Team Valiant consists of all the Foster Friends now(Sophie Foster, Fitz Vacker, Biana Vacker, Keefe Sencen, Dex Dizznee, Tam Song, Linh Song, Wylie Endal, Stina Heks, Marella Redek, and Maruca Chebota).
The events here take place a few weeks after book 8.5(if you want to put this book in a timeline)
This is assuming Keefe has come back, and he knows how to control his new abilities.
Amy Foster(Sophie's human sister) is now in daily touch with the elves, but still lives in LOCATION REDACTED FOR SECURITY.
Be prepared for some epic(and by epic, I mean seriously freaky) twists and reveals!
This is a crossover book between KOTLC and Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus
RoxiT'was the minute before The-Gazillionth-Time-I-Got-Kidnapped. It was pretty normal.
Or as normal as it could get for an elf. After all, going for a swim meet, walking home, getting kidnapped by a bunch of maniacal murderers, and being tortured for information was just another day for Roxi, right?
So when Roxi's vision was suddenly filled with darkness, and her hands were tied up, she fully expected it. Probably more goons trying to steal my inheritance, she thought.
However, her blood chilled when calloused arms shook her awake. "Wake up Roxi," the man snarled.
Roxi groaned. Or pretended to, anyway. It was a skill she learned when living in the Forbidden Cities: make the criminals underestimate you. It would be easier to lash out with her wicked fighting skills afterward. Not to mention her abilities. She shuddered. As evil as humans were, they didn't deserve to cope with unimaginable powers. Powers they didn't even know about.
But something felt off. The voice seemed familiar, but she couldn't place a tongue on it. And it worried her. She had verbal memory; a voice she heard would have been recorded in her memory for as long as elves lived, and that was saying something.
It wasn't until he yelled to another figure in the background that her mind finally caught a hold of the identity. Her body thumped with panic: "She'll cough up if Fintan came," the man hissed.
No, no, NO! she panicked. She managed to avoid them all these years, but they found her again? Not good. How had they detected her?
She took comfort in knowing her abilities would save her. So many abilities that no one could relate to, that were all dangerous. And they would help her regain her vision, a clever trick used by Shades. No wonder she hadn't felt anything on her eyes. Her emerald eyes. Not the blue variations her breed had. She was as different from her kind as possible. And yet, the thoughts on how they found her circled back into her mind.
Roxi fell limp, just as another cloaked figure with a white eye on the arm swiftly came up to her. The shadows on her eyes cleared, and she could see properly. Her unique DNA allowed her to look through any ability, so the whole shadow idea wouldn't have made a difference in her, but she was glad for the vision nevertheless. She peered into the depths of her kidnapper, aka The Worst Person I Could Run Into Right Now.
"Now Windsor," the cloaked figure, Fintan, softly hissed. "I know what you're hiding in your brain. And you will reveal it!" His tone was laced with anger, and frustration that she had escaped them before.
She looked up at the hooded Pyrokinetic. Then she smiled. "No one I love is alive anymore," she admitted softly. "You can't threaten me with anything."
It was Fintan's turn to smile. Shining, pearly stones set into his pale pink jaw, she imagined, the last time she saw him. "Then torture it is," he revealed with a gleam in his tone. His arms raised, the cuffs of the cloak sliding down to reveal thick, jagged lines cutting into the pale complexion of his skin. She remembered the way she delivered them all too well. But she was only able to focus on them for a second before his palms lit up with scarlet tongues of fiery flames. Then, everything blinked out of existence as the fiery balls of heat came crashing down on her.
RoxiShe hadn't felt so much pain in years.
Burning palms grasped her wrists, searing heat into her skin. It felt like hundreds of needles were dipped into acid and jabbed into her skin, the dangerous liquid seeping into her bloodstream. With a fazed mind, Roxi could tell he was burning her with Everblaze. The unstoppable flame. It was all she could do to not open her mouth and release a blood-curdling scream. Would that distract him, going deaf? she wondered. Then she mentally cursed herself. The pain was making her think hazily.
As the flame continued burning into her skin, her mind burned with more questions. How could Fintan control Everblaze now? Why had they found her? And most importantly, how?
She was saved by having to ponder more when the searing heat faded to a deep throb on her forearms. She could tell by the look on his face that her not reacting was driving him crazy. She kept in the hot tears as she rubbed her now red arms, covered in blisters and tender spots. She waved the pain away; her powers would heal them quickly. Roxi looked up and peered into Fintan's face, plastering a fake grin on her face. "What's next?" she wondered aloud.
Another figure walked up to Fintan, who kept blinking in and out of sight. That must be Alvar, Roxi thought.
"No sign of the Black Swan," Alvar announced, shooting her a nasty glance. She returned it with an air kiss. "What will we do with the girl?" he asked Fintan.
Fintan glanced at her. "We keep at our plan."
Being very vague around me, she noted, hoping to piece together what was happening. She hadn't been to the Lost Cities in years, but she knew of the Moonlark and her friends. Every action they did reached her ears through . And yet, both sides in this game of Who Will Take Over The World had been frustratingly silent the past few weeks. Until now.
