Ben 10 RWBY Volume 2: Ultimate Omniverse

by The Omni-Remnant

Having returned from a massive adventure in the world of Remnant, Ben, Team RWBY, and the rest of their friends find themselves faced with new challenges at every turn on Earth. Be it villains old and new… or even things that they never imagined to be real. It's going to be a challenge unlike any they've seen before, but they're up for it. It's Hero Time! (Cover Art credit inside)

52. It's All Greek to Me

A/N: Morning, everyone, and welcome back to the story! I hope you're doing well today because we've got a pretty well-sized chapter here for you today. In fact, I'm not gonna dawdle on things up here for much longer and just let the chapter do the rest of the talking from here on. Prepare yourselves for more mythology, this is…

Chapter 51: It's All Greek to Me

…..

"I must say, Malware, I cannot help but be compelled by your story."

Salem and Viktor were walking through the halls of Evernight Castle with the affirmational Galvanic Mechamorph keeping in stride with them. Cinder and her group had joined them as well, at Salem's behest. The witch had decided that it would be best to walk and talk, as she had a feeling that this would take a while. After all, she wasn't about to deny Malware recounting his origins and how he came to loathe Ben Tennyson. But, much to her surprise, she found out that his hatred wasn't solely focused on the hero… but rather his own creator, Azmuth.

"An artificial lifeform shunned by his own creator." Viktor continued. "Truly a valid reason for your antipathy toward Azmuth."

"I do not require sympathy if that's what you're offering, Doctor Viktor." Malware asserted, staring right into the Transylian's large eye. Considering that they were about the same height, that was rather easy. "Rather, my desire is for vengeance against those who have wronged me, and that includes both Tennyson AND Azmuth."

"Hm, I can sense your hatred for him is strong, Malware." Salem hummed. "Curious that. You have no life energy, but your emotions are powerful."

Behind the trio, Mercury piped up. "So, lemme get this straight…" He pointed to Malware, who towered over him. "The whole reason why you turned bad in the first place is because your dad deemed ya a flawed kid and abandoned you? …Man, what is it with this team and asshole dads?"

However, Malware seemed to take issue with that, raising his cannon arm up at the young man's head. "Azmuth is NOT my father, boy!" he snapped, the cannon powering up and glowing in Mercury's face. However, Malware seemed to realize his error and quickly reigned his temper in, instead just fuming to himself. "…But you are correct. I WAS shunned by my own creator, and I absolutely loath him for it." He raised his hand, clenching it into a fist. "It was Azmuth who thought I was flawed, going so far as to give me the name "Malware"." He swiped his hand, as if pushing it all away. "But I am not the flawed one. It is the rest who are inferior."

Emerald placed her hands on her hips. "Well, I won't argue with you there. Tennyson made Penny into a hybrid one of those Mechamorphs and she's only gotten more annoying to deal with."

"Ah, yes, the young android." Malware said with venom dripping from his voice. "I sensed her upon my arrival to Earth. She is an… interesting specimen, and may prove useful in the plan I have to OBLITERATE Galvan."

"I must admit, I rather like this plan." Cinder steepled her fingers together with a conniving grin. "And I'm excited to be a part of it. Where do we start?"

"Do not get absorbed in your haste, child." Malware warned, raising his clawed hand to her. "Recall that haste is what landed yourself and Khyber that defeat the day before." The Fall Maiden was about to argue, but Malware went on before she could. "Granted, I blame Psychobos for being impatient in upgrading the Nementrix as well, but Khyber's goal of "hunting" Ben Tennyson like it's some sort of game is far from sound."

Rojo was quick to take issue with that. "Hey, don't talk down to teach like that!" She got right in Malware's grill, glaring up at him without a hint of fear… at least not on her face. "I thought you WANTED him to get Tennyson anyway!"

"I did… but not for the reasons you think." Malware elaborated. "For a long time, I have viewed Ben 10 as the bane of my existence… but after reconstituting myself after he overloaded my form the first time, I have come to realize that he is not my primary concern." He clenched his hand into a fist. "Do I still wish to see him crushed under my heel? Yes… but to do that, I must break his spirit, something I cannot do until I see Azmuth slain first."

Salem tilted her head at him. "Is that so? And why is that, Malware?"

"Because not only will that fulfill my goal of destroying my creator… but it will also break Tennyson's spirits." Malware extended his hand to her as he explained his plan. "Tennyson knows that without Azmuth, there is no Omnitrix should his current one be destroyed… or taken from him."

"Ah, I see…" Salem raised a finger to make a point. "But, I believe I can do you one better." She began counting down on her fingers. "Killing Azmuth is a good first step, but if you truly wish to break Tennyson's spirits, why not consider hunting down and killing his individual teammates? Slaying them one-by-one until he has nothing left."

"Hm, an excellent suggestion." Malware agreed, recalling many of his past interactions with the hero. "After all, if there's one thing that Tennyson cares about most, it's those that he cares about."

Emerald glanced off to one side. "Makes you wonder why we didn't try this sooner." she mumbled.

"Probably because they've always been together." Mercury pointed out, with Neo giving a nod next to him. "We gotta find someway to just… separate them and make it so they don't have any teamwork to rely on."

Salem wore a malicious grin as she overheard that. "Well, it just so happens that I have been working on some ideas on how to do that." She approached Cinder's team, eyeing Neo, Emerald and Mercury in particular. "And I believe that the three of you will be a great help in that… provided you have no troubles working together?"

She seemed to be talking about the latter two specifically, as Neo gave them a questioning look. Emerald and Mercury glanced to one another warily. Things weren't… quite settled between them yet, but if there was anything they'd learned on the ship, it was that they couldn't let their drama get in the way of the mission again. They both nodded to Salem. "Of course, Lady Salem. There won't be any trouble with that." Emerald affirmed.

"Good… but I believe there's still more to this plan." Salem went back to Malware with an expectant gaze. "Is that right, Malware?"

"Indeed." Malware balled his fist again. "As I said, to break Tennyson's spirits, Azmuth must be the first to fall. I have an idea on how to do so, but first… I believe it would be prudent to better equip you all for the enemies you will be up against."

Viktor raised an inquisitive brow at the Mechamorph. "What exactly do you mean by that, Malware?" He extended a hand toward a window, where many Grimm could be seen wandering the wastelands. "We have plenty of power at our disposal just outside this castle, after all."

"Power which, if I recall, you said you could not use unless the Earth's sun is not in the sky." Malware retorted, going back to Salem. "Which raises the question… why not send a horde of Grimm into Bellwood every night? You certainly have the means to do so."

This suggestion made Salem's eyebrows rise up. "Well, admittedly, I have considered doing that, yes." She began inspecting her fingernails, putting on a small yet sinister smile. "However, I do not wish to play a trump card before revealing what the rest of my hand holds, if you catch my drift."

But this evidently wasn't the answer that Malware was hoping for. "Preposterous!" This made Salem recoil, stepping toward Viktor as Malware growled at her. "Your hubris is EXACTLY why you humans are so flawed! You like drawing things out, eager to see what your opposition does before you play your next hand." He swiped his arm through the air angrily. "It is insufficient! Impractical! ILLOGICAL!" The Mechamorph put a hand over his eye, taking a deep breath. "…Forgive me, Lady Salem, but I believe that, moving forward, perhaps a more calculated approach is in order."

Salem was taken off guard, to say the least. However, she also saw what the alien meant by his words. She had been rather relaxed about things lately. Almost as if she had become stagnant and… comfortable with the situation that they were in. It made her sneer in disgust in hindsight. What WAS she doing? Her expression hardened and she took in a deep breath. "You're right, Malware. You are very right, in fact. It's time to take a more proactive approach once again." She turned to her followers with a serious gaze. "We must NOT let the heroes keep these victories up. If we do, we risk losing not just the battle, but the war as well."

"So… what, we're just gonna start sending Grimm into Bellwood every single night?" Rojo guessed.

"Not EVERY night, Rojo." Salem assured. "I find that to be redundant." She raised a brow to Malware. "After all, it's repetition. And repetition leads to expectation, which eventually will lead to those blasted heroes to finding a sure-fire counter to the attacks."

"Hm, you are correct." Malware conceded. "And that is the last thing we need. I assume you have an alternate idea?"

"I do, though it's also a little spin on your first suggestion." Salem held her palm up as she enlightened them her idea. "You see, rather than the repetitive attacks on Bellwood, I propose that we begin with Bellwood one night… before then moving onto different places entirely after that."

Cinder tilted her head. "And that continues night after night?"

Salem shook her head with a dark chuckle. "Hmhm, no Young Cinder. Instead, we have the Grimm attack on random nights, so the heroes never see it coming. One could happen the immediate night after another attack, or it could occur several days after one." Her lips curled into a sinister grin as she eyed Malware again. "The heroes won't be able to predict when and where these attacks will happen, and as a result, they will be stretched thin as we enact our TRUE plans."

Malware's tone was that of approval as he spoke again. "I like the way you think, Salem. I hope this new strategy will prove fruitful." He bowed to the witch, reaching his hand to his chest. "And once again, I apologize for my earlier outburst."

"That is quite alright, Malware." Salem nodded. "In reality, I should thank you. I have become… complacent as of late, and it's time for that to change." She eyed Rojo and Cinder's team expectedly. "And I expect all of you to follow through with that as well. From here on, failure WILL be inexcusable, dragon or no dragon. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Rojo saluted, with Mercury, Emerald and Neo following her example.

Cinder, for her part, bowed to her superior. "We will not allow Tennyson to get in the way of victory any longer, Lady Salem. That, you can be assured of."

"Very good." Salem approved. "Now, with that out of the way, I—"

CRAAASSSHH!

All of a sudden, the entire castle started to shake around them, causing them to hold onto the nearby walls for support. Once the shaking ceased, Viktor snapped his head up in confusion. "What in the world?!"

"The heck did that come from?!" Mercury added.

"I-I don't know." Emerald stammered. "But I think it came from down—STAIRS!"

SHA-KOOOOM!

