Ch. 6
Phantom's Keep came into view and Sam let out a sigh of relief. The class let out amazed sounds as the large white and black castle, covered in flowers and greenery, came into view. Sam turned to the class, "Everyone once we get to the Keep, do not touch those who are unconscious. I will send the medics to take them to the hospital wing for treatment. Also, no one is to go to the east wing of the Keep. You will each be given your own rooms as well as fresh clothes. Every room is equipped with a normal bathroom so feel free to shower and relax. I will send the maids to escort you to the dining hall for dinner."
The island gently bumped into the Keeps land. Sam and the hunters walked off and headed for the large doors that had guards at the ready. They bowed the second Sam was close.
Adonis said with a smile, "Your back my Queen."
Sam smiled back, "Yes. Please hurry to the medical wing and call for stretchers. We have many injured humans. And call for the maids. The ones that are awake, need to be shown their rooms." The guards nodded and rushed inside.
As the large black doors with large P's in the center of each door, were opened, Sam turned to the class, "Well? Are you coming?" Lancer nodded and headed off the platform. Hesitantly followed by the students. Maddie stayed on the small island beside Jack. Sam glanced at them but showed the class inside.
It didn't take long for both the medical staff and the maids to show up and escort the class to their rooms. Maddie didn't say or do anything aside from follow Jack to the medical wing. The three friends watched her closely until she was out of view.
Once the class was away, Lancer turned to Val and Tuck, "You can take off your armor, Mr. Foley, Ms. Gray."
The pair's armor instantly vanished. Tuck sighed, "So, you know our secret."
Lancer looked at them confused, "Why did you hide this? I mean Amity has been attacked for years and you've been helping it! Why didn't you just tell people who you are?"
Val gave him a look, "Do you really think the class, that already sees us as weirdo freaks, would believe we protect them as the Hunters? Or the citizens of a town, that was terrorized by ghosts, would easily accept two people who are friends with ghosts?"
Lancer looked sadden for a moment, "I suppose your right about that."
"It's fine Mr. Lancer. We work better from the shadows anyway. It's kinda our thing." Tuck said with a smile and Lancer nodded reluctantly.
Lancer looked at Sam, "As for you…"
Sam laughed, "You're too smart for your own good sometimes, Mr. Lancer." Sam stood straight and summoned her green transformation rings at her feet. Lancer watched in awe as the fiery, ghostly woman became Sam Manson. Someone he knew all too well. Though she was still dressed like royalty. Her long black hair, was now braided and no longer flowing around.
"…H… How? When… did you…" Lancer stammered still stunned.
Sam sighed, "I never died. But I'm now, what is called a Halfa."
Mr. Lancer looked confused, "But… how?"
She shrugged, "Two ways actually. I was first given ghost powers a few years ago when an ancient plant ghost attacked Amity. The second, was because Danny was in danger. Because of Undergrowth, my ghost form had already been established but it… was dormant… I guess. But when Danny was in trouble, after fighting a weather ghost called Vortex, my ghost core activated again. When we were crowned, it made me look like I do now. That's when Sam Phantom became a thing."
Lancer just stared at her stunned while Tucker and Valerie laughed, "Danny? You mean Daniel?! He's like you?"
Sam laughed, "Yes, he's Danny Phantom." Lancer facepalmed making the group laugh harder, "He's also King."
Lancer froze before whipping his head back up to look at her, "You're actually married with a child?! When were you pregnant? You never missed school until this year!"
The groups demeanor became cautious, "I never actually gave birth to her."
"But…" Lancer started.
Tuck sighed, "What Sam said on the island is true. Both her as well as other ghosts are able to have children. Danielle's… existence is a little different…"
"All you need to know is that she is mine and Danny's biological child. And she is four years old." Sam said leaving no room for further explanation.
Lancer nodded and looked around, "Where is Daniel then?" Lancer asked and Sam sighed.
"He's currently unconscious. And has been since yesterday. The war took it's tole on us. Which is also why we haven't been in school." She explained.
Lancer looked concerned, "So those things… you killed… the Observants. They started this civil war?"
