New Orleans

It was just like any other day really in this lovely little place called New Orleans, at least it would have been had the circus not stopped by. The sun was beginning to dip its lower half under the horizon, splashing the sky with various colors of red, orange and yellow. Street lights were being turning on in the darker areas of the city whilst the many people of New Orleans slinked about into the evening light. Quite a few of them were simply going through the usual routine of the night life they were known for. On the other hands others had a different idea on how to spend their evening hours in a way that even if it took them into the late hours of the night they wouldn’t be disappointed.

Already the hours were ticking by as families, groups and individuals prepared for their night. The coming of sunset would signify the start of an amazing sight that could only be found under an immense tent in the City Park. The tent was meant to house hundreds of people but anyone could tell you that it couldn’t possibly fit the amount that wanted to see the show. Preparations had taken about a week to do, trying the patience of just about everyone in the Big Easy. All those structures that had been erected during the night and the multitude of carts that were hidden under the tents closed flaps piqued the interest of many.

From the looks of it this particular circus would make a good amount of money despite the fact that this was their last performance in the city. Soon they would have to finish their tour of the Americas and head back to Germany, their birth place, to think up new ways of striking awe into the hearts of their audiences. If one were to look at the City Park from the ground level, they probably wouldn’t be able to figure out where everything was as there wasn’t just one big tent but there were a couple of others albeit smaller tents and booths. These were set up to ensure that those who were waiting to enter or had already seen the show could have something to do while the Cirque du Eliaze was there. There were a total of four smaller tents, one for fortune telling, the second had smaller act consisting of animals, the third tent with a magic show while the fourth tent consisted of various daring acts. Scattered through the area were various booths for games while at the center of the whole thing was the picnic area that also had food stalls.

The biggest tent was where the majority of people flocked towards however due to the maximum capacity it had, quite a few were turned away and encouraged to go to the other tents or booths. In the next ten minutes the show was too begin. Once it started the lights would go incredibly dim to the point where it was all around black inside. Lights would then flash as a single figure slipped down from what could be assumed was the ceiling of the tent; their pale silhouette cutting through the inky black. They were suspended in the air by nothing but a gauzy strip of brightly colored clothe. Many in the tent gasped upon seeing this lonesome figure as they knew there was no net to catch them lest the clothe rip or they fall. Suddenly various silhouettes erupted into existence as they danced and move, both in air and on the ground. The show had finally begun.

New Orleans was probably the most tolerable place Chester had resided from what his memory had told him. If you subtracted the humidity, and the insufferable temperatures, and the immense amount of the population that genuinely believed that witches and voodoo had an imminent affect on the way their life’s fortune and misfortunes played out. But, he supposed, at least this town had character.

Plus, hanging out the slums of the city proved an invaluable asset to people not bothering him for being alone, and there were tons of abandoned lots not worth saving after the hurricane disaster a few years ago. What with the constant heat and lack of regulation on these lots, finding dry and unpopulated buildings for sleeping was not hard to come by. Which was why he found himself exiting an old two story home with considerable water damage and the remnants of a family forgotten, he liked it though, comfortable furniture and a structure just stable enough to support his weight as he tiptoed around the upper floor. As he walked across the unkempt lawn his eyes swept from side to side, watching the humans around him, the community didn’t pay much attention to kids that got a bit too curious about the abandoned buildings that had become a part of their regular lives.

Since arriving in New Orleans Chester had been living quietly, keeping his head down and hardly ever having to invoke any of his power. The break of using his power was proving to be the most helpful in improving his ragged mental state. The more he relied on the power supplied to him by the titan residing inside himself the more anger he felt and the harder it became to control himself around those masses of trash. Chester felt his hand clench into a fist, he had to control himself if he was ever going to achieve the goals set before him by his titan, Coeus.

Coeus came to him in visions while he slept, at first as enigmatic flashes and imagery that had whispers of revenge and destruction, but most recently as clear pictures and messages as to how to achieve these things. Coeus had pushed him in the direction of this city, and Chester had been hiding out in this city for nearly two month with nothing but the same repetitive visions Coeus sent him in his dreams for company.

Last night he was greeted with a new vision for the first time in those two months, a sign he couldn’t possibly ignore from Coeus. It was a giant big top tent, brightly colored and alive with humans. Something important was going to happen there and he was determined to find out what. The smile that ghosted his lips reached his eyes with a devious glint and he felt as the magnetic poles in his body realigned so his south pole focused into the palm of his right hand. He held out his hand towards the old cast iron gate that bordered the lot as it violently repelled from his hand, since developing his magnetic powers the ability to tell an objects magnetic alignment in order to get objects to obey his will had emerged, sort of like a sixth sense.

The circus that had recently made its home in the city park had been hard to miss, it was large, and gaudy and everything that your stereotypical circus was supposed to look like. Something Chester hadn’t had any interest in except perturbed annoyance that the tent had overrun his street performing territory.

This thought lingered as his hands shoved in the pockets of his dark colored jeans and Chester began his trek to the park, his heart rate increasing with each step at the thought of what ever could be there that Coeus wanted him to see. His unruly white hair bounced with each step, livelier than he had been in months.

