Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

  Their heart dropped as she pushed through the portal. Colors and sounds danced behind their eyes as they tried to see a person who had entered the domain that is unseen. They tried to look for comfort in their only remaining friend. Gone. Everything was gone.

“What are you doing?” She hissed. The words sent terror and signals of panic running through their body. It was stupid. They shouldn’t be afraid of her anymore. Objectively, they have more power. Yet, the fear lasted.
They straightened and cast the fear away. If only for long enough to end the conversation. Just long enough to send her home. Home. They shook their head.
“I could ask you the same thing.”

Rae was a brilliant kid. Not only had he been raised to be brilliant, he had worked at being that way. Many people said he had gotten it from his mother. Now, whether they were talking about Isla or Enderian was up for debate. Rae had enjoyed growing up in the End. He learned to fly young and there was a lot of knowledge to be gained when the goddess of the mind was your mother. It also helped that he was respected as the prince of the realm. 

It wasn't until he was ten he tried to actually see the weird colors that were around things and people. He had gone to Enderian and she had brainstormed with him. Together, mother and son had found a solution. They crafted goggles so that he could see these auras more clearly. He loved those goggles. It surprised his mothers how quickly he took to them. He had never liked objects on his head or eyes, yet he always wore the goggles. Even if it meant it messed up Rae's hair that he worked so hard with Isla to curl. 

It wasn't until he was fourteen that he felt like something was missing. Well, more accurately someone. A mystery person that no one thought existed. It didn't help that Rae himself couldn't describe the person. All he knew were subtle vibes of the person. Some objects and activities made Rae think of them. He determined that this person must have been real due to how specific the feelings were. No one else knew them or feelings that came with this mystery person.  Eventually Rae gave up trying to explain. 

It wasn’t until Rae was sixteen that he realized that there had been war. A tiresome thing that only ended due to Fable’s loss of allies. Because of that war Rae spent a lot of time with Vikesh growing up. The god had been kind when taking him in and was like an older brother to him. Not that his mothers didn’t make time for him during the war, it was just that they were noticeably more present after the fiasco of a war ended.Rae would later learn that Fable was married to Isla. He would then learn why his mother ran. Rae kept pressing for more information about the situation. It took a while for his mothers to explain. 

However, it was around that time when he picked up on the weird things. These things had been happening since he was a kid. He hadn't paid it much mind. A flower strangely changing here or a block that didn't match there. It was harmless really. The moment he noticed it, the changes got worse. It wasn't anything harmful, actually it was quite the contrary. He noticed that a block would change to redstone every time Perix tried to trick him with illusions, he noticed that whenever he was looking for something a trail of orchids would sprout to guide him to what he was looking for, and he noticed if he ever wanted a change in block palette the blocks slowly glitched into what he wanted. 

Of course, despite the helpfulness of the glitches, Rae was cautious. He took notes. He tested. At some point he started calling this phenomenon ‘the wack’. It isn't the kind of name he usually gave, but it was fitting somehow. It sounded like something they would have named it. So Rae kept the silly name.

Rae continued to study this wack for years. It became his study. Enderian was concerned, but let Rae take on the new phenomenon. The son was happy to have a study of his own and thanked his mother profusely for the freedom that this study gave. Rae soon found that the wack followed a pattern. The aura was always a gold and rainbow swirl, and it was always helpful to Rae or people Rae cared about, and it was always centered on Rae. Almost always.

It was a quiet night the first time Rae realized something was off. His day had been relatively uneventful. He had done almost what he normally did. For the better part of his day, Rae had worked on trying to make the wings more widespread. Crafting normal elytra was not an easy task, but Rae was close to finding a more simple crafting. He had also helped his mothers that day. Both of them gave him tasks that took up a lot of his time. To put it simply, Rae had been distracted.

It had taken Rae a while to notice that the wack was gone. It wasn’t a large change that usually followed him around. Just subtle, little things that would generally brighten Rae’s day. However, the wack had not followed him all day. No changes of other flowers to orchids, no amethyst block in an area to collect, and no warnings whenever there was a problem.

Rae really focused on the problem once his day had ended and nighttime fell upon the End. The stars in the void became more prominent and Vikesh became more active. It was the only way anyone could tell what time of day in the End. Rae barely noticed the night approaching, however, as he paced in his room. It was a spacious room with a large bed and would typically be a rich child’s dream. However, the bed, dresser, and nightstand were pushed to a far side of the room. Instead workbenches, signs, and other research oddities cluttered the room. Now things were scattered as Rae went searching for answers of the missing wack.

When he first went to check his notes he quickly realized that this was not the first day that the wack had left him. In fact, it has been several days now. No subtle changes had been reported in his book dedicated to the wack. Rae had been so busy he hadn’t even noticed the lack of changes. He looked back over his main research book field notes, a worn down book his mother had made him as a kid, and tried scanning over daily research to see if there was any difference in his schedule. The scribbles of messy End politics, elytra rebuilds, and mild potions research unveiled absolutely nothing. 

Nothing Rae had done in the past days would lead to the wack leaving his presence. It never had left his side before. At least, Rae didn’t think so. That thought had led to Rae spiraling through old books or notes to find any moments where the wack had failed to show. He checked old notebooks that had been discarded for years and papers that had been shoved into the back of his book shelves. It had taken nearly yet another hour before Rae found anything. By this point many coffee cups were somewhat scattered through the room and Rae looked like he’d been fighting a shulker the past few hours. Yet, he had found something.

 It was a notebook that Rae had made when he was younger. His first try at book binding made him slightly cringe, but it had held up through the years. These notes held a lot about the auras and the wack. The beginning was him writing where all the aura colors came from. Green for the Overworld, red for the Nether, purple for the End, and blue for the Aether. The basics. The research changed quickly however when two new colors came into play. Gray and yellow. The gray aura had been connected to the husked realm, to the Aether. He had written how Enderian had told him of how the realm had died and taken on a new form. Therefore, it had a new aura.

The yellow aura was different. It was the wack. That was the only thing that Rae had seen that aura be connected to. He did notice a strange pattern however. The wack wasn’t around as much. Rae must have been ten or eleven when he wrote this book, and the wack wasn’t nearly as consistent. It was something that had only happened every once in a while. A flower changes one day and then nothing for weeks or even months on end. Not daily like now. 

Yet, for whatever reason that pattern had changed. It had apparently decided to always be around Rae. Rae decided it didn’t make sense. One thing that had always confused Rae was how sentient the wack had been, and still this made it seem like it had even more control over itself. It made choices of where it was and what it did. Everything was intentional, every change. So to Rae there were only two questions he could focus on now.

Why had it decided to leave, and where had it decided to go?

Chapter Text

It was quiet. The only sounds were the rush of the water beyond the walls and the tip-toeing steps of the two walking the temple’s halls. The chaos was yet to start. He knew it was only a matter of time until the others realized and it all went bad. He needed to get the other out before that happened. He had to be quick. 

“Mr. Ulysses? This isn't where we normally go,” Perseus’ voice shook as they spoke. They had always been incredibly smart. Ulysses had to get him out. He was the only hope that the scientists had left. He was the only hope the Telkins had left. They were the only hope Ulysses had left.

“I know Percy. We…” Ulysses paused as he heard movement nearby. He couldn't be caught yet. Not with Percy holding his hand and being so scared of what was to come.“We need to keep moving.”

He pulled Perseus along. The stress was definitely starting to get to him. Perseus, to his credit, kept up with Ulysses well. He had to jog to keep up with the taller and larger Telkin, but they did so with ease. They definitely knew something was wrong. Ulysses felt the guilt eating at him as he realized that Percy was constantly prepared for something to go wrong. He shouldn’t have to be prepared for that. Yet of course he was. Ulysses couldn’t help but know that was his own fault.

“Whe-Where are we going?” Perseus asked. Ulysses didn't have to turn around to know that Perseus had tears in the their eyes. It ate away at him, the tears and the pain the child felt. The two had to keep moving. 

“I don't- somewhere safe. Somewhere we can have a home, all of us. And-” Ulysses cut himself off as the alarm started. It rang loud and dangerous in his ears. “Shit… shit.”

Ulysses was trying not to shake. His fear was palpable in the enclosed area of the temple. Well, it wasn't much of a temple anymore, thanks to people like him. He wished desperately it was still a temple. Then he could pray for Percy. Then he could pray for himself. Perseus tugged at Ulysses’ sleeve before asking, “Mr. Ulysses, what's happening?”

Ulysses really didn't want to look at Perseus. He couldn't bear to see the fear on his , on the child's face. It would break him, and Ulysses could not afford to be broken right now. Not when they were so close to the freedom Perseus deserved.

“Nothing, nothing. It's just sirens, don't listen to that. It's- everything's ok, I just.. fuck, um, ok here.” Ulysses finally turns and kneels in front of Perseus. His mind was made up for what needed to be done. He knew what he had to do to keep them safe. 

“Here, I-I’ve got to take care of something, alright Perseus?” Ulysses said as he started to take off his coat, “Just take my coat, it has my tag to get out of the building- and be careful,  some of the smaller test subjects are still in the pockets and they're not used to being out of water yet so be careful-”

Ulysses realized that he was rambling slightly. He couldn't seem to stop himself. The words flowed from him faster and more heavily than he could stop. They realized the reason why he did this. He was doing anything to keep the conversation going so that Perseus could stay with him just for a moment longer. It was selfish. 

“I thought you were coming with me…” Perseus cut in. It stopped Ulysses for only a second before he regained himself. 

“I am. I’m coming, I will, I promise I just need to meet you there, ok? I’ll-I’ll meet you outside. I’m right behind you and once we’re out I’ll come find you. I promise.” Ulysses lied. He had to. It was the only way he could guarantee that Perseus would leave and not look back. 

“I just need to meet you there okay I'll-I'll meet you outside I'm right behind you and once we're out I'll come find you.”

The red lights were starting to get to Ulysses’ head. The blaring and distant yelling made every hair stand up on end. It reminded Ulysses of when he was a medic on the front lines. The screams of pain and death, the visions of disfigured bodies. They remember the blood coating their hands as he worked on another injured soldier. They could see that blood and pain again. It actually made him focus more, made his hands stop shaking,

“Here can you carry subject 24?” Perseus took the subject form Ulyesseus while he spoke. Ulysses felt the weight leave his arms and hated how relieved he felt. He didn’t deserve that relief. Not yet.

Ulysses zoned in to hear the last bit of the child’s response. “Yeah I-I think so.”

Ulysses smiled at them. A full, genuine smile. One that he had only found again recently when Percy entered his life. “Good, good of course you can. You're so strong and so brave I am so proud of you.”

Percy grabbed onto Ulysses’ sleeve. The grip was far more intense and strong than any child’s should be. Their life was much harder than any person's should be. 

“Mister Ulysses, I'm scared.”

“I know, I am too, but we're almost there. We're almost out. We're almost at the end, and Perseus I love-” Ulysses cut himself off. This wasn't fair. He couldn't just say that and then leave. It wasn't right. 

“You're like-” No, that wasn't right either, “You are the hope I was so afraid I lost and I can never make up for what I have done, but you are and will always be the best thing I have ever done with my life Perseus.”

Percy was crying now, and Ulysses wasn't far behind. There was no time for the tears, though. Not for Ulysses. Because everything was coming to an end here. One way or another. 

“You mean so much to me and you deserve to live your own life to the fullest.” Ulysses took a breath. He could hear over the blaring sirens and distant screams Perseus mumbling his name. “I can't- you remember what we talked about? Right out the gates and right to the surface, and you swim as fast as you can until you find land. Don't let them trick you into fighting okay? Promise me that- promise me you run.”

Percy nodded, “I-I promise.”

“Thank you. Be safe, Perseus. I'll find you soon I promise. Now, just go please. you have to go.” Ulysses gave up pretending that he wasn’t begging for Percy to run. He was tired and upset and he knew that his fight was almost over. As soon as Percy left the temple he would be done fighting. For now though, he had to run headfirst into the ones who wanted to keep Perseus trapped.

