AIDAN

After getting off the streetcar at Canal and walking along St. Charles Avenue, I finally saw the Hotel Modern. “Oh, you guys. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. I’m feeling all kinds of anxious about being so exposed.” I was practically shouting as we approached throngs of tourists gathered by the street side.

Nadia lagged behind me to stay close to Lana. “Please don’t start ripping people apart. If anything, the safest place for us is out in the open, surrounded by tons of people. Then the only thing we have to worry about is keeping your ass calm.”

Walking down St. Charles, the street was filled with Mardi Gras madness. Adults of different ages, nationalities, and walks of life, gathered together for a night of revelry and alcohol.

From my back pocket, I felt my phone buzzing. I pulled it out and saw Chris calling.

I stuck my finger over my ear to answer. "What up, ginger-snatch?"

Chris’ southern twang pitched up. "What are you doing, slut?"

I headed toward the hotel, hoping he was still there. "We’re on St. Charles. Are you still at the Hotel Modern?"

"Yeah, I'm here, but y'all need to hurry."

I picked up the pace and frantically waved the girls along.

Lana looked at me like I was insane. "I am in heels!"

Nadia gave me the finger before I nearly stumbled into a herd of drunk guys. She beamed a smile at the passing group. "Uh huh. See? God don't like ugly."

Chris cleared his throat through the phone. "Try not to knock over every tourist."

I surveyed the area for him. "Wait? You can see us?" I caught sight of him ahead of us and stopped.

There came a slight squeal from behind me followed by Lana crashing into my back. "In my defense, I did say I was in heels." Lana steadied herself while Nadia rushed past the both of us into a hug with Chris. He smiled at Lana and I as we walked up. Between our differing heights, our group hug was more like arm soup, with Chris half a head taller than me.

He gave everyone a squeeze before letting go. "I was wondering when the ho train would arrive."

Before I could respond, I became overwhelmingly aware of my full bladder. "Um, guys, not to piss on the parade, but I actually do need to piss right now at this parade." I crossed my legs together, trying to keep my body under control.

Chris slowly shook his head and pointed down the block. "How dare you make that joke. Around the corner, shameful. There’s a port-a-potty." The pressure to urinate was so bad, that I didn’t bother to respond. I bolted straight through the overcrowded sidewalk.

I turned the corner where Chris directed me, praying my bladder wouldn't explode. Hope slipped away within seconds of rounding the corner. I eased up to the line and did a headcount. “Five’s not that bad. If everyone’s only in there a few minutes, I’m only looking at like--.” All I had to do was count long enough to distract myself from the gallon of drinks it felt like I was carrying.

“You’re looking at a minimum of fifteen minutes.”

I blinked realizing I hadn't answered myself. The blonde guy in front of me turned around with a smirk.

He was stunning. “Uh, wha—wha--.” I had forgotten how to use the English language. “I’m sorry, what was that?” For some reason, my mouth was salivating. Definitely not a normal response from my body.

The blonde stranger cringed. “Fifteen minutes. And that’s a best-case scenario since everyone who’s gone in so far has spent no less than three minutes in there.”

He had the brightest green eyes I had ever seen, but it wasn’t enough to quell my need to pee. I shook my head, trying to will his words away. “Please tell me you’re joking. Fifteen minutes? Oh, no. I gotta pee within the next five, otherwise, the street cleaners are going to have a very specific spot to wash.” I scrunched my face, realizing what I had said. “Sorry. That sounded a lot less gross in my head.”

The blonde guy shrugged, drawing attention to his hands in his pockets. “Don’t worry about it. I’m literally holding my bladder down at this moment.”

I nodded at him with a look of confusion. “That works? Doesn’t the added pressure worsen it?” I fidgeted around and crossed my legs again. “Pretty sure I’m going to have to settle for public indecency.” Looking around, I was desperate for a dark nook I could unload the gallon I was carrying.

The blonde stranger let out a giant sigh. “Oh, thank god. That’s all I’ve been thinking about for the past ten minutes, but I’m horrible with directions and can’t afford to get lost.” He looked relieved, compelling a questioning expression from me. “You were talking about finding somewhere hidden to go, right?” His gaze darted around, unable to meet mine.

A small smile played at the corner of my mouth. “I guess great minds think alike. Follow me good sir, and we will find the perfect spot to relieve ourselves.” I closed my eyes for a moment of embarrassment. “Again, wasn’t supposed to sound that gross.”

