Disclaimer: See Chapter 12
Word Count: 2,284 (13 of 18)
Sophia Martina Lopez had been preparing for this occasion for a decade. She'd struggled to reconcile the history passed down in her family, their exile from the mysterious Clans, and their struggle to carve out a civilization in the Yucatan jungle, with the history written by archeologists digging in their sacred cities. Today was the day when it had been prophesied that they would be allowed to return to the Clans.
Almost two thousand years had passed, and the stories of what this meant were often vague and impenetrable. And some of the family elders weren't sure anything would happen at all, given the destruction of their remaining society by the Europeans over the last few centuries. It was possible their gods would take one look at their destroyed cities or see the tourists crawling all over them like poisonous ants, and turn their backs.
She shouldn't have been the only high priestess to visit Chichen Itza on this fateful morning, but her cousin, the only other hereditary High Priestess left in the Society, had mysteriously disappeared years ago. For company, she had her cousin's mother, head Clan Witch Woman, and the local witch women of the Society of the Dragon. They would spread the word of whatever happened here, be it her death at the hands of their angry gods or just an angry argument with some stupid American hoping for an apocalypse.
When they came within sight of the entrance to the city, she wondered if her death wasn't immanent after all. Instead of a city, there was a large silver dome. And armored creatures standing guard.
"Now what?" she whispered to her aunt. Before she could reply, another creature appeared. "They are wearing the colors of the Clan gods," she said.
"We go forward," her aunt said. "This is our duty."
The witch women shifted nervously around them when several more creatures appeared with the others for a moment, before disappearing and silently reappearing on either side of them.
"They are not demons," the witch woman from Merida said softly. "This is technology. It looks like something from one of those cartoons my son watches."
"The Clans have returned?" Sophia asked hopefully.
"Someone has returned," her aunt said. "You must be brave."
Sophia nodded, straightening her back and attempting to appear like the High Priestess she'd been training to be. She managed to suppress her surprise when two more of these creatures appeared in front of them.
"The city is currently closed," the one wearing designs Sophia knew she should recognize, said. "Visitors will be welcome when we complete renovations," the clearly female voice said.
It took Sophia a few seconds to realize she'd been told this in the private language of the Clans, an old dialect of Classic Maya. She tried to hold in her excitement. "Honored being, may we talk with the leader of your people?" she asked.
"You are talking with her," the figure said.
"The Head of your Clan," Sophia said.
"I am the Hands of the Nine," the figure said, her tone changing slightly to the more formal court phrasing that Sophia had last heard when she was made Head Priestess. "What may this one assist you with?"
"Quinn?" Brittany said, cutting in on the channel reserved for her. "Could you pan down to the short woman to the tall one's left."
"Sure," she sub-vocalized. "Why?"
"Did you ever meet Santana's mother?"
"Once, maybe. She was always traveling or working," Quinn said.
"She looks a little older, but that is the spitting image of her," Brittany said.
"Santana?" Quinn asked over the other channel. There was silence. "Rachel? What's going on?"
"Uh... Quinn?" Rachel said. "Santana ran out of here, yelling something about cousins and lying mothers."
"Cousins?" Quinn said. "Brittany says one of our visitors looks like Santana's mother. She didn't say anything about a cousin."
"Brittany?"
"Yes, Quinn?"
"What's Santana's mother's name?"
"Maribel Lopez," she said.
"Can you do something about Santana? I don't want her down here until things are stable."
"She wouldn't do that," Brittany said. "She's probably in her room. I'll talk her down while you deal with the local situation."
"Thanks. Rachel?"
"Yes, Quinn?"
"Please stay on the line. If this is family, things might get a little tricky," Quinn said. "I might need your advice, as our expert on Clan relationships."
Sophia wondered why things had seemed to abruptly stop. The goddess of the Nine had appeared to pause, almost as if having a conversation with someone else.
"You have names?" the Clan goddess asked, her attention focus on them again.
"Sophia Martina Lopez, Priestess of the Society of the Dragon," she said.
