Back at the cottage, Hazel walked around. Audrey went elsewhere, most likely to ponder over her plot. Meanwhile, Hazel tidied things up. Audrey had done a great deal of damage when she threw her rage fit. So, Hazel used her powers to help out the princess. She picked up couches easily before setting them down gently. She fixed the mirrors using her and repaired any other furniture she had.
It's amazing what you can do with determination and magic.
After an hour's worth of work, Hazel placed her hands on her hip and smiled. "There we go." She looked around with a nod. "Now that is a healthy plotting space."
Hazel looked outside of the window, seeing the sunset. It was now late evening and a few hours since the little...adventure in the museum. Hazel blinked at that before placing herself on the couch. And earlier she wanted to run away! Now, look at what she had gotten into!
She had sighed at that before stretching and relaxing. In her relaxation, she pulled out her phone only to be surprised. Apparently Audrey had made the front cover in the newspaper, she was currently on the news, and worse. This report was trending. On the bright side, she didn't see anything about herself. That's good. It means she could walk around freely. She just couldn't let her sister see her.
Hazel sighed at that. She guessed she would have to stay with Audrey for a while. Hazel's home would be the first place her sister would check.
She shook her head before she kept scrolling through the news. Hazel blinked before tilting her head. It was a video of...Hades? Hazel leaned forward in interest.
Hazel tapped to see the full description. "Huh…" She got out before tapping the play button.
The video was only about a minute long and showed the purple limo that belonged to Ben and Mal pull out as the camera panned a bit. As it panned, the crowd on the Isle suddenly scattered before one person was left standing. The tall man in leather had a devilish grin on his face as he slowly pointed to his eyes then right at the camera. The blue-haired man smirked as the limo stopped and Mal got out...before he just turned and walked away.
"Ughhh…" Hazel said as chills ran down her spine. "That...gave me goosebumps. Man, he is creepy." She shook her arms out after putting her phone down.
After that, she picked up her phone again before heading to Audrey's room. The door was left open. Because of this, the ruby haired girl walked right in. She saw Audrey plotting as expected. The young woman was mumbling to herself as she wrote things down.
"I hate to bother you...Audrey?" Hazel called to the busy princess.
Interestingly, Audrey did not seem to hear her. She was too busy plotting. It was like she was in another world.
Hazel blinked at that before smiling the slightest. She walked deeper into the room until she was behind the young woman. "Audrey?" She said, tapping her shoulder.
Audrey's head flew up while the scepter flared a bit in surprise. "What? What is it?" She asked in confusion before her eyes narrowed.
Hazel displayed her phone before saying, "Relax. I just wanted to show you the news. See? You made front page...and you are trending~." She said with a small smile.
Audrey tilted her head before shrugging a bit. "...And it says that the security guard was so concerned that he reported you missing." She said casually before going back to writing.
Hazel blinked at that. She double-checked her phone. She must have missed that. "I'm missing? Huh, I'm missing. There goes my walking freedom." She said with exasperation.
"The security moron is at fault...he's too nice for his own good." Audrey said with a roll of her eyes.
Hazel shrugged before saying, "Well...I'm just going to make the best of it." She shook her head. "Also, did you see the video about Hades?" She pulled it up just in case.
Audrey watched the short video before raising an eyebrow. "Wonder why he didn't escape." She commented while playing with her pen.
Hazel nodded at that. "I don't know. All I know is he makes my skin crawl." She shivers once again. "I'm going to have to make sure Ara is responsible with that key of hers...in spirit." She said, referring to Ara's isle key before commenting on her current circumstances.
Audrey hummed at that as she wrote something down. "That guy looks like he's lost his mind." She said, referring to Hades as she overlooked the rest of what Hazel said.
Hazel nodded in agreement. "Yeah. He's crazy and powerful...crazy powerful. He's a god. Brother of Zeus actually. I studied over him a bit when I used to go to the prep school." She said, looking up in thought.
"Those gods are...trouble if the books say anything." Audrey said as she tilted her head while the scepter glowed for a moment.
Hazel nodded at that. "Very much so." She chuckled a bit. "If someone were to break him out, he'd level the place in less than a week." She said, sitting on a seat before playing with her fingers.