As he walked through the park and closer to the circus the first thing he spotted was the big top’s high peak, the density of the population was also increasing, people eager to flock the circus on its closing night. He watched as families walked together, children crying from sore feet and parents gripping the hands of excited toddlers tightly as not to lose them. The dynamic of persons was remarkably diverse and despite Chester’s overall disgust for mankind he couldn’t help but be jealous that if he had been born into a different home he could have experienced his childhood on completely different terms.

As he got even closer the boy pulled at the black hood of jacket in order to cover his white locks that stood out against the masses of people that surrounded him. Even though it was extremely hot he knew that as the sun set the jacket would become more bearable to wear and it was essential for him keeping a low profile.

He paused as something small and quick caught his attention. It caused the boy to stop dead in his tracks and for an overly excited child to crash right into him. As the kid fell back he hardened his eyes and glared at her, annoyance bubbled in his sneer, which consequently prompted her to burst into tears. He left without saying a word, listening as the child’s mother came in in an attempt to console the upset child with no avail.

Chester’s eyes darted until he spotted across the field, much closer to the circus, the thing that had caught his eye in the first place. A small black cat sitting out in the open, staring into the crowd of people that passed it by, but it felt like it was staring at him. The boy weaved through the crowd until it spat him out right in front of the animal. He squatted in front of it, holding a hand out and cooing to encourage it to approach him.

The black cat’s big blue eyes sparkled as they looked up at him before it darted away without looking back. Chester sighed, dropping his hand in disappointment. He couldn’t make sense of why animals didn’t like him. He had his theories, that they could sense the unusual magnetic fields around his body, but other than science explanations he concluded that animals simply didn’t like bad people.

The boy pushed himself up, brushing away the nonexistent dirt on his jeans, it sounded as if something was happening towards the big top. It must have been starting soon. He ran towards the tent only to see the ticket man turning away people for the booked show and cursed under his breath, he had to get in.

He stood a good distance away from the entrance, watching for something he could use to his advantage. His opening came in the passing of a young couple with a metal baby carriage. All it would take was some concentration. As he focused on the carriage he watched as it slowly began to pull towards him and he felt the pull in his own body as the force of the carriage urge his body to get closer to it. He held firm though, watching until the entire carriage fell over and rolled a few feet until he scrambled the poles in his body again. The woman of the couple screamed and the person standing in front of the big top entrance rushed to assist them.

He wasn’t the only one to take advantage of the guard leaving his post, and as he slipped in he watched a few others dash in as well. The inside of the big top was dark, ominous, a single beam of light illuminating one figure in the center. Chester weaved himself into the crowd taking a seat where he could see comfortable. This was it, Coeus wanted him here for a reason, and he was about to find out why.

---

"A circus."

In the crowd, a boy with an odd eyepatch pushed his way through the people, lifting it every now and then to see the path clearly. Tilting his head back to see the whole splendour of the circus, Castiel let himself take it in for a few seconds, feasting his eyes on the sight before him. "Majestic, isn't it?" Sighed the female voice in his head, her words tinged with faint longing. "The lights remind me of fireflies, back when mother was still beautiful."

[color=#1F497D"Mm."[/color] He only made a sound that he had heard her, choosing not to reply to her statement. Fireflies were something that were rare to be sighted these days, only coming out when the skies are clear. Which, considering the amount of smoke produced, rarely are.

Themis was in the mood of nostalgia this time, whether it was a positive or negative thing. It seemed that both of them were excited to see just what was happening in the tents. Castiel had been sent on a sightseeing trip as a break from his lessons in the working world, and this time he had bought tickets to a 'circus'. This was the first time he had seen one before, and he was not disappointed. It looked like something right out of a picture book, and his eyes were bright with wonder.

Ignoring the fact that Themis had showed him the vision of the tent multiple times, it was all in all not a bad idea. He usually stayed away from the things she told him to do, much to the Titaness's annoyance. Castiel didn't want to get involved in this nonsense of picking sides. That had never gone well, but he couldn't keep on running from his fate forever. A few days more, then I'll be ready to decide. But that was what he told himself every time.

Themis has been growing increasingly restless these days, her thoughts constantly in his mind. Her soft voice always asking for revenge, revenge for what they had done with Gaea, yet Castiel tried to ignore them each time. Sometimes her power will rise with her anger, causing throbbing pain to his eye once again. It was getting harder and harder to keep it pent up.

"Please excuse me..." He mumbled apologies under his breath as the dried continued to move around him. There were more people that he had expected, but it seemed that it was not often that a circus came to town. He was in luck this time, if only he had brought his parents with him. In any case, if he didn't hurry to the main tent, he might not get the chance to get in. There were already several people being turned away, and he was stubbornly determined to see what was inside the main attraction first. There were still several small tents around the large one, but they can wait.

For some reason, a baby's carriage turned over, making the mother hysterical and the guard rush over to assist her. What a perfect opportunity. Still, something was not quite right. The nagging feeling in his chest was growing stronger, as his eyes looked around to fix on a black jacket. It was another boy around his age, and he darted in the tent quickly in the moment of diversion. There was something queer about him, he could sense that just by his actions, but perhaps he was overly paranoid. Yet, his curiosity propelled him to find out more.

He reached just as the curtains were about to close, squeezing past just in time to get inside and using his small frame as an advantage to move past the crowd. His eyes were fixed on the black jacket, and as the boy sat down eventually he stopped just behind his seat. What was he going to say to him should he approach? 'Hey, I was thinking that maybe you have powers and might be part of the race that wants to annihilate all humans?' He had no proof of it yet, so it might not be his best decision to ask now. People might get offended, and if his father had ever taught him anything it was to avoid outright confrontations.

