Hey guys, here's the next one! There's no real fighting in this chapter, but you should definitely check out the end of it! It's a teaser for the next chapter!
Luca was drowning. Or, at least, that's what it felt like. He was dragged deep under the water and gasped for air, choking on the water that entered his lungs. He remembered suddenly that he could breathe underwater, and tried to do so, but was unable to.
The minute he couldn't, Luca struggled back to the surface, breaking through the water on top and taking a large gulping breath when something grabbed his foot again and pulled him down deeper than before.
He kicked at whatever was holding him with his free foot to get loose, but couldn't seem to be able to do so.
Looking down to see what it was, he was startled when he saw a creature similar to a merman, but with demon-like features and sharp claws. He cried out and choked on the water filling his lungs again.
Kicking and pulling and doing anything to get free, Luca began to feel lightheaded from lack of oxygen. His struggle started to lessen right as he was shoved out of the water by the creature.
A large gasp erupted from him as he regained some of his strength. Right as he did, however, the creature threw him out of the water and into a large whirlpool. Luca screamed for help, looking around to see if there was anything that could save him.
Something was protruding out of the water nearby, and Luca tried to grab onto it, but it cut him and he was sent spinning through the water again. He looked at the cuts on his arms and then looked back at the object, surprised to see it looking like a large shark tooth.
As he spun closer to the center, it began to get hotter and hotter in the water. He tried to swim the opposite way, but the current was too strong.
Shadows moved over him and a loud CAW! startled him, making him look up to see a large bird-like creature flying above him menacingly, staring down with beady, bloodshot eyes.
It was at this point that he realized there was likely no way out of this. He was alone in the ocean and being tormented by creatures he had no experience with. He looked up to the sky and asked his father to protect him, knowing he was the God of the sea.
Before he knew what was happening, a figure plucked him from the whirlpool and took him away.
Luca sat up suddenly, coughing and hacking up water next to him. He took in shaky breaths at the same time, trying to will his lungs to work with him instead of against him.
Thankfully, it seemed he was back to normal, as the water in his lungs almost instantly stopped bothering him after the first few coughs.
He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, surprised to see sand under him. Luca immediately looked up and gasped when he saw that he was on the beach on a very small island in the middle of the ocean.
Standing up and looking around for as far as he could see, there was no land anywhere. He was truly stranded out in an area of the ocean where there was nothing else around for ages without a boat.
"What the hell is going on?" Luca whispered to himself, running a hand through his wet hair. "How did I get here?"
Unfortunately, before those questions could be answered, a hand reached out of the water and grabbed him by the ankle, dragging him under once more.
- Cue Opening 2 -
October laid next to Aiden in her bed, taking in a deep breath and snuggling closer to him. He was still half-asleep, but he adjusted his arm to hold her closer regardless. The two were perfectly content and peaceful that morning.
"Are you awake?" She asked softly, not wanting to wake him if he wasn't.
He chuckled quietly. "Yeah, sorta. Are you?"
"Of course," October replied, amused. "Why would I ask you if I was still asleep?"
"'Cause you're strange," Aiden teased, not opening his eyes yet.
"Shut up!" October nudged him playfully. She rolled her head up to look at him. "Is it too early for me to tell you that I love you?"
Aiden finally opened his eyes and tilted his head down to kiss her. "Not at all." He responded, smiling tiredly. "It's never a bad time for that, as you should already know."
"Just making sure." She smiled back, before glancing over him to look at the time. "We slept in."
"We did?" He raised an eyebrow, not taking his eyes off of her. "What time is it, beautiful?"
She blushed at his comment, "It's around 11:30," October told him, before pouting. "Ryder's probably been up for a while, and wondering where breakfast is."
"Maybe he'll go out for breakfast," Aiden suggested with a seductive smirk. "I mean, he must know that we've been busy in here."
"Stop," October turned away, blushing even harder. "I don't want him to be thinking those things, even if they're true," She looked back up at him, giving him a pointed look. "What if we got him and all went out for breakfast?"
The red ranger acted like he was thinking about it, "Yeah, maybe. Or, you and I could hang out in here for our day off and do other fun things," He pulled her on top of him, continuing to smirk up at her. "If you want, I mean."
October rolled her eyes, though not in poor taste. "But he's gonna wonder what happened to us."
He sighed, feigning exasperation. "Fine, if it make you feel better, we can go check to see if he's out there."
