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3.18 The Prophecy

"Ella?" Ethan's voice echoed through the empty room. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, just thinking. You're home late. Are you alright?" Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just had something I needed to take care of. Work stuff, you know?" 

"Who is he?" The older woman asked suddenly.

"What?" Ethan asked innocently.

"This presence, it's different. You've been around someone haven't you? You know we have to lay low, or the headmaster will find us."

"I know, but it was a customer. How else will we wake enough money to feed ourselves? You were the one who told me that stealing wasn't acceptable.." Ethan paused and looked down. "I'm just trying to make everything work out for us."

"This man, he wasn't just another one of them, was he? We have surveyed every citizen of Moonlight Falls. He isn't one of them. Something about him is familiar but I just..."

Ethan gently placed his hand on her arm. "His name was Apollo. He's new here, said he was on some sort of business, I didn't push him."

"Doesn't that sound suspicious to you? You need to find out more, tail him," Ella suggested.

"Tail him? Ella, I can't do that..."

"Why not? Isn't our safety at all important to you?  What if he is working with the headmaster?" Ella turned and began to pace. She didn't know where she was headed, but she needed to move around, to clear her head.

Ethan could see the fear written all over Ella's face. "What if he isn't? What if he's a comrade? He might be able to help us."

 "Is he a human?" She asked.

"Yes, but..." Ethan allowed Ella to cut him off, to scold him for his stupidity like a mother would if he had one.

"He cannot help us. He has no powers to contribute to our search. He'd be more of a liability than anything."

"I just want to talk to him once and a while, Ella. I don't have any friends, and I'd like to keep this one." He grabbed on to her arm and forced her to look at him. "I just want you to be happy, Ella and if it means dropping this, then I will." 

"Is he cute?" She asked suddenly.

"What do you mean by that?" Ethan asked, a little disgruntled.

"Do you think that Apollo is good looking? It's a simple question." The woman was now smiling. 

"Yes, he is attractive," Ethan admitted.

"Ah, fine you may see him then but please don't allow this crush to be your downfall." Ella patted his head affectionately, as a mother would. 

"Thank you." Ethan nodded slightly. "But, I wouldn't call it a crush."

"Just don't forget about little old me, would you?" Ella made her way back towards the mirror and leaned against the wall again. "I have something to show you and it's quite important, will you seal the room?"

"Sure thing." Ethan pulled out his wand and casted a spell. The room began to sparkle as it closed itself in. It was the most efficient way to wipe your presence off of any map. "I knew something was bothering you, what is it?"

"I've got a lead on the child of the prophecy, I wasn't able to find much but I've got a picture of her, so it should be a start." 

She turned to the mirror and spoke to it. It revealed a picture of a floating green mask. "How can I help you Madam?"

"Please can you show Ethan what we've found?" 

"Most certainly. One moment please." The face disappeared only to be replaced by that of a tan skinned girl with salmon hair.

"Are you sure that's her?" Ethan asked.

"I'm positive, just watch."

"Lynette, please come out!" A male voice called. "It's going to be alright, I promise he'll return."

"That's what you said six months ago! Ambrose, I'm practically popping and he's no where to be seen. Why did he marry me if he didn't want to be with me?"

"I'm sure he's just scared of having a baby. He just graduated college and he's having a baby, it's scary."

"Three babies," She sobbed.

"What?" Ambrose paused, "Did you just say..?"

"He's having three babies. They're triplets, Ambrose. I can't raise three children on my own." A full sob racked her body. "What am I going to do?"

"I don't know...I'm a teenager. What do you want me to do?" The boy's voice was filled with panic and fear. 

"Ambrose! Where are you?" Another female voice called out, but it was distant.

"Come quick, please! She's having triplets!" Ambrose couldn't hide the anxiety in his voice.

"Do you mean Lynette? Right now!?" The voice called. It was much closer now.

"Lyn, please tell me you're not having the babies early!" Ambrose shouted.

"I'm not...I'm not," was all she could whisper as she cradled herself back and forth. 

"Don't scare me like that, Ambrose!"

"Mom! She's having three babies! How can I stay calm!"

It was then that the video cut off.

"I still don't get it, how can you know that she's the one?" Ethan questioned.

"She's having triplets," Ella answered bluntly.

"So?"

"Every single chosen female in her family lineage has had triplets, and now it's her turn, she's the chosen. One of those three kids will have the mark. The end of the prophecy comes about when the heir doesn't have triplets of their own," The mirror spoke.

"That sounds ridiculous." Ethan scratched his head.

"That's what the legend says. The peace lies within the chosen. She's the chosen of this generation and since the battle has ended, we will have to wait until the next generation for the child to show it's true mark." Ella saw the confusion written all over Ethan's face. "Ethan, there's a reason she looks nothing like her mother. We'll have to go into more detail when I find out more, but for now I'm positive that she's the one that we need to find."

"Alright, but Mr. Mirror over here can't tell us where she is, can he?" Ethan asked.

"We'll worry about locating her, you just worry about building the time machine. With enough luck, we can meet her right as she has the babies and determine which of the three has the mark." Ella pushed some stray hair from her face. 

"I'm going to the junkyard to find some scrap." Ethan headed towards the door, which was now unsealed.

