I’ll be working on this novel during camp nanowrimo! I;m using the ideas and starting from scratch. Who else is participating?
Not today Justin
Today's Document
🪼
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
Monterey Bay Aquarium
cherry valley forever

tannertan36
Stranger Things
$LAYYYTER
we're not kids anymore.

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KIROKAZE
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todays bird

ellievsbear

pixel skylines
NASA

JVL
RMH

izzy's playlists!
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@bellatorlunaefic
I’ll be working on this novel during camp nanowrimo! I;m using the ideas and starting from scratch. Who else is participating?
what if I just... started this again
what if I picked up writing again, how horrible of an idea would that be?
like, who has time to write a novel?
I think I'm going to take The chapters of this story and put it on my personal
but keep this page for reference and stuff
So, Bellator Lunae will be on my personal (ashabadash.tumblr.com)
Chapter 5-
Chapter Four -
CHAPTERS 1-3
Chapter Four Up in 10 minutes
those who are tagged are required to at least gimme a little feedback so I dont feel like I'm wasting my life?
Chapters 1-3 Here
Linda - Earth Elemental (Terranean)
Aria - Water Elemental (Hydro)
Blaise - Fire Elemental (Pyro)
Dana - Air Elemental (Breezy)
Lee
Chapter 4 is currently being written
you know like...if anyone even REMEMBERS this story...
Chapter Three-
Chapter Three - Pacifica was an hour long bus ride from Lysander’s apartment and he couldn’t help but doze off as the buss pulled into the Park and Ride. He had been shoved awake by an odd poking feeling. He peeked an eye open to see a wrinkled old woman poking him with her cane. “Help an old woman off the bus now, will you?” the woman said, her voice commanding, even though it came as out old and withered as she looked. Lysander wiped the sleep out of his eyes and stood up. “Um, sure,” Lysander said, offering his hand to help her. She didn’t move toward it though and it was then that he noticed the glassed-over eyes and the fact she wasn’t looking over at him. He wondered silently if she was blind. “I don’t have all day sonny,” she said, sounding more amused than frustrated. Lysander chuckled and took her arm gently, guiding the old woman down the steps on the bus. He didn’t let go until they reached a bus stop bench. But the old woman didn’t sit down. “Now come along Lysander,” she nodded her head toward the beach. Lysander gaped at her. “I never told you my name,” he said. She seemed to ignore him however as she began walking toward the beach. “Ma’m!” he called out. “Will you hurry up boy? It shouldn’t be a good thing I’m walking faster than you...” she waved her cane and Lysander hurried to her side. “How do you know my name?” He asked her a couple times as they crossed the street and began walking on the sand path down the beach. She never answered though. The old woman didn’t even speak once the rest of the walk. Lysander finally gave up and followed her. His life was weird enough already, might as well follow the mysterious old blind lady, right? They walked the beach for a long time. Once Lysander turned around and he was shocked to see that all the people he had walked past on they way down the beach had dissapeared. When he looked ahead, he saw they were heading toward a small beach house up against the cliffs and a safe distance from the water. He hadn’t seen the house before, and the bus had driven right past it on the roadside. He didn’t understand; where were the people, where did the house come from? “All your questions will be answered shortly Lysander,” the woman said with a grin. “Come on now, get inside,” she hit the back of his heels with her cane and Lysander began to second guess his assumption she was blind. “Alerya Jane! Your guest is here!” “I’m upstairs Nana!” Lee’s voice rattled down the stairs. “Go on up, you can’t miss her room,” She pointed her cane up the stairs and then hobbled her way into the kitchen. “Uh...” Lysander stood there for a moment. “Tha...thank you,” he called out before walking up the stairs to Lee’s room. The stairs in the beach house were old and uneven and Lysander tripped a couple times as he climbed to the second story. They were covered in sand, which was expected. What was unexpected were the other knick-naks that littered the steps. Metal rods rolled down the steps, books opened up to blank pages. Vials and tubes that Lysander had only ever seen in a