Once again, the floors shook and even sent Emerald and Rojo straight to the floor, with a few pieces of décor even falling off the walls. Salem grumbled and her eyes glowed bright red, her frustration growing with every tremor. "What is HAPPENING down there?!" The witch stormed forward through the halls, with the others in hot pursuit to find out with her. They eventually made it to the stairs and went down into the main foyer… where they were met with something quite unexpected. "KHYBER?! What are you doing?!"

Much to the group's shock, Khyber was at the very center of what was happening… mainly because his dog was the problem. The Anubian Baskurr was currently in its Crabdozer form, the beast growling and hissing in anger as the huntsman had an energy tether around its neck. Khyber whipped his head around, bowing it remorsefully toward the witch. "Salem, my most humble apologies, but—AAGH!"

Without warning, the Crabdozer wrenched its neck and tossed Khyber over itself and straight onto the floor, hissing at him once again. Off to the side, Animo, Hog, Skull and Subdora were cowering in the corner, not wanting to get involved. "Man, that thing's lost ALL control!" Hog exclaimed.

"Khyber, PLEASE tell me you've got a way to get that thing under control!" Skull pleaded as the Crabdozer started to glare at them as well.

Khyber stood up and began pulling on the tether, bringing the Crabdozer's attention to him. "Down boy! Easy!" He whistled for the beast to transform back into its regular form… but then the Nemetrix started sparking with red energy, causing it to suddenly transform into the Tyrannopede instead.

GYOOOOAAARRR!

"No—NO!" The huntsman suddenly found himself with his feet off the ground and being thrashed around through the air, the beast not listening to a word he said. "Bad! BAD!"

Rojo watched the scene in disbelief. The dog had never been this disobedient before. But, given how she saw the collar spark just a second ago, she had a pretty good idea why. And, once she saw Psychobos standing off to the side, recording data with his ever-present smug grin, she had a good idea how this came about. She glared at the Cerebrocrustacean and marched up to him, taking him by surprise. "HEY! What the hell did ya do to teach's dog, Chrome Dome?!"

"Hmph! Very p-p-presumptuous of you, wouldn't you say?" Psychobos returned with a raised brow. "I did absolutely nothing to the beast. Rather, something happened to the Nemetrix." He raised the data pad he was holding in his larger claw. "I was having Khyber perform some tests to make sure that the Nemetrix was in working order after that crash. Evidently, as you can see, it is not."

The alien's smug attitude all but disappeared once Salem came onto the scene. "So you decided to perform this test INSIDE MY CASTLE?!" Her voice was so powerful that it reverberated through the very air and caused the ground beneath her to crack and cave in, even going so far as to send Psychobos tumbling.

The doctor bounced from his head back onto his legs, his smile now replaced by a reasonably scared frown. "Er… w-well, I suppose that WAS ill-thought on my part."

"You SUPPOSE?!" Salem roared. "Fix this now before—"

"Salem, watch out!"

At Cinder's yell, the witch spun around, just in time to see the Tyrannopede come barreling toward her with its mouth open. The beast let out another roar before Salem quickly teleported out of the way, dissipating into black mist. She reappeared a few feet away… but gasped as the alien predator went charging right through the wall and into the front courtyard of the castle. The Nemetrix continued to spark as Khyber was thrown clean off of the Tyrannopede, leaving everyone aghast and Salem nearly boiling with anger.

Fortunately for Psychobos, Malware scolded him before she could get the chance. "Fix this, Psychobos. NOW!"

"U-Um, of c-c-course!" The doctor concurred. "Th-There IS a release switch to deactivate the Nemetrix and take it off…"

"Good, then USE it." Emerald demanded.

Psychobos tapped his claws together awkwardly. "Easier said than done, child… I do not have the remote with me at the moment. However, there IS a physical release switch." He pointed up to the rampaging Tyrannopede, specifically toward the base of its neck. "It is directly beneath the collar on the back of its neck."

The villains all stared at him in complete disbelief. "…Why in the HELL would you put it THERE?!" Skull asked with flailing arms.

"You mean to tell me that the heroes coulda just easily unclipped that collar any time?!" Hog added. "You're just ASKIN' for your invention to fail with design like that!"

"Psh, of course not, you uncultured swine!" Psychobos brushed off indignantly. "The switch is hidden UNDERNEATH the collar. They wouldn't have been able to find it without searching in one of the more difficult places to get to." His smile returned as he gave an amused chortle. "B-B-Besides, it takes a strong hand to unclip it in the first place."

It was then that Viktor stepped forward, slamming his fist into his palm as electricity began to generate within him. "Then allow me to subdue the beast." He gave a brief nod to Salem. "For the sake of your home." Without another word, he shot off toward the Tyrannopede, and Salem felt a tiny bit calmer after that. The Transylian's feet practically slammed against the ground as he ran, all while his electrical energy continued to build up in his shoulder generators. By the time he got to the Tyrannopede, his hands were sparking almost as much as the Nemetrix, and the beast spun around on him with its blood red glare.

Khyber had just gotten up from the ground, and he was stunned by the sight of Khyber going right for his pet. "Wait! You mustn't—"

"I won't kill it, Khyber!" Viktor assured, dodging an incoming chomp by rolling under the predator and getting to its tail. "But right now, your pet needs a time out!" He grabbed hold of the tail and unloaded his purple lightning, shocking the beast and making it roar painfully. In no time, the Tyrannopede had lost its strength and fell to the ground with a might BOOM! The Transylian climbed onto its back, lifted the collar, and found the release switch, pushing it down firmly to undo the collar.

After Viktor jumped off of it, the Anubian Baskurr had changed back to normal, with Khyber rushing over to check on his companion. Thankfully, there was a steady heartbeat, and before long, its eyes had opened once again. "Hah… worry not, old friend." Khyber reassured as the alien dog whined. "It's over."

"Teach!" Rojo called out as her squad rushed over as well. "You and the pup good?"

"Yes… we are now." Khyber bowed his head up to Viktor. "And thank you, doctor. I appreciate the help."

"Of course." Khyber bowed back.

Psychobos, meanwhile, was giggling like an excited school girl. The data that he had collected from this round of tests would prove to be most efficient. Not just with repairing the Nemetrix, but in upgrading it as well! "Ooh-hoo-hoo, I would say that this could be considered a major success! Hehehe…" As he cackled, however… Psychobos suddenly felt a familiar dark presence behind him, and it was then he realized… "Oh wait, I—AH!"

Without warning, several Grimm arms came popping up out of the ground and grabbed onto him, wrapping almost his entire body up before raising him to Salem's eye level. Just from the pure fury in her expression alone, he could tell she was FAR from happy. Without even breaking eye contact, she snapped her fingers and in no time, the pieces of her broken castle were back where they once were, almost as if nothing had happened. But even with damages repaired… they had still been done. "…Good doctor?"

"…Y-Y-Yes?"

"I will thank you to NEVER pull a stunt like that in MY castle EVER again!" With every emphasized word, Salem slammed the Cerebrocrustacean into the ground, driving the point home until he was left in a dazed state. "Do I make myself absolutely clear?"

"As c-c-crystal, ma'am." Psychobos saluted with his big claw.

Salem threw him right to the floor, not letting up on her displeasure. "Good. Now get to work repairing your device." Viktor came over and tossed the collar onto Psychobos' head. "We will need it again soon, I'm sure."

Psychobos took the Nemetrix and bowed his massive cranium up toward Salem. "Y-Yes, of course Miss Salem. A-And a thousand pardons on my part for what has occurred here today." He scuttled over to Malware, looking up to him in hopes that he'd be able to bail him out of the situation. "P-P-Perhaps it IS time that we return to the lab. After all, we would not want to b-b-burden them with our presence any longer."

"I believe you mean YOUR presence, but very well." Malware agreed with a jab toward the scientist, before setting his sights on Salem once again. "Of course, we will need Eon's assistance to return us back to Earth."

"Hm, I will send for him at once." Salem complied.

…Only for Eon to suddenly step out from behind her as if he had been there all along. "No need to send anyone for me, Salem, I am right here." The time traveler said with a wave of his hand. "And I must say, that was quite the show, hehehe…"

The witch did a double take and narrowed her eyes at him, her frustration only growing. "…Eon, how many times have I asked you NOT to do that?"

Eon simply snapped his fingers, opening two portals behind him. "My apologies, but a time traveler has to do SOMETHING to find entertainment around here." He gestured to the portal on his left. "Alright, doctor, the portal on the left leads to your lab…" Then, he pointed toward the portal to his right. "And as for this one, it leads back to Bellwood." He focused in on Rojo and Cinder's group. "I assume you'll want to head back as soon as possible, right?"

"Hm, yes… but wait." Cinder's eyebrows rose curiously as she turned to Khyber, the huntsman crouching down to pet his dog assuredly. "Khyber, what about you? Your ship has been destroyed… will you be staying here?"

"No, Cinder, I shall not." Khyber shook his head. "Salem has offered by accommodations, but the hunt must continue." He glanced over to Malware and Psychobos, who were walking toward their portal. "And, as much as it detests me to do so, I must go with Psychobos and Malware until the Nemetrix is fully repaired. Hopefully, that will not take long."

Rojo nodded in understanding, though that didn't stop her from being just a little upset. "Hm, I get ya. Well, we'll all miss ya, teach."

For his part, Khyber put on a rare smile and placed a hand on Rojo's shoulder. "Worry not. Hopefully is shall not take long. And in that time, I will hopefully procure a new ship. Until then, I expect you all to keep up your training…" He craned his head toward Mercury, putting on a more serious expression again. "Especially you, boy. Keep practicing what I've taught you about disciplining your emotions, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." Mercury affirmed. "Understood."

"Very good. So for now…" The huntsman strode over to where Malware and Psychobos were standing, leading his dog toward the portal. "…Farewell." With that, the three aliens and the Anubian Baskurr stepped through the vortex, before it then closed abruptly behind them.

Eon could only roll his eyes at the sentiment. "Hmph, yes, yes, very touching. Now could we get a move on here ladies?" That earned him a glare from Cinder's squad, including a certain assassin. "And yes, that goes for you, too, Emo Boy."

Mercury's features contorted in anger before he punched his fist into his palm. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't—" But then, he stopped, screwing his eyes shut before taking a deep breath. He could feel his whole body start to relax, the tension leaving him before he opened his eyes again. "What I mean to say was… you'd better watch that mouth, or else Salem will have MORE to be angry about than just you sneaking up on her."

