Chapter 15: Happy Birthday, Marinette

Marinette felt incredibly relaxed, as she sat inside her mom's car. Her entire body had gone through a wholesome experience, with all the treatments she, Alya and their mothers did at that spa. Facial, mani and pedi, mud bath, seaweed body wrap, sauna, they did it all. And the lunch provided by the spa had been delicious as well, where they all had the chance to try some detox smoothies, which turned out to be a lot tastier than they thought they would be. One could say that she felt like a million bucks. Those hours in the spa had been a wonderful birthday gift from Alya and her mom to her Never she would have imagined that she would get something like that for her birthday and enjoy it as much as she did.

"Mmm… I feel so relaxed. I wish I could be pampered this way, every day. But especially, after dealing with one of Hawk Moth's Akumas." -Marinette mused to herself. –"Maybe I can ask Adrien or Sabrina to convince Chloe to offer us all spa treatments, at least once a month. She's got the money for it." -she thought, as the idea echoed inside her head.

"You look like you're cooking up some scheme, right about now, girl." -Alya whispered at Marinette.

"Guilty as charged." -Marinette whispered back at her. –"While you, on the other hand, you're doing that face you always do, when you're totally relaxed." -she giggled.

"After all those treatments, one has to feel relaxed, girl." -Alya said, as she took a deep breath. –"My body enjoyed all the treatments… though the seaweed body wrap was a bit too much for me." -she admitted.

"I kind of enjoyed it. But my favourite was the hot stone massage." -Marinette told her. –"It got me fully relaxed for the party." -she admitted. –"Mom, can't you tell me where the party's going to be?"

"Sorry, honey, but your dad made me promise that I wouldn't say a thing about the location." -Sabine told her daughter, with Marinette knowing her lips would remain sealed.

"Alya, you must know where the party's going to be. Can't you tell me?" -Marinette asked her, hoping she would tell the party's location.

"Well, I can tell you that it's not going to be in Disneyland, or Parc Asterix or Aquaboulevard." –Alya answered, with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Even a blind man could tell me that, since we're driving towards the opposite direction of those places." -Marinette said, with a voice filled with sarcasm. –"Okay, not really, but you get my drift." -she sighed. –"Please, just tell me where it is."

"No dice, girl." -Alya said. –"And don't bother ask my mom either. She's not telling you a word either, right mom?" -she asked Marlena.

"Absolutely." -Marlena declared.

"Some best-friend you turned out to be." -Marinette said, pretending to pout. –"You never see me keeping secrets from you." -she said.

"Sorry, girl, but you'll just have to wait until we get there." -Alya said. –"Also, maybe it's best if we do as your grandma asked." -she said, as Marlena gave her an eye mask she had brought with her from the spa.

"What's that mask for? What did they ask?"-Marinette asked.

"That you wear a blindfold, until you get there." -Sabine explained. –"Your grandma Ju called, while you and Alya were getting a mud bath and asked me that. So, before you start complaining about it, humour her, by going with it." -she told Marinette, as Alya gave her the eye mask. –"The ladies at the spa were so nice in giving us that to use as blindfold."

"A blindfold? That must be some big surprise party that's awaiting me, if grandma Ju wants me to wear this." -Marinette commented. –"Fine, I'll put it on." -she agreed.

Slipping on the eye mask, Marinette was asked a couple of times by Alya if she could see anything or not, and the answer was always the same, no. She could not see a thing with that mask covering her eyes, which was just what they wanted. If she had no idea where they were going, now she even had less. Without her eyesight, all she could count on her was her hearing. But apart from the radio and car noises, there was nothing else she could hear that gave her the smidge of an idea, of where they were heading.

"Are we going south or east? I can't make heads or tails of it, thanks to mom's driving." -Marinette thought to herself. –"All those hours training blindfolded, and I can't even do something so simple, as finding out which direction we're facing." -she thought. –"After this, I'm going to train so hard, that even if I end up inside a tornado, I'll always know which direction I'm facing. That's a promise."

