Hello everyone! And welcome to the next chapter for the Key of the Titans! I hope you all are doing great as October rolls in and Halloween gets closer to us! Yay, I'm so excited! I also hope that this chapter doesn't take me too long and keep you all waiting for so long. With that said, let's get this chapter started!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Teen Titans.
Chapter 64: Olympus Pt. 2
(At the Base of Mount Olympus)
The large group of heroes found themselves standing in a grassy field surrounded by mountains and broken statues. The sky was bright blue, and they could hear water flowing rapidly nearby.
"Wow, these flowers are so beautiful." Starfire said, running her fingers through the yellow and red blooms.
"Oh, just wait until you see Olympus, Star. It's another thing of beauty." Hercules replied. They suddenly heard powerful winds and thunder at the very top of the mountain.
"We better get up there quick. Hercules, can your father hold out up there?" Robin asked.
"Hhm, if it was just Hades, then sure. But with all the Titans and Hades together, he probably won't have much time." Hercules said.
"Then lead the way, Herc. We got your back." Cyborg replied.
"Right, this way. In your guy's case, we'll pass the river, then start climbing or flying up the mountain." Hercules said. Everyone nodded and followed the hero through the field and near the rapidly flowing river.
"That's weird. The river's never this full." Hercules said, confused.
"Maybe another source of water came in from somewhere." Sora replied.
"I'll take a look." Beast Boy said, jumping in the air, turning into a fish, and diving under the water.
"Does he often do that?" Donald asked.
"Yup!" Raven and Cyborg replied.
"Hey fellas, let's take this path to the side in the meantime." Goofy said. Everyone nodded and started going up the path that led to a couple of rocks that stuck out from the water, creating a small path toward the base of the mountain. They were about to skip across the river when suddenly, Air Soldier Heartless spawned over the rocks, blocking their path.
"Heartless!" Starfire called out, summoning her blade. Everyone readied themselves and quickly cleared out the monsters as they moved closer and closer to the base. They moved further up the river where they could see the waterfall high up on a cliff.
They were about to cross the river again when suddenly multiple globes of water shot out of the river and formed into new variants of Heartless. The main body of the Heartless was dark and spherical with a blue, jagged mouth and yellow eyes for a face. The head had several blue cracks that led to a small horn on top of it and a pair of bat-like wings on its back. It had long arms with sharpened claws at the ends. The bottom of the body ends with jagged watery spikes and one larger spike in the center.
"I believe we found the cause of the flowing river." Starfire said.
"Are these new ones, Sora?" Raven asked.
"Yeah, never saw these before. Be careful guys." Sora said. A few of the Heartless surged toward the heroes in a large wave, making everyone move out of the way as they engaged the new enemies. The few remaining Heartless shot several water projectiles that homed in on Robin. The Boy Wonder was about to dodge out of the way until Goofy stepped in and blocked the projectiles, giving Robin the time to throw an explosive disc in a countermove, destroying one Heartless while two others moved out of the way.
"Thanks." Robin said with a smile.
"No problem." Goofy said. The six remaining Water Core Heartless band together and create water shields around themselves, using them to avoid any attacks from the team and spawning water pillars under the heroes, making them all move out of the way. Raven created a shield around everyone to protect them from any projectiles while Sora, Donald, and Starfire banded together and shot a powerful wave of flames from their weapons, blasting through the shields and destroying the rest of the Water Cores. The team relaxed as the rapids cooled down to a calm and shallow river, revealing the riverbed underneath and a green fish flopping around next to them. The fish turned back into Beast Boy, now dripping wet and spitting out water.
"So, uh, I guess I missed the monsters." Beast Boy replied, laughing. The changeling got out from the riverbed and turned into a dog to shake all the water off him, making Donald glare at him.
"Hey, watch it!" Donald exclaimed, dusting himself off.
"Oops, sorry Mr. Duck." Beast Boy said.
"Guys, focus. We gotta a lot of ground to cover and we need to hurry. Let's get going, Hercules." Sora said.
"Right. Let's get climbing." Hercules replied, showing the rock wall that led further up the mountain. Everyone took their preferred way up by either wall-running, climbing, gliding, or flying as they began their trek up Mount Olympus.
(Meanwhile, somewhere in the Realm of Darkness)
Deep in the abyss of the Realm of Darkness, two determined keyblade masters made their way through a large cavern in search of one of their own. A keyblade master who was lost many years ago and who would be essential in finding two other Guardians of Light. The two keyblade masters were Riku and King Mickey, now dressed in new clothes in preparation for the Realm of Darkness.
Riku was now dressed in a black, hooded, unzipped jacket with short sleeves, gold buttons, and a checkered pattern at the hem. Under the jacket was a V-neck, white shirt, and black gloves that ended at the forearm on each hand. He also wore blue cropped trousers hemmed with the same checkered pattern on the jacket and black, high-top boots.
Mickey had clothes like Riku, with a black, hooded jacket with a checkered pattern hemmed into the pattern, white gloves on his hand, red pants with a checkered pattern, and yellow shoes to complete the look.
The two continued their way through the cave, looking around at the creepy sights of the walls.
"Been a while since we got ambushed." Riku said, breaking the silence.
"True, but we do have to remain cautious. You never know what kind of danger will be thrown our way." Mickey said. Riku came to a stop and lowered his head, making Mickey stop as well.
"What's wrong, Riku? Do you need to take another break?" Mickey asked, a little worried.
"Oh, no. It's just…feels so long ago. Like I was living another life when I was here." Riku said, looking up with a small smile.
"Well, gee. Think of all that you've done! All you've seen! Why, you've grown up in no time at all." Mickey said.
"Huh, I guess so. I remember when I first got here. I…was so scared. Of the darkness…and everything. But now, all those fears are gone and replaced with…exhilaration. And it's not because of the darkness in me; I know what that's like. This is something else. Aqua needs us…and I'm ready to save her." Riku said, clutching his hand into a fist of determination. "It could also be that you're here with me. Physically this time, I mean." Riku suggested, making the king shake his head no.
"It's not me. I think it's because you've finally found what you've been looking for all this time…the strength to protect what matters. I've seen you care so much for others, that other feelings like doubt and fear, well they just go away and all that's left is all you need." Mickey said. Riku smiled and looked down at his hand, remembering the promise he made to the man all those years ago, the man who bequeathed him the keyblade in the first place.
"The strength to protect what matters. Right." Riku said. Mickey smiled in response before looking around the cave.
"I was afraid of this. Everything's changed since the last time I was here with Aqua." Mickey said.
"How did you even find her last time?" Riku asked.
"I didn't think I would. I just followed my heart, and she just showed me the way. Like a light in the…well, ya know. But now, the closer I get, the hazier our connection feels." Mickey said, worried.
"You don't mean she…" Riku said, the same worry dripping from his sentence.
"There's a chance, but we can't give up." Mickey said, making Riku nod with determination. The two continued their way through the cavern when suddenly, Heartless spawned in front of them cutting off the masters.
"So much for not getting ambushed." Riku said, summoning his Way to the Dawn keyblade.
"Bound to happen sooner or later. Let's get 'em." Mickey said, summoning the Kingdom Key D keyblade. With that, the two leaped at the Heartless with a great clash.
(Meanwhile, back in Olympus)
The team was halfway up the mountain after dealing with more Heartless and obstacles to get past. They were now chomping down on some freshly grown apples from trees they came across.
"So, wait, you took on an actual Cyclops?!" Beast Boy asked Hercules in an excited tone.
"Out of all the monsters he brought up, the Cyclops is what excites you?" Raven asked, taking a bite out of her apple.
"Yeah, man! What about the Minotaur, the Hydra, some of the Titans even?!" Cyborg asked.
"Yeah, yeah, giant monsters and such we've dealt with several times, but I've never seen an actual Cyclops before." Beast Boy said.
