Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter!

(2022 Spidey here. I decided to make a few changes to a certain character's lines in this chapter to be more in line with how he is in later chapters. It might be worth rereading Hades' integration scenes again… Besides that, it's just mostly general rewording and format fixing, like with all of the chapters. We now return you to your regularly scheduled Author Note.)

I want to thank JTWAS1994, GoldenMewtwo and DaughterofSBWG for their reviews, as always, as well as thank VeronicaSaywers54 for favoriting and Draxion for following the story.

Unlike last time, I'm going to save most of the notes for the end so I don't spoil anything (like I kind of did last chapter. I honestly didn't think it through). So, I'll see you guys on the other side!

Myth 29: The Lone Ranger

Gryphon smirked under his helmet as he was led into Hades' throne room. The wooden double doors slammed shut behind him as the armored Spartoi continued to make him walk forward.

"Hello, Hades," Gryphon said. "I surrendered peacefully and you still treat me like a prisoner? No wonder the other gods hate you."

"Gryphon," Hades said, "the last Dark Order Knight with a vendetta against the Red Ranger and a habit of disobeying me and disappearing. Tell me, do you have any sense of loyalty to anyone?"

"I only care about slaying the Red Ranger," Gryphon said. "Everyone else is just pawns for me to use to get to him."

Persephone looked over at Hades with a worried look on her face. She didn't like the tone in Gryphon's voice.

"So you admit to merely using me to advance your own agenda?" Hades asked.

"No more than you used me to advance yours," Gryphon retorted. "Who served you during the assault on Mt. Olympus and helped your strategy succeed?"

"You may have helped then," Hades admitted, "but otherwise you've either served the Dark Order or worked on your own, barely helping me. Tell me. With all that in your history, what benefit do I have to keeping you alive?"

"Oh, there's no benefit to you," Gryphon said, "so you might as well kill me and be done with it."

Hades looked surprised for a minute before shrugging.
"If you insist," Hades said as he reached into the brazier next to him and created a ball out of the flame. "I promise this will be quite painful."

He launched the ball at Gryphon and it hit him right in the chest as flames flew out of it and engulfed Gryphon.

"So much for your revenge on the Red Ranger," Hades said. "Spartoi, once he stops burning, take his ashes and do as you wish with them. He isn't my problem anymore."

"Oh, I most certainly am," Gryphon's voice said from the middle of the inferno. The flames quickly died down and were replaced by Gryphon with a bronze aura around him instead. He was somehow free of his chains and had his new bronze sword and shield drawn.

"Impossible!" Hades shouted. "No one can survive my flames except a god, and even that would injure them greatly!"

"I can absorb your power now, Hades," Gryphon said, "I went to the Cyclopses and they built these for me. Once I get your Olympian Gems, I will be unstoppable!"

"I'm not just giving them to you!" Hades shouted as he stood up from his throne, his flames shooting up and becoming red. "You're going to have to come and take them!"

He blasted twin streams of red flame at Gryphon, which Gryphon just absorbed through his sword. His aura became brighter as the energy from the flames was added to his own.

Hades growled in annoyance before he walked closer to Gryphon and took a fighting stance.

"If my powers won't work, I'll just have to take you out the old-fashioned way," Hades said.

"I'd like to see you try," Gryphon said as he lunged forward.

Hades leapt back from Gryphon's initial sword strike before attacking with a kick. However, Hades has obviously not fought hand to hand in a while, as Gryphon just used his shield to block before slashing with his sword again. The tip of the blade just nicked Hades' cheek and caused some golden ichor, the blood of the immortals, to drip onto the floor.

"Damn it!" Hades shouted as he tried to punch Gryphon. Gryphon just turned his head to dodge before kicking Hades in the gut.

"Not so formidable without your powers, are you?" Gryphon asked as he watched Hades double over. "Just give me the Olympian Gems and this'll all be over."

Hades managed to pull himself together and back up towards the brazier. He reached inside again.

"You haven't learned," Gryphon said as he dashed towards Hades again, "your powers won't work on me."

Hades pulled out two onyx gems with a bronze band around the middle of the gem. He gripped one in his hands and punched with all of his might. The gem glowed in his hand as he punched. Gryphon went flying backwards and hit the wooden double doors hard. They didn't break, but there was still enough force to force them open before they swung back shut again.

"I gave you a chance," Gryphon said. "I will no longer show any mercy."

"I wasn't asking for it," Hades said as he activated the power of his Olympian Gems to morph, "because you'll be back in Tartarus when I'm done with you!"

Hades' armor had a shiny black coloring to it with bronze morphers, a bronze omega symbol and bronze shin guards. His visor was a dog head surrounded in a bronze outline. Without the unique visor and bronze parts of his suit, he could be confused for Victor as the Black Olympian Ranger.

"Onyx Ranger!" Hades shouted.

"So, you can morph," Gryphon said. "Would have been a helpful trick against the Olympians when we attacked Olympus."

"I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you, traitor!" Hades shouted as he leapt at Gryphon. He came in for a flying kick, but Gryphon raised his shield and blocked it. Hades did a backflip off the shield and landed on the ground a few feet from Gryphon.

Gryphon smirked under his helmet again.

This shield should give me the advantage, the human voice said. Not only that, but he can't use his flames against me or I'll just absorb it. But once I get those gems, I can't absorb his power anymore. I won't be telling him that fact, though.

Hades grimaced under his new helmet.

I can't get through that shield, he thought, but I know how to get around it.

Hades took another fighting stance as he activated his power. Rather quickly, he faded away from view.

"What?" Gryphon shouted as he looked around. "How did you do that? Where are you?"

"All valid questions," Hades's voice said from behind Gryphon. Gryphon whirled around and slashed with his sword, but only hit air.

"But I don't see why I should tell you," Hades' voice said from behind Gryphon again. Gryphon whirled and slashed again, but had the same result as last time.

Gryphon growled in frustration until Hades appeared behind him and stabbed with a two-pronged spear. The spear struck Gryphon's armor and cracked it in the back from Hades' strength.

Gryphon roared and did a whirling slash, but Hades blocked it with the body of his two-pronged spear. Gryphon used his shield to bash the two-pronged spear aside before slashing repeatedly with his sword. Hades cried out as the sword swiped across him multiple times. Gryphon finally let up the barrage to kick Hades away and made him slam into his own throne.

Persephone looked between the two warriors. She wasn't quite sure who she wanted to win.

On one hand, she thought, Hades has been holding me against my will for thousands of years every winter. On the other hand, Gryphon plans to destroy the Red Ranger completely and I have no idea what he'll do with me.

As she was lost in thought, Hades shakily got up.

"I...I will not let you leave here alive!" Hades managed to get out.

"And I'm not leaving without those Olympian Gems!" Gryphon shouted as the two charged at each other again.