Audrey was silent in thought at that. "...True. The problem is making him stop." She said, clearly thinking about something concerning Hades.
Not really paying attention to the other woman"s actions, Hazel said, "True. That's why I'm the keeper of Ara's Isle key. She visits her brother JR every now and then. I am the one that makes sure no one leaves with us." She said before looking back at Audrey.
"I'm not concerned with the task of removing Hades from the Isle, my issue...stands with his lack of control. He released the titans and in turn flattened several cities while also destroying others and killing many...because he wanted the throne to Olympus. What's stopping him from releasing giant dogs or something?" Audrey said with a deep frown, not bothering to sugarcoat the fact that she wanted to break Hades out.
Hazel blinked at that, picking up on her interest. "Maybe...we could talk terms? I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement." She said with a shrug.
"I suppose...And it would certainly throw a wrench in any plan Auradon might be making." Audrey said with a small smile.
Hazel nodded at that confidently. "With the three of us? There's no way Auradon can stop us." She smiled at that.
Audrey smirked and stood. "Hmm...Maybe we should get a head start...they are all still panicking from the museum break-in, so...something tells me that they aren't guarding the Isle right now." She said with a chuckle.
Hazel tapped her chin before saying, "Yeah...I...m-may or may not have an idea…" She said before looking up.
Audrey looked at her in interest as she grabbed the scepter. "Really? Well...do share." She said with a smirk.
Hazel looked at Audrey before nodding...and fighting the urge to swoon. "Well, I know that my sis and I visit the Isle often. I can teleport us in, but I'll swipe Ara's button. That will help us get beyond the barrier. Once we get beyond the barrier, our best bet is escaping as fast as possible. There are c-cameras around there." She looked to the side. "If everyone is as scared as we think, Ara won't be a problem until it's too late." She looked back at Audrey with a timid smile.
Audrey nodded as she rubbed her chin. "If I am correct...a simple zap of electricity will take those cameras out. So while they are all debating about how to deal with yours truly...we'll be busting a bigger problem out." She said with a grin.
Hazel smiled and nodded at that. "Yeah...that's what I've got so far. I'm not the best at making plans, but it can work." She scratched her head before looking elsewhere.
"As long as you can get us out...I can get us in." Audrey said with a chuckle.
Hazel grinned at that. "Let me get the button." She whispered in excitement before briefly disappearing.
88888888
It was a rather slow evening for the lone god of the Isle. He woke up, saw a random dead person, then scared all of Auradon with a grin. After all of that tedious and, admittingly, boring activities, the god decided to nap while he had peace and silence.
Normally it would be a long nap for Hades, due to his terrifying presence, but the half-awake god had a feeling, like a little itch, that someone was about to ruin his perfectly good napping period.
He pondered that with half-opened eyes before shrugging and folding his arms as he relaxed into the chair. Despite the feeling he had, the one that kept growing, he knew that someone would have to have a death wish to even make it past the various warning signs he put up at the entrance of his cave. The very-clearly described three-headed dog along with the record player usually did the trick.
Smiling and tossing an empty can to start up said record player, the god expected that his nap would go smoothly...until he heard the distinct sound of something appearing in his vicinity. The god scowled, thinking it was an annoying god to come in and bother him, he picked up another can and tossed it in the direction that the magic pulsed from.
All he heard was a squeak before a very timid Hazel came into view. By reflex, she had captured the can in a magnetic field. "Nice aim." She said as she shook off her shock before sending the can elsewhere.
"I've had decades of practice." Hades said neutrally while staring her down.
Hazel looked at him before nodding. "It paid off. So, you're Hades?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"The one and only." He said while gesturing lazily to himself. "You aren't one of my former annoying 'friends' in Olympus, so who the hell are you?" He asked with a fold of his arms.
Hazel blinked in exasperation before replying. "I am Hazel. You don't know me. I want to bust you out." She said after taking a deep breath and getting straight to the point.
Hades stared at her as Audrey walked into his line of view. He spied the scepter in her hand and tilted his head. "Funny to see a living person holding that." He commented in a bored tone.
