AN: Okay, this is the last one, I promise. From here on out it's gonna be all Hiccup and the others. If you like Emma's storyline, she'll still be around but this is her last major chapter. If you don't like it, rest assured, there won't be anymore heavy focus on it anymore.

Music: "Try (Bonus Track)" from The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical

NOTES!: "The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart."

Chapter 30: Try

Emma took a moment to breathe before pulling herself up straight again. She wiped the black corruption from her chin and tried not to let the smell of her vomit make her sick again.

Bluewhistle cooed worriedly and gently nosed her shoulder. Emma smiled and pressed her forehead into his as she scratched his chin. Angor Rot watched on from his position leaning against a tree, his focus seemingly on his carving, but Emma locked eyes with him when he glanced over in her direction.

Between her own sickness and Angor Rot's injury to his leg, things weren't looking too good for them at that moment. The only saving grace they currently had was that Draal and the wizard team were in an equally tight spot. Hiro and Steve were fine, but Gustav had a concussion, Draal's good arm was badly injured, and Jim, Claire, and Toby had only just fallen out of a rabbit hole about half an hour ago and were still unconscious.

Emma wasn't sure how to feel about them being in Wonderland, even for the short amount of time they were there, but she couldn't do much about it. And besides, she was the one who sent them there by accident. However, the adventure did give her a new found respect for Claire. They'd also gotten lucky that Jim had come out human despite being trapped in his Kittroll form in Wonderland. As strange as things were for them, Emma would've never forgiven herself for exposing his biggest secret.

Her gaze went to Jim as he groaned, gently moving his head around as if to loosen up his neck. His eyes slid open and he stared up at the tree tops and the sky beyond for a moment. When he seemed to catch his bearings, he eased himself up into a sitting position with Draal's assistance. His eyes first went to his own hands, then around to the others. He spotted her and his eyes widened a little, but his expression told her that he wasn't displeased to see her there. Claire and Toby were quick to follow him to consciousness, and the others were thrilled to welcome them back.

"You're alive!" Steve cheered, pumping both fists into the air as Gustav whooped from his own spot sitting against a tree.

"You guys would not believe the day we had." Toby told them, and Jim and Claire chuckled.

"Personally, I'm more interested in what's going on around here...?" Claire spoke up, sending a pointed look over at Emma, Angor, and Blue'.

"We saved you from utter defeat." Angor rumbled, barely looking up from his carving.

"Now wait a minute -!" Hiro started in, but Draal snatched him up by the scruff of his shirt and place him down on his opposite side.

"Emma and Angor Rot and their dragon returned to help us when we were being overwhelmed by the guards." Draal explained.

"We were there for that part. What happened after?" Jim wanted to know.

"Quite a lot. Whatever Emma did to make you vanish, it weakened her. She collapsed and Angor Rot was injured while extracting her. Working together, we all managed to escape. And by some miracle, we caught them." Draal turned and stepped to the side, holding out his arm to present Eduardo and Antonio Perez tied up against a tree.

"No way!" Toby grinned along with Claire and Jim at the sight.

"Yeah! And now that you're all back, we can take them and those guys back to the Royal Council and get major credit!" Steve boasted, pointing his finger at the Perezs' and then jabbing his thumb back at them.

Emma rolled her eyes, sharing a look with Angor.

"We are not turning in Emma." Claire surprised her yet again by being the first to speak up on the matter. Claire stood up and crossed her arms, giving them all a firm stare. "She's a friend. She may not be... All There, but she's still a good friend." Claire smiled at her, and Emma's surprise continued as she found herself smiling back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the heck happened to all of you? Do none of you remember that she locked us in a cell not even twenty-four hours ago?" Hiro demanded, waving his arms to get everyone's attention and stop any further actions.

"Claire's right." Jim stood up and offered Toby a hand. "We're not turning her in. Besides, both our teams are in no condition to be fighting."

"Speak for yourself, Trollhunter." Angor Rot growled, but Emma pursed her lips.