Eon eyed the witch, only to see her wave him off. "You saw what happened to Doctor Watts, Eon. Continue the infighting and BOTH of you will feel my wrath."

"Grr… fine. Just go already." Eon ushered, wrenching his neck toward the vortex.

"Can't leave yet." Emerald smirked. "Not until ALL of us are here." She craned her head over to the mutants, Subdora and Animo as well. "Which reminds me, you guys coming too?"

The mad doctor shook his head. "Not yet. Salem has a few tasks that she wishes us to complete before we return." He faced Salem as well, giving her a respectful nod. "Also, there are some important matters in which I wish to discuss with her over… the experiment you all saw last week in my lab down in Undertown."

The team knew exactly what he was talking about, too. After all, how could they NOT recall seeing something humanoid just floating in a tube of green liquid. They STILL weren't entirely sure what that was about, but they knew it couldn't be good. "Well, alright, if you say so, doc." Rojo acknowledged before spotting a certain group of gals approaching out the corner of her eye. "Ah, hey! There you guys are!"

Dom, Calisto, Roxy and Jetta all came jogging over, seeing that there was another portal opened and ready to go home. Despite that, though, all of them seemed pretty excited. "Rojo! You didn't TELL me you guys used to live in such a METAL place!" Roxy exclaimed, making devil horn signs with her hands.

"Yeah, this place is off the wall!" Jetta agreed. "Feels like I'm in a real horror flick, I love it!"

"Oh, heh, yeah, it IS a pretty cool place." Rojo nodded. "But I didn't exactly LIVE here. It's more like… I crashed here for a while."

Calisto merely gave a shrug. "Eh, same difference. And as far as I'm concerned, you're a lucky gal to have crashed in such a swank place like this." However, she then raised an eyebrow at her former leader. "By the way… what the hell was all that racket going on earlier?"

"Yeah, somethin' had to be shakin' the place up real good." Dominique scratched the back of her head, wincing in pain. "Nearly got me head caved in when a chandelier fell on me."

"Ah, my sincerest apologies, Dominique." Salem said as she walked up toward the four women, her features contorting into a distasteful expression. "Unfortunately, our guests from outer space got a bit too comfortable for my liking, and things quickly got out of hand." But then, she quickly put a smile on, pleased to hear what they thought of her home. "However, I am very glad to hear you enjoy my castle. In fact, I have an idea…"

The ladies all tilted their heads in unison. "W-Whaddya mean, Boss Lady?" Dom asked, feeling jittery just speaking to the witch.

"I will be blunt; I have a feeling that you don't exactly have a place to stay." Salem explained as she strolled in front of the ladies. "In fact, considering your criminal status, I would assume that the best you have is a hideout where there is no heat, no electricity, no decent sustenance." She saw them all sour as she listed those factors, which was all the answer she needed. "And just by looking at you, I can tell that I'm right. So here's what I'd like to propose; if you like my home so much… why not just stay here?"

Everyone, including Cinder and her team, did a double-take at the suggestion. "…Y-You're serious?" Roxy muttered.

"We… get to stay in THAT castle…" Jetta pointed at Evernight first before her finger trailed to Salem. "…With you?"

"Indeed." Salem confirmed. "All the comforts of home with everything you need. You'll never want for anything again, so long as you serve me." She placed a hand to her chest. "Should I need something important done, I expect that you do it. Be it on an official mission or even household chores."

The biker girls all eyed one another at the offer. They weren't much fans of menial labor… but they had a feeling that Salem would use them more for doing what they did best; crime. And LOTS of it. Plus, getting to live in a castle just for THAT? Had to be one of the best deals ever. But there was a question lingering in Calisto's mind. "Boss Lady, this… all sounds too good to be true. Why make an offer like this to… us?"

"Hmhm, a reasonable question with an easy answer." Salem chortled. "You see, after observing you four, I've become quite fond of your aesthetic. And there is no doubt that you are a powerful unit. However, I can sense that there is still plenty of untapped potential in all of you." She extended a hand to Dom, who flinched slightly with flushed cheeks. "I would like you help you achieve that potential, if you would so let me. So, do we have a deal?"

Dom froze, but still thought the whole thing over in her head. She and her girls wouldn't have to starve on the streets anymore. They'd get to do what they do best as rent, and best of all… 'I get to live under the same roof as this gorgeous woman.' Thankfully, she didn't say that out loud by accident, instead unfreezing to turn to her colleagues. "Well ladies, whaddya think?"

"Heh, it's a no brainer!" Roxy jerked a thumb toward the castle. "I vote we stay!"

"Seconded!" Jetta concurred.

"Thirded!" Calisto said with finality.

Dominique smirked and gave her girls a thumbs up. "Well then, it's settled!" Mustering up all her courage, she shook Salem's hand, agreeing to her terms. "Boss Lady, you've got yerself a deal!"

Rojo came up and nudged Calisto in the arm in support. "Hey-hey! Not bad, gals! Got a new pad in the span of three minutes!"

"Yeah, I almost can't believe it!" Calisto's smile became sympathetic once she realized something important, though. "Oh… but wait, that means we probably won't be headed back to Earth with you, does it?"

Emerald gave a shrug. "Eh, not really a big deal, honestly. You'll always have a guaranteed way of going back and forth with Eon here."

"Oh yeah, I'm here, GLAD YOU REMEMBERED!" Eon barked as he funneled more energy into the portal. "Now could you all get a move on before I'm forced to close this portal?! Keeping something like this stable for an extended period isn't easy, you know!"

Cinder rolled her eyes, brushing the time traveler off before she and her team approached the ladies, with all of them shaking hands. "Very well, then. I suppose this is farewell for now, Street Sharks."

"Yeah, guess so." Dom winked down to the Fall Maiden before whispering; "But hey, best of luck to ya with Rojo. You've got yer work cut out for ya there, hehe."

"Hm, right." Cinder smirked back. "I'll try to keep that in mind. We'll see you ladies later." The two groups separated as Cinder, Rojo, Emerald, Mercury and Neo strolled through the portal, waving to the Street Sharks and Salem as they stepped into it. Once they were on the other side of the vortex, they were greeted by the shining yellow sun… and met with an unexpected sight. They WERE in Bellwood, but they were at the docks instead of in the ACTUAL city itself. "…This is not our apartment."

Mercury folded his arms with a deadpan stare. "Gee, what was your first clue? Why the hell are we at the freaking DOCKS?!"

Emerald pursed her lips in annoyance, which Neo was quick to mimic. "Hmph, something tells me a certain Chronoan wanted to screw us over!" She kicked a nearby rock into the river, grumbling in frustration. "Great, so which way is home again?"

Rojo sighed and ushered her team to follow. "C'mon, let's get moving guys. Who knows? Maybe if we're lucky, we can get in a quick job on the way home and—wait." Just as she was about to round the corner of a warehouse building, Rojo stopped and backpedaled, extending an arm in front of her team to stop them as well. "Hold up, we got company." she whispered as she peeked her head out. The others followed her example and peered around the corner… where they saw something that made them curious instantly.

Near the other side of the large warehouse, the villains saw a group of three or four people sneaking about, all covered in white hoods. The mysterious people shuffled about the place before sneaking into a hidden door on the side of the building, with one of them checking for any followers and then closing the door behind them. "…Okay, I've got so many questions." Emerald murmured.

"Pretty sure we all do—w-wait, Neo!" Rojo harshly whispered, seeing the mute go sneaking out toward the door. "What the heck are you doing?!"

Neo, however, wasn't about to let sneaky happenings go unnoticed. She narrowed her eyes as she slowly and silently went over to the door, testing the knob and smiling as it twisted. It was unlocked. She ushered for her team to follow her, the four glancing to one another warily. Eventually, though, Mercury just shrugged. "Hey, if she says it's cool, I'm willing to believe her."

"Wait, Mercury, don't—ugh!" Cinder groaned as Emerald and Rojo followed their lead, leaving her to trail behind. The five Ministry members carefully and silently trekked into the old storage warehouse hallway, eventually coming up to another door. This one actually had a window in it, though, one that was cracked open and allowed them to see and hear exactly what was happening on the other side.

And what they saw was astonishing. Before them had to be at least a hundred different people, all in the same hooded cloaks as the ones they saw outside. It was evident that they had gathered here for some sort of meeting… and they could only guess that the ones on the "stage" were the ones who called it. Standing up on a lifting platform was a chubby man in a green and black vest with a matching, monstrous mask over his head, and next to him was a tall yet well-built man with long, silvery hair and wearing a deep purple fur jacket with a big, even furrier white collar. Both were presiding over the massive crowd, with the former raising his hands.

"Members of the Collective, rejoice!" the masked man announced. "For soon, it will finally be time to make our first public appearance under the Exalted One's leadership!"

That got a big reaction from the crowd, who started pumping their fists and chanting; "THE EXALTED ONE!" over and over. The man in the jacket smirked with a jagged grin. "Hehe, yes, we're just as excited as you are! Soon, the people at large will finally know of the Collective's mission, and then, the Exalted One's mission will finally be put into motion…"

The five Ministry members were all completely stunned. They had just stumbled onto a cult meeting. And not just any cult, but the one that Tennyson and the others had told them about the day before. They were in the presence of the Collective. "…Wow, um, wasn't expecting this." Emerald admitted.

"Nope, me either." Rojo shook her head. "Dropping in on a cult meeting was NOT on the agenda today."

"This is crazy." Mercury peeked out the window, seeing the cultists all chanting for the Exalted One. "What the heck do we even do here?"

It didn't take long for Cinder to figure out her answer for that. "I'll tell you what we'll do…" She lit her hand a flame as her eyes started to burn with her Maiden Power, all while wearing a deadly smirk. "Why don't we crash the party? After all, there's only room in Bellwood for ONE team of villainous rogues. And that is US."

…..

Cooper Daniels considered himself to be many things. He was a scientist, an inventor, a Plumber, and—in his own opinion—one of the luckiest men on the face of planet Earth. One look at his girlfriend was all he needed to remind himself of that. So much so that it nearly made him go into a deep introspection the night before… in his bed… while Coco laid next to him in nothing but her very thin nightie. 'Dear god, I would NOT change my life for a second if given the option.'