They met in the middle of the throne room as they clashed again and again, neither one getting the leg up over the other.

"Gryphon's Fire!" Gryphon shouted as he slashed a bronze "x" into the air before stabbing his sword into it. A stream of bronze flames flew out.

Hades cried out as he was struck by the flames before he went flying. He flew into his throne again, this time knocking it over. Hades groaned as he demorphed in a flash of light. The Olympian Gems fell out of his hands as he laid there, bruised and beaten.

Gryphon put his sword into the shield in a compartment between the front and back of the shield as he walked up and grabbed the Gems off the ground.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Gryphon sneered as he walked up to the wooden double doors. "Be glad I have no interest in your Underworld. I could take it too if I really wanted to. I just want my revenge. Just as HE promised me..."

With that, he drew his sword again and slashed a hole in the wooden double doors before stepping through.

Hades slowly got up and limped towards the double doors.

"My lord, where could you possibly be going?" Persephone asked. "You should rest."

"I don't have time to rest," Hades said as he continued to limp forward. "There's someone I must talk to."

"Let me at least heal you," Persephone offered.

Hades gestured to the flame and drew some of it towards him. The flames washed over his body and healed him of his bruises, scrapes and cuts, as well as the limp.

"I will be fine," Hades said, "stay there. I will be back shortly. I know who Gryphon was speaking of, and he has some explaining to do."

He stepped through the hole in the wooden double doors and down the hall. There were piles of bones and armor from the armored Spartoi Gryphon had destroyed. Hades ignored them and walked down the hall before stopping at a seemingly normal black brick wall. He raised a palm and summoned a spark of blue fire into it before pressing his palm into the wall. A portion of the wall next to where he put his hand slid aside, creating a passageway. Hades stepped into the passageway and continued down it for a few minutes. Finally, he exited the passage to reveal it was more of a tunnel that led to a place surrounded by white spires. In between the spires, Hades could see mortals being tortured.

"Show me Cronus," Hades said to the spires.

The spires flashed white and the place seemed to rotate in a circle, with the spires rotating with it. They stopped to reveal a man who had been beaten by time. He had a white beard and white robe that was tattered and torn. He was chained to a wall, forced to face Hades. All in all, he looked very similar to how Zeus did now in the jail cell, but even more worn out and defeated. His face, however, was emotionless, almost like it was stone.

"I was wondering when you would come back to me," he said. "When you would come back to Cronus…"

"I have a few questions for you," Hades said, "and seeing as you have no choice, I'll ask them. Starting with: what deal did you make with Gryphon?"

"Gryphon?" Cronus asked. "I simply gave him his freedom."

"How?" Hades asked. "Only the Olympians can do that, and none of them ever would. I need more than that."

"There are always loopholes," Cronus said. "You of all people should know that. The logic of most beings, including the Olympians, can be so faulty sometimes."

"Damn it, give me a clear, solid answer!" Hades demanded.

"You and I are complete opposites," Cronus said. "Where I see logic, you find emotion. From the anger towards the gods to the hatred that is growing between you and Persephone, you're a candle burning on both ends.

"Shut...shut up!" Hades shouted at him. "This isn't about me! I want to know about your deal with Gryphon!"

"Patience is a virtue," Cronus said. "One that you have always lacked with your emotionally-clouded mind. You came crawling back and I told you to take over Mt. Olympus and the Earth the Olympians loved so much through your own power. You had all of the monsters that heroes had ever killed at your disposal. Yet the Olympians beat you at every turn. You thought you could wait them out, make the belief in them die while you would bide your time. Then those Olympian Rangers came along. I saw Typhon and Echidna were sent back here a little while ago. Logic dictates that the Rangers probably did that."

"You're just blabbing!" Hades said. "Stop telling me things I already know!"

"But, for all the good he thinks he has done for the world, the Red Olympian Ranger made an enemy, and that enemy found a way to contact me," Cronus said. "He was clouded by emotion too, and by promising him power by combining him with the real Gryphon, he was easy to manipulate.. At the end of March, the boy gives up control of his body to Gryphon forever. He accepted."

"Why would you make such a deal, and why would Gryphon agree to it?" Hades asked.

"Gryphon has a lot of power, but I was able to refine it. He was rather grateful and it gave me another pawn," Cronus said. After all, he will free me from this place once he has control back. That was the nature of my deal with Gryphon himself."

"The seal the Olympians placed on Tartarus is strong," Hades said. "You would need the power of a major god to break it, and while I have that power, I see no reason to free you. That isn't part of our deal."

"Then why don't we make a new one?" Cronus offered, "I'll increase your power for you again if you help the real Gryphon free me. As you said, you, as a major god, have the power to free me. You just foolishly have chosen not to. I can give you a logical reason to do it, though. In a few days, due to the loss of your Onyx Olympian Gems, your dark part of the Flame of the Gods will revert to a good form that will instead enhance your enemies. But with my time powers, I can ensure it never goes to the side of good. Once you free me, I will aid you in destroying the Olympian Rangers. Do we have a deal?"

Hades thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"We do," Hades said.

"And remember the consequences of going back on the deal," Cronus warned. "If you do cross me, time itself will work against you."

"One more question," Hades said. "If you can grant power and make deals, why are you still chained to that wall? Why do you need us to free you?"

Cronus looked up into Hades's eyes.

"I have my reasons," he said simply. "Ones that will become apparent soon. Now let us focus on that power increase."


Gryphon appeared in a cloud of black smoke in the alleyway. He was in Olympia Hills again or, at least, that's what he assumed.

Hades' control over where people teleport from the Underworld is still in effect, the human voice in Gryphon said, so I should be in Olympia Hills, whether I wanted to be or not.

He looked down at the black and bronze Olympian Gems in his right hand and his sword and shield on his left arm.

Maybe I shouldn't have killed the Cyclopses, the human voice said. They would have known how to combine the Gems with my new weapons.

He looked between the two, thinking.

Then again, maybe I don't need them, the human voice said as he propped the sword and shield combo against the wall and surrounded himself in his bronze aura. He grasped the Olympian Gems and pressed them against the hilt of the sword and the top of the shield, right over where the blade went in and just below the hit. His hands glowed as he used his power to combine the Gems and his weapons. As the glow around him faded, he looked at the gems now fixed to the sword and shield. The Gems glowed and a new black aura appeared around the weapons, showing that they were charging up the sword and shield with their power.

"That ought to do it," he said out loud. "Now to find the Red Ranger and kill him once and for all!"

He grabbed his sword and shield and turned to black smoke again before floating off into the sky.


"You got anything?" Jay asked as he walked up to Christina for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I've still got no sign of Hermes anywhere in the world," Christina said as she typed a few keys on the mosaic computer. "I've focused our search on London, where he was last seen, and Olympia Hills, where he's most likely to end up. He seems to be good at hiding."