"Let's not try to start something right now, my head is still pounding." She told him, and the assassin settled back against his tree, casting her a long look. She looked back to the others. "And in any case, I think there's something more important that needs our attention."

"She is right." Draal nodded, looking at Jim to give the rest of his report. "After interrogating the prisoners, and receiving some information from Emma, we've discovered that the position of the fleet heading for Syracuse has been leaked. Pitch's forces are planning an ambush at Sharktooth Way within the next three days."

"Three days?" Jim exclaimed, his eyes going wide.

"What are we gonna do? It's gonna take us at least that long just to get back to Scotland!" Toby worried, throwing his arms out in his frantic state.

"There's no way the Royal Council will be able to send reinforcements in time." Claire agreed.

"How far are we from Sharktooth Way?" Jim asked.

"Roughly two-thousand four hundred and forty-eight miles." Hiro answered. "We had to go north and cross Corona's southern border to avoid getting captured. We are a bit closer to the pass than we are Hogwarts, though."

"I do not believe it would be wise to make the journey to the pass. Gustav and I are both injured, and though you are capable, you are few and very young. I believe it wisest to try and return to Hogwarts and warn the others. Perhaps Professor North can do something with his snowglobes."

"By the time you get there it could already be too late." Emma said as she started tightening the straps on Bluewhistle's saddle. "Do what you want, but I intend to go do something about that dam."

"Are you crazy?" Steve's shout was the loudest among the shocked protests. "Why do you even care about all this?"

Emma looked at him and then at Bluewhistle, wondering if she should tell them who trained her to befriend a dragon or if she should just let them figure it out in their own time. She shook her head and decided to focus on her mission instead. She was short on time as it was, she couldn't afford to waste anymore.

"Angor, I want you to take Blue' and go back to the others. Tell them what's happened and get some medical attention." She told him. Angor's brow lowered sharply into a glare, but Emma held his gaze. "You can't fight with that leg. The best thing you can do right now is get me some reinforcements."

"You'll never make it to the pass in time without your beast." Angor Rot rumbled.

"The longest part of the journey will be getting through the mountain to where Sharktooth Way is in the middle of it. There are some caverns there that the Trolls used to use for trade routes. If we can find our way through, we might be able to make it on time." Jim rubbed his chin as he spoke, thinking out loud.

"Easier said than done. Those tunnels were abandoned long ago because of how easy it is to get lost, even for trolls. Many have died in those tunnels, and many claim it is haunted." Draal warned him, but Jim was starting to get that determined look on his face.

"I don't think we have much of a choice, Draal." Jim turned to Emma and walked towards her. Emma decided to humor him and walked forward to meet him in the middle. "I think we need to work together on this. We both have injured, but we both want to stop the ambush at the pass."

"Not to mention, you also have prisoners." Emma pointed out as she peered over his shoulder pointedly.

"Right... I say we send the others back to Hogwarts to get help while you and me go through the tunnels to get to the pass." Jim proposed, and Emma had to admit that it wasn't a bad idea.

"You're not doing this without me." Toby stepped up beside them. His eyes were firm and his mouth set in a stubborn line.

"Tobes?" Jim asked.

"I'm going with you." Toby repeated. "You two need all the help you can get, and I won't let you do this on your own."

"He's right." Claire spoke up, and all three of them turned to look at her. She walked over to join them as she continued. "You three should go ahead and try to stop the ambush. I can get the others back to Hogwarts in one piece with no problems."

"Are you sure, Claire?" Jim questioned.

"I've got a baby brother, Jim. I'm used to babysitting." Claire shrugged with a smirk.

"Hey!" Gustav yelped in indignation as Hiro and Steve gave sour expressions.

"Fair enough." Emma chuckled, and Claire grinned at her. Emma turned to look at Angor Rot, raising an eyebrow at him. "Think you can make it to Hogwarts without killing any of them?"

"What?!" Steve screeched in the background, but Emma ignored it.

"If I must." Angor Rot growled, scowling at the gaggle of boys and Draal. Blue' chirped and nudged his shoulder.