Ulysses turned to run into the fight that had awaited him for years. He was ready now. He had said all he could say and now it was time to go. As he turned Perseus didn’t let go. In fact, they tightened their grip on his sleeve. Ulysses let a confused look pass over his face. 

“Mr. Ulysses wait,” Percy sniffled and put up his fist, “Hold… hold fast. Please.”

Ulysses laughed. A breathy laugh that let out tears and a pure feeling of happiness. The fact that Percy had remembered how important that was. It was a symbol of family to Ulysses, and he really hoped that Perseus knew that. 

“Yeah hold fast. I-I will Gods. I will.” Ulysses smiled at the child. He bumped the child’s tiny fist against his own.

“All right.”

Percy took off down the hall. His feet pattered as he ran down the too clean floors of the facility. Water splashed behind them and Ulysses’ lab coat splayed out as they ran. Ulysses closed his eyes so he didn’t have to see Perseus leave. Selfish.

“Hold fast Percy. Live happily ever after for me, ok?” Ulysses opened his eyes again as he spoke. His hands shook once more, knowing that these were his last moments. There is no chance that his colleagues would let him live after this betrayal.

Ulysses reached in his inventory for a weapon. Anything to help defend himself, anything to help keep the others away from Persues. Ulysses listened for footsteps approaching or leaving. He took the fact that he couldn’t hear the pattering from Percy’s webbed feet as a good sign. He took the fact that he could hear the loud clanging of metal boots on the polished floor as a bad sign.

Ulysses turned to look at his colleagues, the people that he had worked with for decades now. The people who had insisted on turning this child into a monster. Ulysses found himself pulling an axe out of his inventory. It was only a puny stone axe, but he was not a fighter, and it was better than nothing. He could hear the ringing laughter of people he used to trust over the insistent blaring of the alarm. He could feel himself launch forward and swing the axe down onto the nearest person. He could see over the gods awful red lights that flashed in warning when exactly a man he would have once called a friend swung at him.

Ulysses saw the weapon reach down and out to him. He saw the arch that would surely connect to his skull. He saw the disgusted faces of people who were supposed to be his friends. He saw the sword that would bring about what he knew would happen when he decided to free the child in the first place. Ulysses Themist saw his end.

And then he saw light. Bright lights and flashing colors. Something about it was wrong and unnatural. Ulysses thought it unfortunate he wouldn’t be able to comprehend it before the world went black.

Chapter Text

And then there was light. Bright lights and flashing colors. It was wrong and unnatural. A stream of light, and sound, and space that wasn’t meant to be there at all. A blur of movement and pure wrong passed through it’s sight.

It wasn’t supposed to be anything. All it was supposed to be was a place for other its to exist. Now, it was something. It was a thing that could qualify as more than an area or a space. It was more miniscule. Less grand, but not any less important or powerful. Just… smaller. More contained and defined than before. It was now she.

She was a being that came from the light and the wreckage and the wrong. And she was beautiful. She had the sands drug beneath the waves to make strands of brilliant blonde curls. She had the fish and the people of the ocean give her gills, scales, and a tail to make her breathe and move comfortably under the waves. She took lungs and legs, which by all accounts should not be possible, to be able to walk where her livelihood did not follow. She took the seas as her eyes, a brilliant blue that held furry and comfort. Finally, she took the personality of the depths to guide her upon her personhood. 

She was still the ocean, however. Even in this form. The sea ran through her veins and the water moved with her like it was connected. It could piece together that she was the ocean. Is the ocean. The water felt dead without her in it. The only lively part was the area she floated in now.

The debris floated around her. An area of wreckage and collapse was the area she had spawned. It moved and saw as it came to grasping her new reality. She saw the bones of what looked to be a temple. She was familiar with the temples and how they worked. The winding halls and dead ends of an almost too much amount of prismarine. This one was destroyed nearly beyond recognition. There was no roof to the place and most walls and structures had crumpled.

She swam up and out to get a better look. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked down upon the once clearly large temple. Right where it had been floating there was an array of blocks that were clearly not supposed to be there. Blocks of redstone, gold, and coal ores splayed out from a center. A center where she had been floating. 

Her gaze drifted to look at the spiraling blocks that were wrong in her domain. As she drifted her eyes caught on a ruin. It was more intact than the rest of the temple. As she swam over she pieced together what the ruin was. A statue. One to a god, and one to a god she recognised. 

When she was it, there were ‘memories’ of meeting the god before her. His name was Verago, and he was the god of her depths. He was a friend, maybe he was even family. She remembered him as like a brother to her, and his family was sacred to her too. The boy who had spoken to her all those years ago… it hurt to see the crumpled statue of the only being she would consider a friend.

There was nothing she could do now though. She continued to wonder about the broken halls. She found her way through the blocks that weren’t supposed to be there and prismarine that continued for miles. She wandered through the broken walls of the temple. Then she stopped in her tracks.

In the temple, an area that was yet to be flooded with water seemed out of place to the ocean. Inside there were things that had no right being in such a sacred place. There was lab equipment, test tubes and needles and other medical items that the ocean had never seen before. It didn’t make sense. This was a place for worship and honoring the gods. There was no reason for this equipment to be down here. She swam up closer to the broken equipment for further inspection. The tubes were broken open in an apparent haste, and the equipment was scattered everywhere. The one thing that was intact was notes.

The ocean scanned the information. The language came easily to her, it was the language of her domain, even though she had never read in the language before. She felt sick reading over the messily written telchin. Endless notes describing the sickening experiments these people did. Descriptions of mutilating not only countlesses mortals, but also Verago himself. She dropped the notes into the water and watched the notes dissolve into nothing more than a memory.

She felt the water rising further as the temple further crumpled. Her sickness turned into rage. This wasn’t right. Not the existence of the temples in this state, and not the existence of herself. She was supposed to be it. The water finally infiltrated the dry and upsetting place, and as the water rose past her head and she floated back into her being, she hoped it would wash away the fury and loneliness that settled itself into her soul.

The overworld was a place full of life and beauty. Nature was a glorious cycle between life and death. Animals could roam freely and just be the way it was designed. Birds, sheep, cheetahs, and more wandered the many terrains that had formed when creation had deemed it so. It was why mortals called it ‘mother earth’.

Before the animals there was just foliage. Trees and grass and plants. Crops that grew, and fungus that consumed. And there was a peace that came with the emptiness. A peace that came with no mortals or animals to wonder about and take from what the gods had created. Yet, more had been made and loneliness was not a feeling that the mother was described with. The mother had many people to keep her company, and she cherished them as her own. But nothing could beat her plants.

The trees held her spirit and the winds sang her songs. The flowers bloomed in her sunlight and the world refreshed in her frost. The world was her oyster, as the mortals would say. She changed the seasons and the weather, and it was everything she wanted.

The mother had planted many trees in her existence. Each seed blown on the wind and spoiled by the love of circumstances was hers. This one wasn’t any different. A small seed planted by her that would one day grow to be another strong tree in the ecosystem. The seed took root. Soon it would be strong enough to breach the soil and reach for the sun. And then it did.

It saw the light of the sun… and then the light of something else. It saw a sprawl of nature blocks be changed in front of its being. It felt stronger than before too. Like it could grow faster and taller under the careful hands of its mother. Speaking of, it felt her near. She felt so close and connected to the sapling that it almost doubted what it was sensing. Almost.

Nearby she came into being. Foliage wrapped around her body as she was molded by the soils and sands. The now rising sunset waved into her hair and gave it a nice orange color. The blue of the sky that sank below the horizon filled her eyes and her hair made it so that color was hidden. The creatures she had learned to adore gave her legs, body, and horns. She breathed in her winds and let the weight of the world crash into her being.

She sat up and looked at her surroundings. Mother Earth was in a clearing that was surrounded by trees of all kinds. There was a mountain nearby and she could hear the sound of running water. The only other presence she sensed in this clearing was the small sapling that had just breached the surface. Surrounding it was out of place moss and coarse dirt. Considering the rest of the terrain, the blocks were out of place. She wondered if it meant the tree was special.

They stood on shaky, new legs and walked upon the moss and dirt that had sprung from them and the sapling. They knelt before their tree and examined it. The tree was healthy, she determined. 

She sat before the sapling and took in breaths of the crisp air. It was turning night soon. They determined that they should make a shelter before monsters decided to spawn around her. As she looked around for materials that she could easily use, she heard the trees call to her. They told her warnings of what would happen to the land and that they should take from them to build a shelter. She agreed with the trees.

Thus they set about gathering materials and planks for a shelter. She built using the moss and planks for about an hour. The house she built was not the most spacious or the most lavish, but it was a pretty build and a place to take refuge. There mother earth could sleep. 

The mother was awoken by sounds in her new house. There was a clang as if something had dropped. It sent them jumping out of bed and running to see what was wrong. She did not fear for herself, but instead for whatever creature or person may have gotten hurt during her slumber. They listened to the trees and plants that whispered to her before. It seems the plants knew nothing either, and the spam of concern that the plants whispered gave her a headache.

They raced down the stairs and practically flew through the few rooms she had built. Her long fiery hair flowed behind her and fell into her eyes as she searched. Finally, she opened the door to the kitchen to see a child and a bear. The child was a short blond haired kid with tattered travel clothes. They wore what must have once been a white shirt, jeans, and a jacket. Upon her arrival their eyes shot up to her. They looked to have been the one to drop a bowl and were shaking in fear.

Across the room from them was a bear. The bear was small and brown. It occurred to the mother that the bear was a cub. It ate away at stored berries and didn’t seem to even register that the child and the world were in the room. The world couldn’t help the amused look that spread across her face at the two. 

“Oh dear, you're alright. He’s just a bit hungry. Here, you can come hide behind me if that would make you more comfortable,” she said to the kid. The world hadn’t even finished her sentence before the kid scurred behind her. 

The world, seeing as the kid was behind them now, turned their attention back to the cub. It continued to eat away at the food it had found without a care. She moved towards the cub, trying not to come off as a threat. Behind her, the kid gasped and muttered something the world could not hear. She reached the bear and reached down to pick it up.

They were ready for the cub to fight or resist her, but instead it looked up at her with a look that the world could mistake for a more human gaze. The cub let her pick it up and hold it in their arms like a baby. She glanced over at the child on the other side of the room; they stared dumbfounded at the baby bear the world had acquired. The world smiled at the kid first, and then the bear. Then they kissed the bear on the head.

Something in the world and in the bear connected. A certain life was brought in that kiss. It was a feeling neither the bear nor the world understood.  Then it occurred to the bear that he could feel. Now, he realized he could think as well. 

“W-hat?” The bear spoke in very broken common. The mother reared back and stared in shock at the words. The kid across the room shrieked. The bear looked over at the kid, who was pressed up against the kitchen door and openly gaping at the bear.

The mother paled at the two. She didn’t want an argument to break out between the children. They looked down at the bear in their arms and debated setting it- them?- down. However, she didn’t know how well that would go. 

The bear did not let her decide. It was already squirming out of her grip onto the floor where they stood on two legs instead of four. It was a bizarre sight. The child across the room readied themself for a fight as the bear stood. The bear seemed to crouch back and put up their hands in a gesture of peace. The child blinked and didn’t respond, but did relax and push themself off the door. 

“Uh, hi. I’m… um,” The bear said before stopping. Their face scrunched up as if trying to remember. After a moment they seemed to deflate and give up. “I don’t really remember.”

Both of the humanoids in the room nodded. The mother was glad that despite the fact that this was a very unusual moment, the child was taking it very well. In fact, they shuffled a bit closer to the two non-humans. The world offered the kid a smile and moved to be more equidistant between the children.

“Well, my name’s Easton. I don’t really have a last name anymore,” The human said. They gave a look to the others that the world couldn’t quite read. She felt awful for the child. A sadness laced their voice, and the mother almost didn’t want to know what Easton had been through. Suddenly, Easton turned to the world. “What’s your name?”

