The impatient cat kept an eye on the clock. He restlessly glanced at it every now and then. Unfortunately, it was still pretty early, and they weren't leaving for a little while. This made Deuce groan in boredom. He slid to the ground, creating a fluffy red lump.
To be honest, there was plenty to do. The guys were out running around outside chasing after Elsa riding a panda. Freddie was using her time to run away from a ton of angered bees. Ara was trying her best to get Hazel at her own game and prank her in return. All of this chaos that he could jump into. All of these, usually fun things, but he didn't feel like doing any of them.
Deuce released a breath and turned to look at the clock. Only one minute had passed. "Nah! This is torture!" He said, standing before flopping back on the ground.
That's when he saw Freddie run through the house, still being chased by bees. He looked at her with halved eyes before following her outside at a much slower pace. He sat on the ground, clearly thinking about something. Afterward, Deuce used his smartwatch to pull up his to-do list.
"Might as well get something done before I die of boredom." He said with a shake of his head.
The cat scrolled through things, picking out the tasks that were most desirable at this time. Most of them, he looked over out of sheer laziness. That was when his whiskered brows furrowed. He tilted his head at that. "Ask Ara's boyfriend for handsomeness tips?"
Deuce blinked. "Man, I forgot all about this." He said with a twitch of his left ear. He shook his head. "It's not like I have anything better to do." He shrugged at that before making it his new mission.
Deuce spent a bit of time looking for Ara's boyfriend on the ground. After he couldn't find him, he tapped his chin. Dealing with Ara's family, he learned that sometimes you had to look around, down, into, and up. That prompted him to shield his eyes and look toward the sky. After about ten minutes, he finally saw the god he was looking for.
Deuce began to try and signal him down. "Hey! Cloud guy! Down here!" He called, taking his cap off and waving it as he ran. He fanned it around frantically, trying to get the god's attention.
Susanoo didn't initially spot him until he lazily looked down to stare before he tilted his head at the feline. "...You asking for me?"
Deuce perked up, seeing that he had finally been spotted. He nodded happily before signaling downwards. "Yeah, yeah! Come down a little!"
"Why?" Susanoo asked with a raised eyebrow as he reluctantly lowered a bit.
Deuce, who was a bit out of breath by now, said, "I need...I need help. Do you mind lending me your ear?" He said, fanning himself with his cap.
"Uh...sure?" The god said, staring at the cat with confusion.
Deuce nodded at that. "Thanks, man." He placed his cap on before saying, "I'm Deuce. I'm one of Ara's friends, yadda, yadda, and I already know you." He explained before saying, "You're pretty famous. Anyway, my problem is that I happen to like this goddess, right? But I got a problem. I'm a cat. I'm a shapeshifter, though. Since you're a suave dude, I wanted to know if you can help with my human form." He said before looking down at his fuzzy body.
"Not sure how I'm supposed to help with that... I'm just naturally charming and attractive." Susanoo said with a shrug. "Have you tried looking at modeling magazines or seeing what her ex's look like?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Deuce tapped his chin. "Modeling magazines, yes. Ex's no. I'm probably gonna have to take it a step higher from the modeling magazines, though. I have to compete with Helios." He said in exasperation, his eyes becoming halved.
"You mean the dude who's the former big wig sun god?" Susanoo asked casually.
"Yup." Deuce responded, popping the 'p'.
"Just...one-up him. If you want someone to base a look after...just mimic that blonde idiot Apollo. Either Apollo for that manner…" Susanoo said as a magazine appeared in his hands before he tossed it down. "Here, a magazine published by fangirls labeling the most attractive gods." He said lazily while flopping on his stomach and resting his head on his arms.
The feline reached out and grabbed the magazine with his paw before raising an eyebrow. "Chicks consider this guy attractive? Eh... I'll give it a shot. Thanks." He said, still looking at the cover.
"Just don't mimic a dude that looks like the albino version of me-it upsets my sister," Susanoo said in a vague tone while shaking his head.
Deuce raised his eyebrow at that. "Uh...okay. Well, thanks for your help. I'm gonna go...work on this." He said, tapping his chin.
"Knock yourself out." The god said lazily before ascending back into the sky and blending in with the clouds again.
Deuce looked up at that before blinking. "Eh...even if this doesn't work, being a human sounds hella fun." He said before running off to his room.
He looked at the magazine for a solid ten minutes before making his decision. "Alright...I want my skin to be...tanned." Deuce said before writing that down. "Umm...pretty tall. Not too tall. Maybe a tad shorter than Geo. Yeah, that's fine. Susanoo said to base it off of this guy, but of course, I'll have to add my own dramatic flair. But...no blue eyes. They are way too common. Ooh, I'll keep my red eyes, but I'll add some orange and yellow to them." He looked over all of his notes.
The cat scratched his head. "Huh. I don't want my hair to be too much. Probably like a really dark red. Bright red would annoy me after a good while." He said in exasperation.
Everything else, he kept a hold of mentally with a nod. "Alrighty. Here goes nothing." He said before changing forms in a spiral of fiery light.
He blinked blankly before looking in a mirror at his new human form before he blinked blankly once more. He looked just as he wanted to. He had neatly cut dark red hair, red eyes with varying shades of yellow and orange, tanned skin that was slightly darker than Audrey's, and he guessed he looked fine.
Deuce shrugged at this. He was happy to see that his human form came with clothing; Black jeans and a black and white checkerboard shirt. His crescent stone necklace was still present on his neck, unlike the collar. Also, his cap actually seemed to fit now. He also had a pair of black, white, and red high-top shoes on.
He took one step before nearly falling on his face. "Okay...human legs work differently than wanna-be human legs...gotcha", Deuce said, still trying to learn how to use his legs.