"Maribel Lopez, Head Witch Woman of the Society of the Dragon," her aunt said. Sophia tuned out the rest, as they gave their ceremonial names.
"Your names shall be entered into our visitor rolls," the other figure said, after they'd finished. "You may return in two weeks to meet with the Nine. Sorry," she said, nodding to her leader, "Our Hand wishes you to know that only four of the Nine will be available at that time."
"I thank you for your consideration," Sophia said formally, nodding to the goddess of the Hands, the warrior goddess of the Nine gods. As she started to turn around, a fifth figure suddenly appeared standing next to the goddess, dressed in completely different armor from the others. They appeared to speak, though Sophia couldn't hear a word.
"Brit? What are you doing here?" Quinn asked, when Brittany suddenly appeared at her side. "Shouldn't you be with your team?" She didn't mention how fast she would have been going to get to Chichen Itza from Cancun so quickly, something none of her troopers could manage in their own hard suits without risking serious injury. Brittany liked to have her secrets and the design of her hard suit was one of them.
"I promised San I would make sure her mother was okay," Brittany said.
"Now? She couldn't wait until we meet with them in a week or two?" Quinn said, mentally shaking her head.
"She was going to come herself," Brittany said. "But we really need her focusing on the Fleet and not getting emo."
"Oh," Quinn said, surprised. "What's wrong with the Fleet? None of the Earth governments have space combat capabilities. And won't for centuries if we don't give it to them."
"She didn't want to worry you. Long range scans are showing some activity on the outer edge of the solar system," Brittany said. "She's sent a flight to check it out."
"The Enemy isn't here early, is it?" Quinn asked, quickly flashing a roll call status check to all of her teams, telling them to be extra alert.
"No," Brittany said. "She's just being cautious. The Enemy is known to seed systems it plans to invade with spy ships and other devices. And we really don't want them to know we're aware of them."
"Okay," Quinn said. "So, what are your plans?"
"I'm just going to go say hello," she said, turning towards the Priestesses. "Don't worry," Brittany added.
"Rachel?" Quinn said, mentally rolling her eyes.
"Yes?"
"Cross your fingers, and toes," Quinn muttered. "'Don't worry' is Brit-speak for 'I'm gonna do something extremely naughty'"
"Noted," Rachel said. "Should I go find Santana?"
"Won't help. Besides, Brit has managed to find something to distract her from running down here. Wouldn't want to ruin that."
"Okay," Rachel said. "I'm sure it'll be fine."
"Not counting on it," Quinn said. "All of my teams are on extra alert right now."
"You'll wear them out," Rachel protested.
"No, they're trained for this kind of thing. My girls are really tough," Quinn said. "I'd rather be prepared than be surprised."
Sophia halted her retinue when the newest figure turned and looked in their direction. She glanced at the two armored figures flanking them. They hadn't moved. She nervously waited. The figure ignored her and approached her aunt. It stood there for a minute before lifting its hands to its head. There was an audible click, and the figure removed its head, which seemed to be a helmet of some sort.
Sophia heard her normally stoic aunt gasp at the face that was revealed. It appeared to be an exceptionally beautiful blonde.
"Hey, Mama Lopez," the woman said, with a small grin.
Her aunt stared for a long, long minute before desperately grabbing the armor covered woman in a hug. "Brittany Pierce! You're alive! Where is my daughter!" she said. "Is she here now?" she asked quickly glancing at the other armored figures.
"Santana is doing fine," this Brittany said, grinning happily. "She's occupied right now, and couldn't get away."
"Is this your doing?" her aunt asked, waving at the tall, silver dome. "What is going on?"
"We can explain when you meet with the Council of the Nine," Brittany said. "But you can't tell anyone you've seen me," the blonde said. "No one can know," she repeated.
"You are one of the Nine?" Sophia asked, when it struck her what was happening. "Where is my cousin? She was supposed to be here with us!"