chemistry class took up an entire step in the staircase and Lysander had to jump over them to keep from spilling the bubbling purple mixture inside. “Lee?” Lysander called out as he reached the second story. Different from the staircase, the second floor of the beach house looked plain and uninteresting. it was just a square landing with four doors that Lysander presumed led to bedrooms or bathrooms. “Hey you came!” Lee’s voice came from his left and Lysander turned and promptly screamed. Lee wasn’t standing there where her voice was coming from, it was only just her head floating, tilted as if confused with Lysander’s reaction. “What happened to the rest of you?” Lysander asked, his eyes wide. “Wha...?” Lee’s head looked down. “Oh damn, this is what I get for being lazy. Meet me upstairs okay?” Lee’s head asked and with a laugh, it popped from existence. Lysander stared at the spot for a while, waving his hand in the area her head once was. Then he looked around. “There are no stairs!” he called out. From outside, he was pretty sure the house wasn’t that big. Come to think of it, the beach house didn’t even merrit a second story. But when he looked back around the second story landing, another flight of stairs, a spiral staircase that lead to a ceiling entrance, appeared. “Alrighty then...” Lysander approached the stairs and gingerly stepped on the first one, not sure if they were real or not. Once sure he wasn’t going to fall through, he climbed the staircase and came up to an attic bedroom. “Lee?” “Hey, sorry about that,” she sat on a lounge chair, full bodied and cross legged, a book in her lap. She shut the book and Lysander watched as dust flew into the air. “I was practicing.” “Practicing?” Lysander asked as he finally entered her room. He sat on her desk chair. “Astral projection,” she said with a smile. “Its complicated.” “Clearly, since you’re floating around with only a head,” Lysander laughed. Lee laughed with him. “I have something for you, hold on,” she jumped up from the lounge and went to an elaborate bookshelf built into the sloped wall of her room. “So you met my grandmother?” “Uh...yeah,” Lysander made a face as he turned to look at her desk. “She’s an interesting lady...” There was a couple framed pictures next to her laptop, and Lysander picked up one of the photos. Her and that pale kid with the teeth, Vince?, smiled up at him as they were linked arm and arm in the park. “Boyfriend?” he asked, holding up the photo. “Vic? Oh god no,” Lee laughed. “He’s my best friend. We’ve known each other a long time...here it is!” she came back with a small book. “For you.” It was a small leather bound journal. “It belonged to a friend of my dad’s,” Lee explained. “He and you were both well...” She gestured grandly to him and Lysander laughed. He flipped open pages and saw pictures and sketches of a half man, half dog like thing. Is that what he looked like when he changed? “Is this why you invited me?” He figured not,but he didn’t look up from the journal. Lee sat on the lounge again, but on the edge so she could face him. Lysander closed the book and looked up. “No, it’s not,” Lee admitted. “I want you to join our team.” Lysander snapped the journal shut. “What?” He looked at her. “You dont even know me!” “I don’t have to,” she said, she pulled down her jacket sleeve to show him the same mark that he had seen on the girl in the hideout and the one that appeared on his leg shortly after he was bitten. “You were chosen, I’m just giving you the opportunity.” “Chosen? Who do you think you are, Yoda?” Lysander chuckled. “Chosen for what?” “There are thousands of people out there,” Lee jerked her thumb over her shoulder and pointed out her window. “Just like you and me. Descendants, is what we call them. But I’ll save the history lesson for Nik, he likes that stuff even more than me.” “Why don’t you give me the Cliffnotes version,” Lysander said. “Alright,” Lee grabbed the book she was reading when he walked in and opened it on her lap, making it face him. It wasn’t even in English, but each page had pictures and diagrams to go along. “Basically, those of us with powers are Descendants of The Greek goddess Artemis’s children. All seven of which had magical abilities.” The picture showed a beautiful woman, dark hair flowing behind her, her arms wrapped around five small children. “What’s up with these two?” Lysander pointed to the other page where two other children stood beneath a glowering man. “Ah, that’s actually your story,” Lee said with a smile. She placed