A Couple's Getaway Goes Astray. Part Two.
(Pirate Ship, Brig)
Felicia honestly expected this spontaneous vacation to go smoothly. She expected to spend countless hours in the throes of passion with her three lovers, just being relentless in devouring each other, and perhaps having a meaningful conversation here and there. Just enough to make Red happy that they are seemingly trying to make what they have going on work. Even if the thief has her doubts that it will work and is just playing along for now.
She even expected to possibly deal with a monsoon storm or something. Nothing too dangerous, but just something that would mean they'd wind up stranded on a deserted island. Where Peter would spend a few hours trying to rig a radio to call for help, and while he wasn't doing that, he'd be doing her and the two redheads.
But the current situation Felicia finds herself in is not one she pictured or likes.
The platinum blonde thief currently shares a cell with her redheaded friend and a deadly assassin in the pirate ship she and they were brought onto. And while it was one she and her lover could get out of easily enough, and maybe the ebony-haired killer so long as she behaved herself, they couldn't because of Peter's secret identity. If this was years ago, she wouldn't have cared about his normal self and said screw it. But as she is now, which is her being in love with him and wanting to make this new relationship work, she has to try to be more understanding.
She is irritated, but she understands. So for now she'll play along.
Meanwhile, in the cell across from her, her lover is sharing a cell with a Greek god turned mortal who does not seem to be overly fond of him if the harsh look the muscular man is sending to Peter is any indication. Which is strange since from what she has heard of Hercules he was an incredibly friendly guy. She knows Spider-Man has trouble with other heroes but she figures that hardly any of them know about Peter Parker. What could Peter have done that made a friendly guy like Hercules dislike him?
"I know who you are."
Elektra's voice knocks Felicia out of her head. She turns her sights to her left sees that Elektra has her gaze locked on her. To show she is not intimidated by her, Hardy raises a challenging eyebrow back at the deadly woman, "Is that right?"
Elektra glances at the model sitting next to the thief. "And I'm assuming they know as well due to her not being concerned over our situation."
Felicia becomes worried but does her best to hide it. Mary Jane has been in her fair share of situations and has come a long way from the damsel in distress. But to act nonchalant about it does attract suspicion as well.
Mary Jane, ever the talented actress, shrugs casually and responds, "I'm a New Yorker. I've learned that panicking does no good in these situations. Keeping a cool head and waiting for an opportunity is the key here."
Felicia lets herself smile at the quick thinking MJ is displaying. Just implying living in a city that is constantly dealing with alien invasions and villain attacks makes one have to be used to it. The woman has had years of practice in situations like this where she had to play the role of a random civilian caught up in the day-to-day battles of heroes and such.
Elektra regards the actress for a moment before she turns her sights back to Hardy, "Why are you out here?"
The thief shrugs and answers simply, "Vacation."
The female fatale raises a brow at her, "With an actress and some random stranger?"
Felicia bites her lip to stop herself from smiling knowingly at the assassin. Much as she'd like to give her a hint about who Peter really is, she knows she can't. She loves the guy too much to betray him like that.
"He's my ex." Once again, MJ swoops in with the quick save but is nonchalant about it to not arise suspiciously. "He's the guy who takes pictures of Spider-Man, so Felicia knows him too."
And again Felicia is impressed by MJ's quick thinking. 'Guess years of being with Spider has taught her plenty.'
Elektra lets out a, "Mmm." And Felicia wishes she could tell if that is the woman's way of saying she believes the actress. She doesn't get her answer when the ebony-haired woman throws them for a loop by saying, "I was led to believe you had a strong obsession with Spider-Man. So why you're with the man that is partly responsible for the years of slander against him is quite the mystery."
Felicia's jaw clicks at the assassin's words. She takes a breath to calm herself, crosses her arms, and gives Elektra a fixed look, "Okay, one, I am not obsessed with Spider." She raises a finger to the side. "Shut up." Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Mary Jane close her mouth. "And two, Peter just took the pictures. He didn't write the articles that painted Spider in a bad light. He needed the money and it was the best way to make it without him being a criminal."
Elektra nods a bit before she lets out another, "Mmm."
Felicia bites the inside of her cheek. She is starting to suspect that the woman before her doesn't buy what they're selling. Course Hardy doesn't want to over explain because she knows that would be a clear sign of telling a lie.
"Felicia realized she could do better than Spider-Man." Mary Jane states like it's a fact. Felicia raises a brow at the mode as she continues, "From what I've heard, he's not all that popular with other heroes. And I can imagine why if half of what I hear is true." She gets this uppity attitude that the thief did not know she could do, "Frankly, in my opinion, she traded up with Peter."
Felicia looks at Mary Jane curiously. She doesn't know how or why, but Hardy feels like MJ is speaking genuinely. She is not fibbing at all. She is speaking straight from years of resentment towards Peter's double life. And Felicia feels the need to defend that part.
"I wouldn't say that." She says as she crosses her own arms and gets her own uppity attitude, "Spider is more adventurous and he knows how to have a good time. I feel like Spider has more to offer than Parker."
The two women enter into a stare-down with each other. Neither one wavers. Challenging green eyes reflected against stubborn blue. And though she has her sights set on the model, from the corner of her eye Felicia can see Elektra is genuinely perplexed by this. Like she no longer knows what's what.
"I'd like to think we both have something to offer."
Peter's voice from the cell across gets them out of their stare-down. They turn their heads and see he is giving them a sort of pouty look. Felicia suspects he is offended over their topic of discussion.
Next to him, Hercules has an incredulous expression pointed at Peter. "I don't see what you can offer more than a mighty hero like Spider-Man."
Peter crosses his arms and sinks more into his seat.
Felicia narrows her in confusion and asks, "Okay what is your issue with him?"
That makes him sit up in a panic. He gives the former demigod a pleading look. One that is ignored as Hercules angrily states, "He kissed my wife."
All three women's eyes widen before two of them narrow accusingly at Peter. "You did what?"
Queens-born and raised young man raises his hands placatingly and quickly explains. "It didn't mean anything. I was lost in the moment and it just happened. I haven't seen her since."
They don't let up on their accusing stares.
"Oh come on, neither of you were with me at the time. Why are you looking at me like that?"
Again, neither one lets up on their stares. Meanwhile, Hercules seems to be enjoying the scene. While across the girls, Elektra just has an eyebrow raised.
Some footsteps are heard and they all turn their attention to the stairs where five male and female pirates are walking down. They arrive in front of their cells and pull out their pistols, pointing at their five prisoners.
