Night's Children: Cetera Desunt

AN: This chapter was incredibly fun to write, it just took awhile, I'm sorry ::sad face:: BUT it's a longer one! Hooray! I ended up having to divide it into two separate sections, so this story might be a little longer than I had intended. But that's a good thing, right?

I'm still right here, giving blood and keeping faith. - Tool

Chapter Ten: Wrath

A sweat was beading on Aria's forehead as she numbly watched Loki stroll casually up to them, the intense look in his eyes betraying the normal saunter. It was as if time had been dipped in molasses, and she sluggishly tried to comprehend what the best course of action was. She was tired, beaten to within an inch of her strength, and it was taking the utmost concentration just to remain standing where she was.

She inhaled carefully, attempting to draw in some sort of inner tranquility and make an assessment of just how much power she had left. Her muscles ached, and her sides were still painfully cramped. To make matters worse, the extreme stress and physical exertion were beginning to take a toll on her mind as well, as everything seemed distorted and fuzzy. It would be a safe assumption to say she was most certainly not in fighting shape.

Her gaze shifted over to Chuck- Carlos, who stood there, looking just as confused as she felt. His skin was pale and his eyes were widened by the last minute confession. Her mind clouded over yet again, as she tried to process what had just occurred. He was Jimena's son. The ex-gangster, reincarnated goddess's son. While this in all honesty shouldn't have been so hard to comprehend, herself being a second generation deity as well, the seemingly bizarre coincidence was just too much to overlook. A sudden pang of panic hit her then, what if he felt too emotionally overwhelmed? What if he didn't want to fight anymore? She bit her lower lip as fear filled her, there was no possible way she could take on Loki by herself, not to mention Agatha, Suiren, and Rena who were sure to follow. She…needed him. Everyone needed him.

"Carlos," She started, hating how pathetic her voice sounded as she stared at him pleadingly, but he didn't answer. His gaze was trained on the approaching Loki, his eyes glazed over and unfocused. "Carlos?" She prodded again, this time with concern.

He's frozen, she thought immediately, recognizing the look of point-blank fear that she had donned more than enough times on his face as his hands shook slightly. And we're doomed. She tensed, and inwardly resolved that if they were going to go down, she wasn't going to quit without a fight. She was on her own, and it was all up to-

"I'll kill you!" Came a hoarse bellow, and Aria didn't even have hardly enough time to blink as a blur of tan and white rushed by her, tackling Loki down into the ground in a second.

As it registered, Aria turned and felt her jaw drop in sheer amazement as she saw rapidly paced punches, all fueled by adrenaline, come crashing into Loki's chest, Carlos sitting above him and swearing up a storm as each hit was punctuated by a word, "Don't-you-dare-touch-my-mother-again!" He snarled.

It took both of the teenagers by shock when Loki let out an insane laugh, throwing his head back and barking at the sky in a maniac mirth. Aria stared at the scene in confusion as it finally sunk in, invulnerability, he's not feeling a thing. Moving almost as fast as Carlos had, Aria strained to make the light blue accumulate around her hands once more, wincing slightly from the mental strain it was putting upon her. By the time she reached Loki, she had poured enough energy to make a faint aura, and she immediately pressed it harshly against the sides of his throat. The laughter died immediately, to be replaced by a primal howl.

"Carlos get away from him!" Aria demanded, her eyebrows screwing together in concentration as she pushed more purifying energy into him, feeling herself go slightly limp.

He backed up slightly, heaving angrily as his rage was not yet spent, "Boludo!" He swore, watching as Aria kept pouring all of her strength into the purification.

Aria could feel herself loosing focus as she put all of her resolve into finishing this once and for all, her hands were shaking and her vision was starting to go black, but she was firm in her goal, and she wouldn't stop until he was defeated. Underneath her grip, Loki had started thrashing, scrambling to pry her off. Finally, he managed to bring his legs up and render a swift kick to Aria's side, making her loose her concentration and fall off like a rag doll. Loki stood up swiftly, the absolute fury in his eyes made them look like dancing flames as he towered over the partially defeated goddess who was attempting meagerly to reclaim her breath.

"I'm going to enjoy making you suffer," He hissed between clenched teeth as he approached her, his voice raspy and harsh from the sole injury he wasn't immune to. A hand reached for her, and she put her last efforts into inching away from him, knowing it was futile.

