TWs: Tension builds, feelings of sadness/loneliness/anger, rude behavior/snappiness. Stay safe :)
"Ugh, this is so boring!" Ganymede threw his hands up in exasperation, "Why do the planets get to do everything!?"
"Because Sun is the Guardian and what he says goes...?" Titan crossed his arms, staring pointedly at the other.
"Mmh... I hate that you're right."
"I'm choosing to take that as a compliment."
"Hey," Triton walked up to Callisto, his hands in his pockets.
"Hey," Callisto spoke, giving him a small smile.
"You okay?"
"On the outside, yeah; on the inside, not so much..." Callisto chuckled softly, "This situation is just..."
"Crazy?"
"That, and also weird."
"Heh, yeah, it's not every day that you end up on a Celestial's surface which turns out to be fake all along."
Callisto held back a laugh by biting her lip, "No kidding."
The duo fell into a perfect silence, sharing glances when the other wasn't looking until Callisto caught something out of the corner of her eye. She peered over her shoulder, noticing Proteus sitting on the ground with his knees huddled to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, seemingly wanting to appear as small as possible.
Triton was about to speak, but was cut off by the dark-haired individual, "I think someone else needs you more than I do."
"Huh...?" Triton blinked, following Callisto's gaze, "Ah..."
"Since his siblings didn't appear here with us, I'm guessing he's pretty lonely," Callisto spoke.
"Yeah..." Triton nodded, pursing his lips, "I'll be right back."
As Triton walked away, Callisto smiled softly. She always knew he cared for the Neptunian moons, finding it amusing when the other would try to deny it.
"You doin' okay, kid?" Triton asked, hovering over the smaller one.
Proteus forced a smile, yet it didn't quite reach his eyes. He nodded, "I'm perfectly fine!"
Triton lowered his sunglasses, giving the other a pointed stare as he quirked an eyebrow.
Proteus was quick to falter, his faux smile falling in mere seconds. He averted his gaze, poking around at the concrete, "Er... more like less than okay..."
Triton huffed, plopping beside him, keeping his distance in case Proteus wasn't feeling touchy, "Want to talk about it?"
Proteus shook his head. Triton looked away from him, deciding to give it a few seconds, 'Three, two, one...'
Proteus sighed in exasperation, "It's just- it doesn't feel right without everyone else here!"
Triton kept quiet, letting Proteus speak his mind.
"I'm so used to having everyone here... Nereid would be clinging onto me, Larissa would try to keep everyone calm, Neso would be tripping over himself and complaining the whole time, and Galatea would tell jokes and play I Spy to pass the time..." Proteus pulled into himself more, his head falling between his legs as he muttered, "It doesn't feel right without them..."
Triton frowned. He didn't know what to say to him without sounding blunt or pessimistic about it. Taking a breath, he looked at the other, "Look, Proteus, I know everything's complicated or confusing right now and we may never get out of here-"
Proteus whimpered, eyes glazing over as he thought about it.
"But we can't lose hope," Triton placed his hand on Proteus' shoulder, "We will figure something out."
"How...?" Proteus leaned into the touch, looking up at Triton with desperation in his watery eyes.
"I... don't know." Triton admitted, "I don't know what's going to happen to us, but as long as we stick together, we'll find the answer."
Proteus' lips perked up, yet he couldn't find it in himself to smile.
Triton nudged his shoulder before raising his hand to ruffle the other's hair, prompting Proteus to laugh as he tried batting the offending hand away.
"Hey, they're back!" Titan yelled to the others as he saw the Celestials making their way towards them.
"Finally!" Ganymede got up from where he was sitting.
"About time." Europa spoke, holding out her hand so Ganymede could pull her up, only for the other to yank her up like a ragdoll, "Ow! Gany!"
"Sorry, babe- I keep forgetting that gravity works differently here!" Ganymede apologized, his eyes panicking. He immediately massaged her shoulder. Europa puffed her cheeks out with an indignant huff.
Sun grinned, waving at the Celestites, "We're back~! Did everyone behave?"
A chorus of affirmations erupted, prompting Sun to raise an eyebrow and glare at those who remained silent. Titan moved closer, asking, "We're all good, Sun. Did you manage to find Luna and... Earth?"
Titan's eyebrow arched in surprise at Earth's situation. Mars and Uranus clung to his arms as if fearing he might flee at any moment. Earth appeared irritated, his face twitching. He glared back at Titan's questioning gaze and, pushing them away, snapped, "I can manage by myself, thank you very much!"
Earth stepped away from the group, keeping his distance from the unfamiliar Celestials.
"Uhm...?" Titan gestured to Earth, a silent question in his eyes.
"He'll be fine." Sun spoke, "He's just going through a lot right now."
Earth, upon hearing that, rolled his eyes.
Titan pursed his lips, 'It's hard to believe that that's Earth... he's acting much different from when I first met him... and that's saying something.'
"Did you guys find a way to get us off this rock?" Europa crossed her fingers.
"Eh, no." Jupiter frowned, "Sorry, Europa."
The smallest Galilean moon groaned, nearly falling into Ganymede dramatically.
"If we're not getting out of here anytime soon, what are we going to do?" Titan asked.
"Going to the museum!" Luna piped up.
The Celestites gave each other confused glances.
"What's a museum...?" Europa questioned.
"I'll explain on the way- come on, let's go!"
"Do you even know where this museum is?" Jupiter asked.
Luna whipped around to face him, seeming offended at the question, "Of course, I do! I know Earth's surface like I know the thousands of craters on my surface!"
Earth hummed, glancing at the silver-haired Celestite, 'What is he talking about...?'
"If I know this area, and I do, the nearest museum is the Smithsonian!" Luna smiled.
"How do you know that?" Earth snapped, furrowing his brows.
Luna jolted at the sudden voice behind him, hesitantly peering over his shoulder at the other, "Weren't you farther away...? Heheh..."
Earth crossed his arms, glowering at the Celestite, "Let me ask again- how do you know that?"
"Uhm..." Luna backed away until he felt himself bump into something. Looking up, he saw that it was Sun.
"Why don't you lay off of him, Earth? He's already been through enough." Sun spoke, his expression calm yet his eyes red with warning.
Earth scoffed, his eyes glowing violet, "It was only a question! I'm sure he can answer it without you interfer-"
Sun growled, voice resonating around the area, "Back away, Terra!"
Earth flinched, grasping his head as his eyes changed back to normal. He blinked away the bleariness in his vision, slowly looking up at Sun, "Sorry... what were we talking about?"
Everyone was silent as they stared at Earth in weariness and shock.
Earth raised an eyebrow, "Why are you weirdos staring at me like that? It's as if you've seen a ghost or something."
Sun exhaled, frowning at the Celestial, "Let's just... go to the museum."
"Oh, the nearest one is the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, it's also the most famous, having exhibits that range from fossils to butterflies and insects." Earth commented, "It also has free admission."
While Earth was talking, the Celestials glanced at Sun, who had a nervous and concerned disposition. Luna looked down at the ground, dragging his feet against the pavement. Mercury placed a hand on his shoulder, "You okay...?"
Luna sighed, shaking his head, "Could be worse..."
Titan raised a hand to his chin, eyes squinted in a wince as a thought came to him.
This could most likely end up being worse than the Moon Revolution.
And that... that was a terrifying thought.
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