"What about See-More? From the H.I.V.E. Five?" Sora asked.
"The Hive what?" Goofy asked.
"It's a long story, guys." Sora quickly said.
"He doesn't count. He's still a guy. I want an actual Cyclops monster!" Beast Boy said.
"I am not so sure we want to fight a creature like that Beast Boy. I have such a monster from Tamaran, and they are not easily dealt with." Starfire said, holding multiple apples in her arms.
"I'm with Star on that one." Robin said.
"Why would you even want to fight a Cyclops?" Donald asked.
"I just feel like it would be very cool to fight one ya know?" Beast Boy replied. The group shook their heads and tossed away the finished apples as they came to a stop to see that they were back in the same mountainscape with Zeus' statue built on one of the walls.
"Hey, this place looks familiar." Cyborg replied.
"You guys were here before?" Hercules asked.
"This is where we landed before Hades kicked us off the mountain. It should be a clear path up after our last- "Sora said when suddenly the ground shook beneath their feet, making everyone go off balance.
Several variants of the new Heartless popped out of the ground and surrounded them, as clouds of sand flew around the mountainscape. The Heartless looked like small hedgehogs, with round and oval-shaped bodies, yellow eyes, and a large purple jagged mouth. It had several cracks running along its body to reveal a purple interior and it was covered in rocky spikes. It had no limbs since it used its spikes to bounce around.
"-Encounter. Huh, just our luck." Sora replied, annoyed.
"Let's get this done quickly then." Raven said, patting him on the shoulder. He nods and summons his keyblade along with everyone else as they engage the Earth Cores. The Cores leaped at them in a drilling attack. Hercules caught one of the Cores and spun it around a few times before chucking it into another Heartless, destroying them both. The others engaged the Heartless, attacking from different angles, but any attacks from the back or side were deflected by the rocky spikes. The Magic users started using Fire and Thunder spells to stun the cores while Robin, Cyborg, Goofy, Beast Boy, and Hercules focused on dealing the finishing blows. Eventually, the last of the Core was defeated as they dissolved into sand. Everyone stood down and put away their weapons.
"Well, that wasn't too hard." Cyborg said. As if in response, the leftover sand from the Heartless started gathering and formed into a large sand tower with a bulbous Heartless head and spikes running all along the tower's neck. The Sand Tower reared its head around to look at the group and let out a roar as more Earth Cores spawned in.
"We seriously need to stop saying that." Sora replied as everyone got ready again. The Tower lurched forward and shot several large boulders out from its mouth, making everyone take cover. Raven grabbed a few of the boulders and threw them back at the Tower, making it recoil in pain. They jumped at the Earth Cores as the Sand Tower dove itself underground.
"Guys, hop on!" Sora said, raising his keyblade in the air. Suddenly, three teacups made of magic energy appeared out from the ground. Everyone quickly smiled and jumped in, spinning the cups at top speed, and ramming into the Heartless, destroying them one by one. Eventually, all the Cores were destroyed, and the cups dispersed into nothingness.
"Hey, what happened to that sandworm?" Robin asked. Out of nowhere, the Sand Tower burst out of the ground and rushed toward Sora with its teeth bared.
"Sora- "Hercules called out as he stepped in front of Sora. The Sand Tower didn't stop though and engulfed the two heroes in sand, trapping them both inside.
"Sora! Herc!" Donald and Goofy called out as everyone took shots at the Sand Tower, but it only responded by shooting more boulders at everyone, making them take cover. Suddenly, Sora's keyblade cut through the bottom part of the Tower and started slicing all through the body like the keyblade wielder was being spun around inside. The mouth of the Tower suddenly bulged and burst open as Sora came flying out and dove back down at the Heartless in a drilling move, destroying the monster as soon as he impacted. All the sand and dust fell to the ground as the other heroes ran to the center to see Sora and Hercules dusting themselves off.
"Both of you are alright?" Starfire asked.
"Yeah, no problem, Star." Sora said with a smile, shaking his spiky hair free of sand.
"Ah, dude, warning!" Beast Boy exclaimed, taking cover behind Cyborg.
"And now you know how we feel when you're a dog." Cyborg replied.
"These monsters are getting worse. We better hurry to the summit." Hercules replied, running ahead. They climbed past the large Zeus statue again and continued their way up the mountain, fighting off more Heartless along the way. They eventually reached a small base where they could see clouds above and a building built into the wall.
"We're almost there. It's just a straight shot up." Hercules said. Everyone nodded when suddenly the ground started shaking abruptly.
"That can't be good." Raven said, steadying herself with Sora's help.
"Sounds like it's getting worse up there. We better hurry!" Goofy replied.
"Right!" Robin said. They all ran up to the mountainside of Olympus when suddenly the ground shook violently.
"Either that is a big Earthquake that Hades is causing, or he somehow found a T-Rex." Beast Boy said.
"A T-what?" Hercules asked.
"Guys, heads up!" Robin yelled, pointing up at the mountain cliffs. Everyone looked up to see a giant rock monster with two heads standing at the top with a large boulder over its head.
"Titan!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy yelled out. The Rock Titan hurled the boulder down at them, making them all scatter for cover as the rock crashed against the walls, breaking apart into pieces around them, with one of the fragments blocking their exit. Raven created a shield around everyone to protect them from the rocks.
"*cough cough*, That's a Titan?!" Beast Boy asked, dusting some dirt from his face.
"How're we gonna beat that?!" Cyborg exclaimed.
"We've fought bigger! Titans go!" Robin said, shooting his grappling hook up towards the cliffs. Beast Boy turns into a pterodactyl and picks up Cyborg as they take off after the leader.
"Please, does Robin mean us or- "Starfire asked.
"He means us, Star." Raven clarified as the two took off. Sora watches them go and nods at Donald and Goofy, who nod in response.
"Herc, we'll take of the Titan! You go on ahead and help your father! We'll meet you up there." Sora said, summoning his keyblade.
"Sounds like a plan. Be careful, Sora" Hercules said. He whistled in the air, summoning Pegasus, who flew down from the clouds and landed in front of the hero. Hercules climbed on and flew up to the top of the mountain, eventually disappearing into the clouds as Sora, Donald, and Goofy started climbing the cliff. They dodged multiple boulders as they made their ascent, eventually taking cover as one of the rocks took out a nearby cliff. The fragments of the cliff fell to the floor below them, creating a pile of rocks beneath them as the trio continued their way up the cliff.
The sky started to darken with black clouds as the trio regrouped with the Titans as they took cover from the boulder barrage.
"How's it looking?" Sora asked.
"We can't get close with all those boulders. We need to find a way around." Robin said. Cyborg looked up at the mountain for any possible openings.
"I see another ledge up there." Cyborg said.
"At this point, I'll take anything other than multiple rocks hurled at me!" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"Okay, everyone follow my lead. Raven, Starfire, and Donald provide cover from the boulders. Move one ledge at a time. Alright, let's go." Sora said, running ahead and up the side of the mountain, with the rest of his friends, running or flying behind him. Up above, the Rock Titan stomped its feet on the cliffside, making larger boulders break from the wall and fall toward the group. Sora used the boulders as literal stepping stones, bounding off each and every one that came his way until he reached the ledge. Robin was right behind him, using his grappling hook to swing around the boulders and land next to his teammate. Everyone soon followed them with Starfire carrying Cyborg, Beast Boy flying as a hawk, and Raven flying while carrying Donald and Goofy. Everyone landed safely on the ledge as more boulders crashed below them.
"Over there! An opening." Donald said, pointing to a small cave that had a torch hanging on the wall.