her finger on the picture and Lysander jumped as it sprang to life. He watched as the children struggled to escape the grasp of the man, reaching for their mother as they were dragged away and off the page. “Thanos and Anstice, Artemis’s first two children, were from her marriage to Hades.” “Like, the guy with the blue skin in the Disney movie, Hades?” Lysander interrupted. Le laughed and nodded. “Isn’t he evil?” “He wasn’t always,” Lee explained. “He was banished to the underworld actually, when he released the Titans onto the Mortal world, and when Artemis refused to go with him, he was outraged, and he took his sons with him so that they could succeed him. But Thanos and Anstice didn’t want to, and they put up a fight. Thanos, when he tried to grasp for his mother, only got a fist full of hair. The legend is that Artemis gave him a gift that gave him the power to turn into a beast that attacked Hades and protected Artemis. When Thanos turned back into a man, he told his father he’d only go under the condition that Hades never spoke to or harmed Artemis ever again.” “So this Thanos guy,” the pages in from of him turned on their own to show a drawing of who Lysander was talking about. “Is like, the Head Guy In Charge of all Werewolves?” The word tasted weird on his tongue. Like eating something sour, it was strange to say what he really was out loud. “Yes,” Lee said. “There’s seven species of Descendants: Sorcery, Elements, Shaman, Wizardry, Shifters, Beasts - thats you- and the Resurrected.” “So what makes you so special?” Lysander asked. Lee smiled and flipped the pages herself. “We’re the Bellator Lunae,” she said. “It’s Latin for Moon Warriors. Special Descendants decided on by Merlin himself to protect the world from Eternal Darkness.” “Sounds like something from the Sci-Fy channel,” Lysander said skeptically. Lee laughed out loud. “It does, doesn’t it,” she smiled. After a minute, her face turned serious though. “Lysander, I’m giving you an opportunity to be a part of something extraordinary. We’re practically superheroes to people of our world.” She said. “And, if anything, I want to help you.” “Help me?” “I know what you’re going through must be terrifying...I remember when Victor was bitten...” With a sudden act of kindness, she reached out and took his hand. “We can help you control your morphs, teach you how to STAY you and not let the beast take over. There’s a lot of rogue wolves out in San Francisco alone who haven’t been taught how. It’s probably why you were bitten.” Lysander sighed. “What do your parents think? They must know...” Lysander stood up quickly and walked to the other side of the room, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking at the array of books on her shelves. “Oh...” she said, watching him. “You’re more like me than I thought.” “They died in a car accident, I don’t want to talk about it,” Lysander’s hands shook in his pockets. “I’m sorry,” Lee said. She sat quietly on the lounge, waiting until Lysander turned back to her. “Its just you and Jenny?” “Will she be in danger,” Lysander asked. “If I join up with you guys...” “No more than she would be on any other given day...” Lee said. Lysander thought back to the day the corner store was robbed. “In fact, you’d now have more people looking out for her than just yourself. We take care of our own, not just in the Bellator Lunae, but as Descendants.” Lysander wasn’t convinced yet. “We’ll make it work with her, Lysander. She’ll be safe, you have my word.” Lysander looked up at her as she offered him her hand. “What do you say?” Lysander looked at her hand for a moment, weighing his options. Finally, he reached out and took Lee’s hand, shaking it and a wide grin spread on her face. “One newbie-werewolf, reporting for duty.”
A little taste of Chapter 3?
“I know what you’re going through must be terrifying...I remember when Victor was bitten...” With a sudden act of kindness, she reached out and took his hand. “We can help you control your morphs, teach you how to STAY you and not let the beast take over. There’s a lot of rogue wolves out in San Francisco alone who haven’t been taught how. It’s probably why you were bitten.” Lysander sighed. “What do your parents think? They must know...” Lysander stood up quickly and walked to the other side of the room, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking at the array of books on her shelves. “Oh...” she said, watching him. “You’re more like me than I thought.”
Chapter 3 is on its way
amyone still interested in this?
