Albuquerque

Reunited With the Family

Later, Gina and the royals flew all the way back to the palace and were at the windows of the throne room. They had several parrots with them as part of Athena's plan.

"Okay, birdies, do your thing," Athena told the parrots.

The parrots flew in through the window and started attacking Morgana.

"Birds in the palace?" Morgana growled. She tried to strike the birds with the same spell she tried to use to murder Athena 52 years ago.

The birds flew all over the place and right out of the throne room with Morgana chasing them. Now that Morgana was gone, Gina and the royals could get in and release Athena's family from the painting. Athena looked at the painting and saw the anxiety on Eric's face.

"Oh, Eric!" Athena gulped. "You have to get them out, Gina."

"Okay," Gina said. She had a magic drum in her hand and beat on it as she recited the spell. "Thlacuilolli apartad, Thlacuilolli apareced, Thlacuilolli vivid!"

The painting glowed very brightly. There was a puff of smoke. Athena's family disappeared from the painting and reappeared in front of Gina and the royals. They were relieved to be out of that painting, and Athena was happy to see them, especially her big brother.

"Eric!" Athena cried.

"Athena!" Eric cried, hugging his little sister.

"Oh, I missed you so much!" Athena sighed.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Eric smiled.

Athena faced the rest of her family.

"Sweetie!" Kerry beamed.

"Momma! Daddy!" Athena beamed, hugging her parents. "Grandmamma! Grandpappa!"

It felt so good to be together again.

"The palace looks so different," Miles remarked.

"It's about time we got out of that painting—it's been so long," Lucia said.

"How long has it been?" Brandon asked.

"52 years," Athena revealed.

"Years?" the whole family gasped.

"Where have you been this whole time, Athena?" Kerry asked.

"When I went to face Morgana while Cedric cast that spell to put you in that painting, she tried to kill me, and the Amulet pulled me inside to save me," Athena revealed. "I had to wait a long time for the one princess who could free me from the Amulet." She faced Kathy's family and said, "And that was Kathy. I sensed it from the very first day the Amulet arrived in Asmorinthia."

"So when we were picking out a gift for Kathy's 7th birthday, it was you who made the Amulet glow?" Walter asked.

"Yes, I needed someone young enough to get close to Morgana without making her suspicious but brave and clever enough to get me out," Athena revealed.

"Well, I'm glad to know you're okay, Athena, but we should never have let you face Morgana by yourself," Eric frowned.

"And we shouldn't have let Cedric put us in that painting," Brandon agreed with his son.

"Can we talk about that later?" Athena asked. "We have to get moving."

Gina and the royals went back to the window where the flying horses were waiting.

"Some of us will have to double up," Gina said, getting on a flying horse with Kathy.

As Eric got on a horse, he told his sister, "I'm not running away from Morgana again, Athena."

"We're not running away, Eric," Athena said. "This is how we're going to overthrow Morgana. We just need to execute the second part of my plan." She got on the horse with her big brother.

The horses flew off to the village.

"Okay, now that we're all here, we're going to execute the second part of my plan," Athena told her family. "Everyone is going to help us."