Her Worst Day

A few hours before the sewer incident.

He hated Lillian. He had been born and raised in the city of Oleander, under the great banner of Full Monarch, and had intended to stay in that City all his life. Even when his wife moved, leaving him behind, he refused to budge. Yet now, as Adam stared up at the ceiling of the fancy hospital he had been placed into, he couldn't help but wonder how his wife and daughter were doing.

"Sir, is there anything you would like to watch?" One of the many nurses who tended to the machines that kept him alive asked, holding up the remote.

"And listen to more bad news? Pass." Adam barked. "I'd rather die in peace than hear about how the mighty Victorian saved another city. Forget all the damage that was done in the process. No one ever focuses on that, though. We're all too busy gawking at how stunning she is."

"Must you talk bad about my best friend?" Adam felt his eyes narrow, the nurse freezing, when they heard the voice. The window to the hospital was pushed up, a chilling wave of ice entering, followed by a flow of water. Ocean Empress pulled her way past the frame and softly landed on the hospital floor. She sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her head; all the while, her outfit flowed about her body, slowly settling into a dress. "Hey, Dad."

Adam, formerly known as Old Dog, the oldest Superhero to date, and ex-member of the Enforcers, felt his face soften when he saw his daughter. "River."

"Save it." Ocean Empress held her hand up, silencing her father. "I don't have time to talk for very long, Dad. I just came to check on you."

Adam let out a sick cough, holding onto several of the tubes that stabbed into his flesh. "I'm still dying. Nothing new. A life of saving this ungrateful world, this is my reward."

"You lived longer than most heroes."

"You make it sound like it's a good thing."

Old Dog was one of the first ever members of the original Enforcers. He had fought on the frontlines when Full Monarch battled the Emperor. He had gone toe to toe with the world's strongest villain back in the day. Of course, that was so long ago.

"Why'd you come?" Adam asked, trying to push himself up. "I know it wasn't to come check on your old man."

Ocean Empress sighed slowly. "Could you give us a moment?" The gaze she shot towards the nurse made the poor worker quickly pack up her things and run out of the room. "I wanted to ask you a question, Dad."

"What kind of question?"

"It's about a strange man I happened to see the other day. I saved him and a young girl from a low tier villain."

"Yeah, what about him?"

"He was a golden man."

Adam narrowed his eyes for a second. Finally, he sighed and patted a nearby chair that was next to his bed. "Take a seat."

***

Lily was having a fantastic day, all things considered. "Whoa, this is so good! Sky, you have got to try this." She said, trying to force her sister to get a taste of her ice cream cone.

"I'm not interested." Sky muttered. She was having a bad day.

It was in the middle of the day, and the two sisters found themselves in Oleander City! Lily's eyes were wide as she looked at the many sights. They were from Lillian, and while it had similarities to Oleander, being so close and all, the two were still very different. Oleander was the kind of City that tried to get your attention.

There was a restaurant on nearly every block and dozens of apartments begging to be bought or rented. They passed by three parks and a few playgrounds. Strip malls lined every end of a block, and there were talks about a water park that was apparently really popular.

Lily loved it. Sky just wanted to go to bed.

"We still have time until we have to meet Mom. Anything you want to do, or see?" Lily asked cocking her head back at her sister as they walked.

"See?" Sky sighed slowly.

"Oh, whoops. Sorry, it slipped my mind again." Lily winced. She was out of her costume now, dressed to look like a Civilian. Her long blonde hair was tied back, and her bright yellow eyes practically sparkled from all the lights of the city. She got several looks from everyone, her yellow sundress showing off her fitting form.

Sky, on the other hand, looked like she was dressed for the winter. She wore a heavy jacket that hid most of her body, baggy pants, and a set of gloves, and her red hair was crammed into a beanie. She wore a pair of sunglasses that covered her eyes, and in one arm, she carried a bird cage wrapped up in a cloth hiding the bird, while her other was holding her white cane.

Sky sighed. She couldn't even pretend to keep up with this level of energy. "Aren't we meeting some of your friends?"

"You mean our friends!"

