Hey guys! This chapter is out waaay earlier than I expected. With everything I wanted to accomplish with this chapter, I'm surprised it fit in about 16,000 words. As for what it accomplished, find out below!
But first, I want to thank JTWAS1994 and GoldenMewtwo for following the series to this point and reviewing every chapter. I also want to thank 21stRemix for following the story. If anyone wants their name mentioned in the Author Notes, just review (my preferred method of showing support) or follow/favorite me or the story (also a good option). It shows to me that people care about these characters (which is what's really important to me) and that they like the story (which is just as important).
Anyway, I won't keep pestering you with these Author Notes, it's time for the story!
Myth 30: Knight Knight!
"So," Jay said. "What do you think?"
"It's a solid idea," Victor said as he looked at the mosaic computer screen and the idea that was put up on it. "I just don't know how to implement it. Explain it again, maybe I'll think of something if I hear the details again."
"I'll start with what we know," Jay said, "Gryphon is now powered by two things: Paul's rage and Hades's Olympian Gems. He hasn't used the Gems to make a Ranger form, but mostly because he doesn't have to."
"He is already armored," Virginia said, "so it would make sense that he doesn't need a Ranger form."
"We also know that those Olympian Gems are putting him on a higher level than what I can do," Jay said.
"We need a way to tip the scales in our favor," Christina added.
"And Virginia's Flame, derived from the Flame of the Gods, powered me up enough to actually stand a chance against Gryphon," Jay said. "There's no footage because there were no cameras around, but I managed to push Gryphon off of me when I was powered up by Virginia's Flame."
"So you want a way to use the Flame's power for more than about 30 seconds or one attack?" Victor asked.
"That was the idea," Jay said with a nod.
"Well, I'd love to help," Victor said. "I really would. I feel guilty that you were in trouble and I was working at my job instead. I at least fixed your morpher so you can communicate again. However, when it comes to this..."
"Hey," Jay said as he put a hand on Victor's shoulder, slightly stretching to reach it. "You did what you had to do. I'm just glad that you're here after work to help. I know you probably need some rest, but we could really use you."
"And that's why I'm here," Victor said. "I want to help, but the only thing I can think of would be to forge a weapon or armor using the Flame as a heating source. Then, the powers of the Flame might be transferred to the weapon or armor. Key word is 'might'. Besides the fact that we don't know if it would work, the heat the Flame would put out would be beyond even what our Ranger suits or my forging equipment could withstand. Probably beyond the heat that any equipment could withstand."
"So what do we do?" Jay asked.
"I've been thinking about something," Christina said. "Chiron, didn't you mention the Elder Cyclopes before? They forged some of the Olympians' weapons. Why couldn't they forge this new weapon?"
"That's a pretty good idea," Jay said. "Why couldn't they?"
"No one has seen the Elder Cyclopes since the First Great War," Chiron said. "They prefer to stay out of the affairs of mortals."
"Well, Gryphon convinced them somehow," Jay said. "We can probably do the same. We're the successors of the Olympians, after all, and the Cyclopes helped them."
"It's certainly an interesting prospect," Chiron said, "but they were hidden in Mt. Vesuvius before. That is until this happened."
He galloped over to the mosaic computer and pressed a few keys. A news report appeared on the screen. It was in Italian, but there were English subtitles at the bottom.
"We've been getting reports that there was some kind of rockfall in the crater of Vesuvius," the reporter said in Italian as the subtitles translated. "Volcanologists in the area are warning citizens near Vesuvius to be prepared to evacuate, as there is no telling what effect the rockfall might have on the volcano. We now go to Dr. Esposito in his lab for more details."
The screen switched to the inside of a lab with various seismic activity reading equipment and pumice from volcanoes in it.
"While the rockfall may just be melted by the magma, there's no telling if it could somehow block the flow of magma in the crater. If it does, the pressure could possibly increase until we have an eruption. We are currently looking into it, but we cannot get into the crater due to the crumbling structure of the rocks. We worry that too much exploration could actually increase the potential of eruption from the more rocks falling. Please, if you live near the volcano, consider moving to a safer distance away. We will do all we can, but only time will tell."
Chiron turned off the broadcast and looked towards the Rangers.
"The Cyclopes were in a cave inside the volcano," Chiron explained. "I'm worried that Gryphon caused a rockslide inside the volcano after the Cyclopes finished his sword and shield to trap them in there precisely so we couldn't get their help."
"Even so," Jay said, "we need to have them help us. So we'll help them first and get them out of the rockslide."
"But how do we get in there?" Virginia asked. "It's not like any of us can climb better than volcanologists can. And can our suits withstand the heat and pressure?"
Victor walked over to the mosaic computer and sat down. He began to type on it rapidly.
"Did you think of something, Victor?" Chiron asked.
"Knowing what little I do about volcanoes," Victor said. "I was thinking that maybe-" He typed a few more keys and there was a chime. "-we can help them.
He showed a diagram on the screen
"We just need to follow this," he said.
Jay looked over at Victor's diagram.
"I see what you're doing," Jay said, "and it might just work."
The two young women nodded.
"Looks like a solid plan," Christina agreed.
"Let's do it," Virginia said.
"Except it's 2 AM in Italy right now," Victor said. "So we have to wait a little while. I'll see if Tony will give me off tomorrow and…"
"You said you had shifts all week," Jay said. "I feel like the three of us should be able to handle it. Right, girls?"
"If we do it after school tomorrow, I'm in," Christina said.
"I have no important plans tomorrow," Virginia said, "so count me in too."
"But…" Victor said.
"Don't worry, Victor," Jay said. "We've got it. It's only saving Cyclopes from a volcano. Shouldn't be too complicated."
Victor smiled at the joke.
"If you say so," he said, "but let's discuss it with the rest of the main team tomorrow at lunch. Maybe they have ideas."
"Sure," Jay said. "Let's do that."
"If that's it, I guess I can go home," Christina said. "My parents might be worried, but they won't flip like the other Ranger's parents did."
"See you tomorrow!" Virginia said as she headed towards the Doors. Christina scooted into the computer seat after Victor left it and typed in the coordinates to send Virginia home. The Doors flew open and Virginia stepped through before they slammed shut behind her.
"This better work," Jay said to Victor and Christina as they both walked over to the doors, "because we have few choices if it doesn't."
"I'm sure it will," Christina said as Chiron moved over to the mosaic computer and typed in coordinates to Olympia Hills. "If not, we'll think of something else."
"I just wish we didn't have to fight Paul," Jay said as the three stepped through and appeared out the school's doors. "When did fighting the bad guys become so personal?"
"I'm sure other Rangers before had to fight their friends," Victor said as the three teens walked down the street. "The Mighty Morphin' Green Ranger was evil for a while before he joined the team, right?"
"Look who's pulling out the Ranger history!" Jay said, "But I see your point. Thanks, Victor. I'll see you guys later."
The three teens waved goodbye before going their separate ways.
Marcus climbed up the wall of the building with the grappling hook before finally reaching the roof. He used his arms to hoist himself up before dragging the rest of his body up. He wiped his brow from the exertion he had just put his body through.
"Would have been nice to just fly up using my Ranger powers," Marcus remarked, "but Hermes probably wouldn't like it. It might ruin the Rangers' names or something."
"At least you're thinking of others now," a voice said from the shadows. Hermes stepped out of the shadows into the light of the moon.
"I was wondering if you were my informant," Marcus said. "You said you would help me. I just wasn't sure how."
"While stealing is considered wrong by most, I consider it a necessary evil sometimes," Hermes said. "Did I ever tell you the story of how I stole Apollo's cattle? I managed to get them to walk backwards so…"
He looked at Marcus, who looked unamused.
"But maybe that's a story for a different time," Hermes said. "The point is that while I stole for fun, you steal to support your mother."
"Yeah, my mum needs a heart transplant," Marcus said, "but you already knew that. How, I have no bloody idea, but you knew. Now why are you here? You already gave me the information I need."
"I came because while I knew about your mother's condition, I don't know how much money you need."
"I typically sell my items in the black market for about €50,000 a piece," Marcus said. "I don't steal any of the big stuff. I steal the little items that people won't notice missing for a few days."
"€50,000?" Hermes asked. "That seems a bit low. You could probably get €75,000 if you bargained a bit."
"Look, I just want my money," Marcus said, "I'm not in the mood to barter most of the time. And I'm not in the mood right now to be judged by you."
"I'm not judging," Hermes said as he put his hands up in a pacifying gesture. "Just commenting. Now, how much have you made so far?"
"I have about €250,000 in a hidden place right now," Marcus said, "but I had to pay a lot for my equipment, so I've actually sold more, but used it to pay back loans. I'm not even halfway to my goal yet..."
"But now you have me to help," Hermes said as he pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. He laid it on the ground and unrolled it to reveal a list.
"This is a list of all of the museums and public attractions in London," Hermes said. "I made sure to cross-reference it with places you've already hit so they won't be expecting you."
Hermes rolled up the list and gave it to Marcus, who put it in his bag.
"Thanks," Marcus said. "I'm sure it'll help out. Now, you should get out of here. Hades is still looking for you, and you can't let him catch you."
"We'll stay in touch," Hermes said as the wings on his sandals began to flap and lifted him into the air. "I'll see you around."
With that, he flew off into the night. Marcus shook his head at the sight of a grown man flying like Peter Pan.
"I've really met some weird folks once I got those Olympian Gems," he said as he looked into his bag to see the morphers reflecting the light of the city. "I can only hope I can save my mum. She's the one person who really understood me…"
He was lost in thought for a minute before coming back to reality.