After about ten minutes of struggling, he mostly got the hang of things and went to meet his friends outside. As usual, they were assembled as a group talking about all of the madness they had just gone through. Deuce took this as an opportunity to get all of their opinions on his new look.
The now red-haired boy walked up to the group. "Hey, guys!" He said with a wave.
Everyone froze before looking at him questionably.
JR folded his arms at him and said, "Uh...who the hell are you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Deuce blinked in shock and confusion at that. "...huh?" He took another look at them and remembered some of them looked shorter than he remembered.
Deuce gasped at that and chuckled once he realized his mistake. "You think I'm..?" He said with another laugh.
The group eyed the man suspiciously as he chuckled freely.
Deuce shook his head at that. "Nah, It's okay. It's me. Deuce. I was practicing my shapeshifting." He said, pointing to his chain and cap.
At that, Hazel's eyes noticeably widened. "...Deuce?"
Deuce nodded at that before saying, "Tada! What do you guys think? I mostly got my ideas from a magazine, but I think it looks pretty good." He said, giving himself a once-over.
Triple G chuckled before saying, "Dude, I think you look great! You can finally play sports with us now."
"You mean, any sport besides ping-pong?" Deuce replied dryly. "I'll be looking forward to it." He said with a smile.
Freddie shook her head at this. "Let me guess, you got tired of being rejected, so you made yourself hot?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Deuce blinked at that. "Uhh...yeah?"
"Good work," Freddie said with a chuckle. "I've taught you well." She placed her hands on her hips.
Uma turned to Freddie. "I have a feeling this has something to do with that chattery goddess." She said with humor.
Deuce shrugged at that. "Maybe it does, maybe It doesn't. If not, I still get to have more fun with you guys." He said, growing a smile.
JR smirked at that. "And you will because we were about to play kickball. Let's put that cool guy look of yours to the test." He said, spinning the ball on his finger.
Deuce blinked at that with halved eyes, "Bring it." He said, catching the ball when JR threw it to him.
888888
Watching from an excellent distance, CJ sat on the stairs with Heidi. She watched as the game started and quickly became exciting and chaotic. Apparently, JR thought he had something to prove. Deuce was just enjoying the extra feet he had grown. The former feline wasn't even trying, and his team already had the upper hand.
CJ chuckled at that before saying, "That guy right there must be Deuce. He's probably playing around with his shapeshifting." She smiled while watching.
"It is-" Heidi paused as she munched on some popcorn. "-Because he has the same magic signature as Deuce." She said before she made some seasoning appear and began putting it on the popcorn.
CJ nodded at that as she tilted her head. "Oh, Ara got the first home run." She pointed to the bluenette currently going 'oooooohhhhh!' As she ran home. CJ chuckled at this. "What's with her and power sliding?"
"I'm just wondering how her knees aren't raw yet," Heidi commented with a head tilt.
"Eh…" CJ tried to think about it but failed. "I'm just going to wrap that up as Ara stuff." She said with a shrug. "So, mom. I guess while we're waiting, we can catch up some more." She asked timidly.
"Sure. How...would we go about doing that?" Heidi asked with a clueless look on her face as she munched on a piece of popcorn that was bright red from the seasoning.
CJ looked around thoughtfully before blinking. "We could ask each other questions. Our likes, our dislikes, our past? So we could get to know each other better." She smiled. "We did it once before, but I think it has a different meaning now."
"True. Considering that it takes a few hours to discuss my past, we should keep the last part and save it for later. Like...if either of us has insomnia or something. It's bound to knock you out." Heidi said with a chuckle and a shrug.
CJ shifted and said, "Sounds like a good story. Let's do what you said, though." She tilted her head. "I know you're good with music. Do you dance often?"
"Yeah, usually when I'm training. I never really uh...did it for fun. I know all sorts and types of dancing. Least favorite has to be ballet for the memories alone." Heidi said with a sour look as she used her magic to refill the popcorn bowl.
CJ nodded at that. "I dance, but it's for fun. Mostly a mixture of moves I picked up along the way, but shuffling has to be my star move."
"I honestly don't know what to call mine. It's a mix of everything and then some. I mean, there's stuff from ballet and stuff from contemporary. Then there's the aerial dancing that I accidentally picked up." Heidi said with a shake of her head.
CJ shook her head before saying, "Yeah. I don't really care what the moves are called or where it's from. I just have fun."
"I won't lie-I didn't learn it for fun. Dad just told me it would make me more flexible and thus be able to move around easier." Heidi admitted with a shrug.
CJ nodded at that. "I can relate." She looked back at the ball game still happening. "We did a lot of training on the isle and Ara related sword skills to dancing all the time when she taught me how to use one. Now, it's nothing." She said, quirking up the corner of her mouth.
"Been there. Half the things my dad taught me go unused because they're destructive. He wanted destructive and didn't think about a different ending other than him where my uncle Zeus is." Heidi said with a small frown before shaking it off.
CJ nodded at that, taking the information in before saying, "Alright. Now, it's your turn to ask me a question." She looked at Heidi with a smile.
Heidi tilted her head before smirking. "You like spicy food?" She asked as she glanced down at her popcorn.
CJ's smile grew in size at that. "Uh, yeah! I love spicy." She shrugged at that. "Nothing is really super spicy to me as of yet."
"Well, you can try some of my popcorn. If it's not too spicy...it has a fruity taste." Heidi said with a small shrug as she offered her the bowl.
CJ tilted her head at that. She curiously took a piece and popped it in her mouth. Her eyebrow raised as she crunched on it for a moment. That was before she blinked. "...I like this." She said, looking at the bowl fondly.