Hazel glanced at the scepter before saying, "Yeah...that thing...it's a long story." She shook her head. "Look. I'm here because I have a proposition." She said, fully in business mode.
"Which form of hell are you sending me to?" Hades asked dryly, assuming that they were here for something else.
Hazel tilted her head before saying, "If Auradon is to your liking, you'll be released to go roam around out there." She referred to beyond the barrier with a jab of her thumb.
Hades stared at her some more. "You...just want to let me run around?" He asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice as his eyes narrowed.
Hazel shook her head before thinking about it and shrugging. "We are not good guys. Not any more. We have a list of things to get done, some people to get vengeance on, and some lessons to teach. We want your help. In return, we break you out." She said, mentioning Audrey as well.
Hades raised an eyebrow as he looked at them both for any kind of trick. When he couldn't find one and saw that they still shared the same expressions, he looked away a bit and sat up. "Why?" He asked, purposefully not saying anything else as he didn't notice a kid entering the cave.
Audrey tilted her head. "You want your revenge on Auradon...and Olympus as well. So, why ask why we are doing this?" She asked with a smirk.
Hades eyed her with suspicion before standing up and looking down at them. "I ask because I can't trust anyone these days." He said with a frown before growing exasperated as there was a thump behind him.
Hazel looked up at him with her normal neutral expression. She took a moment before saying, "If you don't believe us," She said before reaching into her pocket and pulling out the Isle key. "Believe this. Once you step one foot out of the barrier, you'll get all of your power back." She tilted her head. "Even if we were trying to set you up, you'd be able to toast us by then." She held her hands up before letting them fall to her sides.
Hades stared her down before folding his arms and turning to the side. "That's...correct." He said as he ignored the sight of the kid continuing to trip on the can that kept rolling under his feet.
"Then just come with us. Surely a god could overpower us if we try to betray you." Audrey said with a giggle as she leaned on the scepter.
Hazel pursed her lips. "So, whaddya say?" She asked before raising her eyebrow. "This offer only comes once." She looked at him curiously.
Hades was silent before huffing and muttering a "Fine" before he finally acknowledged the kid. "Hadie, just stand up like a normal person." He said with heavy sarcasm as he turned away and went to go get something.
As soon as Hades left, Hazel looked at Audrey with a large grin. "W-whew. Good thing I went to business school." She said before taking note of the boy.
"He seemed awfully suspicious even with your skills." Audrey commented with a raised eyebrow.
Hazel shrugged at that. "He's Hades and...this is the Isle. I'm pretty sure he's heard his fair share of scams. How was he supposed to know we're for real?" She said before walking up to Hadie. Hazel just picked the boy up and sat him where there were no cans. "There you go." She said with a smile.
"T-Thanks…" Hadie said with a nervous smile before yelping as Hades tossed a scarf at him.
Hazel chuckled at that. She tilted her head at him. "Don't worry about it." She smiled at the young boy. Hazel would give him about 6 or 7 years old.
Hadie glanced around before looking at Hades. "...Is my dad going somewhere?" He asked with a curious look.
Hazel blinked at that. "He-he's your?" Hazel looked to the side before nodding. "Yeah, he is. Why?"
"H-He...didn't m-mention that…" Hadie said, seemingly getting nervous as he looked up at her.
Hazel frowned as her eyes changed a few colors. "D-do-do you have a mother?"
"Uh...no...n-not really." Hadie said while scratching the back of his head.
Hazel nodded at that before standing up. She walked over to Audrey before saying, "We're taking him." With a blank expression.
"Him? Why?" Audrey asked with furrowed eyebrows.
Hazel shifted her weight nervously before saying, "Okay. Well, Hades is leaving and the little g-guy doesn't have a mom. He's going to b-be all alone...on the Isle of all places! He's too young!" She said before nibbling on her thumbnail.
Audrey looked at the kid before frowning and exhaling. "Fine. But he is your responsibility. Seeing as he just wanted to leave the kid...I'd say your the only one that's going to be watching him." She said while looking at Hades with a head tilt.
Hazel blinked before looking down in thought. She nodded happily at that. "T-Thank you, Audrey." She said as she offered her a smile.
