To Rose Tiger and Lyger 0: With the intrusive paparazzi, I was actually thinking about a story I read recently about Emma Watson. I think it was on the day of her 18th birthday, someone tried to take a photo up her skirt the moment she stepped outside. Not that they would do anything like that to Zoe – given her age, they would get in serious legal trouble. But given their father's position (and the scandal), Chloe and Zoe are prime targets for paparazzi harassment.

"I have to make a trip today," Chloe announced over breakfast in her penthouse the next morning. It was quiet – nice, even – having breakfast in the penthouse, without her mother constantly ignoring everyone and her father pretending that they had a "normal" relationship. Pollen perched on her accustomed fruit bowl, steadily eating her way through her mixed berries; Bee-atrice had curled up under the table, gnawing on the bacon strip Chloe had given her to supplement her breakfast. In almost all respects, it was a morning like any other in the month since she rescued Pollen; the lone exception sat across the table from her, a surprised expression on her face. Chloe helped herself to another pain au raisins – not quite up to Tom Dupain's standards, but Mme Césaire was still a master baker. Setting the pastry on her plate and tossing a piece to Pollen, she explained, "Heroes of Paris business."

"O–oh." Zoe looked down at her croissant, her shoulders slumping. "I–I understand."

"What's wrong?" asked Chloe, sipping her tea and eyeing Zoe carefully.

Zoe shrugged noncommittally, running a finger along the grain of the table. "I just… after yesterday, I was kind of wondering if there wasn't a way to, I don't know, get out of that library dedication that, um, Father mentioned last night… Or at the very least, I was hoping, y'know, that you would be there too." She let out a heavy breath. "Maybe then I wouldn't feel so… out of place."

Chloe grimaced, looking down at her own plate. Library dedications, Paris-Plages appearances, political rallies, state dinners… She had glanced at the event schedule after yesterday's press conference, and there had been at least a dozen of them scheduled in the next two weeks; while she had watched, it had refreshed with another three events that Jean-Claude had scheduled since the press conference had ended. Her jaw clenched. How had she ever enjoyed these things in the past? Growing up, she had viewed events like these as an opportunity for people to fawn over her and take her pictures – she had barely noticed the way Daddy and Jean and Jean-Claude had "managed" her and choreographed the press around her. But her attitude toward it all had soured so much in the last couple years, since she lost her miraculous, and especially since Tante Emilie returned. She'd noticed that they weren't treating her with the same kid gloves of previous years – not now that she was of age. But even without that, she found that she no longer craved the attention the way she had, now that she had Marinette and Sabrina and Tante Emilie and the others, who cared about her for who she was, not for who her father was. That was why, ever since this campaign had started, she had been looking for every possible excuse to miss the events – and when she couldn't find an excuse, she would make one up. But that was just one the benefit of being known as one of the Heroes of Paris, and of being Ladybug's liaison to their friends around the world.

After a moment of silence, Zoe swallowed. Her voice trembled. "I messed up yesterday, didn't I?"

Blinking and refocusing on the girl across from her, Chloe took another sip of her tea and pursed her lips. "I haven't seen today's news yet, but they could take your answers either way," she admitted. "Not that it's that big a deal," she added as an afterthought.

Zoe cocked her head to one side. "What do you mean? Yesterday, M. Battier said that if the press conference didn't go well, if the press didn't like what we said, that your – I mean, Father – might lose the election! And if he did, it would be my fault."

Chloe gave her a sharp look. "If Daddy loses, it's on him. Nothing either of us does can really change that, one way or the other."

"But M. Battier said–"

Chloe scoffed. "Jean-Claude didn't exactly say it that way," she told her. "I think what he said was that the scandal could be the thing that tips the scales."

"And you, um, mother said–"

"You are not the 'scandal,'" Chloe interrupted, frowning, adding under her breath, "regardless of what Mother thinks." Louder, she continued, "You may have been born out of a 'scandal,' we are more than our birth or our parents."

Zoe nodded, though she gave Chloe an unconvinced look. "But still. I was the one who showed up and caused all of this," she pointed out. "F–father wouldn't have to deal with all of this right now if I had just stayed away."