"Figured you would." Heidi placed the bowl in CJ's lap and smiled. "The seasoning is made from the hottest pepper I can find. Mainly because heat doesn't really affect me. The fruity taste is a nice touch, though." Heidi said while rubbing her chin.
CJ nodded at that. "The fruitiness goes well with the sweetness of the popcorn. The spice is refreshing." She said as she munched on a hand full.
"That's what my aunt Hestia said. She's like me in regards to spice; she enjoys it quite a bit." Heidi said with a chuckle as she glanced up to look at the game.
CJ glanced at Heidi before saying, "I guess I'm going to meet some of your family when I get there. I'm...kind of nervous." She said with a chuckle.
"Oh, it'll just be Aunt Hestia and Hermes. Most of my relatives are either elsewhere...or unavailable. That and most of them dislike me." Heidi said with a small shrug as her smile wavered a bit.
CJ tilted her head. "I think I'll be fine with two." She said before pulling out her sword. "You think they'd...like me?" The sword glowed, changing into s golden yo-yo.
"Knowing Aunt Hestia... she'd probably make you cookies on the spot after hearing you're mine. Hermes is...unique. He likes everyone; it's usually others that don't like him. A couple others that are around are sometimes Artemis and Athena. Artemis is kind of like a big sister with a bow and a hatred for men. Meanwhile, Athena lives in a mountain of books and has a pet owl. They're both pretty chill if you don't purposefully upset them." Heidi explained with a smile.
CJ shrugged at that as she played with the yo-yo, using the other hand to work on the popcorn. "I think I'm good. I usually steer clear of peeps with bows and books." She said with laughter as she did a few tricks.
"They can't come by, anyway...They are up to stuff in Asgard at the moment." Heidi said with a bit of sadness before clearing her throat. "But Hermes counts for like three with his level of energy."
CJ used the string to bounce the yo-yo on before wrapping it around. "I could use another high-energy person around. Manipulating kinetic energy is like drinking energy drinks non-stop."
"He's energy personified with how little work he has these days. Normally he'd be zipping to and fro...but he's cooped up and can only zip around my home." Heidi said with amusement.
CJ nodded at that with a smile before tilting her head. "I think they're about done. You have time to ask one more question before we continue later."
"Since I'm thinking 'bout food, what's your favorite kind? Or kinds." Heidi said before adding on the last part with a raised eyebrow.
CJ briefly smiled at that before going into her thinking space. "Well, my favorite fruit has to be bananas. My favorite thing for dinner has to be steak and peppers. My favorite dessert is the legendary banana split...you already know my favorite breakfast choice." She looked at Heidi with a smirk at the last part.
Heidi chuckled at that and nodded. "That I do. I'll be keeping those in mind." She said with a smile as she saw the others finishing up.
CJ nodded at that. "Okay. Don't worry. You'll learn more about me as we go." She said with humor.
Heidi chuckled once more at that as she smirked. "I have a feeling I will." She said, giving the girl a smile and a one-armed side hug.
CJ's smile grew at that as she munched on more popcorn. Seeing their friends head toward them, she said, "Hey, guys. How was the game?"
Freddie smirked at that before crossing her arms. "Pretty good. JR's just mad because he didn't score a single point the entire game." She put her weight on her left leg.
While JR grumbled at that, George said, "I kicked three home runs."
Deuce shook his head and said, "I don't know whose idea it was to put Ara and Geo on the same team." He said with a smile.
Ara shrugged them off. "What can we say? We just got the goods." She folded her arms with a smug smirk.
"Or more of you need a leg day," Heidi commented with a deadpan as she took some popcorn and refilled it.
Hazel tilted her head. "Maybe we wouldn't have needed a leg day if someone knew how to catch." She said with humor.
Freddie looked at her in annoyance. "I know how to catch. My nails were just spruced up today. Didn't want to break one." She said before examining her nails.
"Gloves. Try gloves." Heidi deadpanned as she munched on the popcorn.
CJ glanced at Heidi with a wink and asked, "Hey, you guys want some popcorn?" She asked with a smirk.
Ara looked at CJ cautiously at that. "You know, I think we're-"
"I want some." Said JR before Ara could finish.
"Triple G wasted no time before putting some in his palm. "Huh. Why is it red?" He asked Heidi as a few others got some.
"Secret spices taught to me by Aunt Hestia," Heidi answered with a small smile and a shrug.
"Oh." Triple G said before popping some in his mouth along with others such as Freddie and Uma.
Of course, not long after, Freddie ran off screaming, "Waaaaateeeeer!" And ended up competing with Uma for the sink before Uma ran off to find another one.
As for Trip, he ran around in circles. "Ahhhh! Aaahahah! Someone put me out of my misery!" He said as tears ran down his reddened face due to the immense heat. Comically, his mouth was literally on fire.
Heidi laughed and looked at CJ with a grin as she held up her hand for a high five. "Three for three." She said with another laugh.
CJ returned her high five with her own, along with a mischievous laugh. "Not bad, right?"
Hazel blinked at that before smiling. Mentally, she was thinking, "Note to self…watch out for Heidi and CJ…."
Heidi happily took a piece of popcorn and ate it like it was nothing. "This pepper-200 times hotter than your average jalapeno." She said with a smirk.
Ara looked at the popcorn before turning around to see Triple G beating his tongue with a rock. "Interesting. I'll make sure I stay as far away from it as possible." She said with a chuckle.
Heidi shrugged. "If you can stand the heat like CJ and me... it's super fruity." She said before making a bright red pepper appear before she took a bite out of it.
Ara blinked at that before pushing Hazel and George forward. "Hazel, Geo, you're up."