She could not make it where they were heading. But Tikki could. The little scarlet kwami had spent most of the morning inside Marinette's pochette, which got stuck inside a locker, while she was at the spa. If it had not been for Trixx, who was on one of the other lockers, with whom to have a telepathic conversation, she would have spent the next couple of hours alone. But now that was over. She could see that they were driving towards east, and knowing where the party was going to be, she knew they were getting close.

"Just a few more minutes, Marinette." -Tikki thought to herself. –"Can't wait to see just how awesome the party is, too."

"We're only minutes away. Get ready." -Alya texted to Marinette's father.

As they closed in on Place des Vosges, Sabrina started looking for a place to park the car, which was not an easy thing to do. Eventually, she found one, that was nearly a block away from the party, which meant they would have to walk a little. She tried not to show it, but Marinette was beginning to not like having that eye-mask on. She wanted to know where they were, and she wanted to get the eye-mask off. Still, the fact that her grandmother Ju had asked her to put it on, was preventing her from removing it.

"Alright, let's get out of the car, girl." -Alya told Marinette as she opened the door and got ready to help her out. –"Hold on to my hand, Marinette." -she said.

Holding on to Alya's hand, Marinette slowly followed her, trying her best to exit the car. But being the clumsy girl she was, she almost tripped, when stepping out of the car. Had not been for Alya's quick reflexes, the blue-haired girl would have landed face first on the ground.

"Can I take this off, please?" -Marinette asked, as Alya –"If you're saying that we still have to walk there, maybe I should know where I'm going, mom." -she said.

"Don't worry about it, honey." -Sabine told her, as she locked the car. –"Alya will help you, won't you, Alya?"

"Of course. I'll be your eyes, and be extra careful, so you won't trip." -Alya declared. –"Just place your arm over my shoulders, and walk with me, girl." -she said, as Marinette placed her arm around the shoulders. –"Okay, we're good to go."

"Just don't make me trip or fall." -Marinette begged her.

"Don't worry, you won't trip or fall. That's a promise." -Alya assured her, as they began walking. –"Come on, walk normally. I won't let you bump into anything." -she said, as they kept walking.

As they made their way to the Place des Vosges, there, almost everyone had arrived and were waiting for the guest of honour. Tom warned everyone that Marinette would arrive in a few minutes, and that everyone should remain in silence, so as to when she arrived, and removed the eye-mask, they would yell "Surprise".

"Alright, everyone. Remember, when she takes off the eye-mask, we all yell "Surprise"." -Tom repeated himself once more, before turning to Luka and his band. –"And at the same time, you start playing her favourite song, okay?"

"Yes, sir." -Luka declared, while giving him a thumbs up. –"You can count on us."

"I know I can. You and your sister did a fantastic job with this stage." -Tom said. –"I can't thank you enough for doing this for my little girl."

"It's our pleasure. Marinette is one of my best friends, and she deserves to have the best party one can imagine." -Juleka declared.

Not far from the stage, Adrien was having a small squabble with Plagg, who kept asking him to get him more Camembert, even though he had already eaten a fair amount of it.

"I told you, I'll get you another, after Marinette arrives." -Adrien whispered to Plagg. –"You already ate four pieces, since we got here. You can wait a little bit, until eating another."

"But she hasn't arrived yet! You can go and get another piece for me, while she doesn't get here!" -Plagg protested. –"Go on! Get me another!"

"She could arrive at any moment. Be patient." -Adrien told him.

"Patient?! Let me remind you that I'm not a patient kwami, Adrien! Especially, when I'm hungry!" -Plagg went on. –"Just go there and get me another piece of Camembert." -he told Adrien.

"The answer is no. Just wait a little bit." -Adrien whispered at him.

"Who are you talking to?" -a voice asked, startling him. It was Kagami.

"Huh… no one. I was just thinking out loud." -Adrien lied. –"I was thinking that I need to wait a little bit longer to show Marinette my present." -he said.

"You have nothing to worry about it. From what you told me, she is sure to enjoy it." -Kagami told him.