Instead, he moved next to the boy and asked in a rather nonchalant tone. "Hello, are you having fun?" He asked, giving him a small smile. "My name is Castiel, what's yours?"

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_____ Blue-green eyes looked at the mass of people around him, disgust quickly becoming evident in his face. "Remind me again why I'm accompanying you." A slender hand gripped the two tickets, keeping them safe from the crowds as his companion jumped from booth to booth. The attractions were nice and all, but Rezu honestly couldn't see why there was so much hype. He'd watched one of their shows before as a child, and to be frank, the black-haired male wasn't a fan of the entire deal.

_____ "I don't know either. Even I was surprised when you said yes; thought you hated crowds." He couldn't argue with Wren there; for some reason, he'd simply been compelled to agree. Slender shoulders shrugged. It was that inner voice again. He absently rubbed the spot directly above his heart with his free hand. She'd been growing stronger recently, as if knowing that the others were coming. The thought disturbed him, but even Rezu knew he couldn't keep ignoring those visions forever. At one point it was either going to stop, or something that would change his life forever would begin.

_____ "Hey pretty boy, looks like they're calling people in for the main show." His could only snicker at the pure distaste that Rezu flashed him before the model switched his focus to elsewhere. Sure enough, streams of people were filing into the various entrances around the main tent. They filed in with the rest, the chatter growing by the minute, inversely proportional to his good mood. Really, all Rezu wanted to do was go back to his hotel room and spend his week vacation asleep in bed. After all, they'd shoved this break on him when his mother pointed out he hadn't had a length off time for six months now. In the first place, he didn't even want one.

_____ Speaking of work, Rezu quickly tugged at the shirt of his coworker and friend. "Those two girls have been staring at me for the past five minutes." His expression remained nonchalant although the voice belied the tension he felt. If there was one thing he hated about the business, it was all the ridiculous facades one had to put up to even reach a degree of success. He could start acting like a total primadonna once he was big but right now, he was at the bottom of the food chain.

_____ "Maybe they just think you're cute." Rezu's scowl prompted a shrug from Wren. "You should be expecting people to recognize you sometimes. Yeah, you're not as big as your mother was, but you will have fans. We're about to go in anyway, we'll lose them in the crowd." Soon enough, a friendly man with the name tag Garen took the tickets from Rezu's hands and let them in. They weaved in and out of throngs and groups, eventually finding a seat with what was theoretically a decent view. They'll find out soon enough. The noise slowly died down as the ushers forced everyone to their seats, the lights dimming to signal something was about to begin.

_____ "Finally." The spotlight followed lithe figures in the air, doing their acrobatics like flying was as natural to them breathing. It was all very amazing and all, yet Rezu couldn't help but notice his eyes kept straying to the crowds, searching their faces. Searching for what exactly? He didn't know. Yet he could feel an excitement in his gut which didn't entirely belong to him. Just why was he here?

Today was the big day. Her big day that no one was going to take away from her. Adelaide had been working towards this day for two years now and she was very much pleased by the fruits of her labor. The sun was already coming down which meant she would have to start preparing for her duet with one of the other acrobat, Julius Anton. He was one of the best in their troupe and Adelaide was pretty damn happy to know that she’d be dancing with him tonight. There was just one problem. The visions had gotten worse as this day crept closer and closer. Cronos had been giving her glimpses of what was to occur tonight and she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not considering this was a day that she had been working towards for so long. He had shown her the main tent multiple times the past couple of days. Adelaide sincerely hoped it was just him riling her up for today but she knew better. They were coming whether she wanted them to or not. When they do come would she go with them? Or would she stay with her family.

Cronos told her it was either with her family or Gaia. When Adele thought about it the fact that the ability Cronos gave her was to manipulate the earth and she was still hesitant about whose side she was on was rather strange. Quickly shaking her head Adelaide pushed those thoughts aside and began to prep. Donning on her signature leotard with its penguin theme, Adele stepped up to the stage with her partner, Anton. They climbed those precarious steps to the platform just as the lights dimmed down to almost nothing. Her breath quickened in anticipation and excitement and then Anton ran forward, leaping off the platform. His pale silhouette cut through the darkness like butter.

From where she stood, watching, the young german realized just how lonely he looked, dancing by himself. All the more reason to give him some company. With a tightlipped smile Adele leapt of the platform to join him in his dance. The two weaved about one another, telling a story of a love that could not, would not, be fruitful. Anton's pale form was a stark contrast to Adelaide's ink, almost seamless one. She blended in with the dimness of the tent, making it all the more eye catching as every movement resulted in a shimmering wave-like effect on her body. It truly was a beautiful sight to behold but not because it was a graceful tragic love story but because, not once, did they cease to amaze the crowd with their skills. These skills awed certain people for these skills were the results of arduous training that allowed them the utmost control of their body movements.