"Better get to work," he said as he pulled out his mask and pulled it on, "I don't have time to waste."
"Are you sure this will work?" Valerie asked as she looked at the picture on Victor's phone, "seems a little risky to me."
"There's more risk in fighting Gryphon again without that armor or weapon," Jay said. "You didn't fight him, but I could barely match him last time."
"How are you holding up?" Valerie asked as she put the phone down on the table and took Jay's hand. "I was as shocked as the rest of the Rangers when you said Gryphon was really Paul, but I was mostly worried about how it affected you."
"I'm not thrilled about it, and I'd love to save Paul if I can," Jay said, "but I'm starting to wonder if he's too far gone."
"Hey, I thought Medusa was too far gone and you gave her a chance anyway," Nate said. "It didn't work, but at least you gave her that chance. Give Paul that same chance too."
"Indeed," Mera said as she picked up the phone. "I should say the options you have chosen are indeed the best you could make. This plan should work, provided that nothing unexpected happens."
"Like, say, an angry Dark Order Knight?" Jay said. "I'm really hoping he's still licking his wounds from our last battle."
"Dude," Nate said. "What wounds? From what I heard, he only lost his helmet. It's more likely he won't attack because the plot demands it."
The others looked at him blankly.
"Oooook," Jay said. "Christina will be helping from the Temple and Virginia will be helping me once we get there, so it won't just be me."
"Can I just say how glad I am that she showed up?" Valerie said. "While the rest of us were stuck at home with our parents or, in my case, my butler, she stepped up to the plate."
"I agree," Jay said. "I would have a lot more than a sore arm if she hadn't helped out."
"I just wish we could have helped," Diana said. "Our dad isn't holding us hostage like some of you, but he won't let us go anywhere."
"It's also too risky to use the Doors to leave," Adrian said, "since he could want us at any minute. He's taken off from active duty to work on his defense cases at home so he can keep an eye on us."
"If only we could regain our parents' trust in us," Mera sighed. "I am unsure on how best to go about it, however."
"I would say that you guys should just wait out the punishment," Jay said. "They have to let you go after another week and six days if they want to keep their promise. Just...do your best to stay on their good side until then."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Best of luck," Mera said. "Going into a volcano like the way you plan to is not easy to do."
"I just hope we're not too late," Jay said.
"Indeed," Mera said, "but from what I researched, the Cyclops species was very tough. The Elder Cyclopes were prime examples of their species. I am quite sure they are still alive under that massive amount of rock."
"I guess I'll find out soon," Jay said.
"Jay, how's it handling?" Christina said through the Eagle Zord's radio system.
"It's a little bumpy right now," Jay said as he pulled down on the stick, "I'm going to try and get above the air pockets."
"Just don't go too high," Christina said. "None of our Zords are built for space."
"You can say that again," Virginia said as she pushed against Jay's seat. "Could you move your seat up?"
She was currently sitting behind Jay in the Zord's cockpit, between the seat and the back wall with the visor shape on it in red. It was a pretty tight fit, and Virginia was starting to wish she was standing.
"Sorry, this is as far as the seat goes," Jay apologized. "I guess Hephaestus never thought of two people being in a single Zord."
"I can't believe I'm going to say this," Virginia said, "but are we there yet?"
Jay looked out towards the outside world and saw what looked like Ireland zoom past.
"We're moving pretty fast," Jay said. "We'll probably be there in about two minutes."
Almost precisely two minutes later, Jay saw the outline of Mt. Vesuvius down below. He slowly descended, circling around the area of the volcano as he tried to descend safely. Finally, the Eagle Zord was hovering over the mouth of the volcano. Jay slowly lowered the Zord into the crater. When he had first heard of Mt. Vesuvius, he had assumed that the crater would be rather small. But it was actually about 2,000 feet in diameter and the Zord's 260ish foot wingspan fit right in the crater. Jay leveled the Zord a few hundred feet above the lava and stood up as he moved towards the back wall.
"Virginia, you keep the Zord level," he ordered. "I'm going to check out what's out there."
He tapped a button on the wall and the wall slid upwards, acting more like a door in a sci-fi movie. The wall settled back into place right after Jay had gotten past and he now found himself in the Zord's inner mechanisms. He walked up some steps and opened a hatch onto the top of the Zord. He climbed up and closed the hatch behind him before looking around. Jay could feel the heat, even with the protection of his suit. Victor had told him that the Ranger's suits could handle even a dip in the lava, but Jay didn't want to test that theory.
"I'm not seeing anything," Jay said into his morpher to Christina and Virginia. "I'm going to...Wait, what was that?"
He could hear the sounds of rocks shifting and looked over to the right wing of the Zord. He headed over towards the source of the sound and saw a rock platform slightly bulging out from the rough interior of the crater. It didn't go very far before there was a pile of rocks blocking the way.
"I think I see something; I'm going to check it out," Jay said before he ended the communication.
Not too far a leap, Jay thought as he judged the distance between the Zord and the platform before taking a running start and jumping over to the platform. He had apparently slightly misjudged, as he landed on the edge of the platform. Jay windmilled his arms to try and keep his balance, and, luckily, was able to. He sighed in relief as he started to walk towards the pile of rocks.
I could use the enhanced strength of my Hero Armor to break through the rocks, Jay thought as he continued to walk towards the layer of rock.
"Hero Armor, Power Up!" Jay shouted as the chest armor and bands appeared on his suit. He arrived at the rock pile just after the armor had finished forming. Jay punched into the rock, creating an indentation in it. He continued to punch, slowly but surely carving a path. He was careful to make sure he left enough support to prevent more rocks from falling, but at the same time moved rather quickly. Eventually, he found a sort of pocket in the rock. Inside were three large humanoid figures. One was using their strength to hold up the layers of rock trying to crush them, while the other two seemed to be resting.
"It's almost your turn, Steropes," Arges said as he shifted a little to wipe the sweat off his forehead before looking at Jay after finally noticing him. "Zeus! Have you come to save us?"
"I'm not Zeus," Jay said. "I'll explain later, but I am here to help."
"How are you planning to do that?" Arges asked. "One of us has to hold up the rock so it doesn't collapse on us. All four of us can't leave at once or we'll be crushed!"
"You three can leave," Jay said. "I'll hold the rock up."
"What about you?" Brontes asked. "You need to escape too."
"I've got a plan. Jay said as he stood next to Arges and put his hands on the rock to help lift it. "Now, let go and run like hell!"
The Cyclopes looked at each other before coming to an agreement. Arges let go and the three Cyclopes ran out of the pocket through the hole Jay had made. Jay grimaced as he struggled against the weight of the rock.
'Have a plan'? Jay thought. I've got nothing! I don't know what to do to get out of this!
He grunted as he fell to a knee, still holding onto the layer of rock, but just barely.
There's only one way to do it, Jay thought. Just like I told the Cyclopes: run like hell!
He let go and took off. The rock started to crumble above where he had been standing and collapsed behind him. Jay had never run so fast in his life, but the rock collapsing behind him was a good motivator. He dived clear right as he reached the exit and the rock collapsed just behind him.
The Cyclopes were standing there, looking at the Eagle Zord that was hovering right near their location.
"Hephaestus did a good job with those Zords," Brontes commented.
"He didn't even need our help," Arges added. "Not many can create such powerful machines, god or mortal."
"We can admire the Zords later," Jay said, "I need your help."
"That's what Gryphon said before he decided to betray us," Steropes said. "How do we know that you won't do the same?"
"Because…" Jay started before stopping. He had to think very hard about what he said. The fate of the world, or at least his life, was at stake.
"You can tell by my suit that I work with the Olympians," Jay said. "Well, we're called the Olympian Rangers and we're fighting to protect the world from Hades and other threats. Threats like Gryphon. I need you to design a weapon and/or armor for me to face Gryphon and defeat him."
And maybe try to save Paul, Jay added silently.
"Who told you our hiding place?" Arges asked. "Not many knew it, and Gryphon told us that Hades captured the Olympians and other gods. Who told you?"
"My mentor, Chiron," Jay said. "If you come with me, you can meet him."
"Oh, we have heard of Chiron," Steropes said. "He doesn't choose to mentor just anyone. If he chose you as his pupil, then we will go with you."
That was...easier than I thought, Jay thought as he leapt to the Eagle Zord.
"Virginia, Christina," Jay said into his morpher. "Mission accomplished. I'm bringing the Cyclopes back to the Temple in a few."
Jay and Virginia, both demorphed, walked through the Zord hanger into the main room of the Temple, with the three Elder Cyclopes right behind them.
"So this is what the gods were up to after the First Great War," Brontes said as he looked around. "It's rather...traditional, don't you think?"
The two other Cyclopes nodded before one of them, Arges, noticed the anvil near the center of the room.
"Is one of you a blacksmith?" Arges asked, "because this anvil is rather basic. I don't even see a flame to heat the metal or any sturdy weapons!"
Chiron, who was standing by the mosaic computer, flipped a switch. A small fireplace slid up from the floor.
"We do have a flame. And I assure you, our blacksmith, Victor, is very skilled in his craft," Chiron said. "Perhaps not on the same level as you, but skilled for a mortal."
"Chiron," Steropes said. "Your reputation precedes you. I have heard about the heroes you trained, but from what I heard, you hadn't taken students in millenia. What changed?"
"Circumstances demanded that I take on new pupils," Chiron said. "Just as circumstances demand we turn to you for help. Jay, who you've already met, needs help fighting Gryphon. He needs weapons and armor that only you can create."