Audrey nodded silently and waved it off. "It's nothing...just go get him." She said, looking away in thought about something.
Hazel blinked at that before nodding. "Come here, little guy. We're breaking you out too. It's like Monopoly...mixed with secret agents spy shows…" She said with a raised eyebrow at her description.
Hadie tilted his head at that before walking over to her. "S-So it is a breakout?" He asked with curiosity.
Hazel smiled at that before carrying the kid and placing him on her back piggyback style. "I like to use the words...jailbreak." She said with a chuckle.
"Hmm...that makes s-sense." Hadie said with a nod as he looked around from his higher vantage point.
Hazel smiled at that before nodding. "Yeah. As soon as your dad is ready we can get out of here." She said, looking around for the god
Speaking of Hades, the blue-haired god was busy looking around, trying on random things, and tossing even more stuff around. "Where is that thing?" He said with heavy annoyance.
Hazel tilted her head at that. "Hades..? Everything good?" She called in concern for all of the time they are losing.
"I can't find my scarf." Hades said plainly while his son tilted his head at him. "Don't give me that look, Hadie. You probably let one of those idiot demons take it." He said with a huff.
Hadie shook his head. "P-Pain and P-Panic really don't...take a-anything…" He said with a nervous look.
"Then you lost it, nice." Hades said sarcastically.
Hazel blinked before looking at Hades with exasperation. "Why don't we just...leave without it? We have to hurry before the panic dies down." She said, referencing the citizens of Auradon.
"Don't worry about those idiots...they'll be busy for days just debating what my little message means." Hades said, not seeming one bit concerned.
Hazel sighed at that before saying, "Fine, fine. I just...hope you find it soon...really soon to be exact."
While Hades continued to look around, Audrey rolled her eyes and turned to look at Hazel. "Funny how nobody mentioned that he's a fashion lover." She said with slight irritation.
Hazel nodded at that. "Yeah, right? I just...don't want to ruin his moment." She looked at Audrey. "First time out in 20 years? I would want to look my best also."
Hadie yawned as he rested his head on Hazel's. "He's w-weird like that." He said with halved eyes.
"Well, he better hurry up before I drag him out." Audrey said, directing a glare towards Hades.
Hazel looked between them both before sighing. "Hades...I don't think you're gonna find it…" She shook her head with halved eyes.
Hades huffed before kicking over something and turning around. "Screw it." He said before grumbling about how 'the kid' is probably hiding it somewhere and marched towards the cave entrance.
Hazel nodded at that and motioned for Audrey to follow her. "Fantastic." She smiled and followed him.
8888888
Panic. There was nothing but panic in Auradon. People had absolutely lost their minds in fear. They were stampeding the grocery stores. They were doing anything that made them feel a little safer.
In the midst of all the chaos, Ara and company made sure wild things didn't happen. She had already narrowly stopped two car wrecks, a robbery, and a public street fight. She kept her eyes open for anything else that was out of line, but it was hard to do so when the whole city lost their minds. She can only imagine the country. There was no way she could stop everyone.
"Ara, are you there?" Sounded off through her earpiece.
She blinked at the sound of Triple G's voice. "Yeah, G. What is it?" Ara tilt ed her head.
"Ben tried to call you. He asked me to tell you he needs you now. Like…right now." He explained. "They are at Belle and Beast's castle."
"Beast castle? Alright." Ara frowned a bit before saying. "Have you heard anything from Hazel? She looked pretty down before she went to Ben's meeting and we kind of...ditched. Our mental connection is...off. I hope I didn't make her mad or anything." Ara shook her head before taking off in the direction of the castle.
Triple G was silent for a moment. "Ah...no. I haven't heard from her, but I will totally keep a lookout. Okay? Talk to you later." He said before preparing to sign off.
Ara sighed with a, "Bye." And allowed him to hang up.
That was before she blinked again. "Oh, ha! I can...I can teleport." She chuckled at that before simply teleporting inside the large castle.
The blue-haired girl already knew where they would be meeting. She scampered to the door before slowly pushing the door open. Inside the room was Ben, his parents, Fairy GodMother, and Mal.
"Maybe if I creep in no one will notice how late I am…" She thought to herself before slowly sneaking into the room.