As this happened, Marinette, Alya and their mothers were arriving at the Place des Vosges. Crossing the treadmill, they saw themselves in the garden, where everyone had already seen them. Looking at the party, Alya, Sabine and Marlena were amazed with how everything was.

"We're almost there, girl." -Alya warned her, as she silently gestured to everyone to keep quiet.

Wherever "there" was, Marinette could tell it was outside, and most likely a garden. She could smell the scent of cypresses in the air. She could also hear the leaves rustling because of the gentle breeze, as well as water running, from what she assumed was a fountain. Still, without knowing what direction they had taken, that left her with dozens, if not hundreds of parks and gardens.

"Well, it's a garden. That means the party's taking place on the outside. At least, I think it will." -Marinette thought to herself.

Everyone kept quiet, but some could not help but to let out a giggle or a chuckle, while trying to remain in silence. The ones that kept doing it were the younger ones, Manon, the Cesaire twins, Ella and Etta, and Nino's little brother, Chris. Like everyone else, they were happy to see the birthday girl.

"Okay. We're here." -Alya declared, as she stopped. –"You can take the eye-mask off now." -she told Marinette.

"About time." -Marinette thought to herself, eager to find out where her party was, and who was there, as she removed the eye-mask.

"Surprise!" -Everyone exclaimed in chorus.

Marinette was left flabbergasted by that move, as her eyes caught everything that was happening. And this feeling just got even better, when Luka and the Blue Cyclones started to play Marinette's favourite Jagged Stone song, Dark Velvet.

"Oh, my gosh!" -Marinette exclaimed, upon seeing all of her family and friends in front of her, as the song continued to play. –"I can't believe you did all this!"

"Happy birthday, honey." -Tom said, as he hugged her.

"Thanks, dad!" -Marinette exclaimed, as she placed her arms around him, hugging him as well.

After Tom, it was Sabine's turn to hug her daughter, followed by all the grandparents. Like it happened every year, Marinette knew her family was planning her a wonderful birthday party. And like it happened every year, they had exceeded her expectations. Looking around, it was hard for her to assimilate everything that was happening at once. There were the guests that were now greeting her, wishing her a joyful day, the band that continued to play, the tables with the food and drinks, as well as what she assumed was her birthday cake. There were not enough words to describe just how happy Marinette was, right then.

"This… I still can't believe that you did all this for me." -Marinette declared, as her friends gathered around her.

"Do you really think your parents and us would let you have a party that was anything less than amazing? Trust us, this party will make the one thrown by Chloe yesterday, feel like it was just a hoedown." -Alya told her.

"Hey! I resent that remark!" -Chloe yelled, pretending to feel insulted.

"Come on, Chloe. There's no need for you to get mad." -Adrien told her, not realizing she was just pretending.

"I'm not mad. I'm just pretending I'm mad, Adrikins." -Chloe said. –"Anyways, if yesterday was my special day, then, today is Marinette's and I'm not going to try and become the centre of attention." -she stated.

"Now that's the kind of birthday gift I can see you giving me." -Marinette joked.

"You're saying that as if I was the kind of person that would show up at a party without a proper gift." -Chloe said.

"Well, you were that kind of person, until last year, of course." -Sabrina remarked.

"Well, that's in the past!" -Chloe smirked. –"Now, I'm someone who never forgets birthdays and always shows up with a fabulous birthday gift."

"Uh, sorry to disappoint you, but right now. you're doing it. You're making yourself the centre of attention." -Alix told her.

"She can't help it. It's like asking the Sun to glow less than the Moon." -Rose said, chuckling, and winning a couple of chuckles from some of the others.

"That's true. It's just stronger than her." -Marinette thought to herself. –"Still, she wouldn't be Chloe, if that didn't happen." -she mused.

"Okay, okay… what if instead of continuing to make all of this about her Royal Majesty, we focus on the birthday girl here?" -Alya suggested.

"Agreed!" -Max supported the idea.

"Presents! Presents! Presents!" -Manon exclaimed. –"Let's see Marinette open her presents!" -she said.

