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delicatelyherdreams · 5 years ago

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Pragma(tic) 2: He Becomes a Trespasser

Pairing: Persephone!Bucky Barnes x Hades!Reader

Summary: In a world where the old gods never truly died, you must learn to navigate your way through the ups and downs of immortality. And if living forever wasn’t hard enough, an ancient evil is now threatening to break free after centuries of silence. And as if that still wasn’t hard enough for you, now a pesky and infuriatingly handsome god is trying to wedge his way into your life. Gods, work, love, and conflict—what more could a goddess need? [Hades & Persephone AU]

Word Count: 4402

Warnings: Language

Pragma(tic) Masterlist

Previous 1: Her Morning Takes a Turn

The sun was golden against his skin, shining on the tan color he had come to acquire after so many hours out in the light. It beat down on the flesh, warming it and relaxing him. His arms were folded behind his head as he reclined on the grass. It was soft and cool on his skin; Crete always did have the best grass for lying on. His eyes were closed against the bright light, the rays illuminating his eyelids and highlighting the veins that ran through them. His chest rose and fell with even breaths. If one didn’t know any better, they’d say he was asleep.

But he wasn’t. The young god was just lounging about, listening in on the conversation that was being held not five feet away from him.

The two voices were of young men, one angry, agitated, and fidgeting, and the other slightly exasperated and amused.

Steve, a naiad, was talking with quick, jerky gestures. He was riled up, clearly upset, but not quite enraged. His fists were balled up tightly, almost as if he wanted to punch something. “...the bastard said I couldn’t do it,” he ranted and raved. “He thinks that because I’m a water spirit, I can’t get jewels like that.”

Sam, a dryad, was watching his friend skeptically. He tended to be the more level-headed of the three, always the mediator to calm Steve’s need to prove himself and Bucky’s somewhat erratic tendencies. He was the one to stop the two before they got themselves killed. “Steve,” he started in an attempt to reason, “it’s not worth your time. So what if you can’t get a ruby to prove him wrong? You’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

“Like what?” Steve asked with scalding agitation in his voice. “Like guarding Bucky?”

The young god’s eyes opened at the sound of his nickname and he sat up to look over at the two.

“No offense Buck, but really, you can protect yourself most of the time.” Steve turned back to Sam, his gaze hardening once more. “I want to do more than just be a bodyguard.”

“Like what? Like getting a ruby to prove some stupid nereid wrong?”

“Exactly!”

Bucky’s eyes danced with amusement, catching the sunlight up above and shining. He was always finding humor in his friend’s need to prove himself. Steve has always wanted to be the bigger man, be the one who’s worthy, be the one who can be more than he is. Ever since they were little, when Steve was small and scrawny, he’d been taking on dangerous and daring exploits, fights, and anything else he could get his hands on to prove himself. And even now that Steve was an adult with body mass, muscle, and strength to rival the gods, nothing had changed.

Steve frowned as he began to plot. “Now where can I find a ruby?”

“At a mortal jewelry store, probably,” Sam quipped. “But you know we’re not allowed to go there. Winnifred would have our heads. Besides, we don’t have any money to buy them.”

Steve’s lips turned down in a pout. “Dammit.” He scrunched up his face as he thought. “There’s gotta be some other place we can find them.”

“I’ve heard they’re usually in caves,” Bucky chimed in.

“Caves…” Steve repeated when suddenly his eyes lit up. “I’ve got it!” His whole body turned to Bucky, his eyes wide, his lips parted, his body straight and ready for action. “There’s a ton of caves down under. And the queen is literally the goddess of wealth. If anyone anywhere were to have a ruby, it’d be down there. Now, Bucky…” His voice quieted and his eyebrows knitted together, silently begging Bucky to do something.

Bucky simply chuckled, knowing full well what his best friend was asking of him. “Oh no you don’t. Don’t be giving me those puppy dog eyes. You know my mom would kill me if I went down there.”

“But Hades is dangerous and you’re a god, man,” Steve moaned. “You can’t die down there, I can. Your mother will never need to know about this. C’mon, do a brother a solid?” He tilted his head to the side. “I’ll owe you for the rest of my life.”