"Nope. I mean your friends."

That caused Lily's grin to fade briefly, but it was back an instant later. "Anyways, yeah. Kenny wanted to hang out. It's been a while since I got to see him. Work has been super busy for both of us, you know! He's just what I need to cheer up after today!"

Sky wanted to say a bitter remark about how it wasn't Lily who failed to save that man in the Hospital, but she held it back. There was no reason to make her sister mad. Besides, people would freak out if they learned she made the up-and-coming Poseidon cry.

She resigned herself to the rest of the day. "How are the others, anyways?" She asked. It had been a while since she saw Oleanders Sub Enforcers.

Lillian didn't have a Sub Enforcers. Either team Reservoir protected it, or her mom, Ocean Empress, would handle it on her own. On rare occasions, Oleanders Watch Dogs would get involved, but with Old Dog gone, she doubted that would happen.

"They've been good. Kenny says they've gotten a new member and that their new boss, Money Tree, has been nice to them." Lily shrugged. "We can see for ourselves, though. Kenny told me where their base is hidden, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it changed since we last visited."

Sky sighed. She felt tired already. "Let's just go meet your friends. Hopefully, it'll be fun."

Though she couldn't get that twisted knot in her stomach to vanish, it had been there ever since she met that weird girl in the hospital. Part of her was pissed, that girl had yelled at her, and the other part was just tired. Everyone had been hyping her up, praying she could get rid of Lucifer's Dead Virus, and when push came to shove, she didn't even make the smallest of dents.

Destiny let out a small cry from his cage, which she gripped, and she lifted up the fabric cover to give the smallest of grins to the small red bird. He had to stay locked up and covered when she was in public so that people wouldn't trace him back to her hero Identity. Lily had suggested just leaving him at the hotel, but she refused.

He was far too important for that.

"If you don't want to hang out with them, we can head back and wait for mom?" Lily suggested as they walked down the street.

"Do you want to see them?"

Lily winced a little. "Yeah, long distance with Kenny has been rough; it'd be nice to see him in person again."

Sky gave an uncomfortable shrug. "Then I don't mind."

"Really?"

"Well, okay, so I do mind. But still."

"You're the best!" Sky only had a second to mentally and physically prepare herself. Lily's arms were around her, and the girl easily lifted her off the ground in a hug. She panicked for a second but managed to calm down. None of her skin came into contact with the girl, and her clothes covered most of her up, so she figured she wouldn't have to worry about her power. This wouldn't be like the last incident. "Oh, sorry!" Lily chuckled, setting her down.

"Don't do that again."

"Right."

They didn't talk much as they walked. Or rather, she didn't speak much, Lily kept going on, and on, about everything she saw. Finally, though, they reached the area in question. A large tower that hung above the others was an Avalon Industries building, a place that provided all the best gear to the heroes, Police Force, and Hospitals.

Of course, this was just one of many; the real lab was in Rose City, where Harrison Avalon came up with his next World Changing creation in honor of the late Mr. Sini.

The inside of the lobby was bustling with men, women, and kids, many people paying a fortune to go on a tour.

Lily led her sister over to a corner where an elevator resided. "I'll take the next one." She gave a kind smile to the man that held the door for her. He nodded and let it close, and she waited. They had to stand there for a while as they needed an elevator where it was just her and Sky in it. Finally, though, the time came, and they entered, and waited for the door to close. "Warp us to Oleander, Sub Enforcers."

At first, nothing happened; the computer working to see who made the request. Then it spoke. "Welcome, Poseidon, Paragon." A mechanical voice echoed through the elevator, followed by a soft rumble that lasted only a few seconds. The doors slid open, and they were no longer in the building or the same dimension.

"Hey, you made it!"

"Ken!" Lily pulled herself out of the elevator and collapsed into the arms of the awaiting boy.

Sky snorted and stepped out as well. She grabbed the cloth that was on the cage and pulled it off. Next, she opened the door, and with a loud cry, Destiny flew out. He circled a bit and finally landed on her shoulders, allowing her to see again. "You guys made some changes." She noted.

