as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Spinning on her feet, a plasma-engulfed hand shot out for the intruders throat…and felt the breath that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding shoot out of her in a rush.

"Oh thank God," She gasped, relaxing her hand.

"What…what in the name of the Gods was that?"

"I…" Shego was still trying to catch her breath. "I think I…touched the crystal. I…started drawing in more and more power, more than I can ever remember drawing in before…and when I finally let go, it was like someone set off a nuke…uh…it was like the fires of the Underworld were unleashed right next to my head."

"Indeed," Ivar seemed to ignore or completely miss her slip of the tongue. How the heck would she explain a nuke to these people? He looked around at the plateau. "Well, whatever you did appears to have blown the Sea Serpent to that very same Underworld, thank the Gods. I shudder to think what would've happened had my trident not been planted in the rock."

"Ivar…you'd better take the crystal," Shego gave a shudder and pointed to the rock. "I don't know what will happen if I touch the thing again."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Maeve let out a shriek and hurled a blast at the wall. The servants had learned long since to disappear from view when the Queen was in a fury, giving her a limited supply of targets.

"HOW?" She screeched, collapsing onto her throne. "You gave me your word that the combined power of the Sentinels would overwhelm those knights and that sorry bitch of a sorceress that Conchabar has working for him. You even sent more help to capture the woman's offspring AND YOU STILL FAILED!" Maeve let out another shriek of rage and sent a blast of magic towards the table, sending the gold chalice skittering across the floor. There was a spark of green light and Midar appeared from within the flames. Overcome by her rage, Maeve sent a bolt of magic towards the dark faery. Midar gave a sniff of derision and deftly snapped his fingers, the bolt disappearing into nothingness. He snapped his fingers again and Maeve felt her entire body go rigid. The dark faery fixed the queen with an icy glare and clapped his hands. Maeve felt herself rise into the air.

"Your childish outbursts were amusing once," Midar barked as he walked towards his prisoner. "Rest assured, those days are long since passed!" He waved his hand and Maeve began to slowly spin. "We've learned that, regrettably, the pair of us need each other; you need my magic to help you gain control of Kells…and without the chalice, I'd still be banished to the prison Finvarra trapped me in."

Midar let out a small laugh as he saw the look of panic begin to dawn on his prisoner's face. The queen was rapidly beginning to realize how far she had gone.

"But understand me and understand me quite well QUEEN," Midar snarled, pouring as much contempt into the mortal title as he could. "You will never strike me with the magic I have generously bestowed upon you! If you do…a need for you or no…the punishment will be more than you can dream in your darkest nightmares," A gleeful smile spread across the dark faery's face as he snapped his fingers. In one violent motion, the slowly spinning Maeve was flipped upside down, her robes falling to the ground, revealing the pale skin. Midar had long since given up on trying to understand the standards of mortal beauty but he had to assume that Maeve would be considered quite beautiful. Thanks to the spell, her body remained completely motionless, giving Midar the chance to fully appreciate her.

"The Ice Lord quite desired the older faery child…and was quite infuriated at having missed out on enjoying his spoils," Midar cackled and snapped is fingers. Had Maeve been able to move…or speak…Midar would've savored her screams as he sent those jolts through her sex, but a fraction of what the Ice Lord would've done. "But I'm sure that if he was in the right mood, he'd find THESE spoils quite enjoyable. The Queen's face was still as stone but Midar savored the scarlet filling her cheeks and the look of utter panic in her eyes. "And I WILL send you to the Ice Lord and leave you to his ministrations. If you EVER strike me again, there will only be a hollow husk where once stood a queen!"

Midar snapped his fingers and Maeve returned to an upright position, her robes once again covering her. Without warning, she dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

"…GASP…GASP…YOU…DEMON…" Maeve choked out.

…Midar raised his fingers as if to snap again…

…Maeve's mouth snapped shut with a loud SNAP.

"Now, we may have encountered a setback…but there are far more ways to skin this cat. All it takes is the will to do so!"

Author's Notes:

Working two jobs during the summer kind of put a crimp in my publishing. Been getting a lot of writing done but now is the first I've been able to type my drafts up.

Hope you're enjoying the adventures. The Possible family may have gotten the stones but their darkest hour is yet to come!