To Be a Hero | MLB

22: The Army

I point my racket at Jaxon again, and he flinches as a parrot launches out of my weapon and lands on his shoulder. My parrot digs its talons into my brother's shoulder, and he winces in pain.

Then the bird whispers into his ear the same message I gave every one of my little minions: Meet me at the Seine.

Jaxon's eyes gloss over and darken to a deep violet color, and his arms slacken to his sides. He turns and heads back into our apartment building, looking for the nearest staircase or elevator to descend.

"See you in a few," I say, then take off toward the Seine River. When I arrive, I circle above the crowd forming on the riverbank a few times before coming to land at the front of the crowd. "Hello, my army!" I greet, a wicked smile twisting its way onto my face. I take in the dozens of expressionless faces and empty violet gazes before me, already feeling a sense of pride wash over me. All these people answer to me.

I am their leader. And I'll show Ladybug I'm just as capable of making decisions and leading a team as she is.

I recognize one of my soldiers in the front of the crowd as the reporter who delivers the akuma alerts on the news. Standing beside her is a glossy-eyed cameraman, and I tap the camera's lens. "Is this thing on?" I ask, and he nods once. So, I motion for him to turn to face the crowd—now made up of a few hundred people—and step in front of the camera.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir, if you're watching this, I have a little message for you," I start. "Since you've already made it clear how much you care about your poor, little Parisians, I have a deal for you. Come and give me your Miraculous within the next five minutes, or I'll march them all straight into the river. And I doubt all of them can swim," I finish, smirking.

"Wonderful job, Reverb. Their Miraculous will be ours in no time," Hawk Moth says in my mind, and I nod, walking into my crowd of purple-eyed soldiers.

I pass dozens of strangers before I see someone I recognize. Lila. I smile at her and move on, stroking ebony parrots perched on my soldiers' shoulders as I go. I see my two older brothers and pass them without much thought. They didn't stand up for me any of the times my mom yelled at me, so... maybe they didn't deserve my mercy now. But then I see my younger brothers a few feet behind them and feel guilt surge within me. I know they can't swim, and I don't think I can subject them to this fate.

So, I give them the command to stay where they are, then move on before I can change my mind.

I'm nearly to the back of the crowd when I see another familiar face. This time, I freeze, my guilt threatening to knock me over with its force.

Antoine.