"Please be careful, and watch this Apollo boy, we don't know who he is working for."

3.17 Different

Hey everyone, how are you?  This is the 100th post! So, yes, you can expect another special soon.

"I'm so tired, how much longer?" Apollo rubbed his eyes. They had both been sitting behind the hedge near the Vault of Antiquity.

"Until we get a breakthrough," David said, as if it was obvious. 

Apollo's stomach was beginning to growl and his head was pounding. He didn't think he could concentrate for much longer. "It's been a couple of hours."

"And?" David said coldly. Their previous truce was nonexistent. Both men were irritated beyond belief. Apollo just wanted to go home and David was so obsessed with finding out information when Apollo had told him what to do in the first place. 

"Whatever man, let's just try and focus so that we can get out of here faster." The sun was beating on Apollo's skin, he felt the sweat dripping from his forehead. He wiped it with the back of his hand, only to have more replace it.

"You humans are so fragile, but even so, Tommy holds up way better than you."

"Yeah, obviously. he's been playing baseball since high school. He's got good stamina. I'm a business major, you tell me who would last out here," Apollo said angrily.

"Fucking Damian and his bright ideas. I know he's the headmaster but you're damn unbearable," David growled.

"I am? What about you? You punched me in the face for no damn reason!" Apollo argued passionately.

"Oh, there was a damn reason alright!"

The sound of footsteps got louder and louder unbeknownst to the arguing boys. They were snapped from their thoughts when they heard someone shout, "I can see you guys!"

"Crap! That's the guy! Lay down!" David pushed him towards the ground.

"What the?" Apollo began to stutter. 

"Just shut the hell up and follow my lead."

Apollo became uncomfortable with David's head resting on his chest. He wanted to freak out and push the male off of him, but unfortunately that would blow their cover. 

"What the heck?" The red haired male laughed. "You're just two lovebirds in the bushes."

"Babe, handle this," David yawned, not turning around. Babe!? Apollo could think of ten other ways to get out of this situation that did not involve Tommy's boyfriend practically on top of him. 

"Uh...what did you think we were doing?" Apollo asked.

The man laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "I, uh...well I don't really know. I heard some voices coming from the bushes. That doesn't sound suspicious to you?"

"Well, I guess..." Apollo paused for a moment. "But, we can't meet out in the open, it's a little scandalous."

"Haha, you're right. Listen, I'm so sorry about this, I don't mean to be intruding on a moment or anything."

"No, that's ok-"Apollo began but was cut off.

"This is the only time I get to see my boyfriend, so do you mind?" David practically snapped.

Apollo stared at the stranger, wide eyed. "He's just cranky.."

"It's cool, I'm just being nosy and rude. Enjoy your time here, uh bye.." The man walked away quickly. 

"He's gone, get the hell off of me damnit!" Apollo growled softly.

"Like I wanted to be that close to you, yeah right!" David spat. "You blew our freaking cover!"

"Me? You were the one arguing with me!" Apollo exclaimed. 

"Whatever, I think it's time that we return to the palace."

"How did it go?" Damian asked.

Apollo yawned and stretched his arms over his head. "It was incredibly boring, I'm sorry."

"Unfortunately, not everything is fun and games," Damian said.

"I know," Apollo agreed. "I'm just exhausted."

"Did this freak hit you again?" Frost asked.

Apollo shook his head, "I'm fine."

"I made it clear what would happen if he touched Apollo again." Damian gave David a menacing look, causing the male to shrink backwards in fear. "Now, what kind of information did you find?"

"Tell him smartypants," David hit Apollo's arm.

"Me? Oh um, the guy had a phone conversation with some girl named Ella. He was waiting for her to show up, and he was just hanging out after he hung up."

"Did you guys wait for this girl to come?" Damian questioned.

"No, because this idiot blew our cover!" David crossed his arms over his chest.

"Me?" Apollo asked. "We were both arguing!"

"Well, what happened?" Damian asked,

"I fixed it, don't worry about it." David looked away. 

"Hmm, Tommy, I'd like you to go and follow up on this. Can you go to the vault now? Lay low." 

       "Yes sir," Tommy bowed before leaving.

 The next morning, Apollo sat down by Damian, who looked like he was meditating.

"Is something wrong?" Damian asked, eyes still closed.

"Not really, I'm just confused about everything. I think you could tell me a million times but it still wouldn't register in my brain," Apollo sighed.

"You need to figure it out yourself," Damian said.

"Mhmm, that's why I'm asking your permission to leave this place and explore, only for a few hours. I want to experience this place, now that I know it's not as dangerous as you and David made it seem."

Damian opened one eye and looked over to Apollo. "It could still potentially dangerous, depending on who you run into."

"Yes, but thats everywhere isn't it?" Apollo posed.

"You're right. I can call David to come down and supervise your trip." Damian was about to stand up when Apollo stopped him.

"No, stop. I appreciate that, but I think I just want to clear my head. I won't go far, and I'll be able to find my way back," Apollo said.

"Fine, at least take my directions. Take some of this money and go buy yourself a new outfit." Damian reached into his pocket and handed Apollo some money.

