My best support has returned under a new name. Welcome back, BTW. It's time to release a new chapter to the story and the introduction of a new character. (I'm saying 'new' a lot for some reason.) So, I do so hope you enjoy it. Here we go.


Athena soared in the sky, staying within visible range of Corey and his friends but still maintaining a reasonable distance. The last thing the white owl Goddess wanted was intrude on her young ward's personal life any more than she had since first appearing to him. This was more of a necessity, for the boys were being followed by another student from their school. Athena was concerned and suspicious of the mystery student, but she was also concerned about the boy named Damien. She couldn't shake the eerie feeling that something was different about that one.

Corey, Damien and Brad made it to the entrance of the town park, which wasn't too far from the scene of the most recent fight with the Hydra. The area was sealed off to the public, with only qualified personnel allowed to enter or leave. Corey looked closely and could make out some police officers he knew from his father's precinct, so it was a safe bet that his dad was there but busy. He also caught sight of Elizabeth Faulkner, standing just outside of the scene but showing hardly any interest. More than likely, she was just there for a media appearance and couldn't have cared less for the situation.

"Whoa," Damien mused upon seeing the aftermath of the fight. "I still can't believe you guys actually fought that thing here. You could've died."

"That's what I thought when I had to fight the Minotaur and the Nemean Lion, and both times on my own. If not for Brad, I probably wouldn't have survived against the Hydra." Corey stated.

"You're welcome, by the way." Brad playfully gloated.

Corey rolled his eyes at Brad as he led his friends to the nearby picnic table. Once they were seated, Damien said, "So what's next for you guys? I'm guessing you'll want to go looking for that magic box thing."

"He's kind of got a point, Mercer. Maybe we should put our efforts into finding it before Hades does." Brad stated.

"It's not as easy as that, Brad. Athena told me that she lost the box when Hades killed her ages ago. We'd just be wasting time trying to find it." Corey explained.

"Unless he already found it. You ever think about that?" Brad asked.

"Maybe, but if that were the case, Hades would've either used it or destroyed it by now." Corey said.

"So, Hades doesn't know where it is any more than we do. That could work to our advantage, couldn't it?" Damien concluded.

"Our advantage? You're not even like us, Winters."

"Hey, ease off, Brad. Damien may not be able to transform like we can, but he's a part of this now. Besides, there're others like us that we have to find. Other Incarnates." Corey said.

"Are we really going to call ourselves that? It sounds real stupid to me." Brad exclaimed.

"That's what Athena called us. Take it up with her." Corey said, earning a chuckle from Damien.

"Well, at least we don't dress up like a bunch Japanese school girls in sailor outfits." Brad mumbled to himself.

"Yeah, you guys would look ridiculous." Damien quipped.

Corey chuckled at the barbs being shared between Damien and Brad. His expression changed in an instant when he looked up and found Athena in her owl form flying overhead. His instincts took over and he started searching the immediate area. Neither Damien nor Brad noticed Corey's sudden change in demeanor. Corey noticed this but didn't alert them right away. He kept looking around for anything out of place. A new threat might've been looming and waiting to strike. It was by that time that Damien noticed his best friend's heightened alertness and he soon also noticed the white owl high above them. Brad eventually noticed as well and was ready to jump on the latest threat.

After careful scanning, Corey noticed how Athena was circling overhead of a specific area of the park near his and his friend's location. Someone was trying to conceal themselves behind a tree. They were doing a terrible job of hiding. Corey got up from his seat and hastily approached the tree. Damien and Brad eventually followed Corey to the tree. Whoever was trying to hide from the boys was clearly caught and stepped out from hiding. The person in question who'd emerge was a surprising one.

With both a nervous wave of her hand and a fairly defined European accent, she said, "I am terribly sorry. I did not mean to intrude."

Corey was joined by Damien and Brad, and the latter of the pair said, "Hey, you're that Euro-chick from school. Allison? Isabel? Anya?"

"Allegra. Allegra Martinez, right?" Corey deduced correctly.

"Si, I mean yes. I'm sorry again for bothering you, but there is something I wanted to talk with you about." Allegra replied somewhat nervously.

"Uh, sure. Your accent by the way; I'm guessing you're from Spain." Corey surmised.

"Madrid, yeah. My mother is Spanish and my father is American. They're both back home while I am studying abroad." Allegra explained.

"I thought she was from Brazil or something." Brad whispered to Damien.

