Chapter 78: Journey to the Lost City
With their previous mission a success, it would have been a time to relax, but now everyone was on edge with worry. Right after returning from the Kaiju realm, they have learned of another possible player, this wasn't the first time when they learned to have been intervened by another from Cloud Tower that helped the Twix get the second codex piece.
This news became more dire and could pose a problem for the heroes with enough problems.
The keyblade masters and their friends were in the building and thought of the current events.
Riku was the first to speak up about what everyone was thinking"This is starting to get more complicated, we had to deal with the Trix finding the pieces, then finding the artifacts that could start a war, and now we just started to realize the competition is more complicated."
"Any idea who these new foes are?" Leon thought if any of them had a good look at them, he thought Sora had a chance when he fought one of them.
Sora sighs. "All I know is that this one was big, like a giant. And carried a heavy gun."
Tifa blinked and looked at her friends, even sharing the same look with Yuffie and Cid upon the description as if it was familiar to them, or at least something they thought of. "A giant with a heavy gun?"
"Nah, can't be him. He's been dead for years, our pall Vinny took him out, remember?" Yuffie told her.
The keybladers were silent, uncertain of who they were talking about. "Anyone care to fill us in?" Lea asked them.
Tifa felt embarrassed to not fill them in. "Sorry, we were thinking of the events many years ago other than dealing with the Heartless. Back when there were other foes like Sephiroth but stronger ones as well."
"Yeah, like the Tsviets." Yuffie pointed.
"Who? Never heard of them?" Xion was unfamiliar with that group.
Cid offered to fill them in on the details. "A group of powerful soldiers that were part of the Deepground military and had their genes spliced by a powerful warrior named Genesis Rhapsodos, they were a bit like Cloud but granted special unique abilities and far more than human."
"So they were somewhat like supersoldiers?" Sora could easily picture them so powerful, and surprised he never fought them in the past. "How were they defeated?"
"By an old friend of ours, Vincent Valentine," Tifa said. "Someone who never stays around much like Cloud but with a more mysterious past. But I'm sure that will come another time."
"And that time is like the present with the situation in our hands. Like being more ready for whatever our enemies will do in their next move. We only have two artifacts to find and two more final fragments in Magix." Terra was thinking of the situation at hand. "We should help them out at least, the kids may be strong but they have yet to face other enemies like we have."
"We just hope they don't go through the suffering and loss like we all did, remember?" Ventus reminded his old friend of what happened to them.
Terra closed his eyes and remembered how he was made a vassal to his former master for many years. Feels a hand holding his and turns to see Aqua, giving him a comforting smile and resting her head on his shoulder. How the three of them had once lost each other and yet found a way back together again.
The same thing for Sora when he used a forbidden technique and thought he would never see his friends again, most importantly, Kairi after restoring her to life at a high price. They almost lost Riku to the darkness, but he was able to pull through in the end. He didn't want that to happen to his son, not again even after they almost lost him.
"But if we do that, then how will they learn from their experiences?" Mickey pointed out. "They've also lost but still pulled through, even for the Winx such as Bloom finding out where she came from and still determined to restore Domino."
"She has shown determination, something each of us had when we were their age." Roxas agrees with the king. "And you're right but that doesn't mean we can't just sit by and not help them. We still need to find a way to stop this Darkar character and Kefka."
They found out about Kefka's possible past, as well as new clues, yet still wondered if he had any powers of a god as some claimed him to be. Demonstrate to everyone that he was powerful, unpredictable, and cunning to his enemies. Everyone would need to be cautious and vigilant the next time they confronted him again, yet, on the bright side, the Trix remained oblivious that Taren has a second half of the Dragon Flame, but eventually will find out and need to train him to use it should they go after him.
Entering the room unannounced was Merlin, the great wizard himself. "Oh, pardon my intrusion, everyone, just thought to drop by and inform you all that we just found the last two Kaiju artifacts."
"You have?" Sora shot up from his chair, amazed by the news. "That's great news! We should get the others ready.
They noticed Merlin scratching his beard and continued speaking. "Uh, I would wait for a moment, dear boy. Finding them was easy. It's the journey that's the hard part."
They were uncertain what he was talking about. Surely this mission couldn't be that hard. Right?
After the heroes returned from the Kaiju Realm, they told their friends of what happened on their adventures and couldn't believe it when they heard that Greymon gained an Ultimate level form and fought a powerful Digimon that was summoned by a mysterious adversary who called himself 'Cerulean' and proved. Sky even had a photo on his phone to prove it, everyone was awed and amazed. Tecna was already updating the research data on the Digimon ultimate levels.
Yet, as she did so, the Fairy of Technology couldn't help herself in indulging looking into more of the Ebon Hawk, to know of its origins since the keybladers first brought it to Magix. While it was outside the school grounds for obvious reasons, she found the perfect moment to take a look at it inside.