The handsome blonde fell into step with me. “I’m Jackson.” He extended his olive-toned hand.

I started to reach out. “Nice to meet--.” But the tip of my boot met the raised edge of a crack. Before I could even try to catch myself from falling, I was back on my feet, face to face with Jackson. Staring at Jackson’s hands around my waist, my emotions moved from shocked to unsure.

After a few seconds of awkwardness, he finally pulled away. “Couldn’t let my tour guide get injured. How will I know where to pee in this city?”

Jackson, again, wouldn't meet my gaze, and something occurred to me. “So, you came to New Orleans during Mardi Gras all by yourself?” I quickly stepped away from the parade. “Oh, I’m Aidan by the way.”

Jackson’s full lips turned up in a smile. “Nice to meet you, Aidan. I recently moved to the city and thought I should get involved with the culture.”

My gaze was locked on his perfect mouth. “And you figured checking out a Mardi Gras parade in The Quarter would be just the thing.” I looked away from him and saw our salvation. Across the street was a dark carport perfect for our situation. “Come on.” I pointed to the house and moved. “Our prayers have finally been answered.” Jackson turned in the same direction and followed. We ducked into the shadows between two very large trucks.

Jackson looked unsettled. “Are you sure about this? It’s kind of out in the open.”

“It’s perfect, trust me. It’s like having sex in public. It’s mostly about the timing." Even in the darkness, I could see his eyes widen. The nonsense pouring out of my mouth needed to stop. “Here.” I moved to the side. “You go first. I’ll block you and keep lookout.”

Jackson scanned around before moving closer to the back wall. I stared out into the street, trying to distract myself from my bladder. The seconds passed into a minute, and I realized he wasn’t letting up. “Wow, you weren’t kidding. You really needed to go.”

Jackson let out a sigh a few seconds later. “You don’t even wanna know. I owe you big time because I couldn’t have gone another minute.”

All I could do was rock back and forth. “Not to rush you, but I’m hanging on by a thread."

Jackson let out another sigh and zipped. "Okay, go ahead." He peered over me, already starting lookout.

After a few seconds, I felt so much better. "All done." I started to tuck away, but a light turned on by the house’s side door.

Jackson pulled us into the darkest corner and pushed himself against me. I followed his gaze toward the light. An elderly man poked his head out of the house to look around. Jackson kept his gaze on me while raising an index finger to his lips. He was pressed so hard that I couldn’t move an inch without giving us away. It was the least life-threatening thing I had experienced all day, but my heart pounded. The old man finished surveying the area and disappeared into his house.

The second the light turned off; Jackson exhaled a deep breath. "Holy crap, I thought for sure we were screwed. Sorry about shov--what's the matter?" He gave a concerned expression to my bug-eyed one.

When Jackson tried to move, I used my free hand to keep him in place. "Um, the thing is, even though I was done with the job, I didn’t have a chance to put my tool away."

He averted his gaze, looking anywhere but at me. "So, it's been that way this whole time?"

I couldn't look at him. "Yep."

Jackson lifted his hands and stepped to my side.

I successfully tucked away and zipped my jeans. "Okay, we're all good."

Jackson looked at me with a small smile. "Awesome. Wanna head ba--."

I was already walking away from the house. "More than anything." Jackson and I speed walked halfway down the block in silence. After a minute, the tension lifted and I felt confident again. "So, listen, I was thinking about introducing you to my friends. They'd really like you, and that way you can meet more locals."

Jackson grinned and adjusted the buttons on his form-fitting henley shirt. "Actually, I already know some locals. Well, one. I came out tonight because they invited me. But I'd be happy to meet your friends.”

It was really hard not to stare at the way his tight clothes clung to his chiseled physique.

We passed the useless port-a-potty and rounded the corner to see Nadia freak dancing while Chris threw beads onto her. At the same time, Lana was sitting on the shoulders of a random guy and chugging beer.

None of what I saw surprised me. I turned to Jackson but lost my train of thought when he walked toward Chris.

Nadia spotted me and sprinted over, waving Lana to follow. "My, my, my, you certainly do not disappoint." Nadia worked her gaze over Jackson.

Chris patted Jackson's shoulder. "Calm your tits, missy. This one doesn't play for your team."

Lana clinked her nails against the beer bottle in her hand. “You can have the guy I just met. He's all out of beer now."

I raised an eyebrow and turned to Jackson. "This is the person you were talking about before?"