"The way she's talking, it feels like she's the one who's going to open the presents." -Sabine whispered to Nadja, who was by her side.

"I'm only going to open my presents later, Manon." -Marinette told Manon.

"Open the presents, now! Please, Marinette!" -Manon begged. –"I want you to see what I got you!" -she stated, while making sad puppy eyes at her.

"Okay, I'll open my presents. And it's not because you're making sad puppy eyes at me." -Marinette told Manon. –"I better do it, or otherwise, she'll continue to make those eyes, and it's hard for me to ignore them. Plus, if I know Manon, she might throw a tantrum." -she thought to herself. –"Lead the way, Manon."

"Yay!" -Manon cried, as she jumped and grabbed Marinette's hand. –"Come! The presents are over there!" -she laughed, as she led the birthday girl towards the table with the birthday gifts.

Many do not know, but at the top of the Eiffel Tower, there is an apartment that belonged to Gustav Eiffel. Most of the time it is closed to the public. But occasionally, it opens to the public, who visit the tower. And the 20 or so tourists who were at the top the tower that day, were there not only to see the apartment, which few had the opportunity to see; but to also gaze at the beautiful view over the city. What they did not expect was to see themselves in a dangerous situation. For other than Eiffel's apartment, there was something else on top of that tower, unknown to everyone in Paris.

"Okay… smile for the camera." -one of the tourists said to its family.

The man was about to take the picture, when something fluttered in front of the lens. And that something was a swarm of dark butterflies, which moved as fast as lightning. In a matter of seconds, everyone's eyes were on that swarm. They had seen them before, whether it was live or on television, or even on YouTube. They were the dark butterflies that followed Hawk Moth, whenever he showed up. These continued to swirl around, until finally, they gathered, forming a sphere. Little by little, the dark butterflies disappeared, revealing the presence of both Hawk Moth and his lieutenants. The fear in people's hearts, quickly turned into horror, as they saw the five figures looking at them, and before one could say it, they panicked.

"It's Hawk Moth!"

"Run!"

Tapping his cane on the ground twice, Hawk Moth unleashed a wave of energy that almost instantly hit everyone on the tower's third floor, paralysing them. Screaming and yelling, the people tried to set themselves free, but they failed. Hawk Moth's magic was just too strong. Smirking, the villain tapped his cane on the ground once more, and several black butterflies appeared out of thin air. These quickly dashed towards Hawk Moth's victims, and as soon as they touched them, these were enveloped by a cloud of thick black and purple smoke, which transformed them into something else. Once the smoke dissipated, it was revealed they had been turned into Moth Scouts.

"There's nothing wrong with having some back up, for when those kids show up." -Hawk Moth said, as he looked at the Moth Scouts.

"Oh… I wanted to slice someone, before the battle began, master." -Reptile commented.

"You'll have plenty of time to have fun, Reptile." -Brutus said.

With that out of the way, it was now time to move on to more serious things. Hawk Moth had ordered Rapier to find a place to stash the urn, so it could charge its power, and he had chosen the top of the Eiffel Tower, hidden between two antenna polls. Going to where Rapier had placed it, the villain grabbed the urn with both hands. Pausing for a second to look at it, he then put it on the floor. Then, he gently placed the tip of his cane on the urn's lid.

"The time has come for you to be released." -Hawk Moth declared; his voice showing signs of excitement.

And he was the only one who was excited about what was about to happen. Reptile, Brutus, Madame Romani and Rapier were also anxious. Each of them had their own reasons for being anxious. But there was one of thing they all shared, beside the excitement, and that was the curiosity of what was going to happen. With their eyes glued to the urn of Ammit, they saw Hawk Moth perform the ritual. The original incantation in Ancient Egyptian had been lost in the sands of time. But luckily, when Hawk Moth managed to get his hands on the urn, he found out that there was a translation to that very same incantation from the Roman period, and he was going to use it.

