#valerie jackson

[carmahnart]

my favorite animated gals 💁🏾‍♀️💕

[itshype]

Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss, Godhood (DC x DP)

What’s the best way to cover up a secret when Danny can’t lie very well? Make an even more elaborate lie – but one that tugs on the heartstrings! My DC x DP Previous Works: Space Lover Danny, Kingmaker Danny, Service Animal Cujo, Danny yoinks Connor, Ghost Bruce HC + Ghost Jason HC

So, Danny's government just made his existence illegal. Which is rude and very othering and mean. In canon, Danny sort of slides around this but hey, this should be a pretty upsetting incident.

So, Vlad immediately switches his attitude (because your girl loves redeemed Vladdie!), and the two work together for weeks to try and minimise any chances of either of them getting caught. Danny is really feeling the whole “Only two of their kind” when his president declared open season on Danny (I don’t care if this isn’t how laws work in America. I’m not American I don’t care for foreign legal accuracy).

And so, weeks later, they’re actually together in ghost form with Extended Team Phantom (Tucker, Sam, Jazz and Valerie) trying to figure out their best way forward because if Vlad openly opposes these laws as Mayor too publicly the GIW might start looking at him way too closely and everything would unravel. They really can’t pretend that revealing the possibility of a human/ghost hybrid wouldn’t put events around whichever of them hadn’t been caught under a brand-new light.

Valerie is there pretending not to be emotionally invested in her boss’ and Danny’s welfare while reading a book and occasionally leaping in with “Devil’s Advocate” comments of how the Fenton parents and GIW might respond to some of their ideas.

Then the Justice League show up. Now there’s a whole law (please see Navigate any storm for my HC about the JLA’s relationship with the anti-ecto acts) they're obligated to step in. Now, I’ve been pretty uniform with who I’m including in these notfics so for a change, here we get Wonder Woman, Barry Allen’s Flash, Supergirl and I think Jason Todd but dressed up as Batman (Bruce got a booboo on his ickle frontal lobe and is out for the count, Flash and Supergirl are here because I loved their dynamic in all crossovers in the DCTV universe PRE-crisis).

Here we have the perfect storm of well read (Diana and Jason) but kind of gullible and not-as-paranoid as Batman (Flash and Supergirl, Jason is definitely suspicious but would defer to an expert like Wonder Woman in the right scenario).

Diana has shown up ready to fight, Hestia’s lasso glowing in her hands, and Team Phantom is sharp – they’re well trained and smart, but they can’t really compete against superhumans like the JLA. Diana demands that they all surrender and relinquish control over their human sycophants before being taken into custody for violation of the anti-ecto acts and performing actions of war on civilians or whatever other legal stuff she knows about.

The two halfas are floating and green so denying any knowledge would be bad. Vlad steps forward to try and babble on to buy Danny time and he scrambles for an escape. He doesn’t see a way out, but what he does see is the book that Valerie was reading. Percy Jackson. He looks back at Wonder Woman. Back at the book. Back at the Daughter of Zeus.

“Cousin! It’s so great you came to visit us at last!”

That at least gets Wonder Woman to pause. She asks what he’s talking about. Then “Batman” says not to let the ghost confuse them. He’s glaring at the vampiric ghost who seems to be trying to protect the smaller one. Vlad has legs, Danny has his little tail form.

Danny lets out the fakest laugh you’ve ever heard. He explains that ‘of course’ they weren’t ghosts. They were superpowered beings. Superpowered beings are protected by metahuman law.

“Batman” points out that they both look a lot like ghosts. Danny’s mind is scrambling for the right names. He finds them.

“Oh, I am actually the son of Melinoe, goddess of ghosts.” Daughter of Persephone, would make him Diana’s first cousin, once removed. Totally fit in with his power set plus she was a really obscure goddess who wasn’t very well known or documented, and therefore he could make up stuff about his ‘mother’ if he so chose.

“And who’s the vampire?” Barry asks, though Jazz, at least can tell that everyone is way less on-guard.

“I am…” There’s a very long pause. “His Father. Deimos. God of Dread. Son of Aphrodite and Ares!” Danny wants to smack him.

Okay, great, Vlad just ‘yes, and’ed Danny from being a demigod to the both of them being full-blown gods in their own right. Sure.

“Yes! I am Phantom…”

Jazz cuts him off to say that his name was Phántasma [φάντασμα] and of course the locals just anglicized it to Phantom from the original Ancient Greek. Danny agrees and goes onto explain how he was a pretty new god – y’know, comparatively – and these were some nice humans who were all considering becoming his priestesses and priest. Sam ducks in to explain how Phantom – sorry, Phantasma, was the god of ghosts finally relinquishing hold on their forms and surrendering to the afterlife. Something chill and small, nothing that would necessitate him getting involved with human affairs and no abilities that would mean any extra attention from the Justice League.

Diana starts to cry, she thought she was all alone in the world and right here was her cousin. All along she had family in the realm of men, family who had been so excited to meet her yet who had not reached out. Unfortunately, Danny made a mistake. Melinoe isn’t Hades and Persephone’s daughter. She’s Zeus and Persephone’s daughter. Diana connects the dots and in a single instant stops crying.

“A baby brother!” She reaches forward to squish Danny’s face.

Jazz takes great offense at that. Danny is her brother (though she can’t admit that). Danny’s at closest, Diana’s half nephew – but since he’s her half nephew on BOTH sides she’s willing to concede him as her full nephew.  Diana argues that since her Dad is Danny’s grandfather and great-grandfather plus great uncle, their ichor is close enough that he’s basically her full brother. Ironic as Deimos would actually be closer to being her half-brother. Vlad is a creepy old vampire though, not an adorable teen superhero.

Tucker makes up a very elaborate story about being too insecure to reach out before now. He requests Phantasm’s blessing to convey this story to Wonder Woman so that Danny doesn’t have to say anything.

Valerie gets out a notebook to try and map out this fictional family tree while googling all the deities’ names she doesn’t already recognise. It makes her thankful it is only fictional. Phantasma’s family tree looks more like a Christmas wreath. “Batman” is also trying to figure out the most appropriate relationship between Phantasma and Diana in his HUD.

This is when everyone has made their biggest mistake, not paying attention to Vlad for more than a minute. This is a problem he is thrilled to remedy. His chest swells and he starts to prattle on about how hard it’s been for him as a single father since his beloved Melinoe died in the God War (Wonder Woman’s cinematic canon prequel). Of course, Supergirl asks how they survived, and they say some very broad things about sheltering in the afterlife where Ares could not reach them, as gods are most powerful in their own domain.

Disregarding the fact that if this all were true, Danny would be about 100 years older than her, Diana acknowledges that a child without a mother must struggle and offers to help Danny whenever necessary. If he wanted to, he could come live with her in DC and meet all her superhero friends to help guide him.

They’re scrambling for a reason as to why Danny would turn down this offer. Vlad speaks first. He explains that since his mother’s death, Danny has overtaken her domain as the god of all ghosts and, while Phantom is very clearly not a ghost, he couldn’t possibly leave all his subjects. Especially since the stupid GIW keep attacking father and son. Vlad says that honestly, the US government should be glad that they haven’t smote them, the GIW and everyone else who would challenge them.