"Stand." One of the large shirtless male pirates says. The man is covered in tattoos that seem to be runes.
The prisoners do as told without fuss.
"Turn."
Again they do as told. The sound of gunshots makes Felicia and Mary Jane flinch. Though no pain, she feels her hands bound behind her back once again by the weird energy. She turns to see that the others are like her.
The pirates open the cells and they walk out without being told. Much as Felicia would like to fight these guys, they still have their guns trained on them. With all of their hands bound behind their back with whatever they're using, they are at a serious disadvantage.
The lead large pirate gestures to the stairs and simply says, "Walk."
Felicia raises a brow at him and comments, "Man of few words, are ya?"
His face doesn't so much as twitch. He just stares at her blankly.
"Felicia," Peter calls out to her from behind the large man. She leans over to the side to see past him and her lover is giving her the same blank look, "I can't believe I'm the one who is saying this, but can you please not provoke the man with the energy gun."
She rolls her eyes before she turns and sees MJ giving her the same blank look. She gives the redhead an expectant look and MJ turns and starts walking up the stairs with Felicia behind her. Elektra is behind the thief with the large pirate behind her. Followed by him is Peter with Hercules behind him and three pirates at the end.
Seems they're more weary of the former demigod.
They travel up the stairs passing by a few floors. Quick Look's in and Felicia saw that the floor above theirs was the storage room with an abundance of barrels. What they're filled with, she can only guess. After that, they come across the crew's quarters. The beds and hammocks are a dead giveaway with clothes hanging on them.
They finally reach the top deck of the ship and see the multitude of pirates going about, tying off ropes and sweeping the floorboards, with their captain overseeing everything. The area is also heavily covered in fog, they can't see anything beyond the ship. They line up with their captors standing behind them and watch the captain work.
"Hurry it up now!" The woman shouts over all the hustle and bustle, "We're nearly home and I don't want even a single rope out of place!"
Felicia raises a brow at the woman's person. She clearly commands much respect from her crew. From the look of things, she knows what she is doing and the crew has no problems with her.
From the corner of her eye, she sees Peter shaking his head. She glances at him and sees he also has an upset look. "What's with you?"
"She's doing it all wrong." He tells her quietly. She raises a brow as he continues, "She's a pirate and she is not using any of the proper lingo. She is supposed to be saying, 'Hoist the sails' and 'Batten down the hatches'."
His comment gets the pirates behind them to raise a brow at him, Felicia gives him a flat look, "We're not in a Disney flick you dork."
"Antiope!" A sudden shout makes them all look around to see where it came from. They turn to the Captain and see she has her sights set on the sky with a happy smile on her face. They follow her line of sight and see that a bird is swiftly flying down at her. It's a large bird from what they can see. Its wingspan is at least half of an average human, it has very colorful plumage, and its beak is very large. Almost like a dodo.
The Captain, who they now know is named Antiope, lifts her arm up and the bird lands on it. It's a very colorful bird.
"Captain Antiope!" The very weird and large bird speaks as it flaps its wings excitedly, "It is good that you are back safely!"
She huffs in amusement as she shakes her head. "I was only gone for a few hours, Drakos."
"How can you say that like it's no big deal?!"
And while the crew is not at all bothered by this, their prisoners are another matter. Hercules and Elektra have raised eyebrows but show no more. The deadly assassin wants to show she will not be bothered or thrown for a loop by anything her captors show. Hercules is merely curious, he's never seen such a creature in his long life.
Peter and his two girlfriends, on the other hand, are completely floored by the bird. They share bewildered looks as they watch the Captain of the ship speak to the strange flying creature.
Finally, Peter voices what they are all thinking, "The hell kind of bird is that?"
Captain Antiope and Drakos turn their attention to them and the bird tilts its head curiously. "Who are they?"
She has an unpleasant look on her face as she stares at them and answers, "Prisoners."
The bird looks at her in surprise, "But your father-"
"They are associates of him." She shifts her sights to the largest prisoner.
The taking animal again tilts its head curiously before a look of realization dawns on it. "By the great winds!" It shouts before it turns its head back to Antiope, "Is that Hercules!?"
"Yes." She nods before she turns her attention back to the strange bird and says. "Tell my father to prepare more guards. His associate in red is a skilled fighter."
The bird nods, "Of course. Be careful." Then it flies away leaving behind a confused group of prisoners.
They watch it fly away before Peter voices his question again, "Seriously, what kind of bird is that?"
She ignores him and starts shouting out orders, "Prepare for docking! We're nearly home!"
Peter and company turn their attention back to the front of the ship and see that the fog is beginning to lift. Once it does, all of them, even Elektra, gasp in disbelief and amazement. For before them was an unbelievable sight.
A massive beautiful tropical island with high green mountains that reach the clouds in the middle of the blue ocean. The is almost completely covered with green foliage. A few areas seem to have architectural structures that stand out even from a distance. From the ship's point, they can even see a long pathway from the docks that leads up to a building a good distance up into the island.
"The Isle of Gaea." The captain informs them as she keeps her sights on the island. "We will be docking shortly."
The party does not respond. They keep the sights on the island they are heading to.
And while Felicia is mesmerized by the beautiful piece of land, the mesmerization is burst when he beau speaks. "Mysterious magical island, a Greek pirate princess that has a talking animal, and we are about to meet the ruler of it all." She can actually feel the smug look he is sending her. "What was that about this not being a Disney flick?"
Felicia will not give him the satisfaction of even looking at him. She is tempted to just scratch his eyes.
(On the Isle of Gaea)
Peter has no idea what to make of his situation as he walks down the marble pathway his pirate captors are escorting him and his friends on.
Well, girlfriends, a coworker, and a woman he knows about more than he actually knows.
Anyway, he doesn't know what to make of anything he is seeing. He's not an expert but he believes the architecture of the buildings is Greek, based on the swirly designs at the top of the columns. The flora is from all over though. He sees redwood trees, some bonsai trees, and apple trees.
And those are just the ones he can identify.
This place should be more known. A tropical magical mysterious island just off the coast of New York is not something that should be easy to hide. Yet here he is in such a place. And apparently, it's been around for a good while if the way these people are interacting is any indication. He sees these people as being friendly and neighborly. And with the way they are not bothered by the animals being friendly and serving them is also a good indication of how long this place has been around.
That is the other thing, the animals don't behave like typical animals. They act as servants or workers. He sees monkeys behaving like butlers, lions or tigers bringing serving trays on their backs or in their mouths, and birds bringing letters.
All in all, it's a place that he should have heard at least a rumor about.