The world stared at the child for a moment. She hadn’t thought of a name for herself yet. They had only formed a few hours ago, and there wasn’t the pressure of mortals before. In a panic they looked around for something, anything to name herself after. There was a small window in the kitchen and it drew her attention as it was the only light source in the room. Outside there were wild strawberry bushes… that would work.

“My name is Strawberri,” She said, and frantically looked around for something to base her last name on. There were all kinds of trees outside. “...Pine. Strawberri Pine.”

Easton nodded, satisfied, and the bear mumbled her name under his breath. Both took a moment before Easton slowly turned back towards the bear. Their hair fell into their face, and they scowled as they pushed it out of the way. The bear chuckled slightly at them. That was the beginning of the end.

“You can’t laugh at me, you don’t even have a name ,” Easton shot at the bear. The world, now dubbed Strawberri, went to scold the child for such a rude comment, but the bear chuckled again. 

“Well then, give me a name if you’re so great,” The bear shot back. He had a smug grin on his face, which was an expression Strawberri wasn’t aware a bear could even make. At the comeback, Easton thought for a moment. They were actually thinking of a name for the bear. After a moment, Easton spoke.

“What about Jamie?” Easton suggested. The bear was thrown off by the genuine response. In all honesty he had been expecting Easton to say something dumb, but this… this wasn’t bad. The bear found themself nodding at the name. It wasn’t bad at all.

“Ok… I can be Jamie. I actually really like that,” Jamie grinned. Easton grinned as well. It was an evil grin.

“Yeah, and it can be short for Jamphibian,” Easton said.

“Wha- no. Absolutely not,” The bear said in complete shock.

“Why not? I think it’s perfect.”

“I’m not even an amphibian! I’m a mammal! You’re crazy Easton!” 

“Whatever you say Jamphibian.”

Strawberri smiled exasperatedly at the two, who continued to argue over the name. It was really nice. She didn’t think this was a real argument. The two were grinning as they each yelled at each other with increasing volume. It was like they fed off each other’s energy. The bear was getting in Easton’s face now, and Strawberri decided it was time to step in.

“You don’t have to be Jamphibian, or even Jamie, if you don’t want to be,” Strawberri said gently. Their comment fully stopped the argument and now both children looked at them. The bear glanced over to Easton, who deflated a bit at their idea being shot down, before returning Straberri’s gaze.

“No, no, I really do like the name Jamie. Maybe not so much, Jamphibian, but I think it’s a cool name,” The bear, or Jamie Strawberri supposed, smiled. At that Easton straightened and smiled. Strawberri thought it was adorable how the two acted.

Strawberri took a moment to look at the two side by side. Easton was still taller than Jamie and both of them looked dirty. Easton slouched considerably, but Jamie stood up straight in an anxious manner. It made the height difference funny. Jamie’s fur was matted with mud and leaves, and Easton’s hair was matted and their clothes were stained. It seemed to Strawberri that the two needed a place to refresh.

“You two should clean up. You both can stay and recuperate for as long as you like. I mean, you don’t have to stay, but you can,” Strawberri stuttered out. They didn’t like the way she felt when thinking about either of the kids leaving. Strawberri found themself not wanting the kids to leave, but she could not keep them here either. Something about that felt very wrong as well. 

“Even if it’s forever?” Easton asked almost timidly. Jamie nodded shyly next to them. Strawberri felt nearly relieved at the question. They wanted to stay and be protected by her. She hoped the children didn’t see the relieved expression that washed over her, but the look on Easton’s face told them otherwise.

“Yes, even then. Especially then,” she said while waving them both to move to a different room. The children followed them happily through the house to a bathroom. She started to get them ready for cleaning up, then bed.

“That’s very motherly of you, maybe you can be mom for us,” Jamie said with a smile. He looked over to Easton for support with a sort of bounce to his movements. Those bounces were lost when Jamie saw Easton’s expression. It looked sad and uncomfortable, and Jamie did not want to trap Easton into calling Strawberri mom just because he did. “Or maybe Momboo, to be creative.”

Easton smiled gratefully at Jamie. They just couldn’t call Strawberri mom so soon, Momboo, however, they could do. Easton nodded at Jamie and let their carefree smile cross their face once again. Easton felt relief at the nodding of Strawberri as well. All three felt that name was just right. They all felt that this was right. 

Strawberri moved to start getting the children clean and all chaos broke loose. It felt normal and it made her happy to be struggling against these two. The mother thought they could be Strawberri, and they could be Momboo. She thanked whatever god brought this life to her and continued on as a Momboo.

Chapter Text

Fenris Sonet Nightingale stared blankly at the rubble before him. He did not know the people that used to live in this house, but he knew that these people did not deserve to die like this. The soldier ran their hand through their hair. He frowned at the short length Fable had forced him to have when he left his kingdom to help the war effort. They hated how much of himself had been changed by that man. They no longer wore the colors of their kingdom and his title of “The Wolf” made him cringe.

The only person that he felt comfortable with calling him that was Jericho, even if most times he said Wolfy instead. Jericho said that to make Fenris have a more positive connotation with the title, and given that it was stupid, it genuinely helped. Even if Fenris had never actually heard it. Fenris and Jericho had never met face to face, but they had been pen pals of sorts for years. They had continued to be actual pen pals after Jericho deserted, although it was more secret after that.

Now, with the rubble and loss of lives before them, Fenris hated the title even more. He hated this war, these deaths, and most of all Fable. Fenris didn’t know where the king got the audacity. Fable had been attacking the Nether and the End at the same time, basically fighting a war on two fronts. What pissed Fenris off more was that he was winning. No man should be able to win this. Fenris shook his head and continued looking through the rubble. Thinking about the man only made him angry and unable to do their job.

This particular house was not different from any of the countless others that just today Fenris had inspected. Fenris could tell that before it had exploded that the house was a two story building with an attic and basement. The house had been built with spruce and dark oak. The glass that was scattered about the destruction hadn’t been tinted, meaning these people were most likely on the lower upper-class side. They had a quite large chimney and at least two extra rooms depending on how many people lived here. The roof had been made of cut deepslate. The family had a patio and a fenced in backyard that had a ruined structure inside it. The structure could have been a shed or a grill, or even a play area if a child lived here.  It was quite spacious, but that wasn’t a surprise in this area of the kingdom. Some of the possessions were still salvageable at least. Maybe this house hadn’t been as destroyed as the last. Maybe there was hope for the people that lived here.

A shout from his commanding officer ripped his attention away from the once bedrooms Fenris was looking through. The wind and leftover adrenalin that rushed through the soldier’s ears made it hard to hear what exactly was said, but looking over at where the shouts came from made it very clear what the message was. A few of the other soldiers carried two badly burned bodies from a different area of the house. Fenris’ throat became dry and his hands shook worse than they had been previously. Despite the countless civilian bodies they had seen before, Fenris had never really been able to get over the sight. 

Fenris turned away to continue looking over his section of the house. His guilt be damned and his feelings should have gone many years ago. Fenris picked up a loose plank and threw it away from the rest of the wreckage. It was probably not the healthiest way to deal with the brewing rage Fenris felt, but they didn’t truly care. Underneath was a crib and stuffed animal. A child lived here. He hadn’t seen the body, Fenris had to remind themself of that. He couldn’t be sent into a panic about something that hadn’t even happened yet.

“Um… excuse me?” Fenris whipped his head around as he heard a timid voice. He had to look down to see the man that had called for their attention. He was short with white hair and blue/green heterochromia eyes. His clothes were more of the academic sort than the clothes one of the soldiers would wear. It took Fenris a moment to get past all of the conflicting emotions before he could even recognize the man in front of him, let alone formulate a response. But Fenris did know who this was.

Venear Atlan was a reporter for Fable. He was supposed to bring in reports of the war and send them out to the citizens of the Gilded empire. Fenris had read those reports and knew they were laced with lies. Fenris didn’t blame Ven for this, he knew Fable’s manipulation too well to do so, but it still was his writing in the end.The man before him now was timid and looked terrified. They were much smaller than Fenris and clearly weren’t made for a freshly abandoned warzone. Fenris pitied them. He held papers clutched in his hands so tightly Fenris wondered how Ven still had feeling in his hands.

“Is that a report?” Fenris asked with a voice rough from shouting and crying. He was probably yelling too. He hoped Ven was alright with that. That it didn’t hurt the man’s ears too much. 

The man before Fenris crumpled the papers further in his hand. Their eyes snapped down to said papers as if he were surprised they were there. Ven had stopped scanning the battlefield once Fenris had responded. Ven had assumed it would take them a while to realize he was talking to them, the war getting to the heads of soldiers and all that, so he had been surprised when Fenris responded so quickly.

“Yes, it-it is. Have you found any more casualties?” Ven replied in a surprisingly strong voice. They were clearly shaken, but if Fenris had only heard his voice they would have assumed he was completely fine. It made Fenris anxious. Any worker of Fable’s that didn’t show the effects war had on them made Fenris suspicious. It was probably just his distrustful nature.

“I found a room for another person, but no body. No confirmed casualties,” Fenris confirmed. Ven nodded and scribbled some notes onto the papers he clutched before returning his gaze to Fenris. They looked Fenris over for a moment before sighing and trying to relax. It didn’t work very well.

“You should go get yourself some rest soldier,” The reporter stated. Fenris wanted to argue, but something about the way they said that made Fenris’ throat go dry. He shifted his eyes to make eye contact with the man for just a moment. Ven had a stronger look to him now, his back had straightened and his head was held higher, but upon the initiation of eye contact the reporter looked away.

“Yeah, I suppose I should. Thank you Ven,” Fenris replied. They made sure to shift their eyes away from Ven’s so there was no pressure for him. Ven was one of the few workers that Fenris actually liked. He moved to walk away, Fenris wanted to lay down or cry and Ven had given him a clear out, but the reporter held up his hand.

The pause that followed such an action was not very long, but it made Fenris’ skin itch. A buzz of energy and unsaid words surrounded them. Neither moved or made eye contact and Fenris was faced with another stand still. The sounds of embers and loud winds raced by. He couldn’t even hear the sounds of the other soldiers or workers. Where had they gone? 

Fenris shifted their eyes back to look at Ven, but he was gone. In his place was a charred and mangled body. A silent scream held in his throat. Blood coated fur and eyes of yellow. The wolf killed in cold blood, and Fenris killed in tandem. The wolf, an omen to be feared, ran from the house. Crimson stained the grounds and walls and roofs making the place look more like enemy grounds than the destroyed remains of the realm he called home. 

The echoing voice of the man whose body burned behind him echoed in their head. Calls of their name. It was urgent and worried in a way, yet muffled. Fenris’ breathing picked up and he kept running. Faster and faster. Beyond what mortals could do, and further. The only blessing upon The Wolf was the moon. So bright and guiding to the husk of a man. It reached out to him. It comforted him. The moon felt familiar, and so did their love.

“Fenris, my sonnet, awake,” They said. The moon said. It shifted then into a being. In the back of Fenris’ mind he knew it shouldn’t be possible. They, the god that made the moon, should not be able to become physical unless it was a new moon. He was dreaming. Another nightmare of their crimes and the war. They looked to the god once more before drifting to the muffled voice of the worker.

“Fenris wake up!” Ven yelled, shaking the panicking soldier under him. This time, he actually did wake up. His eyes snapping open and his arms going to grab onto Ven in a panic as they awoke. A snarl bubbled in their throat before recognizing the man before him was supposed to be here and wasn’t some intruder.

Fenris took a moment to look Ven over. He was illuminated only by the new moon that shone through the one window in the room. The writer’s hair was a mess and his eyes were shifting around the room. Ven’s hands shook against the soldier's arm that was being shaken a moment before. Their vest was cut at the shoulder and a strange scar rested on the place where the shoulder meets the neck. Fenris moved closer to get a better look at the scar and Ven flinched back violently.