“Don’t do it, Buck,” Sam piped up. “Your mom will find out some way or another and we’ll all be screwed. Steve doesn’t need to get a ruby to prove himself. He’s just asking for trouble.”

“Oh come on, it can’t be hard to sneak in and grab one small ruby,” Steve whined.

“Or it could be extremely difficult and get Bucky in trouble.”

“He’s in, he grabs a ruby, he’s out. Easy!”

“No! Not easy. He’s gonna—”

“I’ll do it.”

“I’m sorry, you’ll what?”

Bucky shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ll do it. I’ll run down and grab Steve a ruby.”

Both Sam and Steve were shocked. Neither of them thought the young god would actually agree to this crazy plan. But Steve just beamed at him. “You are the freaking best.”

“I know.” Bucky barked a laugh and rose to his feet, the grass wedging in between his bare toes. “But how the Hades am I going to get down there? I don’t think the Underworld is on a map and has a giant sign saying ‘Congratulations, you’ve reached the Underworld.’”

“Well duh.” Steve rolled his eyes and looked around at their surroundings.

They were in a clearing on the island of Crete. It was a quaint little place separated from the mortals and their cities. Sitting at the base of Mount Ida, the clearing was directly below the Dikteon Cave where the Olympian queen had been hidden as a baby. The whole area was coated in her magic, especially that cave, and her magic did some weird things to the rift between worlds.

Steve pointed up at the cave’s mouth. “See that up there?”

Bucky had to squint, but he could see it. “Yeah.”

“When Hades was finishing up the Underworld and securing it, she wasn’t able to close the rift between the Mortal World and the Underworld in that cave. The familiar energy from her sister was too strong and it’s been open ever since. That’s your in and out. It should deposit you right next to a cave if you’re lucky.”

“Please, I was born lucky!” Bucky brushed off his jeans and started walking towards the mountain. “I’ll be back!” he called to his friends before pushing on to find a path up to the cave.

The mortals had tried to pave paths to the cave, but none of them got very far. The residue from Queen Carol’s aura kept them far away from the cave. No mortal could get within a hundred yards of the mouth of the cave. Luckily for Bucky, he was a god.

He marched right up the side of the mountain to the mouth of the cave and stepped inside. He could feel the temperature drop about ten degrees as soon as got an inch inside and the hairs on his arms bristled. A shiver ran down his spine to the tips of his toes, setting an uneasy feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. He shouldn’t have been there. He was a god of spring and new life; he had no business being among the dead.

If his mother saw him now, she’d be furious. Winnifred, the goddess of the harvest and agriculture, may have seemed kind and gentle, but she was strict and her wrath was untamable and wild. If she were to be disobeyed, she would guarantee that those that opposed her direct orders would pay for it.

Bucky loved his mother to death, but even he had to admit that she could be way too strict sometimes. She insisted that Bucky always dress properly and in a modest outfit, never permitting him nor his friends to dress in anything less than a pair of nice jeans and a pristine shirt. She required them to have limited access to the Mortal World, stating that they should only go if it was absolutely necessary. She didn’t like them frolicking among the mortals because they were Olympians, and above the humans.

She didn’t have many rules, but she did have one that was absolute: never have any contact with the Underworld or the dead. They were too dangerous for a young god like him.

Bucky couldn’t believe that he was breaking his mother’s most important rule, but at the same time, he was exhilarated. He’d never dared to do something so bold and it was showing. His palms were sweating despite the freezing chill in the air and his heart was racing fast in his chest. He was nervous. He shouldn’t have been there, but it was too late to go back now.

He pushed on, going deeper and deeper into the cave. The air changed around him, growing cold and unforgiving. It was dark and empty and lifeless. He was not in the Mortal World anymore. Bucky took a breath and took a final step, coming out of the cave and entering a chasm.

His breath got stuck in his throat.

He’d heard stories of the Underworld before, he’d heard descriptions of it, but nothing could’ve prepared him for what it actually was.

It was magnificent, regal, and impressive. With towering mountains in the distance on which a large mansion stood on top of, expansive fields of flowers, and hundreds of thousands of people milling about, Bucky was in awe. He couldn’t believe how organized and calm the realm was; he’d always thought that the Underworld would be savage and ugly, but here it was calm and silent.