"Glorious! Let us move on." Starfire said, flying ahead. Everyone took off after her as they found more torches that led further into the mountain. Thunder boomed in the now dark sky and bright lightning flashed and rain poured down the mountain. They ran into another group of Heartless but quickly took care of them as they ran back outside. Sora took the lead as they were all hit by the high-speed rain when suddenly the Rock Titan stomped above them and threw a large boulder their way. Everyone quickly came to a stop but Sora, who didn't seem to notice the boulder.
"Sora! Look out!" Raven yelled, using her powers to grab Sora and move him out of the way of the rock, which took out half of the ledge and caused a rockslide that closed off the cave.
"Thanks, Rae." Sora said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, making her smile.
"Guys, Rocky is back." Cyborg said.
"Then it's about time that we break him!" Beast Boy said in a deep voice.
"Was that from something?" Goofy asked Donald, who simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Please, we must hurry!" Starfire said, punching through an incoming boulder.
"Sora?" Robin quickly asked, letting his teammate take charge.
"Aim for its legs. Those are its weak points. If you're able to, go for its heads." Sora said. He soon started running up the cliff, dodging more and more boulders until they finally reached the Titan itself. The group split up and started attacking the legs. The Titan tried to stomp the heroes out while causing multiple stalagmites to shoot at them, sometimes forcing them to jump off the ledge to avoid the rocks. Donald and Cyborg joined back-to-back and fired multiple rockets and missiles at both feet, making large cracks appear on its legs and making the Titan collapse on the side of the mountain. Sora jumped across the body of the Titan up to its heads and started bashing at one while Robin shot his grappling hook up at the other head, bringing himself up to the other one and started bashing at it with his keyblade, while the rest of the group focused on keeping its legs down.
Suddenly, the Rock Titan reached up with one of its hands and grabbed onto Sora while the other head managed to smack Robin off with its chin. Starfire caught the Boy Wonder before he fell, but Sora wasn't as lucky as the Titan threw the boy back down the ledge.
"Sora! Keep him busy." Raven yelled as she, Donald, and Goofy jumped off the ledge after the boy. The rest of the Titans nodded and started launching multiple projectiles at the Titan's face as it stood back up, making more pillars and rocks shoot out at the heroes. Suddenly, a bright light shone from below the ledge as Sora's Mountain Coaster Attraction flew out from the dust, with Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Raven riding as passengers.
"Wow, Sora. When were you able to do this?" Goofy asked.
"Just recently! Hold on, guys! Raven, you ok?" Sora asked.
"I'm fine! Just focus on flying!" Raven remarked. Sora nodded and maneuvered the coaster around the stone golem. He then blew the horn, launching a barrage of fireworks at the Titan, making explosions erupt all around the rock body. The Titan threw a punch at the attraction but was interrupted by an explosive disc and a sonic blast from Robin and Cyborg, allowing Sora to continue the barrage. Bigger chunks started falling off the Titan's body from the firework's damage, making the golem roar in anger. It then summoned multiple boulders in the air and launched them at the coaster. Raven and Starfire used their keyblades to clear the sky as Sora kept up the barrage.
"Ok guys, when I say now, jump out and go for the ledge!" Sora yelled out to his passengers.
"What? What are you gonna do?!" Donald asked.
"If I told you, you're probably gonna yell at me!" Sora yelled.
"And that makes it a good idea?" Raven asked.
"He'll be okay, Raven. I'm sure of it." Goofy said.
"Yeah, I got this, you'll see. Ok, jump!" Sora yelled. Donald and Goofy quickly jumped out with Raven following them as Sora directed the coaster right towards the Titan's heads. Raven landed safely with Donald and Goofy with the other heroes as they all watched Sora ride the coaster toward the Titan.
"What's he doing?!" Beast Boy asked.
"Hopefully, a good move." Cyborg replied.
"We better get out of the way!" Robin said, moving everyone to a safe place. Meanwhile, Sora kept shooting fireworks from the coaster as he got closer to keep the Titan distracted. With a loud battle cry, Sora jumped off the coaster and launched it right toward the Titan, creating a huge explosion that rocked the mountain. Sora managed to grab onto the ledge as the Rock Titan fell over the side and crashed down the mountain below. The boy struggled to climb up until Donald and Goofy ran over and helped him up while the heroes ran up to him.
"Thanks guys! That's one down!" Sora said, excited.
"Nice hit, Spike!" Cyborg said.
"It was truly a wonderful maneuver," Starfire replied. Sora smiled until Raven lightly flicked him over the head.
"Ow!" Sora exclaimed.
"Just don't do it again without discussing it." Raven said, making Sora nod in agreement as they hugged. Donald and Goofy shared a look of confusion as Beast Boy found another path.
"Hey guys, there's another path over here. It might take us all the way." Beast Boy said.
"Well, let's get going." Robin said. Sora nodded as he led everyone up the path and through the caves until they reached a passageway blocked by rocks. Sora tried to strike at it, but Starfire stopped him and simply punched her way through the blockage, suddenly making a bright light shine into the cave, almost blinding the heroes. When their eyes adjusted, they looked upon the sight before them.
"Woah!" everyone exclaimed. Before them was the summit leading to Olympus; it was surrounded by clouds and a staircase leading up to the golden gates of the Realm of the Gods.
"Wow, this place is so beautiful." Sora said as they stepped onto the clouds.
"Huh, I can't believe we're actually stepping on clouds." Beast Boy said.
"C'mon, we better hurry and see where we can help." Sora said. Everyone nodded and ran up the stairs as the gates opened on their own, revealing a bright light on the other side. They ran into it and eventually, they found another staircase that led them to the top of the Kingdom and another set of gates. The doors opened, revealing a large courtyard with clouds, pillars, and a large staircase that led further into the Realm all around while adorned with gold designs.
"So, this is Olympus." Raven replied.
"Gwarsh, it's amazing!" Goofy said.
"Truly, this is a place for Gods." Starfire said.
"So, where are the Gods?" Beast Boy asked.
"Good question." Donald said, noticing how quiet it was.
"And where are the other Titans?" Cyborg said.
"They should be around here somewhere." Robin surmised.
"Let's look around." Sora said, about to take a step forward when suddenly a fanfare horn played from somewhere, putting the team on alert.
"Where'd that come from?" Beast Boy asked. Suddenly, a small army of new Heartless appeared before them, blocking their path. It was a humanoid, muscular Heartless with grey skin, common yellow eyes, and a beard in the shape of a lightning bolt. It wore black armor with blue highlights, the Heartless insignia on the chest plate, a short skirt, and twin gauntlets. It also wore twin shoulder pauldrons with yellow spikes and white wings, feet shaped like goat hooves, and a helmet on its head with twin horns jutting out from the side.
"Guess we found the answer. Get ready guys!" Sora said as everyone readied themselves. The Heartless readied themselves as well by lowering their helmets over their faces.
(Meanwhile, in the Realm of Darkness)
After fighting through several groups of Heartless, Riku and King Mickey found themselves at the Dark Margins, a small beach area within the bleak Realm.
"This beach…" Riku said, coming to a stop as he remembered the last time he was here.
"Oh no, it's gone." Mickey replied, walking closer to the water.
"Huh, what is?" Riku asked.
"I was positive Aqua was here. But now…her trail's gone cold. It just leads to this beach." Mickey said. Riku looked around for any sign or clue to Aqua's whereabouts, but he only remembered when Sora was with him. "What is it, Riku?" Mickey asked.
"It's just…I've been here before. With Sora." Riku replied.
"Oh?" Mickey asked.
"Yeah, this is where we found our way back to the Realm of Light. After our fight with Xemnas. Is it possible Aqua found a way out, too?!" Riku asked but was answered with the King's head shake.
"No, if she did, I or Master Yen Sid would've sensed her presence. For me to not sense her anymore…means that she's fallen into an even darker abyss, and I don't think we have what we need to dive any deeper into the darkness right now." Mickey replied, looking out toward the waters.