"Which is both good and bad," Adrian said from his place next to her. "It's good because it means that it's likely that Hades hasn't found him yet, but it's bad because we can't find him either."

"Keep searching," Jay said as he walked over to Mera and Victor as they were looking at the battle footage on a tablet-like device. "How is it going with Gryphon and his new weapon and identity?"

"He's definitely half human," Victor said, which Mera agreed with with a nod, "but which human he is is another question. I noticed you couldn't remove the helmet."

"He said something about it only coming off when he wills it to," Jay said, "meaning he'll only be unmasked when he's ready."

"Meanwhile," Mera said, "his sword is putting out some powerful, yet familiar, energy. It looks like it is on the same power wavelength and level as our weapons."

"He doesn't have Olympian Gems," Jay said. "How is that possible?"

"He must have gone to the Cyclopes," Chiron said as he galloped over. "I had hoped I would never have to see their handiwork again."

"The Cyclopes?" Valerie asked from her spot on the steps. "Who are they?"

"Their official title is the Elder Cyclopes," Chiron said. "They created Zeus' Thunderbolts, Poseidon's Trident and Hades' Helm of Darkness during the First Great War against the Titans. They are skilled weaponsmiths and any weapon they create has great power attached to it, similar to your own, but even stronger."

"Gryphon didn't seem so powerful in the footage," Nate said from his spot leaning against a pillar. "You sure he's really got one of those super weapons?"
"Remember that he is inexperienced with the powers of his new weapon," Chiron warned. "He may prove more of a threat once he learns more of his new power."

"How hard can he be?" Nate asked. "New weapon, same old Gryphon. He doesn't learn. With our Hero Armor, we outclass him. There's nothing to worry about."

"I disagree with that," Mera said. "Gryphon is rather determined to destroy Jay. He has also been steadily improving. Those together with the new sword could prove a dangerous combination."

"You guys are worrying too much," Nate said.

Valerie was about to say something when her phone went off.

"Hang on," she said as she pulled out her cell phone and put it to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked before she pulled the phone away from her ear. The other Rangers could hear bits and pieces of what the person on the other end was shouting. Jay thought he caught "worried" and "danger". Valerie waited for the shouting to stop before putting the phone back up to her ear.

"Mom, I'm fine," she said. "I promise I can explain when I get home...Now? I have something important I'm doing!...Fine, I'll be right there."

She tapped the red button on the touch screen and ended the call.

"My mom is livid right now," she explained. "I need to get home before she starts freaking out more."

Mera pulled out her phone and looked at how many text messages and calls she had missed.

"My parents are worried as well," she said. "I should probably go too."

Diana, from her spot at one of the pillars, and Adrian, from his place over next to Christina, both pulled out their phones. They both noticed that their father had also called multiple times.

"Yeah, we're going too," Adrian said. "Our father probably isn't happy with us right now."

Nate pulled out his crappy phone and looked at it. There were multiple texts and calls from his mother on it.

"My mom must be really mad," he said. "She never texts. I'd better go too."

The five Rangers headed towards the Doors. Christina paused the search and activated the Doors. One by one (except for the twins, who went together) the Rangers stepped through the Doors as Christina programmed the right coordinates into the computer.

"My parents should be home soon, but they'll be fine if I'm not there for a little while," Jay said, "Victor, Christina. Can you guys stay and continue what you're doing?"

"Yeah," Christina said. "My parents will be fine as long as I get back by 6ish for dinner."

"And my family situation is...complicated," Victor said. "Considering I live alone now, there's no one I have to go home to. I can stay."

"I can only hope things go well with the other Rangers," Chiron said. "We may need them soon if Hades attacks."


Mera walked up to her house. The first sign something was wrong was the fact that both her parent's cars were still in the driveway. Mera walked to the door and opened it. She looked into the living room to see her mother and father sitting there. When she walked into the room, their faces lit up.

"Merrida!" Mera's mother said with a Welsh accent as she ran up and gave Mera a hug. "We were so worried!"

"Flower," Mera's father said with a similar Welsh accent as he joined the hug, "I'm glad to see you're safe."

They broke off the hug and Mera's parents gestured for her to sit in the armchair while they sat on the couch.

"Where have you been?" Mera's mother said. "You didn't call, you didn't text. We didn't know what happened to you."

"I…" Mera said as she thought about what to say.

I certainly cannot tell them the truth, she thought, and if I tell a lie, I might get caught up in it later. My best option is…

"I was caught up in a personal thing," Mera said, "I apologize for making you worry. I was doing my personal thing and lost track of time."

"Is everything ok?" Mera's mother said. "What personal thing were you doing?"

"Flower," Mera's father said, "you can tell us. We just want to help you."

"I...cannot," Mera said. "I would rather keep it to myself."

"Merrida," Mera's father said as he took a stern tone. Mera was surprised. She had never heard him not call her 'Flower' for a while. And she rarely heard this sternness.

"Where were you?" Mera's father asked.

Mera fell silent for a minute, thinking through her options again.

"Merrida?" her father asked. "I want an answer."

"I am afraid I cannot give one," Mera said.

"Merrida," her father said again, "I'm not playing around."

"Neither am I," Mera said. "It's a personal thing."

"That's it! Go to your room!" Mera's father shouted as he pointed to the stairs. "If you won't answer me now, you can sit there until you will."

Mera started up the steps and heard her parents speaking to each other. She wanted to listen, but she was in hot water as it was.

"She's a teenager," Mera's mother said, "I did things when I was a teenager I wanted to keep to myself."

"I know," Mera's father said, "but that was in Wales. This is America. The land of opportunity, but also sex, drugs and Rock n' Roll."

"I think that was in the sixties, dear," Mera's mother said.

"Either way," Mera's father said. "I just want to know what my Flower is mixed up in. I trust her to make good choices. It's just…"

"I know," Mera's mother said. "She may be smart, but she's still a teenager."

"I just wish she would talk to us," Mera's father said.

"I know, but you can't make her," Mera's mother said. "Just give her time. Maybe she'll be willing to talk if we give her a little time to herself."

"I can only hope," Mera's father said as he ran a hand through his red hair and let out a breath. "When did parenting get so complicated?"


Valerie was standing in the kitchen as her mother was standing and shouting and her father was looking between them, unsure whose side to take.

"Do you think my mother put up with me being out for almost 24 hours without coming home?" Valerie's mother shouted. "No! So why do I have to put up with it from you?"

"Look, Mom…" Valerie started before her mother started again.

"I called the police when you didn't come home last night, and they said it had to be 24 hours before they could put out a missing person's report!" Valerie's mother ranted. "If you had been out one more hour, I would have had the police looking for you! Do you know how that looks to other families? That our daughter disappeared and we have to call the police to find her?"

"Mom, I-" Valerie tried again before her mother interrupted her again.

"And then I…" her mother continued. After that, Valerie started to tune her out. Finally, after about 5 minutes, her mother was done.