Diana is horrified. Ghosts are revolting scum, and her two new family members are full-blooded gods who shine with otherworldly power and definitely not the glow of ectoplasm.

Whenever any of the other superheroes (who are more clear-headed at this time) try and ask any probing questions either:

Danny insists that a mere mortal wouldn’t understand the scope of his abilities

Tucker yells at them for daring to question “Phantasma’s” great authority

Sam insists that she would hate to be told the answer, that everything her god does is for her to decode. She asks what they think the symbolism of Danny robbing a bank could be.

She offers to get them in touch with the president and he could make them both special advisors to the GIW – the JLA had only been called in due to how much trouble the agency were having and bringing two gods in would be a quick way to get the entire situation ship shape.

The flash gets in touch with Phantasma’s high priestess next week, he reassures everyone that the ‘misunderstanding’ is all cleared up. Danny’s officially the CEO of the guys in white.

Hope everyone enjoyed. Masterpost coming soon.

((Dan as Hades???))

Here's "Phantasma's" family tree - simplified

[elderberries-and-honey]

Despite having fallen on hard times, Winifred took it upon herself to host a party on Christmas Eve with all their loved ones. Back in the workhouse, they were lucky to afford anything better than porridge for dinner. But now that she had a family of her own she was determined to make it special.

Millie, Beth and Louise could not allow her to do all the cooking alone so they each put on their aprons and happily got to work beside her. They spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen preparing for the dinner, sounds of laughter heard above whisks mixing doughs and icing frantically inside porcelain bowls.

Valerie began helping herself to the wine intended for cooking early on in the day, already causing her to become a little tipsy before they'd even put the ham in the oven. Beth of course was the first one to scold her, but with Ozzy nearby, she wouldn't raise her voice. Instead, she put her hands on her hips with disproving eyes and a scowl of disappointment. It was moments like these where Winifred couldn't help thinking that Beth truly was meant to be someone's mother.

Ozzy remained close while the women worked. He wasn't a shy child by any means and soaked up all the attention he got from everyone telling him how adorable his Christmas outfit was.

At last, nearing the hour of 7 o'clock, with everyone gathered round the table wearing their finest silks, all of their hard work would be enjoyed by all.

They set up the dining table with everything they had prepared - cranberry sauce, a charcuterie board with aged cheese and sausage, potatoes grown right on the Baudelaire's farm, delicious cookies and pies for dessert, warm spiced rum and hot cocoa to drink, and best of all, a perfectly cooked ham that was from a frequent patron of the pub that had been gifted to the McAdam's.

Everyone treasured the food, knowing full well that their meal wouldn't be anywhere near as extravagant without Millie's expertise, which they all took turns admiring. Between the spiced rum, and the thrill of Christmas only hours away, they chatted excitedly between bites throughout the entirety of dinner.

Everyone went back for seconds, some even going for thirds until all of them, even the picky eaters, left the table with their bellies full.

No one could afford to give that many presents this year but not a soul amongst them seemed to mind. They each were completely content to simply enjoy each others company. Even the children, who were eager all the same to receive their new mittens and perfectly ripe oranges. Besides, they both were still too small to actually understand that they hadn't gotten much compared to others.

Lawrence had received new cotton fabric to sew himself up new work shirts and Winifred a plethora of new ink wells and paper from the McAdams. All of them received something hand-knitted from Beth, and from Millie, beautiful cross-stich embroideries to hang in their homes.

It was a terrific haul, and certainly more than anyone could ask for all things considered. However, the most surprising of all was Lawrence's gift to Winifred - two tickets to the theater come Spring - which had, of course, been suggested by Marmee.

After all the gifts had been opened, the night carried on late into the evening. Lawrence even brought out the old music box he had been gifted for Christmas nearly two decades prior and Jackson and Louise began dancing around the living room elegantly. However, drunk on rum and holiday cheer, Lawrence insisted that he and Valerie could do better.

He and Valerie were clumsy, tromping all over the others feet and losing their place in the steps to the dance. All in good fun, Millie and Winifred began cackling as they watched them, unable to contain how humorous it was to watch, while Beth dramatically hung her head in shame.

The children began to grow rather fussy, both Ozzy and Nellie awake far past their bedtimes, and the festivities had to come to an end eventually.

Winifred and Lawrence stood in the doorway, thanking their guests for coming and helping in the kitchen, as well as all their delightful new gifts. Winifred and Lawrence watched them go until they could no longer see their silhouettes in the dark, both ignoring the cold until they could no longer stand it.

The night had been exactly what they needed to forget their worries even if it couldn't last forever. While drifting off to sleep that night, everyone would reflect on what a wonderful Christmas it was, contented to have spent it together.

next / previous / first

[punkeropercyjackson]

When a female character tries to keep her male love interest away from other girls because she's jealous and scared they'll 'steal' him from her but he's never actually said he likes her that way nor has she ever told him she has a crush on him so she basically feels entitled to his affections and resorts to bullying to get them and to boot the alternative female love interest gets shafted for them to be endgame hm Hm HMMMMMMMMM HATE THAT SHIT I HOPE WHOEVER CAME UP WITH IT EXPLODES JASON TODD STYLE

[asexualtuckerfoley]

Okay but the fire? The rage? The pain hidden underneath? Tell me Dior Goodjohn wouldn't be the perfect Valerie Gray.

[rawsmackdownnxtdivas]

💃

[blackpensils]

Sketch VS Final Product V.3

I do accept prompts if there’s something particular pertaining to Danny Phantom (canon characters or next gen) that you’d like to see. Inbox is always open)

[emmythesmelly]

Get in loser, we're going shopping. as a first post, i wanted to do a personal take on one of my favorite sims trends and high school tropes, the mean girls! !! following the tradition set by heathers and, of course, mean girls, i set out to create a triumvirate of color-coded, matching adolescent social might from left to right, there's valerie, the airhead, maria, the queen bee, and stacey, the professional gossiper don't know if i'll do anything more with them in the future, but they were really fun to make and edit together :))

[aurorawest]

Reading update, part 1

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall - 4/5 stars

The problem with this book was that I liked Paris and Tariq, but god, it was rough to read. I also felt—and I'm going to be honest, this is an issue I've been noticing increasingly with Hall's newer novels—a little like I was reading like, the Perfect And Unproblematic Way To Date. There's this sort of preachy, social media I-don't-know-who-needs-to-hear-this quality to a lot of the dialogue. It was also just hard to read at times. But I still rated it 4 stars, so I guess I didn't hate it.

Rattlesnake by Kim Fielding - 5/5 stars

This book is about a drifter who ends up in a town because a hitchhiker dies in his car (sounds grimmer than it is!), and the hitchhiker was trying to get to said town to see his estranged son. If you said to yourself, I bet the drifter falls in love with the estranged son, you would be exactly right. This book was so poignant and sad, so the HEA was amazing.

Gold Wings Rising by Alex London - 5/5 stars

This is the last book of The Skybound Saga and it was an excellent ending.