"O Devorator Cordarum, vocam meam audi! Mundo nostro veni, et hostes nostros praedator!" -Hawk Moth recited to the winds. –"O Devorator Cordarum, vocam meam audi! Mundo nostro veni, et hostes nostros praedator!" -he went on, with each chanting the incantation louder and louder. –"O Devorator Cordarum, vocam meam audi! Mundo nostro veni, et hostes nostros praedator!"

Translated, the incantation read "O Devourer of Hearts, come to our world and prey upon our enemies." They were powerful words- After chanting them a few times, the rubies for eyes on the urn's lid began to glow once more. Then, the urn began to shake, as beams of green light shot upwards from the lid's slot. An animalistic roar was heard, as the lid opened and from inside of the urn, what could be described as a cloud of sand emerged. Little by little, this one took on a human appearance. But only its pitch-black skin body was human. Its head was of a demonic crocodile with glowing red eyes. Around its neck and wrists, it wore a golden necklace and a pair of intrinsically worked golden bracelets. Snarling at Hawk Moth, this one showed no fear.

"Good afternoon. You must be the mighty Ammit, Devourer of the Dead." -Hawk Moth greeted it, with a neutral voice. –"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hawk Moth and I am your new master." -he declared.

Snarling at him, the magical creature felt the urge to bite him and to consume his dark heart, without any kind of second thoughts about it. It had been a very long time, since it had felt a heart filled with so much hatred and darkness. But it did not. It could feel that Hawk Moth was in possession of its vessel. For all intents and purposes, he was in control, and Ammit had to obey him.

"I can sense that you understand what I'm telling you." -Hawk Moth went on. –"I don't need to explain to you, that from this moment on, you will do my bidding, as I see fit." -he said.

Unlike their master, Hawk Moth's lieutenants were mesmerized by Ammit. During the time they served Hawk Moth, the four of them had seen things that had astounded them. But this was the first time that they were looking at a god. A creature so powerful that made their master's power seem so irrelevant. And yet, he was controlling it, as if it was an innocent little puppy.

"Incredible." –Brutus mused.

"Such power…" -Madame Romani thought.

"It's going to be fun to see how that thing will make Hawk Moth win this." -Rapier thought to himself.

"Predators such as myself, force the weak to become stronger. We shape the world." -Hawk Moth told Ammit. –"Which is why I want you to release the army of damned souls that you've collected over this city." -he declared. –"Do it, and you'll be rewarded with the hearts of every citizen in Paris."

Snarling, Ammit's mouth formed what could be perceived as a grin, before letting out a high piercing shriek into the air. As this happened, another cloud of sand shot from the urn. But just like it happened before, this one quickly suffered a transformation. In a matter of seconds, numerous creatures that could only be described as mummies with greyish-blue skin, and beige bandages covering their bodies, with the exception of, their elbows, fingers, and partially, their knees, appeared. They wore black gloves, with golden knuckles and claws, as well as golden shoes that ended on four sharp claws. But their most distinct feature was the masks on their heads, which resembled a jackal with red glowing eyes. It did not take long until these were hundreds, and their numbers continued to grow. Once they assumed that form, they shot themselves in different directions, as if they were fireworks. Hawk Moth had his army, and it was a fearsome one.

"Go… feast on everyone's hearts, and get those kids to come out and play." -Hawk Moth said, as he watched the army of damned souls continuing to come out of the urn, and making their way down the tower. Looking at his lieutenants, he wasted no time in ordering them. –"You have your orders. Do not fail me."

"Yes, master!" -the four lieutenants shouted in chorus.

Marinette was finishing unwrapping more present, this one from Ivan, who had given her a book on the history of alternative fashion. She was also given a roll of fabric which she had her eyes on for some time now by Alya, a perfume bottle by Rose, a top of the line sewing-machine by Chloe, a personalized playlist from Nino, and a portrait by Nathaniel, Now, it was time for Mylene's present. Opening it, she saw it was a t-shirt with the drawing of a smiling Sun and underneath it, the words "Summer Girl".

"I love it, Mylene." -Marinette smiled at her friend, before hugging her.