He could’ve stood there for hours staring at everything around him and taking it all in, but he was on a mission. He had to find the ruby.

He put his head on a swivel, looking from side to side as he searched for a cave. Rubies formed in caves; they had to be there. It wasn’t long before his eyes landed on a single cave carved into the side of a wall, a single river flowing into the mouth of it. Granted, that river was made of fire, but Bucky didn’t think anything of it. He assumed that most rivers in the Underworld had some quirk about them and that this one was that it was on fire.

He slid along the side of the Underworld, getting closer and closer to the cave. He wanted to be in and out before he could be caught. He slipped into the mouth of the cave he saw and turned to face it.

The place was colder than the main part of the Underworld. His hairs were standing on end and he had a dreadful weight sitting in the pit of his stomach. Something was not right about this place. It felt bad; it felt evil.

The young god clenched up on himself, his shoulders rolling in as he attempted to shake the feelings but they refused to disappear. Yet, he pushed on.

It was dark in there, he had to give his eyes some time to adjust to the absence of light. When he could finally see again, he scanned the walls of the cave, his eyes peeled for anything shiny and red. It couldn’t be too hard to find a red jewel, right?

Wrong.

Upon further inspection, he noticed that there didn’t seem to be a single sparkly object in this godforsaken cave. Every rock was bleak and dull, only clothed in greys and blacks. There was absolutely no color in the cave. Bucky was starting to wonder if he’d ever find a ruby here. Maybe they just weren’t in this cave. Maybe he was in the wrong place. But he didn’t have much time to ponder that. The sinking feeling in his gut was growing heavier and heavier with every step he took in. He shouldn’t have been there. There was something massively wrong with that place. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

But it put its finger on him.

Bucky jumped when he felt something thin, hard, and bumpy touch his skin and latch onto his ankle. A scream tore out of his throat as he snapped his head down and kicked wildly.

A hand, skeletal and white, had grabbed him and was holding on for dear life. It didn’t want to let him go and it pulled him closer to the body that was attached to it.

Bucky had been too preoccupied with searching the walls to notice the mass of bodies that were starting to pile up around him. There were dozens, maybe more, of skeletons and spirits crawling their way to him. They almost seemed drawn to the life that oozed from him. And, surely, as soon as they touched him, he could feel them trying to steal the life from him. He felt listless and drained when they touched him, and he could tell that they were nothing but evil.

How had he gotten so far in without noticing? Was he that much of a fool?

Apparently so.

The spirits around him collected around his feet and reached up, clawing onto his pants and dragging him down.

He struggled in their grasps, doing his best to fight them off, but every time he shook one off, two more would take its place. They were slowly overpowering him, pulling him closer to the ground where more of them could absorb the life from him. He could feel the toll they were taking on him, and he hated himself for feeling so weak. He��d never been so powerless before, and it scared him. For the first time in his relatively young life, he was truly afraid.

With his mother around, he’d never had anything to fear. But his mother wasn’t here now and he was alone. And this was the end.

The spirits dragged him down to the cave’s floor and swarmed him, clamoring on top of him to maximize their hold.

“I don’t want to die” was the only thought running through his head, but Bucky simply closed his eyes, too afraid to do anything else, so he could wait it out. It’d be over sooner or later, and he was too tired to do anything to stop them. His energy had been drained. Maybe a nap would be nice and when he’d wake up, this would be all over. Yes… A nap sounded delight—

“Hey!” an angry and powerful voice boomed, the sound filling the cave and drowning out everything else.

The hands-on his body stopped dead in their tracks. It shouldn’t have been possible, but now Bucky felt their fear instead of his own.

“Get your hands off of him!” the woman yelled again, her voice filled with more power than Bucky could’ve ever imagined hearing.

The spirits obeyed, at once letting go and scurrying away from something—or someone��behind him.

Footsteps slammed against the rock beneath them, growing louder and louder as the mystery woman marched to Bucky. A hand latched onto the collar of Bucky’s shirt and yanked him back away from the spirits. A two-pronged bident took his place, swinging at the spirits menacingly and driving them away. It glowed the faintest blue in the darkness, illuminating the faces of the damned.

