𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐓𝐃𝐅: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞

𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞

"You guys opened a shop?" Ares blanked as Tecna nodded. "Why?" She sorted through recently turned-in assignments. All of them in need of being graded, "we thought it would be a good way to help Mike and Vanessa financially" Ares sighed, the idea that a recently opened business would be enough to support six girls wasn't very entertaining.

"They said that the house wouldn't fit another guest so...they want you to find a different place to stay during our mission" Ares sighed, nodding gently before moving her gaze away from the papers and back towards the girl. "I'll sort it out when I get there, I might stay with a friend of mine." Tecna tilted her head. "That might be for the best, your parents are rather kind to us so I don't want them to have an added burden" Ares placed her lips in a line, not taking her comment seriously before the two continued. Ares read through and graded her student's work as they chatted about the best option to find the last fairy.

"I don't know tech, I'll probably be working most of the time while we're there. Plus I'll be visiting Dyamond and Alfea often to check on the students- it's just a lot." She nodded, Tecna excusing herself from the room. Ares now sitting in silence as the wrinkling of papers filled her ears. Deciding to slip in some earbuds as music strummed between her ears, thoughts of her and Cyprian's nightlife clogging her work.

Slamming her head against the hardwood of her desk as her frustrations grew too much. She had been debating going to earth at all, but she knew right now her magic was the only one that could compete with the wizards, at least for now. "Ares?" She jumped up at the sudden call out. A blonde-haired king looking back at her in concern as she rolled her eyes with a groan. "What?"

"Why are you so angry?" He chuckled as he slid his fingers along her desk, Ares raising a brow at the boy before noticing the sudden length of his locks. "You need a hair cut"

"You're mad cause I need a haircut?" She nodded at his question, Skye only chuckled before offering his hand. Gently placing hers over his as she stood. "We're leaving for Gardenia, Cyprian will be staying behind and will bring you when your ready" he nodded, shaking her hand "have a safe trip, and please...please don't do anything stupid" she groaned as he nodded. She was worried to see the king of one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the galaxy go to the only planet where his title and riches amounted to nothing.

"Good luck!" He yelled out the door, leaving Ares to her thoughts once again as she looked outside. She didn't realize Nyx had already taken his place back in her shadow. Leaning her head into her hands as she took her seat once again. She didn't know what to do...and that feeling was more than just unsettling.

-

"Are you ready to go?" She zoned out as the voice called after her. "Yes, please behave girls. I'll see you soon" the girls thanked her as she left her students to Palladium's teachings. Holding Cyprian's hand as he led her towards the ship filled to the brim with soldiers who were there to "ensure the safety of the prince and princess on their trip across the galaxy" a much more poetic way of describing Ares' trip back to hell.

"You realize we won't be able to see each other much" she looked at the steel floors, the clacking of the soldier's shoes against it filling the breaks between common chatter. "Yes I do, but you know what else I realized" she looked back up to the boy, his undercut growing out after not having it redone as the year went on. "We can watch the remaining movies in that trilogy you made me watch, you said there were more after it and I'm quite interested" she chuckled, immediately agreeing to hold a Marvel marathon whenever the two were free.

"The others already found a place to stay so I'll be meeting up with them once we land, have you sorted out where your gonna be?" Her heart dropped, she had been too distracted by the idea of living on earth again she had completely forgotten about where she would actually stay when they got there.

"It's alright, I'm sure you can just stay with us" she reluctant nodded as the ship cloaked its outer colors, hiding it from the vision of possible onlookers as they approached Earth. "You'll need to jump out!" One of the members yelled at the two as the floorboard opened, the two jumping through the opening quickly before the ship took off.

"That was kinda anticlimactic" Ares chuckled as she dusted her pants. The boy reached for her hand, clasping it gently before leading her towards the city noise. through the same park trees that first witnessed her magic four years before.

"They sent me the location, do you know where this is?" He showed her the screen. His phone slightly cracked in each corner after many hours of fighting and training with it sat in his back pocket. "You need a new phone, but yeah. Follow me" she slipped her hand back into his, sliding her fingers in between the latter before leading him down the busy streets. Sucking in the fresh air, finally feeling a lack of dark magic in her surroundings.

"You look happy" she smiled up at the statement, Cyprian matching her expression as she nodded "I haven't felt this...clean in- forever" she blanked, looking onto the happy citizens who mindlessly eased her mind.

"I'm sure, ever since you unlocked the full powers you've been on edge" she nodded gently, looking down at the concrete sidewalk that held the same stains and cracks she had already memorized by the age of ten. "I think when Darkar died, my sensitivity to magic quadrupled. I think maybe that was why I knew Tech wasn't dead" she hasn't thought about it enough to know for sure. It was a theory Faragonda and palladium had told her of but by the time it became a serious topic; classes had already started and other things became more important.

"Are you sure you're alright my love?" He looked back down at her, face now full of clear worry as she shrugged it off. Finally approaching the apartment complex. "This place is a bit excentric, are you sure this is the address?" Looking up at the modern skyscraper-like building. She knew they had condos available inside but not affordable enough for six broke specialists to reside in.

"Yeah it says it right here, there's a key code and everything" she hummed in acknowledgment before entering the code into the pad, the clean glass doors opening at her will as they walked through the large clean lobby and towards the room.

Riven, Timmy, Skye, Brandon, and Ophir all changing their clothes just as the two opened the door. Riven yelled at the sudden sight of the girl as they entered, closing the door behind them.

"Calm down it's nothing I haven't seen before" she greeted each boy individually, hugging all except Ophir as they exchanged awkward glances. "It's nice to formally meet you Ophir" she raised her hand to shake his, quickly obliging before correcting her "it's great to meet you as well Ares I've heard a lot about you but please call me Nabu" she nodded her head before explaining to the others why she was there.

"I'm gonna go see if I can get a job, I recommend you all do the same before the rent of this place is due" she quickly rinsed her face in the kitchen sink, trying to wash back into reality before sparing Cyprian a kiss on the cheek "don't get lost! If you do call me" not bothering to wait for another word as she made her way towards the old cafe where she once worked. She had been debating between there and the smoothie place by the beach for her new place of work.

"Andy!" She yelled once entering the shop, a large smile slapped onto his face as he left his post from behind the counter. "Ares, it's great to see you" he pulled her into a hug, lifting her off the ground before releasing his tight grip before looking down at her with a smile. "I just saw Bloom last night, did you two come back to town for vacation or something?" She shook her head before quickly explaining "we're actually here for an assignment"

"Oh? Is it for college?" She chuckled into a nod, the boy continuing his bombardment of questions before she finally asked if she could work at the cafe again "that would be great, we're actually a bit short-staffed so you'd be able to start tomorrow." She practically jumped, the cafe was practically her second home. Spending hours past her shifts just to stay out of her family's way, the longer she had the job the more like family the other workers became. Andy and the owner, Marge, were always there for her when she needed help. Allowing her to take refuge in their homes whenever the fights back home became too much for her to handle.

"I need to get going but hey! I'll see you tomorrow!" She cheered before exiting the cafe, extremely happy with the outcome.