"And what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, and…" Valerie started again.

"Oh, you're sorry?" Valerie's mother said. "Well, that fixes everything! When I was your age and I apologized it meant something! And then…"

She continued on, with Valerie trying to pay attention.
Hope the others have a better time with their parents than me, she thought as the lecture continued.


"Hey kids," Mr. Thomas said as the twins walked into the house. "Mind explaining where you've been?"

Adrian and Diana were surprised to see their father standing in the foyer. Normally, he would be at work or in his study. For him to be in the foyer was not a good sign.

"Hey dad," Diana said, "we were out with friends and just lost track of time."

"I know you were out with friends," Mr. Thomas said, "I got calls for the Cadwaladers, the Onasises and the Seymors. Apparently you've all been missing for almost a full day. Now, I don't mind you guys having fun, but when you start dragging other people's kids into it, then I have a problem."

"You're not mad we were out so long?" Adrian asked, surprised.

"Nah, you kids are almost adults," Mr. Thomas said. "I've got to let you spread your wings eventually. Plus, you have each other. That's more than I had when I was your age. No, like I said, it's the fact that you let your friends stay out so long with you that I have a problem with. Now I'll look bad if I don't punish you."

"Punish us?" Diana asked. "How?"


Nate looked around at the chaos in the playroom. The kids were everywhere and the baby was bawling. Mrs. Seymor gave the baby a bottle as she held it close to her.

"See what happens when you aren't responsible?" Nate's mother said. "I needed you last night and you weren't home. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm really sorry," Nate said. "Something just...came up. I was tied up with it for a while."

"I had to call all of your friend's parents and they told me that they hadn't heard from their kids either," Nate's mother said. "I have to admit, I really didn't expect this from you. You're usually so responsible around here."

"I can't do anything but apologize," Nate said. "I assume you're going to punish me?"

"I am," Nate's mother said, "two weeks of going to school and then coming straight home. I want you home exactly at 3:00 after school. No clubs, no hanging out with friends, none of it."

"You came up with this?" Nate asked. "This isn't really your style."

"No, all of the parents and I agreed to it," Nate's mother said. "Though I heard the Cadwaladers were on the fence about it. They may or may not do it. Either way, the Onasises and Mr. Thomas are on board. You're lucky we're letting you guys keep your phones for emergencies. That would be the first thing I would take."

"That sounds more like you," Nate agreed.

I want to argue, he thought, but none of us can really explain what happened to us. It's not like I can say "hey mom! A snake monster captured us because we're Power Rangers and held us against our will!" We have no leg to stand on right now. Can't wait to tell Jay later through my phone.


"What?" Jay said as he listened to Valerie talk to him over the phone. "All of you guys? Even Adrian and Diana? I thought their dad was pretty chill."

"No such luck," Valerie said from the other end. She was in her room, lying on her bed.

"Well, so much for you meeting my parents," Jay said "Guess we'll have to push it."

"Yeah," Valerie agreed. "But the real problem is if Hades attacks with another Dark God within the two week timeframe. We can't leave our house without permission, and my parents definitely won't grant it unless I tell them exactly where I'm going."

"We'll all talk at lunch tomorrow," Jay said. "Talk to you later."

"Bye!" Valerie said as she hung up.

Jay ended the call and put the cell phone back in his pocket. He slammed his fist into a pillar.

"Damn it!" he shouted.

"What is the matter, Jay?" Chiron asked as he galloped over. "You look distressed."

"What would you say if I told you that it's just Victor and I fighting Hades for the next two weeks?" Jay asked.

"I would be extremely worried," Chiron answered. "That isn't the case, is it?"

"It is," Jay said. "Nate, Mera, Valerie, Adrian and Diana are all in huge trouble at home and can't come to training for the next two weeks."

"That is indeed worrying," Chiron said as he stroked the hair on his chin. "You are at less than half strength."

"Is now a bad time to mention I have a lot of hours over the next week or so?" Victor asked.

"Nope," Jay said sarcastically. "Perfect timing. Now it's just me against whatever Dark God Hades sends to Olympia Hills!"

"Don't we have the other Olympian Rangers we just recruited?" Christina asked. "Why not ask them? Or Dan? He's still a Ranger."

"Christina, you're a genius!" Jay said as he ran over to the mosaic computer. "Let's call them!"


Dan's morphers chimed in his pocket as he stood behind the counter. It was dead right now, and all of the tables were empty, so he strapped a morpher on and spoke into it.

"Go for Dan," he whispered.

"Hey, Dan," Jay said. "We're short staffed at the moment. Basically, all of the Rangers are either grounded or working except me. If Hades attacks with a Dark God, we're pretty much screwed."

"Not the best time to ask me about that, Jay," Dan said as he looked over at his boss, who was also the owner, making a pizza to replace one of the ones that had gone cold. "My boss kind of told me if I take one more sick day, I'm going to have to find a new place to work at. Rent's coming up due, so I really can't afford that to happen right now. I'd love to help, but unless it's life or death, don't call me. My job's on the line here."

"Got it," Jay said. "Sorry we've caused you so much trouble at your job."

"Hey, at least when Valerie came here with the toddler twins I got the best tip I've ever gotten," Dan joked as he noticed his boss almost done cooking the pizza. "I'll call back if I have any free time coming up, ok? Until then, I can't help."

He ended the communication and put the morpher back in his pocket right as his boss carried the new pizza over and put it in the display case next to Dan.

Man, I hope the others are able to help soon, Dan thought, or else Jay's going to be in really deep trouble real fast.


"Yeah, sorry mate," Marcus said through his morpher on his wrist. "I've got personal things to do in London right now. I'm keeping an eye out for Hermes, but there's not much more I can do to help at the moment."

"Alright," Jay said through the morpher. "Just keep doing that. I hope everything goes well with whatever personal thing you're doing."

Marcus ended the communication before looking at the museum in front of him that he was planning to steal from.

"Me too, Jay," he said as he prepared himself for the job ahead of him.


"Sorry, Jay-kun," Jasmine whispered into her morpher. "I've got exams coming up and my parents are really on my back about studying. Guess it just slipped my mind before."

That sounds about right, Jay thought as he remembered Jasmine's memory and status in her High School.

"Not a problem," he said through the morpher. "Sorry to wake you up at 4:00 AM your time. Talk to you later."

"See you soon, Jay-kun," Jasmine said before she took off her morphers and set them on a side table before turning over and going back to sleep.


"I'm kind of in the middle of something," Virginia said as she looked around at the people waiting for the boat. "I have a whale watching trip today and I can't miss it. Then I have a bunch of other activities for the next two weeks or so."

"I understand," Jay said. "Enjoy your trip."

"Thanks for understanding," Virginia said as she ended the communication and put her morphers back in her pockets. As the boat pulled up, she thought back to the Rangers she had just saved a little while ago.

