...

New York City

...

James sat behind bars, at a loss. His hair was a mess, his eyes bloodshot, small marks on his wrists from where the handcuffs had dug in too deep. It was fair to say he hadn't been having the best of days.

First, he woke up to find his son gone. After gathering the family, they all drove to New York City, to the old family apartment. They were then greeted by Mrs. Cormaci and the police, who then arrested them for no apparent reason. James remembered the pure terror on Margaret's face as she realized Mrs. Cormaci had betrayed them. He clenched his fists.

He remembered how they had then separated him from his family and shoved him inside the police car. He remembered seeing Lizzie on the verge of a panic attack out the back window as he was driven away. A tear fell. And now he sat, in a prison cell, as he had been for hours, waiting for someone to come and offer him an explanation.

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Come with me," a burly officer ordered, opening up the door to his cell. "You have a visitor."

James took a deep breath. This could only mean one thing; that Mrs. Cormaci had come to talk with him. He couldn't imagine any other visitors as Gregor was in the Underland, while the rest of his family was stuck in a jail cell somewhere. He knew he had to keep his calm, no matter what the woman had done; she was his only chance of getting answers. James followed the officer to the visitor room, after he was handcuffed once more.

When he arrived in the large, empty, white room, two people sat there on small white chairs waiting for him. One person he was not surprised about- Mrs. Cormaci. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying. James hostility towards her grew; she had no right to be crying in this situation. The person next to her, however, James was not expecting. It was the current FBI Chief.

James sat down in the chair across from them, more wary now. This man had risen to the top of the FBI for a reason. He was known for his interrogation skills and intelligence. "Mr. Barwell, sir," James said, addressing the FBI chief, "Why are you here?"

Mr. Barwell smiled slightly. "Well, you certainly deserve answers after all you've been through. I am here because I wish to inform you of your situation."

James sunk in his seat a bit. "Thank you, sir. It's been a long day."

The FBI Chief patted him on the shoulder. "Well, no need to make it any longer. Mrs. Cormaci, why don't you tell him why you did what you did?"

Mrs. Cormaci shook slightly, her eyes averted towards the ground. "I saw the earthquake on the news and knew that the Overlanders would soon discover the Underland. I- I knew that if the discovery was handled the wrong way, then there could be conflict. With all the fear in the country as of late over immigrants and foreign countries, how would the citizens of America react to a sovereign nation right underneath one of their largest cities?" She paused, her voice trembling. It was rare to see Mrs. Cormaci so shaken. "I decided to report the issue to the FBI."

James couldn't argue against her reasoning, but that didn't explain why he and his family had been arrested. Almost as if he sensed Jame's confusion, Mr. Barwell spoke. "At first, we didn't believe her. She then led a few of our undercover agents back to her apartment and showed us the entrance in the laundry room. Our agents were certainly surprised to say the least, but they were still unsure of her story. But that all changed when she gave my agents this." He reached into his coat pocket and held up something small. James's eyes widened as he realized what is was. It was Ares's claw, which Gregor had worn around his neck until it suddenly disappeared one day, right before the family had moved to Virginia.

James stuttered, looking back and forth between Mr. Barwell and Mrs. Cormaci, his gaze finally settling on his old neighbor, eyes narrowing. "You stole it, didn't you?"

Mrs. Cormaci nodded, still not meeting his eye. "I did. I thought it would help him move on."

James's glare grew dangerous. "What right did you have to make ANY decision about what's best for my son, or my family? NONE!"

Mrs. Cormaci said nothing.

Mr. Barwell sighed. "I know you feel betrayed James, but she only did ever mean the best by you and your family. Remember, it wasn't her who made the decision to arrest you and your family." Mr. Barwell smiled as James went quiet. "I ordered your family's arrest because you four will be... infinitely valuable in any negotiations we have to have with Gregor in the future. After all, your son is the connection between us and the Underland, and will be center in any relations we have with Regalia."

After a pause, James laughed. A look of annoyance crossed over the FBI chief's face before he smiled, asking "What's so funny?"

James regained his composure, the pained look still on his face despite the laughter. "I guess you're not as intelligent as they make you out to be, sir."

Mr. Barwell frowned. "Excuse me?"

"By using us as negotiating material you're just going to alienate Gregor from you and further push him towards the Underlanders. I know you want to use him to help you take down Regalia, but if this is your plan then I'm afraid to say it will fail horribly." James retorted.

Mr. Barwell smiled in response, unfazed despite James guessing much of his plan, meeting his gaze directly. "Do you really think I plan to tell your son about my hostages first thing? I only intend to tell him about your... situation... when he might need a little incentive to... be on our side."

He took a deep breath. "As it is, you will be moved to a more secure facility tonight. You will be able to live in relative comfort but you will not see your family again until this... potential conflict is resolved. I hope you're grateful that I explained your situation to you. I certainly didn't have to tell you anything. I could've just let you rot in a jail cell. But I didn't, because I consider myself a just man and it would be unfair of me to give you such horrible treatment."

James did not back down. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. Say what you will, but you still tore a family apart." he said with a bit of pain in his voice. "In regards to Gregor- I think you might be in for a surprise." He closed his eyes. "Do what you will with me, sir, but you're going to lose the coming war."

...

Regalia

...

Gregor emerged from the stalagmite-filled tunnel at long last to the sight of Regalia. A single tear trickled down his cheek as he observed the glowing city, little under a mile away from his current location. After all these years, he was finally back. Quickening his pace despite his exhaustion, he headed across the long rocky plain up to Regalia's main gate, where he was stopped by two guards. "Identify yourself!" the guardsman on the right demanded.