He turns his head back to the front, where Captain Antiope is leading them down a marvel stone pathway. Behind her is him with both Felicia and MJ beside him and some armed escort beside them. And at the back, surrounded by guards who are armed with swords and hammers, are Hercules and Elektra.
The good captain thought it best to make sure those two were more heavily guarded.
'Can't say I blame her. Though I don't think it'll be enough.' Peter thinks as he turns his attention back forward and continues to follow the woman. The Greek pirate captain has not turned around to look at them and has kept her eyes forward. Peter guesses she feels confident that her subordinates are adequate enough to watch them. 'Magic weapons would certainly do that.'
That is a point of interest but not the main one on his mind.
Peter decides to voice it. "So I don't suppose you're willing to tell us what this place is?" He inquires and receives silence as a response. He tries a different approach, "Or why you don't seem to be a big fan of the mountain of muscles back there?"
"I do not have anything personally against Heracles." She responds, rather quick too, as she keeps her sights forward. "I was told if he appeared looking for a fight, we were to take him prisoner along with his companions."
"Told by who?" Hercules asks from behind Peter, having heard the conversation he was having with the captain.
The tall woman does not respond, and though Peter can't see her face, her body language tells him she is rather tense over the situation herself.
The Queens native clicks his tongue, "Okay well, I'd like to point out that he and I are not companions. He doesn't even like me. Ask him."
Again, having heard the conversation, Hercules gets an expression of consideration as he says, "If I were to say he is my closest friend, would you subject him to some unspeakable form of punishment?"
Peter whips his head around and shouts, "Dude!"
"Enough!" Captain Antiope tells them firmly. "We are here."
They arrive at the bottom of the steps of what seems to be a temple, not a castle, and there are lots of vines growing along the sides of the stairs. As they walk up, Peter studies the building some more. It's a large temple with eight columns at the front. The stairs lead up to the fourth and fifth where the entrance likely is. There are vines with flowers growing around the columns and across the roof. In the area between the roof and the columns where designs are placed, the triangular pediment, there is a detailed design of a female figure holding a world above her head with others bowing before her.
They eventually arrive in front of some massive decorative wooden doors, guarded by two large golems that are also armed with hammers. They do not speak when they turn around and place one hand on the doors before pushing them open. The group walks past them and enters.
Peter and the girls look around in awe at how beautiful the room is. In place of pillars or columns that would support the ceiling's load, are instead chiseled marble statues of muscular men done tastefully, no phalluses, and are wrapped with a lot of flowery vines as well. By those columns are braziers that are lit and decorative weapons like spears and swords.
The windows are all flowery and the ceiling design is amazing. It depicts a woman in green with vines coming out of her hands. Those vines's paths lead to two separate paintings. One is clearly the earth and the other is a beautiful kingdom.
Peter has his head tilted up when he whistles and says, "Swanky."
He lowers his head back down to face forward as they stop at the bottom of a spiral stairway. From the bottom, it goes straight for a few feet before it encircles a large platform that is floating in the air. On top of the platform are two men. One is standing by with a pitcher of wine while the other is sitting on a throne with Drakos, the weird bird from earlier, perched on his shoulder.
The man on the throne looks to be well in his thirties. He has dark hair and neatly trimmed stubble across his face. He has on a toga and sandals.
The other man with the wine pitcher also looks to be in his thirties, maybe older, with a clean-shaven face. He is also wearing a toga but with some stains.
The man on the throne nods to the Captain with a smile, "Antiope."
Peter notes that he has an American accent as his captor bows her head slightly in respect, "Father."
The man then turns his sights to them, the prisoners, and gives them a scrutinizing gaze, "Drakos informs me you brought these people here as prisoners."
Antiope nods, "Yes. As we were told to do so if Heracles was with them."
Peter sees the man get a bothered expression as he sighs, "Yes, I understand."
Clearly, there is something more going on if the looks the two have told him anything. Fortunately, Peter doesn't need to ask since Hercules steps up, pulling his guards with him since they are holding his chains, and speaks directly to the man, "Forgive me if I am speaking out of turn but I do not know you. Why did you demand for me and those with me to be taken as prisoners?"
The man turns his head, as if he is ashamed, and responds, "It wasn't me who wanted you in chains."
"Then who?"
The man takes a breath before he looks Hercules dead in the eyes, "Gaea."
Hercules's jaw drops and his eyes widen in shock. "Gaea? She is here?"
"Enough~." The man beside the ruler, who has an accent like Antiope, drawls with a roll of his eyes as he takes a swig of the pitcher in his hand, "Do what she told you to do, Gregory, and move on from this."
The man on the throne, whose first name being Greg makes Peter want to snort a bit, and gives the man beside him a displeased look. Before anything else can be said, Peter raises his hand, "Uh excuse me." He grabs both men's attention, "Yeah, hi. What exactly were you told to do?"
The man takes a breath as if to prepare himself, before he responds, "If my daughter, Antiope, were to run into Hercules and he was not alone, then she was to bring him in chains. Along with all of his friends." The ashamed look he had before returns, "After which, we are meant to… execute them."
Peter and his party's eyes widen. He looks back at them with concern as they look back at him. He clenches his fists as he fights the urge to punch out the guards and captain to try and escape. But he knows in doing so, he'll still have to deal with the fact that they are on an island that they know nothing of. A magical island that a goddess rules over. He'll have to be patient. Keep doing what he's doing now and just wait for an opportunity.
If they decide to throw them into some cells then he'll knock out the guards before they close the doors. He'll expose his identity to Hercules and Elektra, but it's preferable over dying. However, if this guy just decides to do a summary execution, then he'll fight here and now and deal with the fallout. Either way, there is no way he'll let protecting his identity get in the way of protecting the three most important women in his life.
Not counting Aunt May of course.
The drunkard draws Peter's eye when he stands and claps, "Well Gregory, seeing as you have this little unpleasantry handled, I will be taking my leave now."
"Dionysus." He calls out to the drunkard, "You need to be present for this."
The man tosses his pitcher to the side where there is a hole in the ground, and gives the man on the throne a condescending smile, "Excuse me, but as much as I enjoy certain entertainment, I don't enjoy watching people die." He turns his attention to them and gives them something of a pitying looks, "Especially if they've done… nothing…" Dionysus stops speaking as he tilts his head slightly and squints his eyes in their direction. "Wait. is that?" The man's eyes then widen in shock, "*Gasp* Oh my goodness gracious! Mary Jane Watson!?" The drunkard lets out another gasp before he rushes down the spiral stairs and excitedly flaps his hands while muttering, "Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, ohmigosh…"
The prisoners and their guards all have bewildered expressions. They glance at each other before they all look to Antiope questioningly. The woman only shrugs and they all turn their attention back to the excited drunk as he continues to descend down the spiral steps.
