KazAlkemi

🌠 Once Upon A Time 🌠(Concluded)

---

---

Cassiopeia Hood

---

Location: Inside Maleficent’s Castle
Skills:

---

---

Cassiopeia fidgeted until Layla found a way to open the door. She peered into the room, her eyes widening in surprise. As they walked into the room, Cassiopeia tip-toed and kept her voice low to keep the guard from waking. They would have to deal with him quickly. She glanced at her father and nodded to the guard, hoping he could take care of it so she didn’t have to. Then she returned to take in the room.
”This is very interesting,” Cassi agreed. ”Looks like we aren’t the only ones here from the modern world.” She looked over at the guns and frowned. They had learned to shoot a gun, but they weren’t her favourite. Cassi approached the computer and saw that it needed a password. ”Does anyone know when Maleficent’s birthday is or her favourite literary character?” She didn’t think they would have many chances to get the password right.

---

---

Willow Jones

---

Location: Tower — Inside
Skills:

---

---

Willow’s eyes widened as Sierra told her some of what she and the others had encountered. ”That sounds incredible! Did you meet Ariel? How did you breathe underwater? Were there sharks? Were you scared? Did you bring any of them back? What did you go there for?” The questions continued to pour out of her until she couldn’t breathe. It was then that she realized she had just gone off. Willow’s cheeks turned a vibrant red, and she looked down. ”Sorry, that was a bit much. Are you hungry? There’s still a bit of food.”
Willow glanced around the room at the others. Merlin was still adamant about waiting for the others and made a good point about why. As Willow turned her attention away, she saw her mother.
”Oh! Sierra, I’d like you to meet my mom,” she said and waved Aurora over to meet Sierra.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

---

---

Antoinette McCarthy

Location: The Mall — Food Court —> Bubble
Skills:

---

---

Mastermind seemed to be unconscious, which brought a small smile to her face. Wait until Guin heard about this one, she thought to herself. Guin. Her eyes shifted to their usual blue and purple, along with the disappearance of the fireworks surrounding her hand. If they had been attacked here, she was sure the others would have been as well. First, there was the present worry. She looked at the others to survey the damage. Carolina seemed unmoving, but the others were fine. Antoinette stepped toward Carolina when she started to register Amelia’s words. The winners?
Just then, the orbs the others arrived in zipped toward her, Perry, and Mira. Antoinette took a tentative step back, frowning when it opened. Antoinette gasped in shock. ”Car-!” She was pulled in by the robot's arms quickly. She hit the walls of her cage while a strange gas was dispelled. Slowly, her strength waned until Antoinette sagged to the ground in unconsciousness.

🌠 Once Upon A Time 🌠(Concluded)

---

---

Cassiopeia Hood

---

Location: Inside Maleficent’s Castle
Skills: Tracking;

---

---

They made quick work of moving into the dungeons. Thankfully, they didn’t have to waste time freeing Flynn and Rosalia as she got them out of their enclosure. Flynn then incapacitated the first guard, and Cassi nodded.
”Fancy meeting you here. We should keep moving,” she said and brought up the mental image of the map in her mind. Trying to remember things in the heat of the moment wasn’t easy. Cassi remembered why she hated exams so much as she failed to remember which way the hidden entrances into the castle from the dungeons were. Were they any? Now Cassi couldn’t remember. And then it clicked.
”There is a hidden passageway we could use to get into the castle from here. A hidden bookshelf marks it,” Cassi said, pleased she remembered something useful.