Questions on how such a woman would go for a nerd like him aside, Cooper also considered himself to be one other thing; a thinker. And right now, his focus was primarily on the object that he held in his hands; his Build Driver. Last night, his love for Kamen Rider had been reignited thanks to Kenny, and getting the chance to rewatch the series with his best friends reminded him exactly why he was so passionate about it. The well-written characters, the mystery, and of course, the awesome suits and fight scenes. But once he had procured his Build Driver from out of his closet, along with his Pandora Box with a complete Fullbottle collection to go with it… a thought had wormed its way into his head.

'I made my own Iron Man-styled armor from scratch.' the genius thought to himself. 'Granted, the technology there IS feasible and can work either on Remnant or on Earth given the right resources…" He narrowed his eyes at the Rider Belt, along with the RabbitTank Fullbottles in his other hand. Cooper's eyes suddenly glowed blue as he used his powers to analyze the objects' build. Obviously, they WERE just toys… but he could see the potential for so much more. 'But… can the same be said for something that's not AS feasible? Could I… make this work?'

Just then, Coco piped up in the driver's seat next to him. "Somethin' on your mind, Tech Head?"

"H-Huh? Oh… heh, sorry Coco." Cooper smiled sheepishly. "I guess I must've zoned out there for a moment."

"Hehe, try the whole ride, babe." Coco gestured toward the windows, revealing to Cooper that they had arrived in Bellwood. "You've been staring at that thing for a good twenty minutes." She smirked and nudged him with her elbow. "I don't gotta worry about a fancy belt buckle taking you away from me, do I?"

That got Cooper's attention immediately, dropping the Build Driver to place both hands on Coco's shoulders. "Absolutely not." He leaned over and gave her a peck on the lips, quickly adding; "I'm not about to let anything get between you and me."

"Hah… good to know." Coco's cheeks flushed red, curling a finger around her bang. "But uh… mind moving so I can see the road?"

"AH! Right!" Cooper snapped back into his seat, all while Velvet, Yatsu and Fox snickered in the back at his little show. Of course, the genius knew that they supported their relationship to a fault, but they always found his sheepishness to be a little amusing. In the end, he smiled and gave a small chuckle as well… but then his eyes went back down to the toys on his lap. Specifically, he focused in primarily on the Fullbottles.

'The Build Driver itself COULD possibly be replicated to be a working conduit… but the tricky part is the Fullbottles themselves. They're where the REAL power comes from.' Cooper knew this would be a tricky one. In the show, the Fullbottles were supposed to be filled with the purified Nebula Gas… which didn't technically exist. But then… a thought occurred to him. There could be a suitable substitute. "…Say, Coco?"

"Yeah, what's up, Tech Head?"

"Has anyone on Remnant ever tried to… liquify Dust before?"

Almost immediately, Team CFVY slowly shifted their eyes onto him, as if he had just grown a second head. "Uh… Coop, you do realize that Dust is a crystal, right?" Fox emphasized. "As in, something that can't be turned into a liquid?"

Cooper gave a shrug. "Well… yeah, technically." But then, he held up a finger. "However, there actually ARE several alien races who also use power crystals and have found a way to refine them into different forms." He tapped his finger on the Build Driver as he kept speaking his thoughts. "I was just wondering if anyone there had figured that out, but I guess I'll have to do this the hard way and study up on those refinement processes…"

"Got something in mind for your suit, do you?" Velvet inquired.

"Not exactly." Cooper shook his head. "This is for a new project that I just thought up… though whether or not it succeeds, I suppose I could ALSO use it for my Centurion armor." He smiled at the thought of that. "Would certainly help with giving more output to the joints now that I think about it." The young man had to keep that in mind. If this project with the Build Driver fell through, it wouldn't be for naught. He could just keep working on perfecting his Centurion armor with the results and nothing would be lost. Either way, this was a win-win.

Still, this project would likely test his scientific knowledge. Even if he COULD liquify the Dust he needed, there was still the fact that it had to be combined with aspects of different biological and non-biological things. 'I'll probably have to delve into more… alchemical solutions for that, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Might have to ask Gwen about that part, too.'

Yatsu leaned forward, intrigued by what Cooper was thinking. "Really? Well, don't leave us in suspense. What's cooking up in that brain?"

"Haha! Oh… you'll find out." Cooper smirked down to the Build Driver, all the more eager to start this project. "Soon, I promise." Just then, the car came to a sudden halt, with Coco letting out a gasp. "H-Huh?! Coco, what's—AH!"

The others gasped as well when they saw what was in front of them. The street in front of Gwen's house had been torn up quite badly, leaving upturned earth and pavement strewn across the place. There was nary a soul to be seen walking the street either… aside from a certain green and black muscle car pulling up to the curb as well. Also, the group could see Rex come soaring down from the sky above before landing, the EVO clearly in a panic. Everyone got out of their respective rides and Kevin raised his arms. "Okay, what the HELL did we miss?!"

"More importantly, where IS everybody?!" Rex exclaimed before cupping his hands over his mouth and calling out; "WEISS?! Ben?!"

"Gwen?!" Kevin shouted. "You there?!"

"Ruby! Yang!" Penny cried out.

"Blake?! Please answer!" Sun screamed.

Thankfully, the group weren't left shouting out in the front yard for very long as Gwen herself came barging out through the front door, wearing a wide smile. "Haha! Guys, you're finally here!" She jogged over to them and hopped straight into Kevin's arms, causing him to spin thanks to her momentum. "Hahaha! Oh my gosh, you missed EVERYTHING!"

"Evidently!" Ilia threw her hands out to her sides, pointing out the destruction. "Just what the hell happened here?!"

Gwen's eyes widened as she realized that things were still a mess. Everyone had been so swept up in the excitement that she forgot to fix her street and front yard. "Oh, heh, woops! Yeah, forgot to do that. But don't worry, everyone's fine and we made sure to check for casualties." She gave them a wink. "Thankfully, there were none."

Neptune rubbed the back of his head. "Well, that's… good news, I guess. But still, what HAPPENED to cause all of this?"

"Ohhh, believe it or not, that's the BEST part about what happened here." Gwen smiled in excitement as she went straight back to her front door, ushering the others to follow her. "Come on, come on, you guys have just GOT to meet him!"

Understandably, this just left the group all the more confused, but they followed her in anyway. Whatever happened to get Gwen THIS hyped had to be worth the surprise. The moment they came into the house, however, they were greeted with the sound of an uproar, with several enthusiastic voices speaking over one another while… a bass was being played? Thankfully, once everyone made it to the kitchen, they saw what was going on… and the teens were left shocked at just how packed it was. "What the…" Rex muttered.

Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Ben, Winter, Kenny as well as Ben and Gwen's parents were all gathered in the same room, surrounding the table as Kenny played on the bass. But, at the very center of it all… was an absolute mountain of a man. They could only describe him as looking like a barbarian, but Kevin, Rex and Cooper were quick to note the man's cowl… which was shaped like a lion's head. The Osmosian's jaw dropped and he was about to take a guess as to who the man was… but his friends' breaking into song beat him to it, with Frank and Carl of all people actually leading the chorus;

Hercules! Hero of song and story!

Hercules! Winner of ancient glory!

Fighting for the right!

Fighting with his might!

With the strength of ten—

Ordinary men!

Hercules! People are safe when near him!

Hercules! Only the evil fear him!

Softness in his eyes,

Iron in his thighs,

Virtue in his heart,

Fire in every part—

Of the Mighty… HERCULES!

The massive man stood up himself, raising a large mug of root bear as he sang the last part; "~Victory is here! Raise a mighty cheer!~" And before he knew it, everyone else jumped in for the last line; "~At the side of… HERCULES!~"Kenny gave one final strum of his bass and the man burst out into uproarious laughter, placing his mug back on the table as he clapped for the show. "HAHAHA! Bravo! What a wonderful performance! Ah, I always did love that little ditty." He went over to Frank and Carl in particular, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "And thank YOU two for leading the chorus! Haha!"

"Heh… well, it WAS a show our dad showed us when we were kids." Carl said sheepishly.

"Yeah, that song's been pretty much engraved into our minds." Frank added as well.

"And YOU, Kenneth!" The warrior went over and gave him a hearty slap on the back. "You would make an EXCELLENT bard, son! Well done, indeed!"

The redheaded young man couldn't help but swell with pride at the compliment. "Ahahaha! Th-Thank you, sir! That means a lot, honestly!"

Meanwhile, Team CFVY, Team SN, Penny, and Ilia were standing off to the side in utter bafflement. They had no idea who this giant man was or why he was in Gwen's house, but they were going to find out. "Alright, BACK UP!" Coco announced, walking into the room with her hands up. "What the heck is going on here? I want answers…" She pointed straight to the man, who was slightly surprised by the girl. "Specifically, I wanna know who YOU are, big guy. What's the big deal here?"

Everyone was silent for a moment… before the bearded man let out another round of laughter. "BAHAHAHA! Oh, you must be the rest of Young Benjamin's team!" He thrust his arms out to the group in greeting. "A pleasure to meet you all, really it is. Sorry for not explaining sooner, but we were just having WAY too much fun! HAHAHA!"

"That isn't exactly an answer, sir." Velvet pointed out before noticing Kevin, Cooper and Rex all staring at him slack-jawed. "And why in the world are you boys gawking at him?"

Cooper raised a shaking finger, pointing at the large barbarian. "G-Guys… do you know who we're speaking to?" he squeaked out. "For god's sake everyone was SINGING it just a few seconds ago!"

"Allow me, Cooper." Gwen said, placing a hand on his arm in reassurance before extending her other hand toward the man. "Everyone, it's my pleasure to introduce to you, the greatest Demigod hero of all time and now the Patron Greek God of ALL Heroes… the Mighty Hercules!"

