Chapter Eleven
A/N: Running on tea and Spotify my dudes.
Hydra
Apollo wraps an arm around Thalia, holding her close. They're snuggled up on her couch, Jason finally allowing them to do movie night at home. He thinks it was mostly Piper, ever the romantic, who made him agree, but whatever the reason he's grateful. She leans her head on his shoulder and he kisses her forehead. Jason clears his throat loudly and Apollo straightens immediately. There's something about the 24 year old police officer that makes him nervous; probably the fact that he would beat Apollo to a pulp if he looked at Thalia wrong. Piper bounces over, almost spilling her cookies. Burnt cookies, but he takes one anyways, to be polite. No need getting on her bad side. Jason should be doing the cooking, seeing as he's much better at it, but his hours are unreliable and Piper, a counselor, is usually home in time to make dinner for herself and Thalia.
"Oh! I love this movie! My favorite part is when-"
"NOPE!" Thalia says loudly. "No spoilers!" Piper's smile fades a little but she snuggles up to Jason and is quiet. Thalia reaches for a cookie and takes a bite, spitting it out immediately.
"This is awful!" she says, nose crinkled up. Piper frowns.
"Oh...but Jason and Apollo liked it!" she says, looking from one to the other. Thalia snorts.
"Did they?"
"Yes!" Piper looks more uncertain and turns to Apollo with pleading eyes. "You liked it, right?" Apollo found himself in a very uncomfortable position, stuck between loyalties to his girlfriend but also wanting to make a good impression on her brother and guardian, extending that to her sister-in-law and other guardian.
"Um..."
"See! God, save yourself some trouble and let me or Jason do they cooking, will you?" Thalia says, scowling. Apollo is taken aback. He hasn't seen Piper interact with Thalia much, true, but he didn't think she was so aggressive towards Piper.
"Babe-" he starts, but Piper cuts him off.
"No, no, it's okay. She's right. I'll be in the bedroom if anyone needs me," she says, swiping at her eyes as she flees. Jason stands, crossing his arms and glaring at Thalia.
"Thals."
"What?! It's true! She's just a spoiled rich kid who wants to pretend to be with the peasants for a few days. Oh, isn't it sweet? They actually have to work for their next meal. And, sometimes, if their mom is a screw-up loser who got pregnant not once, but twice with a shitty company CEO who left her and her kids to rot, no one cares! And no one cares if someone else waltzes into my place and pretends to be my mom even though she's NOT MY MOTHER!" Thalia yells. The room is silent. Someone sobs in a far room and Jason whips his head around.
"You think I wasn't hurt? You think I enjoyed taking care of you until you were 10? Piper has been the only one who understands me and you had no right to talk to her like that. Go apologize,' he says, keeping his voice even. Thalia leaps to her feet.
"You're not my dad! You can't make me do anything! Leave me and Apollo alone!" she shrieks. Jason turns on his heel, striding towards the bedroom and slamming the door shut. Thalia swipes at her eyes. Apollo slowly reaches out to her, pulling her close when she doesn't pull away.
"What do you need?" he asks. He never knows how to deal with things like this. Tragedy, hurt feelings. He prefers his writing to interacting with people.
"I need to get out. Can we go to your place?" she asks, voice still shaky. He nods hurriedly.
"Yeah, of course, of course. Let's go." He grabs her coat and leads her out the door. They rush through the chill night air, huddled close together. There's a smile on Thalia's face as he keeps up a running commentary on the pedestrians, labeling one as a spy and another as a serial killer. She gives a snort of laughter when said pedestrian turns and gives them a Look. They rush into a small cafe, him ordering two hot chocolates for them. She gets a spot of whipped cream on her nose and he's about to wipe it off when something shakes the frame of the cafe. The barista looks up, pausing in wiping the mugs with a crease in her forehead.
"Thalia!" a voice shouts. It's neither male or female, with a garbled echo effect. The barista resumes wiping the mugs. They're the only ones in the cafe, since it's about 11 at night.
"Either of you Thalia?" she jokes. Thalia pales and Apollo stands quickly.
"That's me," she says. The barista blanches.
"Shit. Quick, come with me," she says, jumping over the counter in one fluid motion and grabbing Thalia's arm. She ushers her behind the counter and into the kitchen, opening in a small closet containing cleaning supplies and seats her on the bucket. "I don't know what you did to piss someone off and make an akuma, but you should be safe here," she says, closing the door. Thalia sticks her foot in between the door and the doorframe, stopping it in it's tracks.