---

---

Willow Jones

---

Location: Tower — Inside
Skills:

---

---

Willow felt her cheeks pink when Sierra moved in for a hug. Willow hugged her back, glad her friend had returned well, and released her to speak. ”It went great. Well, we did run into Rumple, but we managed to get away well enough,” Willow said, smiling proudly. ”How did your quest go?” Willow was eager to learn what her friend faced.
She tuned into the larger conversation at hand, getting a recap on what she already knew from Merlin. The dark-haired girl seemed rather unpleased that Merlin wasn't giving up all the information. She wondered mildly if this woman had control issues.
”I mean, we could go over what wishes to ask the genie and who should be asking them,” Willow suggested. They went over it briefly, but that conversation hadn’t exactly pleased Willow. Maybe this woman would have a better plan for that.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω Officially Done

Ezekiel Kel

Location: Philadelphia Station
Skills:

---

---

Ezekiel didn’t want to pull away. He tried to remain hidden in the crook of Demetri’s neck, pretending everything happening was a horrible dream. He felt safe and loved for the moment. If he moved, Zeke worried that it would all come crumbling down.
Demetri made Zeke look at him, and his words helped to disarm the angry, hurt son of Apollo. Ezekiel smiled a little, nodding. ”Something tells me it isn’t going to be as easy as that.” Ezekiel didn’t want to share either. He didn’t want to be in an “open” relationship. He wanted to be with Demetri exclusively. He wanted Demetri’s words of being his to be true, but something told Ezekiel it wouldn’t be that simple.
Demetri moved in to kiss Zeke but pulled back. Ezekiel saw the hesitation in his eye but the openness in his smile. Demetri was giving Ezekiel a choice. Ezekiel smiled, resting a hand on the back of Demetri’s neck and slipped his fingers through his hair before he pulled Demetri in and kissed him deeply. Considering present company, it was a bold move, but Ezekiel wasn’t going to back down, and he wanted to seal that promise with a kiss.
Ezekiel pulled away, bumping his forehead against Demi’s before letting his boyfriend go. He looked at the other two boys until his eyes settled on Alexois and frowned. ”We started off on the wrong foot. I take full responsibility for that, but I don’t like people trying to control my life. I’m sorry I took what our parents are doing out on you. I hope we can move on better terms.” Ezekiel probably wouldn’t like the guy as long as he was betrothed to Demetri, but he would make an effort to be at least amiable.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

---

---

Antoinette McCarthy

Location: The Mall — Food Court
Skills: Illusion Casting - Mind Manipulation; Hand to Hand Combat; Pyrotechnic Manipulation;

---

---

The pain was unreal. Tears poured down Antoinette’s face as she kept shaking her head, chanting in her head, and out loud, that it wasn’t real. ”This isn’t real, isn’t real. It’s not real; it’s not real.” She kept reminding herself of when he enclosed her in that room. All he had were his illusions; he couldn’t make them real. It didn’t stop them from feeling real, but Antoinette still tried to push Mastermind from her mind by blocking him out with the strength she had left.
She felt the shift as her vision cleared, allowing her other senses to kick back into play. She saw the others locked in their own battles with the food court as a backdrop. Mastermind stood before her, looking sinister from the glow of the various lights. She narrowed her eyes. Pain vibrated through her body, but she knew it wasn’t real. Antoinette used the pain to keep herself focused and marched forward again. Her eyes sparkled with the same shades of sparkle that now surrounded her right hand. She twisted and pulled back to land a punch into Mastermind’s face. His head snapped back, but it didn’t affect him much, and she didn’t burn him as she had hoped. Antoinette didn’t relent and threw another punch. The force of this one made him stumble back. Antoinette advanced again, bent into her knees, tucked her elbows in and swung up to land a hit under Mastermind’s chin. He landed on his ass. Antoinette stared down at him, her eyes still sparkling.
”Foolish is another word for fantastic.” Her voice was its usual airy charm, but her eyes held courage.

