Hi everybody, good to see you again. Or at least good to see your comments, however that works. Anyway, I've got a brand new chapter ready to go. That's the good news; the bad news is I'm going to put further uploads on hold for the foreseeable future while I work on new chapters on Wattpad. That and my YouTube gaming channel as well. But I hope you enjoy this chapter all the same. Thanks.
An old abandoned warehouse rest just outside of town, pockets of rusted metal and moldy brick being all that remained. Corey arrived at the warehouse, shutting down his bike and checking the time on his phone. It read 3:46 PM. He had less than 7 hours to be home prior to his designated curfew. He didn't want to lose track of time, nor did he want to incur another lecture from his father. This meeting with his friends had to be quick and easy. Parking his bike near the entrance, Corey entered the place with an air of nervousness in his step. He didn't flinch, instead pushing onward deeper into the warehouse. As luck would have it, Brad and Damien were already inside the warehouse waiting for Corey. Allegra was not present at the moment, so Corey had to assume that she be arriving at a later point.
"You're late." Brad said.
Corey knew that Brad was messing with him, quickly replying, "You know Dana Dawson? I get held up verbally eviscerating her for harassing Serena Laramie."
"That nerdy tomboy? What the hell do you see in her?" Brad wondered aloud.
"I... uh," Corey stammered on his words, and he also caught sight of Damien smirking and raising his brows with amusement. "Never mind that. We've got to be ready in Hades sends more of the monsters after us."
"That and find Pandora's Box before they do." Damien added.
"One thing at a time, Damien. First, we've got to better at controlling our powers. I barely managed to kill the Minotaur and Nemean Lion on my own and it two of us to scrape by the Hydra."
"You're welcome, by the way," Brad sarcastically replied, then his attention was drawn toward the wide opened entrance. "Hey, look who just showed up."
Corey and Damien looked toward the entrance to see Allegra just no arriving in a taxi. "Lamento mucho llegaro tarde. I mean, I'm so sorry I'm late."
"It's okay, Allegra. You're here now, that's all that matters." Corey stated assuredly.
"I just hope you don't slow us down." Brad said, earning an audible sigh from Allegra and a stern glare from Corey.
"Uh, I understand." Allegra replied, as though she were reluctant to defend herself.
"C'mon, Brad. Lay off on Allegra. She's still just getting used to things right now," Corey quickly reprimanded his fellow Incarnate before turning his attention to Allegra. "Sorry about him. He's kind of an acquired taste, so he takes some getting used to."
"Thanks, asshole." Brad snapped.
Allegra appeared timid but not entirely insulted, replying, "It is alright. So, what are we doing today if I may ask?"
"Yeah, what's the play, coach?" Brad asked almost teasingly.
Corey suddenly found himself in a bind, but he gathered his thoughts and said to his friends, "Hades is going to keep sending monsters out looking for Pandora's Box, and they're going to end up putting innocent people in harm's way. We're the only ones standing in his way, but we have to get stronger if we're going to stop him, which means we need to train."
"I guess we'd better transform first." Brad surmised.
"Forgive me but, what do you mean 'transform'?" Allegra wondered.
Corey exchanged glances with Damien and Brad. Brad had a raised eyebrow along with a wry grin, while Damien was more curious and maybe a bit cautious. Corey motioned his friends back. He made certain have the necessary distance before taking a deep breath through his nose and out of his mouth. His shut his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. Allegra joined Damien and Brad as they waited for Corey's next move. They heard a sudden rumble of thunder from above, despite the weather forecast having been called for clear skies. Corey's opened is his eyes, tiny streaks of lighting shooting outward. What happened next sent the other teenagers scurrying back.
A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, completely bypassing the room without destroying. The lightning struck Corey where he stood, sending a light plume of smoke shooting from that very space. Damien was already in a sprint toward his friend, but he stopped short without getting too close the point of impact from the lightning strike. The smoke cleared, and Corey stood tall and completely unscathed, donned in his silver armor. He smiled at his best friend, who returned the smile while grasping the hair on his head in disbelief.