Chloe quirked an eyebrow at her. "You'd rather live on the streets and scrounge for food than have to deal with the paparazzi?" She snorted. "Can't say I blame you…"

Zoe started, her eyes widening. "Really? But I thought you liked your – I mean, Father – being the mayor."

Chloe shrugged. "I'll admit, sometimes there are benefits – at least this way the Heroes of Paris know that the mayor's office is somewhat on our side. And I used to like it more than I do now," she confessed, her voice trailing off. She coughed. "But after the last few years… I'll be glad when I can be known as myself and not just as Daddy's daughter."

Zoe swallowed. "I was never known as that before now," she whispered. "Sometimes I wondered what it would be like, knowing my father, being part of his family. Then I found out, and now I'm here, and…"

"You wish the spotlight wasn't on you so much?" Chloe finished, arching an eyebrow knowingly.

Zoe nodded. "It's… I don't know how you deal with it!"

"Practice." Chloe sighed. "Though this year I've tried to avoid it when I can help it."

Zoe looked across the table at Chloe, leaning forward, her croissant forgotten on the plate in front of her. "Can–can I – no." Chloe cocked her head, her brows furrowed. Zoe sucked in a deep breath. "Can I come with you?" she asked in a rush. "On your Heroes of Paris business, I mean. Instead of going to Father's thing. I'd… I'd rather spend the time with–with you." Chloe started, her eyes widening slightly, and opened her mouth, though nothing came out. Zoe flushed, looking away. "Um… I shouldn't have asked – forget I said anything."

"No," Chloe answered her quickly. "No; that's okay. You can ask." She paused looking down at her teacup as she thought about the question. Everything in her screamed that it was a bad idea to bring Zoe – she wasn't a superhero! But at the same time, this wasn't going to be dangerous… And it wasn't in Paris. Finally, she let out a breath and glanced up at Zoe. "Um, I guess you can come with me." She chuckled wryly. "Jean-Claude will probably be relieved, after yesterday!" After sending a quick message, her eyes narrowed, and she gave Zoe a severe look. "But if you're coming with me, we need to make a few things absolutely clear. First, if I tell you to do something, you do it, no questions asked. I can keep you safe, but only if you listen to me. And second, you can't say anything about anything you see, to anyone. I'm serious here. If you let something slip, and it gets to the wrong person, then people could get hurt – or even killed. Clear?"

Zoe nodded firmly, her shoulders relaxing. "I promise: I won't let you down."

[break]

Two hours later, Chloe sat in a small apartment unit, looking across the large conference table at Zeus, Poseidon, and Athena. Zoe perched next to Chloe on the edge of her seat, looking around the room curiously and taking in the lounge setup and exercise equipment taking up most of the rest of the apartment's main room while intermittently staring at the three Greek heroes in awe. Bee-atrice had curled up on the floor between Chloe and Zoe and closed her eyes, her tail thumping a steady rhythm on the floor. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with us," Chloe told the Olympiad smoothly, giving them a practiced smile. "This is my… sister, Zoe," she added, nodding to the girl next to her. "I mentioned I would be bringing a guest."

"The pleasure is all mine," Zeus assured them, grinning and wagging his eyebrows at Chloe, reaching a hand across the table to her. "I've always wanted to meet the famous Chloe Bourgeois – the daughter of the Mayor of Paris who became a superhero. Your reputation precedes you, but it hardly does you justice."

Chloe quirked an eyebrow at him and took his offered hand. "Likewise," she told him, as he leaned forward to kiss her knuckles. Pulling her hand away, she placed it on the table in front of her. "We met in passing down in Tarascon – thank you for your assistance there, by the way – but hardly had the time to get to know you."

"Understandable," Poseidon answered, nodding. "You had a lot on your minds at that point, from what I understand from Ladybug and Cat Noir."

Zeus leaned forward, fixing Chloe with an intense look. "Of course, I'm glad we have the opportunity to rectify that now, Mlle Bourgeois," he told her. "Perhaps after we finish with business, I can take you to experience some Greek hospitality."