"Have you listened to me at all? Get this in your maniac excuse of a brain: you have a greater chance of being killed by a human than of me being willing to join you, and that's that. Deal with it!" Roxi yelled.
"We'll see about that," Fintan merely replied with a sly smile, making Roxi oh so desperate to use her inflicting. But if there was one thing she learned while being a human, it was patience.
"Well, the only way we can recruit such a stubborn mind is if we keep her alive," another voice huffed. "And to do that, there's something called giving her food."
"we're aware, Trix," Alvar reminded the one who spoke. The Guster, Roxi remembered, as Alvar continued. "But we now have the Black Swan and their moonlark onto us, and they will soon come."
"They don't even know the girl," Trix argued. "Like they would care."
"Maybe," Fintan agreed. "But they will not help but wonder as to why we're interested in the girl-"
"'The girl' has a name," Roxi reminded him.
"-and will come. Who knows? They will find out about her. The hard way," he added, overspeaking Roxi without missing a beat.
Roxi steadied her nerves; if there was one pet peeve she had, it was being ignored. But she did deserve it, after ignoring all the signs of help the Black Swan needed. For many days, Roxi had wondered if she had made the right choice by leaving, and in the end, convinced herself that it was best for a powerful elf like her to stay out of the picture, so there would be no shifts in power if she fell into the wrong hands. Roxi shuddered again. She hated feeling like a weapon.
"Guess what, cloaked crooks? We will find out, that's for sure. But not the hard way. The easy way." Another voice called out. But it was different that the usual whispery voices the cloaked guys used.
Her heart lifted as she saw the new arrival. Dressed in fine attire, Team Valiant, the Black Swan collective, and some parents she recognized as Grady and Edaline brandish weapons and their palms lit up with their respective ability. But it soon sank again knowing what danger she put them through.
"Found our little place, have you?" Fintan sneered, his arms outspread. "So how do you like it? Want us to give it to you for free? We will add the girl as a bonus," he added, gesturing to Roxi.
"That would be very nice. Also, do we get-" there was a pause, and a string of counting. "5 Neverseen members tied up and ready for interrogation as part of the bonus?"
Roxi stifled her giggling with another fake groan. It was hard not to like Keefe with his humorous talk.
Fintan fell into hysterical laughter. His cackling echoed through the hideout. Then silence. "Kill them all," he snarled to the other cloaked figures.
Roxi couldn't remember much. Only that whatever people said about time passing in a blur, they were affirmative.
A dome of pale green light surrounded her and the chair she was bound to, and she dimly realized it was made by Maruca, the psionipath. And Roxi was proud to know that the shield didn't miss its mark, placing itself in a 10 feet radius around her. Ruy was still badly injured-as far as Roxi knew-from the previous battle in Loamnore, so the Neverseen were fighting one on one. Or they tried, at least. It was more like five on one, because of the bodyguards that had shown themselves a minute later, clashing and fighting with their blades and trying to protect their charges at the same time. Team Valiant stood in a ring, fighting off the cloaked figures as more kept pouring in from the ground, but managed to hold their ground. Roxi smiled at the sight, seeing everyone work together so effortlessly, and wondered how she herself had managed to live and work alone all these years.
Suddenly, The shade sank his shadows into Fintan's hands and the latter snarled, calling his followers off as they light leaped away. Rather conveniently, Roxi wondered as everyone slowly relaxed.
Sadly, Roxi became the new spotlight attention, as everyone looked towards her. The fragile-looking but deadly Edaline conjured a first aid kit and tenderly dabbed at her burns. Roxi held in the tears once more, forming her face into the well-practiced neutral expression. She studied the others as they talked among themselves. Having not seen them personally, she could notice all kinds of details now; the way The bodyguards stood in front of their charges, how the Vacker boy kept close to Sophie and intertwined his fingers with hers, and the way the Song twins whispered to each other. Roxi's heart panged with sadness. There was a boy whom she had liked very much; and that affection cost him his life.
"These are rather harsh burns, are they?" Edaline asked from behind her. Startled, Roxi debated with herself as to just stay silent or nod. She went with nodding. Edaline's eyebrows crinkled with worry and went up to talk to her husband.
Finally, all eyes faced toward her. The silence rang out in the hideout. Then the moonlark appeared. Her blond hair, Ruewen crest, and all details screamed at Roxi to be noticed, but the only detail she noticed was the brown eyes. Flecked with gold. Not blue, like other elves. Brown.
Sophie gingerly clasped Roxi's hand in hers. She looked at the now bandaged burns and winced, looking at Roxi questioningly. Roxi only shrugged. In a soft voice, Sophie then asked, "Who are you?"
"Yeah, not going to tell you," Roxi responded, picking up a swirl of everyone's annoyance. Sophie didn't budge.
"I need to know who you are so we can take you back to where you live," she pressed.
"Yeah, that's the thing: I know how to find my way back." Roxi assured her.