“What happened, Atlan?” Fenris asked, trying to brush aside his dream. The scar had not been there in the meeting just hours before this. It was strange that the writer had gotten injured badly enough for such a nasty scar and it had completely healed in a matter of hours.

The man in question tensed even more, if that was possible, and shook his head. The calm and collected reporter that Ven had been in his dream was gone now. They looked more shaken now than ever. Fenris feared that they wouldn’t respond and the two would just continue to sit in the dark of his room and wait for nothing. That thankfully didn’t happen.

“It’s Fable,” Ven whispered, his voice rough and shaky. It sounded like he had been screaming and lost his voice. “He tried… Fenris, he tried to kill me. I knew too much and he swung his sword at me and then.”

Ven started to look far away. Not at anything in particular, or maybe at the scene of his would be death, but just off in the distance. The trauma of the moment seemed to only now catch up with them. Fenris realized why exactly he was here. Why they were trusting Fenris with this. 

It was the night of that dream. After they had returned and settled. Ven had come to check on the soldier that night. Fenris, still upset from the day, had screamed and demanded to know why Ven was so composed and complacent. Except he wasn’t. Ven hated Fable nearly as much as he did. They bonded that night and started talking more. Sometimes it was trashing on Fable, sometimes it was more personal. Most nights they met to speak in Fenris’ room, but on special occasions they would chat in Ven’s room.

Now Fable had pushed his only friend here to the brink. He had tried to kill Ven. Why? He was one of Fable’s most trusted. Fenris supposed that it didn’t really matter. In his eyes, if Fable didn’t like Ven, Ven was a good person. A good person that needed to leave.
“We need to go,” Fenris said in almost a daze. Ven nodded his agreement and shifted awkwardly off the bed. Fenris stood on pins and needles to scavenge their room of anything the two would need on the run. White and blue moved in the corner of his eyes as Ven started pacing about the room. 

Fenris wished he could say that this concerned him, but after so many nights of Ven pacing around his room there was an uncomfortable familiarity in the action. That did not mean, however, that Fenris paid his friend no mind. In fact, the only thing they were thinking was about this strange scenario. 

Fenris noted everything he saw that was off. Ven was still in work clothes despite the fact that it was late into the night. His shirt was slightly torn at the neckline and wrinkled instead of meticulously ironed. They were in Fenris’ room despite the fact they had not planned to talk tonight. And, of course, there was a strange scar that should not logically be there and Fable had tried to kill them. A normal day of course.

Without saying a word Fenris slung a bag over their shoulder, slipped on his work shoes, and grabbed Ven’s wrist. The man jumped slightly at the sudden force and gaped at being drug out the door. His mind went blank as he was yanked through the halls of the barracks. The adrenaline crash made his soul drag behind his body and his senses worked overtime to keep his mind steady. Their mind did not get the memo, racing beyond the soldier’s booming steps and the writer’s shuffling feet. Thoughts bounced from the walls, to other soldiers, to Fable, to Fenris, to…

“Fenris…” Ven muttered, his words getting lost in the halls. “Fenris.”

The man did not respond. Ven envied their ability to have a one-track mind. They wished to have a way to focus only on leaving. Getting out. Running. Yet, his mind had focused on something else. His spiraling, traitorous mind had found something to ground him.

“Fenris!”

“What?” The soldier growled back. Impatience was evident in his tone, but Ven was too far gone to even notice. Both were tired and Fenris wished that meant Ven would be quiet. Fenris needed to think. He needed to find a place for them to go or an area they could hide. The only place they could think to go was the End where Jericho had deserted to. The trick was getting there, but if they could find a way to pull it off they both would be safe. He just had to think, and whatever Ven had to stay was not the most important thing at the moment. 

“You’re still in pajamas,” Ven commented with a disengaged tone. Fenris felt himself flush slightly. That was not only the last thing on his mind, but also the last thing he had expected. Looking down for just a moment, he noticed that in his rush he had, in fact, not changed his clothing.

A giggle shocked Fenris out of his stupor. A stupid grin had taken Ven’s face and their body shook with laughter. Fenris felt a wheezing laugh follow. Laughing in the dead of night with someone who was nearly killed while deserting together in pajamas. The scene was absurd. The whole situation was the worst idea any idiots had carried out. 

In less than five minutes neither could breath. Wheezing laughter filled cobble halls as the night caught up with the two. Laughter turned to sobs and quiet minds. Ven regained his awareness first. The weight of death hung heavily on their body and soul alike. Fenris was soon after able to sober up and breathe for a moment. 

“Gods, I wish I were invisible,” Ven croaked through heavy sobs and a shaky voice. Fenris snapped their eyes up to the man as an idea came to mind. This was a military base. It had weapons, medical supplies, and potions. More specifically, potions of invisibility. A way to get out without being seen.

The soldier reached forward and grabbed the reporter’s shoulders. They looked at each other, not in the eye, but close to it as the halls became quiet. With one more shaky laugh and a manic kind of adrenaline Fenris nodded to his friend.

“Venear, you are a genius.”

Chapter Text

The Overworld was colder than the Nether by a significant amount. As a Nether person Galahad shivered upon leaving the Nether portal. This was the sixth ruined Nether  portal Galahad had looked through in the quest to find the prince. He was starting to feel disheartened at the whole quest.

Two weeks ago he remembered being called by his goddess. Nexus was a strong and stiff character that stood protectively by Nethrum’s side. She ruled the army that was created and protected their king and deity. Nexus, goddess of loyalty and commander of the Nether army, had called Galahad, a mid-ranking knight. To say Galahad had been terrified would have been an understatement. Especially when he found out that they would stand in front of the Deity of Destruction and God of the Nether, Nethrum herself. The two gods had told them to find the prince, a child that goes by the name Athena and had a mix of all species of the Nether.

Two weeks Galahad was searching, and in two weeks he had found nothing. In fact, the first three portals held no signs of mortal life at all. The fourth and fifth had held a smaller town and a big city. Neither of these had held Athena. It was getting frustrating looking aimlessly for a child that may not even be alive. Galahad realistically should go home and forget about this whole ordeal. However, Soul had pulled him aside to talk.

“Please bring home my son. I know he doesn’t mean much to you, but they are who I am loyal to,” Soul had said. She had looked at them with such kind eyes and a genuine worry for her kin. Galahad couldn’t give up on someone who meant so much to his queen. He had to be loyal to their prince too, and that meant not giving up here.

A deep breath and a step forward into the Overworld later and everything instantly went wrong. The land itself was fairly destroyed. The valley Galahad had found himself in was reclaimed by nature, and despite the fact that a path could still be clearly seen, there were no buildings in sight. It was odd, and Galahad would have looked into it more if a swear and the distinct sound of falling metal hadn’t started clanging behind him. 

Galahad turned to see the oddest sight they had encountered yet. The first thing to catch his eye was a metal robot overgrown with vines and weeds tumbling down a hill too quickly for them to see more than the basics of the thing. The second thing to catch their eyes was a person standing atop the hill. His face was covered with a white cat mask and he was dressed in a fancy tailored suit. Despite not being able to see his face, Galahad could tell that he was quite distressed, most likely due to the robot that tumbled into the valley. 

Galahad sighed and started running to stop the robot’s rapid descent. This was not even close to what he had signed up for. He ran towards the thing and reached to grab it, its arms and legs flailing in a way that should be anatomical. They heard some kind of scream from the man behind them, but it was lost due to distance. Galahad reached out to grab the robot, and he was so close when…

SMACK . The loud sound rang through his ears as heavy metal hit the man’s face. Galahad did not remember hitting the ground, nor did he remember ending up on his back, but that was where they were when they regained their senses. They looked up, trying to ignore the world spinning and the pain that spread through his face, to see the man who had been shouting.

“Oh… oh my gods! Are you alright? I am so, so sorry,” he said. The man seemed to be rummaging through his inventory, which Galahad had always thought was a weird sight from the outside, as he spoke. Eventually, he found what he was looking for and brought out a bucket of powdered snow. Taking some of it, the man pressed it to Galahad’s face, probably as a way to ease the pain that Galahad could barely feel in their shock. 

Now, with the man up close, Galahad could get a better look at him. His hair was a dyed split with two shades of blue, which seemed to be a theme as his tie was also a shade of blue. He had a brown vest and well worn, yet nice traveling boots. His roots were showing just a bit, and in the sun the color looked to be a pure white. He was odd, but Galahad was looking for odd. Not to mention that his odd looked really nice on him.

“I’m… alright. I just got a little smacked,” Galahad laughed, slightly embarrassed, “I, uh. Is your robot ok?”

The man looked to the side, and sure enough the robot was there. It didn’t look extremely damaged, just a bit overgrown. It looked to be made of iron and very complex. The robot almost looked human as well. It had a human figure, just no hair and some headphones that must have been a replacement for ears. Galahad turned back as the other sighed next to him.

“Seven will be alright. It’s not like Seven will even know that he fell, being powered off and all,” The man said. It struck Galahad as odd when the man talked about this robot, Seven apparently, like it was a human. Yet, it fit the vibes perfectly. Everything about this man had been odd. Galahad should really get this odd man’s name.

“Yes, well if there is any damage, I’d be happy to compensate. It would help to get your name,” Galahad suggested, trailing off slightly as they got less confident. Subtly wasn’t his strong suit. 

Thankfully, the man laughed. His laugh was rather calming and made Galahad feel more at ease. The man just seemed to have a calming kind of energy. Despite the fact that everything about him should be ringing alarm bells and the fact Galahad was smacked in the face by a powered off robot of all things, no panic seemed to rise. Odd.

“You’re right. Of course. Sorry, I have found that I’m really bad at introductions,” The other said through laughs. “My name is Will. I’m an adventurer of sorts. Oh! And a cartographer.”

Will shifts as he says this. Not in an intimidating way, just moves for the sake of it. Galahad smiles and nods to show his taking of the information. Galahad thinks Will is such a basic name for such an odd man.

“My name is Galahad. I’m a Nexai knight. Or, eh, a knight from the Nether under the command of Nexus,” Galahad explains. They take a breath, trying to regain their senses slightly. It was still a bit jarring to see how wrong everything was going, but he was nothing if not adaptable. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Will nods. His head tilts slightly as well, and Galahad wishes he could see the expression under the mask. “What brings you to the Overworld Galahad?”

The soldier stiffens slightly. This information could get him captured or killed in the wrong places. Even though the war was over now, that didn’t mean the Overworld was the safest place for a knight of the Nether. Still, maybe Will was odd enough that he wasn’t a usual Overworld being. Nothing about him rang any alarm bells, and he hadn’t reacted negatively when Galahad said he was a Nexai knight. Maybe he even had some knowledge of where the prince was. It was worth a shot.

“I’m looking for someone. A Nether hybrid. From what I’ve been told they look like all the different creatures in the Nether. I don’t know much about them, but they're far from home, and it’s my job to bring them back safely,” The worlds tumbled out of Galahad like they never had before. Some form of hope had taken him by surprise. For some reason, Galahad wholeheartedly believed this would be where they would finally get a lead.

Will tilted his head to the otherside. Some thoughts were floating through his brain, piecing together parts of a story or idea. For the first time, Will started fidgeting. It wasn’t a nervous fidget, the movements were slow and methodical. He spun a cornflower bracelet that adorned his left wrist as his thoughts wandered. It had been spun in a full circle when he responded.

“Actually, I may know the person you speak of,” he responded in a small voice. Will was unsure if he was right, but this might actually be someone looking for the kid. It was worth at least mentioning. “Her name’s Athena. I kinda found her in a crater when I was younger. We grew up traveling together. It would make sense if she was from the Nether. He always complains of how cold it is and yeah, looks like a combination of every kind of Nether mob there is, now that I think about it.”