The man eventually reaches the bottom of the stairs and has not ceased his excitement. "Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, ohmigosh!" He stops just before the famous redhead and shakes her chained hand vigorously, "Miss Watson it is an honor to have you here on this island! I am such a huge fan!"
The famous actress smiles politely, but a bit nervously from the god's eagerness, and says, "Well thank you Mr- I mean, Lord Dionysus."
Dionysus waves his hand in a queerness manner, "Oh, girl please, call me Dio."
The actress gets more confidence in being more friendly to the god before her. "Well in that case you can call me MJ."
"As you say, MJ." He jokes, making them both laugh. Though on MJ's part, it's more polite than genuine.
While the two are conversing, behind the model, her shared beau and the woman she is sharing him with watch the interaction with raised brows. Neither one knows what to do or say.
Felicia leans closer to Peter and whispers, "That dude is parade gay."
"Are you allowed to say that?"
"I'm bi, so yes."
Back with Mary Jane and Dio, the drunk has an arm across his chest and a hand on his cheek and he stares at the actress with admiration. "I still can't get over the fact that you are here. I have seen all of your work," He leans in close as if he's telling her a secret, "I tell you it is a crime you are not more appreciated in your line of work."
She smiles pleasantly at the man, "Thank you. That means a lot," She then leans in close as if she has her own secret to tell, "Say, is there any chance you can get these off me and my friends?"
She gestures to the magical cuffs on her and Dio looks at them before he remembers the situation. He turns to Greg and says, "Gregory we can't-"
"Release them."
Everyone jerks at the sudden change of command as Antiope says, "Father?"
The man seems to now have a relieved expression on his face as he steps to the edge of the platform and addresses his daughter's unasked question, "It's fine Antiope. Gaea will be fine with this."
Peter shifts his eyes back and forth between the two as she asks with worry in her voice, "Are you sure?"
The man nods and explains, "It was by her command, that if you were to confront Hercules, then you were tasked with bringing him in along with his companions." He then looks to Dio with something of a pleased smile on his face, "However, she also stated that if your Uncle Dionysus recognized any of the people with Hercules, then we would release them."
Antiope looks at her father confused, "Why?"
Greg shrugs, "It wasn't my place to ask."
Peter would like to argue saying that Greg is in charge of the place, so he should be asking questions like, 'Why should I kill Hercules, who is a hero, and the people with them, who were just unfortunate enough to be on the same boat he was on.' Or at least something along those lines.
Dio gives Greg a displeased look, "And you couldn't have told me this?"
"She didn't want you to lie to me." He tells the man before he taps his foot on the ground. The platform descends and seeps into the ground. He walks up to the group before he lowers his head apologetically, "Please I am so sorry for this… unpleasantness."
As the guards remove the magical energy cuffs from them, Peter would like to make a quip or comment but Felicia beats him to it, "Yeah I'm not so sure if this can be swept under the rug." She gives the man a hard look as she continues, "Especially if you guys have had anything to do with the string of kidnappings and missing persons that have been happening all over."
The man gets alarmed and raises his hands placatingly, "That is not what you think it is."
"Care to enlighten us then?" Elektra speaks up this time.
The man clears his throat, "Let me start by properly introducing ourselves." He says before he inclines his head, "My name is Gregory Sheppard. I am more or less the man in charge of the island." He then gestures to the drunk who has yet to step away from Mary Jane, "This is my brother-in-law, Dionysus Anastos. He's an advisor."
"And I advised him not to go through with this request." Dionysus comments with an attitude.
Sheppard seems to get a look like a scolded child, and Peter comments when he sees it, "I'm guessing Gaea didn't give you much of a choice."
"It wasn't like that." He tells them. He takes a breath and gestures to the exit, "I would be happy to explain everything as we show you around the island.
"I would be more than happy to lead the way." The flamboyant way he said it made it sound like he was taking a shot at his brother-in-law. He holds out his arm to Mary Jane, "Miss Watson."
MJ takes it with a big smile and they walk out together. Peter and Felicia raise their brows at them before turning to Gregory who sighs at his daughter's uncle. He gestures to them to walk the path as well and they do so.
Peter was lost before. Now somehow, he's even more so.
The three Greek natives are the only ones left as they watch everyone else leave. Antiope is staying to keep an eye on the former Greek god and his dangerous female companion. Said female fatale is lagging behind because she is deciding whether or not to follow or find her intended targets.
And Hercules is lagging behind because his mind is elsewhere. Gaea ordered his death and those with him and cannot fathom why. The last he saw her was during the incident with Amatsu-Mikaboshi, the Chaos King, where she temporarily granted him true godhood. Then afterward, he used all of his power to restore the damage that was done.
He had done a great deed that went against every Olympian's nature. So why would she order his death?
"If you are pondering why your death was ordered, then I suggest you follow the man who ordered our freedom."
Hercules nods. Yes, standing around merely wondering will accomplish nothing. He needs to find the answers. He marches out of the room on the trail the others leave with several guards following him.
Now the only ones left are Antiope and Elektra. The former is waiting for the latter, while the latter has her eyes set ahead. But her attention is behind her. She felt the presence and gaze of several sets of eyes on her, and it wasn't the ones who were out in the open. Years of training with the Hand have taught her the difference.
She subtly shifts her eyes so that her peripheral vision catches a glimpse of a figure on a balcony slipping back into hiding. She would like to try and find out who that is, but she has a mission. So she'll play it smart for now.
Unbeknownst to anyone other than Elektra, up above in the balcony that is above the platform, two shadowy figures were watching the entire exchange. One of them has a female shape while the other has a male one.
"So that is him?" The female one speaks as they keep their sights on the group below.
The male nods and responds, "It is."
The woman hums in scrutiny as she keeps her sights on Peter, "He is not what I expected."
The man shrugs, "Are they ever?" He sarcastically questions and keeps his attention on Queensbornman as well before he inquires, "Disappointed?"
The woman gives a scrutinizing hum before responding, "He is a child of my world. A guardian and protector of life. And if he is what you say he is, then he is more." She turns her attention to the man beside her, "But do not forget, I am doing this as a small favor to you, my son."
"And here I believed it was for your daughter." He says with a rueful laugh, "She was your favorite."
The woman stays silent for a moment before she firmly says, "I love all my children."