"Everyone's a critic," Apollo joked, looking down at his shirt. "David gave me this, so I'm not really surprised. Thanks, but I don't really need new clothes."

"You plan on staying here until you get Tommy on your side, right?" Damian asked. "Well, you have a long ways to go. You can't keep borrowing David's stuff."

"As long as I get to go out, I'll do it." Apollo stood up and headed to the door. "Thanks."

"Dont come back looking worse than you do now."

"Alright?" Apollo laughed.

Apollo found a nice little boutique fairly close to Damian's palace and decided to enter it. It wasn't too far that he'd get lost and it didn't look like it got that much business, so he'd be less likely to draw attention to himself. His eyes landed instantly on the red haired male behind the register. It was the same red haired male that he and David had been staking out the day before. He moved to leave the store, but it was too late, they had already locked eyes.

"Hey!" The man waved politely. "Are you stalking me?" He joked.

"I had no idea you worked here," Apollo said, eye's dashing everywhere but the man. "Funny how things work out."

"Are you new here?" He asked, striking up a conversation with Apollo. "I've never seen you around before. Moonlight falls is a big place, but you just seem different."

"Oh, yeah, I um..." Apollo paused, unable to think of a good enough lie.

"No worry man, you don't have to tell me your life story," He grinned cheekily. "I take it you're here to buy some new clothes to impress your man?"

Apollo's eyes widened. "No!" he answered too quickly. "I just want to spice up my wardrobe."

"You're in luck, I am always open to commissions. Follow me." He led him to a few racks of clothing and began to pull things out. There was an awkward silence. Apollo didn't know what to say to the guy. It was all such a strange coincidence. "Twentythree years old and picking out men's clothing, what about you? You look like you're in a bit of  rut yourself."

"You can tell just from looking at me?" Apollo asked.

"Here's a secret between you and me, I'm a mage. We kind of have a good sense of intuition. You're around my age and you're here on important business." He leaned in close to Apollo and held a single finger up to his lips.Apollo wore a bewildered expression and the man began to laugh. "Haha, now I know why I thought you were different. You're a human right? That explains why you seem so lost."

"Anyone could guess that," Apollo rolled his eyes, "that must mean that it's not really a secret that you're a mage?"

"Nope," he laughed again. "Some people like to call it being  witch, but that just sounds so nasty, you know?" He leaned against the clothes rack and handed Apollo a few shirts and a pair of jeans. "Go and try these on. You need to layer the shirts."

"Am I wearing this right?" Apollo asked, coming out of the dressing room.

"Yeah, hold on." He grabbed the top of Apollo's shirt and began to unbutton the top few buttons. "That's for your boyfriend, he'll be thanking me."

Boyfriend. It was a strange word when spoken aloud. Boyfriend. Apollo repeated it in his head. He couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "He's not the one I'm trying to impress."

"So you're that kind of man?" The man wore a teasing man.

"What? Oh man, I didn't even mean to say that!" Apollo stammered.

"I don't judge man, we all have things that make us tick." He held his arms up. "You look good, I can ring you up."

"You're really trying hard for that commission," Apollo said. "I don't know if I like wearing a button down, vest and blazer, it seems kind of excessive."

"I promise that it looks good, for whoever you're trying to impress. It requires a little effort, but doesn't it all make up for it when you see that person's smiling face?" Ella? Apollo thought to himself. Could this man be talking about her? But he was right. Even though Apollo knew a stupid shirt wouldn't change things between him and Tommy, he'd like to think he was doing something more than just screwing things up.

"You can ring me up," Apollo nodded. "You're a good salesman."

"I know every trick in the book, see that?" The man gave him a thumbs up.

"I don't know if you're joking or being serious," Apollo sighed.

"Is that all?" The man punched a few buttons on the cash register before handing Apollo back his change.

"No, thanks a lot for your help." Apollo began to count the change in his hand. "Hold on, you gave me--"

"Employee discount." He swatted Apollo's hand away. "Don't worry about it."

"Thank you." Apollo smiled kindly as he left the building.

"Hold on, wait!" The man called out. Apollo spun around on his heels, almost too eagerly. "I never caught your name."

"Oh, it's Apollo."

"I'm Ethan." I hope we run into each other again, things get so boring in Moonlight Falls with the same faces, he thought.

3.16 Misconception and Regret

Warning: Minor Cursing. 

A very angry Tommy met Apollo in the armory the next day. Apollo dragged his feet, in no mood to actually go out and coexist with David for more than five minutes. He wasn't mad at David after hearing his story initially, but now, Apollo was livid. Was any of that crap about humans taking advantage of him and performing experiments even true? Probably not, David was just spewing nonsense to get away with punching Apollo in the face. Apollo found himself face to face with the man he had come all this way searching for. Except, he was hoping his reaction would be a bit nicer.

"You're not going to be wearing that today, are you?" Tommy scoffed.

"Well, it's really the only outfit I have with me. I didn't think I'd be staying here..." Apollo murmured.

"What did you even come here for?" Tommy looked at Apollo indignantly.

"To find you and explain everything. I thought that you'd be a little more willing to accept me than you are though," Apollo answered honestly.

"It was a waste of a trip then." Tommy turned his back to Apollo and examined the weapons on the walls.