"Okay," October gave him a grateful smile as she stood up and slipped a large T-shirt on, and he stood and slipped his jeans on. He looked around for his shirt, before he looked over at her and saw her wearing it.
"You know, for someone who doesn't want him to think we've been doing anything in here, even though he obviously does know, you're not exactly trying to hide it very well," Aiden commented, laughing lightly.
She looked down at her herself, before back up at him, looking like a kid with their hand in the cookie jar. "Well, if we're coming back in here, I don't see why I need to get fully dressed. You're not completely dressed either, you know,"
"Because you have my shirt," Aiden crossed his arms, humorously.
"I don't know what to tell you, Aiden." October played it off, before exiting the room.
The two walked out into the main room, where they saw Ryder standing there, looking through the fridge idly. When he heard their footsteps, he stood fully and turned around, before grimacing at the sight. "Okay, you guys can do whatever you want in the bedroom, but don't bring it out here for me to see."
"We were just coming to see if you were here," October explained, awkwardly.
Ryder raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Aiden shrugged. "Maybe you would've gone out to eat," He suggested, giving Ryder a look. "Maybe you're getting ready to do that."
"Aiden," October nudged him, embarrassed. She turned back to Ryder. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."
"Yeah, sure he doesn't," Ryder scoffed, shaking his head in amusement. He reached over and picked up his jacket and keys. "Well, I think I get the message. I'll be back later."
"Alright, be safe." October called to him as he left. She looked up at Aiden. "Could you be anymore obvious?"
He looked her over slyly. "Do I really care?"
"I..." She bit her lip, giving him a sly look of her own. "I guess not."
Suddenly, he picked her up and spun her, kissing her passionately. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, and they made their way back to the bedroom.
- PRGG -
Meanwhile, Jackie finished washing her face and looked in the mirror as she patted her face dry. She looked around the rather fancy bathroom, impressed by how pristine and nice it looked. It was a large room with marble tiles and white walls. There was a separate shower and bath, both with gold plating as well, and it wasn't even the master bathroom.
The room was gorgeous, just like the rest of Bella's house. She had tried to take it all in when she had gotten there yesterday to spend the night, but it was all so nice that Jackie was still taking it in that morning.
Jackie made her way out of the bathroom when the smell of food being cooked hit her nose. She followed the smell downstairs, finding Bella in the kitchen, cooking something over the stove. She, like Jackie, was still in her pajamas and had only woken up an hour before.
"What are you making?" Jackie asked, startling Bella.
The yellow ranger turned to see her there, and held a hand to her chest. "Jeez, Jackie, you're gonna give me a heart attack."
"That is practically impossible," Jackie responded in confusion. "How could I do something so drastic by startling you in the kitchen?"
"It's just a saying," Bella explained, making her nod. "But, I'm just making us some brunch with some vegetables from my garden. They're basically the only ones I use, unless I haven't grown them."
"I see," She came over, looking at the fresh vegetables. "They do look excellent in growth."
Bella smiled proudly, "They are. I only grow and use the best for my food."
"Being Ceres' daughter is also an advantage for gardening," Jackie told her. "You have the ability to make such plants grow."
"Yeah," Bella looked down solemnly for a moment, before looking back up at her. "Hey, do you think we would still be the same without our abilities? Like, if we weren't demigods,"
She thought for a moment, before shaking her head. "I do not believe so. You would likely not be interesting in gardening like you are, and I would be completely different. My logic and practicality has shaped my personality to being less socially oriented. If I was not Minerva's daughter, I would have a much different outlook on life. Luckily for you, your powers are more physical, meaning you would not be too much different then you are now."
"You think?" Bella asked.
"I do," Jackie affirmed. "It would be a similar case for Aiden, Ryder, and Luca. October, perhaps, may be a bit more different because she does have some control on the mental spectrum." She noticed the look on Bella's face. "Is something wrong?"
"Kinda.. I don't know," Bella shrugged, before looking at her. "I just worry sometimes that my whole life is the way it is because I'm a demigod. Like, the only reason I am who I am is because of that, and that scares me a little because it makes me wonder who I really am underneath all of that."
Jackie frowned. "Bella, everything you are is because of the decisions that are made for you or by you. You didn't choose to be a demigod, but you are who you are because of it. You are who you are because of everything you've been through. Being a demigod doesn't make you something else, it makes you you."
"Really?" Bella stared at Jackie, surprised at how well she was comforting her. She had never really heard Jackie speak like that. "I didn't know you had so many words of wisdom."