"So then…what now?" Riku asked, running a hand over his chin in thought. Suddenly, multiple Shadow Heartless spawned around them in a circle, cutting them off from escape. The two masters summoned their keyblades at the ready.
"You ready, Riku?" Mickey asked.
"Always." Riku replied. Suddenly, the Shadows ran past them and started forming into a giant mass. Suddenly, the mass straightened out to form a large tower made up of the Heartless.
"Well, that's new." Riku replied.
"Not for me. Watch its movements and be cautious." Mickey said. Riku nodded as the Tower lunged at them in a giant wave. They quickly moved out of the way, but the Shadows broke apart upon hitting the ground and submerged beneath the ground before reappearing underneath Riku and shooting back up, knocking the boy to the ground. Mickey meanwhile was preoccupied with the Heartless being shot out from the Tower like projectiles when he saw Riku getting up from the ground. The Tower was rearing up to strike the boy, but the King quickly stopped it with a Holy spell, knocking the mass away. Mickey ran over and cast a Cure spell around Riku.
"You ok, Riku?" Mickey asked.
"Yeah, let's go." Riku said, getting back to his feet. The Tower recovered as well and started launching more Shadows at them but the two joined together and performed a powerful light and dark strike, destroying the small Heartless. Riku then launched multiple dark projectiles at the Tower, making the Tower slowly dissipate. Riku and the King looked around to see more Heartless surrounding them when suddenly the Tower burst out of the ground again and dove right for Riku.
"Oh no!" Riku exclaimed as the Shadows engulfed him, completely.
"Riku!" Mickey called out but was forced to fight off more Shadows as the Tower straightened back up, ready to engage the mouse. Inside the Tower, Riku felt like he was underwater, slowly drowning from the darkness around him. He struggled to breathe and free himself, but he could feel a water-like substance enter his mouth.
"Didn't expect to see you again." A voice said from the darkness. Riku's eyes widened in shock, and he looked around in confusion.
"What?" He asked.
"Why did you even come here?" the voice asked. Riku looked into the darkness, clutching his hand to his chest.
"Because somebody needs me." Riku replied, turning his hand into a fist in determination.
"Do you want some help?" the voice asked after a small beat of silence.
"Who are you? How could you help me?" Riku asked.
"Me? I'm…" the voice replied, unsure of its answer. Riku eventually faints and goes limp as everything goes black around him.
(Sometime later)
"Riku…Wake up…Riku." The boy heard and he slowly opened his eyes to see Mickey looking down at him with a concerned smile. "Are you okay?" the King asked as Riku sat up from the sand.
"Ugh, what happened? Where'd the Heartless go?" Riku asked.
"I got more than half of 'em and they spit you back out. After that, they just vanished." Mickey said, as Riku stood back up, holding his head in one hand and his keyblade in the other.
"Thanks. I owe ya one." Riku said.
"You're welcome. We must be more careful." Mickey said.
"How about you? Are you ok? That was a lot of Heartless to deal with." Riku said.
"Oh, I'm fine. Especially thanks to the new gear. But my blade got damaged in the fight. Oh, looks like they got your hair and- oh no, you're keyblade!" Mickey exclaimed, holding his keyblade that had small cracks on it. Riku felt his hair to see that it was shorter than before and looked down at his key to see that the blade was cut in half, missing the teeth of the blade, rendering it useless.
"No…" Riku quietly whispered, clutching the handle tightly. The blade has always been a part of him from the beginning of his journey, back when it was a simple blade called Soul Eater. It's been with him at his lowest when he was possessed by darkness and it was there to see him redeem himself and in his progress, the sword changed into its very own keyblade. With it broken now though, it felt like he lost a part of himself.
"We won't be able to do much more here now with one of our keys broken. I think we need to go back to Master Yen Sid's tower and regroup." Mickey said. Riku heard him but couldn't take his eyes off his broken blade. Mickey let out a sigh and walked over so that the boy could see him. "Riku…we have to go." Mickey replied, finally snapping Riku out of his trance.
"But Aqua's still…down here. Fighting Heartless like that, alone." Riku replied, walking past the King and closer to the water. "How long are we supposed to keep her waiting in this place?! What if she's feeling just as scared and alone…as I did when I first came here?" Riku yelled in anger as he turned to face the king. Mickey lowered his head and walked to the side of his friend.
"Aqua…she's like Sora." Mickey replied.
"Wait, What?!" Riku exclaimed in shock.
"No, no, no, not like that…just strong like Sora!" Mickey corrected, making Riku take a breath in relief. "I remember when I first met Sora and when I did, I saw the same look in his eye as I saw when I first met Aqua's…a strong will and determination to protect their friends no matter what and fight on in the hopes that they'll see their loved ones again. As long as I know that I'm sure that she'll keep going, for her friends." Mickey replied, making Riku smile.
"Okay…Good. Then I'll start hoping for that too. And you are right, Sora could fall into any darkness and swim his way out." Riku replied, making the King smile in return.
"Besides, we'll be back for her real soon. We're not gonna keep her waiting anymore." Mickey said.
"Right." Riku nodded in agreement. He then walked up to the beach and planted the Way to the Dawn keyblade handle into the sand, surprising Mickey. "Can't use this keyblade anymore. Might as well leave it here…for someone else." The boy said, making Mickey look at him in confusion. Riku placed his palm over the handle and gave it a gentle pat. "Goodbye…old friend." He said as he and Mickey took their leave of the Realm of Darkness. The Way to the Dawn's keychain clinked against the handle from the gentle breeze in response.
(Meanwhile, back on Mount Olympus)
The group of heroes eventually made their way to the very top of the Realm of the Gods where they could see the Apex of the kingdom, though now the summit was completely engulfed in a giant dark cloud.
"Ugh, so much climbing. Please tell me that we're almost done." Beast Boy said as he was the last one to reach the apex.
"Almost guys. Let's get to cover." Robin said. Everyone quickly ducked behind a small pillar that had a torch stand on top of it as they all looked past the gates in front of them to see Hades and the three remaining Titans standing around an imprisoned Zeus and three other gods. The three gods were contained by dark chains while Zeus was encased in a large pillar of ice and lava. Hades sat on a dark throne on the floor as he reveled in his supposed victory.
"Sora, do you, Donald, and Goofy know about the rest of the Titans?" Raven asked.
"I know about the Ice one. I fought him on our first journey." Sora said.
"Alone, mind you." Donald said, making everyone look at the boy in shock.
"You fought that thing alone?!" Cyborg asked.
"I had to. Phil explicitly said no teammates for special matches." Sora said.
"We don't know nothin about the other two." Goofy said.
"Ok, guess we'll have to play at their respective weaknesses. Star, you, and Donald will focus on the Ice Titan. Sora and Raven, you got the Lava one. The rest of you will focus on the Tornado. Any questions?" Robin asked. Everyone shook their heads in agreement with his plan when suddenly they heard a familiar horse neigh.
"Look. It's friend Hercules!" Starfire said as everyone looked in the sky to see Hercules riding Pegasus as he slashed away any flying Heartless coming his way while flying closer to the top.
"Teen Titans, go!" Robin yelled as everyone charged at the gates. As they got closer, they could hear Zeus yelling down at Hades from the pillar.
"I swear to you, Hades, when I get out of this-"Zeus yelled out before being fully encased in the pillar.
"No, I'm the one giving orders now, bolt boy." Hades replied, with a smirk on his face.
"Don't get too comfortable, Hades!" Hercules called out, making Hades sit up on his throne to see the great hero flying around.
"This ends here." Sora spoke up, making the Lord of the Dead look over to see Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Titans standing in the circular apex with weapons at the ready. Hercules flew overhead with a sword drawn and swooped down to cut the chains holding the other Gods, freeing them. Hades roared in anger as his flames changed to red as he turned towards the Titans.
