Act II

Next, Ronnie Anne and Sid decided to take them to Margarita's Salon, where Chipiri was amazed by some of the new technology in the establishment. He looked around as he sat in his chair, and noticed several fancy little devices: hairdryers, fancy adjustable chairs, a washing machine spinning away noisily in the next room… all of it felt so "alien" to him. Even the indoor electric lighting was weirding him out slightly.

One of Margarita's employees was tending to his hair. She had just finished cutting and restyling his hair, but it was wet as a result.

"Okay, Chad, almost done. We just need to dry it," she said before pulling out a free-standing hood dryer that she then placed around his head.

"Ooh…" he said, surprised as it started blowing his hair with great force.

Meanwhile, Margarita was giving Sisiki a makeover, complete with a new shade of lipstick, fancy pink eyeshadow, and bright green nail polish. She then spun Sisiki's chair around so she could look into the mirror.

"Voila! I hope you like the results, Suzie."

"Wow, I look…" Sisiki said in disbelief at how beautiful, yet also how different, she looked.

"Now, for you, young lady. What would you like?" Margarita then turned her attention to Punguari and asked her.

Punguari was actually reading through one of Margarita's salon booklets. "Yeah, erm, can I get that haircut?" she said as she pointed at a picture in the book of a guy with dyed purple spiky hair.

"Oh, interesting choice," Margarita remarked with a surprised expression and tone of voice.

Sisiki then glanced over at the picture her daughter was looking at and dismissed the idea.

"Absolutely not, young lady!"

"Hey, why does everyone keep calling me 'young lady'? I'm over 12,000 years old!"

"And yet you still don't have the wisdom to pick a better hairstyle than that," Sisiki folded her arms and dryly remarked.

Sensing this scenario was starting to create a little tension between Punguari and Sisiki, Ronnie Anne and Sid looked at each other awkwardly, realizing that they needed to move things on.

"So, when you guys are done here, maybe we should all catch a movie together?" Ronnie Anne suggested to them.

"What's a movie?" Punguari asked.

"Oh, you'll love it when you see it," Sid assured her.

"Uh oh!" Margarita's employee said aloud as she released Chipiri from the hood dryer. The dryer had blown his hair just a little too much, causing it to stick up and get all frizzy in a messy, chaotic way.

Punguari laughed at her father's comedically botched hairdo while Chipiri just looked in the mirror with a mix of shock and horror.

"Agh!"

"Sorry, sir. I'll have this fixed for you in just five minutes," the employee reassured him as she started combing.

Once they were done in the salon, the gang went to watch a movie like Ronnie Anne suggested. The Gods, especially Chipiri and Sisiki, were taken aback by what they were witnessing.

"Wow, it's like there's another world inside the wall! It's just like magic!" Chipiri loudly exclaimed with great enthusiasm.

"Hey, pipe down, will ya?! We're trying to watch the movie!" one angry guy in the back row yelled at him.

Ronnie Anne and Sid watched it with them, and the rest of their friend group had now rejoined them, as they expected they would have a fun time watching a movie together. Though they were actually rather bored, mainly because the movie they had gone in to see was a romantic drama, something that wasn't really their thing. They just sat there with dull looks on their faces while the elder Gods were really invested in what was happening.

"Oh, I really hope he has the courage to walk over and kiss her before it's all over," Sisiki said as she held her hands together and looked at the screen, worried that these characters she was becoming attached to were going to miss out on their happy ending.

Punguari was impressed with the cinematic experience, but she couldn't help but feel the same way as her friends. She looked over and saw they were a little bored.

"Hey, don't blame me, guys. I wanted to watch the one with the car chases and explosions," she insisted. "Mother chose this."

Punguari then turned to face her father, who also appeared to be heavily invested in the story of the movie. He had tears in his eyes, which were fixated on the projected screen in front of him.

"Erm, father?" she asked, surprised by his emotional state.

"This is so compelling! I can't believe these moving pictures on the wall are making me feel this way!" he said as he held himself back from breaking into tears.