"It doesn't have to be if you'd just hear me out-" Apollo began but was quickly interrupted by Tommy once again.

"How can you expect me to accept someone like you? When we kissed," Tommy lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. "I was confessing my attraction to you. I was letting all those feelings that I was constantly being told were wrong, all out. I wasn't expecting to feel any sparks, but I did and I got scared and ran off. Stupid me for thinking that you'd come running after me like it was some sort of movie. When I finally got the courage to come back, I find you with my sister and when I confront you about the spark I felt, I saw it in your eyes that you felt it too. But here you are, married to my sister. I can't accept someone who isn't true to themselves. I may be a lot of things, but fake isn't one of them."

"You're right, I did feel that spark. After you kissed me, I was terrified. I was one of those people who were accepting of people who were gay, but I didn't think that it was right for me to be that way. I told your sister what happened that night and she kissed me. She asked me whose lips tasted better and obviously the choice was you," Apollo breathed, his heart beating faster and faster.

"That's a load of bull," Tommy growled.

"It isn't!" Apollo protested.

"Then what the hell happened?" Tommy demanded.

"I don't know!" Apollo exclaimed, holding his now pounding head. "I was home one day and then bam, it's suddenly four years later and I'm married to Lynette."

"Come up with a better excuse," Tommy said as he began to push past Apollo.

"It's the truth, Mason did it, he said something about doing the guardians a favor. I don't know..."

Tommy froze in his tracks but spoke again, with his back to Apollo. "Change that ugly shirt. You're a dead giveaway. We don't have those characters." He pointed to the bright skulls on Apollo's T-shirt. "David will give you something."

"I will?" David asked, coming in to the room.

"Yeah, you will," Tommy said bluntly.

"Picking you as my human was one of the best and worst decisions of my life," David smirked, pulling Tommy in by the waist and planting a kiss on his cheek.

Apollo quickly interrupted the two by asking a question. "Can I ask what you mean by 'picking him as your human'?" 

"I forget that not every human is as smart as mine." David unlinked his arms from Tommy's waist and began to explain. "Humans are not allowed here unless given permission by Damian. I wasn't lying about that part. In order to ensure the human's understanding, loyalty and safety, a supernatural has to accompany them, as what you guys would consider a sponsor or mentor. Of course, nobody here is really too fond with humans. You guys, well most of you guys like to screw things up. That's why we call you guys our pets, because if we find someone worth taking all the crap for, they're ours."

Apollo let out a sigh of relief. "I thought you guys meant that humans were like slaves or something!"

David shook his head. "Even we're not that messed up. Just stick with that freakin ice girl and you'll be fine. You're brainwashed by the guardians enough as it is."

"We need to talk about that later actually," Tommy whispered to David who nodded in response. "Give Apollo a shirt. I have things to do. When you guys are done meet Damian in the throne room. We have little time to wait." He made his way to leave but stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Apollo, this isn't some video game. It's real life, so don't screw up."

"Nice of you to join us gentleman," Damian said calmly.

Both David and Tommy bowed down to Damian. Apollo stood in his place, unaware of what he should be doing. He was a bit confused. He wasn't just going to bow down to the guy who he had just seen a week ago in University. It was weird. Instead, his eyes trailed to a very subdues Frost Bite. She was leaned against the wall, eyes shut. "Are you ok?" He blurted out.

"I'm good, just had a misunderstanding with Mr. Vampire King over here." Frost let her shoulders droop as she looked up at Apollo. "I don't like this green guy, be careful."

"I'm right here!" David grunted.

"You punched him in the face!" Frost shouted. "What the hell?"

"He shouldn't have broke Tommy's heart. He fucking deserved it!" David shouted back. "He's a fucking asshole!" Damian sighed and began to rub his temple. 

"Enough! What the hell is the matter with the three of you?" Tommy asked. "Show the headmaster some respect!"

"Excuse me?" Frost stepped forward and leaned down so her face was inches from Tommy's. "You may have control over lizard boy over there, but Apollo and I are not under your jurisdiction. It's pitiful, how you bend to Damian's every will. Big whoop, he's letting you stay here. No need to kiss his feet. You have no reason to even be here."

"Frost..." Apollo began but Tommy cut him off.

"Don't think that because you're a guest, that you're privileged. I can't hit you but I can make your little puppet pay for all the crap that the guardians have done." Tommy didn't have to look at Apollo. He knew that he was the puppet. Apollo sure as hell felt that he was being used, not just by the guardians but by everyone, even Tommy and Damian.

Damian let out a low chuckle and all eyes landed on him. "You're such a liar, Tommy. Ignore him Apollo, he won't hurt you, and you know that. As for you Frost Bite, I can only tolerate you for so long before I detain you. I'm trying my best to be kind to you because of Apollo, but you're treading on thin ice here."

 "Hahaha!" David held his stomach as he laughed. "Ice...get it?" Tommy hit his stomach quickly, causing the green boy to shut up.

"I...." Apollo began. He felt his lips going dry. "I just have a question for all of you."

Glares fell on Apollo from everyone except Damian who just nodded calmly. "Go ahead."

"Ok, uhmm..." Apollo scratched his head trying to find a way to word his question.