🌠 Once Upon A Time 🌠(Concluded)

---

---

Cassiopeia Hood

---

Location: Outside ---> Inside Maleficent’s Castle
Skills:

---

---

Rose grabbed securely onto her and held Cassi close for a minute, telling her she was safe. Cassi smiled and relaxed further. Her cheeks were pink from the adrenaline and slight embarrassment, but Rose was incredibly understanding. ”Thank you,” she said and pecked Rose’s lips. ”You would make an excellent knight,” she declared. Cassi stepped out of the way and turned around to watch the others cross.
Layla was making her way across when she slipped. Cassi lunged forward, but her father was there just in time to steady Layla. Cassi sighed, feeling her heart rise from her stomach. She reached out, clinging to Rose with a hand until Layla was safely on the other side. Cassi immediately pulled her sister in and hugged the life out of her. ”Don’t scare me like that,” she instructed. Cassi pulled back, looking over Layla to ensure she was unharmed and truly alive, while their father found a way in.
The cellar was relatively small and unassuming. It was also currently unoccupied. Cassiopeia scanned the area, letting her eyes adjust to being inside when Rose found them a way in. Cassiopeia nodded, patting her bow and checking over her arrows and a dagger she had. ”Alright, let’s go see what the dragon lady is hiding.” Cassi said and made her way to the stairs, feeling more confident than she had less than five minutes ago.

---

---

Willow Jones

---

Location: Tower – Bedroom ---> Main Room
Skills:

---

---

Willow perked up when her mother mentioned that the others had returned. She hadn’t seen these people since the very beginning. ”Are they really? Ya, I’ll come down and greet them.” She followed her mother down the stairs to the main area where the majority of the others were now gathered. She recognized a few faces, but many more were new and foreign to her. Willow looked around for a seat to sit in and something to eat.
One of the girls asked what their plan was for Maleficent. ”There’s a group of people who went with Robin Hood to gather intel on her castle,” Willow supplied helpfully before she started eating.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω Officially Done

Ezekiel Kel

Location: Philadelphia Station
Skills:

---

---

Ezekiel was fuming as he stomped away. The only positive he had taken from letting his anger out was the fact that he made a god bleed. However, the joy in that was short-lived. Demetri was not happy, but honestly, what was he expecting? Ezekiel to laugh and find the bright side that now they had a god for their quest and let the newcomer make eyes at his boyfriend through the whole trip. All Ezekiel could hear were the kids at his school telling him they were better than he was because they had better clothes, newer books, more than one pen, more money, both parents… It was an onslaught of negative thoughts that continued to bounce around his head until he felt the feather-light squeeze of Demetri’s hand. Ezekiel looked back at his boyfriend and slowed in his walk. Making Alexios bleed felt good, but seeing the pain and fear in Demetri’s eyes didn’t feel good.
”No, Demetri. I’m pretty far from okay.” He ran his free hand over his face, scrubbing at his eyes before his fingers slipped through his hair. He sighed and faced Demetri. ”Our entire lives, the gods have sought fit to control us. It’s written in our history, and it still happens. We are on this damn quest because of it, and now, this,” Ezekiel nodded back to Alexios. He shook his head and looked down at the ground. ”For once, I’d just like something that was mine and not for others to control.” He looked back at Demetri and pulled his boyfriend in for a tight hug. He buried his head in Demetri’s neck and took solace there.
”I’m sorry.”

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

---

---

Antoinette McCarthy

Location: The Mall — Food Court
Skills: Illusion Casting - Mind Manipulation, Sensory Inducement; Enhanced Intuition; Hand to Hand Combat

