Heroes, Beasts, and Bots Part 3

"Okay, run me by this one more time?" King asked.

"If my research into earth symbols and glyphs, plus what I know about the Boiling Isles equivalents lined up…!" Oliver said to himself as he meticulously finger painted small symbols into the outside walls of the Boonchuy's backyard. "…I should be able to make a direct portal from the Isles to here through a marker mixed with Oracle magic."

Now the only question was how to test this experiment?

"Huh. I just realized how quiet this day's been…..Wonder when it'll…?"

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!" Anne roared loud enough to shake the house.

"There it is." Olivier mused with a light smile. He cleaned the titan blood off his finger as he and King went back inside to see what the ruckus was about.

OWLPHIBIA

"Did I do something to offend you?" Eda asked the Thai woman, honestly asked as she sipped some tea: Oum had been starring at her for a full half hour, and not in the 'liking what they see' kind of gaze. No, this was the 'interrogation gaze.'

"No! I mean, yes but….Give me a minute!"

The Owl lady was an enigma to Oum Boonchuy: She was clearly a kind woman, having taken in Olivier and King and raising them so well (Ollie more than King, perhaps, but the point still stood!) and bringing Anne back to her and Bee. The fact she was also a supposedly legendary con-artist and nigh invincible witch in a world under a tyrant who did nothing to stop said tyrant cost her some points, but Oum tried to see it as a cultural difference/wanting to keep her kids safe.

And she had been a wonderful guest; always trying to help and giving Sprig a lecture on manners…even if she was starting to go crazy by not stirring trouble, which again, Oum brushed aside as a cultural difference.

But she was hiding something and like many people, Oum Boonchuy did not like secrets or what she couldn't understand.

"Eda, are Anne and Olivier keeping things from us? I know that it takes a few days for memories to be unjumbled, but…"

Eda grimaced with a chuckle.

"…You know? Funny thing is I did tell them to tell you guys by the end of the day tomorrow before we even knocked on your door.

"So they are hiding something." Oum realized, shaking her head in exasperation. "I knew it. Anne hasn't changed at all…"

"Hey!" Eda snapped. "Your kid may not be perfect in your eyes, but she brought Ollie back to me and I will not have anyone, including you, talking down to her! Besides, how would you feel if you had to tell your folks about…"

She paused.

"Wait. Bee? Did you never tell her?"

"Wait, you told Bee but not me?!" Oum roared.

"Hey, he's got more of an idea how the worlds work though his games and books and movies." Eda shrugged. "I assumed he'd tell you."

Bee looked sheepish as Eda suddenly sprouted feathers, but no one noticed.

"I mean….with the resteraunt, Anne being back, Ollie's injury..."

"You forgot, didn't you?" Eda and Oum deadpanned together.

"Yeah. Yeah I did." Bee smiled weakly.

Eda rubbed her nose in exasperation. Okay, how to word this as delicately as possible? Anne had to deal with an evil king coming to conquer earth while she and Olivier were dealing with Belos bringing the Isles and earth together..

"…What?" Oum gasped.

"Ah crud." Eda realized she'd been thinking out loud. More feathers covered her form suddenly.

Thankfully, she was saved by as Anne sorming into the room.

"Have you guys seen the paper and news?!" The Thai girl roared, throwing down the paper to show the headline.

'BARON BARN A MENACE!'

Not satisfied, Anne then took out her phone and scrolled through more headlines:

'WINGED WRONGDOER FOILED BY FROG BOY!'

"AVIAIRAY ANARCHIST ATTACKS ADOLSCENTS!'

"Who does this… K. Kenneth Kimpton think he is?!" Anne roared.

"I think that's your classmate Maggie's uncle." Oum noted.

"…Of course he's related to Maggie." Anne grumbled as she walked away to begin her rant. "Why wouldn't he? I mean, they're both short-sighted, pigheaded, racists out to ruin everything good in my life! Why stop at nicknames and stealing my food? No! They drag Ollie through the mud while we're at it! Anda after all the good he's done and all the crud I put up with them….!"