Destiny's head craned around, and everything he saw, she saw. Her eyes, so to speak, belonged to him.

The last time she had been here, she hadn't awakened her powers yet, and the base had been styled like a medieval castle, with stone walls and a wooden floor. There had been no electricity allowed, save for what was required to power the alarms, and the elevator to leave the base. That was nearly four years ago. Back then, Poseidon had been young, so young in fact Paragon had been the oldest sibling. Of course, after fighting the Calamities Poseidon, and many heroes, had been aged up. Those had been simple times though. She assumed her sister's fling with a sidekick would end after a week. Four years later, the two were still strong time distortion or not.

Now, as Destiny looked around for her, she noted that it was way more modern. Gone was the castle. Now, it looked like they stepped into a mansion. Everything was painted white, and there were dozens of expensive pictures on the walls, and plants. There were many hallways where the heroes no doubt had their bedrooms. There was a massive living room with a giant TV on the wall and dozens of game consoles scattered about.

It was all so rich looking. But almost fake as well. The kind of thing you'd see in a show trying to portray a rich person. Hollow with no emotion, part of her deeply missed the old cold castle.

Things were just changing way too fast for her liking.

"Last time you were here, we were led by Red Iron. He was old fashioned and wanted us to behave like squires. Now that Money Tree is in charge, he made a ton of changes." Destiny turned and stared at the boy who spoke or rather the young man.

Four years ago, Kenny, or Wasp Nest as he was known in costume, had been a rather short, almost chubby kid with messy black hair and brown eyes. Now though, after the Calamity incident, he stood just under six feet, and he had the body of someone who worked out. Each muscle was a harsh reminder of his old self that failed to save dozens of lives. His black hair was tied back into a ponytail, and he had a bit of facial hair. He also still had that kind goofy smile on his face.

"Hey, Kid." Kenny winked at her, and she folded her arms, not amused.

"Kid? Two years ago, I was older than you. I bet I'm still smarter as well."

"It's good to see that you haven't changed at all. Well, aside from the obvious." He gestured awkwardly at his face motioning for the glasses she now wore. "How are you holding up with everything that happened?"

Sky raised her cane up, and he gripped it and shook it. "Well, I would have been better if I wasn't here."

'Sky!" Lily said with wide eyes as she clung to her boyfriend's arm.

"I said what I said."

Kenny just laughed. "I missed you too." He chuckled. He then turned and let out a loud yell. "Hey, you lazy bums get your asses over here we have guests!"

The doors in the hallway opened, three in total, as a person walked out. Lily and her knew who two of the members were.

The first was a girl Sky's age, that being fifteen. Her hair was black and cut just before her shoulders, with several strands having been highlighted. She was dressed in a black T-shirt with a skull on it and was rather short. Sera was a nice girl as long as you didn't get on her bad side, though she was also into weird stuff. "Sup." Sera sighed.

Next up was the heroes' version of a mad scientist. Rowan was a tall Asian boy, and he had dyed his hair blonde in an attempt to rebel against his parents. He was dressed in a gym uniform, and his arms held a small puppy, one who had almost died but had been saved by Sky. The dog let out several barks and licked Rowan's check; it was clearly better now.

Rowan, like Kenny, was seventeen, and either he or Kenny would take over the Sub Enforcers next. He fit the role of an older brother figure, teasing yet kind. "Hey, it's good to see you, Lily. Oh, and also, thanks for saving that dog, Sky. As you can see, he's doing really well." He said, nodding down to the dog in his arms. "I named him Oppenheimer!"

"I'm glad." Sky couldn't help the small smile that came onto her face. Rowan and Kyle had practically begged her to save the poor animal, and of course, she couldn't say no. That was when she finally turned her attention to the last Sub Enforcer member.

The last person was new. Another girl, a little younger than her sister, fifteen or sixteen. She was pretty and tall, with long blonde hair and a set of bright eyes. She was dressed casually, but it still looked good on her. The girl held her hand out towards Lily, who shook it. "You're Poseidon, right? I'm a huge fan. I'm Ashley Numen, but my hero name is Oxide."