"Holy shit, Corey. Look at you. Look at the gear. This is crazy."
"I know, right? I'm starting to get the hang of this whole transforming thing, but it feel pretty cool." Corey exclaimed with delight in his voice.
Brad and Allegra appeared Corey, the former proudly declaring, "Cool? Dude, this is unreal."
"Ay dios mio," Allegra said in Spanish with wonder in his own tone. "Did it hurt when the lightning hit you?"
"Honestly, no. I mean, it feels weird but it doesn't hurt even a little bit. I guess my body's getting used to the strain." Corey claimed as he flexed his fingers into the palms of his hands."
"Okay, my turn. Step aside." Brad said, pushing Corey out of the way so he could transform next.
Mirroring Corey's earlier action, Brad shut his eyes, took a deep breath and folded his arms to his chest. He focused hard and... nothing. He focused harder. Still nothing. Corey, Damien and Allegra stood by and waited for something to occur, each exchanging confused glances between themselves while Brad opened one eye. He opened his other eye and appeared just as confused as his friends.
"The hell? Where's all that fire and stuff?" he wondered.
"Did you do something wrong, Brad," Damien asked. "How come you're not changing?"
"I don't know, it worked before." Brad said.
"Maybe it's different from how I do it. Do you remember what you did last time, Brad?" Corey asked.
"Yeah, I just balled up my fist and..." Brad suddenly stopped talking.
He started putting the puzzle together, eventually taking a close look his hand as it was beside his face. He balled it into a fist and shut his eyes. He focused, taking a deep breath, and a flicker of flame formed from within his hand. The flame expanded outward as if it were about to explode. Brad took one more deep breath before his drove his fist hard into the ground. A spiraling wall of fire erupted between Brad and Corey, Damien and Allegra. The spiral seemed to completely engulf Brad as he vanished from sight. Moments later, the spiral seemed to dissipate and Brad reappeared fully adorned in his crimson red armor.
"Whoa!" Damien exclaimed.
"Pretty badass, huh Winters?" Brad said, and he conjured a ball of fire in his hand to further illustrate his new powers.
Then, Brad hurled the ball of fire toward the nearest wall, where it impacted and burst in a small explosion. Brad laughed in delight, causing the others to join in his excitement. Corey decided to join in on the fun, producing a bolt of lightning and hurling it toward the same spot where the fireball hit. Brad, taking Corey's action as a sign of competition, let another fireball loose. The ball hit another point of the old warehouse in a shower of embers. Corey responded with another lightning bolt, this time striking another area of the warehouse. Brad tossed a fireball at the same space the Corey's attack struck, and the two of them began alternating between strikes. Damien and Allegra backed away to let them engage in their friendly competition, all while Corey and Brad traded shots across the warehouse. Everything appeared to be going well until Corey launched a lightning bolt at an angle straight toward the ceiling.
The bolt struck the ceiling and ricocheted off, striking the nearby wall and bouncing off from there as well. It rebounded right back at the group. Brad quickly rushed toward Damien and Allegra, pushing them and himself to the ground. He covered them as the lightning bolt bounced off the ground near them, missing them by mere inches. Corey was still upright watching his own projectile ricocheting off the walls until it started coming right for him. He was ready to move but realized that the bolt would've struck his friends instead. With no other option, Corey stood his ground and let the bolt come to him. As if on pure instinct, he shifted and twisted his upper body to the left and extended his right arm just as the bolt was passing him.
Damien, Brad and Allegra looked up at Corey, all of them staring in collective astonishment and disbelief. Corey had exactly the same expression, for he was literally gripping the lightning bolt in his hand. It was sparked and crackled with electric power, faint clap of thunder sounding out. Corey examined the bolt like a live wire extension of nature in the palm of his hand. He looked at his friends, their faces awash with confusion as well curiosity. Damien approached but stayed careful to avoid getting hurt by the lightning bolt.
At last, Damien said, "I didn't know you could that."
Corey replied, "Neither did I."
