KazAlkemi

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

Ezekiel Kel

Location: CHB – Dining Pavillion
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Ezekiel barely acknowledged when the others left to go get their food. He was turning, ready to just skip breakfast all together when he felt hands gripping his. Zeke snapped to and looked into the face of his boyfriend. Ezekiel blinked several times, focusing to absorb Demetri's words.

"I'm going to the trial. I have to be there to support Nancy," he said. Zeke looked down at Demetri's hands as they held his own. He sighed, shutting his eyes.

Ezekiel wasn't one to open up about himself or the difficult stuff often, but over the last few months he had gotten closer to Demetri, not only physically, but emotionally as well. Frankly, Demetri was Zeke's best friend.

"I'm thinking about tomorrow...about what happens and what comes after...when Nanc leaves." He didn't want to be, but Zeke was terrified of Nancy leaving. He knew she would be fine, and hopefully happier, but he didn't know where that left him.

He had only be close to his mother, and then Kristin (sort of) when he got to camp. Now, he had Kristin, Nancy, Demetri, his half-siblings... Even Leda. There were so many people now that Zeke had grown unintentionally closer to, and now he was going to lose one by choice. Leda had been difficult enough. Whenever there was a rainbow Zeke found himself staring at it, willing Leda to pop out, laughing like her being gone for the last seven months had been some elaborate prank.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
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Cassiopeia smiled softly and stood. She walked into Nic's kitchen to prepare the kettle and hunted for which cupboard he had placed the tea in. She found the ones she had made for him and Ren, and smiled before she pulled the herbs out. She inhaled the comforting scent before she made them all a cup.

Cassi returned to Ren at the table and sat next to him. "I apologize for that... It hadn't been my intentions. I know reflections ponds can mean the reflection of good and bad, but my intention had been to create something that would remind you of them and what you still had now. I can do something more simple if you wish," she said, placing a hand back on Ren's knee.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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Avery chuckled before he wished the other two good night, and followed after Kimiko. He walked into the bedroom behind her and shut the door.

"If you're tired, we can just go back to sleep, darling. Blocking can take a mental toll when you are just learning."

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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Caden let Nero take the box so he could close the trunk and lock the car. "Yes. That way I know who sets the code or comes and goes. It's mostly Avery who sets everything," Caden informed them. He offered to take the box back from Nero if they didn't want to carry it before walking back into the house.

Caden locked and set everything once more before leading them to their bedroom. Caden was hoping the contractors would be done in the next couple of days. He missed the room he originally shared with Nero.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
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Cassiopeia schooled her emotions to remain calm and strong for Ren. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"It's okay, Ren. We can talk in the morning once you have a decent night sleep. Can I make you some tea?" she offered him. There wasn't anything Cassi could do about the demon deal tonight anyways. Besides, she had to check on Nic and potentially break his heart further tonight.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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"Why do you think every house I own is soundproofed?" Caden said with a smirk.

Avery chuckled and held onto his cocooned girlfriend. "Come on, let's head back to bed. Maybe we can practice some blocking if you aren't tired yet," Avery said and stood.

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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Caden looked down at Nero and smiled. "Alright. I'll go with you," Caden said and led them back to the front door.

He turned the security alarm off before unlocking the door and led Nero back to the car.

"Tomorrow we can set up a security code for you if you would like," Caden offered. He opened up the trunk of the car and pulled the box out for Nero.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Antoinette McCarthy

Location: Foyer – X-Mansion
Skills:

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Antoinette read the message over a couple of times before she looked at the others. She rocked back on her heels, thinking about the last time she had a conversation with Mary, let alone saw her.

”I know she was searching for something, but Mary and I never talk much beyond mission protocols. Maybe we should find Edus. He has a tracking spell we could use. It isn't specific, but he can send us in her general direction at least.”

Jean was rather cryptic about what she thought was going on without revealing anything to the group. Which Antoinette found strange since this was Mary's home. Surely everyone here should know what was going on if Mary was in trouble.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
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Cassi sighed, hanging her head and stared at Ren’s knees before she started talking. ”It matters what the stipulations of the deal were because if it was cancer, well, Li didn’t die from cancer. She died from the Chimera, which means the deal still holds. If you made the deal so it was just her not dying before her preordained time, then the deal could be void, and you don’t lose ten years.”