"Wait! Isn't Apollo gonna be with me?" she asks, voice pleading. The barista shakes her head.
"Nope. Sorry kiddo, but he's not being hunted by an akuma. You can text him or call him, you'll be fine. It's only for an hour at most anyways. Okay?" she asks, trying to be persuasive.
"Okay," she says, letting go and allowing the door to close. The barista hustles Apollo away and once again he's amazed by his girlfriend. Being in a small, dark room voluntarily...his worst nightmare. Not the small part, but the dark. He hates the dark, fears it. He grabs his and Thalia's coats and leaves 16 euros on the table, tipping her nicely. He walks quickly along the sidewalk, hurrying home before whatever's after Thalia finds him too.
Percy sighs as the akuma alert goes off on his phone yet again. "Kronas really can't give us a break, can she?" he asks, not really expecting an answer. Tikki shrugs. "She should get vacation time at least. Tikki, spots on!" The familiar feel of his magic suit covers him and he unlatches his yoyo, swinging towards the yells in the city. He lands on the ground, superhero style, crouched with his hand bracing him. He starts to stand when something tumbles into him. He opens his eyes and sees black, followed by blonde wisps of hair. Jinx. She rolls off of him and stands.
"Sorry about that," she says apologetically. He waves it off.
"It's fine. I'm used to you tackling into me," he says, smiling slightly. Grinning, Jinx draws one of her staffs, searching warily around the street.
"The citizens who set off the akuma alert added that the akuma was screaming, something they couldn't make it out," Jinx tells him. One of her faux-at least, he hopes they're faux- ears perks up, swiveling slightly. He cranes his head too, searching for a sound he can't hear.
"Thalia!" a garbled voice shouts. It sounds like someone put a female voice into a blender and threw in a chopped up male voice, mixing well but not well enough. Basically-
"It's two people," Jinx says, eyes wide. Kronas hasn't done this before. "A male and a female, if the sound is anything to go off of." Luckybug wraps his arm around Jinx, throwing his yoyo and tugging, taking them above the street level and giving them a great view. "There!" Jinx shouts, mostly in his ear. He winces but drops them where she's pointing. It's not what he was expecting. Hundreds of two-headed monsters crowd the streets, snarling and generally causing chaos. They all look exactly alike, with a necklace on their necks strung with two rings.
"That's where the akuma is," he says, pointing the necklaces out to Jinx. She nods, hitting one with her staff. I falls apart easily, which is good, but the only monster that disappears is the one Jinx hit. She looks around, perplexed. A couple of the monsters notice her confusion and cackle.
"Fool! We are the Hydras; you'll never defeat all of us," they say in that odd neither male nor female voice. The monsters stumble away, leaving Jinx and Luckybug alone for the most part.
"Hydra..." Jinx murmurs, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "If it's a reference to the Greek myth, which I think it is, we'll have to not cut off the heads but the heart."
"The original," Luckybug says, agreeing. School's never been his strong suit, but one thing he did enjoy were the Greek myths. Jinx stares aorund in dismay.
"We'll never get them all. This is a cat-astrophe." Luckybug's face falls.
"That was...awful. But you're right, it's not looking great. Let me see if I can help. Lucky charm!" A small toy wheelchair falls into his hands. Jinx's eyes widen.
"Oh! You need to see the Guardian." Luckybug blanches.
"I don't know if I'm ready for that...will he even want to see me?" Jinx sighs.
"Of course he will, bug-brain. Go to Chiron's Mythos." Luckybug nods, putting the directions into his yoyo.
"Miraculous! Thalia!" the Hyrdas shout as one.
"And hurry!" she adds, drawing her other staff and spinning them at dizzying speeds. He throws his yoyo out, jerking on it and becoming airborne. He takes to the rooftops, running along them and dropping into an alley to detransform. Percy strolls out, walking a bit faster as he crosses the street. He enters the shop quickly, heading to the back on instinct. After all, no one guards magical objects out front. He opens an unlatched door, shutting it quickly behind him. An old man in a wheelchair looks up quickly at the noise. His face relaxes as he realizes who it is.
"Ah. Luckybug. What brings you here?" A green kwami, shell covering its back, flies up, crossing its arms.
"You're really not supposed to be here," it says.
"Sorry," Percy says, although he really isn't. If Tikki thought that he needed to be here, he does. Speaking of...the little red kwami flies out of his shirt pocket, colliding with the green kwami. He almost makes a sarcastic comment about it not being Christmas yet, but restrains himself.
"Wayzz! I haven't seen you in ages!" she squeals. Wayzz, despite seeming rather strict, hugs her back, and they go to chat on a shelf. Chiron beckons Percy over, punching a code in the gramophone.
"I assume you need help?" he asks. opening the lid to reveal a small box inside. Percy nods.
"Yeah. Am I allowed to take another Miraculous?"
"Not for yourself, no, not yet, but for someone else? Yes. You and Jinx have taken good care of the Miraculous I have given you, so you may take another. Choose wisely, if you want to win this fight," Chiron says, peering over Percy's shoulder just a bit. Part of Percy's mind, the part dedicated to sarcasm and screwing up, wondered if he had memorized that speech just for this moment, but the rest of him was focused on the box. On the top tier five spaces lie empty, one with a purple butterfly symbol, one with a peacock tail symbol, one with a green hexagon divided into little sections, and on a bit of a raised stand, a black and white space circle each other like ying and yang, the white a paw-print and the black a ladybug shell. The two filled spaces hold a comb with a beee stylized on the front and a necklace with the pendant curled like a fox tail. Something draws him to the fox tail and he lifts it, holding it up for Chiron's approval. He nods. "Good. The Fox Miraculous, granting the power of illusion to its wearer. Like Volpina, but for good. Do you have a holder in mind?" he asks. Percy nods.
"Yeah. I know the perfect person." Apollo's face flashes in his mind. A reporter who dislikes lying, who else could he trust not to use it for personal lies?
"Good," Chiron repeats. "But Luckybug, bring it back. Eventually you could have a hero team but not yet." Percy nods.
"Got it. See ya, Chiron. Come on Tikki," he calls. Tikki flies into his pocket along with a box holding the Fox Miraculous. He enters the same alley he detransformed in, transforming with the box carefully set on the ground so it doesn't become part of the suit. He picks it up again and launches out of the alley, heading for Apollo's place before he hits the streets. He landed on the top of the apartment building complex, rushing down he stairs to floor 10. Apollo's floor. He knocks on the door. No one answers. Bracing himself, he gets ready to kick it. He hopes he's strong enough to kick it down, but he supposes that they'll find out. Moments before he kicks it it opens. Luckybug stumbles a bit but rights himself quickly, looking at Apollo's surprised face.
"Luckybug? Oh God, is it-"
"Apollo Cesaire. You have been chosen to bear the Fox Miraculous. You will use it for the good of Paris, and return it to me when you're done. Okay?" he asks. Maybe Chiron didn't memorize those speeches after all. Apollo's eyes widen.
"Wait-for real? You serious?" he asks, amazed. Luckybug grins.
"Yeah, man. Here you go." He hands Apollo the box, watching as he opens it. A kwami that looks like a miniature fox pops out in a beam of orange light. It twirls.
"Hi! I'm Trixx, your kwami. I'm what makes you transform! To become a hero, all you have to say is 'Trixx, let's pounce!' Your power is 'Mirage', and it lets you create many illusions. Be sneaky!" she giggles. Apollo grins and puts the necklace on, tucking it under his shirt. Luckybug absentmindedly messes with his cufflinks.
"Trixx, let's pounce!" he says. A flash of orange light covers him and when it clears Apollo's in a tight golden-orange suit. The color is a lot lighter than Volpina's suit, with a white patch covering his stomach. A short orange cape covers his shoulders and collarbones, extending into a tail behind him. Long black gloves tipped in white at his fingers and elbows. Matching boots reach mid-calf, with white tips where his toes are and at the top of the boot. Golden-orange ears spring out of his messy orange-tipped hair and a flute swings over a shoulder. He grins, looking over himself. "Okay, this is cool." Luckybug gives him a minutes to gawk and then tugs his arm. Jinx is out there alone, and he doesn't want to leave her alone. He leads Apollo up to the roof.
"Afraid of heights?" he asks. Apollo smirks.
"Nope." They both jump off the roof, Luckybug catching himself with his yoyo, but Apollo shoots up, just flying. Luckybug waves at him as he swings by, leading Apollo back to Jinx. He lands smoothly, taking off running towards Jinx. He throws his yoyo out, hoping to strike off some of the Hydras piling atop her, but Apollo gets there first, swiping them neatly with the flute and catching their necklaces. They pop out of existence, but more keeps coming. Jinx springs up and twirls a staff, swiping Hydras with the other. They retreat for now, eyeing Apollo warily. Jinx grins at him, and Luckybug shuts down a jealous twinge.
"Who're you? I thought I was Luckybug's one and only, trying to steal my man, fox?" she says playfully. Luckybug grins like an idiot. Her man. Apollo snorts.
"Yep. Me and Luckybug, we're bros, and nothing can break a bromance. Bros before-er-"
"Don't finish that sentence," Jinx says, actually annoyed now.
"I'll do that. Anyways, Luckybug's my one true love," he says. Nice save, Luckybug mouths at him. Apollo flashes a thumbs up at him. Jinx crosses her arms.
"But, seriously, what's your name? I'm calling you blondie if you don't come up with one quick," she says, appraising him.
"You're blonde as well, should I call you blondie?" he retorts. She glares at him and he holds his hands up. "Fine, fine. I'm A..." Luckybug widens his eyes dramatically and shakes his head frantically. "...Alepou. Alepou, pleased to meet you," he says, holding out a hand. She shakes it, smiling.
"Nice to meet you. You think you can beat my sneakiness?" she says, grinning.
"Maybe?" he says back, uncertain of himself. Jinx notices and smiles reassuring.
"It's okay if you make mistakes. Lord knows LB and I have," she says, joking. Luckybug shudders as he remembers Ironheart. That was a nightmare, the only bright point being meeting Jinx.
"Let's try not to though. Lucky charm!" he calls. A unicycle falls into his hands and he starts thinking, looking around the street. He notices a narrow alley, Jinx's staffs, Alepou's flute, and a traffic cone. "Got it. Alepou, they're after a girl named Thalia. You know her?" he asks, mostly for Jinx's benefit. Of course he knows her.
"Yeah, I do. What about it?" he says, getting a bit defensive.
"I need you to create an illusion of her beyond that alley. Jinx'll tell you when. Jinx, extend your staffs with one stretched across the alley at the Hydra's chest level and another below it so they can't go under. When the last one gets in, Alepou and I will jump down behind them and you can cataclysm the object. Everyone got it?" he asks. They nod.
"What'll you be doing?" Alepou asks. Luckybug looks grimly at the unicycle.
"Laughing in the face of death."
"We found Thalia! Follow me, and you can get her!" Luckybug shouts through a traffic cone, weaving wildly through the streets. All the Hydras perk up, swiveling their heads at the same time towards him. It's kind of creepy but he keeps pedaling through the streets. Once or twice, he almost crashes, but hooks his yoyo on something for balance. Finally, he makes his way back to the alley, a horde of hydras behind him. He hopes Jinx knows its time, because his voice has almost given out. Sure enough, an image of Thalia appears in the alley. She looks to be asleep, resting on a box. The Hydras roar in glee and rush towards her, ignoring the trap set for them. They rush towards her, squeezing into the tight space. Their eyes are focused on Thalia and they run smack-dab into Jinx's poles, shattering their necklaces. They don't even notice when a Hydra in front of them vanishes, always pressing forward. Luckybug shoots up onto the roof next to Lady Jinx, looking down at all the Hydras in awe. One after another they vanish, until only one is left, and Alepou and Luckybug drop down silently behind it. Jinx somersaults off the roof, landing smoothly in front of it. It shrieks and starts to back up, but Alepou jabs his flute into it's back, forcing it to stay put as Jinx advances.
"Cataclysm!" she calls. Without wasting time, she pokes the necklace. The akuma flies out and Luckybug draws his yoyo, catching it quickly.
"Gotcha. Bye, bye little butterfly," he says, watching the white butterfly flit away. "Miraculous ladybug!" Alepou snorts.
"Do you have to say that every time?" he jokes. Luckybug flashes him an easy smile.
"What, the repairing all damages part?" Alepou sighs.
"No. The cutesy Disney princess bye bye to butterfly."
"Yep. Contractually obligated. Speaking of obligated, Miraculous?" He holds a hand out and Jinx looks between them. Approaching quickly, she bops his hand with her own.
"I see you guys have business, so I'll say goodbye. Pound it?" she asks, not of Luckybug, but of Alepou. He grins.
"Pound it." They bump fists and Jinx turns, grabbing her staffs from the wall and helping up Jason and Piper.
"Need a lift?" she asks, not waiting for their answer as she wraps her arms around both of them, carrying Jason piggy-back and Piper bridal-style. "Catch you later!" She shoots into the sky, struggling a little, and dropping Piper and Jason off at a bus station before darting off along the rooftops. Luckybug watches her go, distracted. Alepou taps his shoulder.
"Hey, man, can I just do one thing? Let me go take my girlfriend back, in costume," he says. Luckybug mulls it over in his mind. On the one hand, it was reasonable, but he was running out of time.
"Fine. But be quick, don't reveal yourself. And for God's sake, don't make her feel like she's cheating on you with you." Alepou nods, taking off. Luckybug sighs, detransforming and feeding Tikki a macron before transforming again.
Alepou rushes into the cafe, running past the bewildered barista into the kitchen area. He's on a timer, so this has to get done quickly. He opens the door, and there she is. Not panicking, or anything like that. She just sleeping, and Alepou's heart melts a little. She's so cute, even though she could kick his ass if she were awake. He scoops her into his arms and strolls right past the barista, who looks like she wants to take Thalia back but is nervous to do so. Reasonable, as he's a superhero. He shoots into the air, clutching her tighter. She begins to stir and he can't get to the ground fast enough. Luckily they're somewhat near her house, so he lands on a sidewalk. She blinks as a street-light hits her in the face, taking in Alepou, where she is, and finally how he's holding her. Her eyes blow wide open in terror.
"How the hell did you find me, akuma? Let me go!" she shouts, thrashing. He frantically tries to shush her. He does not want Jason coming after him.
"I'm not an akuma! I'm a hero! Your boyfriend, Apollo, asked me to take you home," he says, frantically defending himself. She arches an eyebrow but looks more thoughtful before he drops his own name.
"Fine. Here is fine, I can walk." He scoops her up anyways, flying quickly down a few blocks and depositing her in front of her house. She looks at him with confused, shining eyes and he can't help himself. He kisses her cheek and takes off, flying quickly back to Luckybug. Thalia watches him leave, an annoyed expression on her face but a hand pressed to her cheek. Definitely a friendly kiss, nothing more.
Luckybug is tapping his foot as Alepou drops into the alley. Still on the ground, he detransforms, turning back into Apollo. Luckybug leans forward, plucking the necklace from him and storing it safely in it's box.
"You did well, maybe we can do this again sometime?" he says, hauling Apollo up. He beams.
"I'd like that." Luckybug smiles back at him and throws out his yoyo, waiting for a moment before yanking on the string.
"Bug out!" Apollo watches him go in awe. If he didn't have Thalia...he shakes the thoughts away and starts heading home. He does have Thalia, plus a buff older sister who would murder him if she knew he was sneaking out, even if it was to save Paris. He pulls his cell phone out of his pocket, calling Thalia. She doesn't answer, but texts him a selfie of her, Jason, and Piper hugging. They're all watery eyed but smiling hopefully. working out fam issues. fun, she writes. Apollo can picture her rolling her eyes but smiling at them. He's glad she's in a more secure place with her family, even if they aren't her parents. He just wants her to be happy, and she wants him to be happy as well.
A/N: Zeus is not Thalia's dad! This may be confusing but he and Jupiter are two different unrelated people, Jupiter is Jason and Thalia's dad, Zeus is Artemis/Apollo's dad. This is not Alabama! Thanks to NicoSonOfHades for their kind review, it was nice of you to take five minutes out of your day to leave a review! True story: I was in a Starbucks and some guy had just swiped some sort of snack and stuffed it in his backpack and the barista(o?) jumped over the counter as if he was some sort of ninja and grabbed his backpack, stopping the thief in his tracks. 10/10 best Starbucks experience. Also also: Matt! First reviewer! I thought you were long gone. I'm kind of trying to keep the class and supporting characters from PJO, not HOO or TOA(thanks to LuisAu for review about Will, slipped my mind). If I can't avoid it, I'll use HOO, like with Jason, and Piper, but I prefer keeping it with the OGs. I was thinking about making Drew Lila but Kelli was from PJO and fit just as well. Thanks for a second review! Sorry for the shorter chapter and long AN but I had some things to say. Things are going to start picking up around lucky number chapter 13. Maybe that's an omen...
