Aqua's P. O. V:
Back in the hotel that night, I stand with Harrington, Bloom, Leo and my parents, Freya against my hip, while Nat sits on the stairs with MJ, Peter's girlfriend.
Ned sits at his laptop with Sarah and Ben, saying as his girlfriend, Betty comes over with a cup of tea, "It's aliens. It has to be!"
Flash says as he comes over while looking on his phone, "Buzzfeed said it's a sailor named Morris who was exposed to an experimental underwater generator and got hydro powers."
Nat mutters sarcastically, "You should believe everything you read on the internet. That's how your brain rots, you know." Flash glares at the dark haired girl as MJ chuckles.
"Hi five!" MJ says, and she slaps her palm against Nat's.
"Spider Man and The Little Mermaid could take him," Flash says. "I'll bet they'd make an awesome team."
Freya says, "My mum could've easily taken him down with her own Hydrokinesis! She's the best!"
I smile sheepishly at Freya as I hug her tightly.
I say, "Though, for some reason, my powers were completely useless against it."
Leo says with a hand on his chin thoughtfully, "Maybe because it's more powerful, you can't override it with your Hydrokinesis?"
"It's possible," Bloom says, nodding her head.
"Maybe," I murmur, gazing up at the TV.
Harrington asks, "What do you think it is?"
Julius says, "You know, as a man of science? Witches!"
I roll my eyes as I say, "I highly doubt that. But it's definitely of the supernatural."
Both men blush at me, awe in their eyes. I spot Peter in a corner, no doubt on the phone to his aunt.
Sarah asks, "Who is that guy?"
Brad says, "He's like Iron Man and Thor rolled into one."
"He's alright," Flash mutters. "He's no Spider Man, or Little Mermaid."
"That has got to be the ugliest suit I've ever seen," I say, shaking my head. "And, by the way, he is nothing compared to Thor."
Nat says, "Uncle Thor could probably have taken him out with one swing of his axe!" Freya nods in agreement.
MJ asks Flash, "What is it with you and Spider Man and The Little Mermaid?"
"They're just awesome, okay? They protect their neighbourhoods and they're inspiring! They've inspired me to be a better man!" Flash says as Peter returns, crossing his arms and I raise an eyebrow at the teen. "What's up, dick wad? Thought you'd drowned?" He winks at Peter who jerks his head to him as I do.
Nat says as she points to Flash, "He said a bad word!"
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't say those words around my daughters, young man," I tell him, and he flushes in embarrassment, making MJ snicker.
The news lady on the screen was saying something about the man who'd appeared today is called Mysterio.
Dad says, "It sounds like he's named Mysterio."
MJ says, as Peter and Brad glare daggers at each other, "Uomo del Misterio is Italian for "Man of Mystery. They don't actually know who he is."
"Mysterio..." Ned muses, nodding his head.
"Cool name," He and Betty say in unison, causing them to look at each other. "Babe!"
"So, how much of that did you actually see?" Peter asks MJ.
"Not much. I was... running, with Freya and Nat. You know, trying to keep them and myself alive..." MJ says.
"Right. I was doing that, too, while Aqua fought it, with Mysterio," Peter says with a glance at me, which I return with a slight smirk. "I was also running... away..." Awkward. "So, Paris, tomorrow. Go to the Eiffel Tower. Should be great."
MJ says, "I read that it was secretly built as a kind control institute to create an army of the insane."
"Oh."
Nat asks, "Is that true?"
MJ says, grinning, "Yup. Which is why it's my favourite destination on the whole trip." Peter smiles back.
After we stay up for awhile longer, everyone starts getting ready for bed. As I was brushing my blonde hair out while sitting on my bed, a male voice speaks out from the shadows, making me freeze.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your vacation, Mrs. Laufeyson, but this is an urgent matter." I whirl around to see Nick Fury stepping out from the shadows.
I slump my shoulders as Freya and Nat run up to him, saying happily, "Uncle Fury!"
"Hey. I need to borrow your mum for a bit."
"Is this about that thing that showed up today?" I ask.
Fury nods, looking back up at me. "If you come with me, you'll find out more about it."
I hesitate, but then nod my head. "Alright. I guess my vacation will be put on hold for now."
"Mum, can we come?!" Nat asks as she and Freya turn to me.
"Can we, please?!" Freya adds.
I think for a moment, before agreeing, "I don't see why not." I give a shrug as Fury smiles.
"We've just got one more to recruit," Fury says, making me blink my eyes in confusion.
I quickly throw on a neon pink and white asymmetrical tank top with my usual work outfit and Freya wears a purple cold shoulder top with long sleeves and a black skirt, while Nat wears a short sleeved green shirt and jeans, both with jackets thrown over to keep warm.