In response, Damien whispered, "Brazil's in South American, not Europe."

"What're you, a geologist?" Brad quietly snapped back.

"Guys," Corey mumbled, effectively silencing his bickering friends before turning back to Allegra. "So, what'd you want to talk about?"

Allegra glanced at the three boys, a feeling of trepidation washing over her. With a deep breath, she said, "It is about those people from the other day, the ones in the armor who fought that monster. I... I think I know who they are."

Corey suddenly grew tense, even nervous, but he tried to downplay the matter the best he could. "Do you have any idea who they might be?"
Allegra appeared to hesitate, almost as though she was overwhelmed with doubt and concern that she would be seen as crazy by Corey and his friends. "I was there last weekend when that giant lion monster appeared, and I saw you there too. I was hiding in an alley when you entered and... I saw you change into that man in the silver armor."

Corey's eyes widened and then shut all while he tilted his head back in disbelief at being discovered. "Ah shit."

Brad and Damien were in equal astonishment and Brad said, "Dude, how could you be so careless?"

"I'm not Nostradamus, Brad. How was I supposed to know?" Corey snapped back.

Damien, ignoring the arguing between Corey and Brad, hastily asked Allegra, "Does anyone else know about Corey?"

Allegra shook her head. "I didn't tell anyone. Who'd believe me anyway? Also, there's something else. Corey...?"

"What now?" Corey said in an exasperated tone.

"May I see your hands, please?" Allegra asked.

Corey squinted his eyes at the unusual request. Allegra didn't specify which hand she wanted to see he thought for a moment to show his left hand knowing there was nothing there. But since Allegra had already uncovered his secret identity, likely Brad's as well, there wasn't much point in hiding it now. Corey glanced at Damien and then at Brad, the latter still reeling at the turn of events, before he approached Allegra. Taking a breath, Corey outstretched his right hand and turned it over. The mark of Zeus was in plain sight for Allegra. She leaned over, examining the mark. Her expression was one of both surprise and realization. A sigh of relief washed over her, almost like she was hoping for it. Brad soon stepped forward and showed the mark of Ares on his hand, and Allegra felt more relief washing over her.

"I knew I wasn't the only one." she said suddenly.

The boys were confused by this comment, with Corey replying, "You knew?"

Allegra knew she'd let something slip, but she wasn't turning back now. She showed her own hand, and upon the skin rested a Greek-styled mark resembling a bow and arrow. "It appeared on my hand this morning before I arrived at school. I was unsure of what it meant at first, until the most recent incident."

"And then you put two and two together." Damien surmised, while Corey examined the mark.

"I've seen this before," he said. "In a book I picked up at the library last Saturday. I think it represents Artemis."

Brad and Damien approach to get a better look at the mark, and Brad said aloud, "If she's got a mark on her hand like we got, then that means she can transform into an Incarnate like we can, right Mercer?"

Allegra glanced up at Brad and said, "Transform? What do you me by 'transform' and 'Incarnate'?"

Corey and his friend glanced at Allegra upon hearing her question, and Corey replied, "These marks help us to change into our God forms, what we call Incarnates. It's how we've been able to fight off those monsters that have been showing up in town."

"That's... very interesting." Allegra said, all while she appeared to be embarrassed about something.

As the teens conversed amongst themselves, Athena looked on from a tree nearby while remaining out of sight and out of mind. She had been trailing Corey and his friends for some time since they left the school for the day. A watchful eye kept her focused on her duty as the Goddess of Wisdom and Guidance, and it was during this particular time that Athena felt strangely and somewhat uneasy. As impressed as she had been that Corey had been steadily gathering new allies, she didn't feel any real sense of optimism. Instead, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of concern.


Corey returned home well ahead of his mandated curfew, and he could vaguely hear the familiar sounds of a television in the living room. He arrived to find his parents seated at the couch, and his little sister sitting cross-legged on the floor. They were in the middle of dinner and Patricia subtly pointed toward the kitchen. Corey looked back to find a plate of food on the table. He dropped his bag and went to grab his dinner before joining his family in the living room.

"I'm impressed, Corey. You actually managed to come home before curfew." John said to his son.

"Don't mind your father, sweetie. He's just trying to keep you on your toes." Patricia claimed, nudging John for good measure.

"I thought that was my job." Maggie quipped as Corey approached.