Jay said the others were grounded, she thought. Do I really have the right to deny helping Jay if he's in trouble? Then again, I'm not a fighter, so I don't know how much help I'd be…'

She was lost in thought as she stepped onto the boat.

Guess I've made my decision, she thought as she looked around at the water surrounding her on all sides as the boat pulled away from the dock. Sorry, Jay. I hope nothing bad happens…


"As much as I'd love to kick some ass today," Mikhail said. "My parents weren't too happy when I left to help the first time and we need to keep planning for the planting of the crops. There's not much I can do right now. I'm in my room right now, and my parents are probably making sure I don't leave again."

"You're almost 30 years old," Jay said, "and they really want to hold you there?"

"They feel stupid allowing Agnessa to go into the woods alone," Mikhail explained, "and I think they've gone into over-protective mode. Doesn't really matter to them what I want."

"Yeah, good luck with that," Jay said. "I hope you can help us when we really need it. We're just trying to be precautionary."

"Trust me, when the world's really on fire, I'll be there," Mikhail said before he ended the communication. "At least, I hope I will. I really do want to help. I just need to get my parents off my back…"

He heard a knock on his door as his mother called in in Russian.

"Who are you talking to in there?" Mikhail's mother asked. "There better not be a girl in there!"

"There's no girl, mom," Mikhail replied in Russian as his mother opened the door and peered in. He gestured to the room around him. "See?"

"Good," his mother said, "because you're already in trouble as it is."

"You said I could go!" Mikhail shouted at her.

"I heard it was only for a few hours! You stayed out overnight and for half of the next day!" his mother said. "You know that we need you on the farm! You can't just leave whenever you want!"

"What if I don't want to be on the farm anymore?" Mikhail shouted.

"Our family has been here for three generations; we are not leaving now! You will stay here and you will continue our family legacy! Get a good night's sleep. We'll need your help tomorrow morning."

Not as much as the other Ranger might need my help, Mikhail thought as he put his head on the pillow.


"Five swings, five misses," Jay said as he stepped away from the mosaic computer. "What's the point of having 13 Rangers if only one of us is free to fight?"

"An interesting conundrum," Chiron admitted. "One I fear we have to solve quickly."

"I would suggest using the automatons as temporary Rangers," Victor said, "but that might be outside their programming."

"I heard rumors that the government tried to replace the Lightspeed Rangers with robots," Jay said, "it didn't work too well. They basically got turned evil and attacked the people they were supposed to protect. So that idea's out."

"I can only hope we solve this problem before things get desperate," Chiron said as Jay, Victor, Christina and himself continued to think.


The next day during lunch…

"And we tried to come up with ideas, but we've got nothing," Jay said as he looked around the table. "All of the other Rangers are either busy or grounded like you guys."

"Jasmine got grounded?" Adrian asked, "why?"

"She disappeared during her lunch time at her school," Mera said, "so it would be a good hypothesis to assume that as the reason."

"Actually, I don't think Jasmine's parents know she skipped school yet," Jay said. "I was actually talking about Mikhail."

"The almost 30 year old big Russian man got grounded?" Nate asked with a snicker.

"His parents are apparently feeling overprotective right now," Jay said. "Which is something I'm sure the rest of you excluding Victor could understand right now."

"Hey, at least Victor's there to help fight Dark Gods," Valerie said. "That's a small win, right?"

"Tony's got me working after school every day for the next week, as well as the weekends," Victor said. "It's only four hour shifts, but they still cover all of training time and the times we normally fight at."

"Man, it is just you fighting, then," Nate remarked. "Good luck!"

Mera smacked him on the arm.

"What?" Nate asked, somewhat irritated.

"You are acting like there is nothing we can do to help. We need to find a way to get our parents to let us out again," Mera said. "We need to get them to trust us again."

"Trusting me or not, my mom isn't going to let up on the punishment," Nate said. "She's tough like that."

"And my mom will yell at me no matter what I do," Valerie said. "My poor dad doesn't know what to do between the two of us."

"Her dad needs to grow a backbone," Nate muttered to Victor, who nodded in agreement.

"So it's going to be difficult," Diana said. "We didn't agree to be Rangers because it was going to be easy."

"I don't think that was what Chiron was talking about when he said things about big challenges," Nate said, "but I guess it's worth a try."

"We'll do our best to help however we can," Valerie said as she put her hand on top of Jay's. "I promise."

"Thanks, guys," Jay said. "I'll do my best in your absence. I may be by myself, but I'm still a Power Ranger."

"The Lone Ranger, you might say," Nate joked.

"What are we going to do with you?" Mera asked with a sigh as everyone shook their heads.

"So try and get your parents to end the punishment early," Jay said. "I'll deal with whatever comes my way."


"That was a rather long time you were gone," Persephone said as she watched Hades walk back into the room.

"I had many things to talk about," Hades said.

"With whom?" Persephone asked, "Who is this great being you keep speaking about?"

"I spoke to someone who gave me more power," Hades said as he created a stream of flames that formed into a giant hand. The hand flew over to the fallen throne and lifted it back into place before dissipating.

"More power?" Persephone asked. "Who could do that?"

"Stop asking your pathetic questions," Hades said as he stood there in the center of the throne room, "but there's one other thing that was given to me: knowledge. I know how Gryphon was freed and I know his current situation.

"Please, explain it to me," Persephone said. "As your wife, shouldn't I know?"

"He told me one other thing," Hades said as he created another fire hand before launching it at Persephone. She cried out as the hand both burned and gripped her at the same time.

"He told me that Gryphon wasn't the only traitor," Hades snarled as he manipulated the hand over closer to him, and Persephone with it. "Is there something you want to tell me? Or do you want to keep playing innocent?"

"What? I…" Persephone said.

"For thousands of years, I knew you resented me," Hades said, "but I never thought you would be aiding the Rangers. I should have figured it out sooner. They weren't surprised by the Dark Gods. Only you and I knew about it. Of course you told them!"

"I wanted to see an end to your madness!" Persephone boldly said, no longer the questioning, shrinking violet she had been. "You have been consumed by jealousy and anger! The Oracle warned me about the extremes you would go to, but even I didn't believe you would imprison your own family! So I warned the Rangers. Only they have the power to stop you!"

"They won't just be trying to stop me," Hades said with a laugh. Slowly, a flaming body appeared above him, leering down on Persephone.

"That one you spoke of...you can't mean…" Persephone said as she looked up in fear as the flame body's face turned into that of Cronus.

"I do," Hades said. "Soon, Cronus will be free, and we can rule the world together!"

"You are foolish if you think Cronus will share the world with you!" Persephone shouted.

"Silence!" Hades said as he had the thumb of the hand cover her mouth. "You will no longer be able to help the Rangers. I will see to that!"