Heart of the Steal by Avon Gale and Roan Parrish - 3.75/5 stars

I told a friend the other day that I would die for Roan Parrish, but I should have told her not to pick up this book. It wasn't awful, but...it wasn't great, either.

Rag and Bone by KJ Charles - 4/5 stars

The Reanimator's Heart by Kara Jorgensen - 4/5 stars

The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley - 5/5 stars

Look. Guys. I've raved about every Natasha Pulley book I've read, yeah? And this is no exception. I need you all to read this. Like, I'm not sure you're all taking me seriously out there. But if you read anything I've recommended, it needs to be Natasha Pulley's books. I can only rate up to 5 stars on Storygraph, so yeah, maybe it looks like I loved this book the same as I loved Rattlesnake by Kim Fielding. No. This book lives in my heart and my mind. This book is part of my soul. All of her books are. I love and hate her for A) making me feel SO MUCH and B) being a better writer than I will ever be.

I know I've said nothing about the book, but like. You just have to trust me. Read her books.

Oh yeah, this one is about a nuclear disaster in the USSR that was covered up for decades.

You & Me by Tal Bauer - 4.5/5 stars

Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love by Kim Fielding - 3.25/5 stars

Man, I wanted to like this one? It felt really phoned in, though. The characters all felt very surface level.

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew - 4/5 stars

Subtle Blood by KJ Charles - 5/5 stars

How did this series just keep getting better? I'm so bummed that this was the last in the trilogy, because I totally could keep reading about Will and Kim and their adventures.

Firestarter by Tara Sim - 5/5 stars

Also the last in a trilogy, and also a worthy wrap-up.

The Mayor and the Mystery Man by AJ Truman - 4.25/5 stars

Fence, Vol 5: Rise by CS Pacat with Johanna the Mad - 5/5 stars

Cattle Stop by Kit Oliver - 5/5 stars

AHHHHHHHHHH. God. This book! Looks like a romcom but will stab you in the heart repeatedly. Oliver has a gorgeous way with words and captures the dynamic between two people who have no idea how to talk to each other so well. There's something the dialogue in Oliver's books that just speaks to me.

Rookie Move by Riley Hart and Neve Wilder - 2.75/5 stars

Boyfriend Goals by Riley Hart - DNF

Please note here that it seems like I don't like Riley Hart's writing. Unfortunately I still have like 3 of her books in my TBR pile.

The Gentleman's Book of Vices by Jess Everlee - 4.75/5 stars

Even Though I Knew the End by CL Polk - 4.5/5 stars

I feel a little meh about this one, despite the rating I gave it. Like, the world was cool, the writing was excellent. I've seen this book hyped so much, though, and it was like...yeah it was fine. Definitely the best over-hyped Sapphic book I've read lately, so there's that.

Nothing Like Paris by Amy Jo Cousins - 4.5/5 stars

Necropolis by Jordan L Hawk - 4.25/5 stars

Roommate Arrangement by Saxon James - DNF

The Place Between by Kit Oliver - 5/5 stars

Yeah this Kit Oliver book was really good too. It's about academics instead of farmers but it will still stab you in the heart a bunch of times. Oh and it's fake dating.

A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson - DNF

I didn't love Kosoko Jackson's debut—there were waaaaay too many pop culture references, many of which I didn't understand, but even when I did, I found it obnoxious. But it was readable. This was...not. I hated the main character so much, and I barely even met the love interest, but I didn't like him, either.

Level Hands by Amy Jo Cousins - 4.25/5 stars

The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles - 4.25/5 stars

How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager by DN Bryn - 5/5 stars

I looooooved this book, omg. I'm not really a vampire person, but this was so cute. I guess it was kind of cozy fantasy? Sort of? With a backdrop of homelessness, medical experimentation, and bereavement.

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo - 1/5 stars

Catch me never reading a Leigh Bardugo novel again. Oof. This woman wrote Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom? I wasn't too impressed by King of Scars but that was better than this, even though the Crows actually appear in this book.

The Barkeep and the Bro by AJ Truman - 3/5 stars

Heartbreak Boys by Simon James Green - 4.5/5 stars

I don't usually laugh out loud when I read, but this book made me cackle. Obnoxious self-referential bit aside (yeah Simon James Green, I did catch you slipping a reference to your previous book into this one), this was very cute and very funny. I even got my wife to read this, despite her dislike of romance and YA, and she liked it!

Part 2 (because tumblr cut me off at 30 images)

[hieuhvynh]

“There comes a time in a man's life Where he must take responsibility,“  I miss this Abel. sheesh

[fuckyeahilike]

Types of feminism that I don't subscribe to include:

1 - Feminists who advocate for KAM, i.e. kill all men. Just in general telling people to shut up (an exclusively fascist move) or that they don't have the inherent right to live or should die or should kill themselves. Who are you to decide who has the right to speak? Who are you to say who should live or die? Especially when describing a whole demography that necessarily includes both good and bad people. That's bigotry by definition.

2 - Feminists who recommend American icons of ultra-violence such as Andrea Dworkin, who supported incest and bestiality; Valerie Solanas, who tried to kill Andy Warhol purely as a publicity stunt for her play; Jodi Arias, who brutally murdered her boyfriend for wanting to leave her...

So many of these "feminist" icons, both the ones in real life and in fiction, when you look closely at them, could be described as just like a man... at his very worst. Like, everything that feminists rightly and correctly point out in men as dangerous and anti-social, their sense of arrogant self-entitlement, their possessiveness and God complex, their violence and self-pity, just everything that comprises toxic masculinity that we can all recognize as something that must be stopped for all our sakes - that's what these "feminists" zero in and praise in women when it's women displaying the exact same behavior.

In many ways, these women are basically trans men, in the sense that they openly admire some of the worst most typically male behaviors and essentially their feminism consists of thinking that women should be more like that, i.e. women should be just like a man. Because they don’t like or respect women, and they wish they were like men and, well, they are.

3 - Heterophobic lesbians who tell young, impressionable girls that the best thing for them is to never have sex, if sex with men is their sexual orientation, all in the name of feminism, of course. That’s castration and gaslighting. Their argument being that men will hurt you, when statistics point out that there is a problem of violence among lesbians, but this type of feminist is always dead silent on that.

4 - Feminists whose idea of the perfect, utopic society is an Anarcho-primitivist separatist commune in the middle of the woods somewhere, away from men and the society built to men’s specifications... instead of advocating for a better society where women do have an input in the decision making. If this type of feminists had their way that would translate to women removing themselves from society to go and bury themselves in a pre-industrial hut where their voices would be completely silenced and neutralized. Something that benefits only the most misogynist of men.

5 - The anti-beauty stance that is closely connected to the "no sex with men, ever" rule, disguised as a righteous anti-gender stance. Briefly, this type of feminist conflates gender when it refers to the way that women are kept in the home and away from political power, i.e. gender roles; and gender in the sense of grooming yourself to emphasize the inherent characteristics of your sex, to look more attractive to the opposite sex. These feminists misrepresent these two different things as being inextricably the same, so if you’re a straight woman wearing a dress because you like being a woman and you want to see yourself looking more like a female and as little as possible like a man, they will accuse you of advertising with your appearance your political stance as a tradfem and a tradcath who wishes we could all go back to the 50s and become Stepford Wives again.