Jackson nodded with a big smile. "Yeah, Chris is my real estate agent.”

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Lana gave a coy glance between Jackson and me. "And how do you two know each other?"

Jackson beat me to it. "I was seconds away from peeing my pants when Aidan swooped in and saved me from embarrassment."

Nadia moved next to me and wrapped her arm in mine. "Looks like you make friends everywhere you go. Maybe this one will be after what's in your pants instead of your pocket."

I could feel my cheeks burning.

Chris pointed behind us. "Alright, sluts. This is our cue." The floats were at a scheduled pause.

My eyes widened at everyone as they sprinted away. "Wait. What's going on?"

Chris waved at me to keep up. "We’re getting on the two double-decker floats at the end. They're for Jackson's New York City based business that's opening offices here."

I stared at the massive floats while trying to maneuver through the sidewalk. "Wait a minute. Floats need time to build. Especially ones that big. How have you not mentioned this to me?”

Chris managed to stop for a split second. "It's called a birthday surprise for a reason. Now, me, Nadia, and Lana are gonna ride the first float.” He pointed at the float covered in huge purple, gold, and green paper-mache flowers. The people filling the inner and upper levels were dressed in the same colors, complete with hats and masquerade masks. “While you ride the other one with Jackson.” Chris pointed at the second float, sporting two ascending levels. A set of stairs on the first platform led to a much higher one with a huge jack-in-box style Mardi Gras jester to oversee the crowd. A silver wrap-around sign for AMA Corp. was stuck to the second platform’s side.

Chris abruptly shoved me in the direction of Jackson.

Jackson looked as caught off guard as I did. "This worked out differently than I anticipated." He guided me up the backdoor steps of the float and showed me to the boxes of beads. "It's just the two of us, so you'll be fine. I'm guessing, it's your first time on a float."

I grabbed a handful of beads and glanced at him. "Yeah, and that second platform looks pretty high."

"If the second platform freaks you out, you’re more than welcome to stay on this one." Jackson could've said anything and I still would've agreed.

He moved to the platform with the creepy jester before the float started moving. I tried for a while to enjoy myself but the only thing I could think about was that somewhere in the huge crowd someone was possibly watching and waiting to attack. My anxiety was building and I could feel it happening again. Sweat formed at my hairline and my vision blurred. I needed it to stop. Reaching into my pocket for my phone to call Nadia, my fingers rubbed against a smooth roundness. I tried to push the stone down, but a tremor surged through my hand to my head.

Feeling nauseous, I moved away from the rail to sit on an overstuffed box of beads. I grabbed the sides of the carton and focused on inhaling through my nose and exhaling out my mouth. The last thing I needed was to transform in front of hundreds of people taking pictures and recording the parade. There would be no coming back from that.

Chills ran down my spine and my body tremored. It was coming. My body locked into place as the pressure inside of me rose to the surface. To my surprise, instead of a roar, red light erupted from my mouth. It flew through the sky and expanded before bathing the entire city.

As the red light faded, I grabbed at my chest, desperate to control my breathing. I fell forward from disorientation, landing on my hands and knees. “Sweet Jesus, what is it now?” After pulling myself up, I thought I had vertigo from everything going silent. I stood and looked at the crowd. “Hell--hello?!” It was like someone had hit pause on the city.

“Aidan! Is that you?”

Nadia. I’d know that pissed-off tone anywhere.

“Seriously? I’ve had enough trauma for a newbie.”

And that was Lana. I moved to the front of the float and called out to the back of theirs. “You guys okay?” The pain processed before I realized I had been pelted in the head with a bag of beads.

“What do you think?” Nadia screamed coming to the back of her float.

I rubbed the sore spot on my face, taking a mental note to learn how to duck. “How was that in any way necessary?”

“I know that red mess came from you. You the only one with an evil red necklace. How was it necessary to freeze the whole freaking city?”

I managed to catch the bag of beads that time. From beneath her float, I caught sight of Lana moving towards the one I was on.

“Wait for me, ho.” Nadia followed Lana. Within minutes, both stood in front of me glaring. “What did yo’ ass do now?”

I swayed back and forth, unable to meet Nadia’s gaze. “I don’t know. The float had barely started moving when all this happened.” I waved to the stock-still people below.

Lana rested her hands on her hips. "You have your guilty face on."

At her skeptical expression, I lowered my voice to a whisper. “The necklace may have been involved.”