The ghosts and skeletons shied away, curling up on themselves and scrambling to get away as they hissed. They were obviously afraid of the person it belonged to.

Said person tightened their grip on Bucky and began to drag him out of the cave, the bident staying in front of him as they aimed to protect him.

Bucky tried to turn his head back to see his savior, but he couldn’t turn his head very far without being stopped by the hand on the back of his neck.

She pulled him out of the cave, past the river of fire, and threw him on the dead grass outside.

He landed flat on his ass with a satisfying “oof”. His hands shot back to catch him before he could fall on his back and he looked down at his body.

His once white shirt was now a dark shade of grey and torn and his jeans were torn nearly to shreds. There were scratches, scrapes, and bruises covering his legs. Little rivers of ichor ran down from the cuts, coating his skin with gold. He looked like a war-torn battlefield. His mother was going to kill him. If those spirits hadn’t finished the job, she sure would. He was dead meat. Steve and Sam better start planning his funer—

“Just what in the Hades were you thinking? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” the same voice from the cave demanded, only this time, she seemed more pissed than powerful. Her voice had lost the booming effect it had previously, but it was still sharp enough to send shivers down his spine.

Slowly Bucky lifted his eyes. The first thing he saw was a pair of black flats below black pleated pants. Looking further up he saw a black blazer covering a dark grey shirt, and further up still, he saw the face of a woman. She was quite beautiful in the way that something cold and hard like a statue was beautiful. He would’ve admired her features but he was too afraid of, and yet so enchanted by, her eyes. Her eyes, unlike most, weren’t a brown, blue, or green; no, they were red—a bright and fiery shade of scarlet that seemed to glow in the darkness of the Underworld. They held him trapped, hypnotized by the brilliant color.

He felt so small beneath her gaze, even though he was comparatively larger than she was.

She radiated power as she glowered down at him, the bident by her side making her even more intimidating. Her lips curled back in a snarl. “I asked you a question; answer me!”

Bucky flinched and started to stammer out, “I-I...”

She seemed exasperated by his loss of words and bent down to him.

He shied away, afraid that she was going to attack him, but she simply grabbed onto his wrist and pulled. Her skin was shockingly cold against his flesh and he inhaled sharply.

She dragged him to his feet and began to pull him after her as she walked away from the cave. She was beyond angry and that made her scary. The only saving grace was that her bident had seemingly melted into thin air, probably stored in some magical pocket somewhere. She was trembling with rage as she began to rant and rave, her grip never once loosening. “Of all the idiocy I have seen in my life, I have never seen someone as stupid as you. What kind of imbecile walks into the pit willingly? Do you have a death wish? Gods, it is not my fucking job to save daredevils from the edge of the pit.”

Bucky only stared at her, filled with confusion. His mind was racing a million miles an hour and he asked, “The pit?”

“Tartarus, you insolent fool!” she snapped, quickening her pace as she pulled him towards the place he’d come in. How she knew about the exit, Bucky didn’t know, but she continued speaking, “The prison of the worst souls known to man, the titans, and any monster you could dream of. How could you possibly—” She froze in her steps as if it suddenly dawned on her that she didn’t know who Bucky was. Rigidly, she looked over her shoulder, her red eyes glaring at him. “Who are you?”

“M-Me?”

“Yes, you!”

Bucky blanked. Who was he again? He could barely remember under her intense gaze. “I’m, uh… I’m Bu— James. I’m James, god of spring, son of—”

“Demeter,” she spat out, her voice dripping heavily with venom and contempt. “Great. Just fucking great. You’re a new god. And not just a new god, the fucking son of Demeter.” She pinched the bridge of her nose in between her thumb and forefinger and heaved a great sigh.

He stared at her, even more confused than before. “H-Her name is Winnifred,” he stuttered out, his voice cracking.

She rolled her eyes. “Same fucking difference. It’s the same woman.”

“Well, yes, I suppose. But wait! You know my mother?”

"Of course I know your goddamn mother. She hates my guts and I'm not too fond of her either.” The woman squeezed her eyes shut and let her head fall back with an even louder groan. “Gods, she's probably going to think I kidnapped you or something! Do you realize what you being down here means?"