Peaking around in the Red Fountain's landing bay to find the ship's hatch open, she was surprised but learned it was occupied. She noticed a man coming out of the hatch, not familiar with who he was, but appeared to be middle-aged and had some mixed gray and blonde hair with a beard. He rubbed his hands with a dirty cloth and looked rugged.
"Would have been much easier to sort out this ship with the tools back home." The man muttered, flicking the toothpick from his mouth. "But if they got more advanced tech, I guess it would be easier. Now better find Leon, and the others before we head off."
She recognized his facial features and the photos of his younger self, Cid Highwind. A member of the Traverse Town Restoration Committee according to her research on them. Despite her attempts to ask him so much about the ship, the man simply told her not to touch anything or to stay out of trouble.
It's not like she didn't want to get into trouble, but her curiosity about the ship with systems to work was too much to ignore. She wanted to study it and conduct some research on the ship and maybe find some way to get some of the systems such as its navigation and available data operational again. Provided they haven't corroded over long periods in space.
With Highwind making his leave without knowing she was present, the magenta-haired teen saw this as an opportunity to sneak on board the Ebon Hawk. She wanted to use this chance to take a quick look around, ready to analyze the ship and gather what she could learn about it.
Yet she stopped on her way to the main hall, greeted by the sound of tinkering that was coming, Tecna's eyes widened in surprise as she saw a familiar face. "Timmy?" she exclaimed, recognizing the genius specialist who was underneath the circular table.
"Ow!" She got her answer when Timmy appeared startled and hit his head, rubbing his head, and looked up from his work, his eyes widening in shock as he saw Tecna. "Tecna! What are you doing here?" He asked a hint of excitement in his voice. "Does Mr Highwind
Caught off guard by his question, a faint flush appeared on her cheeks. "Uh, I was… just checking out the Ebon Hawk-wait, what are you doing here?" Tecna wanted to know why he was on the ship in the first place
"Mr. Highwind was looking for some help, so I offered my help to fix the engine and figure out how this ship works. " Timmy answered her question, turning around and facing the rounded table. "They've been studying this tech since it was found drifting through space, and have been replacing some of the parts for more workable components."
Tecna walks over to his side and looks at the table. "So what did you find?"
"I think it could be a holoprojector, I thought by reactivating it and updating its data with our maps." Timmy began typing away on the buttons and a holo projection was flickering, but it appears to be having a hard time keeping the image working. "Seems to need some bit of work. He said to be coming back with some parts that could work."
"Maybe I could help." She couldn't resist a challenge and maybe help the boy with whom she started to harbor feelings, knowing Cid was out, and decided to take over to do her tech magic. "Hmm, so far it looks very primitive but advanced. Wait, I think this could work."
"What the hell's going on here?!"
Timmy jumped and saw a very annoyed Cid who just came back unexpectedly. Tecna was too focused on her work to even be aware. "Uh, Mr. Highwind, s-sir, I can explain."
"I thought I made it clear, kid when I let you help me out, and that is to keep off the rest without my guidance! Who knows what could happen? This ship could have exploded or shot right out into a star or another planet. This ship is not for messing around." While Cid was a little reluctant to accept help from a teenager who was considered intelligent according to his headmaster, but had to take whatever help he could get. He didn't expect to have more kids messing around with what they don't know.
"I know, but Tecna is-"
"Done!"
The two stopped their arguing and noticed the projector was functioning normally without problems. Tecna stood up, wiping her hands with a smile on her face. "It wasn't that hard, but now I have it running normally."
Cid was silent as he was stunned by her work. "Wait, you fixed it? Well, I'll be damned." He had to give her some credit.
Tecna took it as a compliment. "It's nothing like the ships back on Zenith, but I'm amazed you guys got some of it still running, especially its Hyperdrive I noticed required tinkering." The Holo image showed them several planets. "With this operation, we can now navigate our way to almost anywhere."
"Tecna, that's amazing!" Timmy's praise made Tecna blush and bashful.
"Uh, t-thanks, I better go check on the others, I'll talk to you later, Timmy." She dashed off to join her friends before Timmy could say anything.
Cid resumed his work to check the results of her work. "Gotta say, kid, that girlfriend of yours is a real techno wiz."
"Yeah….wait. What?!" Timmy's face went red to have Tecna assumed to be his girlfriend.
Mirta sat beside her Digimon, alongside Agumon who recently regained his rookie level after getting plenty of food for his strength, and also Gomamon while they munched on the food. Piff seems to be sitting alongside Salamon, napping as she was sleeping. Watching a spar between Layla and Taren, the fairy of Waves was giving it her all, generating a sword when fighting against the keyblader.
The pink blade clashed with his but threw her off, yet she kept her stance and gave all she had to get stronger. The fairy's sword then changed into a shield to block his horizontal slash but pushed her back a little.
Taren pulled back to catch his breath, but not showing signs of slowing down. "Not bad. You seem to have gotten better."