Unfortunately for her, Ben so happened to turn around. "Ara!"
The girl jumped in surprise.
"I'm so happy you could join us." Ben said with a happy smile.
Ara blinked for a minute before adjusting her walk (like she wasn't trying to creep in). "Heh heh...sup." She said with a hand clap. "I apologize for the tardiness. Auradon turned into Nat Geo Wild out there. I mean, bruh it's crazy." She said casually while Beast frowned at her presence.
Ben nodded at that, Not minding her speech. "I understand. I'm sure you are very busy during the current crisis." He said, pulling out his phone as it buzzed. "That is actually what we are talking about."
Ara nodded at that before standing at attention. "Alrighty. Let's get to business."
Ben nodded at that. "Just to catch you up on things, we had Hades being...creepy, the break-in concerning Audrey, and then there's…" He frowned and looked to the side.
Ara, now curious, asked, "What? What is it?" She tilted her head.
Ben swallowed before saying, "...It's Hazel. The security guard at the museum reported her missing. It happened around the time Audrey stole the crown and scepter…" He said slowly in case he needed time to move out of the way.
Ara blinked at that. "She's...what?" She asked with an expression of clear worry.
Ben nodded once more. "That's why I asked for you personally. It's not like Hazel to just...go missing. She was there when I proposed to Mal. That was earlier so…" He shook his head in thought.
Ara blinked at that. "Wait. You...proposed to Mal?" She blinked at that. "At-at the? Sorry. I wasn't...there." She faked a cough before turning back to Ben.
Ben nodded at that. "Yeah, I did. She was there then. I don't know what happened later on." He said in thought.
Ara looked down at that. "Ohhh…" That's when she winced. "I'll...I'll look into it." She said before shooting a glare at Mal.
Ben, not seeming to notice, nodded at that with a smile. "Thanks, Ara." He said before suddenly paling as he looked at his phone.
Belle looked at her son with worry before asking, "What's the matter?"
Ben just silently walked over to Mal. He shakily placed the phone in Mal's hand. He looked like he nearly wanted to pass out.
Mal looked at the phone as her eyes widened a fraction as she bit her lip and looked like she had just said something very explicit mentally. She frowned and handed it back to Ben before she forced her expression to turn back to neutral.
Ara, on the other hand, heard her news alert go off. She grabbed her phone, and pulled it out of her pocket before her mouth opened. "HOLY SHIT! HADES ESCAPED FROM THE ISLE!"
"What!?" Beast exclaimed at that. "How is this possible!? Who is responsible for this?!" He shook his head in thought. "Is it Uma?"
Ara tilted her head before saying, "My money goes on Audrey." She said with a chin tap.
Belle swallowed at that before looking around. "What are we going to do? What are we going to tell the people? Surely they must know." She said, looking mostly toward Mal and Ara since Ben...looked out of sorts.
Ara tapped her chin again. "We should probably find a nice place, spend time with our families, update our wills, have them laminated…" She said with a head tilt. "Oh, and husband's. Tell your wives you love them." She finished with a smile.
Beast looked at her in exasperation. "Any actually helpful advice?!" He said with a twitch.
Ara merely shrugged at that. "What? This is Hades we're talking about! On top of that, he might be in league with Audrey. That overgrown glow stick packs a punch!" She looked to the side. "Maleficent used to ramble about it all the time while she was...reminiscing...ugh." She said with a shudder.
Mal rolled her eyes before she took Ben's phone again. The purplette's eyes narrowed in concentration before they widened in shock. "Guys...I think...They kidnapped a child." She said in absolute astonishment.
Ara turned and raised her eyebrow at that. "A child? Why would they need a kid?" She tilted her head.
"Blackmail? It could be a child we know…" Mal said with a deep frown. She looked up and shook her head. "Just look at the picture! The second female is carrying something on her back!" She said with furrowed eyebrows.
Ara blinked before pulling out her phone. "Huh...I guess she is." She said before she looked a bit closer. "Something about that girl looks...familiar..?" She squinted with a tilt of her head.
"Audrey could have spelled someone into assisting her, I wouldn't put it past the power of the scepter. Mind control would be easy." Mal said, looking down at the floor in thought.