"Are you sure it's a question you'd like to ask in front of everyone?" Frost asked innocently.

"Do you have something to hide?" Tommy asked.

"Whats....well, what's going on? I want a straight answer for once!" 

"We don't have time for this!" David groaned. "We have a mission to do!"

"I told you everything yesterday," Frost said, ignoring the green haired male.

Apollo shook his head. "No, you didn't. You forgot to mention the therapist. The reason that you so willingly took me to Tommy to avoid telling me about."

"We had a deal. I can't tell you about the therapist, I'm sorry..." Frost said quietly.

"Fine, then tell me why everyone is so obsessed with my family! Damian, you tell me. Let's see if your stories match up."

"I touched on this a little bit the other day, but there are three factions fighting right now. The guardians want to save the future and they think they can do it through ten generations of the Gray family.Everyone else is trying to stop the guardians and so unfortunately you and all the other heirs to the Gray family will be targeted by many." 

"I have one more question..." Apollo began but Damian waved his hand.

"You guys really need to go to your investigation. Besides, wouldn't you rather hear that answer from Tommy himself?"

"How did you...?" Apollo stuttered. He was going to ask Tommy why he was here of all places.

"Vampires can read minds," David whispered. "Kind of annoying sometimes."

Once everyone was gone, Frost began to yell at Damian. "What the hell are you putting in Apollo's head?"

"Me? I don't know anything about a therapist, and apparently that's the key to solving this little mystery," Damian said calmly.

"What mystery? There isn't any mystery! It's just the guardians working together with the Gray family to make a better future!"

"May I ask you something, and get a serious answer?" Damian questioned. "What exactly is the plan? How are ten generations going to help you achieve your goal?"

"Why do you care?" Frost spat.

"I want a better future, but I can't jump on board with the guardians unless I'm sure that what you guys are doing is right."

"By the span of ten generations, Lunar Lakes is supposed to fall. The people begin to fight and it's absolutely horrible. The whole planet becomes uninhabitable and because of their former isolationist policies, once everyone dies, thats it. Nobody knew about Lunar Lakes. That fall destroyed many people that were the cause of such great achievements in the future. We need to stop that fall," Frost said. 

"How do you expect to do that if Apollo lives in Sunlit Tides?" Damian asked.

"We're working on it. Legacies aren't exactly the easiest thing to control," Frost sighed, lightening up a bit. "I assure you, that we mean absolutely no harm to the Gray family. We're just trying to help!"

"You must understand that the end doesn't justify the means," Damian spoke. "You might be spreading the Gray family, especially Apollo too thin. Consider relinquishing him to my care."

"What? No way! I can't do that. We need him. We aren't doing anything to hurt him. Some mistakes have been made, sure, but no plan is going to be perfect! Apollo doesn't need t o know everything. Don't they say that ignorance is bliss? Why are you trying so hard to thwart our plans? A better future for Moonlight Falls is possible too, that's why Angel is working with us!"

"She's leading you," Damian corrected. "She's leading you down a path of misconception and regret. She isn't the pretty face that you guys thing you know so well. Think about it Frost, if time travel was real, how come the future hasn't been more adversely affected? Why is there only Oasis Landing in the future?"

"Not this again! Emit controls the timeline, that's why the future is tameable. Oasis Landing is one big place where everyone is happy. Don't you get it, Damian? We're doing the right thing!"

"You're wrong, and Mason is proof."

"Mason isn't a product of us, and he never will be!" Frost protested, but it fell on deaf ears. Damian had his ideals and Frost had hers. Only, whose was right? 

"Tell me again why this is necessary?" Apollo looked down at the faint plaid white shirt he was wearing. Button downs were definitely not his thing. He probably looked like an idiot. 

"If we don't hide like this then the target will see us," David said.

"No, I get that. I mean why are we doing this to begin with?" Apollo asked.

"Do you even know where we are?" Apollo shook his head and David continued. "That right there is the vault of antiquity. All of the supernatural texts from the beginning of time are stored there. You need to have certain blood to get into the place. There's this guy who's been seen trying to break in with his magic several times. Tommy heard him say that he'd be here at this time so now we're waiting for him." 

"What do you mean certain blood?" 

"The supernatural higher ups. Angel, Damian, Xepher and Lucas. Angel represents the fairies, Damian represents the vampires, Xepher is in charge of the mages and wizards and Lucas is the head of the werewolves," David answered.

"What about you? What exactly are you?" His skin was green and scaly, he could be a mage. He looked more like a humanized lizard person. Well, maybe he was just being jealous, but that was besides the point. 

"I'm an imaginary friend," David mumbled, looking away.

"What?" Apollo asked but was cut off by David's voice.

"Look, over there! That's our guy! We're listening for the reason that he could be trying to bust into the vault. Keep your ears and eyes open, and don't get caught."

It was a handsome male around his age, if he had to guess.

"What is he doing?" Apollo whispered.

"That allows you to tell your horoscope by looking at the moon, it's pretty nifty," David said. "Its weird for a mage to be using that, considering they have spells that could tell him the same thing."

"Can't you just look at the constellations or something?" Apollo asked,

"Just listen to the guy, will ya?" David rolled his eyes. 