He was not expecting, however, to once again be knocked down from the behind, as Carlos snapped out of his anger induced haze to yet again take him out, "Don't touch her either!" He spat, aiming another hit for his face.

"It's useless to hit him," Aria cried out softly, still strained, "He's invulnerable to physical harm."

Carlos reared back his fist and hit him anyways, turning towards her, "Recharge, Aria, I'll distract him for you."

Her eyes widened, "That's suicide-"

"Then please recharge quickly," He shot back, jumping back a millisecond before Loki launched an elbow at his nose.

Aria could do nothing but slowly prop herself up and watch the scene in horror.

Carlos squared off against the orange haired guardian, tensing as he prepared to evade all the blows directed at him. He inhaled sharply as he closed his eyes and hoped that luck was on his side, as he nimbly dodged all the attacks coming. Aria gazed at the spectacle in wonder, when she saw how fast Carlos's reaction time was, and she pondered on why she never noticed it before.

A punch aimed for his temple was easily ducked, a knee towards his gut was avoided by jumping back at the last possible second. The strange looking dance continued, as Carlos seemed to anticipate all of his opponent's moves. Loki's leg was brought up, meant to connect at the shoulder, but he evaded that as well. Carlos appeared to be countering the larger man's actions before he actually decided to do them, even managing to dodge both an elbow meant for his ribs and a punch meant for under his chin.

It was as if…

It was as if he were able to see the attacks before they actually happened.

Worry beginning to subside as she continued to watch Carlos and Loki's almost game, she turned her attention back into returning her own powers. Her hands nimbly fell to her sides, and the flat portion of her palm felt the edge of a tarot card poking out of her pants' pockets. Quickly, she drew them out, looking at the three she held in her hands, Carlos had the High Priestess card still from when he took it, and she sighed heavily as she scrutinized the pictures. If there were only some way to at least free their spirits, she could feel like she had managed to at least accomplish something.

In her hand, she slowly evaluated the first card she had drawn out of her hands, The Star, Imy's. The picture showed Imy, frowning and obviously upset as she sat on a hillside and gazed skyward. She inwardly sighed and resolved herself into breaking whatever spell was over them, it was the least she could do.

She sat on the ground, desperately trying to drown out the sounds of the two men's scuffles as panic hit her chest every time she heard a grunt. Slowly, Aria let her eyes drift shut, as she attempted for quite possibly the last time to channel some sort of guidance or energy from her pale mother goddess. Her legs crossed over each other and she assumed a standard meditation pose.

"O Mater Lunae, regina nocis, adiuvo me nunc," She started, a dull thrumming was occurring, but no where near the power she needed, she licked her lips and continued, "Aude Sapere, Aude Sapere, Aude Sapere," She chanted, feeling the power increase within her. Yet something wasn't quite right, there was this odd shift, and it felt as if…something was out of balance within her. She shook the sensation off, her chanting growing louder, drawing the pair's attention.

"What's the witch doing?" Loki snarled, completely forgetting his opponent as he stared at the meditating girl who seemed to be bathed in a circle of pure, white light.

Carlos just stared blankly, amazed at how much power the seemingly fragile girl could hold within her, briefly he contemplated the strength of his own mother, and respect for the followers of Selene grew within him.

Aria exhaled slowly and stood up, she felt empowered, recharged, but that odd feeling that something was off wouldn't quite leave her. Her eyes darted down to the card, and disappointment flooded her chest when she noticed that Imy was still in the illustration. Upon closer inspection, however, Aria noticed the drawing version of her fellow goddess now had a large smile and was flashing a 'V for Victory' sign with her fingers. Aria's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I'm through with these ridiculous games," Loki barked, the wiry man charging straight towards Aria. Carlos chased immediately after him, hoping to divert his attention away from the girl.

Aria shook her head and let the gift from Selene grow within her, as she focused the healing magic into her hands yet again. She desperately tried to avoid the fact that Loki was now closing in on her rapidly, fist reared back. Sweat beaded yet again on her forehead when she noticed that nothing was forming, and there was no reassuring blue light accumulating. Raw terror filled her when she saw Loki was now not even three feet from her. Everything seemed muted, and she could only make out Carlos's worried and concerned face from over the orange-haired man's shoulder.

Flinching, Aria began to shield her face with her arms in an 'x' shape, preparing for the blow as she closed her eyes…

Just as Loki's fist was about to make conflict, an all-encompassing light flashed, and her assailant was temporarily blinded as his fist soared through nothing but air.