"Why can only we do it?" Arges asked. "If your blacksmith is so skilled, then he should be able to do it himself."
"Not only is Victor otherwise occupied," Chiron said. "We require you to create weapons like you did during the First Great War. We need you to make weapons using the Flame of the Gods again."
"Are you sure a mortal can handle that power?" Steropes asked. "We granted that power to the gods and they could barely handle it when they first started using our weapons. Whatever we create could destroy your pupil before he even lifts his weapon."
Jay stepped forward, a look of determination on his face.
"We don't have a choice," Jay said. "I need to match Gryphon in combat, and only the Flame of the Gods' power can do that. Can you please help us?"
The three Cyclopes looked at each other before nodding.
"As long as you understand the risks involved," Brontes said. "Where do we work? Because we need to work somewhere that has more equipment."
Christina put up a hand.
"I have an idea," she said, "and Victor wanted to keep it a secret a little while longer, but…"
"Now isn't really the time to keep things secret," Jay said. "What do you have, Christina?"
"Victor's been working on a new room specifically for forging new weapons," Christina said. "He hasn't had a chance to really use it because of his job."
"Sounds perfect," Jay said before turning towards the Cyclopes. "Where do we start?"
"What are you looking for in your armor and weapon?" Steropes asked. "Like we told Gryphon before he betrayed us: we usually start with user input."
Jay looked at Chiron.
"Any suggestions?" Jay asked, "I honestly have no idea what would be the best. I feel like your experience in battle might be helpful here."
Chiron turned towards the mosaic computer and typed rapidly on it before pulling up a blueprint.
"I designed it quickly," Chiron said, "but this should be the best thing to fight Gryphon with."
The Cyclopes looked at the blueprint before nodding together again.
"We agree," Arges said. "We'll take the Flame to the room and get to work. It should only take about a day or two. Gryphon's took longer because of how long it took the metal to heat. The Flame will heat the metal quickly and we'll be able to work fast."
"So I just need to stay out of Gryphon's grasp for that long," Jay said. "I'd better stay here as long as I can. He can't get me here."
"Christina," Chiron said. "Take the Cyclopes and some of the Flame to the forging room. It sounds like they have a lot of work to do."
"How do I get the Flame to the forging room?" Christina asked.
"I think I can help," Virginia said as she put out her hand and summoned her torch. Unlike usual, the flame on top was not lit.
"Why don't we use this for its actual purpose?" she said with a smile as she stuck the torch into the brazier containing the Flame of the Gods in the corner of the room and allowed the torch to be ignited. "Lead the way."
Christina did just that, leading the Elder Cyclopes and Virginia out of the room.
"Here's hoping this goes well," Jay said as he looked over at the blueprint on the screen, "because I can't fight Gryphon without that armor and weapon."
The Cyclopes worked around the clock, only taking breaks when necessary. Christina, who came by every once in a while to see their progress, was impressed. The three of them really had teamwork down to a t. As one rested, the other two worked before they rotated. The Cyclopes wouldn't let her in the room for too long, and she had to stay far away, as it was too hot for Christina to even get near them when the Cyclopes started to heat the bronze, but she was still interested in watching.
Christina had just gotten back from a trip to see the Cyclopes when she noticed Victor had arrived in her absence.
"I'm sorry about revealing the room," she apologized. "I know it was your private area, but the Cyclopes needed a place to work and…"
Victor put up a hand to stop her.
"It's fine," he said. "It was made to be used for creating weapons and armor, and that's what the Cyclopes are doing. I just wish they would let me help…"
"You could at least watch," Christina said. "That's what I've been doing."
"I think I will," Victor said as he headed the way Christina had come.
"Ah, Christina," Chiron said, "I've been looking for you. I need your help with the programming and wiring of these new bracers for Jay's armor."
He pointed to two small devices that looked like bulkier versions of Jay's morpher, except for the fact they were bronze. There was a hole in it for the Olympians Gems in the morphers to fit under the bracers. They were folded back so Chiron, and now Christina, could work on the wiring inside. One such wire on each was plugged into the mosaic computer, allowing the programming of the bracers' inner workings to be done on said computer.
"The armor and weapons aren't going to be stored in the pocket dimension with the other weapons?" Christina asked. "Seems a little strange."
"The power this arsenal will be putting out will need to be contained somewhere else," Chiron said. "I'm worried it might damage the original weapons if we put the armor and weapons in the same pocket dimension. That's why I'm creating two new bracers that can summon the armor. The bracers themselves will be put in the pocket dimension. Think of it like nesting dolls."
"Oh, so the bracers will be in the pocket dimension and the armor will be in the bracers," Christina said. "I think I get it."
She sighed.
"You know, I bet Mera would be great to help with this," she said as she ran her hand through her long brown hair. "Honestly, while I am tech support, I feel out of my depth here. Are you sure I can do something like this?"
"I am because I believe in you," Chiron said, "...and you also have smaller hands than I do, so you can connect the wires better."
Christina giggled as she sat down at the mosaic computer and looked at the code on the screen.
"I'm glad my Intro to Computer Programming experience is coming in handy," she said, "and that you're using Javascript. I just need to put some brackets here...and then add that..."
She looked into the body of one of the bracers, looking at its inner mechanisms, before pulling two wires together. There was a spark between the wires. Christina yelped as her hand shot back.
"Red and black don't seem to want to go together," she commented, "any suggestions?"
"Perhaps if you try this…" Chiron said as the two of them continued to work.
Jay looked over at the two as he practiced with a copy of the new spear he would be using. He spun it around rapidly before tripping over its long body and tumbling to the ground.
"Man, I wish Mera was here," Jay said. "She's an expert with a spear. Heck, even Nate with his knowledge of how to use a trident would be helpful."
"It's better to focus on what we do have, rather than what we don't," Chiron said as he slowly stepped forward. He had left Christina for a minute to continue working and was now focusing on Jay.
"Remember that the spear is a stabbing weapon, not a slashing one," Chiron said. "The style of attacking you are used to will not help you with this new weapon. Another thing I would suggest would be to use an overhand grip. And where is your shield?"
"It kept getting in the way," Jay said as he pointed to the circular wooden shield with a bronze covering lying against one of the steps. "Why in the world would anyone use a spear and a shield at the same time?"
"The Megazord does this style of fighting, and you haven't even used the proper maneuvers that are usually required to fight in that style," Chiron pointed out before he looked around. "Maybe Virginia could help. Where did she go?"
"Right here!" Virginia said from over by the Flame of the Gods. She walked over.
"What do you need?" she asked.
"I was wondering if you could use your powers to give Jay a taste of what power he'll be wielding when the armor, spear and shield are done," Chiron said.
"Sure," Virginia said as she and Jay morphed in an instant. Jay walked over and picked up the shield as Chiron set up a practice dummy connected to a projectile throwing apparatus.
Virginia summoned her torch and sent some of the flames into Jay. Jay raised his shield and ran forward. The shield deflected the projectiles and Jay pulled his spear above the shield in an overhand grip before stabbing clean through the dummy's head. The aura around him faded as Jay walked up to Chiron.
"That overhand tip really helped," he said before he demorphed and pulled out his phone, checking the time. "Anyway, my parents will be wondering where I am if I don't get home soon. If they aren't still recovering from their last trip."
"Be careful on the way home," Chiron warned. "Gryphon may still be on the prowl for you."
"Christina, get me as close to my house as you can without people seeing," Jay said.
Christina nodded as she put down the bracer she was currently working on and typed into the mosaic computer. She gave a thumbs up as the Doors flew open. Jay waved as he left the Temple back into Olympia Hills.
"Christina, how are the bracers coming?" Chiron asked as he looked over at the teenage girl working on the mechanism. She cried out again as another spark flew from the wires.
"Maybe Victor coming in would be a good idea," Christina suggested as she stood up, "because I have to get home too."
Victor walked back into the room.
"Considering I can only watch the Cyclopes instead of helping them out, I guess being here is my best option," he said before he laid his eyes on the bracers. "I see you've been working on the bracers that summon the armor."
"Yeah, I'm going home," Christina said. "Could you take a look at my progress?"
"Of course," Victor said as he sat down in the chair and looked into the device. "It looks like you just need to plug red into black…"
He did just that and his hands shot back as a spark flew between the wires.
"That's what happened to me. That's bad, right?" Christina asked.
"It seems like too much power is coming from the black side," Victor said as he looked at the schematics on the mosaic computer screen. "You can go home. I'll figure it out."
"Sounds good," Christina said as Victor activated the Doors. She stepped through before they slammed shut behind her.
Victor looked back at the bracers before typing a few keys on the mosaic computer's keyboard and then looking back at the bracers.
"If I do this…" he said as he typed a few more keys before trying to put the red and black wires inside the one together again. As soon as they touched, the mosaic computer created a green check mark on the screen. Victor grabbed some electrical tape and taped the wires together.
"Now we just need the actual arsenal," Victor said, "because the bracers are ready."
He looked over at Chiron.
"But why are the bracers so technological if the Flame is more magical?" he asked, "it doesn't make much sense, especially with how basic ancient Roman's arm guards were."
"The same reason the Olympian Zords are so technological and the same thing I argue with Hecate," Chiron said. "Magic is science we just don't understand. I'm just working on bridging the gap. The bracers are powered by the Flame, so it's a technological pair powered by magic, just like the machine Mera made before during Hebe's attack. You could say she inspired me a bit."