All at once, the group realized just what Gwen was talking about, their memories of the night before leaving Remnant rushing back to all of them. They recalled how Ben told them all of the exploits of Hercules, and how he conquered the Twelve Labors set before him by his cousin King Eurystheus and the goddess Hera in an attempt to repent for the sin of killing his family… which Hera actually drove him crazy to make him do. Sun and Neptune both went just as slack-jawed as the other boys, their eyes widening to the size of saucer places. "…Are you serious?" the monkey boy uttered.

"No freaking way…" Neptune whispered.

Hercules puffed out his chest, all while wearing a big, toothy grin. "Haha! You mean "YES freaking way", boy. Once again, a pleasure to meet all of you!"

"B-B-B-But what are you DOING here?!" Ilia asked, holding her head in disbelief. "And HOW are you here?! I'm not exactly sure where Greece is, but I'm fairly certain we're nowhere near it."

"Ha! Who says I have to STAY in Greece, child?" Hercules placed a hand on his chest. "I am a god, after all. I can appear anywhere in this world and can do so very easily." He pointed over to their teammates who were still seated at the table. "Which is how I got myself to Bellwood so quickly to help out your friends… though granted, I was a few kilometers off, but that's neither here or there."

Fox raised an eyebrow at the God of Heroes, wondering what he meant by "help". "Okay, so what did you come here to help WITH exactly?"

"Oh, THAT'S where the cool part comes in!" Jaune piped up from the table as he stood up, wearing an ear-to-ear grin. "We actually fought against THE Nemean Lion! Like, the same exact one from the original legend!"

"Say WHAT?!" Rex slapped his cheek, struggling to take it all in. "How the hell is THAT possible? That monster was slain eons ago!"

Weiss giggled and she stood up from the table as well, moving over to take hold of her boyfriend's arm to reassure him. "Rex, calm down. Hercules actually explained that to us after we beat the dang thing. Turns out that monsters can reconstitute down in the Underworld after a period of time and can return to our world whenever they feel like it." The former heiress gave a small shrug. "Apparently since they don't have any souls, it's something they can do. Kind of like Grimm, only fancier."

"But we DID manage to beat it." Ben made sure to clarify, jerking his thumb toward the front of the house. "That's why there's such a mess outside. …Which reminds me, I should go Clockwork and clean that up."

Kevin deadpanned at his best friend. "And how was that NOT the first thing you did?"

The Omnitrix bearer's cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment. "I, uh… heh… I-I kinda fainted after Hercules helped us."

"Of course." Kevin facepalmed.

"EEEEEE! This is sensational!" Penny threw her hands up high as she leapt in front of Hercules, her excitement clear on her features. "Getting to converse with another godly being is something that I was hoping we'd be able to do again soon! Please tell me, what ARE you doing here? What is your realm like? In fact, where IS the realm of the Greek gods?" Her eyebrows raised up in realization. "Oh! Also, do you prefer to be called "Hercules" or "Heracles"? Because my internet database says both are valid pronunciations."

Hercules threw his head back, laughing once more as he held his stomach. "AHAHA! Oh my word, you are just FULL of questions, girl. I like your curiosity!"

"Hehehe… yeah, sorry Mr. Hercules." Ruby apologized on her friend's behalf, taking hold of Penny's arm to try and get her out of the hero's face. "Penny is very enthusiastic, so sorry if she's overwhelmed you any…"

"Not at all!" Hercules waved off. "In fact, I welcome the questions." He raised a single finger to make a point. "Let's go in reverse order; for one, I honestly don't care WHICH name you call me. Hercules is the more popular one, and Heracles IS the original, but in the end, the Romans just copy-pasted my legend for the most part, so that means I'm practically the same person no matter WHAT you call me. Heck, call me "Herc" for short, I don't care." He shifted his eyes back and forth before whispering; "Just, uh, don't call me by my birth name. Then you'd be getting weird."

"Ha! We'll try to keep that in mind." Yang quipped from the table. "…What IS your birth name, by the way?"

"It's—ah! Nope, not telling!" Hercules winked at the blonde for trying to pull a fast one on him. "I'm not falling for that old trick!"

Yang shook her head and held her hands up. "Eh, worth a shot. So, next question?"

Penny's head bobbed up and down. "Indeed, please describe your homeland!"

"Ah, yes, the realm of the Greek gods… Mount Olympus!" Hercules raised a fist high into the air as he spoke about the place, the passion in his voice very clear. "A place where any god can call home. Where minor gods and their children walk the streets in peace and the Olympians watch with a careful eye, making sure that everyone there is well protected." He trailed his hand in front of him to set the scene. "Oh, if only you could see this place! Pearlescent white buildings supported by tall, golden pillars as far as the eye can see, designed by the goddess Athena herself! And the Grand Palace of the Olympians at the very summit is something to see to be believed!"

All anyone could do was stare starry-eyed at the man as he described Mount Olympus, their sense of wonder going into overload. "Ooooh, this just makes me wanna go visit the place even MORE!" Nora jumped up into the air and landed directly in front of Hercules, balling her fists eagerly. "Forget the camping trip! When's the next Pegasus flight there, Herc?! We're going there TONIGHT!"

Ren sighed and put two firm hands on her shoulders, holding her down so she didn't jump all over the place. "Nora, we're not cancelling our trip just to go to Mount Olympus at the drop of a hat, and you KNOW that."

"Ah, c'mon Ren! Don't be a sourpuss!" Nora elbowed him in encouragement. "Besides, what's more exciting? Camping out in the woods or going WAY to the top of a huge mountain to hang out with the gods?!"

But before she could get anymore ahead of herself, Hercules placed his massive hand on her head, curbing her enthusiasm. "Haha! I enjoy your readiness to leave as soon as possible, young Valkyrie, but I'm afraid it's not that easy to get to Mount Olympus if you're a mortal." He pointed up toward the ceiling… or rather, the sky. "After all, you'd ALL need a personal invitation from the Olympian gods themselves, and while they're interested in you, you're not on THAT level yet, sorry to say."

Nora, along with several other team members, all deflated at the unfortunate news. "Aw, man!" the redhead dropped back down into a chair, huffing as she crossed her arms. "You've gotta be kidding me! Why do the gods have to be stingy about houseguests?"

"Sorry, but that's just the way things are." Hercules leaned toward Nora and added; "Also, just so you know, probably not the best idea to say things like that about the gods out loud. They have ears everywhere." At that, Nora's eyes widened and she sucked in her lips, hoping that none of them heard her.

"Alright, so what about Penny's first question?" Ilia placed her hands on her hips. "Which is something we're ALL dying to know… why you're here in the first place."

"Hm, right. Of course… well, where do I start?" Hercules sat back down in a chair, leaning forward with a hand on his knee. "Well, it DID start with the Nemean Lion's emergence. My father informed me of the beast's return, as well as the fact that it had came up from the underworld near Bellwood." He craned his head over to Ben, giving him a big grin. "And once I heard that, I knew I HAD to come down to offer my aid. After all, while the Olympians and other major gods don't tend to interfere with the problems of mortal man unless incited, minor gods like myself and others tend to play faster and looser with that rule. Besides, I couldn't pass up the chance to FINALLY meet the famous Ben 10 and his team of heroes!"

Ben's hand immediately went to the back of his neck. "Ah, shucks."

"So lemme guess, you and Ben beat the Nemean Lion to a pulp, right?" Neptune guessed. "We missed probably the most epic team-up take down of the century?"

But then, Hercules shook his head. "Actually, no. For instead, a NEW modern slayer of monsters has shown herself to me this day! A woman of great bravery, cunning and resourcefulness. Ladies and gentlemen, behold…" He reached over and grabbed Pyrrha's arm, raising it high to the sky, much to the Invincible Girl's glee. "The LION SLAYER! Pyrrha Nikos!"

Team CFVY and the others stared at Pyrrha in shock for a moment before Yatsu muttered; "No way… Pyrrha, did you seriously KILL the Nemean Lion?!"

Pyrrha put a hand over her mouth, failing to stifle her laugh. "Heehee! Yes, yes I did! And it was a fantastic feeling, let me tell you."

"B-But how?!" Cooper asked. "The Lion of Nemea is said to be almost invulnerable to all weapons!"

Pyrrha winked to him as she explained. "Yes, but only its FUR is invulnerable. But, as Gwen suggested, any exposed flesh or orifices CAN be pierced. So, that's what I did." She pulled out Milo and held it up above her head to show her example. "I leapt up as Hercules and Ben were holding it down and then I threw Milo into the beast's open maw, stabbing it right through the back of its throat. Then I finished it with a Lightning Dust shot right into the wound, killing it instantly."

"And, if you all want proof of that…" Sandra spoke up as she and Natalie went over to them, holding their phones up. "We got it all on video." The teens all peered down to the screens in front of them were, indeed, there was Hercules and Humungousaur submitting an absolutely giant lion, before Pyrrha came in and did her thing.

"Woah! That's SICK, Pyrrha!" Sun complimented. "Took the thing down quick and with no mess!"

"Pyrrha's definitely the hero of the day around here." Natalie approved before reaching out and placing a hand on the Invincible Girl's shoulder. "Thank you so much for keeping my home safe, dear."

The warrior bowed her head to the older redhead graciously. "Of course, Mrs. Tennyson. Anything to repay you for housing my team and I. Plus…" She went over to the table with a spring in her step and pulled up a rather stunning piece of furry armor from underneath, complete with a fur cloak as well as a lion-headed shoulder pad. "Getting THIS out of all that is an incredibly amazing bonus."

At the sight of the tunic, several jaws fell to the floor. "WOAH! That thing is SICK!" Neptune belted out.

"But… what is it?" Velvet questioned.

Pyrrha chuckled to herself before lifting the tunic over her head, slipping it on over her armor. One arm went out the mouth of the lion while the other was now covered with another shoulder pad made of two layered lion's paws, with the cloak wrapped securely around her neck by the other two paws. "This, Velvet, is the pelt of the Nemean Lion, which Hercules fashioned into a tunic similar to his."

Coco whistled, impressed by the craftsmanship that went into the tunic. "Woo! Damn, girl, now THAT is one badass way to accessorize!" The fashionista drew closer, lowering her sunglasses to take a better look. "Who knew a god could make such awesome clothes like this?"