"Oxide joined us recently. She has been a great help, and served as a replacement for Myth," Ken explained. That caused a few of them to frown. Myth had been almost like a father figure. Even Sky had to admit she liked the man. He had been a shoo in for the role as leader when Red Iron left, but instead, Money Tree had taken that spot, and Myth just vanished. That was two years ago. Every now and then, they'd hear about him on the news, and it was never good stuff.

"Well, I have a lot of shoes I need to fill." Ashley's smile faded for a second but was back a moment later. "I hope to do my best."

"I'm sure you'll be amazing," Lily said, giving the girl a kind smile.

"Easy for you to say." Rowan said, rolling his eyes. "I mean, it's pretty much been accepted that when you turn eighteen next year, you're going to be replacing Old Dog as the next member of the Enforcers."

"Well, I mean, it's not official."

"You better not forget us, little people, when you're so high up," Sera said, poking Lily in the stomach. "You make sure your sister doesn't get a big head, Sky."

"Sure," Sky said, nodding.

"Hey!" Lily huffed, and that caused them to laugh. A second later the crack of a smile appeared on her own face. "Well Kenny. I can take a guess of why you invited me, and my sister here today."

"Yeah. How much longer are you two going to be in town?" Ken asked, getting straight to business.

"We leave later tonight. Mom is just checking in on Grampa, I mean Old Dog." Lily explained. "So, we have a bit of time."

"Good." Ken nodded. "Money Tree has gone off on his own to deal with something and left us here to hold the fort down. I want to surprise him when he gets back."

"What do you have in mind?" Sky asked, not liking where this was going.

Ken gave the biggest smirk as he folded his arms. "We're going to bag a member of the Bad Timers."

***

Paragon wished she had the backbone her sister had. If she did, she might have been able to refuse to come, but yet here she was, standing on a nearby roof with Oxide and Sera, or rather B.B as she was called when out in costume. She herself had her own costume on, and Destiny rested on her shoulder silently, using his eyes for her.

Oxide had gone all out with her costume. It didn't look like it was made for combat, being a dress that was a solid silver color and flowed as if it was alive. It was actually made out of liquid metal. A glass mask covered her upper face, giving her a ballroom dancer look. It was elegant but not practical.

B.B, on the other hand, was dressed in a mix of yellow and black. She wore some sort of biker helmet that covered her face, and a pair of metal wings, created by Harrison Avalon, came out of her back. They were thin and made out of a clear glassy substance.

Paragon fiddled with her lab coat, feeling rather underdressed. None of her stuff was made of hero gear, all being plain stuff. She had never planned to go out in battle after all.

The building they stood on wasn't a tower, but it was tall. Her sister would be nearby, out of sight, in a different building. Down below in the alleyways, Ken and Rowan stood, waiting for the right time to enact their plan.

It was Oxide who spoke first. "So, Sky."

"Paragon, when I'm out in costume, I don't want my cover blown Oxide." Her words caused B.B to snort.

"Right, sorry. So, Paragon, you have a healing power, yeah? Those are pretty rare. The only good healer I can think of off the top of my head is the Victorian, but she can pretty much do it all, can't she? Ooh, I guess there is also Boy Genius, but he's more like a cheater when it comes to healing. When did you get your powers?"

"Recently." Paragon sighed. She already didn't like Oxide.

"I got mine recently also. I guess that's obvious, though, isn't it? I mean, I just joined this team not even a month ago. The others don't go to Oleander Bay, so I'm the only one who has superpowers at my school." Oxide said, smirking.

"Neat." She wondered who asked but didn't say that.

"So, being the daughter of Ocean Empress has to be amazing, right?"

"I guess."

"Come on, you can tell me. I mean, your older sister is the newest legend. She's basically the next Victorian right? You've got to be crazy strong like them."

"I'm adopted." That shut the girl up, and she breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't something she liked talking about often. After all, her father wasn't exactly the greatest man in the world.

"Oh." Oxide went silent, but sadly, it didn't last. "Well, you've had your powers for longer than me, and with a set of healing powers, I'm sure you've seen several odd things you had to heal that were caused by powers, right?"