Hazel huffed before saying, "Why would you throw us in the front!?" She asked while George also looked at Ara with irritation.
Ara shrugged. "I don't control fire and heat. I'll get got if I eat those. You two should be fine. Don't worry about Trip. He controls fire too, but he's a wimp." She tilted her head.
Hazel sighed heavily at that before reaching out to take one.
Before she could, JR took one before saying, "This is the spicy stuff?" He popped one in his mouth. His mouth roasted on contact before saying, "...that wasn't so bad." Before coughing out a ring of smoke.
Ara nearly bursts out laughing at that. "It's official. I'm not doing it." She shook her head.
Hazel blinked at him before she got it over with. She popped one in her mouth and closed her eyes, waiting for some type of burn. "Oh...this is actually pretty pleasant." She opened her eyes when nothing happened.
George nodded at that. "I taste tropical fruit salad." He said before making a glass of milk appear for JR.
"I told you. Aunt Hestia likes putting it in cookies sometimes." Heidi said with a chuckle.
CJ tilted her head at that. "So, you guys are good with it?" She said, giving them a thumbs up.
They returned the gesture. George excused himself for a moment to assist Triple G, who had his whole head in one of the fountains.
"Wait, so, people with heat-related abilities can stand this stuff?" CJ asked, gesturing to the bowl, and then she looked at Heidi.
"Usually. That's the main reason why my brother can't stand it-because his abilities are...not really there. Aunt Hestia, my dad, and I are really good with heat because we all use fire. I think Mal is fine with spicy things; she just stopped eating them after having her kid." Heidi explained while rubbing her chin.
CJ nodded at that before saying, "And Hazel and Geo are fine. We're familiar with Hazel, and Geo can...make things explode." That's when her eyebrows furrowed. "Well...how come I'm not affected. I can't control fire...can I?" She asked before actually thinking about it.
Heidi tilted her head as genuine confusion appeared on her face. "I... haven't actually thought about that. I mean...theoretically…" She paused in thought as she rubbed her chin.
Ara tilted her head at that. "The last thing you didn't look into was that blue streak in CJ's hair. Turns out it was a clue to her being your long-lost kid. You might want to look into that." She said with a smirk.
"How am I supposed to do that? My flames just came naturally, and I'm not exactly on speaking terms with my dad at this very moment." Heidi said while folding her arms and raising an eyebrow.
Ara tapped her chin at that. "Hmm...well, I discovered my powers by accident. I used them when I was in trouble. Maybe she just needs a push?" She thought it over.
CJ looked from the both of them. Then she looked at her hands curiously.
"No-that would be more trouble than anything. That and I'd have to stage a thing and...I don't really want to do all that." Heidi said with a sigh as she finished up her pepper.
CJ put her yo-yo down. She looked at her hand with a raised eyebrow before she squinted her eyes and began to snap her fingers.
Ara rolled her eyes at that before thinking of something else. "Maybe if you taught her as if she already knew how to use them, assuming she has any." She said with a shrug.
"I've never really taught anybody. My dad taught me, and that was it. Hestia helped me a bit...but it's not like I just learned it all on my own…" Heidi said with a shake of her head at the thought. "I don't know the first thing about it."
Ara nodded at that, looking up. "Right. So, how do you think we should go about doing this?" She looked back at Heidi.
CJ continued to try and get something from her constant snapping. She bit her lip as she focused her hardest on this one snap. To her surprise, sparks shot out. She grinned at this before she eagerly kept trying.
"Uh...Call Aunt Hestia?" Heidi asked with a confused look.
Ara looked at her in a deadpan. "Call Hestia?" She blinked at her.
"...She usually knows what to do and is much saner than Hecate," Heidi said with a shrug as she waved her hands.
Ara rubbed her head at that. "Fine, fine. Whatever you think is best. You're the one with the fiery...stuff." Ara said with an awkward expression.
While they were still talking, CJ was still eagerly practicing. Sometimes she'd get sparks, and others she'd get nothing. She was just patiently waiting for the flame that usually came after sparks. As her fingers grew tired, she snapped one last time before a tiny flame sat atop of her index finger. She let out a squeak at the white flame before watching it in awe.
Heidi was the first to turn to see why CJ had squeaked and blinked before staring at the flame. "...You see that too, right Ara?" She asked while slowly tilting her head.
Ara looked at the small flame dancing on CJ's finger with a raised eyebrow. "You know...after all I've seen the past couple of days, I'm not as surprised as I should be." She said, eyeing the flame unblinkingly.
"I asked if you saw it...not the rest…" Heidi deadpanned as she stared a bit more.
Ara's eyes halved at that. "Of course I see it. I wouldn't be entranced if I didn't."
Heidi's eyes halved as well. "...I can still get your eyebrows." She said while raising an eyebrow.
CJ looked up at them with her own halved eyes. She brought her eyes down to her finger and tilted her head. "...I...guess I can use fire…" She said and blinked at the sight of the flame.
Heidi slowly nodded at that. "You certainly picked it up faster than my brother…" She commented while tilting her head the other way.
CJ blinked before nodding at that. Deciding she should put it out before she burned something down, she did as she had seen Hazel do. She shook her hand before balling up her fist, successfully putting the small flame out. "Wow...wish I had known that I could do that sooner." She said, still in awe.
Heidi was silent for a minute before promptly scooping the blonde up in a hug with a grin. "I knew I'm the mom!"
CJ blinked in shock before chuckling. "Mom..! Stop it!" She said with a laugh as she was squished with love.
"No! I am officially confirmed the mom!" Heidi said with a laugh as she spun around happily.