Carlos, from the other side, felt his jaw drop when he saw Aria vanish instantaneously, "What…the….fu-?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw another flash of light about four feet away, and a circle appeared in the sky, Aria tumbling out of it. Carlos quickly ran under her and managed to capture her bridal-style before she hit the ground, her added weight making him drop down on his butt.

"Shit, why didn't you let me know you could do that?!" Carlos muttered good-naturedly, but his eyes still conveyed his awe.

Aria pressed a hand to her forehead, the same type of amazement in her own stare as she gazed at Carlos in disbelief, "I can't do that!" She proclaimed, obviously more than a little afraid.

Loki, having caught on to the sound of her voice, spun abruptly around, dumbfounded, "How-?" He proclaimed, obviously not able to form a coherent sentence at what had just occurred.

Aria stood up shakily with Carlos, his hand still around her waist, as she shook a bit. She had just managed to shift her place in less than a second! That was physically impossible, it was as if she had-

Her eyes widened and snapped down to the card, scrutinizing the smiling and encouraging picture of the brunette teleporter. "Oh my Goddess," She muttered.

Carlos looked over her to see the card, confused, "What?" He inquired.

"I…I somehow managed to borrow Imy's powers!" Her voice escalated towards the end of her statement, obviously shocked.

"Using her picture?" Her male counterpart asked, sounding just as baffled as she was.

Loki snorted from his place, "Using her spirit, you dunce." He paused for a moment then swore at himself for just giving out that piece of information.

"I am not a dunce!"

Aria continued to gaze at the drawing, quickly regarding Riley and Tessa's cards. Sure enough, the two of them looked absolutely miserable in their illustrations, Riley was staring dejectedly at a lantern she held her hand while Tessa appeared absolutely enraged behind the altar of her depiction. Her eyes drifted over to Imy's once again, and she was still in the same mirthful pose. Her stare trailed to Carlos, and as she remembered his fight, something clicked into place.

"Chuck!" She yelled suddenly, turning to face him abruptly.

"Yeah?" He murmured, clearly startled.

"Let me see Jimena's card!"

"Why?"

"Just let me see it!"

Hesitantly, Carlos pulled out the card from his pocket, and handed it over to Aria. Sure enough, the High Priestess no longer bore the stern, somber appearance, but was wearing a small smile, pride in her eyes. "They're coming out," She whispered, recalling how Carlos had managed to evade every single one of Loki's attacks earlier. "Carlos, you're going to think I'm crazy, but I think we're able to use the other Daughters' powers." She said softly.

His mouth screwed into an expression Aria couldn't place, "And what makes you say that?"

Aria opened her mouth the explain, but was cut off as a fist came sailing towards them, making them both jump away in the nick of time. Loki glared at the pair, "No more chit-chat," He hissed.

Quickly, Aria sprinted to Carlos's side, handing him The High Priestess card, "Just…Just use it or something!" She muttered before leaping out of the way of Loki's descending boot.

Carlos stared at the card in his hand, confused at the strange pulse it seemed to be emitting, an aura, crimson in color, was slightly glowing around his hand, and he could feel something foreign coming over him. Something that was welcoming and comforting. Slowly, he gripped the card tighter and tried to will the process to continue, knowing somehow that was what he was meant to do. He numbly tried to recall the words Aria hand been chanting, "Aude sabre?" He ventured, shaking his head when nothing occurred, "Aude Sapere?" A tremor washed over him and he grinned wolfishly as his pupils began to dilate.

Meanwhile, Aria was having a difficult time concentrating as Loki sent barrage after barrage of hits. She had absolutely no control over the recently borrowed teleportation gift, as she sporadically disappeared and reappeared in acts of instinct as Loki's hits were about to land. Inwardly, she found a new-found admiration for Imy and the obvious control she exerted over her difficult power.

"STAY IN ONE PLACE!" Loki screamed out of pure frustration as he tried once again to hit her, only to punch a vacated space.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW!" She yelled back, equally frustrated, as she desperately tried to focus all of her attention into just standing still.

"Aria, grab onto Loki!" Carlos called from his spot, a strange vermillion glow surrounding him.

"Are you insane?!" She questioned him, far too appalled at his suggestion to notice the fact that he was, in fact, glowing.

"Trust me on this one! I saw something!" He declared, standing up.

Aria let out a low hiss between her teeth and absently muttered, "And what then?"

