Special chapter #20!
Last Sammy Valdez chapter, everybody! That doesn't mean it's the last we'll see of him!
You guys are gonna be freaking out by the end of this chapter! *bounces up and down in excitement*
Remember my (not-Espie) ships that I advertised earlier? One of them is about to rear its funny little head :D
I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids/teens (Sammy and Leo excluded) are mine.
XX
SAMMY VALDEZ
Sammy was surprised at how much things had changed in New Orleans. Granted, he hadn't been in the state of Louisiana since the 50s, but that was beside the point.
Many of the old buildings had been replaced by newer ones, though a lot of the additions seemed broken.
"A lot of the older buildings were probably destroyed by Katrina," Leo said.
"Who's Katrina?" Sammy asked.
Other-Sammy just about died. "You did not just ask that!"
Sammy just looked at him with a confused expression.
Leo smacked Other-Sammy upside the head. "Dummy," he scolded. "My bisabuelo wasn't alive for that! Don't patronize him for it!"
The two began a slap-fest. Sammy shook his head and let his attention wander back to Tulio, who was currently leading the way with Hazel's key. The boy was quiet, quite a change from the other Valdez family members (both dead and alive). Tulio had said he got that quietness from his mother's side.
Jason had suggested sending Frank with the group as a chaperone, but Leo and Sammy immediately protested; they were both plenty old enough to chaperone Other-Sammy and Tulio!
Sammy pulled at the suspenders on his shoulders. To avoid getting weird stares because of his old-century wardrobe, he had borrowed some extra clothes from Tulio—ones that didn't say TEAM TULIO/LEO on them. He was tempted to write TEAM SAMMY on his clean white shirt, but thought against it. It was embarrassing enough that Leo and Tulio both had team shirts on. Sammy figured Other-Sammy wouldn't want to be left out either.
Leo tripped over something and yelped. He still didn't have any shoes on, so whatever he had run into had hurt.
"Dammit," he cursed.
Sammy wished he could wash that boy's mouth out with soap. I'll tell Anza, he thought. When Leo gets down to Elysium, she'll wash his mouth for years. That'll teach him!
Things began to get older. Neighborhoods somehow grew familiar. Sammy noticed old and condemned buildings, littered with bright letters—graffiti.
He found himself leading the way. He grabbed the key out of Tulio's hand, though at this point something was telling him to go this way.
Then they arrived.
The group was standing at an old abandoned stable. A sign read Condemned. Do Not Enter.
"Where are we?" Leo asked.
"I used to work here," Sammy explained. "Got a dollar every two weeks for taking care of the horses.
"A dollar?" Tulio asked incredulously. "That's all?"
"That was the price for two movie tickets back then," Sammy huffed. "It was a lot! Plus, y'know, lots of people around here weren't willing to give a job to a Mexican."
"Why?"
"Racism."
Other-Sammy's eyes widened. "Seriously?"
"Yes. Hard to believe racism was a thing, isn't it?" He had said that with a little more venom than intended.
It took a moment for Sammy to realize that their whole group at the moment was all colored and Mexican people. If they had been together like this back in the 30's, Sammy was sure they would have been arrested just on suspicion. Now no one threw them so much as a sideways-glance.
Tulio shuffled his feet. "Awkward conversation is awkward."
"Agreed," Leo said softly.
Sammy coughed. "Sorry, let's just get going."
He moved to step forward, but then ran right into a wall. Well, it felt like a wall. He placed a hand in front of him, feeling around. It was like the place was surrounded by a giant glass bubble…
Tulio examined the wall. "It's a force field," he observed. "Pure magic. Whoever has been doing this didn't want Hazel to be easily reached."
"How do we get through?" Other-Sammy asked.
Tulio sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He gazed at the magic wall a moment longer, then held up his hands. "I'll absorb it. My Titan's magic should do the trick."
He began to glow orange, his eyes turning neon orange. The force field shimmered and bent towards the Latino.
Sammy leaned over and whispered to Leo, "What did he mean 'Titan's magic'?"
"My wife is a former Titaness," Leo said absent-mindedly as he fiddled with something in his hands.
"Excuse me?"