"Keep an eye on him, Blue'." Emma murmured, petting her dragon's snout and pressing their foreheads together again.

With so few options, they came to agreement fairly easily, and the plan was set. Emma, Jim, and Toby would go south to Sharktooth Way, and Claire would lead all the others north to get back to Hogwarts. After giving all of the injuries some basic form of attention for the journey, they split ways. Jim lead their little group through the trees for a few minutes before they came to an overhang that looked out over the ocean and the miles and miles of world before them. Toby and Emma came beside him on either side, and they were all beginning to feel the weight of this journey they were taking.

"Two thousand four hundred forty-eight miles, It never looked so far away..." Jim was the first to voice it, but it was something they were all thinking.

"Two thousand four hundred forty-eight trials, Who knows how many dangers stand in our way?" Emma added, trying to take a breath under the mounting pressure.

"I already know it. I'll probably blow it. But I'm going there anyway." Jim and Emma sang it together, turning to look at each other and both of them offering weak smiles. They looked over at Toby, and he sucked in a breath before nodded his head determinedly.

They all turned and set off down the path, following the coast.

"I may fail you... I may fail you... I may fail but it doesn't mean I won't try."

Jim took the lead for most of the journey. His extra senses proving useful at guiding them away from unnecessary distractions or altercations. There was even a point when he sensed rain coming while they were climbing up a steep pile of rocks. He reached down to help pull Toby up and then Emma, hurrying them towards a small indent in the rocks where they could take shelter until the storm passed. Jim was determined to keep them both safe while on this quest, but Merlin's voice kept echoing in his mind, telling him that he wasn't enough.

"I may fail you... I may fail you... I may fail but it doesn't mean that I won't try."

Emma was able to show them the best places to look for food and fresh water as their supplies began to run low. She also acted as their primary navigator when they had to stray further from the coast. She could admit that it was nice to be going on this quest with Jim and Toby. In hindsight, she could recognize that this was something she'd always wanted. But now that she was in it and there was so much weighing on them, so many people depending on them, she was worried she might not be able to pull through. She'd made so many mistakes and made a mess out of everything back at Hogwarts.

"I'll try."

It was all they could do.

"Two thousand four hundred forty-eight reasons I have to come along," Toby was trying his best to keep pace and not slow them down, though a part of him was constantly wondering if they'd be a lot further right now without him. He wasn't about to let them go it alone, though. He was already weighed down by a nagging feeling of guilt for not being able to help either of them when it really matter: Emma when she was dying, and Jim when he felt he needed to go to the Darklands alone. He was going to stay with them every step of the way and help them any way he could. Even if all he did was take an extra long watch-shift at night when they were resting, or defend their backs and call out a warning when Nightmares came out of nowhere. "Wash my hands of past mistakes."

"Prove to the gods that I belong!" Emma sliced through Nightmares, standing firm in her position back-to-back with Toby. She would prove herself to everyone. Especially the Guardians and the Royal Council.

"He must be protected." Toby threw his war-hammer to take out the last Nightmare that was charging at Jim from the side. It struck the shadow's shoulder and it collapsed.

"I won't be rejected." After they'd survived the Nightmare attack, Emma climbed on top of a large rock, looking out ahead of them. Before her was the mountain they would climb to reach Sharktooth Way.

"I'll probably get the whole thing wrong!" Jim and Toby climbed up beside her, and they all looked at each other before pressing on again together.

"I may fail you! I may fail you! I may fail but it doesn't mean that I won't try!"

They managed to find the entrance to the tunnels when Toby quite literally stumbled into it. Jim and Emma both grabbed one of his arms to help him back onto his feet. Unfortunately, the tunnels were overrun with the corrupted stones from the Moon's magic. Emma tried her best to move them, but her abilities with the Moonstone were extremely limited when she wasn't just letting the magic flow freely and wildly. More rocks, however, wasn't going to help them, so they simply kept on going, climbing over and under the rocks as they traveled into the tunnels.