Layla took his words as a compliment and appreciated it. "Thanks, gotta be ready for anything, especially to protect the pixies from Darkar, the Trix, or any other monsters."
"Just remember to not hold back." Taren firmly grips the blade and takes a defensive stand as Layla takes the sky for distance, using a long-range attack with pink orbs shot at him. Taren stabs his keyblade into the ground to use Quake to take hits.
Mirta was amazed and watched every moment of it. Even more amazed that Taren's Digimon partner gained a new level like Ben's Gabumon when they fought a powerful Digimon in the Kaiju realm. She had to admit, it was really brave of him to fight something that terrifying and go all the way to protect his friends.
There was no doubt Mirta had gotten better herself, even asked her father how to use a chakram, which he was surprised by, and yet saw more of him in her now. No longer the terrified girl, thanks to her friends who inspired her, she was improving more as a fairy than a fairy, but still partly a witch.
Clearing through the debris, Taren found that his opponent was nowhere in sight, searching for any sign of her.
"Heads up!"
Layla took him by surprise with a large pink net spread out around, but he quickly jumped out of its path. Thinking she missed, only to be tackled by the fairy's boot and landed roughly on the ground. Rubbing the sour spot on his chest and looking up at Layla with a grin on her face to catch him by surprise. "That's a point for me."
"Well, gotta admit, that was a nice move to catch me by surprise." Taren grunted and pulled himself up, but accepted her help. Taking in the fact she was improving a bit more.
"If I was stronger to beat the Trix and Darkar, I could perhaps protect the Pixie Village." She still worries for the wellbeing of the pixies and fears the dark forces would learn where they are hiding, but also her parents back home if they get hurt. This is why she wanted to take up the training alongside the Specialists and the Keybladers and spend most of the time training with Taren who was available, Mal and Mirta were also helpful, given they were from Cloud Tower and knew much more about them than anyone other than the Winx.
"Yeah, but one thing is you're not dealing with any Trix, or Darkar, might even face those who wield weapons like a keyblade. Like this!" Taren surprised her by casting a Stop spell on her before she had time to respond to his surprise attack. Taking this chance to walk towards her and pointed his keyblade towards her chest by the time she moved again.
Seeing his move and being outsmarted, admitting defeat and raising her hands. "Well, guess I didn't see that coming."
"Yeah, but you're improving, which is good." Taren gave some words to build her confidence while Mirta came over to them.
"That was great, you guys." Mirta congratulated them.
Despite her encouraging words, Layla didn't seem to believe so. "Yeah, but is it enough against more powerful enemies? We lost three of the codex pieces to the Trix, one we would have succeeded if we were prepared. I'm worried about the Pixies if they get captured again, or their home village could be attacked. I'm also worried for my parents, they'd probably be worried sick about me." She might think she wasn't good enough for all this or not prepared.
"Hey, no one would have known what could have happened. At least none of you were hurt." Taren tries to make her feel better, he can understand how she must be feeling. Maybe not all of it, but reminded himself after receiving his keyblade. "Besides you're not the only one, a lot of us had some struggles. Bloom originally thought she wouldn't be a good fairy, but proved us wrong when she kicked Icy's ass."
Mirta heard about his past and how he, Mal, and Ben had a rough start when they got taken from their homes to train. "Yeah, I also started to become better as a fairy than a witch. Even started to go on adventures with the Winx and the keybladers."
It helped her gain more confidence in herself with her friends and finally found the courage to face the Trix, even if she got turned into a pumpkin, yet was worth it and luckily her father didn't ground her for doing something that could have gotten her hurt.
"Besides, I somehow get how you are feeling, I sometimes worry for my family too. Even though I wouldn't have expected to follow in their footsteps to do some good, but somehow able to wield a keyblade." Taren admitted, earning the surprise from Layla.
She did however recall the story told by the girls and how they met the keyblade wielders,it must have been terrible to be taken from their homes and yet they pulled through and reunited with friends and families.
Learning much about Mal being the daughter of a powerful dark fairy, yet didn't stop her from being good and not wanting to be like her mother. Ben, a prince who carries the weight of the responsibilities of his nation. And for Taren, he's been focused on supporting his friends and loved ones, and getting stronger to fight powerful foes in the future. Admiring their goals and something she could learn from.
"You're right, I guess I do have a lot to learn." Layla gave a warm smile at him. "I probably should keep sending some letters home to let them know I'm doing alright, haven't sent any for a while."
"I had to keep on keeping my mom from freaking out or grounding me." Taren could picture himself turning pale of his mother berating him. "She can be really scary when mad, I was lucky to not get grounded after we went into the Kaiju realm to save Estrid." He was VERY lucky to avoid being grounded for a month, but settled to doing chores for a week when doing a good deed and coming back in one piece. It was not the same as for what Bloom and Flora would have after they found him in such a state when he came back, they thought if he was being reckless as usual, but luckily to came back with no wounds on him.