Understand that these “feminists” have nothing against a gender-coded appearance... as long as it’s the right gender, the masculine gender. As long as you look very butch and masculine, with actual hair on your face and a look so butch one could almost say you’re cross-dressing, they will praise you as the ideal. It’s only femininity they object to because, again, they don’t like women. It’s man that is the default human being and woman is unreal and a social construct to be abolished. The internalized misogyny is strong with these ones.

As for effeminate men, whatever their sexual orientation may be, these “feminists” accuse them of being ridiculous (SIC) and of contributing to perpetuate femininity, that form of “oppression”. As if any little girl has ever aspired to looking like a man in drag. No.

The other argument is that femininity in a man is a form of perversion, a typical far-right fascist talking point if ever there was one. The only thing I have to say to these fascists is that they are the cause of their problem. Bev Jackson, one of the founders of the LGB Alliance (pointedly without the T), is correct in saying that in a society that accepted gender non-conformity both in men and women (i.e. feminine men and masculine women, either in their “roles” or appearance) homophobic and sexist trans procedures would become a thing of the past because it would no longer be possible to brainwash people who are simply gay and/or gender non-conforming into thinking they must be inwardly a person of the opposite sex born in the wrong body.

TL;DR whenever these “feminists” shame effeminate men they’re just creating another victim of transgenderism. Whenever they convince a woman that there’s something wrong with her for having sexual feelings for men, or sexual feelings at all, or for wanting to look more like a woman than a man, they’re just creating another mental health patient who will be further victimized by the same psychologists who are transing 3 year olds. They’re completely irresponsible and just bad for society.

6 - The anti-beauty stance that is nothing more than celebrity gossip.

I’ve checked the cost of lip injections - one of the cheapest things you can do - and google said that the cost of a full syringe averages between $500 and $1,000, and that women you see on social media get, easily, two to three syringes' worth, if not more.

Look, I’m very sorry. I understand that rich people have existential problems too, and that a rich woman who lives in a palace and has a hundred lip injections in her face can commit suicide like everyone else. But the truth is that the overwhelming majority of people’s problems can be easily solved with a lot of money that they don’t have, and that is why they have a lot of problems, it’s because they just don’t have the dough.

If you are in the 1% that can afford to throw away money on completely unnecessary vanity procedures like lip injections and spend, say, $2.100 to go from normal lips to blowfish; if you can afford this while being a girl in high-school, or a young adult trying to make it on her first job’s salary, or as a mother who has to support herself and her kids in a world where women are consistently paid less than men and don’t get the promotion or the bonus... Then you are not the person who typically needs help from the feminist movement.

Case in point is domestic violence. I know some women just can’t leave for psychological reasons... but please tell the truth and admit that most women would simply pack up their bags and the reason they don’t is almost always because they can’t afford it. It’s a money problem and nothing else.

So if your “problems” are whether you ought to waste money you should be giving to the poor in giving in to societal pressure to conform to Cosmo’s beauty ideal... then you are doing fine. If you are an average woman and you’re discussing the merits and demerits of plastic procedures you will never be able to afford, procedures that are no more in your horizon than a trip to the moon, then you’re just gossiping about the Kardashians in a forum where ordinary women are trying to discuss their real life problems. Shame on you.

[elderberries-and-honey]

Jackson had tried his best to keep up with the farm while The Baudelaire's had been away. However, it had proved to be harder than he realized, especially in his old age, and after all, he still had a pub to manage. All the same, by the end of the summer, it became overgrown and unruly. Truthfully, he was a little ashamed and while it wasn't his fault, he felt mortified about the state of the farm.

He stood out in the thick of things, attempting to put even the smallest band-aid over the mess by trimming some of the weeds before their arrival, while Valerie stood over his shoulder trying to instruct him on the 'proper' way to do things.

Beth, who at one time would have loved to challenge Valerie or call her bossy, ignored their bickering. Instead, her and Ozzy stayed nearby, enjoying the warm Autumn air and sunshine on their faces.

Aside from their crops, the farm remained mostly unbothered. All of their animals, both pets and frequent visitors alike, were well taken care of and if nothing else, at least there was that.

Neither Winifred or Lawrence brought up their encounter with the Cooper kid, walking along aside each other in silence the remainder of the way. Both of them put it out of their mind's eye, for the moment anyway, when at long last, they were home.

Valerie was the first to notice them, grabbing Lawrence into a tight hug while she playfully scolded him for being gone so long the way only a maternal figure can.

Ozzy and Beth neared the open gate, all the excitement making the tot giggle near uncontrollably. Winifred squatted down to his level, opening her arms wide. "My baby!" She cooed, grinning from ear to ear.

Little Ozzy blinked in confusion, looking up to his Auntie Beth for help as he hid behind her skirt. "Go on, Ozzy, go say hello to your Mum! It's okay, I promise." She encouraged.

Of all the things Winifred had tried to prepare herself for upon their return, her son not recognizing her hadn't been one of them. With every second that tiptoed by she could feel her chest getting heavy as she was finally faced with the reality of what being away for so long had done to her boy. She stared the little one, trying to keep her face from falling into an expression of despair.

It seemed like everyone was holding their breath in wait; Beth in particular fearing a tantrum. 'Please, not now...please, Ozzy.' Beth pleaded wordlessly, and by the grace of God, her private prayers were answered.

Ozzy looked back up at Winifred, some instinct recognizing a distant sense of familiarity within her face, and he soon raced towards her. "Oh, my sweet boy, I've missed you so." Winifred murmured once he reached her, wrapping her arms around him to hold him against her tightly.

Lawrence approached them once he was sure it was safe and wrapped an arm around Winifred. "Hello Oscar," he said softly, "I'm your daddy, and that there is your Mum. And you, little one, are going to be a big brother!" He tutted, placing a gentle hand against Winifred's belly.

Last time they were here, motherhood felt so heavy, like a burden more than a blessing. As she held Ozzy now, she promised herself she would never leave him again. Standing there together, Winifred realized it was the first time she truly felt like they were a family.

next / previous / first

[fuckyeahvanhalen86-95]

[theapprenticeofthanatos]

TAoT: Chapter 22: Ultimate Enemy: Part 2

‘Old friend’? Danny eyed the newcomer warily. I’m sure I’ve never met this guy before.

The ghost’s grin gained a sphinxlike quality. “Oh, we haven’t met yet, have we? At least, not from your point of view.”

Sam marched forward, placing herself between Danny and the ghost. “What did you do with Skulktech?” She demanded.

The ghost waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, I just sent him back to his time. Or, rather,” the ghost’s appearance changed, growing old in the blink of an eye; near-skeletal hands gripped the staff, and a long, grandfatherly beard hung from his chin. He looked like an old wizard, especially with the same scar still on his face. “Forward to his own time. Time does not flow linearly for me.” The ghost changed again; this time, he looked like a child, and the staff shrunk in size. The ghost scoffed. “But why should I bother explaining? You’re fourteen.”

Was that an insult?

No. It is the truth, and you know it.

That felt like an insult.

Danny clenched his hands as annoyance began to simmer beneath his skin. “Who are you? Where are we?”