"I may fail you! If I fail to! Fight 'til we're all in the clear! Look my fear in the eye!"

It only took a few minutes for them to get separated by the labyrinth. There was a rumbling in the cavern that caused the earth to give out from under Emma and she went falling into a different tunnel. Meanwhile the ceiling collapsed between Toby and Jim, forcing Toby down a side tunnel to try and find his own way through. They could hear each other calling out, their voices echoing in the tunnels and the stones reflecting them like a hall of mirrors.

"The weight of the world's on my shoulders, Like Atlas is crushing me down!" They rushed through the cavern, calling out and searching for each other as the shadows seemed to be pressing in around them. Each of them were breathing harder as fear gripped at their resolve to make it through. Expectations and words pushing down on them as they struggled to find light.

"We're not brave, we're not strong, we're not soldiers!" The stones reflected their images. Jim, Emma, and the Toby. Each move they made was reflected and copied by a thousand reflections.

"My heart's just a drum, and, damn, does it pound!" The echos of their voices lead each of them further into the tunnels. Jim was running forward when the ground suddenly dropped beneath him and he fell forward into a large opening in the cavern. Toby's path made a steep incline, and climbing up over the rocks, he found a little more space to breathe. Emma was crawling under a stone when her knee slipped and she fell through the floor again, rolling down a smaller tunnel into the opening. They all looked up at each other.

"I'm not leaving your side 'til we find what matters." Emma's shoulders drooped with relief as she hurried over to them, the shadows retreating behind her.

"I'm not leaving your side 'til we're back home." Toby beamed and stumbled over the last of the stones so he could run and meet them at the center.

"I'm not leaving your side 'til you're remembered." Jim pushed himself up off the ground, smiling at both of them, but casting a glance backwards to make sure the darkness wasn't pressing in on them anymore.

"No matter how far we have to go." They all reached out and grabbed hands, taking a few breaths to recenter themselves in the cold, dark caverns.

"I'm not leaving your side 'til we find what matters." Emma looked at both of them before turning her eyes to the path that would lead them further up the mountain.

"I'm not leaving your side..." Jim squeezed her hand in his, smiling when she looked at him.

"I'm not leaving your side 'til we're back home." Toby nodded in agreement.

"I'm not leaving your side..." Emma squeezed Jim's hand back and nodded, too.

"I'm not leaving your side 'til you're remembered." Jim stepped forward, tugging Emma along with them.

"I'm not leaving your side..." Toby was already walking step-for-step with him.

"I'm not leaving your side!" Emma took a skip to catch up the few steps.

"No!" They pushed forward, racing through the tunnel together.

"I can't fail you! I won't fail to! Fight 'til we're all in the clear! Look my fear in the eye!" They leaped and ducked under the stones as they ran up towards a small sliver of light in the distance. Even as the shadows shifted and the caverns groaned, the fear slipped away from them because there was a light ahead of them to reach for.

"I'll try!"

When they reached the top, the sunlight outside of the cavern was blinding, but more than welcome. The sun shone down on them as they stepped out of the tunnel just above a giant canyon with ocean water rising and falling with the tide at the bottom.

"Two thousand,"

There were hundreds of sharp, jagged stones poking up out of the water that looked and were just as deadly as shark teeth.

"Four hundred,"

Off in the distance was a dam that was nearing completion.

"Forty-eight miles."

Sharktooth Way and the enemy stronghold.

"It doesn't seem so far away..."

The dam was a fortress surrounding by miles of treacherous terrain. How they had even managed to get the people and materials to build the thing was a mystery because getting enough troops up the mountain to take it would be next to impossible. From the ocean wasn't much better as Sharktooth Way was known for being one of the deadliest routes. Between the large number of stones that could smash through a ship hull in the blink of an eye and a current strong enough to yank and pull even the sturdiest ships, it wasn't exactly a breeze to get through. Only the most experienced sailors even dared make the trip, let alone lingered long enough to construct a dam.