So that he is considered to be lucky… for now.
"No kidding, my dad totally flipped when he found out I went to Earth. But he calmed down after I told him I helped take on the Trix." Mirta recalled her experience with her father.
"Guess we all have things in common, and more reason to think of." Layla feels she needed to get a shower after that spar, it almost tired her out and maybe check on the pixies as well. "I should get a shower, feeling a lot of sweat."
"Same here and better head back and see how the others are doing." Taren thought to do the same. "Anything you have plans, Mirta?"
Mirta did have a thought and tried to think of something to say, but saw professor Avalon coming over. "Oh, hey professor."
Avalon smiles and gives a friendly wave to the trio. "Hello girls, I apologize if I was interrupting anything."
"We just finished, Taren was giving us a little spar match in our free time." Layla explained as she picked up her bag.
"Yeah, with all the things that have been happening, the professors thought it would help." Taren added.
"And I see Layla's proven herself getting better, I can see why Bloom speaks very highly of you, young Taren."
For a moment, Taren was unexpectedly to hear that one of his girlfriends was speaking about him. Scratching the back of his head nervously. "Well, I kinda do have this sort of trait in the family."
The professor nods. "Indeed, your parents being keybladers themselves must be quite the honor to wield such a legendary weapon. I heard stories of how they defeated a powerful foe long ago. I believe his name was…Xehanort, correct?"
"Yeah, that's him. It was not an easy one to put it." Taren didn't find it favorably to speak of, especially from his parents when they almost lost each other. Didn't want to go into details to ask since the war did leave some scars in their memories. "He almost succeeded in controlling the fate of countless worlds, but they managed to stop him. So it's basically history for us."
"Hmm, a powerful foe, almost dare to say far more than the Ancestral Witches if he was truly powerful." Avalon inquired, but only a theory and hope for many they do not come across someone of his level in their lifetime. "Before you leave, Taren, might I ask a question?"
"Uh, sure." Taren paused for a moment, yet couldn't help but feel something was off and instinctively kept his guard up for whatever comes at him.
"I was curious to perhaps you offer some demonstration of your abilities, I hear you are the most skilled in combat alongside the others and trained by Master Yen Sid himself. At least any time available for class." Avalon asked him.
Uncertain what he was actually thinking, could it be just to see their abilities to wield the keyblades? Maybe, but something else didn't sit right with him at all. Taren had to be very careful not to reveal his true powers of the Dragon Flame, the headmasters and the keybladers advised him to keep it a secret and not tell anyone who could be working for their enemies.
Making sure to give an answer carefully and avoid suspicion. "Um, well, if I ever get the chance, maybe I could. Mal and Ben would no doubt offer it, if they can."
Avalon smiled slightly and nodded with approval. "Of course, it is the duty of a keyblade wielder. But most appreciate you considering it. I would certainly be interested to see it more upclose."
Nodding his head before making his leave. "Sure thing, I'll try to remember to not take the spotlight. Hey Agumon, come on, we gotta get going."
"Okay!" Agumon waved the others goodbye and followed his partner, yet when he ran past the professor, he suddenly stopped and started sniffing. More directly to the professor. "Hm?"
"What's wrong?" Mirta noticed him acting strangely.
"Sorry, professor. I guess he must have picked up something you had, probably some food no doubt." Taren pulled his partner away.
"Oh, that's quite alright. I'll have to remember it." Avalon didn't seem concerned and decided to leave. "I should head back to prepare for the next class, good day."
As the professor leaves, Taren's body eases up and sighs. Not sure what came over him, but something was really off about the professor and couldn't put his finger on it.
Mirta looked at him in wonder of what happened. "What happened? You look as if something bad was going to happen?"
"I… dunno, but something was off. I can't explain, but be on your guard." Taren didn't know how to answer it right, but he still remembered what Tecna told him a while back that she assumed he was not who he appeared to be, only they got it from a book that was only fiction. Maybe she was right but was looking at the wrong answers. Or maybe something else.
Whatever was setting off his senses when close to Avalon, he knew it could only be trouble. But needed to be careful to avoid making a mistake.
"Maybe I'm just a bit on edge, sorry about that."
Feeling worried for him, but thought to maybe do something to calm his nerves. "Come on, we should get going to meet with the others." Layla just got a text from the others to meet up.
The members of the Winx, keybladers, and Specialists all gathered by the headmaster Faragonda, beside her were Saladin, King Mickey and Master Yen Sid who arrived to inform them of the latest updates.
"So, what was it you wanted all of us here?" Bloom was the first to ask them.
"To inform you all that we have located the remaining two artifacts." Yen Sid announced, earning the surprised looks from the students.
"It came as a surprise, but it is of utmost importance to get them before they fall into the wrong hands." Faragonda knew she hated pulling the girls out of class, but their skills were needed for this to help the keybladers. "I have spoken with the teachers, and you can be excused for this task."