"Ah!" CJ exclaimed at that. "Yeah, you're my mom!" She said, laughing once more.
Heidi stopped spinning and set her down. "The flames confirm it." She said with a grin.
CJ laughed, thoroughly entertained at this. "Yeah! I guess we have a lot more in common than I thought."
Ara shook her head. "You two have a lot more in common than we all thought." Ara smiled brightly at the scene.
"Good to know I had a part in this," Heidi said with a chuckle as she folded her arms.
Ara shook her head in amusement. "I guess this explains the hair. Usually, weird hair from birth is a sign of magic." She placed a hand on her hip.
"Duh. How else is my sister running around with purple hair? Like I've seen the old crone, and she doesn't have purple hair under those horn thingies." Heidi said with a laugh.
Ara laughed at that in return. "Hey! Look who you're talking to!" She said, grabbing at one of her midnight blue locks. "There is no denying it now. Heidi and CJ, I pronounce you two mother and child. You may snuggle the kid!" She said with humor.
Heidi laughed before promptly grabbing CJ again and holding her. "You heard her!" She said with a grin.
CJ rolled her eyes at that with her own grin. She returned her mother's embrace before saying, "Okay, I love you too." With a laugh.
Heidi finally released her before 'hmming.' "I vote...we catch a movie before we leave. If I know my cousin, Hermes will be binging Netflix and hogging the good TV." She said while shaking her head at the mention of the other god.
Ara smirked, putting her brain to work. "I got it! We could do dinner, a movie, we could order pizzas, and hang out." She said with a happy tone.
CJ's smile grew at that. "That...sounds cool. What do you think, mom?" She tilted her head.
"Yes. That way, everybody who will try and give me a headache will all be too sleepy to cause trouble!" Heidi said with a thumbs up.
Ara tapped her chin. "You're right...I know how to make them fall asleep by means of plenty and plenty of food." She grinned. "If we do this right, we could have an irk-free trip!"
"Perfect. Make sure to get them extra greasy food, and they will enter the food coma till tomorrow morning." Heidi said with a grin.
Ara nodded at that. "You got it. That being said, you might want to monitor CJ's intake." She said as CJ pouted a bit.
Heidi patted the blonde on the head. "Take it easy now, and you can eat whatever you want at my place. I just need those boys actually going to bed tonight." She said with a shrug.
CJ nodded as her pout disappeared.
Ara smiled at that. "Don't worry, CJ. You won't be bored. We both have to restrain Hazel. You know how she gets around pizzas." She said with a scratch of her head.
"Oof...otherwise, we'll have to haul her out," Heidi said, wincing at the thought of having to haul her out.
CJ chuckled at that. "It's okay. I got a plan for that. Who's ready to put this plan into action?"
Ara nodded at that. She grabbed her phone and speed-dialed her favorite pizzeria. "It's already happening. You guys go get us set up while I handle this!" She said with a giddy chuckle.
Heidi nodded and looked at CJ. "We need to smuggle blankets, pillows, and I need to get more of that seasoning for popcorn. I left it around here somewhere…" She said with a grin before blinking.
CJ nodded at that. "Aye, aye, Captain!" She said with a mock salute before picking up her yo-yo and zipping off to collect the blankets and pillows.
Heidi chuckled before zipping off to find where she had misplaced her seasoning.
8888888
After thirty minutes of plotting, waiting, and chatting, the movie theater room finally looked comfortable enough. It seemed so cozy that it looked comfortable enough to sleep in. That was a good thing.
Heidi wanted the boys to pass out of a food coma before they left. This was the plan. Ara supported said plan. She would be the one to see to it that it gets done. That's why she also added in some extra pizzas than her usual order.
Ara made sure she ordered the cheesiest, greasiest things she could buy. She topped it off with sodas and hot wings and cheese sticks. "Are we ready, CJ?" Ara turned to ask the blonde.
CJ nodded at that. "Everything looks cozy. We have the pizza table set up. The movie is ready to go. All we need is everyone else." She said with a smile.
Ara nodded in return with her own smile. "Alright, good. I'll go get Heidi. You zoom around and get everyone else."
CJ smiled before saying, "Alright." That was before she blasted off, leaving a golden trail.
Ara started off by going in the opposite direction. The last place she saw Heidi she was outside. Because of this, Ara walked out there to take a look. "Heidi? Heidi, are you out here?"
When she heard and saw no one, Ara shrugged before heading back inside. She was about to check the kitchen next. Instead, she caught sight of an interesting scene.
Elsa on her knees, Triple G in her arms with a wide-open flaming mouth, and Heidi was standing nearby in exasperation.
Elsa, who was currently looking at Trip in surprise and concern, made a popsicle entirely out of ice before shoving it in his mouth. At that, steam flew out of his nose. The heat of his mouth melted the popsicle speedily before Elsa did the same with another. Except, this one was way grander in size. She shoved the second one into his mouth. He gave her a questioning look before sighing in relief.
Ara blinked at that. "Uhhh…"
"He had my seasoning," Heidi said while folding her arms. "He thought it was something else and tried it...I just walked in on him like that and asked somebody to come to cool him down." She explained with a shrug and a roll of her eyes.
Ara looked back down at the boy looking much like a steaming tea kettle. "O-kay. I just came to tell you that we are ready to go watch the movie now." She said blankly.
Heidi shrugged and smiled. "Okay. I'll head over there now." She said as she paid no attention to Trip and walked out of the room.
Ara scratched her head before looking at Trip. "Eh...mom. You can help me get him on a tow cloud." She said, helping her mother place him up there. "Alright. To the theater!"
Elsa shook her head at the girl before heading after her. "Well, wait for me!" Elsa said, jogging after her.
