Interruption

The flames in the arena dissipated in an instant, snuffed out against my will by a…I wasn't even sure how to describe it, but they just seemed to slip through my fingers, washed away on contact with a ripple of blue-green light I assumed only I could see. An instant after it passed over me, I felt arms wrap around me before I found myself being carried swiftly out of the arena. I stiffened, reflexively preparing myself to fight—before just as quickly relaxing, catching sight of the Aura of my captor and recognizing it.

"Mom," I said. "You can put me down now."

She did, setting down on my feet in one of the Coliseum's halls, right beside the locker rooms. A quick glance showed that we were not alone. Just a short ways down the hall was a woman walking our way, casual for all that she held Pyrrha bridal style. When she saw me looking, she smiled gently and set Pyrrha back on her feet, standing right behind her. The three-time champion didn't complain about the treatment or even say a word while the smiling woman gently straightened Pyrrha's hair, bringing it back to its orderly ponytail and combing it with her fingers. Almost absently, she brushed dust and dirt off the Champion's armor, licked a thumb to wipe away a smudge on her face, and then gently embracing her from behind, resting her face against Pyrrha's.

"Thetis," My mother greeted the serene-looking woman, probably for my sake though I could see her name hanging in the air above her blue hair. "Your daughter fights as well as you said."

"It's kind of you to say so," Her expression didn't change as her eyes moved slowly towards me. "I'd like to say the same of your son, but you appear to have forgotten to mention a few things. Jaune, was it?"

"Yes, ma'am," I said. "Are you Mrs. Nikos, then?"

"I am," She nodded towards me. "My, but you two caused a stir—and before the tournament, as well. It was just a spar, but this is the first time in years I've worried about my Pyrrha in battle."

"Mother…" The Champion said, falling silent as Thetis drummed a finger on her shoulder and pulled her closer.

"But perhaps it's for the best. Much as I hate to worry, things have been quite tedious for my daughter, lately," She continued as Pyrrha went quiet. "It's good to have some excitement in your life, isn't that right, Isabelle?"

My mother snorted out a breath and I assumed it was some type of in-joke between them.

"Did you have fun together?" She asked, turning her attention back to the two of us. I nodded, as did Pyrrha, making her smile widen even further. "That's good. I hope you'll entertain one another in the tournament as well. Speaking of which…"

She shook her head and sighed.

"My, but what a hard act that will be to follow," She said ruefully. "Everyone who'd been looking forward to the tournament up 'til now will find the first few rounds rather disappointing, I think. Your mother and I saw you in the square, you know, on one of the big screens. And how it was advertised…whether it was a preview or meant to get people excited for the matches or part of the first day's celebrations, it must be hard for all the other participants, to be written off so early on."

My mom frowned at me.

"What were you even doing here, anyway?" She asked. "I thought you were with…I thought you were going to stay at home."

"I was going to take a walk and see Mistral," I said, shrugging. "But Grandma gave me some advice about meeting people."

Mom's face twisted.

"That explains far too much," She spoke as if she'd just tasted something awful. "I thought those children looked familiar. What were their names…Kyanos and Ulaan?"

She directed the question at Thetis, but I nodded anyway.

"And Melanie," I added, before tilting my head to the side. "What does it explain, exactly?"

"Did she send you out here alone?" Mom demanded fiercely, ignoring the question.

I was curious, but…

"No," I said. "She sent a man named Grigio with me."

"Grigio," She nearly spat. "Of course she'd send you out with Bigio's boy. What is she…no, I know exactly what she's thinking. You should have stayed at home, Jaune."

I glanced over at Pyrrha and saw the sudden concern in her eyes, though she remained silent at her mother's side. I looked back at my own, glancing over her face. She wasn't upset about the fighting, I was pretty sure—and I doubted she minded me showing my powers, either, given the all the planning and training we'd done—but…

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked. "If I did, I'm sorry."

After a moment, my mother sighed, leaning back against the wall.

"No," She said. "It's nothing you did—nothing you could have avoided, really. I'm sorry, it's just…at times like this, I remember why I avoid coming home. Should we meet up again tomorrow, Thetis?"

She nodded easily.

"Peleus will want to address this soon, anyway," She mused.

"Jeanne and Cynosarges will get to it first," My mom shook her head. "It won't be that simple."

Thetis seemed to concede that, nodding slightly in my mother's direction.

"Even so, he'll wish to speak to Cynosarges," She replied. "Despite everything that's happened, he stood beside the man for years. Maybe still does, in his own way."

Mom made a face at that but nodded in acceptance.

"It was good to meet you, Jaune," Thetis said, smiling at me. "I wish you luck in the tournament."

"Thank you, ma'am," I said, smiling at her. "Goodbye, Pyrrha. I'm sorry we have to leave it at this, but I'll look forward to fighting you again."

The Invincible Girl looked between her mother and mine, as if putting pieces together, but looked at me when a spoke and nodded resolutely with a smile.

"And I as well, Jaune," She said. "I'll hope to meet you again in the tournament; we'll continue where we left off."

Thetis patted her daughter's shoulder once and then gently tugged her away, waving at us one last time. As she did, though, I couldn't keep from glancing up at her title one last time.

The Terror of the Sea of Monsters

LV71

Thetis Nikos

With a title like that, I had to wonder…

But I didn't ask. As Pyrrha and her mother walked away, I waited silently beside my mom and didn't say a word. Only once they were gone did I look at her and speak. I didn't ask who her friends were or who they had been, what she was doing, or even what was going on, even though I wanted to. I trusted my mother just as I trusted her to tell me those things if I needed to know; until then, I trusted her with her secrets, as well. But there was something I did need to know.