On the ground where they were hidden, there were regular patrols of about ten troops that marched by every half-hour by Emma's count. She, Jim, and Toby used the thick underbrush to their advantage, sneaking a close as they could possibly get. They crouched together behind a fallen log that was overgrown with moss and vines and a bush. Their view of the ongoings below was decent enough, and they managed to catch a glimpse of the large, iron gate raising up out of the water to let their ally ships through.

"This place is insane! There's no way our fleet is gonna make it through!" Toby hissed.

"They'll be lucky if there are any survivors at all." Jim agreed. "We have to do something."

"If we could blow the dam, the current would probably be strong enough to wash the debris away and free up the pass." Emma remarked as she pointed to the sides where the dam met the stone and earth of the mountain. "But we'd need some pretty powerful explosives. I don't think spells are gonna cut it."

"What about canon powder?" Toby suggested. "If we can gather up a few barrels of it at the right spot..."

"How would we get to it without alerting the guards? The canon holes are at least two floors down from the top of the dam." Emma pointed out.

"Isn't sneaky infiltration stuff your specialty or something?" Toby asked.

"Normally I have some kind of intelligence to go off of going in." Emma retorted. "You have to learn how to blend in with your surroundings, otherwise you'll get caught within seconds!"

"I think I might have an idea." Jim grinned, perking up and then looking over at them.

Separating two of the men from the rest of the patrol was a bit tricky, and there was a moment when they were almost caught. Jim and Emma swung down from a tree branch and grabbed both arms of the soldier, yanking him up into the tree. He started to scream, but Toby slapped a hand over his mouth. One of the others noticed something because he turned around and started looking for his comrade. It took a long, tense moment or holding their breaths and keep the soldier quiet and still before the other ones finally turned to go catch up with the others.

After they'd grabbed two soldiers, Jim and Toby put on the armor in preparation for their half of the plan.

"We'll get the barrels, you clear the blast zones. We'll meet you up top and set off the explosives together." Jim reminded her as he and Toby finished dressing.

"Just don't get yourselves caught. Rescuing you would be a pain." Emma told him, and Jim smirked at her.

The three of them set off for the dam. Jim and Toby stepped out of the brush and walked along the path they'd seen the patrols take. They looked a little awkward in the oversized armor, but it was the best they were going to do. Emma turned her attention to taking out the guards on the top of the dam...

Jim was certain that the only reason they hadn't been caught was because of sheer dumb luck. Either that, or whoever was in charge at the dam didn't think it necessary to have their brightest soldiers on the job. Maybe that was true, given how strongly fortified the dam's defenses were, but Jim just decided to take the blessings he could get. The patrol leader didn't bat an eye at them when they reported in and they were cleared to take a rest period. They followed the other soldiers down the stairs at the end of the dam, but once they caught to the second landing, Jim slowed. Once the others were far enough ahead, he yanked Toby back and through the door as quick as he could.

There was a small entry stair behind a short wall that Jim used to peer around and in the rest of the room. It was a long corridor that stretched the length of the dam. The only thing there were canons sticking out of square cutouts in the dam's wall. Canon-balls and barrels of powder were lined up against the back wall, leaving a narrow walking space in between. The corridor was empty aside from two guards that were snoring loudly as they rested against one of the canons.

"Dude!" Toby whispered giddily, but Jim quickly shushed him before tiptoeing forward towards the closest barrel.

"How many do you think we'll need?" Jim asked, keeping his voice as low as possible as he and Toby set their hands on the first barrel. Toby shrugged.

"I dunno! Maybe two? Three, each?" He suggested.

"Three?!" Jim gaped at him.

"Do you want to blow this dam or what?" Toby demanded.

Rolling his eyes, Jim just decided to trust Toby on this one and started levitating barrels as quickly and quietly as possible...

Emma had taken out the guards on the closest side of the dam without any trouble, but she hit a snag when she turned towards the other side. If she walked across that dam, she would be out in the open and completely reveal herself. Someone was bound to spot her and raise the alarm. She was contemplating taking some of the armor off one of the soldiers she'd hidden behind some crates when the blast of horns in the distance made her head snap up.