"What the hell, Mercer? You trying to kill us?" Brad said in anger.
Corey was quick to confront Brad and strongly clarified, "I didn't know that would happen, Hendry. I don't even know how I did that in the first place, so cut me some friggin' slack."
Just as Corey and Brad were looking ready to trade shots, Damien and Allegra quickly stepped between them. They each held one of the two teens back; Damien held Corey and Allegra held back Brad. "Guys, relax," Damien said, hopefully diffusing the situation. "Look, it was just an accident. No one's hurt."
Corey glanced at his best friend, allowing himself to cool down the welling tension in himself. "You're right, Damien. Sorry, guys."
"It's okay, Corey. We all make mistakes," Allegra said, then turned to Brad and added, "Right?"
Brad looked at Allegra, and for some reason, his heart seemed to skip a beat. With a curt motion to back away, he said to Corey, "Don't worry about it, we're cool. It just means we got a lot of training to do, right?"
Corey nodded, Damien breathed a sigh of relief and Brad looked away in deep thought. Damien looked to Allegra and said to her, "Okay, Allegra. I guess it's your turn."
Allegra looked back at Damien with a confused expression, saying to him, "My turn?"
The boys glanced at one another and Corey said, "It's your turn to transform. You should be able to change like we could."
Allegra appeared nervous and concerned. "I... cannot transform."
"Wait, hold up! What'd you mean you can't transform? Mercer and me, we figured it out. And Winters, he's like, I don't know, moral support." Brad claimed.
"Thanks, jackass!" Damien snapped.
Brad ignored Damien and said to Allegra, "Look, just close your eyes and focus as hard as you can."
"Concentrate on what you want to do. Visualize it, feel it. The mark on your hand identifies you as the Incarnate of Artemis, so put all your focus on that." Corey explained, as if acting as a mentor as Athena did for him.
Allegra alternated her own glances between Corey and Brad, all before she stepped back several paces. Breathing in through her nostril and out through her lips, Allegra shut her eyes and began the slow process of concentrating. Corey, Brad and Damien stepped back to allow Allegra to focus. Allegra's breathing was steady and frequent. She drowned out any distractions. Her tightened her eyes and focused harder. It seemed as though a vein was forming on her forehead. The boys watched on with intent mixed with concern. Allegra opened one eye to spy on them watching her, but she knew she had to get back to what she needed to do. She focused harder, straining herself with every effort.
Eventually, Allegra stopped concentrating and was left sighing in disappointment. "I am sorry, my friends. I cannot seem to transform as you do."
"Maybe you're not so much an Incarnate as we thought you were, even if you do have a mark." Brad coldly implied.
"Brad," Corey reprimanded, to which Brad simply raised his hands in defense. He then addressed Allegra, telling her, "It's alright, Allegra. We're going to figure this out. All of us, right?"
Damien knew Corey was addressing both himself and Brad, and he quickly responded, "Yeah, man."
Brad simply nodded and replied, "Yeah."
Allegra simply nodded, even managed to crack a small smile, so Corey said, "We've got work to do, guys. Let's do it."
Roughly 5 hours passed by when Corey finally returned home. He parked his bike near the entrance to the garage but noticed that his father's car was not there. John may have still been at the station, so maybe Corey could count his blessings that he could avoid a lecture. It only took him half a second to notice a very familiar limousine parked out on the street. Instantly concerned but hopeful that Serena may have actually come to his home, though the reasons as to why escaped him, Corey hurriedly approached the front door and reached for the nob. The door suddenly opened on its own, Corey assumed it was either his mother or sister, or perhaps Serena herself. It wasn't. To Corey's shock and mild horror, Elizabeth Faulkner exited the house. What in the name of God was this woman doing here, in Corey's home? Why was she even here?
"Well, well; the eldest child of Mr. & Mrs. Mercer graces me with his presence."
Corey fought through his shock while overlooking Faulkner's blatantly condescending tone before he asked, "What're you doing here?"