Chapter Two -
Chapter Two- Lysander blinked a couple of times as he slowly came to. He wasn’t in the corner store anymore, he wasn’t home either. The room he was in was white and smelled like a hospital room. He was lying in a bed with blue sheets and was tucked in tight. “Where am I?” he called out. There was no response. “Jenny? Where are you?” “Good god you’re loud!” A girl was standing by the door, but it wasn’t Jenny. This girl had short, straight, black hair that framed her face, her bangs cut to the side and covering one of her eyes. She definitely looked younger than Lysander, no older than 15 maybe. She was wearing electric blue jeans and orange hi-tops and a white v-neck shirt with some gothic design on the front. “Don’t worry, she’s fine.” “Where am I? What happened? Who are you?” Lysander began to sit up. “Dude, seriously, calm down, we’re the good guys,” she said. She walked over to the sink on the other side of the room and brought him a small paper cup. “Drink this.” The cup held a dark purple liquid that bubbled and looked like it would be very unpleasant to swallow. “It smells like mud...” Lysander frowned at the cup. “It’s a rejuvenation potion,” the girl said. “Just drink it, you’ll feel better.” She grinned. “I’m Kiki, by the way.” Lysander stared at the drink before making a face and knocking it back, immediately gagging. “AH! Gross!” Kiki handed him a bottle of water, which he chugged as quickly as possible. “That was disgusting!” “Sorry, it doesn’t come in grape flavor,” Kiki rolled her eyes and laughed. “Come on, let’s find the others.” She offered him a hand, smiling brightly. However, when she did so, something on her forearm caught Lysander’s attention and he pulled her arm forward. “Uh ow...” “Sorry,” Lysander apologized. “But how did you get that tattoo?” “It’s not a tattoo,” she said, turning her arm for him. “It’s a mark, the mark.” “Mark for what,” Lysander asked. “Cause I have it too, it just showed up...” “Where?” Kiki asked. Lysander pointer to his leg and she immediately tore the sheets off and rolled his pant leg up. “HEY!” “OMG you’re not kidding,” Kiki touched the intricate lines and curls on Lysander’s calf that made up the shape of a crescent moon. “I must have missed it, it blends in with darker skin...” She looked up at him. “Did you get this when you were bitten?” “Bitten?” Lysander shifted uncomfortably. “Like a mosquito bite, uh, no...” Kiki crossed her arms and gave him a look that told Lysander she already knew the answer. He let out a long sigh. “Yeah, two weeks ago...” “Oh!” Kiki said. “No WONDER you were so tired, that was the first time you morphed!” “...Second...” Lysander was suddenly very uncomfortable and he squirmed in his position under the gaze of the younger girl. “Where’s Jenny?” “Oh, right your sister,” Kiki took his hand and pulled him along, “Come on then.” She led him out of the medic room. The rest of the dwelling, wherever they were, was very different from the bright white, sterile room. Kiki led him down a hall with wooden paneling on the side and a stone floor. There were several doors, all the same dark oak as the paneling, but they were all closed. Finally, he was led into a wide, open common room. Large, plush, leather sofas circled a fireplace that wasn’t lit. Above it was a TV that would be the dream screen for any Superbowl watching fan. The back of the room had been turned into a small kitchenette. On one of the sofas, someone popped up to peek over the back and Lysander noticed the three dark braids swinging around. “LYSANDER!” “JENNY!” Jenny climbed over the sofa and ran to her brother who lifted her up and hugged her close. “Jenny are you okay? You’re not hurt? Let me see you...” “I’m okay ‘Sander...” Jenny squirmed and he put her down. “They gave me ice cream and we watched Disney Channel and then Victor and I played Rock Paper Scissors and he ALWAYS chooses Rock, so I win most of the time...” “How long have I been out?” “About 8 hours,” another boy hopped over the couch and approached them. He was eerily pale, his skin even whiter with his black long sleeve shirt and light blonde hair. His eyes shined electric green, the same as Lysander’s now, as he held out a hand. “Victor Hanning,” he grinned. Lysander shook his hand, but jumped back quickly at the sight of two pointed fangs that slipped over his lips. “Don’t panic, I don’t bite...” “Much,” Kiki added with a laugh. “Lysander they have superpowers,” Jenny whispered to him. Lysander looked a them with a raised eyebrow. He opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by someone else walking in. “You’re awake!” this girl had light brown hair and looked familiar. “You were...” “Yeah, I was at the store, we brought you here,” she walked up and smiled. “I’m...” “Lee,” Lysander said, the memory fuzzy, but there. “Where is here, exactly.” “Golden Gate Park,” Lee said. “Stow Lake to be more exact.” “Behind the waterfall to be most exact,” Victor added with a grin. “What’s going on...” Lysander said. “Well, you turned into this great furry beast, and then you scared the shit out of some guys stealing Cheetos.” Kiki said with a laugh. Lee shot her a look and the younger girl quickly shut up. “We’re here to help,” Lee said. “We’re like you.” “Like me?” Lysander was skeptical. “Well...” Lee looked to the others and then back to him. “Similar.” “There’s nothing wrong with me,” Lysander said defensively. “I never said there was,” Lee said. “We all have...powers...” “Skills,” Kiki added with a grin. “Like your sister said, we have super powers.” “And now you do too,” Victor said. Lysander looked between them, skeptical and confused. He glanced again at Victor, his fangs causing an uncomfortable knot in his stomach. He pulled Jenny toward him. “Look, thanks or whatever, but you’ve got it all wrong,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with me.” “Dude...” Victor raised an eyebrow. “You’re a freeking wolf-man!” Lysander glared at him and Lee punched him in the arm. “C’mon Jenny,” Lysander said, narrowing his eyes at Victor. Lee sighed. “We’re getting out of here.” “I’ll show you out,” Lee said. Kiki and Victor looked at her in surprise. “Can’t help if he doesn’t want it.” She jerked her head for Lysander to follow her and they left the room. “I don’t get that girl sometimes,” Kiki said, shaking her head once Lee, Lysander, and Jenny left the common room. “I trust Lee,” Victor said. “She’s always got something up her sleeve.” “He’s one of us Vic, I mean really, he has the mark and his eyes are green just like yours...” Kiki frowned. “Why doesn’t he want our help?” “I dunno Ki,” Victor said, patting her shoulder. “But if anyone will figure him out, its Lee.” -------------------- “I’m sorry we scared you,” Lee said, shoving her hands in her jacket pocket as they passed through a door way that led out onto the lake. People were running past them on the path,couples on paddle boats pushed through the lake,taking pictures of the waterfall that the three of them stood under. Didn’t anyone notice the people who just appeared out of the waterfall? “You didn’t scare me,” Lysander looked down at her, his hands still holding tight to Jenny’s shoulders as she reached out to try and touch the waterfall. “No, but you don’t trust us,” Lee said calmly. “And that’s alright. Blaise tried to report us to the FBI for being aliens,” She laughed. “Are we - you? Are you aliens?” Lysander asked. “No,” Lee shook her head, but she didn’t say any more. Lysander watched the girl for a minute. She smiled sweetly, like she had a secret that she wasn’t about to share. But her eyes were filled with understanding and kindness, and something that just made Lysander want to trust her more than anything. “Well, bye...” Lysander said awkwardly. “Thanks for taking care of Jenny.” “Not a problem, she’s sweet,” Lee smiled. “Lysander, can I give you some advice?” Lysander raised an eyebrow at her. “The wolf in the store...” “I already told you that wasn’t me.” “And I didn’t say it was,” she shot back. “I was just going to say...” she looked at Jenny, still occupied with the underside of the waterfall. “The wolf was very protective of your sister, he made sure nothing hurt her. That kind of control...” she bit her lip, trying to find the right words, “That kind of control has to be practiced, and if it isn’t...” She frowned, but Lysander got the message clearly enough. He was sure, however, that he could handle it on his own. So without another word, he took Jenny’s hand and led her through the park toward the bus. -------------------------- “We could have used a werewolf, Lee,” Victor said as she pulled up her car in front of the apartment building he lived in. “Have you ever seen one fight? They’re all like RAWR and GRR and claws and teeth...” “You’re so descriptive Vic,” Lee laughed. “I do what I can,” he smirked. “You want dinner? Pops is cooking...so we’re going to order pizza...” He grinned. “No thanks, I have to take care of Gran,” she smiled. “He’ll come back.” “Hmm?” “Lysander, he’ll come back,” she said with confidence. “If