---

---

Mastermind seemed utterly unimpressed with Antoinette, which she felt was fair. As of right now, Antoinette was seriously overpowered by this man. She couldn't play fair with him. Guin always told her to look for a weakness, but it was different in a "real world" combat situation. For instance, there were no safe words. Pain filled Antoinette’s mind. A fire erupted from her leg to invade her mind from the spike now residing there.
Antoinette dropped to one knee, hands shaking as they hovered over the spike in her leg. She bit her bottom lip to keep from screaming and bring concentration to a different stimulus. Once that was achieved, Antoinette concentrated on reflecting the pain to Mastermind. He deflected her easily enough, and Antoinette cursed her small-mindedness. Of course, he deflected it; his main thing was mental manipulation. Remember what Guin said, she reminded herself.
Getting back to her feet was challenging, but she managed it. Antoinette kept reminding herself that whatever he was doing wasn’t real. The spike in her leg and the pain with it was an illusion. She needed to focus. Her blue eye sparkled as Antoinette looked within Mastermind to search for his weaknesses. As she thought, he only had one thing. He could deflect her mentally, but could he deflect her physically? Stealing herself against the pain, Antoinette moved forward. She launched her left hand forward, aiming to punch him in the face but at the last second, she shifted her weight to make a right hook. She felt her hand connect with his rib cage with such force that it set him off balance and tumbling backwards. Antoinette was pleased with herself but didn’t let the momentary victory pull her focus.

🌠 Once Upon A Time 🌠(Concluded)

---

---

Cassiopeia Hood

---

Location: Outside Maleficent’s Castle
Skills:

---

---

Cassiopeia looked over the map, committing the paths to memory before she followed along behind Layla and Rose. They cleared the way that led to Cassiopeia’s worst fear. She groaned and turned around, holding her stomach.
”Seriously? Why?” She turned back around, examining the high cliff face. So far, she didn’t feel like she would pass out. Rose made the first trek across, making it look easy. ”My turn,” she grumbled. She looked at Layla. ”Take care of Arty if I die.” She then turned at looked at Rose. ”You better catch me.” She ran her hand along the rock and took a few deep breaths in before she started humming, My Baby Shot Me Down, from one of her favourite Tarantino movies. She made it and leaned heavily against Rose.

---

---

Willow Jones

---

Location: Tower – Bedroom
Skills:

---

---

Willow rested her arm over her eyes, processing the last few days' events, when there was a knock on her door. She took a deep breath in before sighing and standing. No sleep for the wicked, she mused to herself. Willow opened up the door and smiled at the sight of her mother. She stepped aside, welcoming her into the room.
”I’m fine. I just wanted to rest a little. We haven’t had much downtime,” Willow explained. She walked back over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. Willow fiddled with the pocket watch she always had but never knew from where or whom.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω Officially Done

Ezekiel Kel

Location: Philadelphia Station
Skills:

---

---

Grinning at Nancy, Zeke blew her a kiss before the girls left. He had an understanding with his half-sibling and was thankful they could have a playful back and forth. It only made their bond stronger. Besides, Zeke was a fan of humour when it came to difficult situations, like finding yourself still a teenager in the late 2010s rather than the 1980s.
Ezekiel looked back at Cassian and shrugged. He shifted his weight from foot to foot. ”I’ve never dealt with her, and as far as I know, there aren’t any issues between her and my father. Not sure if there is anything between her and Demi or Zeus.” Ezekiel just figured the goddess was bored like they usually were when the gods started messing with mortals or their children. Ezekiel just hoped Aphrodite would get bored soon.
Finally, Demetri returned, and he wasn’t alone. Ezekiel frowned as Demi approached. He noted his boyfriend holding this stranger's hand and didn’t distinguish the differences in hand holding. Hand holding was hand holding as far as he was concerned. Demetri got close, and Ezekiel turned his gaze from the joined hands to Demi’s face. The words from his boyfriend weren’t even close to what he thought they were going to be.
”You’re what?” Betrothed? Engaged?! To a dammed God!? Ezekiel’s eyes slowly drifted to Alexios. All he saw was his father’s face, Zeus’ face and Aphrodite's smug face. Ezekiel stepped around Demetri, hands balling into fists. His shoulders tensed as he shifted his weight and threw a right jab into Alexios face. The god responded immediately and shoved Ezekiel so hard that he stumbled back and landed on his ass. Ezekiel quickly got back up and grabbed Demetri’s hand, pulling him away from Alexios and heading toward Burger King. Damn the gods and their stupid games and zero regards for human emotions.