We sneak into Peter's room he shares with Ned. The four of us sit in a shadowed corner of peters room as we wait for him to enter.
We hear him speaking with Ned.
"What are you going to do about the water monster?" Ned asks.
"Nothing," Peter says, shrugging. "It's dead. Besides, that Mysterio guy's all over it. Look, I just want to spend some time with MJ, and we'll talk about Paris, and... I think she really likes me."
"That's nice," Says Ned, following Peter in. "It reminds me of when Betty and I first fell in love. I'd just finished my coffee, right..."
Ned trails off as Fury fires a tranquilising dart and it hits the side of his neck, causing Ned to crash onto a bed and pass out. Peter whirls around as Fury speaks up.
"You're Avery difficult person to contact, Spider Man."
Peter takes the toothbrush out of his mouth as he notices me with the kids and states, "You're Nick Fury. You just shot Ned!"
I say, "It's just a mild tranquiliser. He'll be alright."
Fury says, sitting in the chair beside me, "So good to finally meet you. I saw you at the funeral, but I didn't think that was a good time to exchange numbers."
"That'd be really inappropriate," Says Peter.
"That's what I just said," Says Fury.
"Right."
"The important thing is, both you and Aquamarine are here. I tried to bring you here, but you avoided me, and now you're here. What a coincidence."
"Wait... was this a coincidence?" Peter questions.
Fury states, "I used to know everything. Then I come back five years later, and now, I know nothing. No intel, no team, and a high school kid dodging my calls. I seem to only have Aquamarine. Here's what I do know:" He puts a holographic device on the table and an Earth globe appears. "A week ago, a village in New Mexico was wiped out by a cyclone." Peter comes over as images of said cyclone appear. "Witnesses say that cyclone had a face." There's a loud snore and we look to see it was just Ned. "Three days later, a similar event in Morocco. A village was—"
Fury is cut off by a knock on the wall, and I lean back with the kids and Fury points his gun as Harrington appears.
"Just making the rounds, seeing if anyone needs any emotional counselling after today's traumatic events," Says Harrington. "I'd tried to check in on Aqua but she didn't answer."
"We'll be okay. We're fine. I'm sure Aqua is, too. Thank you," Peter says nervously.
"Okay," Harrington says. "'Cause I'm not qualified to actually, um..." Ye trails off when Ned snores again. "Ned's down. I'm not really qualified to do it myself. Goodnight!" He whispers the last part before leaving, shutting the door behind him.
Peter tells Fury, "That was my teacher. I'm sorry about that. You were saying?"
Fury continues, "A village was destroyed by, what may well be, another world threatening—"
He's cut off by a tap on the door, and Betty's voice floats through. Fury points his gun as Betty says, "Babe, you're not answering my texts."
"Uh, he's asleep, Betty!" Peter calls.
"Oh, already?"
"Hmhm! Yeah!" Says Peter.
"Okay," Betty says before her voice fades away.
"That's why it's imperative—" Fury is cut off by yet another knocking the door, followed by Julius's voice.
"Hey, boys, the water in the canals was filled with dangerous bacteria..."
"If another person touched that door, you and I are attending another funeral." Fury shuts off the device as he stands up. "Suit up."
"... Let me know if either of you want any," Julius finishes.
❄️🌊❄️🌊
On the boat to the base, Fury says to Peter, "Stark left these for you."
"For me?" Peter asks, all dressed in his Spider Man costume. Fury hands him a glasses case and Peter opens it, revealing a set of square glasses.
Fury says cryptically, "Uneasy lies ahead that wears the crown. Stark said you wouldn't get that because it's not a Star Wars reference." He snorts and Peter closes the case.
We soon pull up to a tunnel and Peter yells Nat out of the boat while I get Freya. Fury then leads us through the tunnel to S. H. I. E. L. D's base.
Fury tells Peter, "You can remove the mask. Everyone in here has seen you without it. You'd only be breathing through spandex for no good reason."
I say as I grip my daughter's hands, looking back as Peter yanks off his hood, "Come on. Welcome to S. H. I. E. L. D., Natasha, Freya, Peter. What do you two think?" I look at Nat and Freya, both of them gazing around in awe. I introduce as we enter, gesturing to Maria at a computer, "There, we have Maria Hill. That is Dimitri..." I gesture to a man with his dark hair tied up while holding a rifle and readies it with a click. I'd been introduced to him a few days ago, when Fury had first called me in.
He doesn't really say much... he's the silent, brooding type.
Fury finishes for me as we walk further in, leaning against a bench, "... and this is Mr. Beck."