"Make sense," Victor said with a nod. "Now we just have to wait for the Cyclopes to finish."
Gryphon flapped his wings a few times to raise him higher as he looked into the Seymor residence. It was falling apart, and Nate's room was very minimalist. It was easy to be minimalist in a room when the owner didn't own much.
"Man, this punishment bites," Nate said as he laid down on his bed, unaware that Gryphon could hear him through the thin glass. "My mom is still super 'you're going to help the family every moment you can' right now. I just want to help Jay out again and kick Gryphon's ass together with the others!"
This matches what I've heard from Mera and the Thomas twins, Paul's voice inside Gryphon said as Gryphon remained near the window. The Rangers got punished after they fought Echidna and Typhon. Apparently they were out for almost a whole day. That means Jay should be relatively alone for the foreseeable future. My revenge will be easier than I thought.
Gryphon growled a little.
Unless that Orange Ranger shows up again, Paul's voice said. She gave him enough power to challenge me, and that I can't allow. I want to make him suffer, so giving him a slight chance is good. But she tipped the scales too far in his favor. Good thing her boost appears to be temporary. If they found a way to make it permanent, Jay's chances improve and that's not the point of the game.
Gryphon noticed that, while he had been thinking, Nate had decided to go to bed and was now asleep.
"That kid falls asleep quick," Gryphon commented as he slowly flew back and took off into the sky again. "I have one more stop to make, but I think I'll save that for tomorrow…"
It was a quiet beginning to the school day, and the teens found themselves back at the lunch table after what felt like a long three hours.
"So, how did flying a giant robot bird into an active volcano go?" Valerie asked. "I'm going to take the fact you came back in one piece as a good sign."
"Yeah, we save the Cyclopes and think we have a way to beat Gryphon once and for all," Jay said before Victor spoke up.
"We designed a new arsenal for Jay to use," Victor said. "The Cyclopes just need to make it a reality. I just wish I could help…"
"You said the heat would be too intense," Jay reminded him, "I think it's mostly for your protection, not because they don't think you can help."
"I guess," Victor said with a sigh. "Well, at least the bracers are ready, so when the Cyclopes are done, you'll be able to use what they've created."
"That's good," Jay said, "the last thing I would want would be to have the arsenal finished and no way to access it. Speaking of which, how do I access it?"
"It's in the same pocket dimension as our equipment," Victor said, "so just mentally call for it and it'll appear."
"Calling out the name is optional," Nate joked.
"I have actually found that it helps focus the mind on the weapon you require," Mera said.
"Interesting…" Victor said. "We might need to run tests on that. That could be useful info."
As the two talked about the prospects of such an experiment, Jay looked over at Adrian and Diana.
"You two have been quiet," he commented. "How's it going being under your father's supervision?"
"Not great," Adrian said. "We're allowed to do whatever we want in the house, but we're still stuck in the house. I would love for Christina to come over, but I understand she's busy helping you right now and…"
"Hold on," Jay said, "I wasn't trying to keep Christina from spending time with you. Honestly, she could probably use an afternoon off."
"You sure?" Adrian asked.
"Well, I'm not her keeper," Jay joked, "so I would ask her about going over, but we can spare one day without her."
He looked over at Diana.
"And how are you holding up?" Jay asked.
"Not great," Diana said, "I was always more of an outdoor person, so being cooped up inside isn't going great."
"Hey, it's only eleven more days," Jay said, "I'm sure you'll think of something."
He looked at Valerie.
"I'm still sorry you couldn't meet my parents," he said, "and I'm sad we can't spend time together. Any chance you could see about shortening the punishment?"
"Yeah…" Valerie said. "My mom isn't budging. I've already asked a few times and I think if I ask again, I won't like the outcome."
"Hey, at least you tried," Jay said, "but I have a feeling that we'll see each other again sooner than we think."
"That's an odd feeling to have," Valerie said. "We don't have any classes together after lunch…"
"Don't think about it too hard," Jay said. "You'll figure it out soon enough."
"You want to go to Valerie's house?" Chiron asked. "Are you sure that is wise? Anywhere outside the Temple is a place that Gryphon could attack you at, and the Cyclopes are still working on your new armor and weapons."
"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Jay said. "Maybe I can convince her mom to let Valerie out of the house again. Then she can help me against Gryphon."
"I am quite sure that's not the only reason," Chiron commented. "Be careful you aren't mixing your personal feelings with your duties as a Ranger. While a relationship can be an asset in battle, it can also be a hindrance."
"Fine, so I want to spend time with Valerie," Jay said, "I can at least multitask."
"I can't stop you," Chiron said, "so, best of luck to you."
"Thanks," Jay said as Chiron programmed the Doors to be close to Valerie's house. "Sorry we're leaving you alone in here."
"I'm sure it'll lead to a productive time for me," Chiron said as the Doors opened.
"See you later," Jay said as he stepped through before the Doors slammed shut behind him.
"This feels like a mistake," Chiron said to himself, "I can only hope the Cyclopes will be done soon."
Just as he had finished his sentence, one of the Elder Cyclopes, Steropes, walked into the room, carrying some armor.
"We finished the armor a few hours ago," Steropes said as he showed it to Chiron. "We've started on the shield. Where do you want me to put this?"
"Just next to the mosaic computer is fine," Chiron said as he pointed over to a marble table sitting by the mosaic computer. Steropes put the armor down on the table and walked back to the room his brothers were working in.
"Now I just need to put these into the bracers," Chiron said as he set off to work.
Christina looked up at the mansion in front of her. While there was no gate, she could see security cameras following her every move as she walked up the pathway. She reached the door and pressed the doorbell. Nothing happened for a moment until she heard a familiar male voice.
"I've got it!" Adrian shouted before he opened the door a few seconds later, "Christina! Come on in!"
He moved back to let her in before shutting the door behind her. He looked over to see Christina gawking over the house's interior.
Do I even belong here? she asked herself. It's like being the tech advisor all over again. I get this feeling that I'm in over my head.
"Earth to Christina," Adrian said as he tapped her shoulder before she finally looked at him. "You good?"
"Yeah," Christina said, trying to brush it off. "Just...thinking about something."
"Why don't we go to the living room and talk about it?" Adrian asked. "I would love to know what's going on with you right now."
"I guess," Christina said as Adrian led the way into a large space that was all carpeted. There were multiple pieces of furniture that all complemented the walls and each other with their coloring. Adrian sat down in an armchair and gestured for Christina to sit on the couch. As she looked around, she mental sized up the place and figured it had to be at least the size of the entire ground floor in her house!
"So, what's on your mind?" Adrian asked.
"I...don't really want to talk about it," Christina said as she looked away. "It's kind of personal."
"I just want you to know that I'm here for you," he said as he put his hand on top of hers, which was on her lap, "so if you ever change your mind, I'm ready to listen."
"I just…" Christina started, "I just feel like maybe me not being a Ranger is a mistake. I don't want to fight, but felt so guilty when Jay had to first gather a new team and then fight on his own. I had no reason I couldn't fight other than my morals. And with these Gems bonded to me permanently, unless I start fighting again, you'll never have a Green Ranger again. I try to help out the best I can as the tech advisor, but I feel so out of place, especially with Victor and Mera on the team. I was always more of a nature person, but I try my best and..."
She was getting a little worked up over everything she was saying, and even Adrian could see it.
"Woah," Adrian said as he put a hand up. "Calm down. You're worried about not fighting? You not wanting to fight is one of the reasons I like you so much! Not many people have the courage to decide against using violence to save the world. It's what makes you unique. And you bring a unique point of view into fixing things that Victor and Mera don't."
"Really?" Christina asked as she looked into his blue eyes.
"Really," Adrian said as he looked into her brown ones.
They started to get closer until Diana came running in.
"Hey, guys!" she shouted before she noticed what was happening. "Did I just ruin a great moment?"
"Kinda," Adrian said as he looked over at his sister. "What's up?"
"Something's wrong with our morphers," she said. "I can't reach anyone through the communication feature."
She activated the communication function on her right morpher and all the three Rangers heard was static.
"Let me see," Christina said as she motioned for Diana to give her the morphers. Diana did so, handing them off to Christina somewhat reluctantly.
Christina moved to the coffee table and laid the morphers down on it before clicking it open. She moved a small panel in the back of the morpher and looked at the wires.
"Everything seems fine," she said, "Adrian, try your morpher."
Adrian nodded as he put his morpher up to his mouth.
"Chiron, can you hear me?" he asked. "Chiron?"
All he heard was static. The three teens looked at each other.
"I think whatever's wrong isn't with the morpher, it's the system it's connected to," Christina said. "Like how a cell phone is useless without reception. Someone's damaged the system itself."
"Good thing you're here," Adrian said. "Even Mera and Victor probably have no idea what's going on, or even notice a problem."
"I have no idea what's going on, but you two can talk later," Diana said. "Adrian and I can't leave the house. Christina, it sounds like you need to figure out what's going on alone."
"I guess," Christina said reluctantly.
"Hey," Adrian said as he put his hand on her chin to get her to look up at him. "You can do this."
"I'll do my best," Christina said as she headed towards where she thought the exit was before looking at the different hallways, "now...which way is out?"
"Just go out there," Adrian said as he pointed, "and go straight until you reach the foyer again."
"Right!" Christina said as she jogged down the hallway, nearly bumping into Mr. Thomas as he walked by.
"Sorry!" she shouted as she ran past.
Mr. Thomas looked at her, confused, before walking towards the living room and poking his head inside.
"Who was that and why was she running?" he asked.