"Yes! No school or homework!" Stella cheered, only to earn a look from the headmistress who disapproved of her sudden outburst. "I mean, uh, bummer, we won't get to do the importance of learning."
"You will be able to resume your studies when you get back, Stella. But right now you must be ready for your missions. Can't have you girls all falling behind." The headmistress reminded them.
"So how does this work out if both are found and what are we looking for?" Mal brought up as everyone was asking the same thing.
Yen Sid then conjured the images before them; a golden orb with two points from the top and bottom and a blue advanced-looking helmet. "The Heart of Light and the Helmet of Infinite Knowledge."
"The Helmet of Infinite Knowledge? I read about this when I was researching Kaiju lore, it belongs to the Water Civilization known to value knowledge, everyone back on Zenith is familiar with it." Tecna was amazed by their advanced intellect that almost rivaled Zenith yet her people still held the technological advantage.
"And already found its whereabouts, yet surprisingly on Earth." Yen Sid stated, receiving shocked looks from the students, especially Bloom to learn about this.
"On Earth? Are you sure?" She asked him.
"It is without a doubt, I was surprised, and yet its main location is somewhere within the ocean." The grand master tells them, knowing this would be a difficult task on their own. "The other… is more complicated to reach. The heart of Light is located deep within the uncharted regions of space."
"Which is why we considered setting up two teams of which to choose those for the journey." King Mickey brought it up as an idea to help solve their issues.
Faragonda agreed but needed those who had skills for the mission just like she did before on rescuing the pixies. "Going to Earth, you must remember to restrain using your magic too much or risk exposure in public until you find it."
"Don't worry, we remember the rules." Bloom made certain of it. Yet, she thought of something important. "And exactly how are we to find it if it's in the ocean?"
"Not to worry, Bloom. I have spoken with Queen Hera, she is willing to offer her support and the young heroes." Yen Sid answered.
"So we're gonna work with the others again?" Taren asked and smiled. "Great, I've been wanting to introduce you guys to the other heroes."
"It'll be great to see them again." Mirta agreed.
"Yeah, especially one of our own who used to go to Auradon Prep." Ben added.
"There will be some time for it, but not all of you will go together, the others will search for the Heart of Light." Faragonda explained. "Bloom, Flora, and Layla will join Taren, alongside masters Ventus and Aqua." Choosing the students for the task and thinking of something else.
"I also thought perhaps Mirta would join, her illusion magic could be useful to help you." Turning her attention to the others. "Musa, Tecna, and Stella, you will accompany Mal and Ben.
Saladin nodded and turned to his students. "Riven, Sky, Brandon, and Timmy, you will accompany the keybladers and the Winx. Are you up to it?"
Sky nodded and smiled. "You can count on us, sir!"
"We won't let you down." Riven nodded with determination.
"Ms. Faragonda, we'll not let the Trix or their pals get the artifacts." Bloom didn't want to let the Trix win like they did with the codex pieces.
"Please be careful, girls, with new foes possibly more powerful than the Trix alongside Kefka, who knows what would happen if they appear again." Faragonda couldn't help but worry for the well-being of the girls but was assured knowing the keybladers would be alongside them.
Saladin couldn't agree more, mutual concern after what his students informed him from their trip to the Kaiju realm, even though he was mad at the prince for doing something so reckless, but was proud of his noble cause to save someone in peril.
They would split up into two groups and wish the best of luck for them all to be successful.
Unknown Location
A portal opened and stepping out of it was the Titan and God of Time Cronus, crossing over using the portal created by his new allies to meet with them, followed by his minions. Arrived in what appears to be some cavern, but with advanced equipment, weapons, and various enforcers focusing on certain ships.
Remaining on Earth to deal with the chosen heroes brings about the devastation of the world, and revenge on his children, especially Zeus once he is found. Learning about the legendary artifacts of the Kaiju Monarchs, he had known about them since ancient times, and the opportunity to enslave them to one's will was an opportunity he could not pass up.
But there was a snag, not just the chosen heroes, but now there were more keyblade wielders and their numbers were growing. Even if he defeated his enemies, they still have allies now. But so did the Mad Titan.
"Welcome, Lord Cronus." Turns around to be greeted by the Cyber Lord creature, Aqua Seneschal casually approaches him before stopping within a few feet and giving a bow to greet him.
"And you must be the associates I was informed of. I take it this is one of your bases of operations." Cronus looks around, quite impressed by their resources. "Interesting place you have here."
"Your compliments are noted." Seneschal commented. "After the plot to nearly devastate the Earth's surface with the support of Kefka, and your history with certain gods, your knowledge and connections could prove useful to us. Those I associate with wish to seek powerful allies with mutual goals… and foes alike."
Cronus would have guessed as much, they have sought him out because they have enemies who stand in their way. He can only guess a certain group with powerful weapons of magic.
They got in his way, twice even.
And worst of all, one of them is the offspring of one of his treacherous sons.