It took Ara no time to catch up; when she did, she noticed that all of her group members were present. She smiled at that. "CJ! This is everyone, right?"
CJ nodded at that. "Yup! Even the kids and the pets. It was pretty hard getting Nike away from her game, though, but I did!" CJ said, scratching her head.
Ara shrugged at that. "Whatever works." She looked around before finding a seat.
CJ, on the other hand, was trying to sneak her way to the pizza table. She looked at the wings, cheese sticks, stuffed pizzas, and sodas with awe.
Heidi casually stepped in front of her and shook her head. "I know that look anywhere, and it usually leads to the person passing out." She said with a bit of amusement as she tilted her head.
CJ gaped at that. She repeatedly looked from where Heidi was to where she is now. She blinked before saying, "But-But But!"
"Trust me when I say I have better things at my place. Besides...all that grease is bad." Heidi said with halved eyes. "You take a little here, and I'll make you whatever the heck you want later."
CJ sighed heavily at that before getting one slice of pizza. "Fine…" she said dryly.
Heidi chuckled and patted her on the head before walking away to find a seat.
CJ looked at her one slice with disappointment. She looked at the table longingly as she walked away. She went over to sit by her as she started on her first slice. She looked mildly frustrated as her friends, including Jupiter, rushed to the pizza table.
She heard an, "Oh no, you don't!" From Ara as she caught Hazel with more than enough slices on her plate.
That prompted Hazel to look up like a deer in headlights before dashing off. Ara quickly chased after her.
CJ looked at them in pure confusion before continuing her pouting spree.
Heidi looked at her before smirking as she made a white chocolate bar and cleared her throat. "Here." She said with a small chuckle.
CJ looked at her in irritation and confusion before her eyes locked on the chocolate bar. They noticeably widened before she eagerly took the candy, giving Heidi a quick hug before ripping it open.
Heidi shook her head in amusement before eyeing the ongoing chase involving Ara and Hazel. "...I don't think Ara will be able to get her." She said aloud, mainly talking to herself as she saw them climb over a few things.
Elsa, who so happened to be seated on the other side of Heidi, watched in amusement. "When she does catch her, Hazel's plate will be empty." She said, pointing at Hazel, the girl that was eating her pizza while running speedily.
"She's a goner," Heidi said with halved eyes.
Elsa chuckled at that. "So is he." She gestured to her husband that had double the amount Hazel possessed. "She got her love of pizza from somewhere."
"I'm just glad Ara has those clouds," Heidi said while shaking her head. "Because there is gonna be a bunch of passed-out people."
Elsa nodded at that. "I'm relieved that I don't have to carry anyone. My arms are reserved for a very spoiled and demanding puppy who called dibs." She said with a smile.
"You mean the one running away with a pizza slice?" Heidi said with halved eyes as she pointed to the puppy who was getting chased by Jupiter.
Elsa smiled at that. "Yup." She leaned her head on her palm. "I'm hoping they'll both pass out."
"With the amount he has...at least you'll only have to deal with the dog," Heidi said with a shake of her head.
The queen nodded at that with a smile. "Oh yeah. I don't have to worry about him." She said, referring to Jupiter. "I'm free for the rest of the night." She said with a relaxed sigh.
"I'm free after everyone gets to their rooms...unless I just throw that task at my cousin," Heidi said before pausing as a look of mischief entered her eyes.
Elsa shook her head at that in amusement. "Well, you can have fun with that. I'm going to try and find my purpose while my kids go find something to terrorize." She said with thought.
"If they terrorize something, I'll let Hecate talk their ears off. I would let somebody else handle them...but it's either somebody that will literally just give them cookies or somebody that will pick up a bow." Heidi said with a head tilt.
"Prepare to have Hecate ready," Elsa said plainly. "You and I both know that they are bound to do something. Why not be prepared in advance?" She said with a smirk.
Heidi smirked with a shrug as she pulled out her phone and set off a text before putting it away again. "She'll be on high alert. Maybe even haul somebody else around with her." She said with a shrug.
Elsa nodded at that. "At least you have something in place. If anything, I know these guys, and these guys get into a lot of...interesting predicaments." She said, throwing another popsicle at Trip.
"And Hecate gets into even more interesting things. She's the chick who got so distracted she didn't notice I had fallen into a lava lake until half an hour later when she asked for my opinion." Heidi asked with a deadpan.
Elsa winced at the thought of the group and Hecate together. "Eh...I might spend most of my time in my room…" she said with a blink.
"I mean-it's either Hecate who blabs, Hestia who makes cookies all day, or Skadi who uses living targets. Anybody I didn't mention is automatically not...fit for the role." Heidi said with a sigh.
Elsa tilted her head, something catching her attention. "Mother's there?" She asked with curiosity.
Heidi nodded at that. "Yeah. Hecate mentioned something else...I just can't remember…" She said, pausing in thought.
Before Heidi could give up and say she had no idea, Hecate waltzed into the room and poked her head into the conversation. "Her hubby is there. That's what you forgot." She commented with a shrug and a smile.
Elsa discarded the thought of the random Hecate that jumped in. She raised an eyebrow. "She's married now?" She asked with a growing smile. "To whom?"
Hecate shrugged again. "Njord." She said casually as she made a bowl of popcorn appear.
Elsa's smile increased at that. "Aww. I'm happy for them, and I'm glad they're okay. It surely has been a while too. I'm sure many things have changed...oh no…" She said as her smile immediately fell, and she winced.