"Not really." That was a lie, but she didn't like Oxide enough to tell her the truth. She had seen some of the weirdest things with her powers. Even today, earlier, she had seen a strange girl in the hospital who was clearly a super. That girl's body was changing every second. Destiny was trying to heal her, pushing her further away from humanity. However, it wasn't like she could say anything. After all, her powers had caused Lily to stop being human a while ago.

"Do you think you could heal a body suffering from steroid abuse?"

"That's enough Oxide." B.B finally spoke when she noticed how uncomfortable Paragon had become. "Let's focus on the mission, okay? You can try to ass kiss the higher ups later."

Oxide gritted her teeth and balled her hand into a fist, but thankfully didn't say anything further. Luckily, they didn't have to wait much longer, as Kenny and Rowan finally stepped out of the alleyway and began to head down the road.

"Man, that movie sucked!" Kenny said loudly as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Tell me about it." Rowan agreed. "The C.G.I was so bad! And can you believe the twist where the villain was revealed to be his father? It was so obvious I saw it a mile away!"

"Well." Kenny sighed. "'At least this day can't get any worse.'" And with that, the bait was thrown.

A crackle of black lightning flared up in a nearby alleyway, and in a flash, someone appeared crouched low. He wasn't a human, not since he got his powers at the age of ten. His skin was pitch red, and he was taller than any man should have been. Razor-sharp claws stabbed from his fingertips, a set of horns poked out of his head, and a tail wagged back and forth from behind his rear.

Mars King, powerhouse and monster of the Bad Timers had arrived to prove that 'yes, things could get worse.'

No one quite knew why the group followed that creed, just that they did. They were an almost harmless group until those words were uttered. If you kept quiet then, all you would have to worry about was their non-Super gang members. Like most people from Limbo, they were twisted and practically insane, looking for an excuse to kill. Mars King was as bad as it got, willing to devour people all in the name of his God.

There was a loud scraping sound as the monster slowly walked out of the alleyway, dragging his claws against the wall as he did so. His teeth were twisted into a grin as he exited and faced the two boys. "I was looking for a good late-night snack right when you two decided to offer yourselves up." His voice was wrong. Like an animal trying to speak, his vocal cords were snapped and twisted.

Neither Ken, nor Rowan, seemed phased as they stared the man down, both dressed to look like normal civilians. "You have five seconds to surrender," Kenny said, smirking. "Five." Mars King raised his hand, and his claws grew in length, stabbing through Ken's stomach and into the stone floor behind him. Ken looked down at the gaping hole in his stomach. "Four. Three. Two." Blood didn't pour out of the wound. Instead, something else began to crawl out. His skin began to turn black as a buzzing sound filled the air. "One." And then he exploded into a hail of wasps that scattered past the blades, his clothes falling to the floor.

"You're the hero Wasp Nest?" Mars King spat out, his eyes narrowing. He shot a look towards Rowan. "Then that means you have to be-"

Rowan's clothes ripped apart as a metal suit began to spring forth around him. It was mechanical, being a set of power armor that covered him from head to toe and took the shape of an old set of samurai armor. He raised his arm up, and from his wrist, the handle of a sword popped out, which he grabbed. With the click of a button, a bright white blade of energy appeared.

"Metal Ronin online!" He announced, charging towards the villain. He swung his sword out, and Mars blocked it with a set of bony spikes that ripped their way out of his skin.

Wasp Nest's bugs began to form together into the shape of a person, the buzz growing louder. "Sub Enforcers strike!" He called out.

Up on the roof, B.B stepped off, her wings humming to life. Her body shrunk suddenly, getting smaller and smaller until she was about a foot tall, and she flew. Oxide placed her hand on the edge, and metal blasted out, forming a slide to the bottom, which she took. As she rode down it, she clasped her hands together and fired out a spear of iron that smashed into the back of the villain and caused him to stumble, but it didn't pierce his skin.