A man with dark hair wearing the same green cape as Mysterio turns from a table with a quantum field activated on it.
"Mysterio..." I utter, trailing off.
"What?" He asks, brows furrowed.
Peter says, "That's what my friends and her daughter, Natasha, call you."
"You can call me Quinton," Quintin says, stepping forward and shaking Peter's hand first, then mine. "You two handled yourselves well out there today. I saw what you two did with that tower, and how you controlled the water. We could use people like you in my world." I frown as Peter utters a thank you. Quintin then smiles at my daughters. "You're Aqua's daughters?"
They nod as I say, "Only my friends call me Aqua. This is Natasha and Freya." I gesture you them,
"You're the wife of the war criminal, Loki." Peter and I stiffen as my daughters look down sadly, and Fury gazes at me impassively for my reaction.
"I didn't come here to talk about my husband, Quintin. I'm here, because of the threat posed against my world," I say stiffly.
Peter says in confusion, "I'm sorry. Your world?"
"Mr. Beck is from Earth," Fury explains as he steps up to us. "Just not yours."
"There are multiple realities, Peter," Says Quintin. "This is Earth Dimension 616. I'm from Earth Dimension 833."
I say as Peter and I step forward, "I'm sorry. You're saying there's a multiverse? I thought that was just theoretical. I mean, that completely changes how we understand the initial singularity. We're talking about an internal inflation system! How does that even work with all the quantum... it's insane!" I notice that everyone is staring at me by now and cut myself off. "Sorry. It just seems really cool."
Quintin says, making me smile slightly, "Don't ever apologise for being the smartest one in the room."
"Anyway..." Maria trails off as she brings up an image of a galaxy.
Quintin explains, "They were born in stable orbits, within blackholes. Creatures formed from the primary elements: air, water, fire, earth. The science division has a technical name. We just call them Elementals."
I say with a hand on my hip, "Versions of them exist across mythologies."
"Turns out, the myths are real," Says Quintin.
Freya says, "Like Uncle Thor, and daddy!"
"Yeah. They were myths and now I study them in my physics class," Peter inputs.
Fury says as he walks over to Maria, "These myths are threats."
Quintin says, "They first materialised on my Earth many years ago. We've mobilised and fought them, but with each battle they grew—got stronger. I was part of the last battalion that tried to stop them. All we did was delay the inevitable."
Maria speaks up. "But the Elementals are here now, attacking the same coordinates. Our satellites confirm it."
"We can thank Beck for destroying the other three. There's only one left: fire," Says Fury, as I clench my hand at the memory of being unable to defeat the water Elemental.
"The strongest of them all. The one that destroyed my Earth, and it's the one that took my family." Quintin fiddles with a wedding ring and Peter looks sympathetic while I look suspicious.
How was he able to stop this monster but I wasn't?! It just doesn't make sense!
"I'm sorry," Says Peter.
Maria says, "And it will be in Prague in approximately 48 hours."
I say to Quintin, "I just don't get how you were able to beat the water Elemental but I couldn't. Especially since my power revolves around water."
He shrugs as he says, "Perhaps it's because it's an ancient being too powerful for even you to control."
That's just what Leo said back at the hotel. "Even so, I still think it's weird that the new guy was able to beat a water monster but I couldn't even land one single hit on it." I step up to Quintin and get right in his face, suspicion only my own face. He starts to look nervous. "You may have the others fooled, Quintin, but not me. Something weird is going on here, and I'm going to find out what."
"I've no idea what you're talking about, Aquamarine. I was hoping we can work together on this," He says.
"Not in a million years. I'm doing this mission without your help. I don't know why, Quintin Beck, but I. Don't. Like. You. Oh, and I think your suit is ugly, too. Stay away from my daughters, and you'll be fine," I say, feeling the tension rise in the room.
"Are you threatening me?" Quintin asks.
"I'm warning you," I say, before I go back to Natasha and Freya.
Fury says with a weary look at me, "We have one mission: kill it. And you're coming with us."
This startles Peter as he says, "I'm sorry. Did you say "Prague?" Listen, Fury. This all seems like big time, you know, huge superhero stuff... and, I'm just a friendly neighbourhood Spider Man, Sir."
Fury says, "Bitch, please! You've been to space!"
"I know, but that was an accident. Come on, there's gotta be someone else you can use?" Peter says as he goes over to Fury. "What about Thor?"
"Off world," I say.
"Okay. Um, Doctor Strange?" Peter suggests.
"Unavailable," Maria says simply.
"Captain Marvel?" Peter says.
"Don't invoke her name," Fury tells him with a shake of his head.