All Adele could think about was how light she felt. To her, being up here, performing was the most natural thing for her to do. But alas, all good things must come to an end. After nearly an hour of breathtaking performances the curtains closed for this story and Adelaide returned to the reality that was her life. A human with two souls. One that was from millenias ago, the other very much like a newborn in comparison. Adelaide gently dropped herself to the ground level where she, along with the other performers, bowed to the audience. Despite being in the center of the stage and in the dark, something caught her eye as she rose from her bow. A pale white like she had never seen before popped out of the darkness. Heart skipping a beat, Adelaide paused for the briefest of moments. Could it be they saw me too? Regardless of whether they could even see her, Adelaide sent a beckoning smile in the direction of the white splotch.

Afterwards Adelaide went to give her thanks to Anton then to her parents. They were very proud of her for having been the center for the night. Once all the rounds had been made she went to her room to change out of her performance clothes to ones more suitable. They still retained the penguin theme and she wore her trademark scarf and hat. Slipping into a single piece, one would think she wore a bathing suit but considering her line of worm you could easily turn the other way. Adelaide could feel their presence. It was strong but she couldn't pinpoint where or how many there were. Never having been the type to search for others, Adelaide went to one of the more secluded areas of the circus, just to the right of the animal tent. Sitting down on a giant box, Adelaide crossed one leg over the other and waited with one of her better known smirks plastered on her lips.

Chester felt himself squirm in his seat. He didn’t hang in the close quarters of other humans often; Coeus had turned him off of the idea of making human connections, and the white haired boy had concluded that all he needed as company were the others that hosted the titan siblings and suddenly being thrown into a pit of tightly packed people made his stomach churn aggressively. He could feel the moment another human approached him, and could not fathom when they suddenly started to try and have a conversation with Chester in the middle of the packed audience. "Hello, are you having fun? My name is Castiel, what's yours?" As he turned to snap at the unwelcomed conversationalist the boy felt his breath catch in his throat.

Chester’s heart stuttered and his eyes widened in shock. He felt Coeus surge inside of him and the wave of emotion hit him so hard his hands shook, and the feeling that rushed through his body resembled a coffee high on an empty stomach. It blinked away in an instant and Coeus reigned himself back in and Chester felt his expression soften into that akin to childhood nostalgia. He reached forward and stopped just short of cupping the young boy’s face with his hand.

“Sister…” He could barely get his voice above a whisper despite being surrounded by a loud crowd and wondered if the boy in front of him even heard it. His breathlessness from encountering the first of his siblings was accompanied by his pounding heart and he couldn’t help but be amazed at the fact Coeus had somehow known this would happened, and that the titans that resided in him and eleven other humans on this planet were pushing them all together. Chester blinked in surprise as his mind brought him back to their circus surroundings and he retracted his hand in an abrupt jolt.

“My name is Chester Calico-" He wanted to say more but as the circus came into full swing the noise became too loud to talk over and anything he could have possibility said would have been drowned out by the fanfare and adoring crowds. He sent a curious look back at the boy sitting next to him though; one of his sisters was linked to that boy the way Coeus was to him. He studied the boy’s soft features. What had his name been? It started with a K maybe; he hadn’t been listening until he realized who the boy had been. Castor? Carlton? Castiel. The light bulb went on, both metaphorically and literally as the circus switched to a new act. The white haired boy flicked his attention towards the stage, where a single spotlight highlighted a dancer, completely intent on studying the titaness next to him when the feeling bubbled in his gut again.

It was murky and unclear; not nearly as overwhelming as seeing Castiel had been, but Chester knew another one was here, maybe even two. He wondered how it was possible for more of his siblings to be in the same location, after years of being apart to suddenly have more than two titans coincidentally in the same place was amazing. He kept his attention on the circus as a male trapeze artist swinging through the air. Chester could feel his nerves ignite and prickle over his skin, raising goose bumps in their wake as the act continued. It was beautiful; more so once the female dancer joined him, but the boy couldn’t pinpoint which one of them was his brother. He watched on in awe and even pushed down the black hood of his jacket, revealing his stark white hair in order to get an unobstructed view of them.

The two dancers moved incredibly, their costumes and the lowlighting add to the illusion and grandness of the performance and Chester felt himself clench his fists. Cronus, the strongest of all the titans, was up there, but Coeus couldn’t even distinguish which body he resided in. It was both frustrating and saddening that he was so close to his brother, yet could not even recognize him for who he was. Chester sat in his ridged position for the rest of the performances, his eyes never straying far from the two dancers. It wasn’t until the end of the circus was he able to figure it out. When the female looked at him his heart stuttered, that was his brother, it had felt like the performer had picked him out of the crowd and bore her eyes into his soul. The crushing weight of Cronus’ presence was evident and alive, and it made the boy’s stomach drop in a way that was both familiar and frightening.

Chester turned to Castiel as the humans around them began vacating their seats. He reached out and grabbed the boy’s hand desperate to make sure they wouldn’t be separated. He reached with his free hand to pull the black hood back into place as he began leading the other boy outside where there was more personal space. On his way he pushed through two people, one of which had the looks to be a model. He felt a surge, but the weight of seeing Cronus had his heart hammering in his chest like a jackhammer and the tightly packed crowd made him nauseous, so even as Coeus screamed in the back of his mind he pushed on ahead until they had made it out of the tent.