"And yet, how often do we see you?" The sarcasm is palpable in the man's voice, "I had to find you through means that required the likes of The Watcher and Death. And they were very reluctant."
"Then why go to them?" The woman questions.
And now the man goes silent beige he quietly responds, "Because I was told they were the only ones who could and would help me."
"Who told you that?" The woman inquires.
The man huffs in amusement, "Now that is something I cannot tell you."
Another beat of silence follows before the woman asks very seriously, "What game are you playing, my son?"
"A very dangerous one." He immediately responds. He then walks away into the shadows of the room, "And I have to make sure that young man down there is ready for it. Because if he loses, we all do." He stops just a few feet away from her and turns his head to ask, "Will you do what I requested?"
The woman turns her sights back to the group that is leaving, "I sent the message. She is on her way."
The man nods his head in gratitude, "Thank you."
Mary Jane laughs as her flamboyant tour guide, Dio, tells her another joke regarding one of her co-actors. She is enjoying the man's company as he escorts her and her two lovers down the steps of the temple they were escorted to. She is genuinely enjoying the man's company. He may be a drunk, but he's a friendly one.
"…and let me tell you something else, those khaki trousers did him no favors." Dio flamboyantly says as he continues to walk with her down the stone steps, "I mean really, what was he thinking."
"Well, he clearly wasn't." Mary Jane says with some sass, "The man was trying to be a trendsetter. But all he ended up doing was being a warning for all fashion risks."
"Hah!" Dio lets out a loud laugh, "Too true!"
When they reach the bottom of the steps, Mary Jane stops and glances behind her to see both Peter and Felicia walking down as well with Gregory beside them. The man has an apologetic look on his face while Peter has an understanding one. Felicia however seems to be annoyed.
'Surprise surprise,' MJ muses with a roll of her eyes. She figures the infamous thief is upset over Mary Jane being recognized and garnering favor. She'd like to rub it in but that just feels mean. 'Maybe later. Like when she gets on my nerves.'
Knowing Hardy, it won't be that long.
The three of them reach the bottom and she hears Gregory say to her two romantic partners, "I am very sorry about all of this."
Peter sighs before he says, "I am a very forgiving person," he says, and MJ nods in agreement, before he thumbs to Felicia, "Her, not so much."
MJ covers her smile with her free hand when she sees Hardy's frown become more prominent. She did not appreciate being singled out.
She clears her throat and asks the ruler of the island, "So, do you know why Gaea wanted Hercules dead?"
Gregory shakes his head, "I didn't question it," he answers before he turns his head away, "After everything she has done for me and my daughter, I felt like I owed her my life."
"Like killing people for being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people?" Felicia sarcastically comments.
Gregory merely huffs in rueful amusement before he looks at the platinum-haired woman, "You're not a parent are you? If you were, then you would know and understand why"
Mary Jane gives the man something of a pitying look. That is something she can understand. Her own mother sacrificed so much for her and her sister that it wound up killing her. This man here is willing to do the same for his daughter.
"The one decent thing about him," Dio mutters by her.
Mary Jane raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment. She sensed there was some unspoken resentment between the two back in the temple. Family squabbles most likely.
She looks up and sees both Hercules and Elektra finally descending the stairs with the Captain and the guards behind them. The muscular man has an upset look while the assassin has a blank one.
Seeing that everyone is now here, MJ asks the question burning in all their minds, "So what is this place exactly?"
Gregory smiles and looks up and around as he answers her, "A gift from Gaea," he walks past her in a different pathway they were escorted from. They follow as he tells them his tale, "You see, roughly five years ago, there was an incident that nobody was even aware of. A group of cultists that worshiped some dark god whose name I can't remember, had found a portal into this other place called Avalon. A magical realm that reminds me of Lord of the Rings books.'"
"You've read Lord of the Rings?" Peter says in a childlike excitement that MJ thinks is cute. It reminds her he's still a total nerd despite being a superhero.
Gregory nods, "Of course. Anyway, nobody but them knew this but they were very capable of bringing forth this dark god into that place. They all had some brand on them that if brought to a magical realm like Avalon, could empower them and make it possible for them to bring their dark god there. But by pure happenstance, I stopped them without knowing."
"How?" MJ asks as they get to a corner of the pathway and take a left.
"I was a building inspector," he tells them, making them raise a bow in surprise, "My job consisted of me going to construction sites to make sure they were up to code. This one building in particular was weirdly designed. It didn't seem structurally sound, so I reported it. But nothing came of it."
"Wait let me guess," Peter quickly interrupts, "Your boss was the head cultist."
"My boss's son actually." Greg informs him, making Peter snap his fingers at having missed the mark slightly, "A real headcase he was. Anyway, to make a long story short, he was sabotaging my reports so it made me look bad. When I went back to the building, I found him there drawing some symbols. I confronted him, fought him, and unintentionally killed him." He seemed to be ashamed of that action, "When I did that, Gaea had appeared. She explained what the man was doing and why she couldn't do anything to stop him."
"Why not?" Mary Jane politely inquires.
He stops below an archway that is covered with foliage and he gets a conflicted look, "As strange as this may sound, given very recent events, she values life far too much to take it." He continues to walk and talk as the group follows, "She was grateful to me. She asked me to tell her my story. A widowed father trying to make ends meet. She felt that I deserved a reward so she made this island for me."
That makes the non-locals recoil as the throuple almost shout, "She gave you an entire island!?"
"Well, not without some responsibilities," He says as they arrive at the end of the path they were on. It is a catwalk with a circular end that has a railing. Gregory looks out over the edge with a smile and Mary Jane gasps when she sees what he is seeing. "She moved the portal, and many others that she felt were in danger that were on the mainland, to this island and asked me to watch over them."
They are at the edge of the mountain the temple is on. And from their point of view, they can see the absolute majesty of the island. They can see the buildings and how well they seem to be mixed with the island's natural flora. They can see the landscape and how diverse it is. It has wide open plains, tropical forests, and snowy mountains.
"Wow." Peter says as he stares out wide-eyed at the island, "I thought it looked great from the ocean, but up from up here… wow."
Mary Jane would like to say he is underselling it. She has been to some beautiful places, from Paris to Italy to California, and yet they all seem to pale in comparison to the absolute majesty of this place. Heck, the beaches can be seen from where they are and she can see the glistening waters and white sand.
"Talk about paradise." MJ comments to Dio.
He smiles back pleasantly at her, "Thank you, Miss Watson. We do try and keep our home clean."