Ara blinked before shrugging. "I guess. Just wish I had a better picture." She shook her head as she looked at the picture.
Mal shook her head before looking at Ben. "I need to go find out who that child was, the original video feed should be clearer." She told him while folding her arms.
Ben blinked at that before nodding. "Of course. I'm sure I can get a hold of it. Just let me send a few texts…" He said, reaching out for his phone.
"Or-" Mal stopped him and tilted her head. "-I could go down and figure it out. Even if the original feed is transferred over...what are the odds that it'll be a perfect copy?" She asked with a frown.
Ben blinked once more. "I...guess you're right about that." He looked down in thought. "Sure, you can go." He smiled before saying, "It might be dangerous. Take Ara with you."
Ara looked at him with exasperation. "...Huh?" She raised an eyebrow, clearly not wanting to go.
Mal looked at him with a twitching eyebrow as her smile wavered. "That isn't...necessary, Ben. I can go dragon, remember? Besides...Maybe Ara should go check out the scene while I go get the video feed. Divide and conquer?" She asked, fighting the urge to groan at that as she forced her smile to remain.
Ben blinked at that. "Ara, how fast are you?"
Ara smirked before saying, "As swift as a lightning bolt." She said confidently.
Ben nodded happily. "Ara can check the scene in a rapid amount of time. She'll have time to watch you and watch your back." He looked at her with worry. "We're going against Audrey's scepter and Hades, despite your magic, Ara can help you if you two work together."
Ara cringed at the thought.
"I just want you to be safe." Ben finished before going back to his phone.
Mal twitched even more before scowling for a moment and quickly moving to leave as she shot Ara a look that said "Don't even bother." before she abruptly left.
Ara shook her head. "I wasn't gonna…" She grumbled before levitating after her.
Ben shook his head at that in amusement before continuing the meeting.
8888888
Ara sat on the ground with a deck of cards. Why? It's because she was currently in the middle of a game of solitaire. She looked at the cards that were arranged before her. She pulled from the deck before carefully placing it down. The girl smiled when she was able to collect a few cards.
Currently, Ara was waiting for Mal to show up. Ben told her to check the perimeter of the Isle. Well..she did...about five times. She even had time to go pick up a deck of cards! Then she checked again.
Ara figured there was absolutely no action going on. Because of this, she set up shop, grabbed a picnic blanket, and started playing solitaire. She pouted as she calculated how many cards she had left. She looked at the security room, wondering if she should go in...before shrugging and going back to her game.
Mal walked up and rolled her eyes at her as if saying "Seriously?" before she promptly turned and entered the room without saying anything to the other girl.
Ara looked up at the sound of Mal entering the room. "Be there in a minute...I have a few cards left…" She said, focusing on the cards.
"Don't bother…" Mal said in reply as she shut the door with a frown.
When Mal turned around, Ara was right in front of her with a pout. "...I lost." She said in a disappointed manner. "And I only had five cards left." She said dramatically before walking deeper into the room.
Mal scowled at that and walked a bit faster so she pushed past Ara. She walked up to the snoozing security guard and promptly smacked the table. "Wake up, I need the feed for the security cameras." She said dryly while purposefully not including Ara in the statement.
Ara, who was currently spinning around in a computer chair, smiled before saying, "It's urgent business." While her eyes spun in dizziness.
Mal rolled her eyes at that and shook her head. "Just get me the feed for today." She said while folding her arms, her expression prompting the guard to quickly nod before beginning to get it for her.
Ara shook her head before smirking at Mal with a head tilt. "Aren't you supposed to be happy today, or at least less crabby, crabby?" She said the last part in a Spanish accent.
"I was happy until Audrey broke Hades out, stole the scepter and crown, and caused absolute chaos. Not to mention...this. This does not make me happy." Mal said with a sour expression while looking down at the girl.
Ara raised an eyebrow. "So...because I am here, you're crabby? We're just getting a feed, Mal. Chill." She said with a pleasant smile.
Mal bit back a reply and turned around with a scowl.
Ara chuckled at that. "Mal. How long do you plan on hating me? I, personally, forgot why we started hating each other in the first place." She said, slouching a bit. "There's literally no reason to keep this up."