With a snide and arrogant smirk, Faulkner replied, "I was just leaving after a nice chat with your mother. If you'll excuse me..."
Corey said nothing, but he thought to himself, Good riddance, bitch!
Faulkner then stopped right next to Corey, much to his chagrin. She leaned over and said to him, "Winston told me how you interacted with my stepdaughter. She wants nothing to do with you, so I strongly suggest that you stay away from her if you know what's best for your future."
Corey glared at Faulkner with disbelief and anger in his eyes, and he was a hair away from transforming into his Incarnate persona when a voice called out, "What's going on out here?"
Patricia was at the door now, her eyes piercing into Faulkner as she said, "I was just leaving actually, but I couldn't help but a brief moment exchange with your son. I'm sure you've raised him well enough to be deeply respectful of others."
What is wrong with this woman? Corey thought.
"Corey," Patricia summoned, to which Corey responded and joined his mother by the door. "You were just leaving, weren't you, Mayor Faulkner?"
"I was, actually. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Mercer. Good night." Faulkner said as she turned to leave the Mercer home.
"Faulkner," Patricia said, drawing the other woman's attention. "I let you into my home as a gesture of hospitality, nothing more. But I warn you; if you ever harass my son again, my husband and I will sue you and your office into the ground."
Elizabeth Faulkner narrowed her eyes at Patricia. A wry, unapologetic smirk crept onto her face and soon after, she walked off the Mercer property. Winston was waiting by the rear door, allowing Faulkner to enter the back seat. She offered no further glances, but Corey was keen-eyed to note the additional presence inside the limo. It was Serena. Corey thought to take one step forward, but Patricia stopped her son. She shook her head in the negative, wordlessly telling Corey not to interact with the limo or its occupants.
Corey at least managed to sneak a quick look into the back seat. Serena subsequently caught a glimpse of Corey, completely looking passed her stepmother. The teens locked eyes, as if a nearly unseen link formed between them. Maybe it was already there. Corey could almost swear that he saw Serena smile in his direction, but Elizabeth Faulkner caught sight of this and brought up the door window. It was tinted, so Corey could no longer see Serena. The limousine soon drove away, leaving Corey disheartened and frustrated.
"Are you okay, Corey?" Patricia asked her son.
For a brief moment, Corey didn't want to reply. But he did, telling his mother, "Yeah."
He then stormed into the house without another word. He didn't know why Faulkner was at his home, and he didn't want to know or care. Not tonight. Patricia thought to talk to Corey, to say something to get his mind right at least in the short term. She decided that now was not the right time. He'll talk when he was ready, she silently concluded. For the time being, Patricia remained outside to wait for John to return home.
Deep in the woods just outside of Dover, three impossibly large creatures lumbered through the trees. They were nearly identical to mythical ogres, slow and burly and dragging massive clubs behind them. They grunted and growled, likely the only form of communication between them at any given time. One leered at another... with only one eye. The others shared a similar feature. These creatures were in fact Cyclopes, the one-eyed beasts from a time long forgotten. Dim-witted and isolated, they yet existed in the present day, and they slowly shuffled toward Dover.
They halted and grunted at the lone figure standing before them. Hades was unmoved by the threatening grumbles of the Cyclopes. Why should he have been intimidated? He was the one whom summoned. Without a single word, Hades stepped back and to one side. He pointed in the general direction of the town. With audible grunts, the Cyclopes continued onward toward Dover. Hades looked on, the hood of his cloak hanging over his face and concealing it from view. Only his eyes, illuminated with a crimson red hue, were visible. Pandora's Box would be his soon enough, but first thing's first. The Incarnates still stood in the way of Hades' intentions, and they needed to die.
Author's Note: That's put a cap on this chapter, with our young heroes in the midst of training to better themselves for the future to come. Yes, Allegra was speaking Spanish at times. At home, Corey has to deal with Elizabeth Faulkner again, but Patricia Mercer (Mom) ain't having that. And, Hades has summoned new monsters. How will our heroes deal with the new threat? Stayed tuned and leave feedback to find out. Peace.