Other-Sammy rolled his eyes. "Calypso used to be a Titan. Leo rescued her from a prison and she became mortal a few years later. She was still a Titan when she had Tulio and Espie, so both of them are demititans, not just legacies of gods like Lacy, Mark, Bobby and me."
Sammy's eyebrows shot up. "Demititans, huh? Goodness, Anza is going to be surprised at who her daughter-in-law is!"
Both Sammys laughed. Leo glanced at them, confused. The metal bird in his hands took off and landed in Other-Sammy's hair. It tangled itself in the afro and nested.
Other-Sammy swatted at it. "Mr. Valdez! My hair has been known to eat coins! Get the bird out before it disappears! Now!"
Leo chuckled and somehow got the entangled bird out. He disassembled it within seconds.
Sammy was impressed by his mechanical knowledge. The Beckendorf kid down in Elysium would be extremely jealous.
Tulio collapsed suddenly. Other-Sammy yelped when he crashed into him. The force field was gone now, but Sammy could now see something the force field had been hiding…
There was a wall of fire immediately surrounding the entrance to the stables!
Leo looked up from caring for his son and his eyes widened. "Oh…okay. I see why I'm here."
He cracked his knuckles. "Bisabuelo. Sammy Leo. Get ready to catch me."
"Pardon?" Sammy asked.
"Tulio was meant to absorb the magic barrier. I'm meant to absorb the fire barrier. Then you two can go inside and rescue Hazel. Got it?"
Other-Sammy nodded. Sammy hesitated before doing the same. "What do we do with you and Tulio?"
Leo gave him a grin. "Let sleeping Valdezes lie. There aren't any monsters nearby, I should hope. We'll be fine."
With that, he faced the fire and held his hands out. The flames tunneled towards him and his skin glowed with the heat. His face screwed up in concentration.
"Ain't so bad," he groaned through his teeth. "Not as bad as letting my whole life force loose on Gaea!"
The last of the flames entered his body and Leo fell to the ground with a soft thump! He was unconscious, peacefully asleep.
Other-Sammy stepped over him and opened the door to the stable. "Let's go before something else comes up."
Sammy glanced back at his descendants. Both of them were snoring soundly, looking identical in their sleep.
He turned and followed Other-Sammy into the stables.
They both checked each abandoned stall quickly. Finally, after what felt like hours of searching, Sammy found Hazel.
She was lying prone in the hay, covered in thin, black chains. A lock in the shape of a diamond was fused into her chest, right over her heart.
"Mom!" Other-Sammy cried.
He had meant to run right up to her and unlock her. But, he was hit with another field. He slammed right into the invisible wall.
"No!" he wailed. "No! Mom!"
He beat against the wall helplessly. Tears streamed down his face. "I want to help you," he mumbled. "I didn't get to help Dad…I really want to help you…"
He slid down the force field and cried.
Sammy placed a hand onto his shoulder. "We'll wait for Tulio to wake up. He can absorb this barrier, too."
Other-Sammy sniffled. "No," he muttered. "I'm not meant to help. I never was." He looked Sammy right in the eye. "Present and Future have done their job. You're her past."
Sammy blinked. "Me? But…I can't do anything!"
"Try?"
Sammy glanced at the wall. He went to touch it and fell through easily. He caught himself before toppling onto Hazel.
Other-Sammy sighed dejectedly. "I'll wait outside," he said. "Make sure Leo and Tulio are okay…"
Sammy nodded and watched the young lad go. He wished he could help the poor boy, but realized Hazel needed his help more.
He took out the key and unlocked Hazel.
The chains disappeared and the lock melted into her skin. Sammy waited. He had been told that all the other parents had woken up immediately after being unlocked.
Yet Hazel slept on. She looked so beautiful and peaceful, almost glowing. Sammy smiled at how well she had aged.
He let some sort of instinct take over and bent down. He felt himself grow older again, to the same age he had been in Elysium.
He silently laughed at the situation. This felt like the old Disney movies, Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. He hoped Frank would forgive him for what he was about to do...
Sammy Valdez leaned forward more, hesitating only a moment before kissing Hazel fully on the lips.
A/N: ...
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:o
Good gods what a plot twist! And you thought I couldn't dish any more out!
0:D