He pointed to the wall and focused his power to reform the room. Walls of bars appeared about 20 feet away from the wall and was 20 feet across, forming a small cage to hold Persephone. The flame hand opened the door and pushed Persephone in before slamming the door shut. The door melted into the bars, creating one long set of bars with no visible exit.

"I hope you enjoy your new home," Hades said as he made the flame Cronus and hand dissipate, "because you won't be leaving it again."

"What about the deal you have with the Olympians?" Persephone protested. "You have to return me to the world of the living in 2 and a half weeks!"

"That deal is null and void," Hades said as he reformatted the throne part of the room so there was now one black throne in the center instead of the two there had been. "The Olympians aren't in any state to protest."

"What's your next move?" Persephone demanded. "Tell me!"

"I normally wouldn't answer such a demand," Hades said, "but I'm feeling a need to brag. I just sit and wait for Gryphon to return in 4 weeks' time. He will help me free Cronus. Then the real fun will begin."

"Why would you be content to wait?" Persephone asked. "You've never been one to be quiet in war."

"Cronus wants as many resources as he can have at his disposal," Hades explained. "Any god I use is one he can't. Once he is free, he will be able to crush the Rangers easily! I just have to be patient."

Persephone looked around, worried again.

The Oracle didn't warn me this would happen, nor anything about Cronus! she thought. Why didn't she? Why?


Jay sighed as he walked out of the school building.

"At least Chiron gave me the day off," he said to himself. "It would be hard to train by myself, and Christina can warn me if anything is happening that I should know about."

It was a relatively quiet trip home, and he was walking down the quiet street to his house when a dark mist flew near him and formed into Gryphon. Gryphon quickly kicked Jay into a tree, which was across the road from where Jay had been. Jay felt the wind get knocked out of him as he was kicked and felt the muffled impact on the tree. His backpack cushioned a little of it, but he still felt a lot of the pain.

Jay's morpher went off as he strapped them both on.

"Jay, you've got incoming!" Christina warned through the morpher.

"Incoming already came in," Jay remarked as he slowly stood up and threw off his backpack. "It's Gryphon. I don't know if I can take him on my own. Send a call out to all of the other Rangers. Maybe their situation's changed since we last called, just do it quickly!"

Gryphon pulled his sword from the compartment in his shield and stepped forward towards the road.

"Just what I was hoping for, the Red Ranger all by himself!" Gryphon said. "Finally, I can get my revenge."

"Look, I don't know what human you've got in there, but I'm going to help you," Jay said as he took a fighting stance. "I promise."

"I don't want your help!" Gryphon roared as he ran at Jay.

"Red Olympian Power!" Jay called out as he ran towards Gryphon. In a flash of red light, he was morphed before he summoned his Lightning Sword.

"Hero Armor, Power Up!" Jay shouted as his omega symbol expanded into the familiar armor. The two met in the middle of the street and clashed with each other just as the armor was done being created.

Jay slashed with a horizontal slash, but Gryphon blocked with his shield before slashing with his sword at Jay's exposed flank. Jay barely leaned away before kicking the shield and backflipping off of it and doing a second backflip away.

"Red Lightning Stream!" Jay shouted as he shot a stream of red lightning from the flat of his blade. The stream hit Gryphon right in the shield and was deflected into the street. Jay continued the attack, draining his power, but Gryphon slowly but surely pushed through it using the shield.

"The shield's new," Jay commented as he ended the attack before leaping over Gryphon and slashing at his shoulder. "What other tricks have you got?"

The blade bounced off, but still knocked Gryphon a little off-balance for a minute and gave Jay time to speak into his morpher again.

"Any luck?" Jay asked, "because Gryphon's got a shield now too."

Christina was about to respond when Gryphon fired a black beam from his sword that struck Jay's morpher. Sparks flew from it as Jay cried out. Luckily, he was still morphed, but…

"Christina, come in!" Jay said into the morpher. "Christina? Chiron? Anybody?"

All he got back was static. He shook his arm and the morpher let off a few more sparks.

"Guess I should count my blessings," Jay said. "At least I'm still morphed."

He took a fighting stance before charging at Gryphon. Gryphon fired a few black beams at him, causing an explosion in front of Jay, but Jay ran straight through it before slashing again at Gryphon's shield. Red lightning crackled on his blade as he swung.

"Red Lightning Strike!" Jay shouted as he slashed. The blade struck the shield and bounced off quite hard, so it forced Jay's arm back to compensate. The shield didn't look any worse for wear, but Jay's arm was hurting from the recoil that attack had created off Gryphon's shield.

Jay fell back a little bit, gripping his arm and testing it to make sure it wasn't broken. Luckily, it didn't appear to be, but it still hurt. Unluckily, this check gave Gryphon a chance to charge forward and start slashing at Jay again. It took everything Jay had to parry the attacks, especially with the injured arm he now had.

Gryphon charged up an attack with his new black aura before slashing at Jay with a mighty blow. Jay raised his sword to block, but struggled to get his arm in the right blocking position because of his injury. As such, his sword wavered and Gryphon slashed diagonally across his body, eliciting sparks from the suit. Jay fell to his knees as sparks continued to fly before he fell to the ground. He was still conscious, hence why he was still morphed, but was in a lot of pain. The Hero Armor chest plate and normal suit had each absorbed a bit of the attack, but not enough to prevent injury.

Jay groaned as Gryphon stepped over him and placed his sword on the back of Jay's neck. He slowly raised it to prepare to slash down.

"Jay Parker, for what you have done to me, you will die!" Gryphon shouted as he prepared the finishing blow.


Just after Jay's morpher had been damaged...

"Jay?" Christina asked as static came from the other end. "Jay, can you hear me?"

All she got back was the same static. She typed on the mosaic computer, switching from camera to camera in the area.

"Have you got a visual on him?" Chiron asked as he looked over Christina's head.

"I've got nothing," Christina said. "Jay's communication just randomly ended mid-sentence and I can't find a camera close enough to the fight to find him."

"That may prove to be a problem," Chiron said. "We know too little about the situation. What do we know?"

"We know that his opponent's Gryphon, who's probably as dangerous as ever," Christina said. "Jay even told me to call for backup. So far, no one's responded. We also know that we can't communicate with Jay anymore. So how do we help him?"

"The best way I could think of would be to keep trying to call the other Rangers," Chiron said. "Gryphon was tough before he got his new sword. One can only imagine how powerful he is now."

"Alright, I'll do my best," Christina said as she typed a few keys before speaking to the Rangers' morphers. "Rangers! Come in, Rangers! Jay needs your help!"


Nate could hear his morpher go off in his pockets, but just barely under the din that was in the playroom at the moment. The baby was crying while Mrs. Seymor tried to comfort it and the rest of the children were wrestling and/or running around screaming.

"Hey! Dominic! Michael! What have I said about rough housing indoors?" Nate said as he grabbed the twins by the back of their shirts. "Someone's going to get hurt!"