"That was my girlfriend Christina, and she has an important errand to run," Adrian explained.
"Ah, that makes sense," Mr. Thomas said. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you two about something important…"
Chiron looked at the blank stones that formed the screen of the mosaic computer and the bracers that were glowing faintly. He was trying everything to bring the system back to life, typing codes to turn on the computer again and even trying some of the wires. However, due to his horse half, he was unable to get under the computer to see if there were any problems there.
Christina ran into the room from Study Room "O". Chiron sighed in relief when he saw her. He was both glad the teens could still get into the Temple somehow and that Christina was here.
"What happened?" Christina asked as she looked at the blank stones. "We can't use the communication function of our morphers anymore!"
"I tried to activate the bracers again to put the armor inside them," Chiron said, "it worked, but the power overloaded the system. The computer was never built to handle even this small portion of the Flame's power. We need to find a way to fix it, and quickly. Without the computer, we can't communicate or use the Doors. Things also can't be added to or removed from the pocket dimension."
"I'll look under the computer," Christina said. "Maybe I can find a wire that's damaged or something."
She crawled under the computer and looked up at the wires.
"Yeah," she said as she crawled out. "The power surge damaged a bunch of wires. We're lucky the thing didn't explode. Now, we just need to get Victor to fix it and…"
"We can't reach Victor, remember?" Chiron said. "No, Christina, you must do this yourself...but I can help a little. Let's grab some wires and get to work."
"Master Jay, we were not expecting you," James said through the gate's intercom, "I don't think the mistress wants Valerie to spend time with you right now…"
"I actually want to talk to Valerie's mom too," Jay said. "Is she in?"
"I'm not sure I can say," James said.
Jay could hear a female voice in the background yelling before Valerie's voice shouted back.
"I'm going to take the shouting in the background as a yes," Jay said. "Can you at least ask Mrs. Onasis if I can speak to her and Valerie?"
"I'll see what I can do," James said. The intercom went quiet for about a minute before James's voice came out of it again.
"The mistress says you have ten minutes in the house before she requires you to leave," James said. "I would make them count."
The gates opened up and Jay walked up to the mansion. James opened the door for him and Jay stepped inside. Mrs. Onasis was standing there with her arms crossed as Valerie stood off to the side. She gave a small wave as Jay looked at her.
"Jay," Mrs. Onasis said. "I hear from Valerie that your parents didn't punish you for being out as long as Valerie and the rest of your friends. Were you with them when they disappeared? Do you know where they went?"
Jay thought about it for a second before shaking his head.
"No, I was separated from them," he said. "My parents weren't even home, so even if I had stayed out, it wouldn't matter. They understand and appreciate my independence. Don't you think you should do the same for Valerie?"
"Excuse me?" Mrs. Onasis said. "Are you telling me how to raise my child? You're only 17! What gives you the right?"
Damn it! Jay thought. I'm going about this the wrong way. I need to change tactics.
"You're right," Jay said. "I don't have the right to tell you how to raise your child."
Mrs. Onasis actually looked a little surprised that Jay had agreed with her. She was used to people fighting back against her.
"While it's not a right, it's a privilege to spend time with Valerie," Jay said, "and it's one I enjoy. I said something very similar a few weeks ago."
Mrs. Onasis thought back to what Jay had said during that conversation on Valentine's Day...
They had been in the living room. Jay and Valerie were sitting on one couch across from another couch with Valerie's parents on it.
"So this is your real boyfriend?" Mrs. Onasis asked.
"Yeah," Valerie said, "I got hit in a Ranger battle with some weird arrow that made me fall in love with Victor and hate Jay. But it got reversed somehow. I assume the Rangers defeated the being who did it."
"I'm getting a headache," Mr. Onasis said as he got up and went to the kitchen to get some painkillers.
"I was wondering why you were so interested in Victor all of a sudden," Mrs. Onasis said. "Don't get me wrong, he's a nice boy. But he wasn't really your type."
"Oh, she has a type?" Jay asked, very interested in this turn in the conversation.
"Mom!" Valerie said. "We don't need to talk about that!"
"Oh, it was Jimmy in the third grade, right?" Mrs. Onasis asked before continuing. "He was serious sometimes, but a real class clown at others. You wanted to spend every day with him, and I had to explain to his mother that…"
"Mom!" Valerie shouted at her. "What part of 'we don't need to talk about that' did you not get?"
"Alright, alright," Mrs. Onasis said as Mr. Onasis walked back in. "I guess I should ask you a few questions, Jay. What do your parents do for a living?"
"Well, they're salespeople," Jay said. "They travel around the country a lot for work. Honestly, I think they just like traveling and don't care much for the sales part. They travel for pleasure a lot too, usually down to Florida to meet up with my old friend Paul's parents."
"Where did you two meet?" Mrs. Onasis asked.
"We met at school," Jay said, "I saw her one day and pointed her out to my friend Mera. Mera became friends with her and we became mutual acquaintances. Eventually, we moved to being friends and then more."
"Speaking of more…" Mrs. Onasis said. "What are your intentions with my daughter?"
"I…uh…" Jay said, caught off guard by the question. He slowly formulated the words to explain it.
"Mom!" Valerie shouted again. "What kind of question is that?"
"I want to make sure he has good intentions," Mrs. Onasis said. "That's all."
"Trust me, I do," Jay said, "I just like spending time with her. If that's as far as we get, that's fine with me. I respect her as a person and want to get to know her better. I find being with her a privilege that I enjoy experiencing."
Mrs. Onasis nodded. In her mind, that was probably the best answer he could have given. But it did give her one more question…
"How far have you two gotten?" she asked.
Valerie didn't even shout this time, she just turned bright red.
"I think that's something personal that should only be revealed when Valerie is ready," Jay said. "Now, what else did you want to talk about?"
"You did say something like that," Mrs. Onasis agreed, "but I'm revoking that privilege for the moment. You can see her when the two weeks are up. And speaking of time being up, I think yours is. James, see Jay out."
"Valerie, I'll see you tomorrow," Jay said as he allowed James to lead him out.
As James opened the door, Jay looked back for a moment before starting the walk down to the gate. He was halfway down the drive when he thought he heard something. He shook his head before continuing down the drive. Then he heard a crash and a scream. Jay turned around and ran back the way he came and opened the door. There was a hole a few feet from the door in the ceiling. Jay thought he could feel wind blowing from the hole and the sounds of wings flapping. He looked around at the scene and saw James and Mrs. Onasis on the floor, both unconscious. But Valerie was nowhere to be seen. Jay noticed some bronze words floating in the air.
"Find me where it all began -Gryphon,'" Jay read. "Damn it!"
He rushed out of the house and watched as Gryphon flew away from the scene, an unconscious Valerie in his arms.
"Paul, get back here!" Jay shouted after him. "Paul!"
He pulled his sleeves back to reveal his morphers and spoke into one of them.
"Chiron?" Jay asked. But all he got back was static.
"Guess I'll have to figure out where Paul went myself," Jay said to himself as he thought about it, "'Where it all began'? What does that even…wait a minute!"
He thought back to his Hero Test and the scene he had been shown by the Oracle. One by one, the other Rangers' visions of the past had come back in one form or another. Was his vision telling him about this moment?
"'These events that shaped you will be important someday,'" Jay said, quoting the Oracle when she had explained Jay's vision of the past. "And what did she show me? Is that why Paul is so angry?"
He ran off in a particular direction, knowing exactly where Paul was going. He was taking Jay to school.
Christina smiled as she pulled two wires together and watched as the computer came to life again.
"We did it!" she said as she jumped for joy.
"You did it," Chiron said. "I was merely here to guide you. Do you understand your purpose in this team now?"
"You knew?" Christina asked as she looked at him, surprised.
"I could sense you were unsure of your place," Chiron said, "but it seems that both Adrian and I have helped you understand that fighting isn't the only way to help save the world. Just know that, when determined enough, there is nothing you can't do."
"Thanks, Chiron," she said. "I learned that a few months ago the first time I met the Rangers and they suggested helping civilians. Guess I just forgot what it really meant to help."
She sat down at the mosaic computer and typed a few keys before looking distraught again.
"The pocket dimension is still down," she said. "Why is that?"
"The computer needs time to create a link again with the pocket dimension," Chiron said. "That's my best guess, at least. Linking dimensions is difficult, even for a supercomputer."
Arges walked into the room with a circular shield. He put it down on the table near the mosaic computer.
"We just have to finish the spear," he said. "That should be the easiest, but still may take a little while."
"Thank you for your hard work," Chiron said as Arges walked back to the forging room before he turned to Christina. "Because of the separate pocket dimension being built into the bracers, we should be able to send this into the bracers even with the computer still undergoing repairs. But we'll have no way to send it to Jay if he needs it. The spear still isn't ready too. I can only hope that…"
"Look!" Christina said as she pointed at the mosaic computer. While it had been rebooting, it was cycling through different sections of the cities' cameras to reestablish a connection with them. During one of these screen switches, Christina and Chiron could see Gryphon flying through the city with someone in his arms and Jay a few blocks behind running in the same direction.
"Who does Gryphon have in his arms?" Christina asked as she tried to zoom in. Before she could, however, the camera's had already cycled to a closer camera.
"He captured Valerie?" Christina asked. "But why? Isn't Jay his target?"
"One tactic for people like Gryphon is to capture those close to the target," Chiron said. "It's his version of a declaration of war. He knows that Jay won't rest until he gets Valerie back."
"Jay may be able to morph," Christina said, "but he won't be able to summon any of his weapons! Someone has to tell him!"