"Get them!" Hades yelled out. The Titans marched over to where the group of heroes were standing, towering over them.
"Um, do we have to take on all three of them?" Beast Boy whimpered in response. Hercules suddenly jumped down from Pegasus and landed next to them in a crouch.
"At least you'll have a true hero's help!" Hercules replied.
"Oh yeah! It's on!" Cyborg yelled. Everyone charged at the Titans but was immediately pushed by a powerful wind from the Tornado Titan. The Ice and Lava Titans shot out beams of their respective elements from their mouths, making the Titans dodge out of the way. The team separated to combat each Titan: Sora and Raven dealt with the Lava Titan, freezing its mouth closed while Starfire carried Donald to blast the Ice Titan with Fire magic, while the rest dealt with the sentient Tornado.
The Lava Titan swung its arms about, sending several fireballs flying toward the two Titans, who dodged out of the way while flying.
"Any ideas?" Raven asked, blocking a fireball with one of her shields.
"Focus on the hardened parts of the lava. That should break it down." Sora said. Raven nodded as they both fired shards of ice at the golem, freezing parts of its body and then destroying them with blasts of light and darkness. The Lava monster reared its head and fired a powerful beam at them.
"Raven, look out!" Sora yelled, moving her out of the way as the lava nearly burnt them.
"Thanks, you okay?" Raven asked.
"Yeah, just might need new clothes later." Sora said, patting out some fires on his clothes. They went back to taking turns slashing the monster's face, eventually breaking the rest of the hardened magma, making the Titan collapse to the ground, and making the apex shake from the impact. Sora and Raven shared a smile as they went to assist with the Air Titan.
Meanwhile, Starfire was carrying Donald with one hand and her keyblade in the other as they used Fire Magic to shoot the Ice Titan as it launched spikes and beams at them.
"It is quite resilient." Starfire commented.
"Sure is. Take us down to the legs and we'll bring it down." Donald said. Starfire nodded and took them lower to avoid another barrage of spikes as they blasted several Firaga spells at the Titan's legs. They took a few more runs at the feet until eventually, the Titan fell to its knees.
"Hey, Starfire! Up here!" Goofy called out from the top of Zeus' pillar, waving his arms at her. She placed Donald and picked up Goofy as they flew in the air.
"Throw me at the Titan!" Goofy said, surprising her.
"Are you certain, Goofy? You could get hurt!" Starfire replied.
"Trust me. I've done this before several times. Just give me a good spin." The knight replied. Starfire reluctantly nodded and spun Goofy around before throwing him right at the Titan. The captain spun through the air like a cannonball with his shield in front of him at the ready as he hit the Ice Titan right in the face, making a loud crack sound echo across the apex as the golem fell to the ground as well. Goofy managed to land safely on the ground as Donald and Starfire ran up to him.
"That makes three, right?" The knight replied rubbing his head. The mage and alien nodded in agreement as they joined the others.
Hercules, Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were forced to use projectiles like explosive discs, rocks, sonic blasts, and other spells to hit the Titan since it kept using powerful gusts of wind to keep them away. Sora, Raven, Donald, Goofy, and Starfire joined up with them.
"Just one Titan now!" Sora exclaimed.
"We can't even get close to this thing!" Beast Boy replied, turning into an elephant to stay put. Suddenly, the Titan started spinning rapidly as the heroes were all lifted into the air and above the clouds. Everyone landed on the clouds and saw the Lava and Ice Titan peeking out over the clouds while the Tornado Titan formed up in front of them.
"Stay close, guys! We got this!" Sora said. They all nodded and charged the Titan, who quickly spun around in the air and shot pieces of broken buildings and debris at the heroes, making them dodge or in Raven's case, use her powers to throw them back, hitting the Titan right in its eyes. Cyborg and Starfire fired beams at the Titan, but they just shot clean through the Tornado, not even visually damaging it, as the Tornado expanded itself to push everyone away in a huge gust of wind.
"How can we even hit this tornado?!" Cyborg asked. Hercules helped him up before going in for a punch at the base of the Tornado, pushing it back.
"Wait until after it attacks. It has to form itself back up." Hercules replied. Cyborg and the others nodded as they waited for any openings to strike at the base of the Titan. Suddenly, the Tornado grew two arms and used them to draw the heroes into the heart of the Tornado. Everyone was scattered among the debris as Sora felt himself flying further and further up until he spun around and started diving back down toward the last Titan. In response, the Tornado started shooting fireballs, ice spikes, and debris at the boy, who quickly maneuvered himself out of the way and performed a powerful stab right into the Titan's face, stunning it for a little as the boy started gliding. The Titan summoned a ring of debris around it, making Sora glide away.
"Gotta get closer!" Sora said, bounding across the debris and started striking the Titan's face. Meanwhile, the Teen Titans, Donald, Goofy, and Hercules managed to regroup on a large piece of debris.
"That was too close! Is everyone here?" Robin asked.
"Wait, where's Sora?" Donald asked. Everyone looked around in concern until they heard debris crashing and they looked to see Sora fighting off the Titan high up in the air.
"Sora!" Raven called out.
"Raven! Starfire! Back him up! We'll get to you soon!" Robin called out. The two girls took off quickly to back up their teammate as Starfire unleashed a torrent of starbolts into the Tornado's face, making it back away, allowing Raven to hit with a debris and magic-infused fist, making the Titan fly away.
"Rae! Star! Is everyone okay?" Sora asked.
"They are. Are you ok?" Starfire asked.
"I'm fine. This thing is tough." Sora replied as the Titan reappeared over the Lava Titan and started launching multiple fireballs at the three. Suddenly, multiple explosions and blasts hit the Titan's face, making it move away from his fellow lava golem. The three continued to strike and blast at the Tornado until it moved the Ice Titan and started shooting spikes at everyone. Sora and Starfire shot huge blasts of fire at it, while Raven summoned her powers into a large raven and launched it toward the Titan with a powerful screech, creating a huge explosion that shook the clouds.
"I keep forgetting you can do that." Sora replied.
"Look, the clouds. They're dissipating." Starfire said and they looked down to see the Apex clearly and the other heroes landing safely on the ground.
"We better get back down there." Raven said. The three of them glide back down to see the Titans regrouping and surrounding them again. Suddenly, the Rock Titan reached from the side of the apex and hoisted itself into the center, making the mountain shake.
"Oh great. Now it's all of them!" Beast Boy groaned.
"Hey, come on! We've taken them all, we can do it again." Cyborg replied.
"Guys, I have an idea. Cover me!" Hercules said, making a break for the large pillar. The Titans tried to stop him, but the group of heroes managed to stop them with Raven, Goofy, and Sora blocking most of the attacks. Hercules managed to reach the top of the pillar and with a little effort, managed to rip it open, freeing Zeus from his prison with a burst of light.
"NOO!" Hades screamed.
"Thank you, my boy." Zeus said to his son. He then summoned multiple lightning bolts to his hands. "Hah! Now, watch your old man work!" The God replied. The Titans looked terrified at Zeus in response.
"Oh, they're in trouble now!" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"Can't wait to see this." Cyborg replied. Zeus launched all his lightning bolts at the Titans, hitting each monster in the head and making them turn tail and run. Hercules watched them go until he noticed the Tornado Titan lagging behind. He made a break for the tornado and managed to grab it by the base, swinging it around to suck up the three other Titans. Hercules then hurled the Tornado Titan right into the sky, eventually exploding in a giant blast of light and fire. Everyone cheered and hugged in celebration while Hades growled in anger.
"I can't believe it! I put eighteen years into that plan, and you've ruined it! You just had to get in my way again, huh keybrat?!" Hades yelled, pointing directly at Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Titans.
"Give it up, Hades! You've never beat Herc, and you never will, no matter how hard you try." Sora said.