The white ranger shrugged. "My mother may have given me logic beyond comprehension and awful social skills, but she is not the Goddess of wisdom for nothing."
Bella laughed lightly, "I'll agree with that." She said, getting back to her cooking.
- PRGG -
Luca was being dragged through the water at an incredible speed, feeling quite like he did when he was dreaming. The only difference is, he felt like he could breathe underwater again, which was a big relief.
Well, there was one other difference. When he looked down, the creature that was pulling him looked like a mermaid, but she didn't have demonic features, similar to the merman-like monster that had been dragging him down in his nightmare.
It was confusing to him why this mermaid wanted him so badly, but she didn't seem harmful and he didn't know how deep down he was, so he decided to go with it and allow her to take him where she was going.
Where she was going was revealed rather quickly, in fact, when she slowed down and stopped at the ocean floor, allowing him to regain his footing on the ground. He looked at her with a frown. "What are you doing with me?"
"Our brother needs your help," She told him.
He raised an eyebrow, "Our brother?" Luca repeated, looking her over. Besides the fact that she was a mermaid, she did look similar to himself an Eliza in the pale skin and light features. "Who are you, and who's our brother?"
"I'm Ianthe," She responded. "And our brother is Triton, the son of Neptune and ruler of Atlantis."
"Atlantis? Atlantis is a myth," Luca frowned, before she pointed behind him. He turned and was shocked to see a large, golden palace behind him, surrounded by smaller buildings that made up a small city. "Or not."
Ianthe made a face. "Maybe you shouldn't assume things are myth when you know very well that myths come true often."
"Yeah, I'll remember that," He rolled his eyes as he followed her to the large palace, where he entered and found himself walking up to a golden throne, where a merman sat elegantly. "Is that...?"
She nodded. "Triton." Ianthe approached him further, attracting his attention. "I have brought you the demigod of the name Luca Johnson."
Triton gestured for her to leave, and for Luca to approach. He did so hesitantly, and Triton spoke. "You, Luca, were chosen out of many to take on the role as a power ranger to protect us against the threat of Saturn. I have called upon you to help me with such a threat."
"What would that be?" Luca asked, not unkindly.
"Scylla and Charybdis, who you met earlier this day," Triton replied. "Do you remember them?"
Luca shook his head. "I don't remember encountering anything this morning. I had a dream about sea monsters and then I woke up on an island,"
"That was not a dream." Triton raised an eyebrow. "You must have been barely conscious when the messenger rescued you."
"Mercury?" Luca asked, and Triton nodded. "So, Scylla and Charybdis are sea monsters? What do you want me to do about them? If I remember anything about this morning, it's that I was nearly killed just being near them."
"I do not want you to take them out, necessarily," Triton explained. "I would like you to cure them of their curses."
He gave Triton a strange look. "I have no idea what that means."
"Ask your messenger to do so," Triton ordered. "He will know who to call and what to do." He looked to the side. "Ianthe," He called her over. "Take our guest back to the surface to speak to the messenger."
Ianthe bowed and grabbed onto Luca's arm. "Of course, brother." She took Luca out of the room and before he could stop her, they were going right back towards the surface.
- PRGG -
Meanwhile, Alice sat worriedly in a booth at the local diner, waiting for Luca to show up for their lunch date. He was already more than a few minutes late, and Alice was more worried than she was angry, mostly because she knew he would never be late on purpose.
So, if he was late, there was obviously a bigger reason for it and she was worried about what that reason may be. It could be a ranger battle, but she hadn't heard anything on the news, and he would've called as soon as it was over.
Blowing her off for ranger activity, unless it was extremely time-sensitive or serious, was not something he would do. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of anything besides that that would make sense in that aspect.
Luca would call if there was an emergency that was not ranger related, but hadn't even tried to contact her. When she called his phone, it was obvious that it had been turned off by the way it only rang once before going to voicemail.
It was concerning to say the least, and was only becoming more worrisome by the minute.
Even more so when she saw Ryder walk in and talk to the person at the counter. She moved over slightly on the bench and attracted his attention when he was done, making him walk over to her. "Hey, Alice. What's up?"
"Do you know what's going on with Luca?" Alice asked, looking around in worry. "We were supposed to have a date an hour ago, but he hasn't showed."
Ryder frowned. "Really? That's not cool, and doesn't seem like Luca at all. He's good guy, usually."