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”That might be helpful, thank you, Kiki. We can decide on that in the morning. I need to talk to Cass about some things anyways. I’ll see if she wants to help unlock more memories. I have a feeling she might want to for personal reasons, but it might be too soon.”

With that, Caden stood up and grabbed his jacket. ”Don’t worry about tonight, Kiki. Between Avery and I, everything between us should be blocked well. We can start working on it tomorrow. Who knows, maybe you’ll pick up on it quickly.”

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia’s stomach plummeted from Ren’s words, and she was fairly certain the blood drained from her face. She squeezed Ren’s knees and looked him in the eyes.

”I need you to remember as clearly as you can, Ren. This is important. Was the deal for Li not to die of her cancer, or for her not to die before her time.”

Deep down, Cassi knew the deal had been placed for the former, which meant Ren could die sooner than he was foretold to, which meant Ren had a ticking timeline.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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”Yes, like what happened earlier. Don’t worry, though, Caden was too far away to have been privy to the emotions this time. We figured out the hard way just how intense it can be if we don’t block the other out,” Avery confessed. He could chuckle at the memory now, but when it had first happened ten years ago, it was difficult to remain in control.

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden smiled softly at Nero and squeezed their knee. ”We need their help, my little imp. If Kiki can read with you and you tell her what to look for, we can go through the books in half the time. Avery is already on it with upping security, and I’ve done what I can so far. I’m going to talk to Cassi about putting a magical trip wire or something on the property. She’s normally good at that sort of thing.”

Caden turned to better face Nero, and gathered their hands into his. Nero’s hands disappeared into a wall of black, and Caden continued to smile at Nero.

”You’re a part of this family now, and we look out for one another.”

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
Skills: Sorcery

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When Nic released Cassi, the aura she had wrapped around him dissipated. She watched him walk upstairs, a few tears falling down her face as she watched him go. She couldn’t place why, but the situation reminded her of the day she lost her grandmother.

Cassi turned when she heard Ren say her name. She wiped the tears from her face and walked over to Ren. She knelt down and pushed the glass of water into his hands.

”Can you tell me what the deal was, Ren? What did he promise you, what did you have to give?”

Nic needed a moment, and Cassi wanted to make sure Nic wasn’t going to lose his father in nine years.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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Avery wrapped an arm around Kimiko’s shoulders and kissed the top of her head. There were several things he wanted to say, but none of them were appropriate. Instead, Avery concentrated on finishing his sandwich.

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”It’s alright, Kiki. For tonight and maybe in a couple of days, I think I can keep you blocked out enough not to receive anything from you unless you are injured or anything life-threatening like that. Of course, other intense emotions might leak through, but I’ll keep that dampened as much as possible. I think we should start practising tomorrow, though,” he said.

Caden walked around and sat down next to Nero. He rested a hand on their knee, rubbing his thumb, and watched them. ”As for the other thing. We keep unlocking more of Nero’s past, including their time in Hell. Today, I think someone from their past came looking, but we are still figuring it out.” Caden looked at Kiki and Avery. ”Nero managed to get most of their things out of Hell, including a series of texts that might have the answers we are looking for. We need your help looking through everything,” Caden revealed.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
Skills: Sorcery

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”I didn’t know who he was! He said he could help.” Tears streamed down Ren’s face as he looked at his son. ”We were going camping to figure out how to tell you, but then I ran into this man when I was buying supplies…”

Cassiopeia looked up at Nic, feeling his anger thread through her because of the bond she was sharing with him. She pressed her head into his chest, taking steadying breaths to keep them both calm.

She knew Nic had a temper; she had seen it in her shop, and when she stood over his mother's dead body. Cass was no stranger to anger. It was fire and passion, and sometimes, it could focus you. It could give you drive and purpose.

Cass slid her hands up Nic’s back, her hands resting over his shoulders, and she moved her head back to look up at Nic again; to monitor him.

”I wanted to help. I wanted to do something because there was nothing I could do for Kiki.”