“I—”

“Of course you don’t! How could you? You’re just some young, stupid, idiotic god who thinks he can go anywhere he pleases. Well, news flash, you’re not allowed to roam my domain without my permission. This is not a place for the living, and you’re lucky you escaped with only minor wounds.”

“Your domain?” Bucky furrowed his brows, his steps faltering. “Wait… Then, you’re—”

“Hades,” she confirmed. “But that’s just what the mortals call me. You need not know my name, you only need know that you have to leave. You were never supposed to be here in the first place and you will never get in again.” She dragged him towards the cave he’d entered the Underworld through and yanked him in.

Crossing the threshold, he could feel the immediate change in the air. He could feel life surging back to him as they entered the Mortal World. He could also feel Hades stumble as if the sudden rush of life was startling to her.

She pulled him through the Dikteon Cave and out into the sun at the mouth of the cave. “Where did you come from?” she demanded, her voice low and cold as her hands.

Bucky pointed down towards the clearing where he could just barely make out the figures of Sam and Steve.

She let go of his wrist and grabbed his upper arm instead. “Hold on.”

He didn’t get a chance to ask her what she meant, because she leaped up into the air and off the side of the mountain, pulling him with her. The wind whistled past his ears as they fell, and he had to trap the scream that was rising in his throat.

They landed on the edge of the clearing, the ground trembling beneath them. She released Bucky, throwing him forward a bit before straightening up and glaring at Steve and Sam who had started running over.

With her shoulders rolled back and her body completely in the light, Bucky could now observe her fully. The red had faded from her eyes, revealing a wonderful shade of (e/c) that had red-rimmed around the iris. Her skin was devoid of life and she had deep, dark circles covering the skin beneath her eyes. Bucky hated to admit it, but she almost looked dead. She was unsettling but in a gorgeous, powerful kind of way.

Steve ran over to Bucky’s side, his face panicked. “Buck,” he breathed out, “are you alright? What happened?”

“He went where he had no business going,” Hades answered, her voice agitated and disgruntled. “You two are his watchers, no?”

“U-Um, yes, Ma’am?” Steve responded, thoroughly anxious.

“Then fucking watch him,” she snapped, her voice suddenly growing in volume. “The Underworld is no place for fledgling gods who have no experience in the real world.”

Sam turned to Bucky, his eyes wide with alarm. He probably wanted to say something in their defense, but the only thing he asked was, “Did you get the ruby?”

Bucky could’ve smacked him.

Hades glowered at Sam. “What ruby? Explain yourselves.”

Bucky gulped. “It’s the reason I went down. My friend wanted a ruby and I thought I could find one in the Underworld and I…” He couldn’t even finish his sentence, realizing how stupid it was under her incredulous look.

“You mean to tell me you went to fucking Tartarus for a ruby? A single ruby that’s worth hardly anything to a god?”

“...Yes.”

She barked a bitter laugh, doubling over and placing her hands on her knees to steady herself. “I can’t believe this.” She held out her fingers, maintaining a small gap in between her thumb and forefinger, and a single, raw ruby, red as blood and the size of a large pebble, formed out of thin air. “Here. Take your damn ruby.” She chucked it at the ground at Bucky’s feet before narrowing her eyes at him. “You got what you came for, and now you have no reason to return. If I ever, and I mean ever, catch you in my realm again, I will teach you why the mortals call it Hell.” She spared the men one last snarl before taking a step away from them, digging something out of her pocket, and dropping the minuscule item on the ground.

At once, the ground trembled and shook and a hole opened up at her feet. The ground swallowed her, pulling her into the depths before closing up again like nothing ever happened. In her place stood a single flower with an elongated stem and a spike of white blossoms: an Asphodel.