Nadia went wide-eyed. “I’ll hold him. You get the necklace.”

Nadia grabbed both of my arms and jolted me while Lana slowly approached. The electricity filled me with palpable rage. I used every ounce of my self-control to keep from going monster mode on them. "Lana, don't. You can't touch it." Nadia stopped jolting me but kept hold of me as Lana reached into my pocket and gripped the necklace.

Before Lana could pull it out, the three of us gasped. Nadia’s grip slipped away and my vision faded. The ground fell from underneath me, and I was no longer solid. Everything was black, cold, and empty.

Air rushed through my lungs, and my eyes shot open. Blades of grass tickled my face while a stick poked my ribs. After sitting up, I saw two forms laying in front of me. The heels and tight clothes were a dead giveaway. “Guys?” No movement. “At least do something so I know y’all are alive.”

Facedown, Nadia raised her middle finger while Lana lifted her head to leer at me.

I cocked my head back. “What are y’all giving me attitude for? This isn’t my fault.”

Nadia’s head sprang up, face covered with dirt and hair littered with twigs. “Excuse me? This has you and that stupid necklace written all over it.”

I used a nearby tree to help me stand and looked her dead in the eyes. “You know the necklace can't leave my side. Just because you can hold it, doesn’t mean anyone else can. This happened because you and Captain Cleavage tried to take it from me.” I vigorously pointed at Lana.

“Hey!” Lana looked at her shirt. “Alright, I’ll give you that one.” She adjusted her top and stood.

I ran my hands down my face, trying not to lose it. “No one is supposed to touch the necklace. Y’all honestly didn’t expect something bad to happen?”

Grabbing Lana’s hand for support, Nadia nearly yanked her to the ground as she stood. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. It may not have been one of my better ideas, but what happened to that thing not having any juice left in it?” Nadia pointed to the bulge in my pocket.

My temples were throbbing. “What do you want me to say? You literally know everything I know. I guess it has a little more charge than anybody thought. Which, now that I’m saying it out loud might explain why monsters keep trying to kill us.”

Lana stopped Nadia’s rebuttal by frantically waving her arms around. “Guys, hate to break up this dead-end conversation, but has anyone noticed that we are standing in a very dark and very creepy forest?”

There was nothing, but trees and brush as far as I could see “Well, I guess we should try to fig—um, where did you get that?” I gawked at the flask in Nadia’s hand.

She took a swig and handed it to Lana. “A girl’s got to have a little mystery. Besides, I didn’t feel like carrying around a bottle of whiskey all night.” Nadia pulled out her phone and sighed at the screen. “No service.”

Everyone jumped when we heard the crunching of grass and sticks not far from where we were. I pushed the girls behind a huge tree and crouched near the roots. I could hear exactly where the footsteps were coming from and what direction they were going.

I focused my ears by breathing slowly and closing my eyes. Two sets of feet, one heavier than the other. The second steps were softer and more graceful. A man and a woman. From the opposite direction, I picked up another set of heavy steps, and the sound of flapping. “Okay” I leaned into the girls. “So, there are three people headed this way. They aren’t running, but they aren’t moving slowly either, which probably means they're not here by chance.”

Lana looked more nervous with every passing second. “Care to explain where here is exactly?”

I looked around, but nothing was familiar and my nose didn’t register anything even remotely close to bayou scents. “I honestly have no idea. We could be anywhere.”

Nadia lifted her hands and ran a spark of electricity between her palms. “Good thing I’m still juiced from frying that leather hoe.”

I peered back around the massive tree. "Do me a favor. If something goes down, I need you to stick close to Lana."

From out of the trees, a shirtless, dark-haired man accompanied by a stunning woman with flowing amber locks, emerged. The man was stoic as grabbed at the space behind his neck and unsheathed a sword of pure light from thin air. The man held the illuminated blade above his head and looked forward. The light flickered, signaling the on-comers.

My jaw hit the forest floor. Not one, but two other people appeared. I wasn't sure “people” would've been the proper term. Lifted by silky gossamer wings two feet from the ground was a stern yet beautiful looking woman, whose fiery-red hair floated around her. Her companion's fearsome features were equal to his striking good looks. He toted an ax golden like his armor, and vibrant head of hair. I grabbed Lana’s hand and gestured for her to do the same with Nadia’s. “Is anybody else feeling a tad bit insecure?”

Lana nodded her head. “You can file me under jealous and turned on at the same time. What about you, Nadia?