anything, he’s curious.” “If you say so oh-wise-leader-of-ours,” Vic said. “See you later Lee.” “Bye Vic, say hi to your dads for me,” Victor saluted her and then walked into the building. Lee threw her car into gear and then left the Castro, hitting the highway and heading to her small town outside the city. ---------------------- Lysander sat at the table in the McDonald’s near their apartment, watching Jenny play in the structure. He drummed his fingers rhythmically, his mind racing. This time last night, he was not himself. That was an understatement. He was a monster, a beast. Hair sprouted from every pore of his body, his muscles shook and contorted, his teeth grew into fangs, his hands became paws. He looked at Jenny who was hanging upside down. “Jenny be careful!” He called out. She ignored him as she tumbled tot he ground, got up and brushed off her knees before running back onto the structure. He couldn’t help thinking of what Lee said to him. About controlling...himself...his beast. His hand touched the mark on his calf, fingers tracing the intricate design he had put to memory. Maybe he should go talk to Lee. He didn’t have to join their freak-club or anything. He could just, learn how to control this wolf thing, not change anymore, and then get on with his life. “C’mon Jenny!” Lysander called out. “Time to go!” His sister followed him and they headed home. They reached the apartment safe and sound and when Lysander put his keys by the phone while Jenny got her homework book out for him to check. Next to the phone though, something caught Lysander’s eye that wasn’t there before. A purple business card sat on the table with a black number written across the middle. “Hey Jenny, what’s this?” “I dunno,” she said, not looking up from her homework. Lysander looked at the card flipping it over and over. There was just a number, no name or anything else. He held it up to the dim light of the apartment and still, just the number. But even with all it’s mystery, Lysander still had a pretty good guess of who the number was for. He dialed quickly, holding the receiver to his ear. “Hello?” the voice on the other end replied. “Lee? It’s Lysander...” “Hey there, I see you got my number,” He could see in his mind the same knowing smile she had out at Stow Lake behind the waterfall. “Yeah...how did you do that?” “Why don’t we meet up next time you’re free and talk?” Lysander let out a sigh. “Yeah, sure, when?” “Friday? Do you think you can make it out to where I live? It’s on the card,” Lysander looked at the card in his hand and nearly dropped it when he saw that along with the number, there was now an address. “Uh...yeah...” he said, still in shock. How did she DO that? “Great, see you Friday.” “See you Friday.”
Blaise Mau
"Where are we?"
"Golden Gate Park, Stow Lake to be more exact."
"Behind the waterfall to be most exact."
Chapter 2 up tomorrow!!!
will you all do me a favor? Help me get the story out there? Reblog or Link it so other's can read in and hopefully get interested?
Chapter One -
In the times when the Ancient Gods and Goddesses ruled and oversaw the world, a woman with dark, waving hair and glowing blue eyes looked out to the darkened sky and frowned as her moon. With only a sliver of it shining over the mortal earth, Artemis could feel her body weaken. “Mother?” She turned from her balcony, looking at her eldest, a boy with the same dark hair, but his eyes glowed green. She rushed to him. “Thanos! You cannot be here,” She frowned. “It’s not safe…your father will be coming…” She could already hear the fiery rage of her husband, Hades, as he came toward her home. “Go, take your brother and hide from him.” “It’s already been set out,” Thanos said with a frown. “The gods…they’ve decided…” Artemis held her son close. “Take this,” she said. “Quickly Thanos,” She stepped back and removed the chain from her neck. The golden amulet glittered in her hand, the blue shining brighter than anything Thanos had ever seen. Artemis put her hand over the jewel and a warm light shined through the gaps in her fingers. When she removed her hands, two matching amulets shined in her hand. She took one and laced the chain around Thanos’ neck, the other where it belonged around hers. “Tell no one,” she whispered as there was someone running up the stairs. “Mother!” a younger boy, Artemis’ second child, Anstice, ran into the room, hugging his mother. “I won’t leave you.” he sobbed into her dress. “There will be none of that,” she hushed him, smoothing out the younger boy’s hair as Thanos tucked the amulet beneath his robes. “Now you two stay together, stay safe, keep each other from harm, be good.” She said. Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and the man with fire in his soul came crashing through the doors of Artemis’ wing. The boys clung to their mother, begging to stay with her, but there was no hope. The boys’ duty was to their father, and if Hades was banished to rule the underworld, so were his sons. Hades stormed toward them, rage flashing in his empty eyes. “You dare leave me?” He growled angrily. “I am not leaving anything,” She said. “I’m staying here in Olympia, it is you who is headed to the underworld.” Hades screamed in anger and pushed at Artemis, holding her against a pillar. Thanos reached out for his mother, but only gripped some of her hair. Anstice ran at his father, leaping at him to fight him off, but he was no match for Hades who slashed his clawed fingers at the boy and left him bleeding out on the stone floor. Enraged, Thanos mimicked his brother, but in mid-air he felt warmth coming from the amulet at his chest and the hair he pulled from his mother’s head wrapped around him intricately, weaving and knotting and growing until it covered him completely so that he was no longer a boy, but a wolf defending his mother. Hades had had enough and he ripped the amulet from Artemis’ neck as Thanos pounced and wrestled his father to the floor, pinning him down. “You will not harm her,” Thanos said as he morphed back to his true form. He stepped back and Hades rose. “We will go with you, but you will do no harm to her.” He then grabbed his brother’s bleeding body and held the boy to him, watching his mother with sad eyes as their father transported the three of them to hell. -------------- “Jenny!” Lysander dug through the bottom of his backpack, finding three quarters. He pocketed them. He moved to the sofa and dug through the cushions, finding more change. “Jenny, come on!” “But I don’t WANT TO go to the grocery store!” her voice wailed. “It’s too far!” “We’re just going to the corner store down the street Jen,” Lysander said with a sigh. “Why can’t we DRIVE?” She asked. He looked out the window of their one bedroom apartment and saw the fog creeping in down the street. Good ol’ San Francisco... “We don’t have a car,” he said absently as he counted out ones and change. “Ten forty two can buy...” he hummed. “That’s what? A Quart of milk and two frozen dinners?” He did the math as a ten year old in dark braids walked out, pouting at him. “Please don’t look at me like that Jenny, I can’t leave you here...” She didn’t respond but walked out the door, tapping her foot at him. Lysander rolled his eyes and zipped up his jacket, handing her one too, which she ignored. “Fine, freeze to death, see what I care,” he said. If someone had told Lysander Adams six months ago that he’d be stuck raising his ten year old sister, he would have laughed in their face. No one would trust him to cook Jenny dinner, let alone raise her. But then the accident happened, a five car pile up on Highway 101, and the seventeen year old was left alone in the world, with only his little sister with him. He dropped out of school, got a job bussing tables at a local pizza joint and another job stocking the back room at a Walgreens, sold their small house in the suburbs for a even smaller apartment in the Tenderloin district. Being a minor, they had a case worker assigned to him, a mean old broad who was looking for any reason to take Jenny off to a foster home. And Lysander wasn’t about to let that happen. And then there was what happened two weeks ago. Something that even now Lysander couldn’t explain... “Can I have a Hershey bar?” Jenny asked, pulling Lysander out of his stupor. “Huh?” “A HERSHEY bar,” she said. “Candy...” “What did you get on your spelling test?” Lysander asked. “Nine out of ten,” she said proudly. “Nine out of ten? What did you miss?” He teased as they entered the store. “I bet it was beginning...” “No!” Jenny followed him to the back of the store to the refrigerated foods. “B-e-g-i-n-n-i-n-g,” she said. “I missed obviously.” “How do you spell it?” Lysander asked. “I don’t know thats why I missed it!” “Well if you want that Hershey bar, you’re going to have to un-miss it,” he teased. She followed him through the store as he picked up their dinner, shooting out letters here an there. “Alright, last chance Jen,” Lysander held the candy up for her as they reached the front of the store. “For the chocolate.” “Obviously. O-b-v-i-o-u-s-l-y,” she