Calls started going out, and from what she could hear, it wasn't good. Running to the nearest window to confirm her suspicions, Emma spotted soldiers running to their battle stations and prepping to attack as they secured the dam.

The fleet from the Allied Forces was entering the pass.

No time left, Emma threw all caution to the wind and started sprinting towards the other side of the dam, drawing her Vorpal Blade. She could hear multiple shouts of warning, one of them from a man that was closest to her on the top of the dam. She lunged, and her knife struck true, drawing first blood and ending the man's shout. All the other soldiers on the dam grabbed their weapons and started rushing at her, but Emma weaved and ducked and jumped to avoid their attacks, striking whenever and wherever she could.

"Emma, jump!" Not even turning to look, Emma listened to Jim's voice and leaped up as high as she could, pushing off of one of the soldier's backs.

"Coming through!" Toby shouted as he and Jim ran forward, each rolling a large, heavy barrel of explosive powder. The barrels went rolling and took out the guards, their heads banging either against the barrels or the floor.

Emma landed beside Jim and Toby and grinned at them. "Thanks." Her smile melted as more horns blared in the distance. "We have to hurry. The fleet is coming!"

"We already set the other side -!" Toby started, but his comment was interrupted by a massive explosion that rocked the entire dam.

The three of them fell to the floor, covering their ears. When the shaking finally stopped, they looked up and found nearly the entire half of the dam blown apart. The bottom of it was barely holding together against the force of the current, thanks to the sturdiness of the opposite side.

"Well, I guess that's half the job done." Emma shrugged, pushing herself to her feet and running over to the barrels they had on their side.

"These three should be enough to cause a chain reaction with all the powder they've got below!" Toby told them, struggling to lift a third barrel out of the corner of the tower that marked the end of the dam. Jim and Emma hurried to arrange the other two beside it and set up a wick to give them enough to to climb out of the way.

"That should do it!" Jim announced once Toby was finished. Before they could do anything else, thundering footsteps and shouting came from the stairwell. Soldiers burst through the door and started crowding towards them.

Emma threw her knife, catching the first soldier right in the chest. She yanked her knife out and twisted to the boys, "Light it!" She shouted before parrying the next soldier.

Toby fumbled with his wand a little as he set about lighting the wick, and Jim rushed forward to help Emma fight off the enemy forces. There were two many pushing forward through the doorway, the two of them couldn't possibly stop them all. Just as they started to back away, losing ground, Toby's head shot up.

"I got it! Run!" He screamed, sprinting away from the barrels. Jim and Emma followed after him, running along the top of the dam towards the damage from the first explosion. Toby screamed back at them. "Where do I go?"

"Jump, Tobes! We'll catch you!" Jim called out, and Toby cried out, but did it anyway. He threw himself off what was left of the dam, reaching for the safety of the cliff. Jim slid to a stop and pulled out his wand, levitating Toby the rest of the way to safety.

While he was focused on that, the soldiers started gaining ground, so Emma placed herself at Jim's back and threw up the strongest shield she could possibly muster. The soldiers banged against it with their fists and weapons, shouting and screaming at her. She could feel the sweat gathering on her temples from the strain of maintaining the shield.

"Emma!" Jim cried when he finished levitating Toby and turned back to her.

"Go! I'll cover you!" Emma shouted at him, but Jim didn't move.

"I'm not leaving you!" Jim shot back with a harder tone than she could ever remember him using.

"Go! I'll be okay!" She told him again, but then she looked up at him, letting her focus waver for just a second. "I'll be right behind you. Just catch me."

Jim held her gaze for a long moment, but then nodded. He took a running leap off of the dam. Half way through the air he started to plummet and his heart leaped up into his throat, but it only lasted for a few beats until Toby caught him in a levitation spell. The moment his feet were on solid ground beside Toby, Jim whipped around to look back at Emma. She was struggling to keep up the shield, her feet shuffling back inch by inch with each blow to her defenses.