"I'm glad you do." -Mylene said. –"I wasn't sure of what to get you. But when I saw that t-shirt the other day, I felt it was perfect for you." -she told her, relieved that she had done the right choice.

"Open mine, now, Marinette!" -Manon exclaimed, as Marinette and Mylene broke the embrace. –"It's the one with the pretty bow!"

"Okay, okay, you little monkey." -Marinette giggled, as she grabbed Manon's gift.

Manon's eyes were sparkling with anticipation, as she watched Marinette open the gift. When Nadja helped her daughter choose the gift for Marinette, Manon wanted to give her a doll or a plushie. But Nadja suggested she could give her something that Marinette could use. And after a couple of minutes, Manon found the one thing she felt Marinette would need.

"A new notebook. How did you know I needed a new one?" -Marinette asked her, being entirely honest in her answer. She indeed needed a new notebook, after filling the last one with fashion sketches and notes. –"I love it. Thanks, Manon!" -she declared, before kneeling down and hugging her.

"I'm so happy you liked it." -Manon chirped happily, before breaking the embrace.

"This party… the presents. I still can't believe that you did all this for me." -Marinette said, feeling that everything that was happening was too good to be truth, even though she knew it was not.

"The way you're saying it, it's like you'd think you didn't deserve any." -Adrien smiled. –"Now, go on, open this one now. This one's from Kagami." -he told her, as he handed the small package to her.

"It is not much, but I believe it's practical." -Kagami declared, as Marinette ripped open the wrapping paper. –"I truly hope you like it." -she said.

"A Japanese stationery box?" -Marinette said, as she looked at Kagami's gift. –"It's so beautiful! And you're right, it's super practical." -she smiled at the girl. –"I love it! Thank you much for the gift, Kagami."

Kagami replied by smiling at her. She was happy that her choice for a gift was a fortunate one. Marinette's words touched her. It was rare for her to be addressed that way, so for her, what Marinette told her felt special.

"Well, then, now you get to open my present." -Adrien said. -"My dad still hasn't arrived, but he's coming, and Nathalie told me earlier that he has a present for you too." -he told her, as he handed her his gift.. –"Don't ask me what it is, because I don't know. For now, here's mine. And I really hope you like it."

"I'm sure, I will." -Marinette said, with the biggest smile

But before Marinette could open it, a loud shrieking sound was heard. The sound pierced everyone's ears, resembling that of a continuous falcon or eagle shriek. Needless to say, that everyone heard it and tried to find where it was coming from.

"What's that sound?" -Marinette asked, as the shrieking sound got louder.

"I don't know… but it sounds like it's getting louder." -Adrien declared, as the strange shrieking sound continued to be heard.

Hello, everyone.

I must apologize to you all for taking so long to update, but it's hard to write when you have a writer's block that insists on not going away, along wth a job where things aren't going as smoothly as you would want to. It's a bummer, I know. Add that to the fact that this last month, the world seems to getting ready for World War III to start, and you have everything you need to get worried about... Still, I hope to at least finish one more chapter before the end of the year (I won't make promises, but I will try).

I need to give a very special thanks to my good friend, reader and fellow writer StellarStylus, who was kind enough to help me with the enchantment that Hawk Moth uses to release Ammit from inside its urn (this was probably one of the toughest parts of this chapter, and he was kind enough to help me with it, especially since my Latin as super rusty... I studied it for three semesters 20 years ago in college, and I pretty much forgot all of it, xDDD... plus, I couldn't find the right words for the enchantment). On top of it, it was also his idea that the original Ancient Egyptian enchantment had been lost, and that's why Hawk Moth is using a Latin translation. So, yes, thank you a lot, my friend. You saved my bacon with this one.

Anyways, regarding this chapter... it didn't come out the way it was supposed to. It's a much simpler version, of what I initially had planned. I was aiming for something really big, but I guess I'll just have to try and make it up to you, during the following chapters. Still, I admit that I enjoyed writing certain parts of it. As always, feel free to comment, fav and leave your suggestions for this and/or future fics.