Gregory points to the marble structures far below and informs them, "Those buildings are for locals, the ones that decide to stay."
Elektra seemed to piece together what he was implying and voiced it, "The missing people."
The group's eyes light up in realization as well and Gregory nods confirmation, "Exactly."
Well, Mary Jane is relieved to hear that the people who were reported missing are fine. But that does leave the question as to why they are still missing. From what she remembers from those reports, some of those people were missing for months. If they weren't kidnapped, and it didn't seem like they were being held against their will when they were passing by, then why haven't they returned yet.
Elektra looks down at the small village and inquires, "How did they come here?"
This time, Peter seems to be able to figure that out, "The siren's song led them here." He says and MJ recalls the eerie song they heard. "We heard it playing when we tried to radio for help when we saw your guys' boat."
Again, Gregory nods in confirmation, "Yes." He turns his attention back to the group and explains, "The siren's song is being broadcasted throughout the world. In a manner that it remains hidden in every radio broadcast."
Peter tilts his head, "Like subliminal messaging?"
Gregory tilts his head back and forth, "More or less. It's targeted at certain people. 'Lost souls' is the only term we were told describing the people affected." He walks over to the side where there is another set of smaller stairs, "Come."
They do as told and follow him. Mary Jane walks beside Dio and contemplates the term that he used, lost souls. She keeps her eyes straight ahead and fights the urge to glance at Felicia, who was the one who came up with the idea of their vacation. She doesn't want to assume the worst or make Felicia feel uncomfortable. But she is worried about what it could mean for the thief's life back home. Is there something she didn't tell them?
'She'll tell you when she's ready.' She mentally tells herself as they walk down the steps that are on the side of the mountain they are on, 'Don't push it and make sure Peter doesn't either.'
That last one might be a little harder because Peter is too much of a helper. He will not let anyone he cares about suffer in silence if he knows about it. Another lovable and sometimes annoying trait of his.
"He has quite a list of those types of traits doesn't he?" Sonja comments.
MJ slightly nods so as to not draw attention. That he does.
They get to the corner of the stairs, which is around the mountain, and they see another interesting sight. They see some farms with a variety of produce coming out of them. They have apples, bananas, oranges, coconut, and so many other products being carried out.
And what's carrying them out is also an interesting sight. Animals ranging from elephants, oxen, and horses. All of them are behaving like load bearing animals. Not unusual in MJ's mind, she's been around the world to see such sights. But what is strange is the avians; falcons, eagles, and ravens, and the land mammals; wolves, lions, ostriches, and tigers, all seem to be serving and helping in some form or other.
Elektra seems to share her perplexity as she voices, "I'm very curious about the animals here. They don't act like regular animals do."
"They are enchanted." Dio answers her, "Gaea has blessed this island in many different ways, including the flora and fauna." He gestures to the group of farmers, "The fruits and vegetables grow faster than normal even under these conditions. And the animals were given enough intelligence to take and understand commands."
MJ hears an impressed whistle followed by her beau's voice saying, "Boy you guys are making animal rights groups happy." She rolls her eyes at his lame joke as they continue to walk down the steps. They arrive at the bottom at another interesting sight and she hears Peter's gasp, "Oh my god. Are those monkey butlers?"
"Yes indeed." Gregory answers as a whole bunch of monkeys dressed as butlers walk by with bushels of fruits in baskets on their backs, "There are entire troops of them spread around the island, serving and providing to the people here.
"…This is the greatest place on earth." Peter whispers in astonishment.
Mary Jane closes her eyes and takes a breath. It's moments like these that remind her how childish Peter is. "That's another trait."
Gregory pulls an apple out of one of the baskets and continues to speak, "She wanted the animals to be more subservient to humans and not overly hostile. So the animals come with their own enchantments that work in tandem with the food we give them."
That sounds a little weird to Mary Jane. And to Peter too since he comments with, "Okay, now I'm getting a 'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes' feeling here."
Ugh, his movie references sometimes.
"Nothing to that degree." Well, it's a good thing that Gregory seems to understand him. "The apes act as servers and butlers, and are compensated in the same manner."
"With fruits?" Elektra questions.
Dio nods and responds, "Gaea has it instilled in their minds that they cannot pick the food themselves. They must work for it."
His tone tells her he is not happy about it. Does he find the idea cruel or something?
Felicia then asks an interesting question, "So does that mean everyone here is a required vegetarian?"
Huh. That does bring up a good point. If all the animals here help them, does that mean no meat whatsoever?
Dio shakes his head and answers, "No. We do eat pork, chicken, and a few other animals." He points to the farms where the fruit is being picked, "We have farmers and hunters on this island. People who enjoy the life of labor and others the thrill of the hunt."
Mary Jane can see Peter twitch at the term 'thrill of the hunt.' Dio used. She assumes it's because of a certain someone who likes to hunt him for sport.
But before she can chew on that thought some more, something else catches her attention.
"Are those sharks with legs?" She questions.
They all look over and do indeed see a school of sharks with legs walking through the farm. None of the animals seem to be bothered with them as well. They just go about their activities as if such creatures are not dangerous or frightening.
"Land sharks." Antiope, who MJ forgot was in their group, answers the question, "Gaea made them protect the waters around the island. They tend to stay close to the water but sometimes they travel inland for food or rest."
Interesting. But MJ wonders why would someone put legs on sharks?
While they stare at the odd creatures in bewilderment, her beau finds something else strange, "Wait?" Peter says in confusion, "If they are the guardians of this place then what's with you and the merry band of pirates?"
Everyone looks to Antiope and she answers plainly, "My crew and I are the ones tasked to bring people to the island. One cannot come here unless aboard my ship."
Oh, that makes sense. It also explains why this island isn't known.
As they watch the strange creatures walk, MJ sees one of them stop and sniff the air. It turns its head left and right before it looks directly at them. It tilts its head curiously before it approaches them. The little creature gets some raised brows from the group as it gets closer.
MJ, being curious herself, approaches the little guy but slows down when it seems to get apprehensive at her sudden approach. She drops down to her knee and raises her hand to it, "Come here, it's okay."
The shark looks at her warily but does seem to take some tentative steps toward her. She watches it closely and does not move so she doesn't spook it.
"Careful MJ." Peter calls out from behind her.
She rolls her eyes and ignores her overprotective beau. Honestly, she survived a relationship with him and is dealing with a relationship with him and Felicia. She can handle a baby land shark.
She keeps her attention on the little shark as it slowly gets closer to her. She continues to gently call out to it until it's close enough to be in her shadow. Once it's close enough, it raises its snout to her hand and takes a test sniff. It wags its little tail a bit before it presses its head on her palm.
MJ beams and starts rubbing its head, getting it to wag its tail happily, "Aww~ they're kind of cute."
She rubs under its chin as she hears Dio say, "They tend to keep to themselves but are friendly towards people for the most part."
"Meaning?" Felicia inquires.
"Much like how they say dogs can do it, they can sense the good in people." Gregory explains.
Well, that's neat. These little guys are like dogs. If Mary Jane could, she'd take this one home with her. But that would attract too much attention.
She hears some footsteps walk beside her and she looks up to see Peter with a lopsided grin, "Well he seems to like you."
She turns her attention back to the little guy, and he is now on his back with his legs in the air with her rubbing his tummy, "He is just the cutest thing."
Gosh, she is really tempted to keep him!
"Miss Watson," Gregory calls out to her. She looks back and he gestures to the path they were heading down, "If you could please rejoin us."
MJ pouts a little before she stands up. She walks back to the group with Peter by her side but she does turn around to wave goodbye, "Bye little guy."
The baby shark seems to be in bliss as he continues to lay on his back as the group walks away. They walk past several other sites. Elephants are carrying wood in their trunks, oxen pulling wagons full of marble, and people farming and wiring with the animals. Not whipping them or anything like that, but just working with them. By the time they get to it all, it's pretty late in the day and the sky is orange.
Mary Jane takes it all in and asks, "So what else do you guys have here?"
"Lots of things." Dio responds rather jubilantly and points towards the direction the village is in, "Restaurants, clothing stores, coffee shops."
Peter perks up at that, "Ooh."
"And you're all welcome to visit them tomorrow." Gregory tells them. They stop in front of some large wooden doors in front of a forest that has some gorillas guarding them, "As a way to apologize, I invite you to stay at one of our luxury treehouses."
They get bewildered expressions as the doors are opened and Felicia voices her displeasure, "Treehouses? What kind of-?" But she stops when they fully open the doors and they see what he means, "Whoa…"
They are all stunned by the sight of the multiple treehouses that are anything but simple. Most have single stories on them but there are quite a few that have two or three of them. Each one is crafted and all look like fancy lake houses.
Gregory escorts them in and gestures to the houses, "These required some collaboration between the birds of the island and the apes. Both are capable of building nests naturally, so Gaea made them capable to a greater degree."
They all walk into the village, or is it called something else, as they take in the sights. MJ notices the people up in the treehouses all seem to be laughing and talking as if this is all normal. They don't even blink when one of the apes brings them some food on platters.
As Dio takes her and her two lovers to their own treehouse she notices that there are two who are staying behind. She glances back at Hercules with Elektra standing beside him as the deity seems to want to say something to Gregory, who is standing by his daughter and the guards that escorted them.
Hercules, who had remained quiet their entire tour finally speaks and asks, "About Gaea, is she here?
Gregory seems reluctant to say anything but Dio seems to have no qualms, "There is a temple on the other side of the island. It takes at least a day to travel there. She told us if we ever needed anything else, then we were to go there."
Hercules nods at the flamboyant man, "Thank you."
He walks away after that and MJ looks back at the deity curiously, wondering what he'll do. She can guess he'll go to the temple and confront Gaea. But will there be a fight? That is the question. And if so, will Peter have to step in?
Knowing him most likely.
They stop in front of a very nice looking treehouse and Dio turns around, "Miss Watson, you and your friends are welcome to use this one."
"Thank you." She says to the man.
Felicia nods her head to the approaching Greek duo, "What about them?"
Dio perks up before he becomes confused, "You're not all together?"
Peter shakes his head, "No. The three of us saw their boat in the middle of the ocean and we thought they were in trouble."
"The three of you?" Dion questions before his eyes light up, "Ooh scandal." He gives MJ a look she has seen on too many of her girlfriends when they want juicy gossip, "Dish."
And just like those girls, MJ politely smiles and says, "Sorry it's private."
Dio pouts, "Oh poo. I can keep a secret."
"I'm sure."
The life of an actress and supermodel while dating a superhero meant she had a lot of juicy gossip. And more often than not her friends, who somehow caught whiff on occasions, were like sharks when they smelled blood in the water. They were relentless. But MJ knew how to handle them.
Dio hums as he looks Peter up and down before he comments, "Mmm well I can see the appeal. Strapping, young, and obviously virile."
Peter seems uncomfortable under the man's gaze, which makes MJ smile in amusement and she can see Felicia shares that.
"Ha!" Hercules, who had just come up in time to hear that last bit, adds his own two cents, "Mere man like himself. I doubt he can keep you two entertained as I could."
Okay MJ is getting annoyed by this. Peter kissed the Greek god's wife, fine, but based on rumors from many many women, the man wasn't exactly a devoted or Layla husband. Where the hell does he get off on being upset with Peter over a simple kiss?
"Unless the woman still brings it up." Sonja points out.
MJ concedes to that.
Felicia steps beside Peter grabs his arm and defends their man, "Trust us when we can say he can do that and more."
Hercules looks at the linked arms for a moment, as does Elektra, before the muscular man gets a cocky look and boasts, "Well I doubt he can do what I have perfected over centuries. And in fact, have learned by Aphrodite herself."
"Like she said," Mary Jane steps to Peter's other side and links her arms with his, "We're good with this guy here."
That seems to do the trick as the Greek god loses his cocky smirk. She won't lie and say she doesn't feel some satisfaction in putting this guy down. Everything she's heard about him, he's an overall great hero and guy. But his contempt for Peter over a kiss with his wife is just getting on the model's nerves.
MJ also notices Elektra's face remains blank for the most part. She can't help but feel the woman is studying every action they make. Like she is figuring out a puzzle and they're giving her the pieces she needs.
Hercules hums beige she shrugs, "Well as many of my friends say, I cannot help those who do not wish to help themselves. Good night."
The throuple frowns at his choice of words as Elektra walks away without another word.
"Was that a shot at me or you girls?"
"I think it was at all of us."
It's night when Peter finds himself leaning out into the night from the windowsill of the incredible fancy treehouse. The damn thing has a queen sized bed with silk sheets and super soft pillows. There are tables with lamps that have some magic crystals that light up the room instead of electrical lights. There are some chairs fashioned from wood and have soft cushions. There is also a bell that they can use to call one of the monkey butlers in case they get hungry.