But what would they want in return if he accepts the offer?
"And you wish to offer me a position in your alliance? Tell me, what would you offer in return?" Cronos turns to face the Cyber Lord to question him.
"My associates will grant you the planet as you see fit, and to defeat those heroes."
It was a tempting offer, as much as he hates to admit few could reach his level since many were defeated in the uprising or Tartarus still thanks to Zeus. Perhaps it was time to seek allies to help his cause. As long as they honored their end of the bargain.
However, he did have help from Kefka, who helped liberate him from his cell and helped him with his previous plot.
It would be better to gain more help, better ones to deal with mortals.
But not just mortals.
Children!
"Very well, as long as they honor their bargain. Provided I meet them in person." Cronus would not want to work with those who hide behind shadows and not show their faces.
"They shall in time. And also another reason to bring you is we have found the remaining two artifacts."
Seneschal projects the holograms of the two before him. A helmet and a gold orb. Cronus was familiar with them very well from his experiences.
"Ah, the Helmet of Ultimate Technology and the Heart of Light." He smiles and strokes his beard. "They belonged to King Tritonus and the Eternal Haven."
"You are correct, lord Cronus, which is most impressive." As much as Seneschal admits, saving him to lecture the God.
"I have a certain knowledge of them from experience. And also spend most of my time in Tartarus to keep track of the new things once a few centuries." Cronus had an easy time adjusting to the 21st century and modern technology. "And I assume you want me to find them."
"Only one, as we believe it is to your advantage of the helmet's whereabouts on Earth."
Cronus could hardly hold back the cunning grin on his bearded face. "I don't think that shouldn't be a problem at all."
Taren along with most of the Winx club members would make their way to Earth using the gate magic with Timmy and Riven to tag along since the others had the Ebon Hawk for their mission to find the other Kaiju artifact.
It was surprising for Bloom to learn about this the first time when the keybearers came back from their previous adventures, she read a lot about the ancient legends such as Greek. Now to find out they are real, especially the lost city of Atlantis. The redhead was practically unable to hold back the excitement, much to her friends and boyfriend's amusement.
Taren and Mirta first met the chosen heroes, the descendants of ancient Greek heroes who were destined to defeat the mad Titan Cronus to stop him from destroying the world. And giving them the previous experience to be prepared for should they confront him again.
"So then, one of them is the son of Hercules, also the son of Zeus, and used to go to Auradon Prep like you and Ben?" Flora asked if she understood correctly.
Taren responded to Flora's question. "Yeah, and he's now part of a group of other heroes who are descendants of ancient heroes back then. They're said to be the ones to defeat him."
"All thanks to Kefka breaking him out of prison. Now he's wreaking havoc on Earth." Mirta added.
"Don't tell me we're gonna deal with another foe, we already have enough trouble as it is." Riven thought as if they had enough problems to deal with.
"Mal told us he's now after the artifacts to control the Kaiju, so we likely will shortly." Taren was certain of it. He did promise to help them out if they needed it after their first battle with the God of Time and Kefka.
"It'll be nice to meet them, they sound like nice people." Layla was interested in meeting these heroes.
"What do you think, Bloom?" Flora asked but strangely got no response from the Winx leader. "Bloom?"
She turns around to find Bloom locked in a book she was reading and does not seem to pay attention. "Yeah, sure." The orange/redhead had her head buried in a book.
The group stopped, excluding Bloom who continued to aimlessly wander without even looking until Taren and Flora held her by the shoulders to avoid walking into anything. It didn't take long for their boyfriend to swipe the book out of her hands to get her attention. "Wha? Hey."
"It was either that or you were walking into a lamppost. You seemed fixed on this." Taren reads the title that had something to do with ancient Greek myths and legends. "Oh, this is what you've been reading."
Realizing what they did and could hardly blame them for their actions to stop her from causing an accident. "Reading about fairies wasn't the only thing I read when I was a kid. I always thought the Greek myths were one of my favorites. The adventures, gods, heroes fighting monsters. Even about Atlantis."
"Well, brace yourself, 'cause you're about to meet the real thing." Mirta could easily picture Bloom being surprised to meet the Greek Gods. She spotted the dorm apartment to meet with them. "Here we are."
Taren decides to step forward and knocks on the door, taking a moment to wait for the door to be opened and be greeted by Odie.
The descendant of Odysseus was surprised to find the keyblader standing before him. "Taren? Mirta? It's been a while!" He welcomed them inside and noticed some new faces.
"Great to see ya, Odie." Mirta was happy to see the tech expert again and saw another coming down the stairs. "Hey, Theresa."
The strawberry blonde teen noticed the guests and two familiar ones who she was happy to see. "Oh my gosh! So good to see you!"
Herry walks by, eating a sandwich he made, and sees them, holding a wide smile. "Taren, my man!" He came over and gave a strong pat on the keybearer's back.
. A little too strong to knock him over. "Oh, sorry, buddy."
