1:49 pm.

Ladybug and Cat Noir were still at Callum Terence's home, talking to Callum Terence's stepfather, Jack.

"So Callum keeps leaving and coming back?" Ladybug asked.

"Aye." Jack replied. "He keeps leaving the place. In fact, he spends more time out of this place than in. He probably sneaks out at night, too."

"Do you know where he goes when he leaves?"

"Wish I did." The conversation was cut short by a call on Ladybug's yo-yo. Liam Rejeter. Ladybug answered.

"You went a bit crazy, didn't you?"

"Sorry about that." Liam apologised on the phone. "I was fuming at Chloe for blinding that girl. Nathaniel and Alix are down here though. Brought me back. I don't know what came over m- actually yeah, I do. But that's in the past now. There's been a huge catastrophe. Looks like Fire Ant broke into the Police HQ and stole Hawk Moth's Miraculous!"

Ladybug dropped her yo-yo, startling Cat Noir.

"You okay, M'lady?" Cat Noir expressed concern.

"Mr. Terrence, thank you so much for your help. We need to be heading off." Ladybug picked up her yo-yo. "You still there?"

"Yeah. Nathaniel, Alix and I are going outside and Alix's brother's picking us up."

"Thanks for the info." Ladybug hung up, then turned to Cat Noir. "We need to go." Ladybug walked out of the apartment, grabbing Cat Noir's arm and pulling him out. They reached the window they came from and swung to the nearest rooftop.

"What's going on?" Cat Noir demanded. "This is freaking me out."

"Fire Ant just stole Hawk Moth's Miraculous."

Cat Noir froze in shock. "We go through all that trouble of finding him, fighting and getting his Miraculous back without being able to give back to the 'Guardian' and now he's got it back?!" Cat Noir clenched his fist and activated his staff.

"Cat Noir, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to the Police HQ, Fire Ant will be near by if he just broke in and I'm gonna find out where he's keeping Hawk Moth." Cat Noir ran and jumped between building, using his staff to keep altitude.

"Cat Noir, wait!" Ladybug swung after her partner, catching up with him in no time. "Cat, you don't know what he can do."

"He can start huge fires, he can unleash a seismic blast, he can fly. He won't be able to do any of those soon."

"Cat!"

Ladybug kept chasing Cat Noir until they were near Le Grand Paris, then she swung her yo-yo at Cat Noir's foot, hurling both of them to the ground near the hotel. People soon gathered round, including Alya, Nino, Chloe, Rose, Lila, Mylene, Ivan, Max and Kim. Ladybug and Cat Noir soon got up after impacting the ground. Cat Noir was first to regain focus, and he was even angrier.

"What the hell, Ladybug?! You could've gotten us both killed!"

Ladybug gathered her surroundings. "And you're gonna get yourself killed! Just stop and think."

"I think that enough is enough! We don't let Fire Ant or Hawk Moth push us around anymore!"

Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around Cat Noir. "I can't let you go, Cat Noir. Just calm down and we'll plan this out. We've never fought Fire Ant."

A megaphone noise could be heard. "Do you need our help, or is this just a lover's quarrel?" Everyone turned to the sound of the voice and saw the people who were getting Ladybug and Cat Noir's attention were Knightowl and Birdy.

"Knightowl, Birdy!" Ladybug shouted.

"I keep saying it! It's Bi-" Birdy realised his error. "Oh. Thanks for getting it right."

Cat Noir used the distraction to escape Ladybug's bonds, but Birdy threw his dart at the feline hero, cutting his cheek. Cat Noir, unfazed by this, ran up the hotel, only to be hit by an invisible object and fall down again. "What the-?" The thrower walked over to the laid down Cat Noir and revealed himself as the hero, Mime. He moved his lips, but no voice was heard. "What?" Mime used another invisible object to carve into the ground: Stay down.

"I'd listen to him if I were you." A female voice protested. Cat Noir got himself up and saw a woman that he didn't recognise. "I'm Melodie. You already know who he is, and there's someone else so fast you haven't even seen him." At that point a blur sped past and stopped behind Melodie.

"Call me Mercury." The blur said. "We're the Quantics. Now if you don't mind, we've got business with Hawk Moth and Fire Ant too."

Cat Noir stood up and became surrounded by Melodie, Mercury, Mime, Ladybug, Knightowl and Birdy. The feline hero knew he was defeated, so dropped his staff and held his hands up in surrender. Mercury zoomed over and out Cat Noir's arms behind his back.

"Can I talk to Ladybug privately?" Cat Noir requested. Ladybug walked over.