"Did you see that female dancer? Our brother, Cronus was up there on stage! Oh, but Themis, to see you is incredible as well I have been searching for my siblings for over a year.” He gave a breathily laugh, one of disbelief and lilt as he grinned at the other boy. Now that they were out of the big top it was much easier to see Castiel’s features. The most prominent being the eye patch covering his right eye, and Chester ran his eyes across the boy’s body. He was short, but he was also young, probably the same age as Chester, so still in his growing stage, and his clothes looked like he came from a pretty well off family.

Chester suddenly felt very self-conscious of his own appearance, he probably looked ratty and unkempt in comparison. He shoved his hands into the pockets on his jeans, suddenly feeling unsure in the face of one of his sisters and looked down. He could feel Cronus in the distance, a crushing presence, and felt the pull to see him itch under his skin and tug at his fingertips. "Do you want to go see him?"

---

Gale's brown eyes flickered open, still somewhat hazy from her prolonged nap. A small yawn escaped her thin lips as she outstretched her arms and smiled as the moon's light peeked through her window. Peace and quiet filled the room, filling Gale with a sense of solace that she treasured dearly. Though the solace only lasted so long as her eyes widened to find the moon's light, which was definitely peeking through her window. As she comprehended the time only one thought was allowed to run through her mind: she was late. Very late.

Panic hit her like a brick. Why? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she was late. She was very late for something very important. Without a second of hesitation, Gale launched herself off of her cheap bed and toward her dresser. She reached for the dresser's rusted knob and tore out the first outfit she could find. Next she scrambled to the stuffy little bathroom her mother and her shared and changed into red and black attire along with a pair of tan combat boots. She contemplated tying them but she decided she could do that when she got there. She was already late enough. She needed to hurry. She needed to get there very quickly, or she'd run out of time. Part of her questioned where exactly she was going, and that was when she remembered the dream she'd just had about a circus. The circus... The circus! Of course! How could she not remember? And since when did she choose to sleep through it?! She pushed the question aside. Not important.

As Gale rushed out the door of her crappy house without so much as a bye to her mother, curiosity began to grow within her. Crius had been giving her small glimpses of this circus for a while now. She knew that something about this night was very important. She just wasn't sure what yet. The simple question of what was what got her curiosity stirring. Even now, the more she thought about it, the more it piqued her interest. Now, where was that circus? Gale urged herself to remember, she was already late and there was only so much precious time until the circus was over... City Park, wasn't it? Yes, yes, yes! She lived near City Park, so it'd be easier to just run there, right? The faster the better. Her legs began moving before she directed them where to go.

Excitement began to build up inside of Gale. Her stomach fluttered with positive anticipation. She couldn't wait to get to the circus. She ran up the sidewalks, bolted across the crosswalks, and knocked several people down all in a rush to get to the circus. Joy rushed throughout her veins, the intensity increasing the closer she got. The elation inside of Gale could only grow, though the closer she got the more she began to wonder if all that joy was actually hers. It was then that it became obvious why Crius wanted her at the circus. The others must've been there. Now, just the thought of actually meeting the Titan reincarnations was enough to make Gale herself giddy with excitement... As if she weren't already. She couldn't wait to meet the others. Finally, she'd have someone else to talk to other than the titan inside of her. She'd have company who understood her troubles! Who understood how--- how irritating mankind was, and more! Oh, she couldn't wait. She couldn't wait one bit.

And she would wait no longer. As Gale finally reached the Circus and slowed to a halt, her head swayed from side to side, as her eyes tried to locate one of her own. She searched through the thick of the crowd, trying to find anyone that caught her attention, but to no avail. She knew that at least one of them had to be here. The only question was how to find them.

Gale scanned the crowd a million times over and yet no one caught her eye. A spark of anger tainted her mood as she began pushing through the crowd, growing more and more irritable by the second. There was no way that they weren't here, that she knew for certain, so where the hell were they---

Her thoughts halted as she pushed by a figure that happened to catch her attention. She turned to face a rather handsome looking boy at least eight inches taller than her. With eyes that wandered between the colors blue and green and black hair that perfectly framed the boy's face, he was nothing short of attractive. She'd found one! Within seconds Gale found herself teeming with excitement once again as her sister's name came pouring out of her mouth. "Thea!"

“Indeed! I’m glad we could meet again, Coeus. It’s been so long!” The hug caught him off guard and despite himself Chester tensed as the boy wrapped his arms around him, even if it was only for a split second. Chester had spent the last two years by himself, and most twelve year olds wouldn’t have been capable of making it on their own, but most twelve year olds didn’t have an ancient being sharing a body with them. But being on his own meant he didn’t have a lot of intimate human interaction, no days where he would lay around and listen to another person ramble, or nights spent shoulder to shoulder watching a movie, and definitely not hugging.

When Chester took a step back he paused for a moment to let himself really look over the boy in front of him. The boy, Castiel, looked to be about the same age as him, and they were nearly the same size, Castiel maybe just a hair shorter than Chester. His hair had looked black under the low lighting of the big top, but now that they were outside there was just the slightest hint of blue as the light hit it. Chester wanted to think that it was weird, but considering his own stark white hair he wasn’t one to make comments about unusual hair colors. The eye patch was what still stood out the most, not many people ever sported those, even when they had eye injuries, most opted for glass eyes because they stood out less than an eye patch.