"Let's see if communication is back up," Chiron said as he pressed the button and spoke out. "Jay, can you hear me? Come in, Jay!"
The current camera set showed that Jay was still running like nothing had happened.
"The computer must still be rebooting," Chiron said, "we won't be able to contact him for as long as that takes. His best hope is the bracers. But they're not finished yet, and even when they are, chances are we won't be able to transport them to him!"
"I guess we have to hope he can hold on until the system's back up," Christina said, "and knowing Jay, he can do it."
Jay slowly came to a halt as he looked at the brick building in front of him. He had fond memories of Olympia Hills Elementary. It was where he had met Mera. And it was also where he had met Paul.
Paul isn't in front of the school, Jay thought, and he wouldn't be inside. There's nowhere for him to maneuver. That means he's probably behind the building.
Jay ran around the building; glad classes were done for the day. That meant that there would be few people around, and less people to get caught in the crossfire of whatever battle Jay might find himself in. Jay stopped once he reached the blacktop. In front of him, standing menacingly in between Jay and an unconscious Valerie, was Gryphon. He had his sword in the compartment in his shield and appeared to have been waiting.
"I was so hoping you would figure it out," Gryphon said. "I assume you now know why I hate you so much?"
"Is this really about that promise we made as kids?" Jay said as he thought back to that moment in first grade. "You can't expect me to keep a promise I made so many years ago as a child!"
"You promised we would be best friends forever!" Paul said as he removed his helmet for a moment to look at Jay eye-to-eye. "Then you replaced me the first chance you got!"
"Mera wasn't supposed to replace you!" Jay said. "I just wanted to have more friends! You were still my best friend until we went to different schools! Even then I would have still been your friend if you hadn't become so bitter about Mera and me being friends!"
"Don't claim that this is my fault!" Paul roared. "This is all your fault! And now I have the tools to make you pay!"
He put his helmet back on and drew his sword from the compartment in the shield. He pointed it at the unconscious Valerie.
"Even Mera got replaced, huh?" Gryphon asked. "Now you have a girlfriend, and I bet you barely spend time with anyone else. How long has it been since you and Mera hung out together?"
Jay became quiet for a minute. Gryphon had a point. He had been focusing a lot on Valerie and not much on the other Rangers, at least one-on-one. It was either him and Valerie or him with the whole group.
"It's not like that," Jay finally said. "That's just what happens with relationships. Sometimes people drift apart. Sometimes people spend more time with certain people instead of others."
He stepped forward and pointed at Gryphon.
"I'm going to save you, Paul," Jay said, "whether you want me to or not! Because you're still my friend!"
"The power of Gryphon is the only friend I need!" Gryphon shouted back.
Maybe he's too far gone, Jay thought before he remembered what Nate had said.
Hey, I thought Medusa was too far gone and you gave her a chance anyway. It didn't work, but at least you gave her that chance. Give Paul that same chance too, the memory of Nate said in Jay's mind.
Nate's right, Jay thought. Paul's just corrupted by the power of Gryphon. I should still do my best to save him!
"Red Olympian Power!" Jay shouted as he crossed his arms over his chest. The Olympian Gems on his morphers glowed with a powerful red light. In a flash of red light, Jay was morphed.
"I sure hope they're finished," Jay said as he crossed his arms again, "Hoplite Bracers!"
He stood there for a moment, but nothing happened.
"Hoplite Bracers!" Jay shouted again, his arms still crossed. Once again, nothing happened.
Uh oh, Jay thought. What's going on? Why aren't the bracers coming? I'd better try the Lightning Sword.
"Lightning Sword!" Jay shouted as he put his hand out. For the third time, nothing happened.
"Great…" Jay commented as he put his morpher close to his helmet, "Chiron? Please tell me you're there."
Instead of hearing Chiron's reassuring voice, Jay heard nothing but static.
"What did you do to my morpher?" Jay asked. "Why can't I call anyone? I thought Victor fixed it!"
"I didn't do anything with your morpher," Gryphon said, "I wanted a fair fight from you for our final battle, but if you can't give me that...I'll just have to kill you quickly!"
He dashed forward and swung with his sword horizontally. Jay fell onto his back to dodge before springing back up and coming around for a whirling kick.
Gryphon blocked the attack with his shield, which caused Jay to wince in pain at the impact, before slashing again. Jay went flying backwards and landed on the blacktop. He stood back up and took a fighting stance.
"C'mon, Paul," Jay said. "I'm trying to help you. Couldn't you make this a little easier?"
"You can help me by dying!" Gryphon shouted as he fired a black beam of energy at Jay. It struck him in the chest and sent him flying into the brick wall of the school. Jay fell out of the small Ranger-shaped hole he had created and fell to the ground. He laid there on his stomach for a moment, trying to get his second wind, before springing up and leaping into the air. Jay flipped over Gryphon before kicking him in the back with a side kick, kicking him away from Valerie. Jay ran over to Valerie, but found a shadowy barrier around her. It extended about 10 feet in every direction, keeping everything but air out.
"What the hell did you do?" Jay asked. "Why can't I get to her?"
"The Onyx Gems I got from Hades have enhanced my powers," Gryphon said as he stood up and spun around to face Jay again, "I can manipulate this shadowy version of my aura like it's a part of me. I made what I'm calling a shadow barrier around her. It's keeping her unconscious until I decide to wake her up, and it won't dissipate until you defeat me or I decide to free her."
"I'll just have to beat you then," Jay said as he and Gryphon charged at each other. Jay flipped over Gryphon's blade while kicking him in the helmet. Gryphon stumbled backwards as Jay landed.
"Your skill in unarmed combat is better than I thought," Gryphon said. "But it doesn't matter. I have the upper hand now!"
Jay looked at him, confused.
"And why is that?" he asked.
"Because you have no defense against this!" Gryphon shouted as he slashed a black "x" into the air before stabbing his sword through it. "Gryphon's Fire!"
A stream of black flames flew out of the "x" and into Jay, causing him to cry out in agony as the flames burned into his suit. As Gryphon had said, he had no defense against this attack, and Jay was trying to figure out a way to stop the pain but said pain was making thinking hard.
"Burn to a crisp!" Gryphon shouted as he laughed maniacally.
"Jay's losing!" Christina shouted as she watched the fight on the screen. "We have to do something!"
"The reboot's almost done," Chiron said, "and the shield's now in the bracers' pocket dimension. We just need the spear to be finished and the computer to reboot."
Just as Chiron said that, the three Elder Cyclopes walked into the room, with Brontes carrying the spear to the table by the mosaic computer.
"Our work is finished," Brontes said. "We can only hope that young Jay will use the gifts we have given him wisely."
"Thank you very much," Chiron said as he bowed his head. As he worked on putting the spear in the bracers' dimension, the Cyclopes looked at the fight on the mosaic computer.
"Gryphon is using his weapons well," Arges said, "which could be a problem for young Jay."
"There has to be some sort of way to help him," Christina said. "Do you know what we could do?"
"Electronics, even ones designed by our friend Hephaestus, are not our strong suit," Steropes said. "But perhaps if the dimensions aren't connecting, you could just bring the bracers to him manually?"
"That's it!" Christina said. "Chiron, how quickly can you get the spear into the bracers' dimension?"
She looked over to see that the spear was gone and that the bracers were glowing a powerful bronze color.
"Already done," Chiron said. "Why? What do you have in mind?"
"It's a crazy idea," Christina said, "and I don't have long to explain, but here goes…"
The black flames continued to eat away at Jay's suit as he cried out. Gryphon grinned under his helmet at the sound of Jay's pain. However, the flames did die down eventually, leaving a blackened and burnt Jay, still morphed, on his hands and knees on the ground, catching his breath. As soon as his breathing returned to normal, he stood up again.
"Why?" Gryphon asked, "Why do you keep standing up? Don't you understand that I will kill you? Don't you value your life?"
"Is that mercy I'm hearing?" Jay said, "Yes, I value my life. But I value her's more."
He pointed to Valerie in the shadow barrier.
"I value all life before my own," Jay said. "That's why I was chosen as a Ranger in the first place!"
"How...pathetic," Gryphon said, "I'm done playing around. Time to finish this!"
Gryphon charged up his black shadowy aura around before dashing forward. He raised his sword, ready to inflict the final blow. He slashed mercilessly and rapidly, sending a flurry of deadly blows at Jay. Jay put up his arms to protect himself, but it didn't do a thing and sent him flying back. He landed a dozen yards from where he had been and was on the ground, not moving but still morphed. Gryphon smirked as he put his sword back into the compartment in his shield.
"I suppose I'll kill you too, Pink Ranger," Gryphon said as he dissipated the shadow barrier. "At least the two of you will have each other in the Underworld!"
"You're not done with me yet," Jay said weakly as he stood up again.
"How are you still alive?" Gryphon asked as he looked at the damaged Red Ranger in surprise. "That should have killed you!"
Jay really was a sight to behold in the fact that he was still standing despite all of the damage his body had taken. His helmet was missing a piece, so Gryphon could see the right side of his face from his eye to his mouth and the little amount of blood coming from the right side of his mouth while his suit was blackened from the flames and sword strikes.
"I'm just as surprised as you are," Jay admitted as he wobbled a bit before righting himself, "but I think a small piece of you made you pull your punches a little. Just enough to not kill me."
"Why would I do that?" Gryphon asked. "I swore revenge to kill you! Why in the world would I pull my punches?"