He carried them over to the corner and put them in matching chairs facing said corner.

"You can sit in time-out and think about what you've been doing," Nate said as he turned around just in time to see one of the girls, screaming all the while, run over to the shelf and knock all of the toys off of it, "Hey! Samantha! I want you to clean that up!"

He watched as the young girl picked up everything that she had knocked over and then ran away screaming again. He walked over to his mother, who was finally getting the baby to settle.

"Mom, I think one of my friends needs my help with something," Nate said. "Could I go?"

"And how do I know you won't just disappear again?" Mrs. Seymor said. "No. You're staying here and helping with taking care of the children."

Nate sighed in defeat. Like he had said to the others, his mother wouldn't give up easily and would hold the punishment until the bitter end.

Sorry, Jay, he thought as he went over to check on Michael and Dominic. I can't help. Hope you're not in too much trouble.


Victor grabbed a wrench off the hook and handed it to the woman next to him.

"Anything else I can do for you?" he asked.

"Nope, that's all I needed," the woman said before she walked away.

Victor wiped his brow as his morphers went off in his pocket. He was about to pull them out when Tony walked up.

"What did I say about cell phones?" Tony said. "You have a watch if you need the time. They're a distraction. I think I heard someone needing help in aisle 4. Why don't you go over there and see what you can do for them?"

Victor nodded.
"Sorry," he said as he slipped past Tony. "It won't happen again."

"I hope not," Tony said as he walked away.

Jay might be in trouble, Victor thought as he walked down the aisle, but this job is really important so I can still have my apartment away from my dad. I really don't want to have to choose, but if I have to choose, I need this job.

He looked at the man standing by the screwdrivers.

I hope Jay understands, Victor thought as he walked up to the man.


Valerie's morphers went off on her nightstand. She was currently in her room, lying on her bed and doing her homework. She rolled over and grabbed the morphers before strapping them on.

"Go ahead," she said into it.

"Oh, good," Christina said over the morpher. "You're the first one I've called who's even answered. It's Jay. He's fighting Gryphon right now and for some reason he can't communicate with us anymore. I don't know if Gryphon beat him or damaged his morpher but either way, Jay needs help."

"I would love to, trust me," Valerie said, "but my mom's got James watching me like a hawk. The only reason I have any privacy right now is because I'm in my room. I think he's watching my door right now, and I can't afford for him to see me use a Door to leave. He's also been checking on me every twenty minutes to make sure I haven't left somehow."

"That doesn't sound good," Christina said. "I'm calling around to the other Rangers, but Mikhail and Jasmine are sleeping because of the time difference, Dan said to only call him in life or death and Nate and Victor aren't answering. I still have a few calls to make. I'll update you when I can."

"Please do," Valerie said as she ended the communication just as James knocked and poked his head in.

"Just my routine check, Miss Valerie," James said as he looked around.

"James, I'm not going anywhere," Valerie said. "You don't have to check on me like this."

"It was your mother's wish that I would," James said. "I'm sorry, Miss Valerie, but I would do a similar thing if I had a child who disappeared. One day, when you have children, you will understand."

"I guess," Valerie admitted as she watched James leave, "I just wish-"

She paused as she flopped on the large bed.

"-I could help Jay," she finished as she looked at the pink compact mirror on her make-up table. Jay had given it to her last Christmas over 2 months ago. It was a sign that they were really a couple. But could she really choose Jay over her mom's concerns for Valerie's well being? The fact that she didn't know that scared her.


"Jay Parker, for what you have done to me, you will die!" Gryphon shouted as he prepared the finishing blow.

Jay groaned on the ground.

"Man, what did I ever do to you?" he joked weakly.

Gryphon lowered his sword a bit before raising it again.

"You know!" Gryphon shouted as he prepared his sword to strike (again). "Think of those you have wronged! That should give you the answer!"

"I'd like to think I haven't wronged anybody," Jay said, a little stronger now, as he tried to rise against Gryphon's foot. "If I wronged you, it was probably a mistake."

"There was no mistake!" Gryphon shouted angrily. "It was deliberate!"

Jay was going to answer when a woman's cry of his name reached his ears.

"Virginia?" he asked as he looked sideways at the Orange Rangers standing there.

"Jay, think fast!" Virginia called out as she sent an orange stream of flame flying at the two warriors. Instead of harming Gryphon, the flame created an aura around Jay. Jay could feel a surge of strength running through him as he pushed up with all of his might. In a Herculean effort, Jay pushed Gryphon, who had leverage on his side, off of himself and onto the street. Gryphon fell onto his butt as Jay slowly stood up. The aura swirled around Jay as he grabbed his sword.

"I honestly have no idea who you are," Jay said as he walked forward, sword pointed at Gryphon, "and I'm starting to not care. Originally, I wanted to help you. But either the animal inside is too strong or the human doesn't want to fight against it. You've left me with no choice."

He grasped the hilt of his sword with both hands, his injury apparently forgotten as adrenaline (and the aura) rushed through him, and raised it to the heavens. A bolt of red lightning hit the blade before Jay swung downwards.

Gryphon tried to raise his sword to block, but like Jay before, his sword faltered and couldn't block Jay's as Jay slashed at Gryphon's helmet. The sturdy metal cracked from the mighty blow, right between where his eyes would be. Gryphon cried out as the front of his helmet split in half, revealing his face. He fell to his knees, weakened by the blow as well.

"Oh my god," Jay gasped as he looked at a face he never expected to see again.

"What?" Virginia asked as she ran over, "who is it?"

Gryphon's real face was like his neck had been, half human, half lion. But the human face was…

"Paul!?" Jay asked as he slightly wavered. "I thought you were dead!"

"You would have liked that, wouldn't you!" Paul/Gryphon spat at Jay.

"No, I had to explain to your parents that you disappeared!" Jay shouted back. "they were heartbroken. And I was too."

"Jay, who is he?" Virginia asked, utterly confused.

He was my best friend," Jay said, "back in elementary school."

"Key word in that sentence is 'was'," Paul/Gryphon said as he stood up. "I didn't want to reveal my face until I saw you in the Underworld as a spirit, but I can work with this!"

He summoned his new black aura around himself again as he started to roar in anger. The Olympian Gems on his sword and shield began to glow as well. The aura began to expand and created waves to push the Rangers back.

"Those can't be…" Virginia said as she fought the pushing. "Are those Olympian Gems?"

"There shouldn't be any more sets!" Jay said. "Hermes and Chiron never mentioned a black and bronze pair!"

He looked towards Virginia.

"I need one more boost," he said. "Give that to me and I can end this."

"You've got it," she said as she summoned her torch again and launched some of the orange flames at Jay. He gained the same orange aura he had had before. He started to push against the aura that Gryphon was putting out, getting closer to his old enemy and, apparently, old friend.