The ghost changed back to an adult and idly turned a dial on his staff. “When you’ve been around as long as I have, you go by many names. You should know all about that, right?” The ghost gave Danny a sidelong glance, and his unblinking gaze grated on Danny’s nerves. “Or should I say, you will know.” The ghost shrugged nonchalantly. “But, in answer to your first question, you may call me Clockwork, Master of Time.”

Danny stepped protectively in front of Sam. “‘Master of Time’?” Danny scoffed mockingly. “That’s a bit pretentious, isn’t it?”

He could feel his friends’ eyes boring into the back of his head, and he could practically hear them saying, ‘Danny, please don’t do something stupid. Please don’t pick a fight with this guy.’

Clockwork’s expression was mildly amused as he changed once more into an old man. “I suppose it is.”

“Okay, so if you’re the ‘Master of Time’,” Danny did air quotes with the title. “I’m guessing that you know why Skulktech showed up in my time. Right?” Danny was having difficulty trying to keep his emotions in check as his annoyance bubbled into anger.

“Oh, that was me,” Clockwork answered lightly, now in child form. “I was charged with destroying you, so that,” he gestured to the monitor they had been looking at. “Never happens.”

On the display, the image changed again, now showing the ghost—Future Danny—fighting against Annabeth and a guy that looked sort of like Danny, but with tanner skin and green eyes. The scene changed, and the ghost was now facing off against a girl in a green headscarf, a blonde guy with a glowing sword, and a person in a garish pink and green outfit. The scene changed once more. Now the ghost was fighting against a girl with caramel hair and a guy with dark brown hair, both of whom were dressed in simple white clothes.

In every scene, the ghost was clearly winning.

The scene started to change once again, but Danny couldn’t handle any more of… the future. His future.

“That’s not me! It can’t be! I would never do that to anyone!” Danny’s voice rose with each word, until he was shouting at the end. “Why do I have to pay for something that somebody else did?!”

Clockwork tilted his head, regarding Danny with a rather curious expression. Danny doubted it to be the case, but the ghost even appeared slightly apologetic.

Danny would have apologized for raising his voice, but he’d had a crappy day so far, and this ghost was the cause of it. He was late for school, he’d completely forgotten to return the test answers, and he had gotten beaten to kingdom come by a ghost from an apocalyptic future that Danny did not want to be a part of. And it was all this ghost’s fault.

“I’m goin’ ghost!”

.

.

Danny and his friends fell out of the portal. Danny managed to slow his fall and float a few inches above the ground, while Sam and Tucker tumbled to the earth below.

“Ouch…” Tucker whined as he sat up and glared at Danny. “What, you couldn’t catch us?”

“Sorry, I was a little busy trying to avoid getting us all murdered.” Danny argued back; admittedly, it had been rather stupid of him to pick a fight with a ghost who could literally control time, but… “Besides, you’ve got all those cushy plants to break your fall.”

Tucker frowned as he looked down. The asphalt where he and Sam had landed was cracked and worn, and thick green plants—vines, ferns, trees, etc—had broken through the rock. He stood and helped Sam up, glancing around uneasily as they took in the scene around them.

Tucker’s eyes widened in shock. “This is ten years in the future? It looks more like fifty! I’m not taking the CAT if this is all I’ve got to look forward to.”

Danny looked at the landscape surrounding them, and he had to agree. The buildings were in absolute ruins, with vines and other leafed plants climbing up their sides. The apartments, stores, and offices looked like something out of The Little Shop of Horrors. Some of the buildings were completely covered in vegetation, to the point that Danny couldn’t even tell what they had once been.

As for the plants, Danny realized upon closer inspection that they weren’t quite… normal. The greenery was thick and overgrown—far more than seemed natural. Danny didn’t recognize most of the plants—some looked like giant ferns, and others looked like they belonged underwater. Some of the plants were so bizarre, Danny was almost certain that they had existed during the time of the dinosaurs.

“Yeah, I’m a fan of nature and all, but this is a bit much. Even for me,” Sam admitted, kicking at a leafy vine the width of a tree trunk; it didn’t budge. “How did this all happen?”

“I don’t know,” Danny mumbled as he flew forward a few feet. “But based on what we saw back in Clockwork’s Tower… I have a really bad feeling I’m the one responsible.”

Suddenly, a hint of danger tingled at the back of Danny’s mind. A fern in front of him rustled, and before he could move, a pink net shot out and wrapped around him. He tried to phase through the webbing, and a sharp jolt of electricity shot through him in response. He cried out as he fell to the ground, and the one who had trapped him emerged from their hiding place in the undergrowth.

It was a woman in a strikingly familiar red and black jumpsuit. Though, the woman herself looked quite different from when Danny had last seen her. Her long curly hair had been buzzed short, and what was visible of her skin was marred with nicks and scars. She looked older—not just physically, but mentally. Emotionally. Hatred burned in her eyes like embers in a fire.

“Valerie?” Danny gawked in disbelief.

The huntress didn’t answer as she readjusted the bazooka on her shoulder, taking aim at the trapped halfa.

“Wait, you gotta listen to me!” Danny struggled against the net.

“You can’t fool me this time, Phantom.” The coldness in Valerie’s voice shocked Danny. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.” The bazooka whirred to life as Valerie glared hatefully at Danny. “Goodbye and good—”

The huntress was cut off as Sam and Tucker jumped between her and Danny, shielding him from her line of fire.

“Valerie, no!” Tucker exclaimed.

“Don’t shoot!” Sam pleaded.

Valerie stumbled back as if she’d been shocked. The bazooka was, thankfully, no longer aimed at Danny or his friends. Valerie paled as her gaze flicked between the living teens, and she looked as if she’d seen a ghost (No, bad Danny. This is not the time for jokes.)

“Sam?” She gasped, her voice raspy and full of disbelief. “Tucker? No, this has to be a trick! You died!”

Danny’s core stopped. Sam and Tucker died…? What…? Who…?

“‘Died’? As in ‘died’ died?” Tucker dropped his arms and looked at Sam, his expression horrified as he took a step back. “If that’s our future, I’m definitely not taking the CAT!”

“The CAT?” Valerie looked dazed. “That’s… that’s the last time I saw you guys alive. The explosion at the Nasty Burger… you and Lancer, and Jazz, and… and…” Her eyes widened in realization.

Valerie pointed her weapon at Danny again, the pink glow of its charge reflecting off the pavement. She looked furious. “And it was all your fault!”

Without warning, a wave of ecto-energy shot between the young teens and the older woman, sending Valerie flying backwards with a scream. Danny and his friends looked towards the source and Danny suddenly found that he couldn’t breathe.

There, floating several feet above them, was the ghost they had seen on the monitors in Clockwork’s Tower.

It was him.

The ghost glared at Valerie. “Actually, that was me.” His voice was lower than Danny’s, more grating. Danny shivered when the ghost turned his cold gaze to him with a malicious smile. “And you, eventually.”

The ghost, Future Danny—no… Dan (Danny refused to let this become his future)—landed in front of Danny and his friends.

“Sam and Tucker,” he drawled, his gaze flicking between the two humans. “It’s been a while. Ten years, to be exact.”