"Sure, let's get to the roof." Ladybug threw her yo-yo, grabbed Cat Noir by his waist and swung up to the roof, leaving the crowd in awe of the new superheroes. Ladybug and Cat Noir landed. "What was THAT about?"

Cat Noir sighed. "I just can't believe we're back to square one. Actually, we're in negative squares now, because we gotta worry about Fire Ant and Hawk Moth."

"And we've got the Hornet, Birdy and those adult heroes. Cat, they were part of a team with our predecessors. Hawk Moth killed one of them, but they want the city to be safe, not revenge. I just don't understand why you got so angry."

Cat Noir leaned on the stone barrier. "Because when we unmask him again, we have to see the face of Gabriel Agreste."

"And why would that be so bad? We know it's not him."

"It's because... he and my mom were part of that team as well... he was Hawk Moth. And what they did... they're not heroes! And he's not the dad I used to know and love."

"Gabriel... was Hawk Moth?" Ladybug eyes widened as she gasped. "Wait..." Ladybug went beside her partner. "You just said he's not the dad you used to know..." Cat Noir panicked. "Cat Noir, are you... Adrien Agreste?"

Cat Noir hung his head, before giving a quiet whisper for an answer. "Yes."

Ladybug placed her hand on his shoulder. "I don't know what I can say to make you feel better. Gabriel being Hawk Moth, both your parents being on that team of heroes and... doing something bad. You can't have been processing it well."

"I wasn't. I'm not. Then, he also said that he and my mom were not doing well and they weren't really living well, until... Mom fell pregnant with me."

Ladybug sighed. "So he pretty much implied that they were only trying to live properly because of you." Ladybug pulled Cat Noir around and embraced him in a hug. "I'm sorry."

Cat Noir returned the hug. "It's not your fault."

Ladybug then retracted from the embrace. "Could it be that they weren't coping well because they regretted their actions?"

"Regretted it? They quit being superheroes because of it." Cat Noir groaned. "Maybe I'm overreacting and just being a spoiled child."

"No. Don't think like that, Adrien. You're not spoiled. Your mother went missing, your father distanced himself, then when you started getting closer again, Fire Ant happens and causes your father's secrets to be revealed. You have right to know the full story."

"Thanks, Ladybug."

The partners smiled. "Let's get back down." At that point, the Hornet flew past, shocking Ladybug and Cat Noir due the speed he was flying at.

"Where's he going in such a hurry?"


The Hornet kept flying, intentions clear only to him. 'You already brought Volpina back! You're not bringing any others back. Hope the butterflies are still there.'

The Hornet flew into the window of his destination: Sacré-Cœur. The place where Hawk Moth hid and where he was defeated. To his pleasant surprise, all the akuma butterflies were still there.

"What are you doing?" Liam's voice said, though the Hornet was not moving his lips. "This is risky!"

The Hornet changed back into Liam Rejeter. "Who are you?"

"I'm... the Hornet."

"Huh?"

"Ladybug has Tikki, Cat Noir has Plagg, you have me. My name is Polistes." Liam's watch was beeping while Polistes was talking. "Timebreaker and Evillustrator made you lose your temper and you almost attacked your two friends. That nightmare you keep having where they come after you and the Hornet saves you; that's me."

"Then why are you told to kill me?" Polistes remained silent. "Fine." Liam held his watch up to the akumas.

"Wait! Let me help you. You already know you can absorb akumas and turn them back into heroes, but to keep hold of all of them would drive you insane. I can destroy them as you absorb them."

Liam was intrigued. "Not all of them. Some of them can be heroes. Others I want gone for good."

"Deal."

Liam started his monologue. "All you akumas, your master abandoned you. He may have gotten his power back, but he hasn't got you. Those which have been corrupted have a desire to be what you were meant to be: heroes. In that case, come to me, join my watch and allow your dream to come true, but if you try and rush things, I cannot restore you." A number of akumas entered the watch and Polistes listed them and Liam gave his one word orders.

"Reflekta?" "Redeem."

"Horrificator?" "Redeem."

"Stoneheart?" "Redeem."

"Dark Cupid?"

"Let's make this easier. Redeem the three I said. Plus, Gamer. Discard the rest."

"Got it. I can make sure you don't get shocked when you redeem them."

"Good. Now, let's get back to the hotel."


AN: So, the Hornet has captured more akumas to make heroes and Ladybug knows who Cat Noir is. Will they ever see each other in the same way again? We'll find out next chapter. Anyone who sees this chapter, please take the time to leave a review to see how I'm doing, what you liked, what I could do better etc. Thank you so much and I'll see you in the next chapter.