"Aww man, bad luck?" The man sighed. "The stars aren't aligning for me, today."

"It's daytime how is he checking the moon..." Apollo began.

"Shut up, no comments from the peanut gallery!" David hit Apollo's arm.

The man walked away, looking considerably upset, as if his horoscope was going to come true. He made his way towards a smaller building which David pointed out was the Vault of Antiquity. "Wait, David. If only four people can get in, why are you guys threatened by him?"

"Magic is a funny thing.If you can wield it well enough, you can do anything." Maybe I need a mage to help me stop Mason, Apollo thought to himself. 

 

The man's phone began to ring. He looked down at it and let the song play for a few seconds before answering it.  "Yo!" The man began to pace back and forth as he talked to the man. "Dude, where are you?" He listened for a few minutes before speaking again. "What do you mean? Thirty minutes? Come on, seriously?" He looked visibly upset. "I am being patient, but this is important! You're the only one who can help me Ella, please come as soon as possible....yeah, I know, but I thought that we could hang out before, I know but...yeah, got it. I'll wait for you here." He sighed before hanging up the phone. "This girl is going to be the death of me," He said to himself.

"What do you think?" David asked Apollo.

"He is meeting up with his girlfriend Ella?" Apollo guessed.

"I wish we could hear what she's saying."

"Well you know her name is Ella, can you search for her? Maybe finding out about her will tell you everything you need to know," Apollo suggested. 

"Ella what? That's all we know about her. Do you know how many Ella's there are probably living here?"

"She's probably a mage, start with that. Search the internet or something."

David poked his shoulder. "Watch his demeanor, see if that says anything about him."

The man leaned up against the door of the vault casually. He stretched his arms above his head before settling them behind his head. "You try to be nice to a girl and she automatically thinks that you're hitting on her. Typical..." He looked deep in thought. This Ella girl didn't seem like his girlfriend. Apollo kept listening for hints of her, thinking that'd be the best way to solve this case. The man kept checking his watch constantly. "Come on..." He said impatiently, stepping away from the door. 

"I think we may be on to something," David whispered as he inched a bit closer. "This guy speaks his mind, perfect."

"Careful..." Apollo whispered back, gently tugging David's shirt. "Don't screw up," He taunted.

"How could Tommy like an ass like you in the first place?" David turned back to the target but Apollo saw the smirk that was playing on his lips.

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The intense stakeout will be continued in the next chapter! Thanks for reading :)

3.15 Dimension Shifting

Frost Bite stretched her arms and yawned. Looking around, she realized that she was in a bedroom.

"You're up," David said.

"Congratulations Captain Obvious!" Frost laid a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump. "I'm in Damian's place, aren't I?"

"Mhmm, fortunately for you, that boy has an attachment to you. He somehow believes the crap that you're spewing. He wouldn't let the fairies heal him until he knew that you were ok as well. Hence, you being here," David stated.

"Hmm, using me as a bartering device, impressive. Damian always was a cunning one. Unfortunately for him, his little reign of terror ends today. He isn't going to be brainwashing MY little Apollo. I mean I did come here with him, right? So by the laws that he has created, Apollo is my responsibility. It's a shame, if you guys didn't treat humans as such outsiders, you'd be more in control." Frost laughed.

"The headmaster is in control. You guardians are the ones who aren't. Everyone here knows that you guys are nothing but a scam. Even worse than those prodding humans are you guardians. Who exactly chose you guys to represent us? Where are the vampires, werewolves, imaginary friends? We're all insignificant to your little fairy queen, Angel. You're lucky that you have that human backing you up!" David spat.

Frost crossed her arms. "Where is he?"

"I'm not ordered to give you that information."

"Mark my words David Gardner, the guardians are a much stronger force than Damian alone will ever be. We're fighting for the salvation of the future, and to secure that, we need Apollo. We will do anything to achieve our goals." Frost lowered her eyes.

David began to laugh. "Are you serious?  What's that old adage, 'The end doesn't justify the means?' You need to watch yourself before your plans blow up in your face."

"Like you're one to talk. You're nothing but Damian's little toy. But, that doesn't really concern me right now. My little Apollo is worried bout me, right? So take me to him."

David shook his head. "If it was up to me I'd get rid of both of you, but it's not up to me, it's up to Damian."

"How do you feel?" Damian asked.

"A little weirded out," Apollo answered honestly.

"I meant healthwise, Apollo," Damian chuckled.

"Right, well...I'm feeling good. I don't know what those fairies did but it worked." Apollo patted his hair down and looked at Damian. "It's kind of weird hearing you laugh. I didn't think you had any emotions."

"I had an image to protect."

"Why...why were you in disguise? Were you undercover or something?" Apollo asked.

"Precisely," Damian nodded. "I was alerted to Mason's presence. I couldn't send in any of my agents in fear of betrayal. Moonlight Falls is divided into three entities. There's those supernaturals who are loyal to me. They believe in my policies and trust in me as their ruler. There's those supernaturals who support Angel and her legion which she calls the guardians. Her supporters are rebelling against me and trying to end my rule. Lastly, there's those supernaturals who don't really care who's in charge, as long as the humans are kept at bay."