The group nodded, "Yes, about a week into summer break. We've been fighting nonstop trying to get it ended as soon as possible so the Infinite Realms didn't get damaged too much." Val explained.
"You keep saying that. Infinite Realms. What is that?" Lancer looked between the three of them.
Tuck crossed his arms, "The proper name for the Ghost Zone. It's what the residents call it."
Lancer was about to ask another question when they heard hurried footsteps coming towards them, "Danielle! Come back here! Your mom told you to stay in the East Wing!" Jazz's frantic voice echoed through the hall.
Lancer looked surprised in the direction of the voice. Soon a young girl came running through the archway. Quickly followed by Jasmine Fenton.
"Jasmine!" Lancer called surprised.
Jazz froze until she looked to see Sam in her human form and groaned, "He figured it out."
The group nodded and she sighed. At the same time a young girl with black hair and blue eyes ran into Sam's legs. Sam sighed and bent over and picked up the young girl, "Danielle Phantom. What did I tell you before I left?"
Danielle pouted, "To stay in the East Wing…"
"Exactly. Plus, your grandparents and Grandma Ida came to see you. There are people here that don't need to see you baby. You need to either stay in ghost form or stay in the East Wing." Sam explained to her daughter, who nodded in understanding. Lancer stared at the pair amazed.
Danielle looked at him and smiled brightly, "Hi! I'm Danielle! You can call me Ellie." Lancer couldn't help but laugh at how excited the young girl was.
"Alright then. Hello Ellie. You look just like your mom and dad." Lancer smiled at the young girl. Danielle continued to talk to Mr. Lancer.
Sam turned to Tuck and Val, "You guys won't believe this…" The pair looked at Sam, but she was cut off by Jazz.
"Sam! I told you not to tell anyone yet!" Jazz groaned.
Sam rolled her eyes, "But it's Tuck and Val! Come on Jazz they need to know!"
"Fine! I'll tell them!" Jazz huffed and looked at the confused pair, "Adonis asked me to marry him last night."
Val's hands instantly covered her mouth in a surprised gasp, "No way!"
Tuck looked uneasy and looked at Sam, "Danny… Doesn't know yet, does he?"
"Of course not. He's still out cold. Which is why I will be the one to tell him ahead of time, so he doesn't try to kill Adonis." Sam sighed annoyed.
Tuck facepalmed, "Great, now we get to deal with a pissed off Halfa who very few are able to control."
Sam rolled her eyes, "Come on, you know Danny will calm down once he remembers ghosts don't divorce."
Lancer had been half listening to the groups conversation as he also listened to the young girl chatter. He looked at Sam with a raised eyebrow when he registered her words, "What?"
The group turned to him, "What?" They coursed.
Lancer shook his head, "Did you just say ghosts don't divorce?"
They all nodded. Lancer cocked his head to the side, "Why not?"
Jazz shrugged, "They can't."
"Wha…?" Lancer questioned.
Tuck rolled his eyes at Jazz's short answer and looked at Lancer, "When a ghost marries, their cores become bonded. What Sam said earlier is true, they do work as hearts. But when two ghosts marry one core becomes bonded to another. That bond can't be broken even in complete death."
Mr. Lancer nodded then looked at Jazz, "So why does that matter in Jasmine's situation?"
Jazz smiled, "Adonis is a ghost."
Lancer's eyes widened, "Really?"
Jazz nodded, "You'll see him at dinner."
Sam looked at Lancer, "Right you should probably go to your room and take a break you've been through and learned a lot."
Lancer nodded and Sam called a maid to take him to his room. They also agreed that he could go to the East Wing if he wanted to find them or ask them questions.
After Mr. Lancer left, Valerie took Danielle form Sam, "You need to go lay down. Like you said, the battle yesterday drained you and you went and used a ton of energy again." Tuck and Jazz nodded in agreement and Sam sighed.
"Fine, but how who will watch the class?" Sam questioned.
Tucker looked at her, "I will suit up and watch them." He looked at Danielle in Val's arms, "Because apparently, Aunt Val needs to help keep an eye on you. You little troublemaker." Tuck said laughing and rubbing the top of Danielle's head playfully.
Ellie huffed, "I am not a troublemaker!" The group laughed.