"And as long we're here, you'll never conquer any cosmos." Robin said.
"Go on back to the Underworld where you belong." Goofy said.
"Go have the time of your afterlife." Beast Boy joked.
"Enough already! I did not come this far to be ridiculed by Zeusy high and mighty, his little wonderbrat, and a bunch of annoying, meddling, clowns!" Hades erupted in anger. "You know what?! Enough games and enough tournaments; I'll just go ahead and destroy you all!" Hades threatened, getting ready to attack. Sora and the others readied themselves for anything until Hercules spoke up.
"Hades…think about your next move very carefully. You can either go with us or go through the exit." Hercules offered. The God of the Dead glared at Hercules and Zeus before looking back to see Sora, Donald, Goofy, the Teen Titans, and the other imprisoned Gods standing behind him, ready for any fight. Hades let out a breath and cooled down his flames as he made his way to the gate. "Oh, I almost forgot." Hercules said, making Hades stop and turn around, only to be met with an oncoming fist from said hero, knocking the Lord to the ground. "That was for Thebes." Hercules said. Hades groaned and held his cheek in pain as he summoned his dark clouds to teleport away.
"You'll all pay for this! And I have a very, very long memory! Don't forget, I can still dunk your little Nut-Meg in a river of de- "Hades said as he vanished in his clouds, but not before Zeus threw one more lightning bolt through the clouds, getting a satisfying yell of pain from Hades, making everyone laugh in response.
"Well done, son. You truly are a great hero. As are your friends. You all my thanks." Zeus said, making Hercules smile and the group gasped in shock.
"We just got Zeus' thanks!" Beast Boy whispered in excitement.
"Hush now and bow." Robin whispered back as everyone bowed respectfully.
"Thank you…um, your Majesty." Sora said.
"Just Zeus is fine. Now, me and the other Gods must attend to the damage done today. My son will lead you to the exit. I believe you have some business to attend to, young keyblade wielder." Zeus said, surprising Sora.
"You know?" Sora asked.
"I'm a God, my boy. I've known about keyblade wielders for quite a long time, and I've been following you and your friend's journey from the very beginning. Your other friends are new, though from what I witnessed, they are quite the heroes themselves. You have quite the journey ahead of you, my boy but stay true to yourself and you'll shine bright." Zeus said, making everyone smile amongst themselves. "Now, we must get to work. Till we meet again, heroes." Zeus said, walking away with the other Gods. As soon as he was gone, everyone started cheering.
"Hah, take that Phil!" Cyborg exclaimed.
"A glorious honor indeed!" Starfire replied.
(Sometime later, at the gates to the summit)
Everyone made their way out of the Realm of Gods and reached the staircase that led down to the summit. They started running down the steps but stopped when they saw Hercules looking back at the great kingdom.
"Herc, you thinking about going back?" Cyborg asked.
"Are you sure you want to leave all this behind?" Goofy asked.
"Yeah, I mean you got Phil, protecting the town, fighting monsters, and they got gold, cool gods- "Beast Boy said, but was elbowed in the side by Raven.
"But isn't Olympus your home?" Starfire asked.
"And your family too." Donald said. Hercules looks toward Olympus before letting out a sigh.
"I can see my family anytime I want. But if I stayed, I'd have to be apart from the person I love most… And that life would be empty…without her." Hercules said, looking down the stairs and everyone turned to see Megara waiting at the bottom. "I finally know where I belong." Hercules said, running past them and right into her arms. Sora and Raven couldn't help but hold hands at the sight while they and the others smiled and walked down the stairs as Hercules and Megara separated.
"Sora, I know we never got to your question. Do you think I can still help?" Hercules asked. Everyone looked at the boy, who hung his hands behind his head.
"Mmm, it's okay, Herc. I think I'm meant to figure it out for myself. I'll find my strength the same way you found yours. Something to fight for…with all my heart. Huh, looks like you did have the answer all along." Sora said, smiling.
"Well, you've got heart, Sora. Just keep going and I know you'll be stronger than ever." Hercules said.
"And he won't be going alone. We won't let him." Cyborg said, patting Sora on the shoulder.
"Hey, who knows, I might actually be stronger than Herc one day." Sora said.
"Woah, let's not go that far." Hercules said, making everyone laugh.
"There he goes again." Donald replied.
(Meanwhile, back in Thebes)
Maleficent and Pete were in the middle of the courtyard with the big cat digging through the ground with only his hands while the witch stood off to the side, keeping watch for any intruders. This was the second hole that Pete was digging, and they were both hoping for answers.
"Are you sure this box with the Book of Prophecies is for reals? I think that dingbat in black was pulling your leg." Pete asked.
"Be quiet and dig, you imbecile. I must find that Book of Prophecies and make it my own. His words were the only clues we have. We cannot afford to dismiss it without a thorough investigation." Maleficent said.
"I'm just sayin', a shot in the dark ain't gonna get us any closer to-"Pete said, until he hit something, making him exclaim in shock.
"What is it? Have you found something? Show it to me at once, fool." Maleficent demanded, walking closer to the edge of the new hole with intrigue in her eyes.
"Yes sir-eesy, this has gotta be that Pandora's Box flamehead mentioned." Pete said, pulling out a small purple box with a skull emblazoned on the front out from the hole. He held it up to Maleficent, who narrowed her eyes to the box.
"Leave it." Maleficent said, straightening herself out.
"What?! But after all that diggin'?" Pete questioned.
"That is not the box that I desire. We are finished with this world. Come." Maleficent said, walking away. Pete eyed the small box before tossing it back into the hole and running after the witch. Unknown to the two of them, they were being watched from afar by an eyepatch-wearing Organization member.
May your heart be your guiding key." Xigbar said to himself.
(Later, at the Mysterious Tower)
Sora, Donald, Goofy and the Titans stood before Yen Sid's Tower after leaving Olympus and ensuring that everyone was safe.
"I see…besides your new power, you could not regain your former strength." Yen Sid said.
"It's no big deal. I still figured out some things." Sora said.
"Regardless, you will need the power of waking for what is to come, Sora." Yen Sid replied.
"Um, master, may I ask what this waking power is and why it's so important?" Starfire asked.
"The power of waking is an ability one would use to awaken sleeping hearts. These hearts have remained dormant but can still be reached through this power. Without it, we would be unable to reach most of our Guardians. Riku achieved his power from the Mark of Mastery exam and Mickey has had it for some time, but Sora lost it after being captured by Xehanort and nearly coming close to joining the Seekers of Darkness." Yen Sid replied, making Sora look down again.
"It can't be gone forever. Maybe something'll trigger it." Goofy said.
"Like what, exactly?" Sora said, looking down in thought when he suddenly felt someone pinch his elbow, making him yelp in pain. He looked over to see Beast Boy smiling sheepishly.
"Worth a try right?" the changeling replied.
"I think it'll be more complicated than that, BB." Robin said.
"Or perhaps it could be as simple as that." Yen Sid spoke up, making everyone look at him.
"Seriously?" Sora asked.
"Yes, whenever you are in need, magic happens. That is your greatest strength, Sora." The wizard said.
"You make it sound accidental in my case." Sora said, looking down again. Suddenly, they heard a pair of footsteps walking up the stairs and toward the door.
"We're back, Master." Mickey's voice said on the other side, making the Titans go slack-jawed in excitement, specifically Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg.
"I-is that- "Robin said, eyes wide through his mask.
"It can't be! It can't be!" Cyborg said.
"But it could!" Beast Boy said. The door soon opened, allowing Riku and Mickey to walk in.
"Oh, wow. You guys are all here! And-, oh!" Mickey exclaimed, shocked at the Teen Titans. A beat of silence went through the Tower before all excitement broke loose.
"IT'S MICKEY MOUSE!" Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all yelled at once. The three were about to rush him, but Raven quickly created a shield in between the mouse and the three teens, making them bounce off the field and fall to the ground.