Bucky’s gaze switched between the flower and the ruby until it finally settled on the jewel. Slowly he reached for the ruby and picked it up to examine it. It was heavy in his hand, beautiful and clear. It filtered the light that passed through it and cast odd shapes that mimicked its raw cut in red on his palm. But it wasn’t the ruby itself that mesmerized him, it was the color; the same color of her eyes. Bucky was certain that that shade of red would be burned into his memory for all eternity, and as he stood there with Sam and Steve fawning over him making sure he was okay and talking about getting him cleaned off and changed into new clothes because he “reeked of death”, he couldn’t help but think of her: Hades, the woman whose name he did not fully know, but whose face had suddenly washed over his mind and infiltrated every nook and cranny of his thoughts. His grip tightened over the ruby and he smiled to himself softly.

Next 3: Her Head Aches

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ironemrys · 4 years ago

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Here Be Rejects and Weirdos

pairings/relationships: familial DRLAMP, background Logicality I guess.

tw: blood and gore I guess. cursing. that's pretty much it.

notes: no context. just a random thought. is this a super hero AU? idk. probably not.

What's hard about being a mutant? Is it the creepy scientists who wants to experiment on you? Is it the political unrest caused by people who are pro mutant and anti mutant? Is it the judging look people give you once they realize you're not human?

For Logan, it wasn't necessarily those things mentioned above. Nope. It's not even the fact that most people see his kind as weirdos and rejects. Those without a place in the world because they're different.

He was used to being told that he was different so it didn't matter to him. No. What's hard about being a mutant is adopting and raising mutant children.

Or in his case, four chaotic teenage mutants. God if Splinter could see him now. But let's not dive into that side of the universe.

Anyway, despite the fact that the teenagers can sometimes drive him crazy, Logan didn't mind. In fact, he loved the idea that these teenagers rely on him and look to him as a mother figure.

He says mother because the father role is taken up by his partner, Patton.

Now Patton, at first glance, doesn't look like he's different from normal human beings unlike the other mutants who you could obviously tell. His mutation enables him to cure injuries both minor and major. The only thing different about him is that his hair tends to change their colors whenever he's using his powers. They're naturally brown but they would turn white when he's healing someone else and they would turn golden when he's healing himself. It's weird, he knows. But whatever, he's a mutant.

Logan also at first glance looked more human than the rest of the mutants. The only distinct feature he has is when a series of coded tattoos would start to appear on his forehead down to his eyelids whenever he's using his power.

It has been a while since he last used his abilities. Mentoring and training four teenagers didn't really require much from his mutation.

Logan's mutation allows him to see and feel another mutant's presence. He could tell just by looking at them how strong they are, how powerful they could get and what their weaknesses are. With this vast knowledge on other mutants, Logan uses his degree in engineering to create weapons that could protect him and his family from other mutants who would want to harm them.

Because let's face it, there are those out there who would dare.

Anyway, Logan sat in his workshop and mumbled incoherent Tagalog to himself as he continued to work on the modifications on one of the teen's suits because of course he would create protective suits for his boys. They are mutants but they're children, they're his children.

It was well past ten in the evening but he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep if he didn't finish his work. He's not one to put off a project that he knows he can finish sooner rather than later.

The sliding door on his right caught his attention when it opened with a bang and three teenagers ran inside followed by Patton.

"Logan! Someone's captured Remus!" a red eyed red haired teenager yelled in alarm.

"how is that possible?" Logan asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Him and Roman were on their way back from patrol and me and Janus were supposed to meet them when we were attacked! They were from the opposition, I recognized their badges! What do we do!?" a purple haired teenager replied frantically as tendrils of shadows started to form by his feet.

Of course, not everyone is for the idea of mutants coexisting with the humans. So aside from the usual villain mutants, Logan and his family also had to deal with the human dictators who only had one thing in their mind: to purge and cleanse the world by removing the anomaly. The anomaly being them, the mutants.

"Virgil, honey…" Patton said and soothed his back.

"Virgil, calm down." Logan reminds him and the teen took a deep breath, shuddering.

"But why would they only take Remus?" Patton then asked once Virgil relaxed. He fixed his round eyeglasses on his face and looked warily at his partner.

"I mean if they were from the opposition then shouldn't they have captured all of them? And even if they were only interested in the wolves, why didn't they take Roman as well?" he added, gesturing to the red head.

"Roman hasn't fully shifted, Patton. The opposition has hunters and hunters could tell if you're a fully grown werewolf or not. Besides, Remus is an Alpha. An Alpha has high value in the black market. Roman has yet to know his standing since his transition is incomplete." Logan concludes.