Galahad had stopped listening to Will’s rambles. He knew the prince, and knew him well. Hopefully he still knew where the kid was, otherwise this quest would go on even longer. At least then Galahad would have some sort of lead instead of looking aimlessly through ruined Nether portals. Before he knew what he was doing, Galahad grabbed Will by the shoulders. The adventurer cut himself off.

“Do you still know where they are? I’m sorry, but her parents are worried about her.” Galahad was probably shaking, he never imagined he would get this close. Will nodded as he processed the words.

“Yes, yes I do know. He’s up at this house we are staying at. There was this nice lady and her children who took us in. I was just coming back to grab a few things, but Athena and I are still together,” Will answered. The cartographer picked himself up and offered a hand to Galahad. The soldier took it and they stared at each other for a moment. What a weird situation to find themselves in. Will started to move before seeing the robot again.

“Ah, so um. I can’t really move Seven, oh wait. Seven is a robot that Athena and I are teaching to feel who is protecting me because they can’t really take me home,” Will rattled on as he started trying to pick the thing up, “I think the two of you would get along. He had the same mission as you. He just powered off due to the damage of the overgrowth.”

Galahad was barely listening to Will, but latched onto the important bits. By the time Will had hoisted the robot up onto his shoulders Galahad had found the ‘things’ Will had been talking about. All that seemed to be left were three sleeping bags, a bundle, and some tools. Galahad quickly put everything into their inventory before returning to Will.

“Need help with… Seven?” Galahad asked. He was hesitant with them. Seven was apparently sentient and Galahad didn’t want to upset anyone. Especially not the person meant to lead him to the prince of his realm. Will nodded and shifted to share the weight of the robot on his shoulders.

“Thanks. I know it’s a weird scenario, but I appreciate the help. I definitely wouldn’t be able to move him very far without help.” Will shrunk in on himself a bit. Once again Galahad wished they could see his face. 

“It’s all good. You’re helping with Athena, so it’s the least I could do,” Galahad offered. He looked up to see the hill to be climbed. Galahad internally groaned. This reminded him of training, and training was never fun.

At least here the scenery was beautiful. Flowers of all kinds sprouted from a green grass. Trees swayed gently in the wind and Galahad could even spot some wildlife in the distance. It was different from the places they had been previously. In all the other ruined portals civilization tainted the natural beauty. Not that civilization was terrible, it just wasn’t as lovely as the pure wild of the overworld was. 

Will had said there was a house he was staying at nearby, but Galahad almost didn’t believe him. In a place where nature was so abundant and lively, in a way that seemed more , Galahad just couldn’t fathom life here. Nature lived here, the wild breathed here. Mortal life was the last thing the soldier would expect in such a place.

“How did you find this place?” Galahad asked. It was almost involuntary. A yearning to know in a way he had never truly experienced before. The nature of this place must have just been like that. Galahad was glad to have Will to speak as these thoughts spiraled.

“Well I said I’m an adventurer. It was hard for my little group of three to settle anywhere, so we just kept moving. Then we found this place. It’s beautiful. Athena liked the flowers and Seven didn’t detect danger, so we set up here. We only planned for a week or two of rest when Seven met the family. The mother was kind and offered us a house to stay in for a bit. I was honestly going to say no… but Athena became fast friends with one of the kids,” Will rambled slightly on. Galahad didn’t mind. After so long by himself Will’s presence was rather welcome. It was nice, like cool water on a hot burn. Something soothing and real.

“We decided to stay, but Seven and I needed to grab our stuff. This was our second trip, but the vines had got caught in his system while we stayed. Then they shut off and, well you saw the rest.”

Galahad nodded as they fell back into silence. Finally at the top of the hill, the pair took a moment to rest. From the hill Galahad could see a property in the distance. A quaint cottage by an absolutely giant tree was not far from the hill. The cottage’s roof was made of moss and the wood seemed to be spruce. The large tree seemed to be a dark oak tree. Below it three small figures could be seen running around on a weird ground. There was a discoloration sprung from moss and coarse dirt where it shouldn’t be. If Galahad looked closer, then perhaps he would see the blocks changing, not to anything normal just to something different. Galahad did not look. Instead, the soldier found themself smiling at what they assumed to be the kids playing.

“So then Will, who are these people I will be meeting,” Galahad asked. Some part of him just wanted to have the comfort of Will speaking again. Some part of Will was happy to speak to Galahad. It helped knowing family was not too far away and a familiar comfort waited in the Tree’s shade.

Chapter Text

“That one was too close,” They said. That could have gone wrong if only the thoughts went on a little longer or they had been slightly more obvious than this would have all gone wrong. Everything they had worked for, everything they had sacrificed, would be for nothing.

“This isn’t right,” Said the nagging voice. They wished it would all stop. They wished they could shut the voice up. That probably wasn’t healthy. Did they care anymore? 

“Shut up.”

How had he gotten himself in this situation? This wasn’t the plan. It was supposed to be a quick mission, how had he ended up here of all places. Guilt and pain still rang through him. This place didn’t make it better. How had he messed up this bad?

He had taken to pacing around the small cell and just thinking. He didn’t want to think about his looks, he was sure he looked awful after everything. He didn’t want to think about her . About what she was going to do again. He wanted to think of home and love. So that’s just what he thought of. 

***

Caspian had been twelve when he met Aax. It was a chance meeting that Caspian would forever thank the gods for. For once, his mothers had allowed him to go out with them. It had been two years since the war had ended. Now, he could leave the Mysonry and go out on an adventure of his own. It had seemed like a miracle.

The goal of the mission had been made clear to him. The scouting party was looking for anyone whose home had been destroyed by the war. This could be any kind of person. A rule had also been made clear to him, do not wander from the group.

It had been approximately ten minutes before Caspian had gotten thoroughly lost on a random beach. He cursed himself for being so stupid and getting lost so quickly. Caspian had then resorted to the only strategy he had. He took out a sunflower he had always kept on him and let it point north. The boy had decided to just follow that direction until he found something.

He did not know how long he had walked for. Sand blew around his steps and invaded his eyes. More than once the tides came farther than expected and wet his shoes and socks. The sun was setting, but proved light as it did. Caspian had remembered how awful the thing had been when he had first left the Mysonry and it attacked his eyes. Now Caspian just really wanted to go home.

A little more walking later and Caspian came across a large cave opening. It wasn’t really anything special by Overworld standards, but Caspian had never seen a natural opening to a cave at the time. The vines outlined by the shine of glowberries within were captivating. The stalactites and stalagmites outlined the cave in a way of chaos rather than protection. Caspian got closer and saw the cave was huge. If he went up from the beach he suspected he’d be so tall. Looking back, Caspian knew he was wrong, but it was nice to be led by childhood whimsy. Especially knowing what those actions led to now.

While leaving the beach the child had found a faded path. That path had led to a house. It was hidden in a dense forest under the darkness of a canopy. The place didn’t look abandoned. No cracks or stains of time had been left on the house. It was getting to be night now, and Caspian had been warned of mobs that would hurt him. He had really hoped the place wasn’t abandoned.

He had knocked on the door and heard nothing. Another knock and the sound of someone moving had let him know someone was home. Caspian had called out a greeting. No more sounds had been made. Well, some sounds had been heard. The sounds of zombies and spiders, which he had only ever faintly heard, came from closer than the child had felt comfortable with.

“Please,” he had said “please, I don’t want to die. I just want to go home.”

Unlike now, the door then had opened and Caspian had been pulled inside. He was greeted with a Telchin, not an unusual race to the boy as many of them had been given refuge by the Mysons. He was an adult with short green hair. He had a more green skin tone and the outfit of a medic or scientist. He had all the normal traits of a fish person as well: webbed hands, a tail, and gills. The Telchin’s hands shook as he looked at the kid he had yanked into his house.

Caspian would later learn this was Ulysses Themist, an ex-scientist who was on the run with an experiment. Later, Caspian would overhear Ulysses describing how it didn’t make sense he was alive. A sword had been on course to kill him when a ‘glitch’ occurred. A bright light had taken over his vision and the next thing the scientist knew, he was floating through waters far away. Whatever entity had saved Ulysses had been kind enough to have him wash up on the same beach Perseus had.

Speaking of, the child was hidden before Ulysses had opened the door for Caspian, and only after proving he was not there to reveal their location was he able to meet them. Percy was a small child about his age. He didn’t look like any mortal Caspian had seen before. Their skin was a pale white and their eyes the color of blood. Their hair matched with front strands being the color of their eyes, and the rest being a bright white. He looked slightly like a Telchin with webbed hands, gills, and a tail, their anatomy was just a bit off. Looks hadn’t mattered in the slightest. Caspian and Percy got along great. Ulysses had looked relieved and at the time little Caspian didn’t know why.  

The next morning the Mysons had found them and Caspian’s new friends had joined him on his trek home.

***

Caspian missed them dearly. He wished that Ulysses was there to open the cell doors and Percy was waiting to play with him on the other side. However, the only thing that waited beyond the cell was an angry warden. Maybe an angry queen too if he was unlucky enough. He wanted to go home. He needed to keep thinking of home.

***

Caspian and Percy were nineteen when they started dating. They were the last ones to realize they were in love. It had been a long time coming. Ever since Caspian had accidentally found Percy and their father the two had been inseparable. It only became more obvious as time went on. Yet, it had taken the two fools seven years to realize and confess. 

Percy had been the one to confess. They had always been the braver of the two. He had taken to the self defense classes and had been on more missions than Caspian despite not living in the Mysonry as long. It was lovely. Nothing between the two had truly changed. The only real change was the label and the kissing. Everything was normal.

Normal was a weird way to describe it though. Too often Percy practically lived with Caspian’s family. Ulysses had taken to doing missions almost as soon as he became an official Myson. He did those for a while before finding a mission of his own. They had wanted to find the ocean gods Verago and Casus. It was important now with most of the Overworld gods being gone. Ulysses was a person who would know where the gods were too. Finding out the scientist had experimented on Verago had led to a major argument between Percy and his dad.

Percy was always a fighting spirit. He took to fighting with an axe and dominated the self defense classes. In fact, he had been nicknamed Aax due to how good they’d gotten with the weapon. It was clearly what they were made for. So much so that Aax had a diet of strictly rotten flesh because they were literally made to fight the drowned. It was truly disgusting. Now it was missed.

***

Caspian really loved Aax. Aax had always been there for him. Now, he was in a prison and his love was off at sea. Caspian remembered clearly the day Aax left. Of course he did. Being separated from his partner was never easy for them. Caspian sat on the rough bed that was provided in this obsidian prison and let himself fall into the memory.

***

“Dad says there was a disturbance at a temple near the one I was made in. He thinks it might be the Leviathan,” Aax had said. They rang their hands slightly. Skirting around telling Caspian that he was leaving had become a great skill of the fighter. It was a separation anxiety that Caspian was still trying to help them battle.

“You’ll be leaving then?” Caspian asked. A tight knot had formed in his stomach. While any normal Myson trip would have not worried Caspian at all, the idea of Aax finding whatever lurked in the depths of the ocean made him worry. Still, he made sure to keep it locked away for Aax’s sake.

Aax nodded at his partner’s question. They moved past Caspian to grab their things from the room. Since they started dating five years ago Caspian’s room had become their room. Silently the two moved to pack Aax for a long trip. Clothes, weapons, and some extra little things went into bundles and Aax’s inventory. Then they were hugging. 

“Don’t forget these.” Caspian grabbed a spore blossom hat and a pair of red sunglasses. They helped Aax with the sun that burned and hurt his skin and eyes. Aax smiled lightly as they took them. 

“I’ll be back in a couple months. Hopefully with more of a lead this time,” Aax commented. They had looked into Caspian’s eyes and made the man already begin to long for his partner’s return. Then they held Caspian’s pinky with their own and rested their foreheads together. Caspian missed the simple physical affection.

“I love you Percy,” Caspian had said. He hoped Aax knew how genuine he had been. The only way he had been able to convey it was by using their name instead of the nickname. He hoped Aax understood.