"Then... what about Aqua? And her mum and kids? They have powers, right?" Peter tries, glancing at us.
"Mrs. Rivers is a retired S. H. I. E. L. D. agent, and Mrs. Laufeyson is on vacation right now," Fury says, flicking his dark eyes from me back to Peter.
"But I'm not allowed to be?" He queries.
Fury tells him in exaggeration, "Aquamarine can be very persuasive when she wants to be."
Peter looks at me as I flick an eyebrow up, causing his face to pale slightly. He turns back to Fury as he says, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Look, I really wanna help, I do, but if my aunt finds out I've left my class trip, she's gonna kill me. And if I'm seen like this, at the Washington Monument, my whole class will figure out who I am, and then... the whole world will figure out who I am and then I'm done."
"Okay. I understand," Fury says.
"I'm sorry. What?"
"We want you back before your teachers miss you and become suspicious. Dimitri, take him and Aquamarine back to the hotel, please," Says Fury and Dimitri agrees as he gets up with his gun.
"Thank you, Mr. Fury. And, uh, good luck," Peter says. He and I go to leave but pause as we look back at Quintin.
"See ya, kid, Aquamarine," Quintin says.
"Yeah. See ya," Peter and I say in unison, though I frown as I say it.
My kids say as they wave at the man, "Bye, Mr. Beck!"
"Good luck!" Freya adds, smiling.
"Right back at you," Quintin replies.
"Bye, ma' am!" Peter calls, waving to Maria.
"See you later, Maria!" I say happily, as my kids do and wave.
"Yeah!" She calls, waving back to us as Maria smiles at Natasha and Freya.
Dimitri takes us back to the hotel, and we go to bed. We get up early to leave for Paris the next morning, making sure we have everything after breakfast. I'm dressed in a hot pink long sleeved high waisted belted shirt with jeans and a pink trench coat over it. I also put on my new mare and foal necklace.
Freya wears a black halter neck top with a denim skirt and jumper tied around her waist, white sneakers on her feet, her hair brushed loose around her shoulders. Freya is also wearing an Aurora necklace.
Natasha wears a sleeveless red frill neck top with a matching red skirt and she has on her feet white sandals. Natasha us also wearing a rainbow shooting star necklace, her hair tied in a ponytail.
I walk out with my kids, Bloom, Leo and their kids, while we wait for us my parents, seeing Peter ask Ned if he was okay.
"Yeah! Getting tranq in the neck by Nick Fury? Probably the coolest thing to happen to me anyway," Ned was saying as they do a kind of handshake.
"Yeah! I'm just glad we don't have to go to Prague," Says Peter.
"Seriously," Ned agrees.
I'd told Bloom, Leo and my parents about last night, too.
Harrington comes out of the hotel as he says happily, "Students! We're going to Prague! Huh?!"
He walks between a stunned Ned and Peter, and I instantly knew it had to be Fury's doing.
"I bet I know who's behind that," I say to my friends.
"At least it's not us," Says Leo.
Mum and dad step out of the hotel after that, Mum saying, "Aqua, I'm sorry, but our flight to Paris got changed."
"What?!" Bloom, Leo and I shout in unison.
Dad says, "We just found out this morning that our flight changed to Prague."
I meet Peter's gaze and we seem to exchange a silent message:
Fury did this.
I groan in exaggeration, saying as I slump my shoulders, "But I wanted to go to Paris! Prague wasn't on the itinerary! I swear, I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch!" I mutter the last part while clenching my fist, making Peter and Ned nervous.
Peter and his classmates ask, "What?"
"Yeah! The flight company called, and they upgraded us. You should've heard me and Britney on the phone with them. We really gave them hell," Harrington says. "And, Aqua, since you're also going to Prague, you and your friends can join us?" My parents nod and agree as I sigh.
"All I heard was crying from you, angry words from Britney," Julia says.
Harrington says as we start to leave, "We'll get our upgraded ride! Huh?!"
"Wow! I'm impressed, Mr. Harrington," Julius says.
"Oh, come on!" Peter groans as my kids and I walk with him and Ned behind the others.
"What's going on?" Ned asks.
I say, "I think Nick Fury just hijacked our summer vacation." Ahead of us, we see Dimitri waiting by the bus.
"I'm Mr. Harrington... okay," Harrington tries to shake Dimitri's hand but Dimitri just stares at him silently and he gets on the bus.
"Awesome!" Ned, Natasha and Freya say as they rush on ahead.
"Yeah. Awesome," Peter mutters.
I mumble, "I'm still gonna kill that bitch."
Peter gives me a sheepish smile before we, too, go to get on the black bus.