Paragon stayed put, watching with her arms folded. She wasn't a fighter; she would be playing support and healing with Destiny. Her sister also didn't get involved. If Mars King saw Poseidon was here, he'd either run away or call in every member of the Bad Timers to try and take her on, so she would only get involved right when she was needed. Wasp Nest wanted to test how well the team did against a big threat, so she was the insurance.

Metal Ronin spun his sword around the blade, leaving a few burn marks on the skin of the monster, but Mars King was far too durable for a plasma blade to split in half. The two dueled, going back and forth, as his sword met the claws of the monster before him.

Mars King was a brute, built with a body made for combat, and his power gave him super strength, speed, and durability, as well as the power to control his cells on an insane level. He could inflate his muscles, harden his blood into a crystal, which was what his skin was coated in, or sprout his bones out like blades. He threw out a powerful punch to the metal samurai that stood before him, his arm literally stretching out as if it were made of rubber.

Metal Ronin was thrown back, crashing to the ground, his suit letting out several loud whirls. Wasp Nest broke his body back down into thousands of wasps and flew at Mars King's face. He couldn't break the man's hardened skin, but he could block his eyes, ears, and mouth. A few of his wasps even began to crawl up the villain's nose.

Oxide landed on the ground and raised her hand, sending out a ten-foot-tall blade of steel that crashed into the side of the blinded villain, who thrashed around wildly. As she did that, B.B floated up above and lifted her hands up. The wind bent and twisted, forming two small tornados in her palms, and she hurled them down as hard as she could despite her tiny body.

The mininados swept up all the Wasps, but more importantly, they were strong enough to lift the villain up off of his feet and send him hurling down the road. As he was sent flying, Metal Ronin stood back up and clicked a button on his sword, causing the handle to grow into that of a spear. As the plasma blade formed the head, he pulled his arm back and threw the weapon.

It soared through the air and stabbed into the stomach of the villain as soon as he collapsed. Before the villain could even attempt to pull it out, Wasp Nest reformed into his humanoid state and grabbed the spear, pushing it further. "Had enough?" He grinned.

Mars King growled, his eyes igniting. "Yeah! I've had enough!" He roared. A massive row of spikes exploded from his chest, impaling Wasp Nest, but the teen shifted back into his bugs and flew away. Mars King stood up and ripped the spear out of his body, snapping it in two. His back began to twitch, and a set of massive red wings began to form, and he took flight.

Oxide tried to blast him out of the sky, sending a ball of bronze out, but Mars King ignored it, letting the metal blow off one of his arms, which had already begun to grow back, as he reached the tiny B.B.

"Great, Wasp, you went and pissed him off!" The young girl yelled as he stabbed at her. She did the only thing she could think of and grew back to her full size, causing her to fall, far too big for her wings to support her. She hit the ground with a sick crack and screamed, feeling her bones break, but not even a second later, a red bird landed on her head, and her legs instantly fixed themselves, the pain vanishing. "Thanks." She muttered, shrinking back down, the wind and her wings lifting her.

The bird gave a nod and flew back to Paragon.

Mars King crashed back down and was instantly pelted with metal debris from Oxide. All it really did was piss off Mars King, who came roaring. His spikes began to blast out of him, and he snapped them off his skin to throw them. One of them managed to stab into Oxide, who let out a gasp, but once again, a bird landed on her, and the spike popped out of her, the wound closed. Her metal dress took on the shape of armor after that, being far more durable.

Mars King growled when he saw the animal and took aim. "Oh no, you don't!" Metal Ronin jumped in front of it and held his arms out, a blue energy shield coming out and blocking the strike. Part of his shoulder opened, and a small barrel folded out, which began to fire a hail of bullets into the beast from Limbo. "Just a bit more guys!"

They threw everything they had at the man, chipping away at his skin. Oxide impaled him, B.B sent him flying with her wind, and Metal Ronin threw all his weapons at the man, hitting him with bullets, rockets, and energy sabers; Wasp Nest even managed to eat away at one of the monster's eyes, though the missing thing was already starting to come back.

It was slow, but Mars King's body was healing. They were damaging him, but for every four steps they managed to take on weakening him, he took a step back and became healthy. He'd eventually come out on top at the rate it was going.