“I love you too Cas,” Aax had responded. How Caspian missed those words. It had made Caspian feel warm and safe. Those simple words had left hope in his heart. Hope for Aax to return and everything to be fine within a month even. 

***

Caspian had of course been wrong. He wasn’t even wrong for the right reasons. Caspian should never have taken the stupid mission. All the scouting missions seemed to go wrong for him. Now he was trapped and alone. He had been so close to succeeding. The mission started off so well…

***

Caspian had been traveling on his own for some time. The squad he was with had decided to separate for a couple days and meet back together. It was easier and less intimidating when dealing with refugees. Caspian had drawn the short stick and gotten stuck traveling alone.

It wasn’t all bad. The place was beautiful. Flowers sprouted everywhere and the place was lively. The earth felt alive. Many animals ran around the area, and despite not coming near the adventure, they did not scramble away upon his approach. The woods were a mix of trees that blended into each other nicely. Water could be heard running only slightly in the distance and bird song floated through the air. 

Caspian had been so taken by nature's beauty that he had almost missed the house. It was a smaller house made of moss and spruce. Just the look of the building was homely. He sighed and prepared for the conversation that was about to take place. He really did not like talking to new people.Caspian walked up and knocked on the door.

Caspian had been ready for a lot of things. Many different kinds of people lived in the Mysonry. A Telkin or mob hybrid would have been expected. Even a Nether hybrid or end person would have caught him less off guard. The last thing he expected was a robot. A gray metal man stood before him and every practiced word Caspian had prepared died on his tongue.

“How may I be of assistance?” The robot asked. The voice was void of emotion and clicky from a mechanical build. Caspian stared straight into glowing blue screen-ish eyes. The thought to respond didn’t even cross his mind for a good while. Finally, after minutes of staring, Caspian was able to push out the words.

“Hi, I’m Caspian Solcrest with the Mysons. Has your home been destroyed by the war? Well, I have a solution for you,” Caspian recited mindlessly. He was unsure how to proceed with this chat now. 

Thankfully the strange conversation was halted when catastrophe rounded the corner. Three children rounded the corner and barreled directly into the robot. The kid who had been leading the pack was the tallest. They had dyed brown hair and were wearing a dino onesie. The second child was the smallest. She had pink hair and had the look of some weird Nether hybrid. The child bringing up the rear was a bear. A brown bear who wore clothes and apparently talked as all three kids shouted a varying of intense swears as they went down. As the robot and three children toppled, Caspian could hear a voice and footsteps coming from further in the house.

Rounding the corner at a much slower pace was a woman with bright red hair and a pink dress. Whatever scolding she was about to give the children halted upon the sight of Caspian. They smiled and smoothed out their dress before moving over to the doorway.

“Hello, sorry about the kids. How can I help you?” They had asked. Her composure was relaxed despite the mess and confusing characters that were trying to sneak away. She quickly scolded the sneaking kids into staying.

“Uh, well I’m Caspian. I’m with Myson, it’s a place for refugees. My job is to find anyone who may need our assistance,” Caspian responded. He was trying for professionalism, but that had rarely worked for him.

“Oh well, we are quite alright. However you could come in for a rest if you like. My house has become something of a place for refugees as well,” she said. Caspian had found it hard to refuse them, especially with the eyes of the others in the home staring him down. The house itself was comfortable on the inside. It was made with care and was clearly built for comfort. Only after settling in did he get to meet people.

“Yes, make yourself comfortable. My name is Strawberri Pine, or Momboo is a nickname I go by.” The lady, Strawberri, began. “This is my home. Don’t mind the others. The blonde and the bear are my kids, Jamie and Easton.”

Caspian glanced over at the two. Strawberri’s kids were wrestling before the other child in a way that could only be described as sibling aggression. The third child was cheering Jamie on and Easton seemed to take offense to that.

“The third child is Athena. They are part of a little group that came by.” Momboo continued. They got up and headed towards the adjacent kitchen while looking at the kids fondly. “The group was wondering after the war and I took them in. The others in the group were Seven, the robot you met, and Will. Hopefully you can meet him shortly. He’s upstairs discussing some things with this other fellow Galahad. They’re a soldier who are also staying here for the time being.”

Caspian kept up as best he could with the people. This was the most chaotic house he thinks he’s ever been a part of. Yet it was welcoming. Soon Strawberri came back with tea. Seven was behind her and moved to sit themselves watching over the wrestling children.It was cozy here. The place was warm and though Caspian wasn’t really a tea drinker, he found the cup comforting.

Momboo smiled at him and settled in her own chair. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

***

Caspian wished had left now. He had only returned to that house for two nights. Two nights was enough to destroy everything. If only he had left, then he wouldn’t be here. He wished he was with the family instead. Caspian wanted Jamie and Easton’s endless questions. He wanted Athena’s random hugs and flowers. He missed Will and Galahad more than expected. They were so much fun to talk to. More than anything, he wanted to talk to Momboo. He couldn’t now though. This place was driving him mad. He didn’t want to remember what happened that third night. He didn’t want to.

***

Blood soaked through Caspian’s outfit as he stared at the fresh corpse. His hands shook and his breaths came too fast. The world was moving too fast, and Caspian was far too slow. He cradled his new friend in his hand as she died.

He didn’t remember when the kids found him. What he did remember was Galahad running up to cover Athena’s eyes. He remembered the way Easton didn’t react. He remembered Will and Seven trying to hold back everyone else who was thrown deep into emotion. More than anything, he remembered Jamie’s anger. 

It wasn’t really directed at him. His mother had just died, Jamie deserved to be angry. Caspian was still hurt. He could barely hear what the bear was yelling, but it stung. This hurt in a way that he had never felt before.

Caspian had gotten close to these people in the time he had stayed. Jamie and Athena had become close with him. He had taught them self defense and ways to use nature to find your way. Now he had hurt them. 

Caspian hadn’t meant to lead the mobs back with them. A hoard of zombies followed him as he ran back to the house that now gave him safety. Momboo had seen the hoard and ran to help. Too fast the zombies had struck her down. They laid in the arms of the person they tried to save and everything was wrong. Strawberri was dead and Caspian was determined to get her back.

He left that night. He was supposed to go meet back with his fellow Mysons, but he did not. He hoped they weren’t still looking for him. After about a week Caspian found something. A village gave a rumor of a book that could answer questions. It was a lesser rumor, but they also said the book could perform miracles. It was worth a shot.

Caspian was directed to the book. It was a glowing blue that filled the whole cave with light. The front cover had a symbol on it, one that looked familiar. A diamond with a book in the middle. Simple enough. Caspian took a moment to place it, but couldn’t. 

He decided to just try it. He wanted to stick with the more common rumor of asking a question. Caspian grabbed the book and the light seemed to brighten, but he couldn’t really tell if that was just him moving the source of light or not. He opened the pages and asked his question.

“How do I get Strawberri Pine back?”

The room definitely grew brighter now. Caspian’s head spun with intensity. It seemed to burn its pages and content into his pupils. Then it stopped. The pages had settled toward the back of the book. Caspian leaned against the cave walls and let his head take a moment to stop spinning before he looked at the words newly scrawled in the book.

“What are you willing to give?”

Caspian took a moment to think. What was he willing to give to bring Momboo back. It was fuzzy now, looking back, but he didn’t forget the interaction. What had he given? It makes sense that he couldn’t remember what he lost. 

He had given something. There was something missing in all of this. It didn’t matter now though. Caspian had been told to go to the End, and now he was locked in a cell. He could only remember while being trapped now and-

***

The sound of his prison bars moving open shocked him from his memories. A panic swelled in Caspian’s throat. Why was she back so soon? How had Caspian missed Perix’s return? Why wasn’t she doing her usual talk about potions and trials?

Only when Caspian looked up it wasn’t Perix that greeted him. Three men stood before him. Surprisingly, Caspian recognised all three of them. They had been around when Caspian had been thrown in the prison. The smallest of the men and the one he had seen first had a weird sort of glitch around him. It illuminated his face ever so slightly and made him stand out. Caspian realized he had seen and heard about this glitch before. 

A hand was raised towards Caspian as he stared at the three others. He flinched back and the man with the glitches backed up. The other two men looked ready to kill him if there was one wrong move. They weren’t nearly as interesting though. The first man smiled and the glitches stopped. 

He spoke and Caspian heard his voice for the first time, “Do you want to get out of here?”

Chapter Text

Rae had gotten very good at dodging most of the guards. There were only two that he could not seem to shake. The first guard was someone who had been his personal guard for years. Centross David Mystvale was a runaway from his mother’s cult. It had been a cult to Enderian, but upon finding the End, Centross had quickly realized that things were very different than he had been raised to believe. Centross had been taken in by a small enderman community that Rae would often visit with Vikesh. Due to this, Centross. practically grew up with Rae. He was Rae’s best friend. Then when Centross was old enough to enlist, he became Rae’s personal guard.

The second guard was assigned to him when he was eighteen. He was a bit older, but still in Rae’s age group. Fenris Sonnet Nightingale had been a soldier of the Overworld until he deserted with some worker named Ven. Two years after the war had ended Vikesh, Fenris’ partner, had helped Fenris enroll in the End’s army. Rae;s two gaurds had always been good at finding Rae. It didn’t help that Fenris and Centross got along very well.

Now, Rae was trying to dodge them both. This wasn’t an easy task normally, and the wack that glitched around him did not make it easier. Rae had been studying the wack and its unnatural patterns for about a week now. Ever since he found that it wasn’t acting normally he had been obsessed. He barely took breaks or slept. Instead, he spent countless hours trying to connect the wack’s disappearances to something, anything. It wasn’t working.

The wack had returned the next day, but there were still strange, seemingly meaningless moments, where it would just disappear. Of course, the wack had given Rae no help in his research.

Rae had woken up from a nature-forced power nap to the wack going crazy. Glitched blocks spun under his feet and made a small trail to his door. Rae was fine with following the wack in this manner as this was not the first time it had led him to places like this. 

That led him to now, hiding from his guards and following the trail of mismatched blocks. He smoothed out his appearance as he walked. Taking care to fix his embroidered star cape and black dress clothes. Rae pulled parts of his long black hair back into a ponytail just so it would stay out of his face. He found he was glad that he had not changed into pajamas earlier. 

Rae took the goggles from his head and put them over his blue eyes, giving them a more green tint. The auras became more prominent and Rae was able to stop squinting as he followed the wack. The usual gold and rainbow aura surrounded the glitched blocks. Rae took his Field Notes notebook from his inventory and started jotting down what he examined about the wack and its behavior. He was finishing his last note, while also following the wack in his peripheral, when he ran into something.

That something just happened to be the two people he was trying to avoid. Rae smiled up sheepishly at Centross, who he had all but crashed into. His brown hair and purple scars framed his taller frame. He was well built and in comfortable black clothes. Fenris stood behind him. His hair had grown out a lot since they had first met and it spilled over his broader shoulders. Fenris was tall and wore similar clothes to Centross, except a bit fancier.
Both of Rae’s guards were smiling at him. He had literally walked right into them. Rae put his notes away and moved his goggles back to the top of his head. Rae wasn’t exactly small, but next to his guards he felt dwarfed, and it paired well with the feeling of being in trouble. 

“What are you doing Rae?” Centross asked. His eyes, which had become purple from his years in the End and connection to Rae’s mother, narrowed at Rae. He was suspicious already.

“Following the wack, it is my research,” Rae replied. He tried to keep nerves out of his voice. Rae didn’t know where this was leading him, and he didn’t want results to be muddled by the company of his guards. Rae tried side-stepping Centross only to be blocked by someone taller.

“Mind if we tag along?” Fenris asked, draping his arm around Centross’ shoulders. They had always been physically affectionate. Rae looked between the two and realized there was no way to shake them now.