Dan raised his hand, ecto-energy glowing in his palm, and waved it in front of him, casting an ecto-stasis field over Sam and Tucker. They remained frozen in place as Dan sauntered forward with a smirk.

“So, to what do I owe this blast from the past?” Dan smirked, but it turned into a scowl when he saw the time medallion around Sam’s neck. “Clockwork, meddling again.” Dan’s gaze landed on Danny then, and his scowl deepened as he took in Danny’s appearance—specifically, the laurel wreath. “And why are you—”

Dan was interrupted by a pink ecto-blast that sent him flying backwards into an old building covered in a thick layer of ivy. Danny looked over and saw Valerie struggling to her feet, a wrist blaster on her left arm and two grenades in her right hand.

Dan emerged from the plants, looking slightly dazed, but his expression quickly morphed into one of anger as he snarled and flew towards Valerie. She flung her grenades one after the other at the fast approaching ghost. Dan turned himself into a weird green mist right as the grenades met his skin, causing them to pass harmlessly through him.

Unfazed, Valerie brought up her wrist ray and began firing at Dan. Dan split into two—one duplicate continued on Dan’s path towards the Red Huntress, while the other flew around to flank her. Valerie could only focus on one duplicate at a time.

With her attention focused on the duplicate that was trying to sneak behind her, the one charging towards her reached out and grabbed her wrists.

The two ghosts remerged, and Dan lifted Valerie into the air by her arm. His fist connected with her gut, and Danny heard a painful crack as the air was knocked from Valerie’s lungs and she was sent flying once more. Valerie landed roughly on what was left of the pavement a good fifteen feet away. Dan landed at her feet, looming menacingly over her.

“Where’s your usual fight, Valerie?” Dan asked mockingly. “I’ve let you live this long because I enjoyed our little squabbles.” Dan leaned down, grabbed Valerie by the throat, and lifted her into the air once more. He looked rather unimpressed as she clawed at his hand and began to squirm and kick. “But if you’re not going to fight anymore, I guess I’ll just have to kill you.”

NO! Danny struggled desperately against the net that held him captive. I have to… have to save her.

Danny watched helplessly as Valerie scratched weakly at the hand around her throat. Her eyes bugged out as her face turned red, and her mouth opened in a desperate gasp for air. Dan’s gaze was cold as he tightened his grip.

If only I could break these stupid ropes! Danny pulled at the netting, growling in frustration as it zapped his fingers. But then an idea came to him. What if he used his other transformation?

Danny remembered the weird transformation he had done three months ago; he also remembered that he had passed out each time he tried to use said transformation. As long as it could help Valerie, then I’m willing to try anything.

Danny closed his eyes and focused on the icy cold of his core. He hesitantly pulled at some of the power, and dug a little deeper until… there. He felt the faint burning of that roaring green fire. Just a little bit…

Danny felt the warmth of the transformation begin to envelop him and focused on expelling it out around him, destroying the net he was trapped in. Then he imagined that the flames were gone, and when he opened his eyes, they were. He was also wearing the tunic and sandals again, but he had far more important things to focus on at the moment.

Danny looked up to see Valerie hanging limply from Dan’s grasp, her hands dangling lifelessly at her sides. A blue mist hung in the air around her head, the last of it wafting from her mouth. Dan looked at her in vague disgust before he tossed her aside like a piece of garbage.

Danny reacted quickly and sped forward to catch her. He managed to grab her just before she hit the ground, and flew off before Dan could grab either of them.

I need to get her somewhere safe. Danny thought as he glanced down at Valerie. Somewhere-

Wait.

Something was wrong.

Danny abruptly came to a stop, only twenty feet or so from Dan. He floated down to the ground as dread settled over him. No, she can’t be…

He laid Valerie down on the ground as gently as he could and took her wrist, pressing his fingers to her pulse point.

He felt nothing.

Frustrated, Danny pulled off her glove and tried again.

… Nothing.

His gaze went to her chest, and he watched anxiously, hoping, praying that…

Nothing.

She wasn’t breathing. She had no pulse. Her skin… her skin was already far too cold.

Valerie was dead.

And he hadn’t done anything to stop it.

Dan cackled behind him. “There was nothing you could have done,” he called out, as if he had read Danny’s mind. “Not once I had my hand around her throat.”

Danny didn’t turn around—not yet, at least. He gently folded Valerie’s arms across her stomach, and closed her eyes. Now, she at least appeared to be sleeping.

:Thank you for your help, my friend,: Danny whispered.

Danny felt like there was something more he could have done for her—something he should have done—but there wasn’t enough time for him to think about it. Not right now. Danny felt something brush against his arm; it felt like a cool breeze.

But… there wasn’t any wind.

Danny ignored it as he got to his feet. He turned to face his evil older self, and dread dropped like a rock in his stomach at what he saw.

Sam and Tucker were suspended a few feet off of the ground, still frozen in green ecto-energy. Dan paced in front of them, like a lion around its prey. His mouth moved as if he were talking to them, but Danny was too far away to hear him.

Danny’s vision wavered for a split second—his strength was fading. He couldn’t stay in this form for very long. He shook his head to clear his vision, before he brought his hands up and shot a dual ecto-blast at Dan.

The beam was bigger than Danny had anticipated. It forced him back a few steps from the sheer force behind it, but Danny didn’t have time to think about that as his ecto-blast flew towards Dan.

Dan seemed to sense the impending attack and turned around, firing one of his own ecto-blasts just as Danny’s hit him square in the chest, knocking Dan to the ground and freeing Sam and Tucker. Dan’s ecto-blast hit Danny in the gut, knocking him flat on his back and forcing the air from his lungs.

Sucking in a breath, Danny sat up and looked at his friends. They hadn’t moved away from Dan yet, clearly in shock. They needed to move before Dan got back on his feet.

:Sam! Tucker!: Danny shouted.

His friends’ gazes snapped to him.

:Run!:

Tucker just stared at Danny, as if he didn’t understand him. Sam, on the other hand, jumped to her feet, grabbed Tucker’s arm, and ran away, dragging Tucker behind her. Tucker, thankfully, was quick to get his feet under him and run after her.

Danny caught a glance of where his friends were running to, and froze. He recognized that building, no matter how it looked now, all derelict and covered in wild plants. How could he not? He grew up within its walls.

Sam and Tucker were running towards what was left of FentonWorks.

Dan got to his feet with a pained grimace, but he shook it off as he realized that they were trying to escape.

“Run? Where are they going to go?” Dan grinned evilly at Danny, before he turned around.

Danny watched in horror as Dan inhaled and released the power he had used to annihilate Camp Half-Blood and its residents.

Sam and Tucker froze in their tracks, covering their ears in an ineffectual attempt to block out that horrible sound.

Nonono I have to save them. I have to stop him. Danny flew at Dan with blinding speed, ramming into the older ghost. Dan’s wail was cut short, but not soon enough to stop the dilapidated building from crumbling and falling towards Sam and Tucker.

Danny tried to fly to his friends and rescue them—he had to save them, he had to—but Dan caught him by the ankle. Danny could only watch as what was left of the Ops Center fell on top of Sam and Tucker.