"Indeed!" Hercules nodded, placing a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder approvingly. "She got the killing blow, so she deserves the spoils!" He pointed up to his own lion cowl with a smirk. "And now, WE MATCH! HAHAHA!"

The group erupted into laughter along with the hero for a brief moment before Rex decided to ask something else that was on his mind. "So, uh… I'm glad that there were no casualties here, but I've gotta know… did anyone actually SEE that whole mess go down outside?" He faced Hercules and gave him a shrug. "I only ask since I know that the gods don't exactly like having people see monsters like that."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Rex." Gwen assured. "The Lion was coated in a veil of Mist, so no one else could see it." But then, she gave her head a light smack as she realized something. "Oh! That's right, here…" Her eyes began to glow again as she raised her hands to the group of new arrivals, chanting; "Visio Manifesta!" before all of their eyes glowed briefly as well. "There, now YOU should be able to see past the Mist as well should we encounter more."

"Um… okay… doesn't exactly help ME, but whatever." Fox couldn't help but smirk as he heard Gwen gasp, no doubt covering her mouth. Before she could apologize, he raised his hand to her. "Kidding, kidding. But what exactly IS this "Mist" stuff?"

Hercules cleared his throat, jumping into the conversation. "Ahem, I think I should actually clarify a few things there…" He craned his head down to Gwen. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your knowledge of our concepts, Gwendolyn… but there ARE a few things that Mr. Riordan was inaccurate about in his books, and the Mist—or as WE call it, "The Haze"—is one of them."

Gwen's eyebrows rose up, slightly surprised by that. But as she thought more about it… he had a point. Modern authors DID tend to take concepts from the old myths and turn them on their heads to fit the narrative they want to tell. "Hm, you're right, Hercules. My mistake."

"It's no problem." Hercules grinned. "Besides, as much as there are inaccuracies in Mr. Riordan's novels, he must also be commended for introducing our tales to a new generation through Percy Jackson." He clenched his hand into a fist. "In fact, it's one of the reasons why we've been reemerging in the past couple of decades; because people are interested in us and our tales again." The man gave a small wince, though. "Granted, my portrayal in those novels isn't exactly what I expected, but I've learned to roll with my more modern interpretations… aside from the Disney film." The god grimaced at the reminder. "That movie just got SO much wrong."

"Yeah, can't blame ya for that." Ben's expression soured. "Aside from the catchy songs, it's easily my least favorite Disney movie. Anyway, the Haze?"

"Ah, yes, the Haze." Hercules nodded, getting back on track. "Well, unlike in Riordan's novels where "the Mist" is an omnipresent force keeping magical creatures and gods hidden completely from the eyes of mortals, the Haze is in actuality only used when the gods deem something necessary to be hidden." He waved his hand to and fro to emphasize his point. "Thus, the gods are able to control the Haze, and whether or not it keep things hidden from mortal eyes or not."

"Hmm… you mean like an on-off switch?" Winter guessed.

"Exactly! Just like that, Miss Winter." Hercules placed his hands behind his back as he walked over to a nearby window, gazing out resolutely across the several houses in the neighborhood. "And thankfully, my uncle was able to shroud the beast within the haze before it escaped the Underworld."

That was when Jaune piped up. "Your uncle? You mean… Hades, right? I think that's his name?"

Hercules visibly straightened up at the mention of the god's name, almost as if he had spooked. He turned around, facing Jaune with a serious expression. "Ahem, yes, indeed, young Jaune. That said, I would be careful saying certain names out loud. The Percy Jackson novels may have their inaccuracies, but there IS truth in names having power."

Jaune swallowed at that, his throat now suddenly feeling quite dry all of a sudden. "U-Um, yes, of course, sir. I'll keep that in mind."

Nora leaned forward in excitement. "So does this mean we'll be seeing MORE ancient monsters work their way out of the Underworld for us to fight?!"

"Haha! Oh, I am loving your enthusiasm, young Valkyrie! You remind me of a friend of mine who resides in the far north." Hercules gave the redhead a wink before he took a deep breath, letting out a sigh, crossing his large arms. "But unfortunately, that may yet be the case. With the reemergence of several pantheons in recent decades also comes the reincarnation of the monsters we vanquished long ago. So it stands to reason that the Nemean Lion was only the first…"

A short, yet very heavy silence weighed over the entire room at the god's words, the teens all eyeing one another in trepidation. However, it was Yang who broke the silence, giving Hercules a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Herc. If something like this happens again, you can bet that the Omni-Hunters will rise to that occasion!"

"Yeah, for sure!" Ruby added cheerily, all while the other members of the Omni-Hunters grouped up in solidarity. "We might've had a run of bad luck recently, but we're looking to shake that off! You can count on us to take down any monsters that come our way."

Coco readjusted her glasses, nodding in approval. "Yep, and you can count on Team CFVY to help out if it comes down to it. Takin' down monsters is our specialty, after all."

After a moment's pause, Hercules' own smile returned, throwing his head back for another loud laugh. "AHAHAHA! Hah, now THAT is what I was hoping to hear! Young heroes who aren't afraid to put their lives on the line to keep their world safe." He gave a wistful sigh as he shook his head. "Ah, reminds me of the good ol' days…"

BzzBzz! BzzBzz!

Everyone was taken aback by the sudden buzzing sound, with every mortal in the room abruptly looking down at their pockets. Once again, though, Hercules laughed and raised his hand. "Haha! Sorry, that's me. Hold on…" He reached down into his trunks and, from his pocket, procured a golden phone, one with the Greek Omega symbol on the back and with a screen of multiple colors mixed together.

This, understandably, took everyone by surprise. "Um… you have a phone?" Winter asked. "What is a god doing with a cell phone?"

"Ah, but Miss Winter, this is no ordinary phone." Hercules explained, showing everyone the screen. "This is an IrisPhone! A genius creation from the minds of Hephaestus, God of the Forge, and Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow. It's made communication SO much handier. No need to go out of your way to find a rainbow and offer a drachma to Iris to get a call out." The hero took a glance down to who was calling him and his eyebrows shot up. "Oh… my apologies, I must take this."

"Of course, go ahead." Frank assured, with Hercules stepping out of the kitchen.

Even from the living room, though, the humans could still hear his conversation. "Hello? Uncle? …Why yes, the lion HAS been taken care of. Slain by a mortal, actually." There was a brief pause before Hercules' voice became more concerned. "…Okay, what IS this… oh… by the gods, are you—" He stopped midsentence before starting anew. "B-But how is that possible? Something THAT size couldn't just… hm, yes, I understand. Thank you for the forewarning. I'll tell my new acquaintances at once. …Yes, I KNOW what I'm doing. Remember, I was mortal when I beat that thing, and if ONE of these children can slay the Nemean Lion, then hopefully, this won't be a problem for them. …I understand. Thank you, uncle. Take care."

Once the call ended, Hercules slowly trudged back into the room, a grim expression upon his features. "…I take it that call didn't go well." Ilia guessed.

"No, it was far from good." Hercules confirmed. "That was my uncle. Another monster managed to sneak its way out from the Underworld. And this one is MUCH bigger than the Nemean Lion."

At that, all of the heroes in the room were sternly at attention, gathering up in front of Hercules. "Did he say where it might pop up?" Ben inquired.

"He said if he was right… it'll probably emerge somewhere in the middle of town." Hercules' words made several of the humans gasp in horror, which made him lower his head. "Yes, unfortunately, it seems the Lion managed to attract it with its rampage. If we don't hurry and find where it'll emerge soon, then the entirety of Bellwood will be reduced to a crater."

That only made everyone all the more stunned, leading Ren to ask; "Hercules… just what ARE we dealing with?"

Before and answer could be given, though, a loud ringing started to echo through the room, taking everyone off-guard. This time, it was the Tennyson's own phone, which prompted Natalie to go over and answer. "Hello, Tennyson resi—oh! Y-Yes, hold on!" She rushed over to her nephew and his girlfriend, handing the phone to the latter. "Yang, it's your mother."

That took Yang off guard, but nonetheless, she took the phone and spoke into it; "Hello? Mom, what's up?"

"Yang, dear, switch on the television and go to Channel 6 News." Raven advised, her voice sounding very urgent. "Something big is happening by the docks beside the river, and you NEED to see this."

"O-Okay, hold on." Yang rushed into the living room, prompting the others to follow after her as she grabbed the remote for the TV. After turning it on and flipping through the channels a couple times, she landed on the channel she needed.

On the television, they were greeted by the image of a news woman being flanked by several police cars, all of them standing several yards away from a large warehouse near the river that flowed through town. "Our developing story continues as a conflict between super-powered beings continues inside of this abandoned warehouse!" the news woman spoke into the camera, keeping a safe distance away from the police line. "I've just been informed that police helicopters HAVE confirmed that the Omni-Hunters are NOT inside that building. Rather, this battle seems to be between two other groups. One has not been identified, but the others are the villains that arrived here from Remnant just last week! If the Omni-Hunters are watching this we need—AH!"

Without warning, the ground beneath her and everyone else's feet began to tremble, with the camera panning around to reveal that the pavement and cement was beginning to crack. "W-What the hell IS that?!" one officer yelled before the ground began to split open all together, revealing a red glow before the person holding the camera fell to the ground. After a blood-curdling scream, the feed was cut, leaving the Omni-Hunters and Hercules in a state of shock.

"…Well, guess we know where that monster's coming out." Sun noted.

Ben and Hercules both furrowed their brows, eyeing one another knowingly. "I believe the expression is "It's Hero Time", right?"

"Exactly." Ben affirmed, dashing straight to the door. "C'mon guys, we gotta move, FAST!"

"I will stay here and make sure your family is protected." Winter spoke up. "Good luck, everyone."

As everyone made for the door, though, Yang got an idea. "Wait, guys! Don't go just yet!" The team came to a stop, though some of them were already outside. Still, Yang grinned as she spoke to Raven again; "Mom… how fast can you get to the docks?"

…..

Several minutes later, at the warehouse where the chaos was unfolding, a pair of black birds could be seen flying high over the scene. As the duo peered down below, they could see the warehouse itself with multiple holes having been blasted through it, and they could clearly hear the sound of a fight going on inside. The police hadn't made any moves to try and get in yet, thankfully, but what was disconcerting the most was the massive fissures beginning to form around the whole area. They were glowing red and the birds could see golden fog wafting up from them. Thankfully, the warehouse was still a fair distance away from the river itself, so none of the fissures were causing the whole place to flood… at least not yet.