"You must be Santana's not so little anymore cousin Sophia," the blonde said. "Santana has a very important job to do. She couldn't get away."
"Brittany," Sophia's aunt said. "Please answer the question. Are you one of the Nine? And why isn't Santana with you?"
"Do you know who the Nine really are?" Brittany asked. "What our purpose is?"
"If you are one of the Nine, you are our guardian goddesses," Sophia said. "The protectors who will judge us to see if we are worthy to rejoin the Clans."
"Goddess is such a relative term," Brittany said. "You've met the Hands of the Nine." She waved at the figure who'd told them to leave. "Otherwise known as Q," she said, winking at Sophia's aunt, who looked startled at that information. "I am the Shadow of the Nine," the blonde said. "And San is the Breath of the Nine. So, obviously not goddesses." She smirked.
"The gods must have been crazy," Sophia's aunt said, shaking her head in disbelief, "to give my daughter such power."
"She handles it very well," Brittany said. "She's worked very hard to get where she is now."
"And the other Nine?" Sophia asked, worried at the implications that the Nine were truly in play, even if this one did not consider herself a goddess. The Return was truly at hand, she decided. She would need to meditate to understand the truth of the Return if it was happening in this unexpected way.
"Not all of the Nine are available, Santana's cousin," the blonde said, giving her a serious look. "We have the Hands," she pointed at the other figure, "the Shadow," she said, tapping herself, "the Memory", she waved vaguely at the sky, "and your cousin, the Breath."
"What does it mean?" Sophia asked. "You said you aren't gods."
"Come back in two weeks, when you're summoned, and we'll explain," she said.
"Is the other girl, the other missing one, one of the Nine," Santana's mother asked.
"That would be telling," Brittany said, laughing, and kissing her on the cheek. "But you'll meet her at the same time."
"The People need to know what is happening to their ancestral lands," Sophia said.
"You'll be summoned in two weeks," Brittany repeated. "Pip and Squeak will escort you home today, and return for you when we're ready." She pointed at the two figures to either side. "Remember, don't tell anyone what you've seen. And Mama Lopez?" she leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"Yes, Brittany?" Sophia's aunt said.
"There are two men you might know, the Berry's. They arrived in Cancun the day before yesterday and are staying at one of the guest houses near the beach. Please bring them with you when you return. And, one of the Ladies Fabray, and a friend, is also staying there. Ask them to join us, if they are willing."
Santana's mother simply nodded before turning to the others. "Come, we have work to do," she said.
"What is going on?" Sophia asked her aunt, who almost seemed to glow, as they quickly headed back to the Meeting Place. "Who is that woman?"
Her aunt looked at the others, and their escort, before speaking softly. "When my daughter disappeared, she was with three others, from her school. Her girlfriend, Brittany Pierce; the head cheerleader from their school, Quinn Fabray; and a singer from the local singing group they belonged to, Rachel Berry. Brittany's parents didn't seem overly upset at her disappearance, but the Berrys took it very hard. They offered a reward, an outrageous number. The fourth girl? Her parents didn't seem to care but her older sister hasn't given up looking."
"And now they've shown up here? As members of the Nine," Sophia said. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know, but I will do anything these people ask to see my daughter again," Maribel Lopez stated. "I know you didn't wish for this burden, Sophia, to be the last Priestess in our line. My daughter's return won't change that fate, I fear. I suspect she has already been claimed by our gods for some more important task."
"Do you think this is our return to the clans?" Sophia asked. "If Cousin Santana is now one of the Nine?"
"If this is really my Santana, then yes," Maribel said. "But first we must find these people and bring them with us."
"I have a friend who works at one of these places in Cancun," Sophia said. "We will start there."
"Good."
Note: Maribel Lopez is the canon name for Santana's mother. But since we really know almost nothing else about her other than she believed in Santana, she's essentially an OC in this story. Santana's cousin is a complete OC. One of the few with more than a bit part. She'll be important later in Book II.
Next: We meet some spies. And Brittany has plans for them.