NO!!!

Danny cried out in pain as electricity suddenly coursed through his body. His transformation shorted out, leaving him exhausted and human. Dan cackled as he swung Danny around and threw him into the pile of rubble that had buried his friends.

Danny landed heavily on the pavement. None of the plants had broken his fall—it was almost as if they had a mind of their own and had moved out of the way.

Groaning, Danny propped himself up on his elbows and turned his gaze up towards the wreckage. He nearly cried out in relief when he saw two medallions laying among the debris.

They’re alive! Danny thought with relief as he pushed himself to his knees. “They took off their medallions and went back to our time.” Danny reached up to his medallion. “Which means I can…”

Dan’s hand shot out and grabbed Danny’s wrist. Danny was roughly pulled to his feet, and brought face to face with his evil older self. Dan looked infuriated, and his eyes reminded Danny of two red supergiants, ready to collide with one another.

“Means what? That you can go back home and act like this never happened?” Dan snarled, his free hand glowing green. “I don’t think so. You’re not going anywhere. Not if I have anything to say about it. Oh, wait.”

He bared his fangs in an awful grin that sent chills down Danny’s spine. “I do have a say, and you will never leave. Especially,” he ripped the medallion from around Danny’s neck. His eyes glowed with a malevolent light. “If you can’t remove your time medallion.”

Dan turned the medallion intangible and plunged it into Danny’s chest.

Danny screamed, his voice echoing through the decimated remains of Amity Park. Every square inch of his chest was filled with a searing pain as the medallion touched his core. It felt like dry ice was filling his lungs, and it burned. It burned, it burned, it burns-

Dan pulled his hand out of Danny’s chest, but the pain didn’t cease. The medallion continued to shift, its teeth scraping and gouging against Danny’s core as it settled into place. The medallion struck the bottom of Danny’s sternum, and his vision went white, his ears ringing so loudly he thought he might go deaf. He knew that he was still screaming, but it sounded echoey and far away, as if it were somebody else. He couldn’t feel anything except pain, so much pain…

And then he blacked out.

.

Danny stood by the lake again. He could see the three islands clearly in the distance; he hated those islands. Those islands, where he could not go. Where his mother would be going, and leaving him behind. He turned to his mother, whose hands he held tightly in his own.

:Why?: He asked, although he already knew her answer. :Why must you go?:

His mother smiled at him sadly. He was not used to her new form; she still had blue eyes (just like his own), but her once black hair now glistened like snow, and she glowed with a heavenly sort of light. All that remained of her old form was her priestess’ laurels—silvery white leaves, tied together with light blue ribbons—which Danny now wore atop his own head. She had traded them for a flower crown that Danny had made for her. Poppies, lilies, anemones, chrysanthemums, and dianthus now adorned her hair.

Once, Danny and his mother had looked almost the same; Danny didn’t really have any physical traits from his father, except for the faintest hint of gold in his irises.

:Because I am needed, Athos,: his mother explained patiently. :My father has bestowed this role upon me, to guide and welcome those who have done good. Who have given their lives for a greater cause, given their life for another, or lived a virtuous life.:

:But—: Danny’s throat constricted as tears filled his eyes. :But that is not fair! It is not good or virtuous of you to leave me, and go where I cannot follow! I never lived a full life!:

His mother brought her hands to his cheeks, where she wiped away the stray tears that had begun to fall. :Athos, my son, have faith,: she said softly. :Have faith in yourself. You can live a full life. You have that choice.:

Danny felt his stomach churn at what she was suggesting. :But…: He looked away from her and to the east, where he knew there flowed a river of white that, if he chose its path, would erase all that he had ever known. :But what if I am not good? What if I do not do right, and I cannot return home to you?:

His mother pulled him close and placed a kiss on top of his head. :I have faith in you, Athanasios. You will return to me, one way or another.:

.

Something was wrong. When Danny inhaled and exhaled, he felt something wrong—like some object was rubbing uncomfortably against his core. Slowly, his other senses came back to him. He could feel rough pavement against his cheek, and the familiar chill of ectoplasm coiled tightly around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides. Danny winced at the bright sunlight as he opened his eyes, and he slowly sat up.

Everything hurt, but that was kinda normal for him by this point. His vision spun, and Danny closed his eyes as he tried not to throw up. His head hurt, as if someone had cracked it against a brick wall.

How long had he been out? Had he been dreaming? What had he dreamt about…?

The more Danny tried to remember it, the faster the memory left him, until he wasn’t sure he’d dreamt anything at all.

Feeling more stable, Danny opened his eyes again. His vision had cleared, and he now noticed a large statue in front of him. It was old and weathered, covered in thick greenery. But, as Danny watched, the plants slithered away, revealing the stone monument underneath. Danny shuddered—it was like… the plants were sentient. Like they were moving themselves.

However, he quickly lost interest in that once he realized what the monument was. It was a memorial for his family and friends, with the inscription, “Gone But Not Forgotten” etched across its base.

Danny felt his heartbeat pick up, and tears began to prick at the corners of his eyes. What happened to them? What got them in the end?

Danny managed to roll onto his knees despite his torso and arms being wrapped tightly together in glowing green ropes, and he winced as the bindings rubbed against cuts and bruises on his arms. He looked around, taking in his surroundings.

He was in a spacious clearing with the ruins of a large building next to him. Huge plants—flowering trees and overgrown bushes—sat along the edges of the clearing, their leaves swaying in a nonexistent wind.

Why am I here? Danny asked himself, before turning his focus back to the ruined building.

Underneath the dirt and grime, Danny could make out what were once white walls and doors. Glass littered the ground around the building. From the stinging pain in Danny’s cheek, he guessed that he might’ve gotten some of the finer glass dust in his cuts. Ouch.

Something white and red in the corner of Danny’s vision caught his eye. It was a sign.

A sign that Danny knew very, very well.

“The Nasty Burger?” Danny’s throat felt like sandpaper. “What happened?”

“Oh, nothing much.” A cold voice spoke. Dread filled the pit of Danny’s stomach at the sound.

Danny looked back up at the standing remains of the Nasty Burger just in time to see Dan round the corner. He appeared nonchalant, but Danny’s core sensed the dangerous vibes Dan was giving off.

“Just one huge fireball of combustible condiments that changed my whole future.”

“W-what?” Danny looked back at the ruined restaurant. This time he could see burn marks and stains beneath the soot and dirt. N-no, that c-can’t be… “T-that can’t…”

“Can’t what?” Dan leaned against the wall, his arms folded over his chest.

“T-that can’t—” Danny swallowed past the lump that was forming in his throat. “They can’t be dead. That can’t be… how they died.”

“How childish can you be? No one chooses how they die.” Dan chuckled mirthlessly. “Some die in fiery explosions, others get shot in the head, and others… never even get a chance to live…” Dan trailed off, scowling into the distance as if he were lost in thought.

Danny felt like a vise had clamped around his chest, making it hard to breathe. M-mom and Dad… gone in an… explosion? Danny blinked away the tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes. What about Sam and Tucker a-and Jazz? Did they… were they there when…?