Mal didn't bother coming up with a response as she instead started tapping her fingers impatiently on the table nearest to her.
Ara kept talking...as usual. "I mean...maybe we could even become...f...f...f-f-f-fuh-fuh-fuh...f-fr-friends! There we go. That was a challenge." She said, beating on the table during her attempts to say 'friends'.
Mal couldn't help but laugh at that as she shook her head. "That won't be happening." She said in a cold tone as she kept her eyes glued to the wall.
Ara shrugged before saying, "I don't know. I've been told that I'm pretty charismatic." She leaned on her arm.
Mal rolled her eyes at that. "Maybe to strangers."
Ara smirked at that. "Oh, so you think you know me?" She tilted her head. "I'll have you know, you've only seen the surface of the surface." She shook her head.
"And I only want to see that." Mal said with a deadpan.
"And you can't judge a book by its cover." Ara replied with a small smile.
Mal grumbled a bit at that before shaking her head as she noticed the guard walk back in. She swiped the black thumb drive from him and turned around to leave.
Ara smiled at that before turning to the security guard. "Thanks, man! I appreciate your work. Just remember to eat a light lunch and drink coffee or pop some five-hour energies every now and then." She said, referring to him sleeping on the job before following Mal out.
Mal scowled as she speed-walked back to the boys' dorm where they had most of the tech. She glanced back and rolled her eyes when she saw Ara still following her. "You don't have to walk me around." She said with irritation.
Ara looked around before tilting her head. "As much fun this has been, I'm here to see the feed. After that, I'll be on my way. I've got something...important to do." She said with a frown before shaking it off.
"Or you could see the clearer footage later and leave me alone." Mal said as her scowl deepened, throwing open the door to the dorms while silently hoping it hit Ara.
Ara jumped back, the door clipping her hand. She frowned as she shook her hand out. "Geez…" She mumbled before sighing. "Look. I just need to see it. I...that second person...something doesn't feel right."
"Of course it isn't right, she's kidnapping a child." Mal said back with a deep frown.
Ara groaned at that. "That's not what I meant…" She said before trying to get a peek.
Mal attempted to whack her away as she speedily made it to one of the lounges. "Oh, that's not the bad part of it? What is? The part where they are also letting out Hades?" She asked as she whipped around with a huff.
Ara shook her head as she still followed. "No. It's not that either." She said with a sigh as she looked over Mal.
Mal scoffed at that and turned away as she marched over to a computer. "It's not this, not that, when this and that are the two most important things here!" She said primarily to herself as she logged into it with ease.
Ara blinked and stood a bit behind Mal. It's as if she didn't hear the other woman at the moment. She had a number of thoughts going through her mind at the moment and was, not purposely, tuning Mal out.
Mal jammed the thumb drive and scowled as she pulled up the video. Speeding through it, she continued to mumble about various things before twitching as she noticed Ara leaning over her shoulder. "Would you not do that?" She asked while trying to push Ara away as she paused the video.
Ara was basically blocking Mal subconsciously. She looked at the video with squinted eyes. That's when her eyes widened. "...What?" She looked closely at the second figure tilting her head.
Mal ignored her and instead chose to promptly shove Ara out of the way while bonking her on the head. She scowled at her and looked back at the screen.
Ara rubbed her head and glared at Mal. She walked over and stood further behind Mal instead. Mal had better be glad she had changed over the years. She just went back to trying to get a good glimpse of the scene.
Mal sped up the video just a bit before pausing as she caught a better view of the four escaping. "Hades, Audrey-" She paused as she glanced at the child. "...Hades'...son. That's the child." She mumbled out with a small frown before pushing her chair out and standing up.
Ara finally saw her opportunity to get a chance to see the video. She moved closer to the screen before her eyes immediately scanned the screen. "...Hazel. My sister is with them." She stood before saying, "Obviously Audrey spelled her. I'm going to go figure out a way to save my sister because I know you and those royals won't." She said, turning to leave the building.
There ya go guys! Chapter 2 of the new arc. I hope you guys are enjoying it so far as I try to update consistently. Have a good one and stay safe.
-SuperNova⭐