But they weren't ever going to be the ones to beat him. They just needed him weak enough for him to go down before he could call for backup.

He wasn't the only one with BS healing, though. Any damage they did take was instantly gone as Destiny flowed back and forth. They ensured the monster never got a chance to attack the bird, always keeping him distracted and on the back foot with quick strikes.

Wasp Nest came down hard, returning to his human shape, carrying one of the spare swords Metal Ronin lent him. He dodged a punch from Mars King and sliced out with his blade. "Alright, babe! Do your thing."

That caused Mars King to stop his eyes narrowing. He was beaten and battered, missing an eye, and most of his skin was black, but he was still strong. Nothing could take him.

Poseidon came crashing down hard, landing in front of him, and instantly, he felt his blood run cold. She was dressed like a warrior from ancient times, a mighty trident held in her hands. Just like the God she was named after; she was indeed on another level compared to the mortal that stood before her.

Current Lord of the Sea and the Dark, Poseidon held her weapon, a sly smirk on her face. "Hi."

"This can't get any-"

"None of that." She silenced him with a punch, a burst of water stabbing through his gut and coming out his back, causing him to gasp. She pulled her fist back and stepped away, and he instantly felt it. His body felt heavy. It became impossible to stand as he was forced to his knees, the gravity around him getting heavier and heavier; he couldn't even lift his head, forced to kneel before her. An intense pressure equal to that of the bottom of the ocean. She patted his face. "Give up, okay? I win." The shadows beneath her began to flow like water, rising and wrapping around the villain's legs.

"I'll kill you." He screamed. 'I'll rip you apart"

She flicked him on the forehead, sending a blast of gravity so strong he was sent flying down the street and crashed into the side of a building, shaking it. The gravity got even heavier, and he gasped and hissed, trying to speak, but even the act of opening his mouth was getting harder.

Poseidon walked towards him slowly. She lifted her palm up, and water began to swirl into it, forming into a small ball of compressed liquid. It was around the size of a golf ball, and she flicked it out. Instantly Mars was raised off his feet and forced to float towards the ball as it created its own gravitational field and began to spin him around it. The shadows underneath him rose up into the form of a shark and started to lift up slowly, its maws wide open.

"Do you give up?" Poseidon asked, and she prayed he said yes. He was durable and wasn't going down, and she really hated the part of the job that forced her to hurt people.

Mars King glared at her, but no matter how much he struggled he couldn't do anything. The phantom shark was closer now, his head about to fall into its awaiting mouth, still stuck in place from the tiny ball of water. He gritted his teeth and tried to spit on her, but the liquid was gone before it even reached her. "I give." He finally hissed.

Poseidon stared at him. The shark broke away turning back into simple shadows, and the pressure faded as he dropped him to his feet. "Liar." She didn't even have to dodge. He was back on his feet and tried to impale her with his claws. They cracked and shattered on her skin, the gravity around her turning them into dust and nearly ripping his arms off as if she was a black hole. She pulled her arm back and gave him a sad smile. "Sorry, sir. This is going to hurt."

She didn't flick him this time.

Mars King was out cold before the fist even connected with his face.

Sirens pierced the air, and Oxide stared with wide eyes. "She's strong, right." The girl nearly jumped when Paragon walked next to her, having finished climbing down the building. "Long Ago the Four Lords were said to be God among Men. Even today, around 1% of the population has superpowers, yet those guys still remain as Gods. My Sister inherited one of the Four Lord's great powers. As you can see, it's scary."

Most of the street in front of Poseidon was just gone, as if a bomb had gone off. All the buildings had been spared, as had the cars, but Mars King and anything he had touched when he was thrown back was utterly obliterated. The price of having too much power. She sent her bird and had it land on Mars. She wasn't going to heal the man to the point he'd wake up, but she would make sure he didn't die.

"She's amazing." Oxide nodded. And all she could think of is that she had another obstacle she would have to overcome if she reached the top.

Sky watched as the swirl of energy around Lily went out. The girl stared down at her hands with a sad look on her face. "Yeah. My sister is amazing. Too amazing..."