Punguari looked at her dad with a very astounded look. Who would have guessed her big, burly, manly warrior father would be so touched by the dramatic dilemma and acting of a sappy, romantic film?

After the movie was finished, the sun was setting in Great Lakes City. Ronnie Anne, her friend group, and the Gods all watched down the street, reflecting on the day's events.

"Wow, I had a lot of fun today," Chipiri said.

"Me, too. There were so many new experiences," Sisiki followed.

"Well, we're glad you liked it," Laird said.

"Yeah, life in the city's pretty good," Nikki claimed.

"It's getting late, maybe we should head back now," Ronnie Anne suggested.

"Maybe tomorrow we could visit the museum," Sid proposed. "That would be a great way to help you catch up on historical events from the last 800 years."

"Great idea, Sid." Ronnie Anne complimented.

"So, what now?" Punguari asked.

"Well, I guess no tour of Great Lakes City is complete without showing you the Casagrandes' apartment," Ronnie Anne said.

Later that evening, the three deities sat on the sofa in the apartment, with some of the family wondering who they were, given their new looks.

"Ronnie Anne, who are these people you've brought into our home again?"

"Abuela, don't you remember? They're the ones who helped us beat Ucumu and restore Japunda after the big battle. They just have a new look now."

"Oh, yes, I remember. Wasn't that girl the one who trapped you in the realm where you found the Mask of Many Faces?" Carlos Sr. recollected.

"Yes, and if I recall correctly, she's also the one who released Ucumu in the first place," Hector then chimed in.

"How about we don't bring that up?" Ronnie Anne replied as she chuckled nervously. "You have to admit, it's pretty cool having three Gods spend the night with us."

"I guess there's no harm in them staying here for one night," Rosa admitted.

Meanwhile, Chipiri was watching TV, and a weather report was on…

"What is that lady doing on this 'TV' of yours?" he asked.

"Oh, that's just a weather forecast," Carlos Sr. stated.

"A weather forecast?" he questioned.

"Yes, it's where people on the news predict the weather so that everybody knows what to prepare for," Hector explained.

Chipiri then started laughing. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha! You mortals try to predict the weather? How is that even possible? Especially considering we Gods have the power to change the weather at will."

"Wow, really?" Frida asked him.

"Oh, yes," Sisiki interjected. "In fact, I have a brother whose main power is complete control over the planet's weather patterns."

"Oh yeah, we really should catch up with Tlaloc, especially since it has been over 800 years since we last saw each other," Chipiri said.

"Tlaloc?" CJ suddenly spoke up. "I remember him."

"Yeah, we summoned him before; his statue is located in the museum in this city," Ronnie Anne then pointed out.

"Wait, really?" Punguari replied.

"Great! Then we can go and see him tomorrow. It will be great to see ol' Tally again," Chipiri stated.

"Although, maybe it's best we don't bring Carl," Ronnie Anne recalled as she, CJ, and Carlitos all laughed.

"Yeah, that Weather God sure holds a grudge. He was nothing but a big baby," Carl responded, before folding his arms and walking toward a chair. "Honestly, these Gods don't impress me, I'm still the alpha male in this room," he deludingly said to himself with a smug tone of voice.

Punguari then winked at Ronnie Anne, who was sitting on the sofa beside her, as her hand started to glow. Ronnie Anne wondered what she was up to.

She then noticed her cousin sitting on the chair, which was now red hot.

"OW! My tushie!"

Carl then ran around the room in a comedic fashion, struggling to shake the pain of his overheated buttocks. Finally, he headed for the bathroom, but Punguari waved her glowing hand again and caused a slippery puddle to appear in front of where Carl was running.

"WOAH!" Carl cried as he slipped and fell into the wall.

*CRASH!*

"Ouch… I'm okay," he said after the collision, to the amusement of the little pranksters, Ronnie Anne and Punguari.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Ronnie Anne chuckled as she high-fived her friend.

"Punguari! I saw that!" Sisiki scolded her daughter.

"Uh oh," Ronnie Anne awkwardly muttered on behalf of her Demigod buddy.

"Mother, I just…"

"Save it, Punguari! I've had enough of your immature pranks! This is the bunny on the moon situation all over again!"