"There's no ranger stuff going on, or anything?" She said, rubbing her arm. "Like anything that would make him be late?"
"I don't think so," Ryder shook his head. "I haven't heard anything. Have you tried calling him?"
"Of course, first thing." Alice answered. "But his phone's off, which it never is."
He made a face. "Yeah, that's really strange," Ryder thought for a moment. "Do you think something bad happened to him?"
"Do you?" Alice gaped at him. "Are you suggesting that?"
"Well, you are," Ryder told her. "The reason you're asking is because you think something's wrong."
Alice looked down. "Yeah, I am, but I don't want to hear that you think I'm right. I'd rather be wrong and have him blow me off than have something bad happen to him."
The green ranger nodded. "Obviously. Do you think it could be Saturn?"
She sighed, "I don't know. Is there anyway we could figure it out?"
"We could go to the command center," Ryder suggested. "Ask Eliza to check out the monitors. I could call the others in too. If Luca's missing, we have to find him,"
"Okay, let's do it." Alice stood.
Ryder put a hand up to stop her. "Hold on, I'm waiting for some food. Sorry, but October and Aiden basically kicked me out so they could have sex, even though I don't care."
"That seems like them." Alice chuckled lightly, though her nervousness remained. "Alright, let's wait in the front and then get going."
"Sounds like a plan," He assured her as the two walked to the front to wait.
- PRGG -
Luca was practically thrown back onto the extremely small island, panting as he looked around once more. Just like before, there was nothing around him but water for miles, except something new that he had yet to see.
Over about a mile to the left was two large rocks that stood prominently out of the water, and there was a large bird-like creature with many tentacles sitting atop one of them. Luca recognized it as the bird from that morning.
Between the two rocks was the large whirlpool that he also saw. Now that he was sitting outside of it, he could see the large teeth surrounding it as they protruding out of the water, but otherwise didn't move.
Out of nowhere, the whirlpool sucked a bunch of water into it and threw it up into the air like a geyser. He stared in shock, wondering how anyone was supposed to handle those two.
"You're looking better," A cheerful voice from behind him commented, startling him briefly. He turned to see Mercury behind him, his hands on his hips. "Well, sort of - you're still pretty wet from your trip to Atlantis. At least you're not bleeding anymore."
"Bleeding?" Luca looked down at himself, surprised to find his arms cut up, even though he knew his dream was actually real. "Oh, I guess I got that in the whirlpool."
"I know. Charybdis isn't really fond of.. anybody, really." Mercury chuckled lightly, making Luca frown.
He crossed his arms. "What are you even doing here, Mercury?"
"Helping you so you don't die," Mercury gave him a pointed look. "Besides, someone needed to bring you here in the first place. I was gonna leave, but you were abducted pretty quickly and thrown into Charybdis to die, so I figured I should stick around."
"There's more than that," Luca commented. "Triton said that you need to cure Scylla and Charybdis of their curses."
Mercury raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm capable of that? I'm the messenger God, not a sorcerer."
The blue ranger shrugged, "I don't know, okay? Triton just told me you'd know what I mean when I said that. I don't even know their story, let alone how to cure them."
The messenger God smirked. "Well, if you must know, Scylla and Charybdis were cursed by Circe and Zeus respectively to be what they are now. They weren't always this extreme, though." He sighed. "I'm sure that Saturn has something to do with their grandeur lately, so I suppose I have to get them back to normal."
"You know how?" Luca asked.
"Yes," Mercury nodded. "But, I'm not the one who's capable of undoing it. I will get Trivia over here to undo the curse soon, thank you for letting me know."
Luca frowned. "Aren't you going to get in trouble with the other Gods for doing that?"
"I'll get in trouble with them if I don't do it." Mercury pointed out. "If they are out of control, it is our job to stop them. Since we cannot really destroy them, the only way would be to undo the curse placed on them." He looked him over. "You've been through a lot today."
"Really?" Luca rolled his eyes. "I thought I was just dragged under water three times, thrown at a sea monster, and saw Atlantis for five minutes for nothing."
Mercury chuckled. "The reason I say so is because I want to give you this," He held up a power coin, with a wing on it. "I know it seems like nothing in return for dropping you in the middle of the ocean with monsters, but I figure it can compensate a little."
"Yeah, that's compensates," Luca agreed, taking the power coin from him and feeling a surge of power run through his body. He put it on the rope of his locket, next to his original one. "What does it do?"