"Then think about a place really, really far away." He said, arms crossed over his chest and smirking triumphantly.

A huge smile crept onto her face as she finally understood what the mentor's son was saying. Imy could not only teleport herself, but others as well. Her smile morphed into a devilish grin that crawled up onto her face as she quickly grabbed the collar of Loki's shirt, "It's been nice talking to you-" She started, as she clenched her eyes shut and focused all of her energy into taking him as far away as she could, "But I think you've most certainly worn out your welcome."

"Get off of me little girl!" He stated patronizingly, a hand reaching up for her wrist in an attempt to fling it off.

In that moment, however, a white circle appeared underneath the pair's feet, and in an instant, they vanished, Aria letting loose a victorious cry that echoed in their absence. Carlos stared at the spot they had previously occupied, still mildly shocked at the demonstration of bending space and time. He slowly shook his head as he stared into the distance, he had just been able to 'see' into the future and he was amazed that someone could teleport?

In less than a few seconds, a bright white circle drew itself about twenty feet away from Carlos, a worn-out healer tumbling clumsily out of it. He wasted no time as he quickly jogged over, worry and anxiety creeping up his throat. "Did it work?" He asked carefully as he extended a hand to help her up.

She quickly accepted it and propped herself on her feet, "I think so. Wherever I sent him, it was snowing."

He gave a smile that was all teeth, "Excellent."

She mirrored the expression, "I know."

An awkward silence overwhelmed the area before Carlos uncomfortably coughed into his hand, withdrawing his mother's card, "Here, I trust you more with it." He muttered.

Aria shook her head vehemently, "If Loki managed to catch up with us, there's no doubt the other three aren't far behind. Keep it, I'm going to need your help."

The surfer sent her a curious glance, "You trust me?"

Aria gave what she hoped was a reassuring look, "After all of the madness that's happened tonight, of course I do." Her eyes narrowed slightly, "You don't think I trust you after all this?"

He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, "It's just that, you know, when we almost, um-" He abruptly decided to sever that train of discussion, "Anyways, I take it all of this isn't a regular occurrence for you then?" He improvised quickly.

She exhaled, "Not for me anyway. Riley supposedly got herself into a large mess a month ago, but other than that it's normally not as chaotic." Her eyes took on a darkened look that Carlos couldn't quite place, "I'm sorry I got you dragged into all of this." She sighed.

He shrugged, "Apparently, I was already part of it if my mom's really this Magnum Matter-"

"Magna Mater," Aria corrected hastily.

"Whatever." He gave a forced chuckle, "It's kind of funny actually, I mean I know my mom was always scary but I didn't know that she could do things like that." He said gesturing to the card in his hand.

Her eyes widened, "I still have Riley and Tessa's cards!" She exclaimed, frantically pulling them out, "We could use them to fight Agatha, Suiren, and Rena." She muttered, handing Carlos one of the two she took out.

He gingerly grasped The Hermit, which featured a rather sad looking girl with maroon hair, "What do you want me to do with this?" He asked cautiously.

She bit her lower lip, "If we can get these cards to…release I guess, we'll have a huge advantage over them!"

"And what's this one do?" He inquired, flashing it like some sort of trading card.

"Riley's an empath, she controls other people's emotions." She explained.

"Uh huh. And how is that useful when fighting?"

"Trust me, it's pretty useful. Riley's used it to inflict extreme fatigue or confusion on enemies," Aria said the word 'fatigue' a little too bitterly as she recalled a certain instance where she was knocked unconscious in a mall bathroom stall.

Carlos scrutinized the portrait, still not quite seeing how that could be of use, he turned to Aria, "What's yours do?"

"Tessa creates mental illusions, she can make people see things that aren't really there, and distort reality."

Carlos looked at his card, then Aria's, and there was a pause before, "I want to trade."

She shook her head, "You don't want to trade. Tessa's power is the strongest out of all of ours, true, but it's also the most difficult to control and takes extreme mental concentration."

"Are you saying that I have no mental concentration?"

She let out a long breath, "No, Carlos, but I have more experience, I'd have the better shot at inflicting damage."

He stared at her, then sighed as he gauged her honesty, "Fine, but you need to show me how this works."

Aria's face twisted into confusion, and her mouth gave a little pout that Carlos was suddenly finding very attractive, before she turned to him again, "When I unleashed Imy's powers, I was just doing standard meditation. It seemed to work when I recited the words I heard the night I attacked Mammon."