Gregor smiled, stepping closer towards the guards so they could have a clearer view of his face. Both guards gasped. "My name is Gregor the Overlander."

The guards soon got over their shock. "Markus, call for your flier. The Warrior will need a ride to the castle."

The shorter guard nodded and called out the name of his flier. "Neptune!"

A large black flier with a single gray spot on its belly fluttered down from the top of Regalia's walls. "I would be honored, Warrior." Neptune said quietly.

Gregor stuttered. "Shouldn't I wait until I get the Queen's approval to enter the city?"

Markus chuckled. "The Queen gave explicit orders that if you ever returned you should be sent to her at once."

Nodding nervously, Gregor mounted Neptune. Anticipation gnawed at him. Neptune took off and Gregor shifted his body so his weight so it would be easier on the bat. It had been five years since he had ridden a flier and he was more than a little rusty. Luckily for Gregor, it was a short flight and Neptune was a good flier. The black bat nodded slightly in farewell and took off once more.

After being recognized by the guards at the castle, he was escorted to the council room. "Wait outside," the guard said. "The Queen is in a meeting with the members of the council right now, but we shall inform her of your arrival immediately."

Gregor stood outside for some time, heart pounding. Now that he was moments away from seeing her again doubts flooded his mind. What would Luxa think of him? Would she be mad? Would she- "The Queen will see you now," a guard stated, opening the doors to the council room. And there was Luxa herself, sitting at the head of a long table lined by members of the council.

The first thing Gregor noticed was how much she had grown. Not just in height. All hint of the arrogance and pride was gone from her purple eyes; a pale scar glistened on her cheekbone. A single tear trickled down her cheek as Luxa stared at him. "So it really is you," she whispered.

Happiness radiated through Gregor. "I'm sorry it's taken me so long."

She shook her head, wiping the tear away. Gregor saw how hard Luxa was trying to maintain her composure. "Don't apologize. I- I'm just glad you're back."

Gregor couldn't keep the smile off his face as he looked upon her. He knew they'd have time to talk more later, in private. For now, however, he had to focus on the main reason why he had rushed back to the Underland in the first place. He took a deep breath. "I am afraid, I come with bad tidings, however. The Overlander government has discovered the entrance to the Underland."

Luxa's eyes widened as some of the council members gasped. "What? How?"

Gregor continued. "After the earthquake, the rock covering the Central Park entrance was dislodged, revealing the entrance. The Overlander government has been sending down explorers and it is only a matter of time before they discover Regalia."

Luxa sighed. Gregor could almost see her force her feelings down and go into full Queen mode. "Well, I thank you Gregor for informing us. How do you think the Overlanders will react when they meet us? I know if we discovered a nation living below Regalia it would not end well."

Gregor frowned. "I'd imagine America would first pursue peace, but I'm not sure how it would work out in the long run."

"Amareeka?" a council member frowned.

Gregor mentally slapped himself. "America is what the Overlander government is called." He decided not to tell them about the other countries of the world above, as he would probably just further confuse them.

Luxa gestured to an empty seat at the table. "Why don't you sit down? We would all be interested in hearing more about this... Amareeka."

...

Uncharted Lands

...

Helena awoke to darkness. Her heart beat faster as memories came flooding back to her. She had to have been dreaming, right? Moles that size didn't exist, especially talking ones. Taking a deep breath, she reached to her tool belt and pulled out her backup flashlight. Pointing it in front of her, she flicked it on and screamed as it illuminated two large moles staring down at her. The moles flinched backwards at the noise and Helena felt herself beginning to faint once again.

"No need to be afraid. Mean no harm," the larger of the two moles said.

Helena scooted backwards on the floor until her back was pressed up against the wall. She hadn't been dreaming. "What... what are you?"

The mole paused for a second. "We diggers. Original inhabitants of Underland."

Helena was lost. "Underland? What?"

The other 'digger' spoke this time. "Before killers, before crawlers, before them all, diggers lived in this land, the Underland. Until it stolen from us. Now we live here." The mole gestured with its large clawed paw vaguely around them.

She shuddered at the word 'killer'. She definitely did not want to meet any creature with such a name. "So, you're saying you're exiled from your own home."

The diggers nodded in unison. Helena felt a twang of sympathy for the creatures. They were clearly intelligent, and no life form deserved to have its home ripped from them. Oh, how the world would react when she published her findings from the Underland. She would be the scientist of the century, as well as a hero for helping the moles reclaim their home! But then a thought occurred to her. "Why are you telling me this?"

The larger digger hesitated. "It because you are killer. But not one of bad ones. You from above and are not the Warrior. We hope you talk to killers and help diggers get home back."

...

Author's Note

I have nothing but apologies for you all. It has been wayyyyyy too long since I last updated. I just want to let you all know this story is not dead. I have been going through some personal issues as of late and that is the reason for the late chapter, even though it is not a good one. I hope you can all forgive me. Updates may be more irregular from now on, but I promise there will be no more two month gaps between chapters. On another note:

-I took the liberty of naming the FBI Chief Mr. Barwell. I did not use the name of the current FBI Chief for obvious reasons.

-I feel like the Gregor and Luxa reunion scene was a little weak. Let me know your thoughts about it in a review.

-And lastly, many thanks to all who reviewed: Vengeous, Clytuis (Guest), DeathDrayanD, CHBNewRomeHogwartsBerk, D. , and SilverAshes13!