"Mom?" I asked. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," She said. "Except what you were supposed to, I suppose. It doesn't matter; none of this is your fault."

I nodded at that, accepting it even if I didn't understand.

"Did Grandmother do something, then?" I asked. "You're mad at her."

"Damn right, I'm mad at her," She growled. "She…there's things happening in Mistral right now, but she…she just tells you to go off and fight and when you do well, she throws it up for all the world to see. Does she even know what could be happening?"

As a person who absolutely didn't, I had to force myself past that. When I did, though, I tilted my head to the side and thought about it.

"I've never considered Grandmother the type to not know exactly what was going on," I mused. "Now whether she cares or not, I couldn't say."

Mom nearly snarled at that observation, kicking a wall. She didn't knock it down, though, so she couldn't have been all that upset.

"Of course," She said. "Of course she knows; what am I saying. So she shows everyone what you can do and dares them to try. And if they do, she'll chop them up, put them in a box, and just label it Return to Sender. Even at a time like this, she'll just flip off everyone and—"

She cut herself off and took a deep breath, turning to lean her forehead against the wall. For my part, I kind of had to wonder if she was speaking from experience.

"I'm sorry, Jaune," She said after a moment. "To act this way. I should be congratulating you—your first day here and you went toe to toe with the regional champion. Don't tell Thetis, but I know you would have won, even fighting like that. And everyone…you should have seen it; entire streets stopping just to look at you fight. Even…even I was surprised, Jaune, at some of the things you managed to do. You did amazingly well. I'm proud of you, Jaune."

She turned around and immediately pulled me into a hug that I returned after a moment of surprise.

"But I…" Her voice almost shook before she went silent for second. When she began again, though, it was steady, stable. "There's a lot I can't tell you, Jaune, and I know you can handle yourself, but Mistral is…it's not like Vale. Go home for tonight, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed instantly, holding her. "Should I get Grigio?"

"No," She said with a sudden flicker of…something. "Grigio is…he's…"

I furrowed my eyebrows in concern at that, even though I knew she couldn't see it.

"Grandma wouldn't send me out with someone she didn't trust," I said, certain of that much. "And Grigio was very polite."

"Yes," She said, her voice still strange. "Of course he is, just like his father. He's courteous and intelligent and loyal and so polite that he'd apologize to you for the necessity of hanging you up by your entrails. I'd rather you walk home alone then with him."

There was a part of me, beyond everything that mental image incited, that wanted to point out that if there was something dangerous going on, having a guy who'd eviscerate anyone who tried anything in creative ways at your back was probably not completely without merit. But there was a larger part of me that thought saying that out loud might not be the best idea.

So I nodded instead.

"Okay," I said. "I'll head back now, then?"

"Please," She said, stepping back enough to kiss me on the forehead. "Be safe, Jaune. I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom," I said, letting go. "I'll see you later."

So I left. I felt kind of rude doing so without saying goodbye to any of my other new friends or without even telling Grigio where I was going, but I figured I could apologize to them later and left the Coliseum. I retraced my steps back towards Grandmother's house, staying alert just in case. All around me, on the massive screens of the city of Mistral, my fight with Pyrrha was playing and I got to see some of what my mom had meant. Though much of the initial shock and awe had faded, people still stopped to watch the battle, to chat about it and cheer.

There was a part of me that felt proud about that, that wanted to go over to one of them and just say 'That's me.' But instead I put my hood up and kept walking, trying not to draw attention while also trying to be aware of everything around me, on guard for any threats.

Which was why I was out of the way the moment Sense Danger alerted me to a threat. The instant I felt it, my other senses focused on the source and I felt it before I saw it. Immediately calm, I analyzed the projectile as it sailed through the air—a simple rock to all of my many senses—and I caught it out of the air just so it wouldn't accidently hurt someone else.

Then I just followed it back to its source with my eyes. It came from an alleyway, at the very back where the city lights faded and shadows covered everything. Of course, none of that did anything before my sight, and I simple peered through the darkness. There was a part of me that honestly considered that it might just be an accident or perhaps a disgruntled fan of Pyrrha's; something minor and meaningless and nothing more, which I'd be able to just walk right past and dismiss.

But it was a small part. Microscopic, really.

As such, I couldn't say I was all that surprised when instead I saw Adam, mask-less and disguised and still obviously him to someone who could see his Aura and his name above his head. He looked at me from his cover, eyes meeting my own, and nodded at me while gesturing me closer.

I sighed slowly, closing my eyes for a moment. My mom had told me to go home. Sure, I could rules lawyer that trivially, say that she hadn't specified when or how or whatever, but the message had been pretty obvious; she wanted me to go straight home and be safe. Whatever Adam had to tell me in a dark alley when I knew full well he had a lot of reasons not to want to be anywhere near me right now was probably not going to be conductive to that plan.

Which didn't change the fact that he almost certainly had something important to say.

Casting a quick glance around the rest of the street just to be safe, I walked into the alley.

"You don't waste time when it comes to getting in trouble," He said by way of a greeting. "We need to talk."

"Right now?" I asked, making a futile effort for my mom's sake.

"Yes," He said, looking me up and down. "How fast can you change suits?"

Shit, I thought, knowing what he was really saying.

"Fast," I said aloud. "Why? I thought you said…"

"No plan survives contact with the enemy," He said. "Or you. Come on."

I exhaled loudly through my nose but nodded, trusting him.

It was ironic, though, I couldn't help but muse. I'd just gotten out of a literal fire.

Now I was jumping into a different on.

"Okay," I said. "Just tell me when to put my mascara on."

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