“But of course! Shall we check the back of the tent?” Chester blinked as his attention was brought back to Castiel, and he nodded his head, his eyes focused as he scanned the diminishing crowd around them, surely the performers couldn’t have left just yet. He closed his eyes and tried to focus, to try and feel the pull of his strongest brother. As he did it became apparent that there were more and his eyes shot open. He looked into Castiel’s one visible eye, shock made him suddenly breathless. “There are even more of us here.”

He didn’t know which direction to go, towards the clearly strong tug that was Cronus, or the slightly fainter one that was in the opposite direction. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but he could feel Cronus very clearly in a distinct direction, if he lost the other one there was no guarantee he would find them again. The thought of losing his siblings directed his attention back to Castiel again, Themis was right in front of him now. His sister was with him in the moment.

“It’s unbelievable that you’re standing here in front of me, that another one of us is here.” Saying it out loud made his heartbeat increase, as if solidifying the fact his sister was standing in front of him. All of his nerves felt on end and he couldn’t fight the grin from growing over his lips, and with that action it felt like a lot of the weight he had been carrying was lifted with the presence of Themis standing right in front of him. “It’s nice to know I’m not alone anymore.”

He cleared his throat and looked away as his smile slowly faded, embarrassed, and he grabbed the boy’s hand to lead him in the direction Cronus. His grip was tight and his pace was fast, but determined. The fainter presence was important, but it was gamble. He knew for a fact Cronus was there, it presence distinct and nearly overwhelming, but it was guaranteed. The fast pace he had set was bordering on a run, but he restrained himself. Cronus was by one of the bordering tents, not the main one. Coeus stirred inside him and Chester couldn’t discern whether it was his own heart or Coeus’s that was pounding in his chest with each step he took towards Cronus.

Chester’s grip tightened around Castiel’s hand with nervousness and his lips pressed into a firm line as he kept his eyes focused in front of him. It was unreal what was happening, and he was more than anything scared he would wake up in that house alone with only the vague feeling of Coeus lingering with him.

---

Gale was more than ready to knee Thea's friend in the groin. In fact, the moment he laid his hands on her she felt it necessary. But she was halted by the thought of first impressions. "Please. You already messed that up." ...A fair argument from the voice inside of her head. However, Gale decided there was still hope for this... unique meeting of hers and Thea's. So she settled with a nasty scowl that lasted up until she watched Thea's friend shuffle away, muttering something Gale didn't bother listening to. Though Gale's mind was uninterested, her eyes were as they followed Thea's friend until he was out of sight. Her gaze lingered even after he disappeared for a few more moments before settling on Thea.

"Don't do that with people you just met, regardless of what they say." Thea stated, giving the conversation what Gale thought was a bad start. Her lip twitched. It wasn't like she'd done that on purpose. No one rams into someone on purpose... Usually, at least. Besides, was he implying that Crius's will had control over her? That remark was enough to dampen her excitement. However, it was also enough (along with Thea's ass of a friend) to allow Gale to take complete hold of the steering wheel. Gale had gotten a bit more giddy than she would've preferred, but now that she was becoming more and more irritable she found herself gaining control. Anger had always been her strongest emotion.

Gale's face remained blank as Thea introduced her... or rather, himself. "Rezu Sonova. Sorry if my friend overreacted; my job forces me to be wary of people." Gale watched as Rezu offered her his hand. Instead of accepting it, she crossed her arms and remained silent. "You have the visions too? We're not the only ones here, are we?"

"I don't think so, no..." For a moment, Gale found herself at a loss for words. A sudden pang of anxiety hit her, and her eyes locked on the ground before it showed. She found them. She found the others. Now what? They just... destroy the human race? What was she supposed to say? Years of shunning humans and their ways did not build up social skills. Just... say something, she finally decided, before looking up at Rezu with a smirk. "So what better idea than to find 'em?"

Gale wasn't going to take no for an answer. So instead of waiting for his reply, she took a deep breath and focused on her surroundings. Now that she wasn't aloof with excitement she was sure she could find the others. She could focus now. Focus on the wind. Focus on the others. Gale smiled as the wind brushed against her cheek, and a gentle current of wind picked up. A small tug in the wind caught her attention. It was almost as if something were tugging her away. That's when she sensed it; their presence. There were three of them. Their presences tugged at her, though one tug was stronger than the others. The Titan he or she embodied Gale could not pinpoint; however she did know one thing: that was who she wanted to meet. She or Crius wanted to meet? Gale pondered as she gripped Rezu's wrist. Shaking her head, she left the topic alone before she could think about it too much.

"Don't fall behind, pretty boy." Gale exclaimed, before turning to check the crowds around the entrance/exit areas. Thankfully, they were clearing up. Just as she braced herself to rush off to find the source of the strongest tug, she added, "My name's Gale, by the way. Gale Pepperman."

She set off before Rezu could say another word, his wrist still in hand.

Chester couldn’t wipe the inevitable grin off his face as he rushed towards Cronus, the rhythmic thud of his heart felt heavy in his chest and his senses were at a state akin to live power lines. Excitement was rich and electric, and he was loving it.

The pull he felt towards Cronus was directing him towards one of the bordering, smaller tents the circus was comprised of. As he tugged Castiel along the words on the banner hanging from the tent read Menagerie, swirling and welcoming in that way that appealed to all audiences. He slowed to a halt. Castiel’s hand still wrapped in his death grip, as if he believed if he let go the other titan would disappear. He glanced back at the boy, who seemed a little out of breath, and Chester found it interesting that Cas didn’t seem to be that physically fit. It also made him curious as to what Castiel’s powers consisted of. Although most of Chester’s ability consisted only of using his unusual magnetic field to move magnetic objects, his electromagnetic state put a huge burden on his body that forced him to stay fit.