"Alright, just be good for your aunts, ok?" Tucker asked and Ellie nodded. He smiled at her before he pressed a button on his wrist causing his armor to deploy. Sam kissed Danielle's head and the group of friends headed in their own directions. Jazz went to tell the Manson's that the class had arrived and that Sam was taking a nap. All three Manson's joined Jazz and Valerie in the living room of the East Wing and after a while Mr. Lancer came to join them. Even though Sam had mentioned that her family was in the Keep, he was still surprised to see them when he turned the corner into the living room.
After leaving the group, he made his was over to the West Wing of the Keep where the classes rooms were. Once he reached the wing he noticed some of the students coming out and looking around at the decorated walls. He stopped at the entrance to the hall and just watched them move around the hall.
Mikey, who had just come out of his room, noticed Tucker standing there and walked over to him hesitantly. Tucker didn't move from his spot as Mikey spoke, "You are the Brown Hunter, right? The one that is usually in Amity?"
Tuck nodded and glanced up, noticing that some other members of the class had begun paying attention to him. He glanced back at Mikey who asked another question, "Why are you here?"
"I, as well as the Red Huntress, are Ambassadors from the Human world. We are part of the new ruling council of the Infinite Realms. And we are responsible for stupid humans who think it's fun to come into an alternate realm uninvited." Tuck explained and Mikey cringed at the last part.
A tan skinned girl named Ashely walked over to them as well, "Brown Hunter, where is the medical wing the Queen talked about? One of my friends was hurt and I want to check on her."
Tuck smiled to himself. Even though Ashely was popular, she usually hung out with others from different social classes. He looked to the other in the hall, "Does anyone else want to go to the Medical wing?" Most of the students in the hall nodded, "Alright follow me." He looked at a maid that was coming down the hall, "Gena?"
She stopped and looked at him, "Yes, Sir Hunter?"
"If any other students come out will you show them to the Medical Wing?" He ask and she nodded. Tucker motioned for the class members in the hall to follow him and they did.
When they got to the Medical Wing, the Doctor moved over to him the second she saw him, "I swear, if this is going to become a thing, then you need to tell their majesties to get me help! I can't handle this many people alone! And I've got you know who to worry about too! At least get me some nurses! I'm sure Queen Pandora or Queen Dora would be able to lend us some help!" She ranted at him and some members of the class looked at each other. While others chuckled at the hunters predicament, before moving to their friends who had been brought to here, when they arrived.
"Fine. Fine. Geez, Doc I'm sorry." He looked at the class, "Hopefully this won't be a problem again. Or we'll at least get more of a heads up, before a group of people want to show up." He looked over to Maddie who had woken up as the Doctor ranted at him, "Or, you know, maybe some nosy ghost hunters won't think it's a good idea."
Maddie sighed and stood up moving over to where Tucker and the Doctor were standing. Tuck tensed, "Look, I realize now that this wasn't a great idea. But we wanted answers and how else were we supposed to get them? We didn't realize you two were so close to the ghost that rulers the zone." She said crossing her arms as she stopped in front of them.
Tucker also crossed his arms, "Oh well you know, maybe you could've flagged one of us down and asked." He stressed, "Oh, better yet asked a ghost that lives here instead of shooting at them!" He snorted, "Oh wait that last part is impossible. Because you would have to be willing to reason first, not attack!" He seethed at her.
Maddie flinched and looked down before looking back up at him, "Ok yes, we were wrong. I was wrong. And obviously all of you, are not willing to give us another chance." She snapped.
Tuck uncrossed his arms and moved so he was only inches from her face. Even though his mask was covering his face, everyone could tell by his demeanor, he was pissed, "You never asked for a second chance Maddie." He glared at her though the mask, "And it's hard to trust people who tortured a friend. One so close that I consider him my brother!" Many of the students having heard what the Brown Hunter said, gasped and looked at Maddie Fenton for an answer.
Maddie stepped back a step at the malice she heard from him. Then she thought for a second, "Phantom is your brother?"
This caused the class members to glare at her. She didn't even try to deny that she and Jack had tortured Phantom. And to basically all of the class, Danny Phantom was a hero, their hero.
The Brown Hunter took a step back, "Yes, he is. Are you going to attack me too?" He seemed to challenge.
Maddie sighed after a minute and looked down, "No. of course not." Tuck noticed her demeanor shift, "We aren't proud… of what we did to him… it wasn't right… but we can't take it back." She looked back up at him. Tears streaming down her face, "We wanted to apologize to him. Try to see if there was a way to make up for what we did." Tucker was stunned, he had never seen Maddie cry, in all the years he'd known her. She seemed genuine in her pain, "If you're so close… could you tell him, that we want to talk. Actually talk, no weapons or anything."
Tuck looked at the Doctor who looked at him too. He hesitated, "I will… talk to him… when he wakes up…"
Maddie and some of the other class members looked at him confused. Kwan spoke first, "Wait, Phantom's here?"
Tucker put a hand on his hip, "Guys this is Phantom's Keep. The name gives it away."
"We thought it was because the Queens name is Phantom!" A random jock tried to defend.
Tucker facepalmed and sighed, "Ok… let me break this down for you guys as simply as possible. When ghosts marry, they usually take on the last name of the other, just like humans do. Marriages are also uncommon, but they happen. The Queens name is Samantha Phantom. Phantom is only one other persons last name." He looked around, "Do I need to spell it out." He asked.
Realization dawned on Maddie's face, "Danny Phantom is King of the Ghost Zone?!" She practically screamed and many members of the class's jaws dropped.
Tuck clapped slowly, "Good, you all get a gold star."
"Phantom is the one who beat the Ghost King?" Kwan asked amazed and Tucker nodded.
"There is an ancient rule that very few knew about before Danny beat Pariah. That rule is, when a ghost challenges the King to a one on one, and wins, they claim the throne. But Danny was too young at the time and wasn't able to claim the throne until a year and a half ago." Tuck explained again.
Maddie's brows knitted together and her stomach dropped, "He's only 18?!"
He looked at her, "Yes. He became King at 16 and so did the Queen. Who is also 18." Everyone's eyes bulged.
Kwan groaned catching Tuck's attention, "Paulina is going to be so pissed…"
Tucker snorted, "And I can't wait to see how the Queen kicks her ass." Kwan looked at him with a raised eyebrow but didn't comment.
Mikey spoke up, "Wait didn't the Queen say she had a daughter?" Everyone looked at Mikey as they also remembered Sam's words from earlier. Their eyes widened again as they looked at Tucker.
"Yes. Their daughters name is Danielle. And unless you have a death wish, you need to stay away from her and the East Wing." He said firmly.
Some shuddered at the threat. Before anyone could say or ask anything else Mr. Lancer walked in with a few other students. Dash, Paulina and Star walked over to Kwan and some other football players who were still out.
Mr. Lancer looked at Tucker, "I was going to go… but Ms. Gena said you requested people be brought here."
Tuck nodded, "You can go. Just ask someone for directions and say we all told you, you could." Mr. Lancer nodded before turning and heading out of the Medical Wing.
Paulina looked at him, "Mr. Brown Hunter man?"
Tucker cringed at her tone, "Yes?"
"Do you know where Danny Phantom lives?" She asked in a sickeningly sweet tone.
He crossed his arms, "Sorry no." The students who had been in the room before they came in looked at each other knowingly. Paulina deflated.
Star looked at him, "Brown Hunter, is there anywhere else we can go? I know the Queen said no East Wing, but is there anywhere else?"
Tuck smiled at her, "You are all free to explore any part of this castle except the East Wing. You can go outside into the gardens or into the pool room. If you have somewhere you wish to go see, you can ask a maid. But none of them will take you to the East Wing." The people in the room nodded.
Tucker called for some maids and a few groups of students separated and followed the maids to their destined locations. Maddie had gone to sit back down beside Jack. Tucker looked at the Doctor, "If you need us you know where we are." She nodded and Tuck also left the Wing.
It only took him a few minutes to get to the East Wing's living room and he laughed when he saw Danielle flying circles around Val, Jazz and the Manson's. He deactivated his armor right as Ellie noticed him in the door way and shot towards him, tackling him in a hug.