said. “Ding ding ding we have a...” He looked up as the door jingled and noticed two men in ski-masks walking into the store. “...winner, Jenny c’mere,” He grabbed as her, pulling her to the back of the store slowly. They hadn’t caught sight of the siblings yet, the thugs were too focused on the cashier. But at the sight of a gun, Jenny squeaked and hugged Lysander’s leg as they swung around the corner of an aisle. The taller of the two men followed them and soon Lysander was face to face with cold grey eyes and a hand gun. “Just let us go,” Lysander said. “She’s only ten...” “Fuck you, get on the floor,” the man’s voice was slurred, he was clearly drunk and he jabbed the barrel of the gun into Lysander’s stomach. “‘Sander...” Jenny clutched his leg. “Just listen to him, get down Jennifer,” he crouched down, still staying between the gun and his sister. Quickly though, the man with the gun, kicked Lysander in the gut, knocking him over and grabbing Jenny. “LYSANDER!” “JENNY!” “Give us what we want or a bullet goes through her skull,” the thug turned to face the cashier. Lysander’s shoulders hunched and he leapt at the thug holding Jenny. But in mid-air, everything went dark, and Lysander couldn’t remember a thing. ------- “I can’t believe you made me come with you tonight,” Lee said, tugging the edge of her black dress, uncomfortable in anything shorter than her knees. Nik chuckled at his friend’s discomfort. “Well Blaise usually would do this for me, but she was busy, family stuff, so I thought I’d bring the second prettiest girl I know,” Nik gave her a charming smile and a wink. Lee rolled her eyes. Nik Harris would do anything to get a chance to flirt. “Thanks Nik,” Lee deadpanned. The friends turned the corner and headed down the street towards the club. Lee continued to fidget in her dress. “This is stupid Nik. Do I have to go? I don’t even like-,” Suddenly, a loud crashing sound echoed through the empty street, causing them both to jump. “What the…” Nik was cut off by a loud scream of terror. A man in a skimask came running around the corner, fear in his eyes, arms flailing. “MONSTER!!!” he yelled. “MONSTER!” Nearly knocking Lee and Nik over, he ran past them, running into the street and crying in terror. “We’re not going to the club, are we?” Nik asked, his question answered with Lee running in the direction the man had come from. Nik sighed and ran after her. “Lee can’t we be normal for one day...” They found themselves outside a corner store, the front window shattered onto the sidewalk at their feet. A man who matched the one who had run off screaming lied on the ground inside, bleeding and unconscious, and in the middle of a mess of broken jars and exploded soda cans was a terrified little girl, black braids falling out and her face streaming with tears. “Nik check him,” Lee pointed to the men on the ground. She then turned to the little girl. “Hi,” she said softly. “Hi, I’m Lee, what’s your name?” “J…Jen…Jenny,” the little girl sobbed. “I want my brother!” her whole body was shaking. “Where is he Jenny?” Lee stepped toward her. “The…the…the…MONSTER!” she wailed. “IT ATE HIM!” “Wolf,” Nik whispered in her ear. “No moon, they should be okay…” Lee went over to Jenny, but Nik held her back. “Nik!” He pointed to their left where bright green eyes watched them as a beast stalked out to them. The little girl shook violently as the wolf stood in front of her, shoulders hunched. “I don’t think it ATE her brother,” Nik said. “Me either,” Lee looked over to Jenny. “What’s your brother’s name sweetie?” “Lysander…” She whispered. “Lysander?” The wolf turned to Lee, growling. “It’s okay, don’t be scared, we’re friends…” Nik stood behind her, taking a long metal rod from his pocket, ready to protect her if necessary. The wolf stared her down, but Lee was calm. “You’re safe, Lysander, you and your sister are safe.” She stepped back only when his body shook. They watched as fur and claws retracted in, and as a wolf slowly turned back into a boy. Lysander the human stood taller than Lee and Nik, his shirt and pants in shreds. He swayed for a minute, looking sick. “Lysander…” Nik stepped next to Lee. “How you doing buddy?” “What happened?” He looked around. He got dizzy however and fell over, Nik catching him. “Let’s bring him to the others, huh?” Lee said. Nik nodded and brought Jenny close to them. Lee held up Lysander’s weight and Nik held his wand above them. With a flash of light they were gone, just as the ambulances and police cars came speeding down the street.