“Cronus is close, we should be able to see him at any moment now.” The performer that Cronus possessed was flashy and beautiful, and Chester suspected it wouldn’t be hard to pick her out in a crowd. She looked like the type of person who would not blend in with her surroundings in the slightest. Chester tugged forward into the animal tent, and his nearly halted again. The exhibits were unlike any animals the white haired boy had ever seen. To his left a performer held out a large snake that lazily swayed its held back and forth as it took in the small audience around it. To his right a woman with a giant bird perched on her arm ushered in guests closer to take a look at the animal that looked on menacingly at the people around it. Chester watched the animal in awe, but felt his blood run cold as the bird swiveled its head and made eye contact with him, its black eye unwavering, and unblinking as it glared.

“This place is freaking me out. He mumbled quietly to Castiel as he turned his attention back to the snake. It had turned towards the two of them, its nose pointed in their direction as its tongue flickered out at them. He curled his lip up and sneered at it before moving on, trying not to draw attention as he looked for Cronus. Chester weaved his way through the crowd, making sure to keep Castiel close to him even as the crowd began to thin. “Where is he?”

Chester turned his head back and forth before closing his eyes and focusing. He would feel Themis inside of Castiel, she was comforting yet strong, and he could feel the other titans in the area, but couldn’t figure where they were. Cronus was completely different though, when Chester focused on the titan it felt like the presence would consume him if he got any closer. But he could feel him, he wasn’t even in the tent Cronus was outside next to it. Chester pulled Castiel to the right, and they squeezed between two exhibits that smelled distinctly on piss and shit before reaching the right wall of the tent.

“I’m not sure if you can feel it, but Cronus is right there.” He pointed at the fabric of the tent and then looked down. The tent seemed securely placed, but he was sure he could uproot the stake if it was iron. He pressed his palm to the tent and focused on realigning one of the poles in his hand, and nearly immediately he could feel the iron stake react to him. It strained against its secure place in the ground. It flew from the ground and released some of the tension in the tent, hitting his palm before falling to the ground with a thud when Chester scrambled his magnetic field again. Bending down he tested the gap before getting on his knees and squeezing under. “C’mon Cas.”

Chester saw Cronus the moment he stood up. The performer was sitting on a crate, her outfit just as flashy as he had thought it would have been, and it was unmistakable that she had Cronus inside her. Seeing Cronus up close had the overwhelming effect that he thought would happen. It felt like his chest seized for a moment and he froze in place, wide eyed and in awe.

“Cronus…”

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_____ Clearly, the girl had no clear plan in mind when she'd approached him. He should've expected as much; she did hug him out of the blue after all. "Lead the way then." He shrugged, blue-green eyes studying her small form as she concentrated. Did she have some magical tracking ability the same way he could control light? Sounded a lot more practical than his power at least. Rezu could do without his abilities entirely.

With great power comes great responsibility,

came to mind, and quite frankly, the young model had little to no interest in additional burdens.

_____ "Don't fall behind, pretty boy." A frown quickly formed on Rezu's lips, only deepening as his companion, who he now knew as Gale, gave him an offhanded introduction. He was forcibly tugged away from his seat, but he let her, confident that if push came to shove, he was certain he could overpower her at least physically.

_____ The outside was a lot less stuffy than the exit they just went through, people having dispersed to see the circus' other offerings. He glared at the back of the brunette's head, following her steps as they weaved through the crowd. "Everyone calls me pretty boy; can't you be more original?" Despite the fact he frowned whenever he was called that, it had become a more conditioned response than actual annoyance. Years of being called variations of it was enough to make him grow used to it. At the very least, his beauty was his greatest weapon in his profession. He couldn't say he wasn't thankful he was born with a pretty face.

_____ "Not someone I actually know then." Boy, was he going to have some explaining to do to Wren tonight. "Rezu Sonova; you suck at basic courtesy. People introduce themselves earlier than that." Leave it to Rezu to be as blunt as ever. His modelling skills may be top notch, but his tact sure wasn't. He's the kind of person who'd say "Your nose looks a little smaller; rhinoplasty?" to someone he hadn't seen in a while. Many often complained he'd go up the ladder so much faster if he only knew how to keep his mouth shut. But that wouldn't do; a lie of omission was still a lie. He didn't mind that his sense of honesty was proving detrimental to his profession. As long as it was enough to provide for him, he was pretty content.

_____ With Gale's guidance, they wound up near the animal tent. As the smell of beast grew, so did Thea's whispers. So she did know what she was doing after all. "I'm surprised, you did manage to find them." There was just that hint of disbelief coloring his voice that made the statement more irritating than he intended. They were close enough that even Rezu could feel them, and he shook his wrist free of the brunette's grasp. Red marks had formed where she'd gripped, although he wasn't too surprised. His skin had always been the type to redden easily.

_____ With his movement unrestricted, he found it easier to keep in pace with Gale. Crates of animal feed and various other materials obstructed their way as they followed the tent wall, but this was easier to deal with than an unknown girl pulling him along.