Sophie nodded worriedly and walked back to her friends. Roxi could hear every word, but it was unnecessary; she already knew what they did to 'humans' who suffered Elvin's trauma. They were going to wipe their memories.
Roxi sighed, a deep sigh as heard when adults sighed at annoying children. "If you all are thinking of wiping my memories, here's a tip: don't," she suggested.
Team Valiant froze. And stared at her. And stared. Finally, Sophie whispered, "You're not human."
"You can say that."
Sophie huffed, and then said to Roxi, "You do realize that we can wipe your memories of this even if you are an elf, right?"
Roxi leaned back and spread her arms. "Be my guest," she confirmed.
Sophie closed her eyes, reaching for Roxi's temples. Then she hesitated, turning towards the group. Fitz immediately took her arm, and the Cognates pressed their fingers towards her temples.
Roxi could detect them in her mind. It was too easy. Such a disappointment, she thought, not bothering to hide her thoughts if they found them. They were being too loud and detectable in her mind; not bothering with stealth. She could feel them struggling to break through her mental barrier, and Roxi didn't even have to try to block them. Roxi considered pulling them into her consciousness and rendering them broken, but immediately regretted the thought. How could she do this to people who were trying to help the world? She instead stayed put, grinning when Sophie and Fitz stumbling out, rubbing their temples as Edaline fussed over them.
"The moonlark's not the only one with an impenetrable mind," Roxi replied. Biana glared at her.
"Does that mean you're a Telepath?" Keefe asked, who stood, elbowing the Song boy, who in turn glared at him. They all sighed when she shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."
"Listen, girlie," a new voice from the shadows declared, and Roxi could recognize the voice as Rohmilda, the ogre princess. "If we're gonna deal with you, you're gonna have to give us some information."
Roxi shrugged. "If you insist. Yes, I am a Telepath, and," she paused as she blinked out of sight, " I'm also a Vanisher and Phaser, so here is what is going to happen: you let me go, and I will spare your bodyguards" she warned, smiling when they heard her. The goblins, the ogres, and the gnome yelled at her and stood in front of their charges. "You make one move towards me, and I will inflict, and I am not afraid to use it."
Keeping one eye towards her hostages, she began to phase her way out of the bonds, breaking her body into tiny particles that soon slipped their way out of the thick ropes. Still watching the group, she walked back towards the door, lighting her palms with fire and gloating at the surprised gasp! Sophie, Grady and Edaline, and the others made.
Just as her hand came in contact with the door, a voice called out, "Wait."
Roxi whipped around, and found Sophie standing where she was, her hands raised, as she continued to talk. "I'm not moving, but at least hear me out: we're running out of ways to stop the Neverseen, and we don't know what to do. Ever since we broke into a Neverseen hideout and burned it down-"
"You did what?" Roxi yelled in disbelief, stalking towards Sophie and gently shaking her shoulders, ignoring the bodyguards' yells of protest. "You burned down a Neverseen hideout?"
"I thought you knew everything we did," Sophie replied smugly. Roxi let go of her shoulders and began to pace. "To be honest, I lost my hold on you all around the time Keefe woke up and discovered his new powers. I haven't been given an update since then." She gestured towards Keefe, who fidgeted under his cape.
"Hold on. Does anybody think that her," Tam pointed towards Roxi, "tracking our every move is creepy?"
"That coming from a shade is interesting," Roxi pointed out. The Shade pulled on his bangs. "I guess I can't argue with that."
"But that's not the point!" Roxi sighed exasperatedly. "Why did you burn it down? You realize the Neverseen now has a reason for coming after you apart from the usual 'You are standing in our way' motive!"
"That's what we told her," Grady agreed. "And I can't believe I am saying this, but you're right. She is in danger."
Roxi started pacing again. "This has gotten bigger," she murmured.
"Exactly. And we need your help," Sophie pleaded. "We need all the allies we need. You're one of us, and we will work together, but that will only happen if you join us. And before you ask, Dad," Sophie added as Grady opened his mouth to argue, "She is already in danger. The Neverseen came after her, and either way she chooses, she'll be targeted. But with us, you can be more prepared. Believe me, dragging another person into this is the last thing I want, but for the worlds' sake, we need to let go of our fears and work together." Sophie held out her palm. "It's your call; we can't change it. But at least think about it."
Half of her wanted out on all of this. Fintan did too much to her life already. If she left now, she could live alone in the Forbidden Cities in peace, with no magic and evil murderers and abilities and demigods and all the nonsense she would have to face otherwise.
But the mature part of her knew that escaping from the Neverseen was impossible. They found her today, and they would definitely find her again soon.
She turned towards Team Valiant. They were all so brave, so determined, to stop the Neverseen, and half of them weren't even supposed to be involved. Like it or not, the Neverseen had come after her personally, and they needed to pay. Her kind needed her, and she would help them at all costs.
Roxi hesitated, then put her arms down. She pressed her palm against Sophie's. "I'm in."