Rae nodded and slumped in defeat. Centross and Fenris shared a quick high five before following Rae. Instantly the two were less concentrated on Rae. They shared some meaningless conversation as Rae continued following the wack and studying patterns. Rae rolled his eyes at how careless the two were when he was with them.

It wasn’t long before the wack led the trio to a fimilar building. A bedrock bubble surrounded an obsidian prison that was run by Perix. Just the thought of the goddess made Rae’s stomach turn. She had always been antagonistic towards Rae, and by extension anyone who was friends with Rae. It was safe to say he did not like her.

The wack continued into the bubble and towards the prison. Rae looked upon the building that held the prisoners. A window on an upper level of the prison showed one prisoner curled in their bed. He couldn’t make them out, but he seemed scared…

A hand rested on Rae’s shoulder as he stalled. Centross moved himself to one side of Rae as Fenris moved to the other. They looked at the prison with the same kind of scrutiny that Rae had. The prince knew his guards had some information about Perix he didn’t, it had been like that for about a year now, but he never pushed for information.

“We don’t have to go in there if we don’t want to,” Fenris stated. His tone was gentle as they let their eyes wander from the prison to his group. It was strange for Rae that Fenris seemed to be saying that for Centross’ sake too.

Centross pulled his eyes from the prison down to his prince, his best friend. His throat had dried at the memories. He couldn’t help but go back to when he took down the revolutionaries. Centross hadn’t wanted them to die, but now the souls of those people haunted him at every turn.

Now, with Enderian having him investigate possible connections of the rising revolutionaries and Perix… it was almost too much. He was glad that Enderian gave him the ok to bring Fenris on the job with him.
He gripped Rae’s shoulder a bit tighter and tried to not let a flashback take him over. From Rae’s frown and Fenris’ understanding and kind eyes, Centross was sure that he was not hiding his distress very well. Fenris moved his hand up to rest atop his on Rae’s shoulder. Centross couldn’t help the smile that slid on his face. He could do this, for Rae.

“So, we goin’ in highness?” Centross teased lightly. Rae rolled his eyes at the title, but did nothing to pull away from his friend. Rae took another look at the prison, and then back down at the wack.

“In we go,” Rae said in an almost mutter. Rae took the lead towards the prison with the others following closely behind. He pushed open the door of the prison. There were no signs of Perix around, which was a good sign for the trio. 

The wack continued to persist and led them up the stairs to an upper level. After reaching that level, Rae wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for. The wack helped by leading to a cell. Inside was only a man curled up in a corner. 

Rae noticed a lot of things about him. The first thing being that Rae had seen him before. Rae had been around when his mother ordered him to the prison. Technically, he wasn’t supposed to be in the room at the time, but he had a habit of having Centross sneak him into council meetings. The man had been brought in by a couple of guards who found him and thrown before Rae’s mother. He had said many things that made his mother angry about Soraza, a goddess that had died during the war, and how he had been sent here.

The second thing Rae realized is that it was clear that he was hurt. The man’s skin was a pale white and he had a bright white streak in his hair. He shook with vigor and covered weak points with his arms and hands. In the few places where clothes didn’t cover, Rae saw bruises, cuts, and scars. 

The final thing was the state he was living in. There was glass scattered on the obsidian floor and dried blood covered the walls. The man himself was filthy. His clothes had become tattered and his face held dried blood and muck. Rae felt bad for the prisoner, and as he reached towards the cell keys he was sure his mother would agree.

“That’s fucked,” Centross muttered under his breath. Fenris had taken out his comm and taken a picture of the scene. Rae knew it was his job to collect evidence on these situations, so he couldn’t blame them.

Rae moved toward the cell. The man hadn’t looked up yet despite the clatter the trio had made. Rae clicked open the cell. It made an awful clank sound as the rusted bars slid out of his way. At this the man stiffened and his head shot towards the exit.

Centross and Fenris had moved to be behind Rae as he looked upon the prisoner. The prisoner coward in the corner. Rae reached out his hand as a gesture of peace and help. The prisoner flinched back and Rae tried not to show how shook that made him. Rae had to get him out of there.

“Do you want to get out of here?”

Chapter Text

Will leaned against Seven’s cold metal just to stay upright. Even with the cool metal helping him stay conscious Will struggled. All of his weight was leaned against Seven, yet the robot seemed to have no problems holding Will up.

If there was one thing Will understood about his body, it was that he was not made for the warmer climates. He was born for the Aether, and the Aether was cold. Now, in the Nether, he felt too warm and nearly passed out from heatstroke a handful of times.

He felt bad about it. He was there for a reason and his setbacks were slowing his group down. Will looked ahead at his group. Galahad led the way as he was the only one with knowledge on how to traverse the Nether. His golden hair flicked in the lights of the fire and he seemed to be comfortable in the warmth. Behind him Athena, Jamie, and Easton trekked together. Navigating the Nether seemed Natural to Athena, and they held together Easton and Jamie through both their grief and their journey. Then Will and Seven brought up the rear. This was mostly due to the fact that Will couldn’t muster more than a stumble.

Galahad looked back to the group. He knew Will wasn’t doing well and the kids were dealing with emotional weights. A day trip back to the fortress had now lasted three days due to the setbacks. Galahad couldn’t even find it in him to be annoyed, it wasn’t anyone’s fault. They had all been through so much in a short time. The soldier stopped their steps and turned to the group.

“Let’s take a rest, we all need it,” Galahad commanded. Getting everyone settled and setting up a temporary rest area was natural to him. It made them feel better about the whole situation to take over things their training had taught. After setting up Galahad took a moment to survey everyone.

Will had pulled out a bucket of powdered snow and was using it to cool down. His roots showed even more now as the two shades of blue faded. The roots were a stark white that Galahad had thought only the trick of the light at first. His look had gotten mildly rugged. His clothes were a bit dirty and his tie had fallen out of a neatly tied state. In all, he looked tired and overheated. He’d even taken off his vest and rolled up his pants. Will looked up at Galahad, and Galahad looked away with his face feeling hot for the first time.

Seven sat next to Will. He often refused to leave Will’s side, as he had some sense of duty to protect him, but he could also be found with Athena. In the nether they had been holding Will up. Outwardly, the robot hadn’t changed much. The only difference between Seven when Galahad had first met him and now was the lack of the vines. However, the fact that Seven had basically demanded that he go with the group had shown that Seven had changed, that he was learning to want. It was something good among all the misery that had fallen over the group.

Athena, Jamie, and Easton sat huddled together a little to the side. Athena looked tired. Her hair was a mess and she had developed eyebags. Jamie was angry. He was tense, he had only let himself relax enough to sleep the past few days, and had a constant grip on Athena’s hand. They had been leaning on her for support the past week, and Galahad didn’t have the heart to pull the two apart. Easton was silent for most of the trip. They didn’t talk and just stuck close to their friend and sibling. It was clear none of the three were holding up well.

And in all fairness Galahad himself probably looked terrible. His hair was no longer carefully braided. They could feel their clothes needing to be patched after harsh travel. He was exhausted from trying to guide everyone through unfamiliar terrain. Part of Galahad just wanted to go lay down in their bed, but a larger part wanted to help their new friends. He needed to keep everyone moving, but this group was not suited for Nether travel.

Galahad moved to Will and Seven. They both looked up at him as he sat with them. Will was flushed red and still clearly uncomfortable despite having the powdered snow. If a robot could look concerned, Seven clearly did. Galahad smiled in a way they hoped was comforting.

“Are you alright to keep moving Will?” Galahad asked. The group would keep going if he was, but there was no point in pushing Will. The trip would only take another few hours at the pace they were going if they could get moving again.

Will pushed himself off of Seven and said, “Yeah, yeah I’m all good. It’s just a little hot, no reason to hold everyone up.” 

Will smiled at Galahad. He had instantly regretted pushing off of Seven as the heat enveloped him again. He tried not to show the discomfort that took over when being away from his friend. The group needed to keep holding, and definitely did not need Will holding them up.

Galahad looked suspicious, but turned to signal the kids up. Will sighed in relief, they could keep moving. He stumbled his way up, once again leaning on Seven heavily, and prepared himself for the next few hours of walking. Athena shot him a concerned look, but moved on quickly when Jamie and Easton started moving around. 

Galahad took the lead again as the group took up their previous order. The group stumbled on slowly. Galahad was completely locked onto the goal, navigating and making sure everyone was keeping the slow pace. The kids in the middle with Jamie and Athena whispering to each other and Easton staying silent. Will leaning on Seven to move through the heat. They traveled this way for around two hours before Will noticed spots in his vision.

The spots were little black dots that swam through his vision. Quickly, these dots increased in number. Then he started to lose feeling in his body, like everything went numb. His sight slowly decreased as black fog came from the periphery of his vision. 

“Will, are you not feeling well?” Seven asked. Well, at least Will thought he asked. The words sounded far away and muffled. Will looked up to the group being stopped and Galahad moving toward him looking concerned. Will was about to say something comforting when the black flooded his vision and there was nothing.

Athena was slower than Jamie and Easton were, so she ended up in the back of the group. When Will had passed out Galahad had Seven pick him up and ran ahead. For the past thirty minutes everyone had run toward the fortress. Galahad looked back every once in a while to make sure they were all still together, but it was clear the focus was now on getting Will help.

Jamie had grabbed Athena’s hand when this all started and was now dragging him along as they ran. If it weren’t for this Athena most likely would have been left behind a long time ago. Easton was a bit faster than Jamie and ran at a nearly similar pace to the adults. Unlike when the three would play variants of tag where Easton would purposefully slow so the others could catch up, Easton now ran full speed and with purpose. 

Athena expended a bit more energy to fully catch up to Jamie. Jamie was panting as he ran and had a death grip on their hand. He noticed as Athena caught up and glanced over with a concerned look. 

“What do you think the fortress looks like? Are we gonna know when we see it?” Athena asked. She was worried about missing it. Everyone was panicking right now, what if Galahad made a mistake and missed it. Will might not be able to afford a mistake like that. Athena didn’t want to lose another person, not in the same week. Not when everyone was still mourning the loss of Momboo.

“I don’t know,” Jamie responded, “I’ve never been to the Nether or seen a fortress. I’m sure Galahad knows…”

Jamie trailed off as something caught their eye. Athena looked up to see what Jamie was looking at. The sight caught her off guard as he gazed at the structure.

A large castle-like structure was built beyond the crimson trees. It had maroon colored brick blocks as its body. There were many towers and paths that wound together in an intricate path. Even from afar Athena could see different people, mobs, and hybrids moving about the structures. 

“That’s it up ahead. Keep pushing!” Galahad yelled back at the group. Athena exchanged a look with Jamie before pushing faster than before. It was only a few blocks away now and they could get Will help there.

As the group ran up to the fortress a couple black skeletons guarded the entrance. It struck Athena that they might not let the group in. What would happen then? Would Will die? Athena gripped Jamie’s hand tighter.

“Out of my way! I have the prince and an injured man.” Galahad yelled at the soldiers. The skeletons looked at each other before moving aside to let them in. Galahad ran in with Seven close behind. Easton looked back at Athena and Jamie, waiting before they followed the adults. Jamie and Athena looked at each other, and then they looked to Easton. The three went in together.

The rooms inside were all fairly barren and small. Most of the fortress was hallways and quick storage areas. Many different kinds of people milled about. Some looked like Galahad, some looked like the skeleton soldiers, and some looked like zombified piglins that weren’t zombified. Galahad and Seven were a bit ahead. Neither seemed to even think about the structure or the people.

“We need a medic!” Galahad ordered. Many people moved to get out of Seven and Galahad's way as they pushed through the crowd. Athena noticed a person who looked like the same hybrid as Galahad ran off. Athena, Jamie, and Easton pushed to catch up with their guides. 

Seven went round the corner and nearly crashed into a woman. Seven stopped dead in his tracks and Galahad came running up behind them. The woman had mid-length teal hair and eyes. She was smaller and looked shocked at the robot that nearly ran into her. She looked from Seven, to Will, then to Galahad.