"Emma! Get out of there!" Jim yelled as loud as he could. Emma glanced back, hesitating a moment, but then everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Emma turned just as her shield was shattered by an enemy's mace, and she leaped through the air, reaching out towards them. The barrels exploded, blasting through the other side of the dam and turning it to splinters. The shockwave rocked the earth, causing Toby and Jim to fall to the ground, breaking concentration. Jim threw his arm out to Emma in his panic, and they both reached for each other as she started to fall.

"Emma!"

Jim threw himself over the edge, a burst of blue mist revealing his Kittroll form as he dove for Emma and caught her in his arms. Twisting around, Jim managed to dig his claws into the stone and earth of the mountain and slide to a stop, clinging to the face of the cliff as the dam collapsed behind them. A chain of explosions and a mist of ocean water bursting up all around them as it all came crumbling down.

Once everything had stopped shaking for the most part, Jim kept a tight hold on Emma with one arm, using his free arm and legs to scale the mountainside back to safety. Toby was waiting for them at the top and took Emma's hand to help her up, so Jim could pull himself up. They all sat on the edge there, watching the aftermath of the explosion unfold.

The Allied fleet came around the corner, chased by enemy ships, and several watchposts with archers were still operational. But then the sky burst open with a swirl of colors and a familiar sleigh pulled by eight reindeer came flying out, followed closely by two dragons. Percy and Jack flew out on their staffs, icing over one of the watchposts while Toothless and Bluewhistle followed and blasted the others. North's sleigh dove low and Bunnymund and Merida went about helping with the attack on the enemy ships.

The Allied forces quickly turned the tide of the fight. Emma, Jim, and Toby all looked at each other, smiling and dissolving into laughter as they slumped against each other for support. Though they were exhausted, they had succeeded in their quest and saved the Allied fleet. So it was a pretty good day...

It was less than an hour later when North and the other Guardians found them in the same spot. Rapunzel was the first to reach them with Claire at her side, and she latched on to one of Jim's and Toby's ears demanding to know exactly what they were thinking when they decided to take such a high-risk quest by themselves.

That moment was interrupted when Jack zipped passed them and tackled Emma with a tight hug. For a horrifying moment, Emma was certain she was going to cry, so she hugged him back even tighter and buried her face in his shirt. Her dad came over more slow and softly petted her hair while laying his other hand on Jack's shoulder. Emma looked up at them, and Percy smiled while Jack grinned.

"Emma."

She stiffened and then turned. There was Cat, perched in Toothless's saddle and looking very majestic and impressive. Bluewhistle wriggled eagerly behind him, desperate to say hello after being apart from her for days.

"Hi, Cat." She waved sheepishly. Cat just sighed and shook his head at her before nodding to Blue'. The young dragon chirped excitedly and rushed forward, nearly shoving Emma off her feet in his exuberant hello. "I missed you, too, Blue!" Emma laughed.

"Wait, she has a dragon, too?! When did she get a dragon? Why did she get one? Why don't I get one?" Jack started swinging his arms out, gesturing largely as he raved at Cat.

"You already fly, Jack." Cat reminded him dryly, but Jack pouted. "And this wasn't me. This one was all Emma!" He added, waving his finger between her and Blue.

"I'm just glad to know you're safe." Percy sighed, laying a hand on her head again as Emma looked up at him. "Your mother is going to be in a state when she hears about all this."

"Cat was looking out for me the whole time." Emma promised, looking back to Cat with a smile, and he nodded.

"Come on. We still have work to do. You can face your mother once we get back." Cat informed her, and Emma nodded with only a slight grimace. She gave her dad and brother one last hug each before swinging up onto Blue's back. She looked at Jim and Toby and gave them a nod. They smiled back at her. As she and Cat took off, flying into the sky, she felt light and free.

They were parting as friends once again, and even though their paths were different, she knew they'd be okay. They would continue to grow as Trollhunters, and she would learn to be a great Dragon Rider, and they would still be friends when they next met.