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden smiled at Nero and squeezed their shoulder before he looked across at Avery. Kimiko wasn’t happy, but she had always been quick to anger about most things, and Caden seemed to be the target lately.

Avery met Caden’s stare and sighed. ”I already explained it to her, but,” he shrugged and looked at Kimiko.

”If you’re bonded to Avery, you’ve seen your own bonds. I’m certain there’s one for me as I have one for you. But, because Avery and I are pack, you are now pack. So what I mean is not only have our bonds gotten stronger, but so has the pack bond. When the three of us shift, we’ll be able to communicate mind-to-mind. When we’re human, we’re more hyperaware of each other and our emotions. So, we have to practice blocking each other out. Avery and I have established our blocks to each other well, but well, you are new to this.”

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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”It’s not a criticism,” Avery added, worried Kimiko might take everything Caden was saying the wrong way. ”Remember how it felt when the bond first snapped into place for us? How overwhelming it was? Learning to block each other helps to keep that from happening. If we didn’t block, we would constantly be run by what we or our pack members were feeling. Blocking gives us a sense of ourselves back.”

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
Skills: Sorcery

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Whatever Cassi had been thinking, it was nowhere near what Nic revealed to her. She looked between Ren and Nic before she closed the distance to wrap her arms around Nic and hold him close. She inhaled his scent, finding comfort in it even though Nic’s life had just been thrown another curveball. When Cassi exhaled, a sort of glow enveloped her but also Nic. She mingled her aura with his in an effort to comfort him.

Cassi understood Nic needed to feel his feelings and react to the news however he needed to, but she wanted Nic to understand how loved he was.

”I’m so sorry,” she whispered. Cassi kept her focus on Nic, even with Ren making a demon deal poked at the back of her mind. Everything that went with a demon deal…Cass knew Ren wasn’t free of this. And she had no idea how she was going to break this deal. It all depended on what Ren said. If they were lucky, Li dying before her time meant the deal was null in void.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery chuckled, kissed Kimiko’s cheek again, and released her. The other two approached, and Avery took Kimiko’s hand to pull her back into the house. He led her to the living room to take up a seat to wait for Nero and Caden.

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Traditionally speaking, dragons mostly pick shifters to bond with. Our power sets meld better, but maybe you’ll meet my dragon sooner rather than later in his full form,” Caden said while he escorted Nero into the house.

He locked the door and set the code behind him before walking to the living room. Caden pulled his jacket off and tossed it onto a corner of the couch.

”So, easy news first, and please don’t freak out Kiki, but now that I am in the room with the two of you, I can feel the bond more strongly. So, we should plan some sessions on blocking each other out.”

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassi kept her distance after Ren’s next statement. No, no, no, no. Please no. Cassi met Nic’s eyes, panic clearly in her own.

She set her glass back on the counter, not wanting to show her shaking or drop the thing. If Ren made a deal…It would make sense that a monster from Hell came after them, but it wouldn’t line up with the other kills. Of course, Caden and she hadn’t looked into why the Chimera showed up. Just that it had and how to kill it.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery glanced over when he felt Kimiko’s presence next to him. He was half surprised she didn’t completely stand in front of him to block the others from looking at him. He chuckled softly and wrapped his arm around Kimiko’s waist, the water bottle he still held hitting her hip lightly.

When Avery made the comment, he hadn’t been expecting Kimiko’s possessive reaction, but he would be lying if he didn’t say he enjoyed seeing that side of Kimiko. It comforted Avery to know she cared for him as he cared for her.

Avery swallowed his food and kissed Kimiko’s cheek. ”My little fox,” he whispered in her ear, low enough that the others wouldn’t be able to pick up on it.

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills: Shapeshifting

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The purple in Caden’s eyes took a minute to dissipate before his eyes returned to their normal blue-green shimmering colour. He smiled down at Nero and brushed his fingers through their hair.

”It was…Each dragon has a different power set. Mine is the ability to create barriers. The ones on my land alert me to when outsiders step foot on any of my properties,” he briefly explained before he kissed Nero softly.

Caden didn’t kiss Nero for long, aware of eyes on them, and looked up to Kimiko and Avery.

”I believe we have something to discuss, maybe a couple of things,” Caden noted.