"Wait, I don't understand. Everyone keeps mentioning the guardians. Who are they exactly?" Apollo questioned.

"The guardians are a group of supernaturals and time travelers who believe that the future will be destroyed unless they intervene. There are nine of them in total, Frost being part of it. Apollo, you really should look into your family history. Two members of your family have been a part of this faction, a faction that is mislead in their beliefs." Apollo looked at Damian with a bewildered expression. This was the first time he was hearing any of this. "Right now there's a revolution going on and once again there's three entities heading it. I already mentioned the guardians and their want to change the future. The other entity is a man by the name of Mason Moon. He's a destructive force with more power than he knows what to do with. His intentions aren't clear, but he has been interfering in the timelines of your family for years. The last entity is me. I believe strongly that both Mason and the guardians are wrong. They're trying to change a future that simply doesn't exist. The future they claim is being destroyed is Oasis Landing, rumored to be the future of Riverview. Don't you think something as fragile as Time is destructive? Think about it, if everyone went into the future, wouldn't it be destroyed? If your actions change the future, why hasn't it been destroyed earlier?"

"What does that mean?"

"Oasis Landing is not part of another time period. It's in another dimension entirely. What I do here does not affect Oasis Landing. Think about it, how can all of these worlds lead to just one place in the future? Time travel isn't possible and it never will be. it's too dangerous of a thing. I don't believe that Mason and Emit are time travelers, I think that they're  dimension shifters."

"I think I'm missing some information. So, time traveling, future, all of this is real? What you're saying is the guardians want to make the future a better place by involving themselves with my family, and Mason is trying to do something that nobody knows about, that ultimately destroys my family's life and you think that they're both insane because time traveling to the future is insane. Did I miss anything?"

Damian sighed, "You summed it up pretty well, but I can tell that you still don't really understand me. I think the only way you'll understand is if you go to Oasis Landing yourself and see what I'm talking about. You just need to find a portal, which your father, grandfather and Frost Bite should know the whereabouts of."

Apollo opened his mouth to say more when the door creaked opened, revealing an orange haired male. 

"My Lord, I apologize for my tardiness, and for David's behavior."

"Stop calling me that. I'm nothing of the sort. I'm a friend before a headmaster," Damian shook his hand and motioned the boy to stand up.

"Tommy!" Apollo couldn't contain himself. He stood up from his chair, only to be met with a harsh glare.

"What the hell is this Damian?" Tommy practically growled.

"Apollo is here on an important mission," Damian stated simply. "Which I need you two to work on together. How does that sound?" 

"You know the circumstances!"

"I understand that Tommy, but there isn't anyone else as stealthy as you. There isn't anyone else I trust with this job," Damian said.

Tommy let out a sigh. "I really hate that you're my boss sometimes." Damian and Tommy stared at each other for a moment before Tommy spoke up again. "I'm sorry Damian, I'm thankful for everything you have done for me in the past few years, but I'm not working with Apollo. You can't possibly imagine the torment this asshole has put me through."

"What did I do?" Apollo asked desperately. He looked from the headmaster to the subject. Time hadn't been too kind to him. Time had created such unimaginable torments and rifts, especially in his life. His almost sort of love life was destroyed instantaneously, his school life was snatched from him and new things he didn't think were possible were tossed in front of him. He wanted to look Damian in the eye and tell him that his theory was absurd. Seeing Frost Bite had convinced him that supernaturals were real. He could even jump on the time traveler band wagon, but dimension shifting was out of the question. That couldn't be true, otherwise time couldn't have sped up three years. Unless, he was in another dimension completely. His eyes glided over Tommy's muscular shoulders, down his well built chest and then back up to his handsome face. All of Apollo's other thoughts seemed to drift away as he thought about how good looking Tommy had gotten. Tommy was Apollo's childhood friend and college buddy in those jocky outfits. Now, in his tight red top and even tighter grey jeans, Apollo couldn't look away. Those tattoos and piercings were sexy. What exactly had happened in those three years? What was going on right now? It didn't matter if he got to stare at Tommy for just a few more seconds.

"You know damn well what you did." Tommy lowered his eyes. "I never thought that my half sister would become more important to you than me."

Apollo felt like Tommy had just punched him in the gut. No, Lynette wasn't more important to him than Tommy was. Maybe Apollo was jumping too early onto the love train, but he knew that he'd be happier taking the risk with Tommy than playing perfect family with Lynette. How had a time skip changed his life so drastically? How was it so easy for someone like Mason to manipulate him? He kept pinching himself, but he hadn't woken up yet. "She's not..."

"You have some nerve. Yeah, Lynette and I don't get along all the time but at the end of the day she's still my sister and I'll be damned if you try that stupid crap on me while you're married to her!"

Once again Apollo was interrupted by the door slamming open. All eyes were fixed on the blue girl as she ran towards the front of the room. David chased after her, swooping her into his arms easily and tossing her over his shoulder. "Damnit, you don't listen do you?"

"Leave him alone. Don't brainwash him!" She squirmed in David's grasp.

"I'm simply telling him the truth, one that your group just can't seem to grasp. You can't shield him forever," Damian said.

"What the hell is going on David?" Tommy asked.