The pair landed on top of the building and they transformed into their human forms, surveying the bedlam going on around them. "Alright, gotta ask…" Qrow sauntered over to his sister, taking Harbinger off his back. "This how you imagined spendin' yer first full day back?"

"Not exactly." Raven admitted. "But whatever's happening here, we've got to put a stop to it." With that, she focused on her Semblance and opened a portal straight to her daughter. "Alright, we're here!"

At her words, the entire team started to come filing through the vortex, including Cooper and Team CFVY. The Spring Maiden was a bit surprised at their inclusion, but she wasn't about to deny additional help. But then, much to her and Qrow's utter shock… someone else came through the portal AFTER them. An absolutely massive, bearded man wearing a cloak and cowl made out of a lion's pelt. "What the…" Qrow murmured.

The Branwen twins continued to stare at the man even as Ben and Yang came up to them, the latter giving her mom a hug. "Ha! Nice work, mom! I KNEW that'd be a good idea!"

"Yep, made it hear in no time flat." Ben said before noticing that Raven and Qrow weren't exactly paying attention to them… but rather a certain god among men. "Oh, heh, yeah… you're probably wondering who our tagalong is."

"To say the least." Raven acknowledged. "Ben, Yang, who IS this walking mountain?"

The couple couldn't help but chuckle at that before Ben extended a hand to introduce him. "Hehe, well, Raven, Qrow… I'd like you both to meet our new friend; Hercules! Patron God of Heroes and the gatekeeper of Olympus."

Hercules saluted to the siblings as he approached them. "Greetings! Sorry for the sudden appearance, but after my run-in with the team earlier this morning, I've been taking my time to get to know them." He gestured toward the pandemonium surrounding the whole crew. "And considering what's happening here, I only thought it'd be right for me to help here."

"Woah, woah… so you're a god?" Qrow glanced the man up and down. "…Well, that explains the meat-grinding abs."

"HAHAHAHA!" Hercules slapped Qrow on the back, knocking him down onto the rooftop. "You are far too kind, Mr. Qrow!" He picked Qrow up by his jacket and got him back to his feet, only to put on a more serious face a second later. "But now is not the time for jokes." Hercules went over to the edge of the roof, peering down toward the massive glowing cracks that were forming below. "We have a dire situation happening here. A monster from the Underworld is going to be emerging from those fractures in the earth any moment now."

This managed to perk Raven's interest. "Wait… you mean like THE Underworld? The "where people go to their final resting place" Underworld?"

"Indeed… though more accurately, the monsters emerge from Tartarus and then go through the Underworld to get up here, but hey, semantics."

Pyrrha stepped forward, still donned in her own lion gear. "Hercules, did your uncle give you specifics on what this monster was?"

Hercules sighed and gave a solemn nod. "Yes, he did… and unfortunately, it is another one that I've handled some time before. The second trial I ever took on, actually." He craned his neck down to Pyrrha, letting her know the gravity of the situation. "This beast is one so dangerous that, if it isn't stopped here, it'll turn Bellwood into its own, toxic swamp."

Ruby pursed her lips behind the god, worried about what could happen. "Then we've gotta make sure everyone gets away from this place. And that includes everyone inside."

Weiss raised a brow at her partner. "Wait, you're saying you actually want to help Cinder and her crew get away?"

"That does kind of sound counterproductive." Blake noted.

"Well, yeah, okay, when you put it like that, it does." Ruby admitted. "But we can't just let them and whoever they're fighting in there die, right?" She craned her head up to Hercules, giving him a cheery smile. "That's not what a hero does, after all."

"You are very wise, young Ruby." Hercules approved. "When it comes to monsters, good and evil don't apply, at least not at the moment. So…" The god pumped his fist and let out a yell of exertion, slamming it straight into the roof to make a massive hole. He gestured to the newly made entrance and asked; "Shall we head in?"

Cooper, Coco and their team stepped forward before anyone could jump. "We'll make sure to clear the area while you guys break up the big fight down there." Coco lowered her glasses and gave the team a wink. "Good luck, guys. Hopefully things won't get too out of control here." With that, the two groups went their separate ways, jumping off and into the building respectively.

…..

Down below, meanwhile, Rojo and Mercury currently in a struggle with one of the Collective leaders, the one in the green and black monster-like mask. Apparently, his name was Scales, but they didn't really care. All they knew was that they were keen on beating him, whether he knew why or not. "Where the hell do you people get off on attacking US?!" Scales roared as he clashed with Rojo, slamming his bare fist into her energy sword as if it meant nothing. "We haven't done anything wrong by you lousy villains!"

"Yeah, here's where you're wrong about that, ya freak." Rojo pushed back, glaring into the man's eyes. "You've horned in on OUR turf! Bellwood belongs to the Ministry of Darkness, ya got that?!"

"Oh, sure, the lame idiots who get their butts handed to them by the heroes… EVERY!" WHAM! "Single!" BAM! "Time!" CRASH! Scales accentuated each word with a powerful punch that sent Rojo staggering back, his fists actually sparking against her energy sword with every hit. Rojo had no idea how that was possible, though if she were to guess, he probably had some sort of invulnerability. "Now, if yer smart, you'll get the HELL outta this town an' leave the plotting to the profession—ALS!"

Rojo's invulnerability theory quickly proved to be inaccurate as she saw Scales get kicked in the gut by Mercury, forcing all the wind out of him while blowing him back several feet. He crashed into a stack of crates on the other side of the room, and Rojo gave her teammate a jab in the arm. "Heh, thanks for the save, Merc."

"No problem." Mercury gave her a thumbs up. "Abused kids have to stick together, right?"

"Kinda disturbing, but I like your logic." Rojo approved before they heard a powerful roar, leading to Scales bursting out of the shattered wooden boxes with almost no scratches on him. "Man, this dude's tough for a human…"

"…Maybe he's not human." Mercury suggested. "Think that's MORE than just a regular mask?"

The bounty hunter hummed in agreement. "Hm, now that you mention it, that's probably the case… let's break it."

"Right there with ya!" At that, the duo charged at Scales as he barreled toward them, with Mercury shooting forward via his boots do deliver a powered-up kick.

Across the room, Cinder and Emerald were locking in a battle of blades with the one called "Bishop", the rather hairy man having grown several from out of his fingers. As disturbing as that was, it wasn't enough to deter the duo, bringing out their own swords and sickles to counter him. Their clashes created sparks with every hit and parry, though for Bishop's part… he was actually on the backfoot. He'd heard that Cinder Fall had some pretty potent power, but he didn't think she was THIS powerful. "Grah! Your strength is impressive, girl." Bishop complimented. "Perhaps you would be interested in a better position?"

Cinder promptly responded by shooting a fireball directly at his face, forcing him to stagger back and howl in pain. "If you're trying to get me to abandon my team, you have another thing… coming?" Cinder trailed off and Emerald's eyes widened as smoke continued to billow from Bishop's face… all while his form started to flicker and change into something different. Eventually, something burning fell to the ground, and the duo recognized it immediately as an ID Mask. They had seen these used several times before… but then they saw what Bishop's true form, and they let out a gasp. "What in the…"

"Oh god, what ARE you?!" Emerald shouted, shifting Thief's Respite into their gun modes. Whatever this… THING was, it was big, furry, covered in metal, and had a very bestial form, almost like a Grimm. She did NOT like the look of it whatsoever.

The creature known as Bishop growled, keeping his head covered with one of his large, clawed hands while another reached around to his back. "Grr… you're lucky that I keep an extra one of these…" His voice reverberated as he spoke, given that most of his head was encased in metal as well. Once he put his spare mask on, though, that reverb disappeared as his human visage returned. "Now, I advise that you NOT do that again."

"Believe me, I'd rather not." Cinder asserted. "Just count yourself lucky that your followers didn't see that. You were wise to send them away… otherwise they would've seen you for the freak you are."

Bishop glowered at the Fall Maiden, flexing his claws back out. "I might be a freak, but at least I care enough about our followers!" He let out another roar as he lunged at the duo, bringing his claws down on Cinder only for her to cross her swords and block the blow. "After all, the Exalted One would have my head if any of you people killed them."

This made Cinder's eyebrows raise in intrigue. "The Exalted One? Do tell…"

"Ha! As if I'd tell you anything about him!" Bishop raked his claws across Cinder's blades, finally shattering them into tiny pieces. But then, he felt several bullets start hitting him from the sides, causing him to recoil in pain. "AGH! Why you…" He zeroed in on Emerald and took to all fours, charging at her as if he were an animal enraged.

Emerald was ready, though, shifting Thief's Respite back into their sickle mode before whipping their blades out on their chains. As Bishop pounced, his arms were outstretched, giving Emerald the perfect target to wrap the chains around before pulling on him with all her might. She managed to swing him straight over her hand and into the floor, cracking it beneath him. "Ha! Not so might now, freakshow!"

Just then, however… something strange happened. As the floor cracked beneath Bishop, the ladies could see a red glow permeating from the ground, garnering their curiosity. Bishop got up to his feet and saw the glow as well, furrowing his brows in confusion. "What is this? Is this some sort of trick by you?!"

"No… I'm not exactly quite sure WHAT this is." Cinder said, an uneasy feeling creeping up in her gut. Whatever was in the ground, she could sense that it was powerful… and it was going to come up fast.

In a far-off corner of the room, as all that was happening, a certain hunchbacked woman was keeping to herself, staying hidden and out of sight under her dark red cloak. Unfortunately, though, she could sense that she wasn't alone, which she caused her to crane her head up and to her right. As she thought, there was another girl standing there, almost expectantly while giving her a snarky grin. Just the sight of the monochromatic girl annoyed her. "What do you want?" she muttered hoarsely.

Neo put a finger to her chin in thought, only to give a shrug, leaning against the wall as she watched everyone fight. "…So you don't have much stakes in this fight?" the hunchback asked. "Even though you're with the ministry?" In response to her question, Neo tapped the side of her head with a knowing smile, which the other girl could actually somewhat understand her meaning. "Hm, I see. Playing things more methodical and waiting for a good moment. I can get that."