Her eyes looked ready to pop out. To freak us out, even more, Nadia didn’t notice her nails digging into the tree’s bark.

I gently pulled her hand off the tree. “Nadia, what’s the matter?”

Nadia looked right into my eyes. “That’s me.”

Baffled, I almost spoke out loud. “Uh, run that by me again.”

Nadia jerked her head in the group’s direction. “I used to be the winged chick out there. I remember seeing her in the memories of my past life. And I recognize golden boy as my sexy boyfriend.”

Lana squeezed my hand. “So very sexy.” Nadia and I looked at her with surprise and her eyes widened. “I’m not sure I’m a fan of this mental link.”

I was about to turn my attention back to Nadia when I heard a gruff voice. The man holding the sword sheathed it into thin air behind his neck. “Everything went as planned, though this only means we have much more to prepare for. With the Nexus locked away and the Blood Moon never to return, there will be no escape for Amon.” The man gestured to the amber-haired woman to his side. “Amon was completely unaware of Lucy’s spell to reverse the Nexus’ power over the Blood Moon. Instead of releasing chaos on earth, the Blood Moon has trapped the very personification it.”

Lucy lifted her chin at the golden-armored guy. "What of the others? Have they been successful in keeping Amon’s generals and their armies at bay?"

With a grin, he answered in a thick Irish accent. “Aye, everyone stands strong, though the generals aren’t as fortunate. Most of The Prodigies are done for. Only two remain. The cowards retreated."

The shirtless man stepped forward and rested his hand on golden boy’s armor-covered shoulder. "Amazing work, Elatha. Soon, there shall be none and we will be rid of Amon’s influence, once and for all. Melinoe, what of our enemy in the dark dimension?"

Nadia’s past self descended to the forest floor and her wings shifted into the train of her sheer dress. "Fortune favors us, Galahad. Though we face a great danger once they return."

The four of them shared another serious look before the ground under them lit with blinding white light. I shielded myself behind the tree and waited till it faded to look again. A large glowing sun and moon symbol appeared where they stood before Lucy hovered over it.

Her hair and arms floated around her. "Behold, forbidden powers forged by fate, to fight an evil force much too great. One with the power, strength, and darkness. One with the task to guard the gate."

The light from the symbol became brighter, overwhelming me with euphoria, and ended with a rush of air into my lungs. My vision needed a second to adjust before I saw we were back on the float.

Lana, near the edge, flailed her arms for anything to steady her from falling over. “Guys!”

I shook off my haze and felt another undertow. In a blink, I had Lana in my arms before another undertow moved us away from the edge. “You’re okay. I got you. That teleporting thing is a trip, right?” I laughed as Lana clung to my lapel. The next second, she pushed away from me and puked right into an empty bead box. “Oh, god.” I grabbed a water bottle out of a nearby cooler. After handing it to Lana, I peered into the box of vomit. “Nadia, come check this out." I turned to her. "It looks like--what's the matter?”

She grimaced as the color drained from her face. “Please, don’t talk to me right now. Seeing other people, um, do that makes me--.” Nadia covered her mouth and turned away. “Give me a minute.”

I turned my attention back to Lana, who was taking deep breaths. “You alright now?”

Lana’s nod was slow and precise. “Yeah, but next time, maybe you could save me without whatever that was. Or at least do it when I’m not already dizzy and full of liquor.”

I frowned, imagining the nausea running through her. “Sorry, hun. I mostly do these things out of pure instinct. But at least you didn’t end up like Humpty Dumpty.”

Lana drank the rest of her water and threw the bottle in the box of vomit. “You have a point there.”

Nadia was attempting to not breathe through her nose. “On a more freaked-out note, does anyone know what the hell that was?”

Lana worked strands of long hair off her face. “Brief lapse of sanity?”

I contemplated the situation while loosening the buckles on my vest. “It, kind of, reminded me of earlier when I saw one of my memories, but I wasn’t in this one.”

Nadia walked closer and slapped my shoulder, again, putting me on edge.

I grabbed at the spot and sucked at my teeth. “Anywhere else. Can you please hit me, literally, anywhere else? Or, here's an idea, how about you stop hitting me altogether?”

Nadia grabbed my face. “You weren't in it, but I was!”

Before any of us could form another thought, the street became filled with a slow explosion of sound. The three of us looked around and watched the Mardi Gras revelers, little by little, begin to move again. The girls bolted to their float and I rushed to the box I had been sitting on.