"The only thing that changed was that I missed the wedding; Skadi only has contact with the other Elsa through a kid that's a mini version of her, and she figured out how to teleport without having to hitchhike. I haven't been around long enough, but I'm pretty sure they both remember you. Their memory is a-okay...otherwise, Skadi wouldn't have tried to whack me for something I did shortly after I was freed." Hecate said while rubbing her chin.
Elsa facepalmed, mostly to herself. "That's...the problem. Not only did I miss their wedding. They also missed mine." Elsa explained to them. "I'm going to get 'the look' and he's going to get shot!" He said, referring to Jupiter, who was currently being used to shield Hazel before something happened to make Ara jump on his back.
"Well, don't worry 'bout their wedding. Turns out it was super tiny, at least that's what she told me, and they did it fast enough so that the rest of Asgard didn't stampede in. As for the other thing...You are outta luck. Skadi can move faster and has been practicing on Hermes." Hecate said while shaking her look.
Elsa released a small squeak before her seat froze over. "...excuse me while I contemplate my husband's casket. I might need him to laminate his will before we leave." She said blankly.
"Pick gold for the casket; it's a nice touch, and frame the will, so you don't have to dig it out when the lawyers come by," Hecate said with a shrug as she munched on some popcorn.
Elsa looked to the side before saying, "...Or, we could always stay and avoid the conflict entirely?" She noticed the small flurry about her head.
"You think he'll let you do that? I'd say, go, confront Skadi, and tell it to her straight. She's tough and can take a blow like that. So...just tell her she missed the wedding and hope her hubby is nearby. Besides, Jupiter looks like he could take a few arrows, Hermes did." Hecate said with a smirk.
Elsa groaned at the thought as the flurry grew a size at the thought. "I'll think about it." She said, closing her eyes.
"If it helps, ask Hermes to 'escort' you to her. If she gets upset...just throw him as an offering. He needs to work off some of that energy anyway." Hecate said while tossing a piece of popcorn into the air and catching it in her mouth.
Elsa opened one eye, calming down slightly before saying, "I suppose that could work...a bit." She waved the snow and ice away.
"It'll do more than just work. Skadi can get rid of her anger by chasing Hermes down, and I can get the TV room because Hermes will be getting chased for like an entire day." Hecate said with a grin.
Elsa's eyes grew halved at the last part before saying, "If you say so." She said with a shrug before sipping her soda.
"I know so~," Hecate said sing-songy before slowly backing out of the room while still munching on her popcorn.
Heidi's eyes were halved at the exchange before she facepalmed. "...And that's Hecate. Now you know how I fell into the lava pit." She said with exasperation.
"And she's the only option for the kids." Elsa leaned back in her seat. "Now you see why I said I'll stay in my room." She said with humor.
"Hecate is...odd, but I trust her. Hestia would work...if she didn't approach every conflict with an emotion pillow and a Vesta at her side." Heidi said with a deadpan.
Elsa shrugged. "I just don't want to get run over. You know, like what almost happened this afternoon?" She pointedly said with a smirk.
"To be fair, I would have noticed if I didn't have a headache chasing after me. Besides...Hermes may have actually installed something to prevent people from getting ran over. You wouldn't believe what my cousin does when he's bored these days." Heidi said with halved eyes.
Elsa shrugged at that. "I'll see when I get there...about coming out, that is. I have to make sure it's safe." She said with a smile.
"I designed it to last for a good long time...with my relatives, especially in mind. If you want safe, I've pretty much dummy-proofed the place because of all the crazies in my family. I even had to fireproof it because of my dad and his tantrums." Heidi explained with exasperation at the mention of her family.
Elsa tilted her head with an innocent look. "Have you dummy-proofed the dummies?" She blinked a few times.
"I dummy-proofed my dad and Hermes if that's what you're asking. There's a spell made just for them...and their antics." Heidi said with a shrug.
Elsa tilted her head. "Not expecting for you to actually do that, but I'll take it." She said with a shrug.
CJ, who was looking at an empty wrapper, looked at Heidi with puppy eyes. "...Moooom...can I have another?" She said, putting on her pleading face.
Heidi stared at her for a moment before blinking. "A hug in exchange for a candy bar or no deal." She said with a blank face before making another bar appear.
CJ blinked as if she was actually weighing her options. "Deal!" She said after a few seconds, giving Heidi another hug.
Heidi grinned and patted her on the back before handing her the candy bar. "Just don't go crazy asking me-I don't need a sugar-crash to happen." She said jokingly with a smile.
CJ, already working on the bar, nodded happily. She went back to eating her snack in peace.
Elsa looked at them with interest before saying, "... She's yours?" The queen asked with a tilt of her head. "I heard the talk that was floating around, but I wanted to get my information from the source." She folded her arms.
"According to Hecate, she is. My dad still hasn't commented on it, and...I don't know if there's anybody else that would really know. But it is pretty much confirmed since she was able to make some fire today." Heidi said with a smile.
Elsa grinned at that before nodding. "So, I've had another fire kid around this whole time?"
CJ shrugged at that. "I didn't know before today." She chuckled before saying, "This whole time, I had powers. I guess I was just sitting on them."
Elsa chuckled in return before saying, "Ah. I should have seen it coming. You are just like your mother." She said with fondness.
Heidi smiled and brought CJ in for a side hug. "I guess there are some more similarities...Besides the fact that I only realized how similar we look if I have blonde hair." She said before her eyes halved at the end.
Elsa shrugged at that before saying, "Sometimes you can't put all the pieces together until you get your eyes opened. I felt the same way when I found my girls." She smiled, looking at one who was passed out and the other who was catching her breath.