Completely forgot about his super strength and should have expected it. "Ugh, no... no prob. Glad to see you haven't changed." He was grateful to get some help from his grief friends who lifted him. Taren decided to introduce them to each other. "Girls, meet members of the seven Heroes: Theresa, Odie, and Herry."
"Nice to meet you." Theresa waves her hand with a friendly smile and shakes Bloom's hand.
Accepting the handshake and smiles at her. "Same here, I'm Bloom, this is Flora and Layla. We're the Winx Club."
"So you're the group of fairies who've been helping the keybladers." Odie thought as much from the names and the descriptions, as he gave Taren a sly grin. "And guessing the two of you must be dating this hero."
Taren nervously chuckles and flushes, it came as a surge to them to learn he was dating both girls and not seem bothered by it and treated them well, which made both the girls relieved to know he wasn't doing anything to take advantage, while the guys thought he was so lucky.
Flors bashfully smiled and had no problem with it. "Well, we had some of it to work out. But usually, it's us who have to be the mature ones in this relationship."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Taren complained, noting the mischievous look on her face.
"You always do seem to act immature and get reckless at times." Bloom joins in with a soft giggle.
Layla and Mirta both held their snickering to see his flushed face with Odie and Herry joining in to poke fun at him.
"She's not wrong, dude." Herry teases him, earning a mild glare from the redhead Keyblade for taking their side as he mutters under his breath.
"Hey, where are the others?" Mirta asked them.
"They are at school waiting for us." Odie told her.
"Isn't Mal and Ben with you?" Theresa pondered.
"Unfortunately, they got a bit tied up looking for the last artifact, so we had to split up into groups." Taren fills them in on the recent events, especially from Ben's coronation that Herry was bummed about for missing out but was assured that Ben would not hold any ill will towards him doing hero stuff. "Believe it or not, we were sent here to reach the city of Atlantis."
The young heroes looked stunned to hear him say the name of their destination. "Atlantis? Are you serious?"
"Believe it or not we've been there." Odie stated "Or at least a city belonged to it before it was destroyed."
This surprised them to hear about it, but they wouldn't have come on a false lead, for Taren to know about the Olympian Gods this would be something important. "Maybe we should see the others and fill us in on what's been going on."
"Has anyone seen my mirror? I haven't had a look at my looks in an hour."
A voice that was all too familiar to both Taren and Mirta, mutually groaning. "Let me guess, Neil?"
Archie rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, just still with us."
"Who's Neil?" Layla asked as both Bloom and Flora were thinking the same thing.
"Think of him as Stella but more on his looks." Mirta gave them the description, and just like that they find the male model coming down the stairs and holding up a small mirror in his hand to admire his looks. The Winx girls mentally realized what they meant and could easily picture the two much alike.
It took him a moment to finally pull away from his mirror to notice they had company and two familiar faces. "Oh, hey! I didn't know you were back."
"You can catch up on things when we head to the school and meet with Hera." Theresa told him and turned to the others. "You can follow us and tell us on the way."
Following the Young Heroes to New Olympia High, the teens walked through the hallways to meet with the gods about this mission to Atlantis. They filled them in on the latest battles with Cronus.
Bloom thought the school was impressive, but she stopped when noticing an old man with a long beard, presumably the janitor of the school. The Domino fairy couldn't help but notice something off, firstly he seemed very quiet and walked past them, sensing something very odd. And secondly, she can't even read anything from his aura, not even able to see it.
"Bloom? You alright?"
Bloom snapped out of it and turned around to see Flora beside her. "Uh, yeah, just noticed that janitor passing by."
"Oh, him? They say his name is Suez, just usually goes about his business." Herry tells them about the janitor. They reach the janitor's closet when the janitor is not in sight, opening their secret doorway to Olympus using the pendant keys. Introducing the Winx to the Palace of Olympus.
"Wow!" Layla was awed by such a magnificent place.
"It's amazing! This is Olympus?" Bloom couldn't believe it.
"It's beautiful." Flora gazes at the flowers and petting the peacocks.
"Thank you, we had to make it more comfortable during our extensive stay."
They see an elderly woman approach them, smiling gracefully at them. "Taren, Mirta, it is good to see you again. And these must be the Winx I've heard so much about, it is truly a pleasure to meet you. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Hera, queen of Olympus."
Bloom respectfully bowed to the goddess. "It's an honor to meet you."
Yet, Hera did not seem bothered and waved her hand to her. "No need for formalities, Bloom, for the deeds your friends have done alongside the Keybearers, it is we who should be honored." Giving them her graceful smile. "I'm told others are arriving for this journey?"
Taren nodded to confirm it as they would have some help for the mission to reach their destination. "Yeah, they thought maybe we would need some help in case. We had on several occasions run into some deadly foes."
"It is understandable, especially if Cronus is gaining new allies." Hera said, she finds the rest of the heroes arrived to join them.