"Because part of you knows that you're wrong," Jay said. "Part of you knows that you shouldn't hold a grudge against me for something we said so many years ago. Part of you knows that you don't really want to kill me, no matter how much you think you hate me."
"I…" Gryphon said as he took a step back. "I don't know what you're talking about! I just misjudged how much punishment you can take. I won't make the same mistake again!"
Jay was going to reply when Christina ran out of the Doors, connected to the school's exit doors, with two familiar bracers. She was morphed, probably to ensure she wouldn't get hurt in the crossfire.
"Jay!" Christina shouted as she ran up to her red colored teammate. "Are you ok? Because you look awful."
"Looks can be deceiving," Jay quipped as he laughed a little before holding near the area where his ribs were. "Ow! No, this is about as bad as it looks. Why hasn't Chiron replied to my attempts to communicate?"
"The system was down when we tried to put the new armor in the bracers," Christina explained. "That's why you couldn't call any of your weapons before or communicate with Doors JUST started working, meaning I could get here. One of the Cyclopes suggested that I bring you the bracers manually. They're all set, so you can use them whenever now that I'm here."
"Now seems like a good time," Jay said as he grabbed the bracers Christina was offering and put them on over his morphers so that the Red Olympian Gems were exposed through the hole in the bracers. He raised his arms to the sky.
"Red Hoplite Ranger!" he shouted. A giant bolt of red lightning came down and engulfed Jay. Both Christina and Gryphon had to cover their eyes to protect them from the flash of light. When they could see again, they both gasped.
Jay was now standing in front of them with some new armor. The bronze bracers were still a part of the suit and his shinguards had become thinner and turned bronze, now looking more like grieves that a Greek Hoplite would wear. He had a thin layer of bronze armor in a kind of muscle pattern on his torso with no sleeves that also covered his belt, and his helmet now had a second helmet on top of it in bronze with the shape of a Greek Hoplite Helmet. There was a red plume made of horsehair on top. The only red parts of his suit left were the helmet under the second helmet, the plume on top and the upper arms, with the rest being bronze.
Jay stepped forwards towards Gryphon.
"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Gryphon asked. "Even your Hero Armor had more protection than that!"
"This armor is special," Jay said. "Why don't you attack me and find out?"
"I will!" Gryphon shouted as he pointed his sword at Jay and sent a barrage of black energy blasts at him.
Jay walked right through the barrage, with the armor absorbing the attacks. He pointed at Gryphon.
"How's that for protection?" Jay quipped, "but now it's my turn."
He put out his hands and summoned his spear and shield. The spear was about nine feet long, entirely made of bronze and had points on both ends. The shield was round and was made of bronze, but had leather straps up on the forearm and where Jay's hand was. Somehow, the bracer fit right into the groove of the shield. The shield had a gold omega symbol on it as its emblem.
Jay ran forward at Gryphon even faster than he could have normally. It seemed that the armor wasn't weighing him down one bit. Jay dashed past Gryphon, stabbing with his spear as he did. Gryphon cried out as the spear actually did some damage, weakening his armor's integrity. When Jay stopped, he cried out as the bronze began to glow and he felt a burning sensation on his skin.
"What gives?" he asked as he grunted in discomfort.
"Chiron, what's going on?" Christina asked as she looked over at Jay from her new place at Valerie's side. "Why is Jay getting hurt by his own armor?"
"The armor's power is too much for a mortal to use for long," Chiron said. "It's putting out more energy than Jay can handle, and that's being translated to heat. I'm getting a reading on Jay's vitals here on the computer and it's saying his body will burn beyond repair in about...two minutes."
"Jay, you have to end this quickly!" Christina shouted, "or the suit's going to roast you alive!"
"Yeah, I heard," Jay said before he ran at Gryphon again.
Gryphon fired a black beam of shadowy energy from his sword's point at Jay, but Jay raised his shield to deflect it to the ground before pushing against it. He reached Gryphon, who was firing the beam the whole time, in a matter of seconds before he stabbed with his spear. Gryphon stopped the beam just in time to move his shield to block. Jay grunted as he pushed the spearpoint against the shield, but it wasn't budging. He pulled his shield arm back for a moment, giving a slight opening for Gryphon to slash at the body armor with his sword, before smashing the edge of the shield into the front of Gryphon's helmet. Jay withstood the sword attack, but Gryphon's helmet completely split in half, revealing the half-human half-animal face that Gryphon had worked so hard to hide.
Paul tried to slash again with his sword, but Jay shifted to the side to dodge before stabbing into his shield arm with his spear, piercing the armor. Paul dropped the shield and used both hands to grab his sword's hilt. He did a powerful two-handed slash at Jay's normal red helmet which was visible where the face of a Hoplite soldier's face would be. The sword did a little damage, but Paul was losing strength fast.
To Jay's credit, he was resisting the burning sensation the best he could, but he could feel his time expiring quickly. He had to end this fast.
Jay kicked Paul away before he raised his spear over his shield in an overhand grip before pointing it forward.
"Phalanx Strike!" he shouted as multiple ghostly hoplite soldiers appeared around him and formed into the phalanx formation in front of him.
"Attack!" Jay shouted as the phalanx, ten men wide and eight men deep, marched forward in formation. The front line had their shields up and the other lines had their spears protruding in between and above the shields. The ghostly forces knocked Paul to the ground with their shields and continued their march forward, trampling him under their shoes. Once they had trampled over him, they disappeared.
Paul laid there, defeated, as Jay stood over him, really fighting the pain of the armor's heat now. When it looked like Paul wasn't getting up, Jay sent the Hoplite armor back into the bracers and gasped in relief as the burning stopped. The bracers on his wrists were still glowing, however. He was still morphed in case Paul had any fight left in him and, based on his struggling to rise, he wanted to but couldn't.
"Paul," Jay said. "It's over. I beat you."
"I refuse to admit defeat!" Paul said as he tried to get up again and failed. "Not to you!"
"Paul, Gryphon has poisoned your mind," Jay said. "You have to let go of your anger."
"I...I…" Paul stuttered as he thought about all of the pain Jay had caused him. Then he started to remember…
"It's...it's my fault?" he asked as he looked up at Jay. "I'm the reason we didn't remain friends?"
"It's no one's fault," Jay said. "Like I said, people just drift apart. The only thing that's your fault is how you dealt with it. You chose to hold a grudge and Gryphon is feeding off of it. You have to get rid of him!"
"I…" Paul said before his eyes glowed bronze and Gryphon's voice came back, "I will not! This host is perfect for my needs. So much potential, so much power in this bloodline! I will not let him go!"
"Well, I'm not letting Paul leave me again," Jay said, "so get out!"
The glow in his eyes faded for a minute, but it looked like Paul was struggling to control his body.
"Jay, you have to kill me!" he said. "Gryphon will be sent back to Tartarus! He won't be able to hurt you again!"
"I'm not killing you," Jay said, "I won't!"
"Jay, if you don't, I'll lose control to Gryphon and kill you!" Paul shouted.
Jay picked up Gryphon's sword and looked at it before throwing it a few dozen yards away into the grass, where it stuck in blade down.
"Now you can't kill me," Jay said. "I need to talk to somebody real quick, just keep fighting him."
He turned around and put his morpher close to his helmet.
"Chiron, please tell me you can hear me," Jay said.
"I can, Jay," Chiron said, "and I know what you are going to ask. The only way to separate them is for Paul to fight against Gryphon internally and win. There's nothing you can do."
"There has to be something!" Jay shouted. "I know there's still good in him. I have to help him somehow!"
He turned around and saw Paul convulsing on the ground, his eyes closed. It was as if some inner battle was going on.
"Paul!" Jay shouted as he watched what he assumed was his oldest friend fighting his worst enemy. "You have to win!"
Paul found himself in a dark, shadowy place. The ground was rocky and rough and the sky was dark.
"Where am I?" he asked himself as he looked around for any landmarks.
"You're in my mind," a familiar voice said.
Paul whirled around and looked at Gryphon, his armor fully restored. He was holding the shield, with the sword sheathed inside, he had been using against Jay. Paul looked down and saw he was just in jeans and a black t-shirt. He looked around on the ground, looking for anything to use as a weapon.
"You won't find anything I don't want you to find," Gryphon said as he stepped forward and drew his sword from the compartment in his shield, "and I definitely don't want you to find anything to use against me."
"How did I get here?" Paul asked.
"I was in your mind, it makes sense that you could get into mine," Gryphon said. "Though I wish you hadn't. Then I wouldn't have to destroy your spirit like I have to now. I meant what I said. You have much potential in you, and yet you have no clue how to unlock it. But if I want to remain as powerful as I've been, I have to keep this body. And that means you have to go."
Gryphon rushed at Paul and slashed with his blade. Paul dove over the blade before whirling around.
"I'm not just going to let you destroy my spirit," Paul said.
"Funny," Gryphon snarled. "I don't recall giving you a choice!"
He slashed again, and this nicked Paul on the chest as he leapt back. His shirt ripped a bit and some blood leaked out. Paul grunted in pain as he grasped at the wound.
"I should really thank you before I kill you," Gryphon said as he slowly walked forward towards Paul. "Without your body, I would have never escaped Tartarus and without your heritage, I would have never gotten these gems that power my sword and shield."
"What do you mean?" Paul asked. "Why do you and HIM say things about my heritage?"
"Do you even know who your ancestors were?" Gryphon asked. "Descendants of the gods themselves! Yes, Jay and his friends come from a long line of demigods, but your line is much closer to the gods. There is less diluting of godly blood. Look at your wound!"