But then, Neo tilted her head toward the cloaked girl, pointing at her in confusion. "Hm? Me? Are you asking what I'm doing with them?" Neo nodded, which made the pale girl sigh. "Hah… good question. I really shouldn't be here, but… I'm indebted to these people. And even if I wanted to leave…" She reached up and pulled back on her cloak, revealing a metal collar around her neck. "I can't exactly do that either…"

At the sight of that, Neo's eyes widened considerably, and she glanced from side to side. She wasn't expecting that at all. Her gaze became more worried as she locked eyes with the girl, and the hunchback couldn't help but feel… a bit more at ease. For some reason, she could sense… a kindred spirit within the monochromatic girl, and she didn't even know her name. "Hah… thank you for the concern, but I'll be alright. At least, I hope."

Neo pursed her lips, frustrated at that answer. Sure, she was a villain, but she at least had standards. She knew what it felt like to have someone try to control her, so in her mind, she made a decision there and then. Neo's expression became resolute and she knelt down, taking hold of the girl's skinny hands and giving her a nod. The hunchback's lips parted open, shocked by the action. "Wait… are you saying you want to help me?" With a firm nod, Neo smiled at her, which made the girl's emotions start to well up inside of her. So much so that she could feel a few tears streaming down her cheeks. "I-I… th-thank you, but—"

BOOM! She was cut off as a part of the ceiling suddenly fell from high above and impacted the ground, taking everyone by surprise. The villains all paused in their fights as they focused on the new hole in the roof… and were all revolted by the sight of who came through. "Oh for crying out—SERIOUSLY?!" Rojo shouted as Ben, Team RWBY and the rest of the Omni-Hunters all came falling down in the middle of the action. "Can't we go ONE day without all of you getting in our way?!"

"Well, try not to cause trouble and maybe we WON'T have to do that." Ben advised, only for the hero to do a double take when he saw both Scales and Bishop. "Oh, what the—YOU guys?!" He shook her head back to Rojo, Cinder, Emerald and Mercury in disbelief. "You four ACTUALLY decided that you were gonna get in a fight with the Collective today?"

Yang threw her hands up with an audible groan. "Ugh! Why are we even HERE then? We could've just taken out two of our biggest problems without even throwing a stone!"

Emerald raised her hands out to her sides. "Hey, it's not like we planned this. We were literally dumped outside and we happened to see 'em coming in here."

"Ha! Would you look who decided to show up?" Scales balked, scanning his eyes across the cavalcade of heroes. "Seems like the gang's all here, too! How convenient…" As he went, however, he stopped when his eyes landed on Rex, narrowing them slightly at the EVO. "And you're just in time! You guys can cover our escape by takin' over this fight for us."

Rex scoffed at that. "Ha! Don't think so, tubbo." He activated his Smack Hands, ready to throw down. "If anything, we're gonna fight ALL of you and then take you in. How do ya like them apples?"

Bishop facepalmed at the EVO's annoying conviction. "Ugh, I did NOT miss having to deal with you…"

"…Wait, what?" Rex asked in confusion.

"Nevermind!" Bishop snapped, extending his massive claws again. "If a fight's what you want, then it's a fight you'll get!"

The rest of the team began arming themselves as well, with the Ministry doing the same as they formed a third corner for themselves. "Heh, what? Not gonna team up with the other bad guys, Cinder?" Kevin laughed, gesturing to the rest of the Omni-Hunters. "Even with all of us here?"

The Fall Maiden narrowed her eyes at Bishop and Scales, who glowered right back. "No, for the good of the integrity of the Ministry, I refuse to work with such lowly cultists." Then, her eyes shifted over to Raven specifically, all while they started to burn with her Maiden Powers. "Besides… there's only one target I have in mind amongst all of you. We have unfinished business from yesterday."

Raven unsheathed Omen, prepared to pick up where they had left off. "Hm, be my guest, child."

But before anyone could start fighting one another, Gwen worked her way up from the back, getting between all three groups with her hands raised. "Alright, ENOUGH! We don't have TIME for this!" She kept a serious tone as she reminded her teammates of why they came here. "Did everyone just forget that there's a MUCH bigger reason why we're here?"

"Indeed, young Gwendolyn!" At the sound of the loud, boisterous voice, everyone craned their heads up to the hole, only to see an absolutely huge man come falling down into the room, landing on his feet with a THUD. He placed his hands on his hips, his voice equally as stern as Gwen's. "We cannot waist precious time squabbling amongst ourselves." He noticed the crack on the floor, along with the fact that it was growing bigger by the second. "The beast is drawing near…"

"Woah, woah, hold up, who the HELL are you?!" Rojo thrust her hand toward him incredulously. "And why do you look like you just stepped outta Conan the Barbarian?"

"Oh, him? That's Hercules." Gwen said casually. "Patron God of Heroes and one of the greatest demigods to ever live. Perhaps you've heard of him?"

Rojo and her team all went wide-eyed, as did Bishop and Scales as they gazed upon the man. Sure enough, the huge muscles, lion cowl and the Greek attire all checked out, so Rojo was quick to believe it. "…Ya know, if we didn't get our asses kicked by a massive feathered serpent about a week ago, I'd probably wouldn't believe this."

"I honestly can't believe it." Bishop muttered.

Cinder placed her hands on her hips, turning her nose up at Hercules. "So, another god, huh? And a god of heroes, no less. Fantastic." She threw her hands up into the air. "JUST the sort of ally our enemies need!"

Hercules wasn't in the mood for the Maiden's complaints, though. "Curb your tongue, girl! There is much more at stake here than petty squabbles. Gwen, grant them the ability to see through the Haze, if you please? Perhaps if they see what we're dealing with, it'll change their tune."

"Yes sir!" Gwen saluted before her eyes glowed once again, quickly chanting her spell as she cast it on all of the Ministry and Collective members present. She also cast it on Raven and Qrow as well, just to be on the safe side. "Alright, I think we're all ready."

"Okay, WHAT did you just do to us?" Mercury asked.

"Nothing major. We'll explain everything later, but for right now—WOAH!" Gwen nearly fell to the floor as it began to crack and shake more and more. Eventually, the fracture was big enough to where the Anodite could see an absolutely massive eye, and judging by everyone else's expressions, they could see it too. "…But right now, we should all probably RUUUUN!"

Not having to be told twice, the group of heroes and villains all rushed toward the nearest exit at the far side of the room, filing out one by one as the ground started bursting out from underneath them all. They had all made it out just as the building started to rumble and shake, before ultimately it started to cave in on itself. Cinder stared at the scene in complete bafflement, stunned that a creature that size could exist here on Earth. She slowly craned her head up to Hercules, his face telling her that he knew what that thing was. "Tell me, God of Heroes… what is it that we're facing?"

"…Something which I was hoping I'd never have to fight again." Hercules admitted, breathing deeply to prepare himself. "A beast so deadly that one drop of its venom can kill in under a minute." He watched as the warehouse crumbled on top of the beast, only for it to be unaffected as an echo of roars could be heard from under the rubble. "It was the second labor I ever undertook… and now, we must vanquish it again."

KA-BLAM! Rubble was sent flying into the sky and through the surrounding area as the massive monster burst out from under it, its massive, draconian body crawling its way up. It was quadrupedal, had to be at least twenty meters tall, and was covered in sickly green scales. It also had two long tails with sharp points on each end, almost as if they were stingers. However, its head—or rather its SEVEN heads—were far from draconic. No, they were more serpentine in nature, with long necks that resembled the bodies of snakes. The heads themselves were very snake-like, but had frills on their sides, which flared out threateningly. Their long, sharp fangs were practically dripping in venom, which actually dissolved the rubble as it hit the ground below. The beast roared and hissed with its long tongues, taking everyone aback in horror.

"Dear gods, what the HELL is that thing?!" Qrow shouted.

Hercules glared up at the beast, pulling his sword from its sheath. "That… is the Lernaean Hydra."

As the heroes and villains all stared at the monstrosity before them, Pyrrha could find the wherewithal to say only one thing about it; "Well… crap baskets."

…..

A/N: Crap baskets indeed, Pyrrha. I too would probably be horrified by the sight of a multi-headed monstrosity that practically leaking acid from its mouths. But yep! Since the Omni-Hunters have faced the first labor, it's only fitting that they now ALL face off against the second. How exactly will they be able to fend this thing off? And will the Ministry and Collective even TRY to help? Guess we'll just have to wait and see to find out.

Speaking of, though, this is indeed the FIRST time that the Ministry and Collective have ever interacted! And they've made it quite obvious that they do NOT like one another, that's for sure. Cinder and Rojo want them OUT of their territory, meanwhile I think Bishop and Scales could probably care less… but what's this? These two definitely AREN'T what they seem from what Emerald and Cinder could see of Bishop, that's for sure. At the very least, though… Neo's made a new friend, so hooray for that!

But of course, that's not ALL that happened here since Hercules helped clarify quite a bit here, including the fact that with the resurfacing of the gods also comes the monsters associated with their pantheons as well. And perhaps something even more sinister is afoot considering the rate in which they're popping up… hm. Also, we got the follow-up to Salem and Malware meeting for the first time, which ended with the witch agreeing that going forward, a more proactive approach is needed to deal with the heroes. Her game of chess has changed and accelerated a bit, so how will the heroes be able to deal with that going forward?

Oh, and also the Street Sharks are gonna be living at Salem's Castle, so yay! No need to overcrowd Rojo's apartment! Hm… but the Nemetrix has also been damaged, so that's going to need some repairs. Wonder how Psychobos is gonna do THAT…

But, with all that said, NEXT TIME! It's time for a massive battle as our heroes (and out villains, begrudgingly) take on the Lernaean Hydra. It won't be an easy fight, that's for sure… especially since Rojo and her team make a pretty vital mistake early on due to forgetfulness. You know what happens when you cut off a hydra's head… and do nothing else afterward, right? Uh-oh… Thanks for reading, everyone and I'll catch you all next time! And as always, stay safe out there!