"so they're gonna sell him?!" A brown haired teen with green scales on one side of his face hissed in disgust.

"probably." Logan replied and turned to his computer. "where did you last see him?" he asked before putting up a map of the city.

"we were attacked a few blocks away from the usual post." Virgil replied. He was trying his best to calm down. The last time he had a panic attack the entire mansion got covered in darkness and it was not a happy memory.

But how can he calm down when one of them has been captured. Sure, they all had these different abilities that will give them the upper hand against the opposition but they were also teenagers, they are still in training and they are young. Obviously, they had a lot to learn.

Also, they were outrageously outnumbered when they were attacked.

"Did you try finding him using your magic, Janus?" Patton asked the scaly teen.

"I did but the hunters had magic users with them when they attacked us and I could tell that they're blocking my magic right now." Janus answered.

"They had magic users? Now that's new." Patton commented. Indeed it was, the opposition usually housed humans, so why would they have mutant magic users at their disposal?

"I can't trace him with the shadows too. Either they're in a very well lit area or my range is just too short." Virgil responds.

"His scent was gone as soon as I woke up." Roman added as he bit his fingers in anxiousness.

He didn't like being separated from his twin. No matter how much they get on each other's nerves, they love and care for one another. To be honest, if Roman was to be asked, he would've hunted down the assholes who took his brother the moment the three of them woke up from being knocked out.

However, since Janus was the eldest foster kid, the decision on what to do next had to come from him.

"Roman, there is no need to worry. Remus is very capable in taking care of himself." Logan then says when an incoming video call pops up on the monitor.

"hello, mutant scum." A man Logan recognized as a hunter from the opposition greeted him as soon as he answered.

"Hunter." Logan acknowledged as he fixed his glasses on his face. He could hear Janus and Virgil hiss from behind him.

"Hey you asshole! Where's Remus?! Where's my brother!?" Roman yelled in distress and Patton had to hold him back. The red head was baring his fangs and his fingers were turning into claws.

"He's right here, cub." the man replied with a grin and turned the camera to show Remus.

The green haired teenager was bound to a chair with silver chains. He was banged up and gagged. His hair was disheveled and his eyes were glaring daggers at his captor.

"what do you want with him?" Patton asks.

"well at first we were going to kill him in front of a lot of people, you know, for kicks." The hunter sneered and Roman growled in anger.

"Then we thought why not sell his body parts to the black market? This one's an Alpha and that's really rare nowadays. And there are a lot who would pay good money just to see you burn." The man added while playing with the white streak on Remus' hair.

"BASTARD!!" Janus yelled angrily as he took a step forward but Logan held on his shoulder to calm him down.

"But then we figured, hey we can make more money if we hold him for ransom since isn't he under the protection of the famous Guardian? The same Guardian who proposed the coexisting of humans and mutants?" the man said and they could hear laughter from other people in the background.

"yeah. We know all about you and your foster kids. You really think that you guys joining together will create a family? You're no family. You're what's wrong with this world.." the man said and smirked at Logan who surprisingly didn't care about what the hunter was saying. Instead, he turned his attention to Remus.

"Remus, are you alright?" He asked and Remus made eye contact with him through the monitor.

"He can't answer you right now. He's busy trying not to die." The hunter replied.

"it's a shame we didn't take the puppy too. We could've made more money with two werewolves." He laughed maniacally and they heard Remus mumble something through the gag in his mouth.

"What?" The hunter asked and pulled away the gag.

"I said," Remus coughed but then he glared at the hunter, "you fuckers better leave my brother alone."

"Ha! We could have your brother if we wanted to, you imbecile! He's weaker and easier to kill. Add that half snake and winged demon and we can have dough that could last us for years. Although they're not really worth much unlike your kind." the men around them laughed loudly that they missed the growl rising from Remus' throat.

"Please don't kill him." Logan sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose but the men only laughed harder at his words.

"You think you can beg for the life of this monster? You are disgusting. You're rejects. You're abnormal, you're experiments gone wrong. Listen, you don't get to make demands here, Guardian. You failed watching over your so called band of misfits and-"

"I wasn't talking to you." Logan cuts him off when they hear the breaking of chains followed by a ferocious growl.