"Do. Not. Rush. Him!" Raven warned.
"B-but Raven…it's- "Beast Boy said like a child.
"Is Mickey the Mouse the main icon of- "Starfire asked but was silenced by Raven.
"Keep quiet. All of you." Raven said. Riku and Mickey shared a look of confusion before looking at Sora.
"Sora…who are these people?" Riku asked.
"Um, Riku, Your Majesty, these are my friends from the world I was in. Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg. Guys, this is my best friend, Riku, and King Mickey of Disney Castle." Sora introduced everyone.
"Of course he's king. Who else?" Beast Boy whispered.
"Ok, better question, how and why are they here?" Riku asked again, crossing his arms.
"Hehe, good question…" Sora started.
"Sora, don't you know we can't bring people off their worlds?" Mickey asked.
"Yes, I know Mickey, but that's the thing, they kinda followed me." Sora said. Riku and Mickey shared a look before looking at the boy.
"Did you leave a gate open?" Riku asked.
"He didn't. I already asked him." Goofy said.
"Uh, guys, a little help?" Sora asked. The two girls nodded and raised their hands, but Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg were still too transfixed by Mickey to move.
"Hey, stop gawking at the King!" Donald yelled, snapping everyone out of it.
"Oh sorry, your majesty, It's…just so…nevermind." Robin said as he and the other Titans summoned their keyblades, surprising the two keyblade masters.
"Wha- "Mickey asked.
"Woah!" Riku exclaimed. Sora stood in front of the team with a sheepish smile on his face.
"Um, surprise." The boy replied. He went on to explain how the Titans gained their keyblades and how he trained them properly to wield them. By the end of the story, the two masters were left flabbergasted and impressed by the boy.
"Do not be too hard on Sora. He has trained them to the best of his ability, and they have recently returned from their previous venture and seem to have fared quite well." Yen Sid said.
"Well, this will help with the shortness of helping hands. Well, it's nice to meet you all. Would've been nice to meet you earlier and not have this news dropped on us." Riku said.
"You would've if you waited." Sora snapped back. Everyone introduced themselves one by one while Donald and Goofy stood guard next to Mickey to make sure the boys didn't overwhelm him with attention.
"So, what was this venture you fellas been up to?" Mickey asked.
"We went to Olympus to visit Hercules!" Donald said.
"It was awesome! We fought monsters and giants, climbed mountains, met Zeus-"Beast Boy said.
"We went to see if we could find a way to recover friend Sora's lost power. This waking power." Starfire said.
"Oh, any luck?" Riku asked but was met with a shake of the head from Sora. Raven walked over and took his hand in hers, making the boy smile while Riku raised an eyebrow in thought.
"What a shame. But…honestly…" Mickey said.
"Hhm, we didn't fare any better." Riku said.
"Did ya manage to figure out where Aqua is? Cause Master Yen Sid said that's why you fellas left." Goofy said, causing Sora to suddenly snap to attention.
"Aqua?! As in the Master Aqua with blue hair?!" Sora asked worriedly.
"The same." Mickey said. Those words were enough to bring tears to Sora's eyes, making everyone concerned.
"Dude woah, are you okay?" Beast Boy asked. Sora didn't answer as he swiftly rushed toward Riku and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Please! Tell me you found her! A hint, a clue! Anything!" Sora begged but was answered with a regretful no, making Sora look down as tears fell to the ground.
"We know she made it as far as the beach that you and Riku visited, but that's where the trail ends." Mickey said though that made Sora look up in confusion.
"What beach?" Sora asked.
"The beach we sat at after defeating Xemnas. In the Realm- "Riku said but was interrupted by Sora.
"Of Darkness…" Sora trailed off, realizing what his friend was implying. "You mean that she's been trapped in the Realm of Darkness this whole time?!" He yelled, angrily.
"Yes." Mickey said, looking down. Sora looked down feeling several emotions run through his body before another question came out, almost uncontrollably.
"How long?" Sora whispered.
"What?" Riku asked.
"How long has she been in there?" He asked again.
"Sora…" Robin said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, but it was ignored.
"How…long?" Sora asked. The two masters shared a look before letting out a breath.
"11 years." Mickey replied. Everyone could see the anger flash through the boy's face in response.
"11 years?! ELEVEN! You're telling me that she's been in the Realm of Darkness for that long! H-have you all know about this! Am I the only one who didn't know about her?!" Sora yelled, pointing at everyone but the Titans in the room. The team in question watched their friend in worry as he ranted at the others.
"No, Sora." Donald said, worried.
"We just found out recently." Goofy said. Riku walked up and placed a hand on Sora's shoulder.
"I was just as angry as you when Mickey told us." Riku replied, but that just made the boy glare back at the king.
"Mickey told you?! You knew?!" Sora said, through gritted teeth. Mickey reluctantly looked down and sighed.
"Yes, I saw her. When I went to get the Keyblade of darkness, I happened upon her so to speak. She helped me find it and the door to Kingdom Hearts." Mickey said.
"But-but you got out! You and Riku! Why didn't she?! Did she- did you leave her behind?!" Sora yelled.
"No, Sora. They were fighting a powerful Heartless when they spotted me running to the door. The Heartless started coming after me but Aqua managed to contain it long enough to protect me. But it broke out again and took her away, leaving only me and Mickey behind." Riku replied. Sora looked down with anger still clear in his eyes until Yen Sid spoke up.
"Try to understand, Sora. I forbid Mickey from telling you and Riku what happened to Aqua so that we wouldn't lose you both to the darkness in a fruitless attempt at rescue." Yen Sid said.
"Fruitless?! But it wouldn't have been! We were both there! At the exact place where her trail was lost! If we knew about her then, we could've- why didn't you tell us!?" Sora yelled at the wizard, who simply closed his eyes. Sora looked around the room for anybody to answer but got nothing as tears appeared in his eyes. "You should've done more!" Sora yelled in Mickey's direction as he opened the door leading outside and slammed it shut, making everyone flinch. Everyone stared in concern at the door after the boy's outrage.
(Outside the Tower)
Sora sat on the small steps of the Tower, looking out into the vast stars while holding the small picture from his necklace in his hands. He wiped away some tears from his eyes as they were replaced with new ones as he tried to calm down.
"We were right there. We could've…I could've…you would be here now." Sora said, looking at the picture. He heard the door close behind him and he turned to see Raven standing there.
"Hi." She said.
"Oh, *sniff* hi." he said, wiping his tears as he put the picture away and she took a seat next to him. "I'm sorry if I scared you guys in there, I was just so…" Sora said, barely able to contain all the emotions flowing through him right now.
"It's ok, you don't need to apologize. It's just…weird seeing you be angry." Raven said, taking his hand.
"I know, it's odd for me too. It's just…I wish Yen Sid or Mickey told us, so that we could've saved her. We were right there and if we saw her, we could've gotten her out. Then she would've been here to help us and…" Sora trailed off.
"You would've had your mom back." Raven finished, making the boy nod in agreement. "From how you guys described the realm, it sounds dangerous the more time you spend in it. Like when you guys were trapped in my head. It sounded like you had to find a way out before something happened to you two." Raven said.
"I know…it's just- "Sora said, but Raven squeezed his hand to stop him.
"Right now, the best thing we can do is focus on the now, not what we could've done. Right now, she needs you and your friends. She spoke. Sora smiled and squeezed back in response.
"Thanks Rae." Sora said as he pulled out the picture again.
"Do they know? About her being your mom?" Raven asked.
"I don't know. I don't think Riku knows, but I don't know about Yen Sid or Mickey. I don't even know if I should tell them. I know I ranted about them keeping a secret but…I don't know the full story myself. I feel like I should wait until we get her out of the Realm and then we tell them." Sora said.