"Are you ready to go home?" Mercury asked, making Luca nodded. "Do it. Think about it."
He looked at him in confusion before doing as he said. Suddenly, he disappeared from the island, leaving Mercury to himself.
- PRGG -
The other rangers and Alice were all gathered at the command center, waiting for Eliza or Liela to tell them something about Luca or his whereabouts. Ryder and Alice had gotten there first, waiting for the others, who soon came to figure it out.
Eliza and Liela came out of the monitoring room, walking over to stand in front of them. "We located Luca briefly," Liela announced.
"But we lost him," Eliza sighed. "We're working on finding his new location now and will..."
She trailed off when a figure suddenly materialized in the room and fell to the floor. The figure sat up and looked around, revealing himself to be Luca, who was soaking wet and confused. He looked up at the others when he regained his bearings.
"Miss me?" He quipped, offering a sideways smile.
"Luca!" Alice cried, rushing to him and engulfing him in a hug. "I've been so worried! Where were you, and why are you wet?"
"And how did you get here?" Bella frowned.
Luca stood up and took a deep breath. "I was taken to a deserted island by Mercury, dragged underwater to Atlantis, then Mercury told me he'd cure Scylla and Charybdis before giving me a power coin." He explained quickly.
Everyone stared at him, confused. "Was that a joke?" Jackie asked, looking at the others and wondering if she was the only one who didn't get it, as usual.
"No," Luca shook his head. "I'm serious. That's how I got here, with my new power coin. Apparently, I can teleport now."
Liela was the first to but in, "Alright, well you've probably had a long day. Why don't you get a shower and relax, and we can all get back to the rest of our day?"
"I agree," Aiden spoke up, before anyone else could. He stood and pulled October up with him. "We were doing something very important before we came here, but we're glad you're okay, Luca." He said, dragging October out of the room with him without saying goodbye.
"God, they're too much," Ryder rolled his eyes as he also stood. "Well, I can't wait to get home and listen to that through the walls. See you guys, and I'm glad you're good too, Luca."
Bella and Jackie stood as well, saying their well wishes before they left too. Alice turned to Luca when they were gone. "I'm so glad you're alright. When you didn't show for our lunch date, I knew something was wrong."
Luca's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Our lunch date! Damn it, I totally forgot with everything going on. Come on, let me get home and take a shower, and then I'll take you out for dinner instead,"
"I'd like that," She smiled, exiting the command center with him.
- PRGG -
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town, a small group of titans were preparing for an attack on the city. They were stalking the streets carefully, but didn't see many people, as it was already getting late.
It was almost frustrating to them that they couldn't find anything to really cause destruction with, but the group continued to roam the streets trying to find a good place to start their rampage on anyone or anything around.
Suddenly, before they had a chance to do anything, an arrow hit one of them in the chest, causing the whole group to look around in shock. The one that was hit fell to the ground and crumpled to dust.
Another was thrown at a car before any of them could do anything about it, but they couldn't see the assailant that hit them.
The titans began to frantically look for the attackers as more of them were hit with arrows, causing the remaining few to attempt to duck behind cars or anything else on the street. The person who was doing it, however, had incredible aim and was able to hit them through small spaces that left them open.
Spirit-like figures began to rise from the ground, shoving the last titans out into the open where they were shot down easily with the arrows. The spirits disappeared and two other figures walked forward, revealing themselves to be rangers shortly before they ran off into the dark of night.
Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy: The rangers are excited to find out that two new celebrity students are coming to the school, and even more so when October's past is revealed with one of them. At the same time, two new rangers show up to assist the team.
Next Chapter Title: Diamond's Shine
Yes, the new rangers have finally arrived! I am so excited to add these last two to the team, which will finally make it complete! Next chapter will be the last cover photo and video update for this story, which will lead us into the second half of it!
Once the next chapter is up, I will put the poll for your favorite character up so you can vote to see who shows up in my anniversary chapter this Friday! Can't wait to see who you guys choose!
Anyways, here are the upcoming five chapters!
Ep 25: Fame Isn't Easy - Black and Emerald Rangers focused chapter.
Ep 26: Is Love Real? - All focused chapter.
Ep 27: Jealousy Is Not A Virtue - Aiden focused chapter.
Ep 28: Just One Shot Part I - Black Ranger focused chapter.
Ep 29: Just One Shot Part II - Black Ranger focused chapter.
I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!
© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley