Children of lava

Training with Kai

Lilly looks down at the crystal clear lake nervously as her dad soothes her. "Dad, I'm scared," Lilly says looking at her father. Kai gives her a understanding look. "It was scary for me too it's normal to be scared," he said. Lilly pouts looking down at the water.

"The boys aren't scared of their power," she said. "Your brother's don't have their powers yet. Everyone thinks being a elemental is something amazing, but it can be really scary too. I remember when I first got my fire powers I was having a lot of trouble with it. Unlike earth, or water fire can grow and move on its own. Fire is destructive and needs to be reigned it. Your lucky you got water. It's scary, but it's not fire," he said then gestures to the lake.

"Now, water can be shaped, it's versatile," he said and then he holds up a bucket. "I want you to fill this bucket," he said. Lilly looks at him skeptic and said. "That's it?" Kai nodded. She takes the bucket to the lake and tries to fill it up only to see it has a hole in it.

"Dad there's a hole in it," her dad grins leaning back on a tree getting comfortable. "I know," frowning Lilly asks. "How am I supposed to fill it with water then?" She asks. Kai took out a book. "That's up to you to figure out,"

Lilly growls at her Dad.

Meanwhile

"Did you all really think I would not get out of being tied up?" Echo questions the children who were all sat in a line up pouting. During their game of jump rope they tried jumping and tying Echo up with the skipping rope but the nindroid knew their tricks down to the code plus he's stronger than your average child's skip rope.

"Here I know your all worried, but there really isn't anything any of you can do. Just leave it to your parents okay? They know what they are doing," Echo explains softly and patiently. "But Lily's out there having fun!" Sky whines. "And we want our powers too!" Oscar complains and all the children shout in agreement. Echo has a soft look on his face as he carefully explains.

"Look it may seem cool having elemental powers, but nothing in life is free. Whether that be a physical toll or something being taken from you everyone has to pay their price whether they like it or not. Your parents and ancestors all paid their prices for it young. They don't want the same for any of you," Echo said. "I can pay it! Lilly has money in her piggy bank!" Onyx states.

Echo might have laughed if he wasn't trying to be serious. "Not money. Look Ray and Maya paid the price by missing out on Nya and Kai's childhoods, my brother paid the price by loosing our father and his original body, Jay and Cole paid the price by loosing their mothers young, Kai paid it by his fear of missing out on his children going through the same thing him and Nya did. Let's not mention Lloyd. He both literally and figuratively had his childhood stolen from him and was forced to fight his father through tooth and nail with the idea he was supposed to destroy his father or Ninjago would be destroyed. Can any of you imagine what it would have been like for him? Believing he had to be the one to kill his own father or everyone would die?"

The children all go silent hearing this and Em tears up. "But I love grandpa," she said. "And so does your father," Echo said softly.

He looks at each of them. "Your parents only want you all to be safe. If it was up to them none of this would be happening and the truth is that Lilly is already in more danger than your parents want to tell you, but if I've learned anything from movies it's that keeping secrets doesn't really end well for anyone," Echo said. "Is Lilly going to be okay?" Onyx asks.

"Of course as long as you all behave yourselves so your parents can focus on the threat at hand. I know you all feel frustrated being side lined, but the sooner this threat is over the sooner your parents can explain all of this to you better and the best thing you can do for them is not become a worry," Echo said.

The children all look at each other and gave simultaneous sighs and all nodded. Echo smiles and gives them each individual hugs.

"Now let's watch a movie marathon. If any updates come through I'll tell you immediately," Echo promises and the children all nodded. It was going to be hard, but they were going to try and behave as much as they physically can.

Meanwhile

Cole frowns as he looks at the screen on his earth cycle. The ninja team had split up to check all the coastal areas around Ninjago city and the Serpentine had set up search parties underground, but so far none of them had turned anything up.

"Has anyone found anything? Anything at all?" Cole asks them.

"We am detecting no underwater activity here,"

"I got zilch,"

"The Samurai crew got nothing on the canal streets,"

"The serpentine have turned up nothing in the sewers,"

"I found a pretty shell Sky might like, but nothing else,"

Cole sighs annoyed and frustrated. "Kalmar would never just give up. He's got to be somewhere close by," Cole said the worry starting to get to him.

He really can never catch a break can he? Maybe he shouldn't have made Kai go through with that ritual or let Lilly go to the aquarium.

No it was killing him what were you supposed to do let the love of your life die while your kids grow up without a parent and you pretend you could do a better job than your dad did? Dream on Cole. Although I guess me and Kai should have found better situation for Lilly, just felt bad excluding her from the trip she wanted to go on. Would have excluded the boys too if they didn't fail their last assignments. Seriously me and Kai need to get them a tutor.

As Cole thinks this Jay talks over the coms.

"Uh guys I think we have a problem," jay spoke into the coms sounding nervous.

"What's up hun?" Nya asks.

"I decided to try using the CTV footage around the city to see if I could find anything and good news I found Kalmar! Bad news he's just left the city and he's heading towards the forest Kai took Lilly to,"

Cole's eyes widened and he quickly revs up his earth cycle. "Everyone get to the lake now!"

Back at the lake

Kai was making sure to keep a eye on his surroundings while waiting for Lilly to finish her task. He expected this to take awhile, he didn't even realize when he had completed the task until Wu mentioned it once. That crazy old guy.

Besides even if they were miles from the ocean he was taking no risks.

"Dad! I did it!" Kai turns to see his daughter smugly pointing at the submerged bucket proudly. "You said to fill the bucket and now the bucket is fill," she states. Kai smiles at her proudly. "Good job Lillypad. It took me ages to figure that out when I was a teen you must be a natural," Kai praises her. "Or maybe I'm just smarter than you were," Lilly suggests and Kai does not hesitate in pushing his daughter into the lake water.

He laughs at her indignant scream when he pauses and tips his head to the side. Year of ninja training have made him extremely perceptive and so he caught on to how all the birds coming from one direction suddenly took off from their perches cawing.

"Lilly get behind me," Kai orders and Lilly looks confused. "Wha?" "Lilly do it now!" Lilly does as told just as troops of Atlantean's came out from the forest with their weaponry aimed at them.

Kai glares while Lilly fearfully hid behind her dad. "Well well we'll if it isn't the one who tried to kill me," Kalmar said making his way to the front, but still behind his first row of soldiers for protection. His eyes go to Lilly and he grins. "Alas my revenge shall wait for now. I need the girl," He states.

Kai's hands lit afire and he growls. "You are not going near her," he states. "Oh yeah? Or what?" Kalmar said. "Well your about to see what a parent is willing to do for their child," Kai answers and than charges.