This caused the relatively young Demigod to react with an annoyed and slightly angered tone. "Ugh! You're always such a buzzkill! In all your thousands of years of existence, have you ever once just had a little fun?"

"I was a young Demigod once, too, daughter. But I grew up and learned what it means to be a deity. You still need to learn!"

As Punguari spoke back and the two ladies engaged in a heated argument, Chipiri went to step in and intervene, only to be stopped when Hector grabbed his arm and advised otherwise…

"Chad, is it? I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"What? Why?" Chipiri asked, confused. "And my real name is Chipiri."

"Well, Chipiri, when you've been a married human male for as long as I have, you learn a few things. First and foremost, NEVER get in the middle of an argument between two ladies."

"Oh?"

"Yep, that always makes things worse."

But as Hector shared his 'wise advice' with his new Godly acquaintance, Sisiki and Punguari continued to argue.

"Enough, daughter! This is why you're still not ready to become a Full God! Until you learn that with great power comes great responsibility, that's not going to change!"

"Oh, come on! I'm totally responsible. Like when I helped these guys save Japunda from Ucumu!" Punguari argued.

"Yes, you helped fix a disaster… that YOU caused!" Sisiki then harshly but accurately pointed out.

Instead of retaliating with anger or loud words, Punguari just stopped in her tracks. Her head immediately hung down, as if she were ashamed, before walking out of the room. Sisiki realized she may have been a little harsh with that last comment, and started to follow her daughter, before being stopped…

"Let her go, sometimes girls need their space. I'm sure she'll calm down by morning," Rosa assured her.

In an effort to lighten the mood in the room, Hector attempted some small talk with his new buddy of sorts…

"So, Chipiri, how old did you say you are again?"

"Oh, I may not look it, but I'm actually turning 50,000 in the next millennium."

"WOW!" most of the Casagrande family in the room, adults and children alike, all muttered in disbelief.

"50,000 years… we must seem like insects to you," Carlota said in amazement.

"Actually, I think you're all like giants," Chipiri clarified as he stood up and walked over to the window.

It was now dark outside, and Chipiri stared out at the night sky and the lit-up metropolis that surrounded the apartment. The colors were vibrant and eye-catching, and the whole place just looked so… alive. From the street lights, to the aesthetic designs of the buildings, to even the smallest details, such as certain signs, billboards, and decorations that could be seen from the view of their apartment window. Particular details that stood out to him included the bright green bolt sign on the "Burger Blast" restaurant, and all the colors blasting out of "Joe's Arcade".

It all looked stunning, especially to eyes that hadn't gazed upon such a sight before. It was a captivating and breathtaking view.

"Seriously, I can do all kinds of things you wouldn't imagine, I've seen things you wouldn't believe, but this… this world you've all managed to create in our absence… I never could have dreamed of something so incredible. What you've all been able to do, it amazes me. And to think, I still remember when your kind was first discovering fire."

"Yes," Sisiki said in agreement as she joined him by the window. "Your world… It's beautiful."

"Eh, living in the big city has its ups and downs," Ronnie Anne replied.

As the two elder Gods held hands and soaked in the beauty of the new world around them, the Casagrande family stared at them with heartfelt expressions on their faces. They were glad they were able to help the Gods feel at home in the 21st century after being gone for so long.

Author's Footnote:

Hmm, I think this is the last story I'll be posting on . I don't know what has happened in the last year, but the first chapter I published yesterday only had a handful of favourites/follows, and 2 reviews (and they were bots and/or people trying to gain some kind of attention or promotion). It seems virtually nobody uses this website anymore. As such, I'll finish posting this story on here, since it's already prepared for, but then I won't use this website again. I'll have to upload them elsewhere.

Expect Act 3 to be posted tomorrow at some point, where Punguari and her parents will meet their relative after so many years. Also, a few other little things will go down and the story will end. Also, this story I have decided is going to be a part of my "B-Canon Timeline". Where does it fit within said timeline? Well, you'll find that out tomorrow. Anyway, if anyone is actually still using this website, please leave behind an actual review. XD