This place is insane. He can't wrap his head around the situation he and the girls are in. It is confusing. Just this morning he was being treated as a prisoner. Now he's a welcomed guest because someone recognized Mary Jane. Makes him wonder how bad things would've been if Hercules and Elektra had been captured if the throuple hadn't run into them. He knows they would've fought tooth and nail to escape and killed plenty of people along the way. And it would have been all over nothing.
But it doesn't matter since everything worked out now. Despite initially being treated as hostile, Peter and the girls get to spend their vacation time on a beautiful island that has monkey butlers.
'I wonder if the animal rights group would be okay with this place?' Peter's mind wonders.
"So what do we make of this?" Felicia's voice knocks him out of his head.
He looks at both her and Mary Jane as the actress just stepped out of the shower, which is an intricate system of bamboo being funneled through from a natural hot spring somewhere on the island, and the thief is on the bed and both of them are in bathrobes.
Peter, who had yet to shower and is still in his swim trunks and t-shirt, shrugs and says, "I have no idea," he steps away from the windowsill and makes his way to the bed, "I mean I wasn't getting a bad vibe or anything. Greg seemed genuinely nice."
He gets to the bed when Felicia voices, "He could just be putting on a front."
Peter gets a doubtful look, "Yeah, but my spider sense didn't go off. It tells me if someone is bad news." Both women raise accusing brows at him and he scratches his cheek as he looks away, "More often than not."
"You know that sense of yours is very annoying." Felicia tells him in a full tone and MJ nods in agreement.
He sighs and hangs his head, "I know. It's one of my best powers but it is such a pain."
He really wishes the thing was more consistent with him. Not just warnings of immediate danger but the other stuff it does too.
But he doesn't dwell on that though long since Mary Jane speaks up and asks the obvious, "So should we do something? I mean these people were technically kidnapped and hypnotized."
"Were they?" Peter questions. He rubs his head in slight irritation, "The addition of magic makes it kind of murky because it targeted specific people who were looking for reasons to not go home. Since their home life is more or less sucky."
"You do know that I fell for it." Felicia flatly points out. Peter looks at her like a deer in headlights, he doesn't know what to say. He sees MJ looking at the thief expectedly and Felicia somewhat firmly says, "I don't hate my life."
"I didn't say that." He quickly responds with his hands raised in surrender. The last thing he wants to do is imply anything like that.
Fortunately, Mary Jane comes to his rescue, "Maybe they meant more like it affects people who are trying to avoid aspects of their life. Like honest living."
Peter tries not to smile at the cheap shot while Felicia narrows her eyes and points a finger at the redhead, "Hey, I agreed to be a partner with you in opening a nightclub."
"After you came up with this trip." MJ points out as she stands in front of the thief with a hand on her hip and her expression not changing.
Felicia gives the model a playful, at least Peter hopes it's a playful, defiant look and says, "Red, don't tempt me to turn your honest business into a front for my illicit desires."
MJ rolls her eyes and relents by sitting down on the bed by the platinum blonde woman. Peter smiles at the playfulness the two are displaying. To him, it's nice to see how easily they are getting along. He figured they be a bit competitive or more hostile with each other, but maybe that is just his ego.
MJ looks at him and brings them back on track, "So what do we do?"
Peter shrugs, "Honestly? I just want to get back to enjoying this vacation."
They both look at him dubiously, "Seriously?"
"Yeah!" He says as he gets up and excitedly gestures out the window, "Come on. We're on a tropical magical island. Let's make the most of it."
Their dubious looks don't leave when MJ comments, "You know out of the three of us, I'd figured you'd be the one to say let's get out of here."
"And you are right to think that!" He replies exuberantly, maybe a bit too much, "Because even though I'm not getting a bad vibe from this place, I still feel like something is going on that not even the man in charge knows about." His thoughts drift to Gaea's command of executing Hercules and anyone with him comes to mind. Peter shakes his head, "But you know what? I am not gonna go look for it. Not because it's not any of my business or anything like that, but because I've got you girls with me."
They both give him unhappy and offended looks, "Excuse you?" Both of them say in sync.
Peter's eyes widen and realizes his mistake in his wording, "Not what I meant to say." He says with his hands raised, "I meant that, with you girls here, it'll be easier to deal with," now they both look at him peculiarly and he explains further, "The three of us have always seemed to be able to work almost perfectly together. I mean, I know it hasn't been that many times with the three of us. But I do know that me with one of you two, or the two of you together, these crazy situations are always easier to handle and they always turn out better than if I did them alone."
Both Felicia and Mary Jane give him small appreciative smiles. He smiles back, pleased to see they're getting what he's saying. He doesn't say it often enough, or maybe he does and he doesn't realize it, but he loves having both these women in his life. He can't count the number of times these two have come through for him and pulled his bacon out of the fire. Or had just been there for him when he needed a friend. And he has tried to do the same on many occasions, granted not as often, but he'll definitely do that now.
Mary Jane voices her concern, "And if something is going on here?"
"Then we will deal with it easily, "He reiterates. He looks at Felicia and speaks sincerely, "You and I kick butt when we team up. Hardly anyone can stand up to us." Hardy smiles and nods in acknowledgment. He turns his attention to MJ and says, "And even though you don't remember it, Sonja and I did work well." He pauses as he fully remembers those small misadventures, "For the most part. You know, when she didn't want to hurt me for being in the way." May Jane smiles in amusement and he continues, "And you and I, Red, we always made the perfect team."
He gives them loving smiles that they return. He means it all too.
He slaps his thighs as he leaps to his feet, "So, here is the plan! Tomorrow morning, we are going to explore this place and see all that it has to offer! We're going to check out these nice restaurants and clothing stores to see what's what. Afterward, we play it by ear and grab some souvenirs along the way."
They both seem to think about it for a moment before they glance and nod.
"Sounds like a plan."
"I'm in."
Peter beams, "Great!" He then whirls around and heads into the bathroom, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to wash off today's grime."
He walks in and closes the door behind him. He takes a moment to look over the bathroom, a porcelain bathtub, and sink before he starts undressing. His mind is on what he hopes will be a great day tomorrow.
His life is not normal. It will never be normal. He can expect the best all he wants, but if he doesn't get it, he'll make the best of what life throws at him.
'And that includes being kidnapped by Greek pirate witches and taken to a mysterious magical island-my god I need therapy.' His mind tells him.
As he turns on the water, which still amazes him that it's all bamboo systems, he hears the girls' voices, "You know in retrospect, we should've waited until we talked so we could all shower together since that is what we're gonna do."
"Eh, best to keep surprising him."
He then hears the door click open.
Hoo boy, he's not sleeping tonight.