The hunters turn around as Remus shakes off the silver chains. He raises his head and flashes them a toothy, albeit scary, smile.

"You see, what you hunters don't know is that Remus and Roman aren't ordinary werewolf mutants. They're mutant hybrids." Logan starts, fixing his glasses again, "which means that those silver chains? they're pretty much like chew toys for the likes of him."

Remus transformed. His pale skin turned a darker color, his hair grew longer and down to his waist, his usually green eyes were brighter and his fingernails were the shape of claws. He got on all fours and once he growled, the hunters eyes went wide.

There was a scream and the tearing sounds of flesh as Remus destroyed everything and everyone in the room. The laptop where the call was still ongoing got turned over right next to a severed head.

"subdue him!" they heard someone yell and they could see more people from the opposition appear and attack Remus.

"it's the magic users." Janus hissed.

"we have to help him!" Roman yelled then there was a beep in one of the monitors. A red dot blinked rapidly at the map in front of them.

Apparently, Logan had started tracing the call, the minute the hunters called them.

"Go." He then said and gave a nod to Janus who materialized a black staff out of nowhere. He chanted in an ancient language as his eyes turned yellow. There was a flash of light and then the three teenagers were gone.

Remus dodged a magic spell thrown at him by one of the hunter's peers. He growled lowly and was cornered to a wall when the lights went out.

"About damn fucking time!" He yelled when the people around him started yelling profanities at something that was attacking them in the dark.

"MONSTER!" someone yelled and raised a knife to stab Remus from behind but there came another growl on the right and the assailant was immediately tackled to the ground.

The lights then came back on and Remus saw that most of the hunters and their magician friends were down on the ground. He licks the blood off his fingers as he transforms back to his normal form.

"good job." Janus comments as his staff dematerializes. He brushes off his cloak and turns to Virgil who was still clouded by his shadows.

"Vee? We're all good." He called and the shadows immediately disappear to reveal their youngest.

"god fuck. These assholes ruined my day." Remus then says.

"well, you got them back so I guess you're even." Janus replies.

"let's go home. I'm hungry." Remus says as he watches Roman revert back to his human form.

"I'll do it." Virgil says and his eyes turn a dark shade of purple before they all get consumed by the shadows.

"well that was fun." Remus grins, his teeth yellow and bloody because of the fight.

"yes, I could tell." Logan replies as the teenagers step out of Virgil's shadows.

"ugh. You stink, Remus." Roman then comments.

"not as stinky as your breath!" Remus retorts and smothers Roman's face with his bloodied hands.

"GROSS! YOU'RE A DISGUSTING HUMAN BEING!!!" Roman whines.

"We're not human, you genius!" Remus cackles, "You, for instance, are a bitch!" he adds and dodges the clawed hand of his brother.

"you take that back!" Roman demands but before they could get in another fight, Patton stepped in to stop them.

"Alright now kiddos. Now that we have Remus back, it's time you all get some rest. Remus, I'm glad you're okay." He smiles in relief.

"Of course pop. I was just caught off guard. Won't happen again. Unless of course some hunter is dumb enough to cross hybrids again." the teen shrugs.

"Right. Now go and take a bath. And off to bed. All of you." Patton replies and the rest of the teenagers pile out but not before Remus makes another off hand comment.

"besides I think now they'll be too scared since Roman showed his ugly face."

"UGLY?? I'M UGLY?! WE'RE TWINS YOU STUPID GENIUS!"

"god shut up!" Janus yells at both of them before flicking his wrist, causing the twins to be bound tightly in ropes.

"Why is this my family?" Virgil sighs but there was a soft smile on his face as he watches Janus levitate the twins to their rooms.

Patton then turns to Logan who shuts off his workstation as well.

"I was wondering why you were so calm. Usually you would've been just as bad as me if one of the boys went missing." He says and Logan lets a grin form on his mouth.

"I know their potential, Patton. I am The Guardian after all."

meh. this is the thought process of someone who's been indulging themselves in superhero shit along with Sanders Sides.