"Are you sure?" Raven asked. Sora looked down at the picture before nodding. "OK, I think the others are waiting on us for the rest of the news. Did you need more time out here?" She asked.
"No, I think I'm ready." Sora said, as they slowly got up and made their way back up to the top of the Tower.
"Sora!" Everyone said in concern upon seeing the boy.
"Are you okay?" Riku asked.
"Yeah, man you scared us!" Cyborg said. Raven walked over and started explaining everything to them.
"I'm fine, everyone. I'm sorry if I worried you." Sora said.
"It's okay, Sora." Goofy said, placing a comforting hand on the boy.
"You can never worry us." Donald said. Sora smiled and walked up to Mickey and Yen Sid.
"Forgive me, Master. I…shouldn't have shouted at you both. I was just…very hurt to hear about this." Sora said, bowing.
"Do not worry, Sora. You have a great desire to help those in need and to hear about this now would take a toll on anyone with such a selfless heart." Yen Sid said.
"We shouldn't have kept this from you for so long. We should've told you sooner. But I had to respect the choice she made to stay behind." Mickey said.
"A little sooner would've been nice. But I understand why, for our safety. It's…just gonna take some time for me." Sora said.
"Of course, Sora, and thank you…for understanding." Mickey said.
"So, um…where were we before Sora's big blow up?" Beast Boy asked.
"Any traces of Aqua vanish into the great abyss, beneath the realm of darkness." Mickey said.
"Does that mean…she's gone?" Donald asked.
"No. Sora was dragged into the abyss too. And I managed to save him. So, if we manage to find someone close to Aqua, they could make the dive and reach her." Riku surmised. Sora's eyes widened at the mention of someone close until Mickey spoke up with a shake of his head.
"I'm not even sure who's left to ask. Ventus is hidden and Aqua's the only one who knows where and nobody has seen Terra in ages." Mickey said and Sora felt his heart tug at the mention of his father.
"Terra?!" The Titans spoke up.
"He means a different Terra, guys." Sora said, making everyone relax.
"So, then she's gonna be the key to finding the others?" Robin asked.
"Yes. Their teacher, Master Eraqus, would have been another possibility, had Xehanort not mercilessly struck him down." Yen Sid said.
"Is that what happened to him?" Sora asked and Yen Sid nodded. Sora felt another tug on his heart, making him place a hand over his chest before a smile came to his face.
"I'll save her!" Sora suddenly spoke up, surprising everyone.
"Uh, Sora, I believe you cannot with the waking power." Starfire said, snapping Sora out of it.
"Huh? Sorry…I had no idea where that came from." Sora said, rubbing his hair.
"Well, you almost had us convinced." Raven replied.
"Sora, for now, you and your friends must focus on protecting the worlds from Xehanort and regaining the power of waking. Mickey and Riku, I task you with going to the worlds Master Aqua visited and see if you could find someone who may have that link we need." Yen Sid said.
"Good plan, Master. We'll retrace her steps and see what we can find, but first…we got hit hard in the realm of darkness." Mickey said.
"Mickey's keyblade was damaged and the Heartless broke mine in half." Riku said, shocking the Titans.
"I didn't even know that was possible. Did you?" Cyborg whispered.
"No idea." Robin said.
"So, we're gonna need to get replacements before we move on." Mickey said.
"In that case, meet up with Kairi and Lea. The wizard Merlin is currently training them in the use of the keyblade." Yen Sid said, shocking Sora.
"Kairi's training?! With a keyblade?!" Sora asked.
"At this point, are you shocked?" Beast Boy asked.
"Yes, Sora, she is." Yen Sid said as he waved his hand, making three briefcases appear on his desk from clouds of smoke. "Mickey, please deliver these two sets of clothes to them. Special vestments to shield Kairi and Lea from the darkness. The same ones I gave you." Yen Sid said, pointing at a black and red case.
"You got it, master." Riku said as they took the cases. Yen Sid then moved a single black case onto the desk.
"This one is for you, Sora. A gift from the three good fairies. There is also a gift from Chip and Dale inside." Yen Sid said. Sora ran up to the case and took it in his hands.
"Ooh, new digs. Sweet!" Beast Boy replied.
"You guys went all out for me on this one. Thank you." Sora said.
"Now, just one more thing." Yen Sid said. Everyone looked confused until a small little cricket wearing a hat, suit, and holding an umbrella jumped onto the small table.
"Don't forget about me!" the cricket yelled out.
"Jiminy!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy yelled together. Beast Boy was about to shout Raven blocked his mouth again.
"Are you gonna do that all the time?" He asked.
"As long as you don't shout out that you know them from movies." Raven said.
"Please, how do you know about this little cricket?" Starfire asked.
"Oh, Jiminy's been with us from the very beginning, keeping track of all of our journeys in his journal." Sora said.
"That's right. Every journey worth going on needs a cricket to keep track of everything." Jiminy replied as he leaped onto Sora's shoulder.
"It's good to have the team back!" Donald replied and everyone cheered.
"One last thing, Sora. I wish for you to have this." Yen Sid said, waving his hand. Suddenly, a small charm appeared in Sora's hand with a heart-shaped emblem carved into a dark purple stone.
"What is this?" Sora asked, confused.
"That is a Heartbinder. Think of it as a good luck charm made just for you. You have a natural gift of connecting with others, Sora and this will make that gift stronger." Yen Sid replied. Sora nodded and grasped the charm tighter in his hand. "For you, Teen Titans, I wish I could give you such gifts, but it would be some time until anything is ready." The wizard said.
"Don't worry master. I speak on behalf of us that we are just fine for now. If we can help Sora, that's all that matters." Robin said as everyone nodded in agreement.
"Now it's time for us to go!" Mickey said. Everyone bowed before Yen Sid and made their way to the door. Sora was the last to leave and was about to open the door until he heard something.
"May your heart be your guiding key." Master Yen Sid whispered. Sora smiled and made his way out of the Tower as the two groups left in two separate Gummi Ships for their next adventures.
And that is the end of Olympus! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and hopefully, it didn't take too long for you. I was hoping to get this out on Halloween so I could wish you all a happy 31st, but the ending turned out to be much longer than anticipated. But anyway, I hope you're all having a great November so far and that you're staying safe as 2023 comes to an end…ah jeez already? Now, onto the reviews:
Karsap: Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter my friend.
XenoBlaze: That will honestly be the hard thing to write. Have to capture everyone's reaction perfectly. Glad you enjoyed the update.
NinjaFang1331: Thank you my friend. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Althea Sirius: They sure do, and this is just the tip of the iceberg in how crazy things get.
Cman6465: Thank you my friend. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
Guest1: At this point, no. You'll see my friend. Don't want to spoil anything.
Outlawchrono: When I was writing, I thought it was interesting for the person inhabiting Sora's body to have the blade, but now…may have to go fix that or something.
Khy Dragon: Funny, but not character accurate.
QuintinFMA: If I ever did, that's probably exactly how'd I do it. But man, would the TTG Titans go nuts over his arrival.
Logan: Well, it's not like I made an M-rated story with lemons and such. I'm trying to make a good story with accurate character depiction. If you play the game, you'll see that Sora does not engage in anything that involves asexuality. He only has one love interest and that's Kairi and it's not until KH3 that they become an official couple. I'm sorry if I couldn't keep you reading but I can't please everyone by trying to keep to these stories, add in little ideas, and stay true to the characters.
Arturwho: Yep, the build-up is insane, my friend. Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter.
As always, thank you all so much for reading my stories and keeping me going. You're all my inspiration and I hope you're all taking care of yourselves. If you enjoyed my stories, please favor and follow them so you can stay up to date on new chapters. If you have any ideas or opinions, please leave a review or PM me at any time and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you all so much, and I'll see you in the next chapter. Peace out!