Corey brushed his free hand through Maggie's hair and replied, "Unfortunately for you, rug rat, your job doesn't pay."

"Hang on, kids. I want to hear this." John said, holding the TV remote in his hand and turning up the volume.

"We continue our ongoing report on the recent string of attacks across Dover. I am joined now by Dover Mayor Elizabeth Faulkner to get her assessment of the situation."

Elizabeth Faulkner appeared on the TV screen, noticeably well dressed and indifferent of the recent events. "Thank you for having me."

"Mayor Faulkner, we've had a trio of bizarre incidents take place in the middle of our town and thus far, no one has claimed responsibility. What's your take on the situation and how do you plan to handle it?"

"Well the first thing I will say is that what's been happening recently is truly unprecedented and tragic. But as of this moment, the Dover PD has been somewhat lackadaisical in its efforts to apprehend the individuals responsible for these attacks." Faulkner claimed.

"Lackadaisical?" John audibly snapped.

Maggie leaned near to Corey to ask him, "What's that mean?"

Corey was reluctant to respond, instead telling his sister, "Ask me later."

The broadcast continued with the reporter claiming, "You seem to be suggesting that the Dover Police are actively neglecting to remedy the situation with these incidents. Could you elaborate on that further?"

"Well, there are questions about these armored individuals that I think many people want answered; Who are they? Where did they come from? Why are they here? Why aren't the police doing anything about them?"

John cringed at the last question, feeling as though Faulkner was directly targeting him. Corey felt it too. "Don't listen to her, Dad."

"I'm trying not to, son." John replied.

Faulkner continued the interview, adding, "I firmly believe that the Dover PD has the capability to apprehend these mystery men, yet they are seemingly dragging their feet in attempting to do so. There must be a reason for this, and the people of Dover, my people, have a right to know."

John suddenly leapt from his seat, startling his family and shouting, "We're not your fucking people."

"John," Patricia called out as she followed her husband across the room. "Calm down, honey. She has no idea what she's talking out."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. It's just... goddammit, that woman infuriates me with her misinformed arrogance." John said in frustration.

"Dad, you know she's just trying to get a rise out of you." Corey said.

"Well, it's working." John admitted.

Without warning, Maggie got up off the floor and ran out of the room. "Maggie," Patricia called out, but Maggie was already up the stair, disappearing from view. The sound of a slamming door was heard afterwards. "Oh, Jesus in Heaven."

John calmed down and said to his wife, "It's okay. I'll talk to her."

"Let me talk to her," Corey said, standing up from the floor and approaching his parents. "I think, and no offense to either of you, but maybe Maggie needs her older brother right now."

Corey didn't wait for the approval of his parents, not that he really needed it. They understood his intentions, that was enough. With measured haste in his step, Corey ascended into the stairs until he reached the next floor. He walked past the door of his own room. Maggie's room was further down the hall. Corey stopped just outside the door, but he didn't knock on it. He leaned forward, pressing his ear against the door. He could hear faint weeping from inside, surmising the obvious that Maggie was most likely crying.

He knocked on the door as lightly as possible before saying, "Maggie? It's me. Look, Dad didn't mean to snap, and it wasn't at you or me. You know he loves you, and Mom loves you, too. And, so do I."

No answer came from the other side of the door. Corey grew worried, thinking maybe he'd overstepped his bounds. He only wanted to help Maggie, but perhaps she wanted to simply be left alone. Corey considered returning to his room for the night, to consider his next path forward. But, the door opened before him. Maggie was there, her face beet red and tears streaming from her eyes. She threw herself into her older brother's arms and hugged him. She cried into the fabric of his shirt, and Corey gently rubbed her head.

"She's wrong," Maggie muttered, and Corey quickly assumed that she was talking Elizabeth Faulkner. "She's wrong about Dad. She's wrong about Zeus. He's one of the good guys, isn't he?

Corey wondered how he'd have to answer his sister, even briefly considering telling her that he was one of those super people. But he couldn't, as badly as he wanted to tell her, he just couldn't. He finally said, "Yeah. Yeah, he's one of the good guys."


Author's Note: Chapter finished. Say Hola to Allegra Martinez, who may or may not be an Incarnate. We will see soon enough. Meanwhile, Corey once again being the big brother for little sister Maggie while John continues growing annoyed with Elizabeth Faulkner. What exactly is her agenda? Feedback would be welcome. Peace.