"Makes sense…" Heidi said before she blinked and looked away thoughtfully before her hair promptly turned blonde. "But you see it too-right? I'm not just overthinking the blonde?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Elsa tilted her head at that before she used her fingers to make a picture frame. "Nah. She looks just like you. It's like Hazel and Ara. Identical twins with different hair and eye colors." She said with a chuckle. "She's definitely yours."
Heidi's hair went back to normal as she smiled. "Well...now I can definitely tell my sister without her saying I should probably go back to therapy." She said with a laugh.
Elsa shook her head at that with humor. "Nonsense. Anyone with an eye for art can tell you two are related. You guys even have the same nose." She pointed out.
Heidi promptly looked at CJ before blinking. "Huh...we do." She said before shrugging. "I wish I could say Mal would notice, but I'm not sure if graffiti counts as art. Not to mention she never picked up an art class." Heidi deadpanned.
Elsa tapped her chin at that. "You may need more obvious evidence. Like the fire, you were talking about or...that eye thing you two have going on." She shifted in her seat a bit.
"If those don't work...I could always magic CJ's hair and make it blue." Heidi said casually. "I did that to prove that Mal and I look alike." She said as she demonstrated by making her eyes green and hair purple.
Elsa rested the back of her thumb on her chin. "Truly impressive. That brings me to my next suggestion. If you are making her hair blue, make her eyes blue as well. The brown is a huge throw-off since they are very dark." She said with a nod. "Her eyes are wonderful. Just very distracting." She smiled at the end.
"Yeah...hang on." Heidi paused and looked over CJ before snapping her fingers to change her eye color and hair color. "Does that make it any easier?" Heidi asked as her own hair went back to normal.
Elsa immediately nodded at that. "Immensely. Can you tell?" She tilted her head.
Heidi tilted her head before nodding. "Yeah...Actually, I can." She said with a bit of surprise.
Elsa nodded happily at that. "I think you've found your proof."
CJ grabbed a lock of her hair before saying, "At least my streak blends in." She grew a small smile.
Heidi chuckled. "Well, you can always keep the hair if you want. It's all up to you...we just need to get my sister to believe me and not send me back to aunt Hestia for insanity." She said as she relaxed.
CJ thought about it for a moment before saying, "I do like being blonde...can I do blue sometimes. For special occasions, maybe?" She asked with a head tilt.
"Yeah, whatever you want," Heidi replied with a smile. She waved her hand and made the blue in both CJ's hair and eyes fade back to her normal colors and shrugged. "Maybe sometime I can help you learn that little trick."
CJ's eyes widened with excitement. "Really?" She grinned brightly.
"Oh yeah. Just some basic magic I just normally use to change my eye color or add on makeup without having to actually struggle with it." Heidi said with a chuckle and a nod.
CJ eagerly nodded at that. "I can't wait. Sounds fun!"
"I'll help you out with it in maybe a day or two," Heidi said with a smile.
Before CJ could nod, Elsa laughed. "Well, half the population is down for the count!" She said, referring to the passed-out half of the group.
"That went better than I thought," Heidi said with a head tilt.
Elsa nodded at that. "Yep. They all are in a food coma...except for Trip. He's in a spice coma from over-exposure." She shrugged at that.
"He shouldn't be trying random spices anyway," Heidi said nonchalantly.
"He's still working on utilizing his practical senses," Elsa said, tilting her head.
"I'd say we should have a class...but I know nobody qualified for that." Heidi deadpanned with halved eyes.
Elsa laughed at that before making a spyglass out of ice. She peered at them. "Nobody? That really says something." She said, truly entertained.
"Most of the people in my family are morons or just bad influences in general. I do have Athena, but she would read your ears off. She's just about the only person with common sense, and she prefers to talk about it as if she's writing an essay." Heidi said while shaking her head.
Elsa blinked, pulling away from the spyglass for a moment. "Yeah...that sounds painful."
"We usually walk away when she grabs the literal dictionary out," Heidi said with a shrug.
Elsa shivered at the thought before sighing. "So, should I ask Ara to prepare the tow clouds?" She tilted her head.
Heidi nodded as she pushed herself up. "Yeah. I need to figure out where Hecate ran off to again." She said while placing her hands on her hips.
Elsa smiled and stood herself with a stretch. "I'll do that then. It was nice talking with you, Heidi, CJ." She nodded her head to each of them.
Heidi gave her a nod and a smile before sighing. "Now, where on earth could that woman have run off to?"
CJ shrugged at that. "All I know is, she went out of that door. Awkwardly I might add." She said with a slight frown.
"She's good at that." Heidi deadpanned with a shrug.
CJ tilted her head. "You are the Hecate expert. What do we do?" She said, looking around.
"...Maybe we should check another room with a TV? She was going on about something related to that." Heidi said with a raised eyebrow.
CJ nodded at that. "Maybe the main living room? It has the second-biggest TV in the house." She pointed out with a smile.
"Good point. That's the first step in hunting down the Hecate." Heidi said with a chuckle.
CJ nodded at that before leading her to the main living room. It took about a minute to get there from the theater room. CJ turned to Heidi and asked, "See anyone?"
Heidi strolled to the main couch before promptly jumping over it. This resulted in a remote flying that Heidi caught before Hecate got up from her lying position and huffed. "Hey, I was trying to enjoy my shows in peace."
"Enjoy it later, come on," Heidi said as she grabbed the woman and began dragging her.
CJ tilted her head at the exchange with a small laugh. "What now?" She asked her mother.
"Hmm...Hecate, where'd you want us to meet up again?" Heidi asked, causing Hecate to stare at her in a deadpan. "Just lead the way... don't give me that look." She said with a roll of her eyes as Hecate pouted before freeing herself and walking out of the room. "If she isn't leading us... I'm going to get her." She said with exasperation.