Chloe gave him a deadpan look. "We really should get down to business," she informed him curtly. "We do have a busy day in front of us."

"Right," Athena agreed, raising an eyebrow in Zeus' direction. "Of course, we really don't have all that much to report at the moment. Things in Athens are going pretty smoothly, all things considered. As you can see, we finally have a little more furniture in our headquarters." She nodded around the still-sparsely-furnished apartment. "It isn't much at the moment, but we're planning to get some more furniture for the bedrooms eventually. At this point it's not much more than a place to meet anyways. But once we have beds and the like, the next time Ladybug and company come to Athens, we'll actually have a place for them to stay."

"Or anyone else who comes to visit," added Zeus, giving Chloe a look. "I'd be happy to escort you if you're ever in town…"

Chloe pursed her lips and folded her arms, her eyes narrowing. "A… tempting offer… but no. So," she continued, turning to Athena, "speaking of Ladybug, has there been any news about Night Bat? Or about the… sorcerer they met in Atlantis?"

Zoe started and nearly slid off her chair, her eyes widening. "Wait, did you say, 'Atlantis'?"

Poseidon shrugged, sharing a look with Zeus and Athena. "Not that much, honestly. Since getting back from there, I've been watching the water outside the harbor pretty closely, but I haven't seen anything to indicate that Nerarchos is here. Although I did see a couple of larger sea creatures the last time I went out into the harbor – sharks and the like, though a small whale even managed to find its way in here. It's not normal, but it also doesn't necessarily mean anything."

"I hope not," Chloe mused, her eyes drifting toward the floor-length windows along the side wall. This was how so many of their problems had started: disconnected events that they only pieced together long after the fact. If they had realized what was happened with the Beasts sooner, might they have been able to prevent the Tarasque from forming in the first place? If they had, how many lives would have been saved?

At least one, she mused, trying not to glance over at Zoe.

"We'll let you know if anything comes of it," Athena promised. "Especially if we happen to spot that Night Bat character."

"Don't worry; we're on top of this situation," Zeus declared, giving Chloe a reassuring grin. "We won't let anything happen to our city."

Chloe nodded slowly. "Just remember: if anything happens and you need help, we're happy to send people for support. Especially if you have a chance to stop Night Bat and get his miraculous away from him."

"'Atlantis'," Zoe repeated, blinking. "I'm sorry; are you talking about the Atlantis? I thought that was just a myth."

Chloe shook her head. "Nope. That's what I thought, too, but that's actually where the miraculous originally came from. Ladybug and Cat Noir even found Atlantis recently, with some help from Poseidon," she added, nodding to him.

Zoe shook her head ruefully. "I never would have imagined…"

"There is a lot more to this world than you could possibly have imagined," Zeus told Zoe solemnly. He held his hand out, as lightning crackled between his fingers. "Even after unlocking this incredible power, I don't think we have even come close to the extent of what is possible." He grinned. "If you want an introduction to the wider world, mademoiselle, I would be happy to show you. There is so much more to experience, after all!"

Zoe hummed. "I've seen so much – even just today, coming here with Chloe!" she replied eagerly.

"If you are ever… curious, there are certain things that must be experienced for oneself," Zeus answered, leaning forward and raising an eyebrow at her.

Chloe cleared her throat, her eyes narrowing, and glared at Zeus. "Can we stay on topic?" she demanded testily. "Zoe is here as my guest. And I promise, you will not be showing my thirteen-year-old sister anything." Zeus stiffened. Chloe suppressed a smirk. "Now, I assure you: if you find Night Bat and let us know about it, we can stop him permanently. If you keep that information to yourself, on the other hand, there's no way your city comes out unscathed."

"Understood," Athena agreed with a nod. "We'll keep our eyes peeled and let you know anything we find."

Suddenly, as Chloe was glancing down at her notepad, the small radio on the other side of the apartment squawked. "Tidal wave coming in toward the shore," a voice announced.

Poseidon groaned. "That's the fourth time in the last two weeks."

"We'd better see what we can do," Athena decided, glancing around the table at the others.

Zeus rose to his feet, giving Chloe a look. "Well, Mlle Bourgeois? Will you join us?"