He pointed with his sword to the wound in Paul's chest and Paul looked down. He noticed that there was a slight amount of gold coloring to the blood.
"While Jay and his friends had the gods in their family trees at least a hundred generations back, you were much later. You have a god five generations back!"
"One of my great-great-grandparents was a god?" Paul asked.
"Yes," Gryphon said as he walked forward, "and that's why I want to keep you as my host. That grants you more power than you can imagine. If only your mortal body could take it. You saw what happened to Jay when he tried to use godly powers. At least with me combined with you, I can tap into that kind of potential! As such, you are no longer needed."
"Jay…" Paul said as he thought back. "I know why I'm here!"
"To die!" Gryphon shouted as he slashed again.
"No. I'm here to kill you and send you back to Tartarus!" Paul shouted as he flipped over the attack before kicking Gryphon in the gut. It had no effect on either fighter.
"You have no weapons," Gryphon laughed. "How can you stop me?"
"If Hades's power is in those Gems," Paul said as he backed away, "and my heritage is so important, maybe they actually bonded to me instead of you!"
He reached out with his hands and Gryphon's sword and shield began to shake in his own hands.
"No, you obey me!" Gryphon shouted as he struggled to hold on to them.
However, he lost his grip and the sword and shield flew out of his hands and into Paul's.
"It's over, Gryphon!" Paul shouted as he ran at Gryphon with the shield in one hand and the sword in the other. The gem on the top half of the shield and the gem on the sword's hilt glowed as he slashed with all his might.
"Noooooo!" Gryphon shouted as he collapsed to the ground. Paul put the sword back into its compartment in the shield as he started to walk away. Then Gryphon began to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Paul asked as he turned around to look at his prone opponent.
"You think they'll accept you now?" Gryphon asked. "You think Jay still wants to be your friend? Don't forget that YOU had control over our body all this time! YOU attacked him whenever possible and just stole his girlfriend from her own house! You really think he'll forgive you?"
The world faded to white as Gryphon continued to laugh.
"I don't know what to do," Jay said to Christina as she looked over at Paul as he convulsed on the ground. "You have any ideas?"
He was currently demorphed, as was Christina, and they were checking out the effects of the battle. Jay had some burns on his arms and shoulders, but was more concerned about his girlfriend and former(?) best friend.
"Adrian would know more about this medical stuff than I would," Christina replied. "He's thinking of being a doctor, you know."
"Interesting," Jay said, "and how's Valerie?"
"Whatever shadowy thing Gryphon did to knock her out seems to be wearing off," Christina said. "Once again, I'm not a medical person and I know nothing about magic, so I have no idea what's going on."
As they focused on Valerie for the moment, they didn't notice as Gryphon's form changed to one of Paul in his t-shirt, now repaired, and jeans. He also stopped convulsing as his eyes fluttered open. Jay looked over and noticed Paul's improved condition.
"Hey man, how are you doing?" Jay asked as he helped pull Paul to a sitting position.
"Like I just got ran over by about eighty men," Paul said as he looked at Jay and noticed his burns. "I didn't do that, did I?"
"These?" Jay asked as he gestured to them. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."
"Well, I'd better go," Paul said as he stood up.
"Go?" Jay asked. "Go where? I just saved you! And we need to get you checked out by Chiron and…"
"Just...leave me alone for now," Paul said as he grabbed the shield from off the ground and walked over to the sword in the ground. He pulled it out of the dirt and grass and put it back in the shield's compartment.
"Wha...Paul!" Jay shouted as Paul slowly walked away through the grass. "Come back!"
Paul ignored him and continued walking.
I just need time to think, he thought. That's all.
As Paul walked away, Jay looked between him and Christina and Valerie, finally deciding to respect Paul's request and walking back to the girls.
"Come on," Jay said as he picked the still unconscious Valerie up. "Let's take her home. I've got to figure out how to explain this to her mother."
"What?" Hades shouted as he looked at the flame screen displaying the fight, "Gryphon lost? Even with the Olympian Gems he stole from me, he couldn't defeat the Red Ranger?"
"I thought you wanted Gryphon to lose," Persephone asked from her cage on the left side of the room from the doors. "He did steal from you."
"I need him to free Cronus," Hades said as he looked towards the right and Persephone's jail cell. "We were supposed to combine our powers and destroy the barrier around Tartarus! Now how will Cronus be free?"
"You shouldn't even want Cronus to be free!" Persephone shouted. "I heard from my mother about the destruction he caused on the Earth before you and the Olympians beat him. Do you really want to destroy all life on Earth?"
"As long as it causes my siblings pain to see their precious mortals destroyed, I don't care!" Hades replied.
"You still hold a grudge against them, even after all this time?" Persephone asked. "Then it's no wonder that Gryphon bonded to your Olympian Gems. You two are exactly alike!"
"No, Gryphon lost his conviction in the end," Hades said. "I plan to finish what I've started! If I can't destroy the Earth myself, I'll just help Cronus do it!"
He keeps switching goals, Persephone thought. Originally, he wanted the Olympian Gems, then the Flame, then to rule the world with Cronus and now he wants to destroy it! He's acting like a child who can't make up his mind and that makes him dangerous for the Rangers. I can only hope he doesn't figure out a way to free Cronus by himself. Then the Rangers would really be in trouble! Cronus's power and Hades's madness would be a dangerous combination!
"Those Cyclopes sure work fast when it comes to construction," Jay remarked as he walked over to Chiron at the mosaic computer. "Honestly, I was most worried about how to explain the hole in the roof, but the Cyclopes fixed it quickly."
"What did you say to Valerie's mother about the incident?" Chiron asked.
"I didn't have to," Jay said. "Gryphon's spell wore off and she thought it was just a weird dream. Same for James and Valerie. I still need to call her later and explain what happened. So, did the computer reboot?"
"It did," Chiron said. "Thanks to Christina's help, we managed to fix the computer and reload all of the systems. Communication and transporting of items to and from the pocket dimension are both back online."
"Good," Jay said before his phone began to buzz. "If you could search for Paul's Olympian Gems, that would be great."
He put the phone to his ear.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Jay!" Valerie said quickly. "Guess what just happened!"
"Whoa!" Jay said. "Slow down, what happened?"
"My mom said that she really thought about it and she's ending the punishment early! She even called the rest of the parents and told them that maybe they could trust us after all, as long as we don't do it again. Mr. Thomas was already letting Adrian and Diana off the hook, but was glad the others are also being released from the punishment! The other parents even agreed to it because of my mom!"
"That's great, Valerie," Jay said, "but a bit odd. I didn't feel like my speech really did much...But there's no other explanation, right?"
"I thought the same thing," Valerie said. "But maybe my mom just had to internalize it. Who knows? The reasons don't matter. I care more about the results."
'Are you, your mom and James doing well?" Jay asked. "Gryphon's shadow power didn't seem to have any lasting effects, but I just wanted to check."
"They're fine," Valerie said. "I'm just a little confused. Can you explain what happened to me?"
"Sure," Jay said. "It was just after I had left, and…"
"I hope Jay appreciated my little gift," Paul said. "Gryphon was already affecting their minds to keep them unconscious, I just added the suggestion into the mother to end the punishment right before I killed Gryphon."
He walked through the abandoned house, noticing where every piece of furniture used to be and where the pictures had been on the walls. Now it was just a dilapidated dump that had been damaged by rowdy teenagers and looters. He was surprised that his parents hadn't sold the house, or, if they did, that no one bought it. He walked up the stairs and into what had been his room. The hexagram was still on the floor where he remembered it. But it wasn't the white chalk outline he remembered drawing. It was now black. He knelt down and wiped his hand over it. The hexagram didn't smudge or get wiped away. It was burned into the floor.
"Guess my parents couldn't get rid of it," he remarked. "This is where my whole quest to becoming Gryphon started."
He started to reminisce before the floorboards under him began to creak. He stepped back as one split in half right where his foot had been.
"I'd better get back to the ground floor," he said to himself. "That's right, Paul. Just talk to yourself. You're only crazy if you reply."
He walked down the stairs and into where the living room had been. He sat on a piece of rubble and leaned his shield and sword combo against the wall.
"Maybe I should go back to Jay," Paul said to himself. "He could help me…"
You think they'll accept you now? the memory of Gryphon said in his mind.
Paul curled his knees towards his chest and just sat there, contemplating. While he was free from a monster's influence, he had never felt so alone.
While not exactly the epic battle some people had requested, I feel like the fight went pretty well.
The whole Battilizer-not-being-used-for-no-in-story-reason always bothered me, so I decided to add a downside to the Battilizer being used too much. I know the reason in the show is budget, but this is Fanfiction, where budget doesn't exist, and I still wanted a good reason for Jay to not just bust out the Battilizer first thing.
Speaking of the Battilizer, I really had no idea what to do with it until I learned about Greek Hoplites in my Greek and Roman War class in college. Ideas I had included things like Achilles's Armor or something with a Pegasus. But Achilles's Armor isn't what made him special and Kyuranger already did a Pegasus upgrade. Luckily, I thought of the Hoplite armor and the rest is history. And if you think the Phalanx attack is weird, just remember Conner's Yo-Yo attacks in Dino Thunder.
The punishment being cut short was just for story convenience. I added it in as an interesting idea last chapter, then had no idea what to do with it after the big battle with Gryphon that occurred in this chapter. With the reason for the Rangers to be separated gone, it was time to bring them back together.
That's all the Author Notes I have for this time! Thanks for reading, and may the power protect you!
