Michael's Revenge

Chapter Three

Everyone was outside, enjoying a good breakfast picnic that Kawaii~Chan and Aphmau had made. Everyone was there, even Zane, who had been persuaded by Aphmau to come and enjoy the sun. They were all spread out on one, large picnic blanket that covered the whole hillside.

"Zane, come play with us!" Aphmau yelled at her opposite. Zane looked up from the book he was reading to see Aphmau gesturing him towards the forest, Katelyn and Kawaii~Chan already running towards it.

"Uh, sure," he said, setting his book down and following her. They ran after the two goddesses, Aphmau jumping on Katelyn once they got close, knocking both of them down.

"Let's go exploring!" she exclaimed, helping Katelyn up, "I wanna see what we can find!" Then, she ran off into the forest, leaving the other three to follow her.

They all walked for a while before Kawaii~Chan spotted a deer. "Oh," she breathed, "It's so beautiful. She walked up to it, wanting to pet it. However, when she laid her hand on its soft hide, it exploded in a burst of green light.

She screamed, falling back into her friends as something rose out of where the deer had been standing. It sounded like laughter was coming from it.

When the light cleared, they looked at the spot and saw a man lying on his back, laughing. The man had stark white hair and tanned skin, his eyes a sparkling emerald when they were open. He was wearing a loose pair of white pants and a green shirt, a laurel wreath atop his head, and no shoes. Travis, the God of the Forest.

"Travis!" Katelyn yelled, smacking the god, "You scared Kawaii~Chan half to death."

Travis looked up from his place on the floor, his smile fading as he saw Kawaii~Chan's tear-filled eyes as Zane helped her up.

"Sorry, KC," he said, sitting on his knees, "I didn't mean to scare you that bad." He got up and walked over to Kawaii~Chan, giving her a small hug. She hugged back, laughing a little.

"It's okay, Travis~Kun," she said, pulling away from the hug, "It was actually kinda funny."

Travis smiled before turning back to the others. "So, whatcha doin' here?" he asked.

"Exploring," Aphmau said, climbing a nearby tree.

"Oh!" Travis exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "I've got the perfect spot for you to explore!" He ran off between some trees and the others followed slowly, not as used to the forest brush as much as Travis.

After about five minutes, they emerged in the most beautiful place in the world. There was a waterfall that fell into a sparkling pool of clear water. The grass around it was the most clear shade of green ever and even the trees surrounding it seemed to be smiling. Animals, like elk, bears, and squirrels, walked around playing with one another. It looked like a place from a fairytale.

"Welcome to my waterfall," Travis said, gesturing around the whole place, "I come here to hang out sometimes."

No one said anything, just standing there in awe. Then, Katelyn rushed up to where the waterfall began, her clothes shimmering until she was wearing a modest, blue bathing suit. As soon as she reached the top, she jumped right into the lake, her laughter scaring some of the animals. She hit the water with a splash, then came up, still laughing.

"Come on, guys," she yelled, diving back under the water.

Travis shook his head to take the love-sick smile off of his face, before following the others, who were all repeating Katelyn's actions. Well, all except for Zane, who didn't feel like getting wet. He actually had a bad feeling in his stomach; something that told him that something was wrong.

And he was completely right. Back at the picnic, Michael rose up, capturing all the other gods, no one escaping. He took them all and hid them deep within the dungeons of the palace.

"Guys," Zane yelled towards the others, "I think we need to head back." Aphmau looked back towards him from her spot in the lake, and her smile fell as soon as she saw the worry in Zane's face.

She gave Katelyn a look and she used her water powers to lift Travis and Kawaii~Chan from the lake and dry everyone off. After a short explanation to them, they all sped off back to the picnic, their normal clothes back on.

What they found was not pretty. A sharp wind was stinging their faces, and the sky was a dark red. Michael stood in front of the castle, his form within Ein's body now big enough to hold all of the gods that he had captured within his two hands. He had turned the castle from its beautiful marble to a bloodied stone, the form staying the same and terrifying the five gods.

They tried to head back into the forest, but Katelyn, angered by Michael, leapt at him, her clothes turning into battle armour. She clashed with him, causing him to drop a few gods, who all sped off in different directions. Michael went to grab her, but grabbed Travis, who had come to help Katelyn, instead.

"Go!" he yelled, pushing Katelyn back down to the others before he was taken away. She fell down towards the others, who all pulled her back into the safety of the forest, much to her protests.

"Katelyn, we have to go!" Aphmau shouted at her over the whistling of the wind. She felt Katelyn go slack and pulled her towards the forest, barely hearing her soft goodbye to Travis.

They all ran back to the lake, the beauty of it already beginning to fade with Travis' capture.

"What are we going to do?" Kawaii~Chan asked, shaking from fear.

"We should find some help," Aphmau said, sitting down on the grass.

"Where?"

"Mt. Flame," Zane breathed out, his eyes widening. "Blaze wasn't at the picnic and Lucinda lives at its base, so maybe we could get help from them."

They all nodded and got up. They looked towards Mt. Flame in the distance, planning on saving all of their friends.