"That 'Aude Sapere' thing?" As soon as the two words had left the boy's mouth, a flicker of gray jolted through the card and he felt a slight buzz, "I see."

She straightened her stance, and took a deep inhale, "Alright, let's do this." Her eyelids fluttered closed as she held the card up-

"You look sort of stupid."

"Shut up Carlos." She grit between her teeth, inhaling again to regain her composure. She regulated her breathing before starting the chant, "Aude Sapere, Aude Sapere, Aude Sapere-"

As she progressed, the surfer watched with nothing short of entrancement as the card she was holding began to glow golden, the aura spreading and covering over the teenager as she continued her recitation, her voice growing stronger as she continued. "Whoa."

Her eyes snapped open fiercely, and he was taken aback as they flashed a shade of azure before reverting back to their regular amber color. "I think I'm done." Carefully, she brought The Magician up to face level. Upon inspection, she saw that the blonde was no longer looking like she was festering in rage, but instead her arms were crossed and an arrogant smirk was spread across her face. A tiny, relieved smile made its way to her face. "I think it worked, but before I try it out, you go."

Carlos blinked rapidly as he attempted to comprehend what to do, "So you want me to recite some weird Latin words, and absorb a random chica's emotional powers?"

She nodded.

"This is so insane," He mumbled before he tried to replicate the stance Aria had just done. Slowly, his eyes drifted closed-

"Carlos, you look really stupid."

He gnawed on the inside of his cheek, "Very funny," He muttered sardonically as he restarted the process, his own breathing deepening, "Alright, let's do this. Aude Sapere, Aude Sapere…"

It was now Aria's turn to watch as a gray haze lifted up from The Hermit, covering Carlos entirely in a matter of moments. Casually, she remarked that the process had almost occurred as naturally as her own, and when Carlos opened his eyes they were momentarily the awfully familiar pale gray of Riley's. But it was over quickly, as it faded and was replaced by the odd sepia tone. "That was…beyond creepy."

"I'll second that, do you feel any different?" Aria asked carefully.

He paused, then nodded, "I can feel things just floating through the air," He said softly, his fingers drifting through empty space as if he were running them over threads, his eyes stared owlishly before a huge triumphant grin appeared on his face, "You do like me!" He proclaimed happily.

She hit herself in the forehead with her palm before letting her hand trail down her face, "Now's really not the time." She groaned, hoping her hand would hide the tell-tale blush. A few beats passed before she ventured out, "I'm going to attempt using Tessa's now, let me know if anything appears…different."

Her eyes yet again closed and she tried to envision a scenario to create. She decided on something simple, to make it seem like the hillside was a desert, and she pieced together enough careful details to start forming it together. Her eyes clenched and she poured everything she had into making it work. After a few seconds, she asked, "Any…thing…different?" Between labored breaths.

"Not really. It looks like you're standing on orange grass," Carlos supplied helpfully.

All motivation to continue with the illusion failed as she hissed in annoyance, the orange grass shifting back to plain old green, "Forget it then, I'll just stick with Imy's teleportation," She stated, irritated beyond belief.

"You don't need to be so crabby," Carlos snapped, gray flickering around him. It took exactly two seconds for Aria to deduct that he was being easily influenced by her own emotions, such as Riley occasionally did when the feelings were strong enough.

She inwardly calmed herself down, knowing that Carlos would have difficulty mastering the power of empathy, "I'm sorry. Why don't you try?"

He looked at her in confusion, obviously clueless, "What exactly do I need to do?"

Aria searched her memories for all times she had seen Riley use her powers in action, "You're supposed to look really solemn and then concentrate really hard?" She offered, knowing that did next to absolutely no good.

He groaned, "Let's just try this." His eyebrows drew together and his jaw clenched as he tried to project emotions out onto Aria, a gray fuzz filling the space between them.

Slowly, she felt a sudden tremor of cold cover her, her breath catching and becoming panicky. Pure horror overcame the girl, as she sunk to her knees, desperately clenching her stomach and trembling.

It didn't take Carlos long to react, "Oh shit, Aria!" The gray dispersed instantaneously, as he sprinted to her side, "I'm sorry, it wasn't supposed to-"

The spell quickly left her, and she inhaled deeply, carefully standing back up, "It's…okay." She murmured, "What the hell were you doing?" She said sharply, temper in full store.

He flinched slightly, his hands up in a signal of surrender, "I swear I was just trying to make you feel like you were being tickled-"

She rose an eyebrow, "Tickled?"

He shrugged, "It seemed like an easy enough way to influence someone."

She placed a hand under chin, contemplative, "It almost seems as if you're doing counter opposites to every emotion you try to inflict." She paused, "Try again, this time, try to make it so I'm depressed."

His nose wrinkled, "You want to be depressed?"

"Carlos."

"Yeah?"

"Just shut up already and trust me."

His hands outstretched, fingers splayed, and the same aura game flying towards her. As soon as it hit her, Aria found herself beginning to giggle slightly, a sensation of elation overcoming her greatly. Her fingers clutched her sides as she began to laugh loudly, tears coming to her eyes. Between pants, she managed to mutter, "Oh-kay, let-go!"

Carlos's hand immediately clutched into a fist, and the feeling disappeared, leaving her short of breath by relatively unharmed. Standing up carefully, she wiped tears away from the corners of her eyes before facing him, "I think you are able to control it enough to be useful," She said bluntly, "You use Riley's power inversely, but it works."

Carlos stared at her blankly before he slowly nodded, giving a hard swallow, "I am definitely going to need counseling." Was all he muttered.

Aria grimly nodded in return, her mind trying to formulate a plan in the limited amount of time she had left, "Let's see what we have to our advantage," She started to tick things off on her fingers, "First of all, I have a basic control over Imy's powers, and you have a manageable over both Riley and Jimena's." She sighed, "But, there's no way I can make use of Tessa's illusions, they take too long to formulate and it's incredibly difficult to maintain focus on outside surroundings while generating another reality."

"So…?" He ventured, waiting for further explanation from the more experienced one of the pair.

"So, we've taken out Damien, Kiriak," At his name both of them grimaced slightly, "and Loki. You injured Suiren slightly, but we don't honestly know the extent of her powers." She exhaled, "That leaves both Rena and Agatha in perfect fighting condition. Loki stated earlier that Rena has the ability of eternal youth, which is not necessarily something you can battle with, however, we have to remember that she's armed with a gun and her size can make her a distraction."

Carlos closed his eyes, absorbing the information, "And Agatha has 'the power of convenience', whatever that means."

She nodded, resting on her knees as her fingers absently toyed with the grass at her sides, "I'm assuming it means that whenever she's in dire need of a power, she'll get it."

"Like?"

She shrugged, partially annoyed at their ignorance, "I don't know. A shield, maybe? Healing powers? Something that neutralizes our own abilities?"

"How do you beat someone like that?" He asked out loud, not expecting an answer, as the two mulled the various situations and outcomes mentally.

The pair sat in the field for a few minutes, both racking their brains for some sort of solution. Carlos mused inwardly to himself, How do you beat someone who can't be defeated? It would take some sort of ability that-

His eyes snapped open wide, "I've got it!" He proclaimed triumphantly, jolting straight up.

Aria raised an eyebrow, obviously skeptical, "Oh?"

Carlos couldn't restrict that huge grin that made its way to his face as he said enthusiastically, "I think I have a plan."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Up Next: With newly acquired powers, as well as Loki out of the picture, things are FINALLY starting to look positive for Aria and Chuck. However, there still lies the problem of Agatha, the strongest out of the seven guardians with a seemingly undefeatable gift. Will Carlos's plan, whatever it is, be effective? Or is he just, well, an idiot?

This chapter had to be divided, just because it was getting quite long (fifteen pages) and I desperately need a break from writing this story. Sorry, I'm just having issues with this section ::sad face::. Anyways, the next part will be up shortly (hopefully before the end of the week) and it will be a little shorter (about six or seven pages...maybe. I might just combine it with the next chapter)

Also, I figured that Tessa and Riley's powers would be a lot harder for Aria and Chuck to manage as they are almost completely opposite of what they're used to. When I gave each Daughter a power, I tried to create a balance: two (one defense, one offense) physically centered gifts and two mental ones. Aria's power is a physical defensive power, so it would be difficult for her to control a mentally offensive one (Tessa's illusions). She has an easier time with Imy's because it is the other physical power. Chuck would have problems with any other gifts aside from Jimena's due to the fact that he's a complete n00b at the whole supernatural thing. Sorry if that's all confusing, the Tarot card/borrowing other powers will be explained more clearly later, sorry again if there were any questions, feel free to ask me about any uncertainties you have!

Sorry for the really long note!

!nym!