"This little devil is from the guardians," David chuckled. "I didn't really think that nine people alone could cause so much damage, but it looks like they found a way." He used his free hand to point to Apollo. "This idiot right here is apparently really important."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't pound his face in anymore," Damian said. "Now let her go."

"What?" David's eyes widened. "No way! Do you know what we could do with her? If we hold her hostage, those other guardians will come to get her and we can weed them out, one by one!"

"That's idiotic," Tommy said. "We don't exactly know what they're capable of."

"We won't sink down to their level." Damian motioned for David to drop the girl. "Apollo isn't some tool that I'm using to save the world. He's far from it." Damian looked at Apollo before speaking again. "He's a friend, and as such, I'd appreciate if you guys would treat him as one as well. With Apollo comes Frost Bite and so we must treat her as fine as we would any other guest."

"I would reconsider that statement," Tommy said bluntly. "With all due respect headmaster, I'm your friend. Apollo is far from that. He brings despair everywhere he goes."

"Loosen up, would ya?" David slinked his arms around Tommy's waist. "He's just a little pest. Don't let his presence bother you too much." David's lips trailed Tommy's neckline, causing him to close his eyes in content. 

"I love you," Tommy murmured.

"I love you too and I won't let this little shit harass you. You've had enough crap to deal with, without his sorry as showing up."

Tommy's lips curved into a small smile. "You remembered everything I told you?"

"Of course," David whispered.

Frost crossed her arms defiantly. "If you're going to treat me like one of your guests, then I demand some sort of compensation. This man needs to be punished. He attacked Apollo because of his past relationship to Tommy. That's unacceptable!" 

Damian smirked. "Wait...you knew that all along?" Apollo cried out. 

"Sorry," Damian shook his head. "I couldn't get to you in time. I didn't think the idiot would use magic on you though. For that, I'm deeply apologetic. He will be punished for using magic on a human. He'll be staking out the cemetery with you, since Tommy is so against the idea of going himself."

"What!?" David, Tommy, Frost and Apollo all exclaimed.

"That's all I have to say to you guys right now. Apollo, go and get some rest. We'll have time to talk about things later. David will teach you everything you need to know about your mission. You guys will leave tonight."

"You trust this guy with such a big task?" David asked in disbelief.

"Mhmm." Damian stood up from his chair. "Go and show him to his room Tommy. If I find out that either of you has shown any ill-will towards Apollo or Frost Bite, you'll perish and I won't hold back."

Tommy lowered his eyes but left the room, hand in hand with David.

"Couple of jerks!" Frost huffed.

"What exactly happened three years ago?" Apollo demanded.

"How am I supposed to know?" Frost asked.

"I need to know the damn truth if I'm going to even think about trusting you and your plan. I need you to sum it all up for me." 

Frost sighed, leaning against the wall. "I knew Damian would say something. Ok, well one day Emit Relevart, the time traveler of the guardians realized that Oasis Landing was falling apart. It wasn't the strong and prosperous town that he had imagined it would be. Slowly, technology had consumed everyone's lives. One program malfunction would leave the city vulnerable. It was a horrible way to live. People were becoming less social and eventually, as silly as this sounds, the populations began to die out. New species like me had been created to maintain the balance and somewhere along the breeding, fairies, werewolves and other supernaturals were created. Once again, the humans and their plumbot companions took over Oasis landing, shoving us supernaturals to reside in Moonlight Falls. The guardian's goal is to repair this future but still keep these races alive. In order to do that, we have entrusted this task onto your family whose goal is to ultimately live ten generations out in a way that will potentially have an effect on the future. Your grandmother was the target after Emit had wrongfully traveled to Lunar Lakes rather than Riverview. From there on, she married a guardian who renounced his membership and gave up his near immortality. That's Levi. The only problem was Mason. He and your grandmother were married, and Caleb was their child. But, Athena chose Levi, his little brother, over him." Frost Bite continued to tell Apollo everything she knew about Mason's past, his father's relationship to the guardians and his loss of memory. She even told him about his mother's relationship to Emit and how the time traveler was really Apollo's grandfather. Frost left no stone unturned and after all was said and done she let out a huge sigh of relief. "Mason has been destroying our plans and I don't fully understand why right now. He'll most likely interfere in your kid's lives as well, but we have to fight. He's nothing but a small threat. We've worked so hard to get this far. What I can tell you about the last three years is this: You graduated college with honors. You were offered a big corporate job which you accepted. Tommy had not returned to college because of his parent's move. Lynette on the other hand took out loans to stay in University with you. Without Tommy as a distraction you found out your true feelings."

"There's something missing from that," Apollo said. "What was the real reason I fell for Lynette? What aren't you telling me?"

"I told you everything. You two were really close. Katherine wanted nothing to do with you or Lynette. Damian returned here, Mason left and Tommy wasn't there. All you really had was Lynette to turn to, and we all know how clingy and easy you are to fall in love with something."

"Excuse me?" Apollo asked, offended. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Frost pondered telling him but thought that it was a terrible idea. She turned to leave with a smirk playing on her lips."Oh, nothing."
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The house used in this chapter and future chapters is this one here: Castle of Dark Age by -Shady- on Mod the Sims. NOT BY ME.