"Gangs all here." Mirta smiles to see them again.
Jay, the leader of the Young Heroes was happy to see them. "Taren, Mirta, great to see you again. So you must be the WInx we've heard about. I'm Jay. This is Atlanta and Archie"
Achie comes up to them. "Hey, very nice to meet ya" Offering his hand to the girls, not noticing Atlanta's annoyed expression.
Bloom giggles and accepts the handshake. "I'm Bloom."
"My name is Flora." The fairy of nature introduced herself and greeted them. "ITs a real pleasure to meet you all."
Layla smiles and merely shakes his hand to find it amusing. "I'm Layla, the newest member actually."
Taren turned to Jay to ask him something. "Jay, is it true you guys have been to Atlantis?"
Jay confirmed it with a nod. "Yeah, or at least what's left of it. Cronus was after the Antikythera Device, built by the Atlanteans to control the oceans and weather."
"Fortunately, it's now buried when we destroyed it." Archie stated. "But no reason to worry, that place is long gone."
"Actually, the one you found was only one of the cities. Not the capital." Hera revealed, earning the surprise of several of the teens.
"Wait a sec, you mean there's more than one?!" Odie couldn't believe it.
She held out a book, it "Yes, Atlanteans were once a thriving and powerful civilization, they expanded their empire across the globe during the ancient times. Yet, even they met a terrible end and were destroyed by the very power that built their empire."
"So one of these artifacts could be in one of the ruins?" Theresa pondered.
Jay decided to ask his allies to inquire which one they need to find. "Did they say which one to find?"
"Yeah, one we're in search for is the Helmet of Ultimate Technology." Layla answered his question.
"Did you say 'Ultimate Technology'?" Odie thought if he heard correctly, smiling with excitement, now curious to know more. "You mean something that relates to science and tech?"
The Winx girls found his reaction somewhat similar to their friends. Bloom would imagien the three of them getting along well and talking hours with science stuff.
Hera decided to answer his question. "Indeed, Odie. The helmet which belongs to King Tritonis of the Water Civilization." Projecting an image to them of what the monarch looks like. None of the others knew what they appeared and only their names. The image she projected showed some sort of jellyfish with tentacles like an octopus, they noticed it had only one eye.
Archie couldn't help but feel creeped out looking at it. "Ugh, that's their ruler?"
"Looks like a squid or jellyfish." Bloom commented.
"This is the image of King Tritonis, with his helmet he can control all of the creatures of his realm. I remember from Poseidon's tales of his previous encounter with him before his helmet was lost centuries ago." Hera recalled her brother's stories.
"Poseidon fought them?" Jay was surprised to hear about this.
"Yes, it was a long time ago and things were different back then." Hera said.
"Hold up, they're called Kaiju? Isn't that something like the Japanese for giant monsters like in the movies?" Atlanta questioned and forgot when Mal first mentioned that name.
"It is, but it also means strange creatures." Odie tells her.
"Can't you somehow send us to Atlantis or close to it?" Bloom asked respectfully to Hera for her help.
"Unfortunately, our power has not fully returned when Zeus and I used the majority of our power to protect the young heroes. But you'll be given transportation, and a certain journal to help guide your way." She brings out a brown journal with blue lines across it, in the center had a semi-spiral. "This is the Shepherd's Journal, written with all the known cultures, language and a guide."
"You had one this whole time and never mentioned it earlier?" Archie questioned her for keeping this from them.
"Actually, it came to us by mail and had your names on it."
The teens all seemed surprised and found out it was for them, uncertain if that was a coincidence, or something else.
"O…okay, not sure if I found this cool or freaked out now." Neil felt uncertain.
"Someone delivered this to us? How?" Jay inquired to know.
"I'm afraid I do not have all the answers, perhaps you may find some answers during your journey. It is best you get going before our enemies do." Hera feels they must go there without wasting time.
"Aqua and Ventus will be waiting for us at the docks, they should have the things ready." Taren said.
"But how are we to translate what it says? I can barely know what they mean." Atlanta was fliping through the pages of the journal, she could barely make out any of the words except for the pictures drawn on each page.
"Don't worry, we could help using our magic to translate it." Flora thought it would help with how much she's learned from Alfea.
Okay, hope you enjoyed it and like to apologies for the delay as it was suppose to be published in February but got sidetracked with work and projects, plus, I was trying to work out some plots to get this second arc done and for the Atlantis mission, there will be some differences from disney version to give a heads up. The teams split up to find the last two artifacts and Taren's team are paired up with the Young Heroes once again, this time meeting half of the Winx Club to find the lost city of Atlantis. I thought to add some details of their previous battles that happened as well as the episode where they found the city of Atlantis, or one of the cities or outposts as the atlanteans have spread across the known world.
So hope to get this up and caught up as to make up for the lack of activities. also if you have wattpad, you can find this story over there. Feel free for reviews, ideas and criticism!