Dan looked back towards Danny, glowering. “Giatí eísai tóso diaforetikós? (‘Why are you so different?’)”

“I-I don’t know w-what you’re saying,” Danny said shakily. He had understood a couple of the words, but…

“Interesting,” Dan quirked an eyebrow. “You don’t know Greek in your human form.”

“Well, I know a few words,” Danny corrected. “But what do you mean ‘in my human form’? It’s not like I know it better in my ghost form, or… any other form.”

Dan stared at him, dumbfounded. “Oh, really? Because I’m pretty sure that I heard you speaking Greek when you did that weird transformation earlier.” He gave Danny a strange look, one that Danny couldn’t quite place. “Decided to take inspiration from the old look, did you?”

Danny could not be more confused. “What?” What did Dan mean by ‘old look’? Was… he talking about Danny’s… other transformation? “What are you talking about?”

Dan stared at him through narrowed eyes for a moment, before a Cheshire grin spread across his face. “You don’t know yet, do you?”

“Know what?” Danny asked, growing rather frustrated. What did Dan know about Danny that Danny didn’t?

“You don’t know the single most important thing about yourself.” Dan sneered before turning towards the plants. “You hear that, Mitéra Gi? (‘Mother Earth?’) He doesn’t know!”

The plants swayed, and the rustling sound made Danny strongly suspect that the foliage was laughing at him.

“What’s with the weird plants? Why do they move on their own?” Danny asked, trying to focus on something else for a time. He… didn’t want to dwell on what had happened to his friends and family in this timeline.

“Oh, these little things?” Dan gestured towards the plants. “These are just a little something from my… benefactor.”

“Benefactor?” Who would possibly support this nutcase? “Why would anyone support all this chaos? W-who would…?”

Dan bared his fangs in a grin that sent shivers down Danny’s spine. “Someone who wants all of humanity and their gods destroyed.”

Danny’s core froze. Someone wanted all humans and gods destroyed? Who would want something like that? Why would anyone want that?

Danny hadn’t noticed before, but there was a strange golden coloring to Dan’s gloves. It completely coated the tips of his clawed fingers, and continued down his forearms. Danny didn’t know what it was, but… an uneasy feeling filled his gut as he looked at it.

Dan noticed Danny’s stare. “You looking at this?” He raised his hand as if he were showing off a ring, and the golden stains glittered in the sunlight. “Yeah, ichor is pretty messy. Doesn’t like to wash out.” Dan grinned sharkishly. “Not that I mind, though. It’s kinda like a trophy.”

“Ichor?” Danny repeated slowly. He’d heard that somewhere… “Wait, like, god blood? You killed a god?”

Dan’s grin turned maniacal. “Oh, only the ones that got in my way,” he gloated, but then his expression faltered slightly, as if he were remembering something upsetting. “Well, them and a couple of others.”

“W-wait, but…” Dan’s revelation just didn’t make sense in Danny’s mind. “Y-you can’t kill a god. They’re immortal.”

Dan barked a short laugh. “Immortal, my ass! All I had to do was hunt down a stupid sea cow, and next thing I knew they were just as killable as any old human.”

“Wait, hold up.” Danny grunted as he stood up; his knees were killing him. “I am so lost right now. A sea cow? What even…?”

Dan scoffed amusedly. “I know, right? Who even thought of using the Ophiotaurus for that?”

“The what?” Danny said bewilderedly. “Okay, now you’re just making up words.”

Dan’s amused smirk faded as he stared at Danny in disbelief. “You don’t know what the Ophiotaurus is?” At Danny’s shrug, Dan scoffed again, more scornfully. “What is he even teaching you with that worthless apprenticeship?”

Something about the way Dan said that caught Danny’s attention. Wait, is this version of me not an apprentice? Danny wondered. Did Thanatos end the apprenticeship with him? W-will he end mine as well? What did I do to…?

Before Danny could ask anything about Dan’s apprenticeship—how it had ended, or if he’d even had one—Dan let out a long-suffering sigh, like a teacher trying to explain something to an especially slow student. “The Ophiotaurus is a sea monster. When a demigod kills it and burns its entrails, they gain the power to kill gods. And that’s what I did.”

Wait a minute…

WHAT?!

“B-bu-wait, I’m not a demigod!” Danny stammered. His brain was… having trouble processing Dan’s statement, to say the least. “You’re me, a-and I’m not a demigod! I-I’m mortal. I’m just a legacy o-of Hades, not…” Danny shook his head. “No, you’re lying.”

But why would he lie about that?

Dan grinned venomously, his fangs bared like a snake’s. “What would I have to gain from lying to myself?”

Danny was lost. Demigod? There was literally no way Danny was a demigod. What was Dan talking about? He didn’t… What had happened to cause this future? Why would his future possibly end up like this? H-he didn’t want to kill people. Why did… why did Dan cause all of this destruction? Why did he…?

“What about Thanatos?” Danny asked quietly.

Dan flinched, his gaze snapping to Danny’s own. “What?” He growled out.

Another chill ran down Danny’s spine as Dan’s flames flared up like a fire with fresh kindling. “Th-Thanatos…?” Danny repeated. “W-what does he think about—”

“I heard you the first time,” Danny scrambled away as Dan stalked towards him. Dan’s eyes glowed like coals in a furnace, his expression full of unbridled rage as he snarled at Danny. “And I don’t give a damn what he thinks.”

Dan lunged forward and grabbed Danny by the neck, lifting the smaller halfa from the ground and bringing him face to face. His furious gaze bore into Danny’s rather alarmed expression.

“You know what? I just don’t get it,” Dan muttered. “Why did he choose you? What’s so special,” his grip on Danny’s throat tightened, forcing a small, pained gasp out of him. “About you?”

Danny couldn’t respond, even if he wanted to. Stars danced across his vision as Dan’s grip tightened, completely cutting off Danny’s airflow. Why was Dan so upset? What did Danny say to piss him off? Was Dan just going to kill him, just like he did to Valerie—

Dan’s grip loosened, and he threw Danny roughly to the pavement. He regarded Danny with a cold glare as the younger halfa coughed harshly, trying to catch his breath.

“I don’t know why he chose you,” Dan sneered. “But it doesn’t matter. You’ll still become me, whether you want to or not.”

Dan waved his hand, and a swirling green portal opened behind Danny. The younger halfa glared at Dan as the elder drew closer to him.

“You’re not me,” Danny spat at him. “I could never become someone like you!”

“No,” Dan remarked coldly. “You couldn’t.” And, much to Danny’s horror, Dan changed. A blue-white ring formed around his waist, and it split in half before traveling over Dan’s form. When it faded, he looked…

He looked just like Danny.

“But I can make you.” Dan finished, and he even sounded like Danny, he—

Before Danny could say or do anything, Dan grabbed him by the ropes. He walked forward, stopping just feet from the portal, and threw Danny into the swirling green depths.

First: Prologue

Previous: Chapter 21

Next: Chapter 23

[wintuvern]

Behold, an infamous OC video that I definitely didn't make at 8pm last night 👀

[justdealingwithsomeissues]

Bringing Val in on this feels weird and like it doesn’t supper mesh with the personality she has going on over in the X Factor book...