"I heard my name, what's…Ooooooh. Oh. Oh boy, she's in rant mode." Olivier winced when he saw what was going on and tried to walk backwards and out of the room. "Never get near your girlfriend when she's in rant mo…Aaaand mom and the Boonchuys see me."

"Smart boy." Hop-Pop said.

"But you should've stayed quiet." King added as he and the elderly frog ate breakfast.

"Um…Ollie?" The adults all teethed, pointing to the ranting girl, and looking at him with pleading eyes. "Please and thank you? Could you….?"

Olivier shook his head with a smile and made his way over to Anne (still ranting)

"Ollie, what're you? No! No! No cutefaces! Don't you dare smooch when I'm ran…! MMPH!"

Anne tried to push back against the kiss…for about three milliseconds. Then she relaxed and returned the kiss, which ended with a gentle smile on both kids' faces.

"Anger does not belong on the perfect woman's face." Olivier cooed, nuzzling her nose. 'Unless that anger is directed towards Andrias, Grunge and Belos…possibly Boscha too. Then it is a very attractive look on said perfect woman's face….Titan I hope mom never hears this.'

'I heard!' Eda's mental voice sang before she whispered it to Bee and Oum, who chuckled in spite of themselves….before their eyes widened at the sight of Eda's face and arms sprouting feathers.

"Now, what got my BGFFAAT so ticked?" Olivier asked Anne sweetly, the two kids missing Eda half covered in feathers.

"BGFFAAT?" Anne and the Boonchuys asked.

"Best Girlfriend for All of Time." Olivier explained, making Anne blush and try and hide said blush

"You two been hanging out too much." Polly noted with childish disgust. "….Say, anyone know where Sprig and Maddie are?"

OWLPHIBIA

Meanwhile, Frog-boy was out on 'patrol.'

Yes, Anne had been FURIOUS at him for what he did. Yes, he technically was grounded…But Anne was preoccupied with the papers, Hop-Pop and Eda were sleeping in, Polly was tinkering, and Olivier and King were prepping experiments….so the pink frog had managed to sneak out.

He'd stopped one mugging, helped some construction workers and even served as a traffic light for a few minutes among other things. And the people loved him! They really liked him! That movie had been way to cynical, it seemed!

"Here ya go, on the house!" One vendor smiled as he handed Frog-boy a pizza covered in sushi….only for another frog tongue suddenly snap forward and grab the pizza.

Everyone turned to see another frog-child; this one a girl clad in a gothic Lolita style goth dress and a helmet that resembled a scarb beetle, which contrasted her large, yellow and creepily glowing eyes?

"Maddie?!" Sprig called out.

"Not anymore! Call me Kauket, Frog-Boy." The frog girl smirked. "You've been doing good, but to be a GREAT hero? You need an opponent. So…. Catch me if you can!"

Many in the crowd cooed and awed at the scene; finding it more adorable then worrying about whatever Kauket had planned.

OWLPHIBIA

Back with the Boonchuys, Clawthornes, Hop-Pop and Polly, Olivier had been brought up to speed on the reason for Anne's anger.

He scanned the newspaper article and the others Anne had on her phone, his face indifferent towards the whole thing.

"Well, at least the pictures are good." The witch-boy shrugged.

"How are you not bothered by this?!" Oum asked.

"Because its not you, Anne, Bee, mom, Auntie, King, Grandma, grandpa, Raine, Willow, Gus, Ben, Nag, Kar, Eddie, Apollo, Fraost, Viney, Jerbo and Bracaus thinking and saying that." Olivier said with a shrug…and a sigh for air; that was a surprisingly long list. "Besides, the last time I cared what people thought of me?"

He then pointed to the scars where his ears should be, and the room went silent in understanding….

"Mom! What the heck?!" Olivier suddenly said as he saw his mother covered in feathers and searching his pockets for an elixir, of which he had none.

"No worries, kiddo! No worries!" Eda tried to downplay what was happening. "Just…Well, Bee and Oum…MIGHT have an idea what you and Anne were supposed to tell them later."

The two teens

Luckily, they were saved once more as Domino came into the room with a piece of paper in her mouth that she handed to Anne.

"Domino? What you got there, baby?" Anne asked as she took the paper, missing the fearful looks on her parents' faces.

Anne quietly read the contents of the paper; her curiosity turning into confusion, them worry, then shaking rage and fury as she looked to Oum and Bee.

"You knew?" Anne asked her parents, who looked down at their feet. "You KNEW and didn't tell me?!"

"Anne, please, calm down…" Bee cooed.

"No dad! I will not calm down!" Anne snapped. "Domino has…weeks? Days? Whatever left and you were hiding this from me?!"

Hop-Pop started getting uncomfortable and left the room, promising to grab Eda an elixir from Ollie's room.

"And what about you? A king? Day of Unity? What else are you…?" Oum started, but she lost her grit when she saw her daughter's tearful face. And then she heard what she'd said….How heartless she sounded.

And her daughter seemed to think so as well, grabbing Domino and bolting out of the house, wiping tears off her face as she did.

Olivier raced after his girlfriend, not realizing that they had been spotted and that Fleetwing was right behind him….

OWLPHIBIA

Dezzie and Rico, self proclaimned intrepid reporters for the St. James Middle School Paper, knew they had a hot scop when Rico saw Anne with her parents at the grocery store, accompanied by an earless boy who was apparently her new boyfriend and said boy's surprisingly attractive silver fox of a mother.

So, when Anne finally left the house in tears, they raced after her, staying just far enough to be unseen but still see

THUNK!

Something was behind them. Something big. They slowly turned….

"Not Boonchuy. " Said the Frog like robot that stood behind them. And this presented a problem: Cloakbot was not supposed to be seen. That meant only one option:

"No Witnesses."

OWLPHIBIA

Olivier found Anne at a playground not too far from the Boonchuy house, still holding Domino as she sat on a swing, sobbing between petting Domino and kissing the cat. Thankfully, there was no one else this early in the morning.

The half witch boy, unsure what to do after Anne brushed off a hug, sat on the swing next to Anne and waited for her to finish.

"….This is where Marcy and I met Sasha." Anne finally said, half surprising Olivier; he vaguely recalled some memories like that when they fused….. "And where we opened the music box….And here I am again."

Domino nuzzled against Anne's chest and chin, trying to comfort her master, who looked at Olivier hopefully.

"Ollie? I…I know this sounds selfish, but…?"

Olivier placed a finger on Anne's lips and smiled sweetly as he spun a magic circle that went over quickly found the problem…but winced.

"…I can't get that. Heck, I doubt Eber and Hettie could. Not without messing up Domino's body."

More tears started to fall from Anne's eyes and this time she allowed Olivier to hug her.

"Don't you Witches have any kind of…resurrection magic?" Anne asked. "I know! I know! It's probably super bad and forbidden but…!"

Olivier racked his mind: There was the Grimwalker ritual…but that was for humans and witches only. Hettie had done some experiments, he recalled, and she was angry whenever they came up, so there could be some merit….Wait! There was…! Oh. Wait. They hadn't spoken or seen each other in years….

Two screams suddenly erupted nearby, scaring Domino onto Anne's head and ending the tender moment between the two teens. And then they saw a familiar looking shadow…

"You go get help, I'll see what I can do!" Olivier noted as he raced to where the screams where coming from.

"Right!...Wait, 'go get help?!'" Anne realized. "ANNE, YOU IDIOT!"

She then turned to roar before rushing home:

"IF YOU GET HURT, I SWEAR TO THE TITAN AND OLM I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, OLIVIER CLAWTHORNE!"

OWLPHIBIA

As he ran, Olivier racked his brain: Why was he doing this AGAIN?! People hated him here, he didn't owe anyone anything….and yet here he was, slapping on his costume as he spied a familiar falcon.

"FLEETWING!" the half-witch called out, his Palisman zooming towards him as a light engulfed them both.

'Baron Barn' now truly looked like a creature from a fantasy movie; the beak nose contrasting his purple mask and the two Falcon wings erupted from his back making his cloak float. His clawed hands and falcon feet added to his inhuman look, complete with the 'shoulder eyes'.

He finally made it to the scene were the screams where coming fro…Wait, what?!

Olivier was greeted by the sight of two kids his and Anne's age, wearing Anne's school uniform and being advanced upon by the robot that had attacked him and Anne on the flight to LA. It looked a little banged up; claw marks and dents from weapons but otherwise fine.

The assassin tensed suddenly and spied Olivier, abandoning its would be victims.

"Clawthorne?" The robot asked with a smirk at something finally going right tonight, but some confsuoin as well: When had he transformed like THAT?

"Get away from them, assassin." Baron Barn ordered, entering a Muy Thai stance. "Where did you come from? Mom blew you away!"

Cloakbot said nothing, shifting one of its claws into a net launcher and shooting

"Not the first, and not the last!" the cloaked boy smirked as he rolled away from the nets, before he spied something that irked him. "WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?!"

Dessi and Rico were livestreaming the fight, which cost Oliver the chance to see Cloakbot going invisible.

"That won't work on me, Tin can." Oliver smirked as he closed his and Fleetwing's eyes, spinning two magic circles before reopening them. All four eyes now glowed and glanced around. He then spied footprints and heard the leap of his foe. Jumping upwards, the fused witch slammed onto Cloakbot and willed the ground around them to softened with Plant magic, giving the invisible robot's position away.

"Question: Life or story?" Baron Barn the two STILL recording student reporters, who ran for the hills.

Content with that, the Baron called on his darker magics as he raced to meet Cloakbot..

OWLPHIBIA

"EDA! HELP!" Anne shouted as she burst back inside.

"Anne, wait. What's going on…?" Oum started, but her daughter raced past her, barely seeing her.

"Robot! Classmates! Thought they were me! Ollie fighting!" Anne hurriedly explained, making Eda's eyes narrow as she summoned Owlbert and flew outwards.

"What robot?" Oum asked.

"Not now, Mom!" Anne snapped as she awakened her Gem powers, further startling her parents. "KING AND POLLY! Stay! If Maddie and Sprig come back, them too!"

The little monster and tadpole reluctantly stayed still as his Anne took to the air and doubled back. Eda was right behind her…

"Get the van started!" Oum ordered as she grabbed a hammer and a sword once the shock of her daughter glowing and flying away was replaced by the reveal that Olivier was fighting someone who meant Anne harm: Someone enough of a threat for Eda to fly away without a word.

"Honey, that's just a model!" Bee tried to explain.

"Don't care, using it! VAN! DRIVING! NOW!"

OWLPHIBIA

A tree had been upended, split in half and Cloakboat's right eye was pulled off. With Darkness magic, Baron Barn was easily matching the robot blow for blow and giving it a taste of its own medicine

But he was beginning to tire: Seemed that if Olivier used his true magic while fused with Fleetwing, the time they could remain fused was limited. And unfortunately for them, the robot was nowhere ready to give up.

Cloakbot, seeming to realize this, chuckled as he morphed one of his hands into an axed…only for a spider's web suddenly held the axe back.

"You again?!" Sprig asked, pelleting the robot with shots from his sling shot as Maddie swung a curse bag.

"Maddie, Sprig! Stay back!" Olivier ordered the two younger frogs.

Too late: Cloakbot was already on them; the curse bag just bouncing off his form and returning his axe to claws undoing the web. With a sinster chuckle, his arms shot out and elongated, wrapping the two frog children up and reeling them in, his free hand's claws dangerously close to them.

Olivier immedatley powered down and kept his hands up, the fusion between him and Fleetwing being undone and the Falcon flying upwards and away….but spying a familiar owl and blue glow.

Cloakbot kept Sprig and Maddie in his grasp before changing his hand to an axe again, this time SHOOTING it at Olivier, who luckily was just grazed by the spinning blade but fell to the ground.

"THAT'S IT!"

Cloakbot spied an enraged Eda flying forward and recalled his foremost mission: Capture the witch to save Marcy from the Core. Tossing the two hostages to the bleeding Oliver, he then raced to meet Eda head on, his head popping open to fire an Bolo that hit its target head on, sending Owlbert crashing and rolling away.

"Aw you gotta be kidding!" Eda struggled. "Anti-magic bolos? Really!?"

Matters where not helped when feathers sprouted again, but this time faster than earlier. Luckily, Anne was there and drew her sword, dropping it so Eda could cut herself free as she landed a powerful punch to the robot, taking off some of his shell.

"Anne!" Sprig called out in worry.

The girl then saw her best friend and Maddie looking tearfully at her as they tried to stop the blood from leaving Olivier's chest. Instantly, pure, hot and white RAGE filled the Thai girl, who began to pummel the robot, only for her power to suddenly weaken to near non-existence as her arms where pinned to her sides: Another magic blocking Bolo.

Cloakboat then kicked Anne to the ground and rose his claw up. One down, one to…

"HEY, DUMB ROBOT! LEAVE MY DAUGHTER ALONE!"

A hammer suddenly sent Cloakboat reeling as Oum stood between the automation and her family as Bee tried to free his daughter and a struggling Eda..

"No!" Eda asked as her eyes started to darken and Bee reached for her. "Get everyone away from here! Hurry!"

Oum glance to see Eda's eyes, realizing this must've been the curse she had talked about…and giving an enraged Cloakbot a chance to knock the hammer away and kick Oum towards the others. Bee stepped in front of his family and the others, wincing in prep…

But the blow never came as Cloakbot was suddenly blinded by something clawing at his face.

"DOMINO!" Anne screamed in fear when she saw. "NO!"

The cat furiously slashed and but for all she could, but a now DONE Cloakbot suddenly grabbed and stabbed her before tossing her aside.

Anne rushed over to her cat, who she could see was bleeding and in great pain. She was so distraught she didn't see Cloakbot readying to land a killing blow or hear the others begging for her to move….

It happened so fast no one saw it at first: Cloakbot was slammed away from his targets, his legs damaged from the impact and disorienting him to be knocked down. He managed to get back up to meet….

"..Clawthorne?"

What had once been Eda Clawthorne was now a black eyed, sharp toothed beast with a witch's face and arms but otherwise the body of a giant Owl. Yet, its energy signature matched Eda's…but its mind was clearly not the Owl Lady's.

"I-is that?" Maddie asked Olivier, who in spite of his pain, nodded.

"That…is mom's curse."

OWLPHIBIA

The Owl Beast roared and clawed at Cloakbot, no longer recognizing, or caring for anything besides destroying this thing that dared attack its owlet. They clashed, the robot trying to slice at the newcomer, only to find himself being forced upwards and thrown upwards before being slammed back to the ground and having one of its claws ripped off, making the robot scream in pain before the beast's fangs tore open its chest and tossed it as far as it could.

The beast then turned and snarled at the Boonchuy family and frog children, sharpening its claws on a nearby tree and readying to pounce.

"MAMA!" Olivier called out, halting the beast's rampage. He then painfully rushed to his feet and took off his mask and cloak as he stood in front of the families. "It's me…I'm right here."

The creature's anger vanished, replaced with worry and coos as it gently wandered over to it's little one. It nuzzled its owlet's face, happy to see him after so long and desperate to make sure he was okay.

"It's not that bad…Heh heh! Mama, those tickle!" Olivier managed as the creature began to nurse his wound, nuzzling its face against his own.

Where once there was the beast, there was now just Eda. Relief filled everyone…before they remember of Domino's injuries.

And in all that, Cloakbot trudged away.

OWLPHIBIA

At the same time, Mr. X was receiving a video of the fight, courtesy of his nephew Rico.

"Okay….no Gargoyles at all….But a robot and a history of violence? Forget 80's movie, this is starting to look more like a Hasbro show with a toyline!"

The agent smiled.

"Well, all the more fun."