Under her gaze Galahad stiffened and then bowed. Seven stayed completely stationary as the Galahad bowed, still holding Will firmly in their arms. The kids peaked around the corner at the interaction, staying tactfully out of the way.

The woman looked again to Will as she processed what was happening. She waved Galahad up, before turning around. The man Athena had seen runoff before had returned and bowed before the woman. 

“Get the medic,” The woman commanded. Her presence secreted power. “Bring these two with you.”

She gestured to Seven and Will. The man, who Athena could now see was a soldier, nodded and waved Seven with him. The woman turned back to Galahad as Seven and Will were led away. She smiled kindly at him as he straightened. 

“I remember you, how have your searches been?” She asked. She fidgeted with the skirt part of her outfit as she asked. It was an interesting contrast to the commanding power she had before.

“Well, your majesty,” Galahad responded. He looked ahead, but not directly at her. “In fact…”

Galahad looked back at the kids. Their face softened as they saw the three kids peeking around the corner, safe and together. It occurred to Galahad that he had completed his mission. They had been so caught up in getting Will help that they hadn’t even realized yet.

The queen followed Galahad’s gaze. Her eyes widened as she looked at Athena. She stopped fidgeting with her skirt and fully turned to the group. Athena pushed forward, past her friends, and gave a bow similar to Galahad’s. Jamie and Easton soon followed by example.

Athena peered up at her from the bow. Galahad had told Athena a bit about their mother. Soul, the queen of the Nether and goddess of souls. A kind woman and a fierce leader. Though she wasn’t the one who had commanded Athena’s return it was easy to tell that she wanted her child home.

“There is no need for that,” Soul said, waving all three of them up. She looked like she was going to cry, if gods could cry. Athena realized that despite being the kid of two gods, she was actually yet to meet one. Soul took a careful step towards them. “Athena?”

“Hi mom.” Athena said. She smiled a little. He never thought that he would actually be able to meet his mom. With those simple words, Soul ran to hug them. Athena let himself be enveloped in the hug completely. 

Behind her, Athena could hear Jamie and Easton shuffle back to let the two have room. Athena looked up at Galahad, who looked happy and relieved at the sight. All the tension drained from his shoulders and he let himself relax. He moved to start checking in with Jamie and Easton. Athena knew Seven would make sure Will would be ok. Right now everyone was as ok as they could be, and Athena was home.

Chapter Text

Aax shifted in his seat while looking at a sprawling map. The map showed a huge ocean with great monuments marked as either explored or unexplored. The explored monuments were colored with corresponding colors marking artifacts or notes that were found in that specific temple. The unexplored ones were marked with a thick black circle around them.  Only three structures were marked unexplored, and one was the last place Aax wanted to go. 

Ulysses sat across the spruce table staring at the map. The front of his hair was pulled back into a bun to keep the hair out of his face. Ulysses had let it grow out since they started searching the seas. His outfit was the one that had been coated in a special slime that let clothes be more water resistant. Aax and Ulysses had experimented with the slime for a while once Ulysses had started spending more time looking in the temples. It made it easier to move while exploring and it took less time to dry after the pair returned to land.

“So do you want to start at…” Ulysses looked up at their kid nervously “that temple?”

The temple in question was the facility Aax and his father had escaped from all those years ago. They had never gone back, and it had always been a sore spot for the both of them, but with the recent uptick in strange occurrences around the area checking out the temple was almost inevitable. Now, it was just a fight with himself if they wanted to go to that temple first or last.

“I… don’t know. I should be able to decide, but I just keep freezing up!” Aax let out a laugh. It was their nervous sort that dropped easily from their face. He cringed at his own failed attempt at lightening the mood. It felt like there was no light for this situation, this place.

Ulysses gave them a look of concern and understanding. It wasn’t a coincidence that Ulysses’ hands would shake worse when this specific temple was brought up. His experience there wasn’t the best either. Neither wanted to go to the temple, which was precisely the reason that they should go there first.

“We should. It is the main hot spot. Plus, we’ll never go if we don’t go now,” Ulysses decided. One of them needed to make the decision or it would never be made. Unfortunately, Ulysses’ curiosity was winning against his trauma.

Aax nodded in agreement and moved to grab their armor and weapon. Their movements were precise as they donned the armor. It was a routine and right now, that was what Aax needed. First they would clasp the boots to her feet because it was easier to bend with nothing else on her body. Then it was the leggings and chestplate since putting on the helmet last was easiest. Despite the fact that Aax had put on this armor by himself multiple times, he let Ulysses help him clasp the back of the chestplate into place. It gave Ulysses something to do as well. Finally, the helmet was placed on their head and they were ready.

The armor always made Aax feel better when confronting a difficult situation. It was a layer of protection from the world. This specific armor was also made specially for them. Most of the Myson armor was the same lamely enchanted diamond armor that was handed out and mass produced. It did the job of protecting those that didn’t deal with combat often. Aax’s armor was different. Her armor was full enchanted, as all guard’s armor was, but it was also netherite. Aax had spent extra money to get the import of netherite and a template to the Mysonry, and it had been very expensive. It was worth it though, it had saved Aax and many loved ones more times than the olm could count.

Ulysses nodded in satisfaction at the armor and slipped on his own with Aax’s help. His armor was less fancy. It was diamond and only slightly more enchanted than the average Myson’s. The only reason for that was because of Aax’s insistence once the explorations got more frequent. Aax looked warrily at the less than optimal armor, but let it go knowing that an argument would do them no good.

“Are you ready?” Ulysses asked. Their hands shook, but they remained tall. Ulysses' hands always shook though. The doctor said the shock and trauma of the escape made his hands shake. It wasn’t anything physical, but rather a mental way of dealing with the problem.

“I was born ready,” Aax replied with a large grin. It helped with the mood of the room and morale. A grin spread across Ulysses’ face too. He liked it when Percy could smile. It made them think they had done something right. Maybe he had.

The pair packed up the map, some basic supplies, and weapons into their inventories. Both ran around the base, double and triple checking that nothing important was left. Aax texted Caspian one more time, despite the fact that he was on a mission and wouldn’t respond until days later. Last minute bathroom break was carried out and just like that they were leaving. 

The base of operations for these temple dives was the cottage that Ulysses had brought Perseus to as a kid. It was near the ocean and gave a place to return to easily if someone was injured. Plus, the Mysons knew where it was, so it made them easy to be found. The small cottage hadn’t changed much. The interior was the only difference. More tables had been brought in, most of the bedrooms had been turned into storage or planning rooms, and the walls were covered in maps and notes. It was less a home and more a base now, but the bedroom that did survive was incredibly cosy.

There were three beds in the room. It was the biggest bedroom and renovated to make sure everyone was able to fit comfortably. Usually, only Ulysses would sleep here, but the second bed was set up and decorated for when Aax and Caspian would tag along. The third bed was just standard sheets for any guests that ended up in the cabin. Aax was going to miss a nice bed on the road. Sleeping in the water had become uncomfortable after so long sleeping in a bed. 

Ulysses locked up the cabin as they made their way out. The sunlight made Aax squint behind his sunglasses as he adjusted. It looked to still be early enough in the morning- around nine or ten am- so they could probably make it to the temple before setting up for the night. This was an optimal spot to be in.

“Do we have to take the Trojan Horse?”Aax complained as they moved towards the dock. The Trojan Horse was a boat that Ulysses had invested in a few years back when the expeditions got more serious. Despite both Aax and Ulysses being amphibious, the boat was the easiest way to travel the ocean. Ulysses' tail didn’t work properly, which slowed them both down. It agitated Aax slightly, because all they wanted was to get their fins wet.

“It’ll be faster, and we need to make good time,” reasoned Ulysses. He knew why Aax was complaining, of course, but this was the smartest way to get to the temple efficiently. They did feel terrible for holding them back though.

Aax groaned in despair as they jogged over to the dinky boat. It was a small thing that barely fit both Aax and Ulysses. The boat was made of dark oak and dreams at this point. Ulysses had taken good care of it, but it was years old and had faced some rough conditions. Aax climbed in and made a place to get settled.

Ulysses untied the boat from the dock and hopped in. Ulysses took control of the steering, he always did most of the work when sailing. The routine of sailing was somewhat calming, most of the time anyway. Aax busied themself on the deck, whether it was sharpening their axe or going over the maps they kept busy. Nerves kept them both on edge as they sailed back to the temple that caused them so much pain years ago. Only around eight hours to go.

Aax laid across the boat absolutely bored out of his mind. Around hour five they had run out of things to do and just resigned themself to laying across the boat. Ulysses had been busy the whole time and paid no mind to his bored son. The sun was just beginning to set now as they approached hour eight of the trip. Both parties were tired of being in the boat and were glad the trip was nearly done.

“We should be seeing the temple any moment now,” Ulysses announced down to Percy. Aax gave him a thumbs up and picked herself up off the deck to look for the prismarine. 

Aax couldn’t help but grip the side of the ship as he looked for the temple. They hadn’t wanted to come back. This place gave bad vibes even without the war crimes happening within. It might just be the past Aax had with the place, but this temple in particular seemed cursed.

After a few more minutes of searching the first bits of prismarine peeked into Aax’s periphery. Aax called to his dad that the temple was in sight. Ulysses responded with some affirmative words, but they were lost to Aax’s ears as something popped into their vision.

A spiral of multicolor blocks covered a part of the temple. The area around these blocks seemed to be in absolute shambles and the blocks had no pattern to them. It was confusing. This didn’t look man-made, but there was no other explanation as to why the temple looked this way. 

Aax hadn’t been expecting something like this. Ulysses had warned them about scientists still living here and guardians roaming the perimeter, but neither seemed to be any cause for concern. The place looked abandoned. The remaining pieces of the structure were cracked and decaying away. Everything was crumpled and withered with time.

Ulysses walked up to Aax and froze at the sight. His face paled at the sight of the broken temple. This was not the condition Ulysses had left it in. The place had been pristine when the incident occured. Even more worrying was the place of the blocks. That was where Ulysses had been standing. That was where Ulysses should have died. 

Aax looked up at his father to question him, but upon looking at his face Aax just put a hand on his shoulder. They shared a look between them. Something that expressed their confusion and discomfort. Both of them turned from the temple to set about setting up the camp. 

It was a temporary distraction, but that was ok. They could deal with the problems of the temple in the morning when they had originally planned on exploring the place. After so many excursions together, Aax and Ulysses had developed a routine for setting up camps. Aax would scout the area. Look for signs of life, hostile or peaceful. Any threats would be eliminated and the peaceful creatures would be kept under surveillance. Meanwhile, Ulysses would set up a tent, sleeping bags, and place for cooking food. The camps he made were a little different than normal camps as they were underwater. Typically he would find a good sized mound to dig into and place a campfire and some logs. The tent would be connected to the mound and the sleeping bags would be placed in the tent. It was a comfortable routine that was carried out in silence.

Set up took around an hour. Ulysses had begun cooking food and Aax had found only fish in the area. The sun had set by the time father and child had sat around the fire. Aax has caught some salmon while scouting and Ulysses was able to make it taste delicious even with the lack of supplies. After dinner there was nothing else to do but head to bed. Little conversation was carried out during this time. They were both tired and nervous about the day ahead. 

Aax took the first watch. Ulysses had been sailing all day and needed sleep. Aax floated peacefully outside the tent. They looked menacing in the netherite armor, which was hopefully enough to scare off potential threats for the time being. Ulysses wished Aax a goodnight and slipped into the tent. Within seconds of hitting the pillow Ulysses was dead asleep. Aax sat outside hoping nothing would disturb that sleep.

The fish whispered to each other about the new people. The telchin and his strange olm. That was enough to put it on edge. In all these years no one had dared come near here. She moved up from her hiddy hole and pushed past the statues. Swimming around corners she followed the directions of the fish guiding her. There it was. The camp and the olm guarding it. It took out its sword. This olm would learn not to invade her ocean.