"Paul, you need to stop this!" Jay called out as he pushed. "We were friends once! Can't we just talk about this?"

"The time for talking is over!" Paul/Gryphon shouted as he stopped the aura suddenly and ran at Jay, slashing at his injured arm. Jay screamed in agony as the injury Paul/Gryphon inflicted didn't cut through the armor, but instead moved the broken bones in Jay's arm even more out of place. Jay screamed and dropped to the ground as the aura died around him.

Paul/Gryphon prepared to strike again when a stream of orange flames flew at him. Instead of creating an aura like it had for the Rangers, the flames created a ring around Paul/Gryphon, keeping him in the center and just out of the reach of Jay. In a matter of seconds, Paul/Gryphon exploded his aura around him and extinguished the flames. However, as he looked around, Jay and Virginia were gone.

"I was so close!" Paul/Gryphon said out loud to himself. "If it weren't for the Orange Ranger, I would have defeated Jay without revealing my identity. Now he's hidden somewhere and knows who I am. Next time, I have to defeat him once and for all!"


Jay groaned as he and Virginia ran through the Doors of Janus into the Temple. They were both demorphed and Jay was holding his arm in a kind of resting position, which was good because of how misshapen it was. Christina spun around in her chair and immediately wished she hadn't when she saw Jay's arm.

"Oh god," she said as she looked away and tried to not throw up.

"Hey, at least you're not attached to it," Jay joked.

"Jay, Gryphon did that to you?" Chiron asked.

"Yeah, with his new Olympian Gems, he's mega powerful," Jay answered. "Why didn't you tell us there were more Olympian Gems?"

"I'll tell you as I try to heal you," Chiron said as he led Jay over to the medical center. Christina and Virginia followed, mostly for the story. Chiron pulled out a small cup and poured some golden nectar into it.

"Drink this slowly," he said, "an IV drip is better for healing over time and for more manageable injuries. Your arm is more severe. So we'll need a slightly larger dose. If you drink it too fast, you might spontaneously combust."

He looked away for a moment as Jay looked at him in shock.

"What do you mean 'spontaneously combust'?" Jay asked.

Chiron ignored him and gestured for him to slowly drink it. Jay did so and his face lit up.

"This isn't half bad," Jay said.

"Slow sips," Chiron said as he led Jay to a bed and gestured for him to sit down. "Now, I had assumed Hermes had told you this, but it appears I assumed wrong. Hades had Olympian Gems too. He was the Onyx Ranger, after all."

"Hades was a Ranger?" Christina asked, "when did that happen?"

"The Olympians first became Rangers to fight the Titans," Chiron explained. "Hades was one of them then and, as such, gained the ability to create a Ranger form. Then, after Cronus and the other Titans were sealed in Tartarus, Hades got the Underworld as his domain. He turned against the Rangers and used his Gems as fuel to corrupt the portion of the Flame of the Gods he stole from Olympus under Zeus' nose."

"I thought the Olympians created the Gems after the battles with Hades," Jay said between sips. "That's the way I understood it. As a sort of precaution in case Hades came back."

"No," Chiron said, "they had those gems before the battles with Hades. As you've seen, they have great power, but that's only because the Olympians put in a portion of their own power. The Gems also have a kind of sentience, with similar values to the god they correspond to. For instance, Zeus' Red Olympian Gems sought one who possesses the power of leadership, or perhaps Hestia's Orange Gems."

He gestured to Virginia's Gems before continuing.

"They looked for a wielder that values family for all creatures," Chiron explained.

"So did the Gems bond to Gryphon…" Virginia started.

"...Or did they bond to Paul?" Jay finished.

"I'm sorry, who's Paul?" Christina asked.

"My former best friend and the human bonded to Gryphon," Jay explained. "I managed to unmask him with a powerful attack to his helmet. Turns out Paul's under the mask."

He had finished the nectar and winced as he felt the bones in his arms go back into place on their own accord.

"That arm might be sore for a few days," Chiron said, "but I would consider it a better trade off than months or even years of recovery and physical therapy."

"No complaints here," Jay said. "I was wondering something, though."

"Go ahead," Chiron said.

"I noticed that Virginia's enhancing flame put me on a similar level to Gryphon," Jay said. "Is there a way to make that boost more...permanent?"

"I may have something," Chiron said. "Come. It sounds like we have a goal to strive towards."

He and Jay galloped and walked out of the medical center respectively as Christina and Virginia hung back for a moment.

"Thanks for coming," Christina said. "Jay's probably too distracted now to say, but I will. I tried calling everyone, and they were all not answering or stuck except for you."

"I've been trying a gap year in my college life," Virginia said, "and was exploring the islands of Hawaii that I call home as a personal journey. But being a Ranger means giving up that sort of thing for periods of time. I'll always be ready to help when you need it, even if I already have other plans. I just wish I was a better fighter and less of a support."

"I saw what you did today with that flame ring," Christina said. "I feel like if Mera were here, she would be saying something about how inventive that was. I think that the Orange Olympian Gems might have chosen you for your ingenuity as well as what Chiron said."

"Thanks," Virginia said. "That means a lot."

"Now let's get out there," Christina said. "I feel like they could use my tech skills and your and my knowledge of the Flame to help out."

The two young women headed out the door, off to help Jay in his new quest.


Paul/Gryphon appeared in a cloud of black smoke in another alley. He looked out of the alley and could see Steel Works across the street.

"I need to hide my face again," Paul/Gryphon said as he formed his new black aura around him again and focused it into the broken halves of his helmet. They fused back together and, as the aura died, he put it back on his head, hiding his identity once again.

"Only one Ranger came to Jay's rescue," Gryphon said. "Interesting...I have some research to do before our next, and final, battle."

With that, he turned into a black cloud of smoke again and floated away from the alley, with no trace that he had ever been there.

It may be a little (or a lot) shorter than the last two chapters, but I think the answers in this one make up for its length. Plus, I didn't know if them being so long actually turned people off from reading them.

So, about that Gryphon reveal...I had the idea since about chapter 12, and Gryphon had been lurking around for about 8 chapters at that point, but I didn't know what to do with him. Then I remembered Paul from my original draft of the series and decided to turn him into Gryphon's human half. I had alluded to Gryphon holding a grudge, but didn't know exactly why until I added the Paul plot. Now, some of you already figured it out around 2 or 3 chapters ago. I don't know if it was too obvious or if people are really paying attention. I'd like to think that it's the latter, but it could totally be the former.

Speaking of my original draft for the series, I had Cronus as the villain for the entire time. Now, I decided to have him as a combination of Tranza from the Sentai Jetman and (for you PR fans) Omni from SPD or the Master from Mystic Force. Basically, a master villain who shows up in the final parts of the season (in this case, the last 4th-ish) to take over.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next month (or maybe sooner, who knows?) Until then, may the power protect you!