_____ When they finally arrived at the scene, he almost knocked over two small figures, one of them having said something just before he and Gale arrived. "Sorry about - Ah, it's you two." He managed to recognize at least one of them as the two boys he'd brushed against in the tent. He was just going to assume the other boy was the same person he as earlier.

_____ Focused as he was, he almost didn't notice the person seated on the crates. It was only after a soft gust of wind blew that he paid attention to her, the movement of her cape catching his eye. He leaned against one of the crates, making sure beforehand it wasn't something with a scent like animal feed. He was going to be walking home; he'd rather not smell like shit on his way there. It wouldn't do for his image.

_____ A quick study of the female figure seated on the crate confirmed his suspicions; she was the acrobat in the performance just earlier. "Well, looks like everyone's all gathered. Whoopee." His right hand made a small flailing gesture, as bitingly sarcastic as his remark. "Now what?"

Even from across the entire circus area, Adelaide could feel them. Sometime during the performance she felt a slight tug but it wasn't strong enough. Shortly after she had sat down, the tug got stronger but it wasn't like they had gotten closer. Rather it was more like two had converged to become one. Cronos was inside of her, struggling to find his siblings but Adelaide wouldn't let him. Do you not feel their power girl!? I must go to them! He seemed to rage inside her, not that she cared really. "Do you now sweetheart? Aren't you the leader or some shit? From what you've shown me, shouldn't they be the ones to be coming to you. So shut your whiny ass and actually do something useful. Try calling them with those oh so amazing titan senses or whatever the fuck it is you do." Cronos seemed utterly shocked. Never had he expected anyone to treat him in such a manner, and by a little human girl. Adelaide he could feel him seething inside and she frowned. "Will you stop your bullshit Cronos! You're going to give me indigestion." Once again he was flabbergasted but at the same time he felt admiration towards the girl. It wasn't every day that you came across such a spirited young woman. You'd do well to hold that tongue Adelaide. I doubt you'll like what happens by spitting out every foul word you know into your sentences. With a shrug of her shoulders Adelaide placed her elbows atop her knees, resting her chin in the cup of her hands.


Sure she was patient and all but the others seriously need to hurry up. There wasn't much to do in this secluded area but it gave her a nice view of the carnival part from where she sat. "You're like a cat Cronos. Not one of those stupid domestic ones but like a tiger, slinking back and forth for its next meal." And she was right to think so; Cronos was at the top of the food chain amongst his fellow titans. The idea of housing the strongest titan was both unsettling and exhilerating. Only the best can contain the best she thought to herself. At this Cronos piped up, once slate blue orbs flashed to a pink hue, a pepto bismol color much to her dismay. Ah so that is what you think. Don't think so highly of yourself just because you lucked out into housing me. Adelaide rolled her eyes and let out a huff of air. "Whatever you say you shitty old man."


Her knee began to bounce as her patience was being worn down by her boredom. "Ugh how long does it fucking take to find me!?" Suddenly standing atop the metal box Adelaide stretched. In an effort to ease her crushing boredom she tugged at her scarf until it came undone. Taking the two crystal orbs she manipulated their forms into one big ball. She stood there for a bit, waiting for the carnival sounds to match up just right and the moment it did the dancer did what she did best, dance. Even without using the abilities Cronis granted her Adelaide could easily move with the ball in her hands however it didn't remain in her hands for long. With a calm expression she slowed her movements to become more controlled, letting the ball slide and roll across her body. After doing this for a while she dipped low to the ground, the orb back in her hands and pressed it into the box. Having bent backwards, everything was upside down. That beautifully calm look on her face shattered and a scowl took its place. "I'm so fucking bored!" and flopped down to the ground.


Adelaide jumped back onto her feet, barely making a sound but a softened thud. The crystal orb was still in her hands when it split into two halves. They soon reshaped themselves into the beads that were at the ends of her scarf and she returned them to where they were originally. Spinning on the edge of her heel, Adelaide faced the carnival area again now slate blue orbs searching for faces. Scoffing at this, she realized there was no way for her to recognize the other hosts unless the tug became a pull, an irresistible pull towards them. Placing her hands on her hips, Adelaide glared at the crowd in an attempt to maybe find that person with white hair. "Just where the hell did you go." It seemed Cronos still couldn't tell the difference between an actual question and a rhetorical one. If you want to find them that badly why not go look yourself? he sneered at her. Even though she couldn't see it, she could feel it. "Oh shut up. I wasn't talking to you dumbass." Sitting back down, she laid on her back with her legs hanging on the edge of the box. It was surprisingly comfortable but not that surprising as all she did was change the metals form so that it'd contour to her body and not be so rigid.


There was so much for her to do here yet soon she'd be faced with the decision of staying. She had lived in this circus since the beginning when they first started out in Germany. They were there for a few years since they couldn't exactly leave with newborn baby. The troupe was kind and looked out for one another and they didn't want to risk the health of a mother or child. Of course Adelaide wasn't the only baby at the time. There were two others but the second died from illness a couple years ago and the other left the troupe to go to college. He still comes back and makes sure to see as many shows as possible. "I wonder if that's what my life would be like had I been born normal." It wasn't often that Adelaide contemplated these things, let alone speak them aloud in her native tongue. Her fingertips began to drum against the box as she looked up at the sky. The stars were coming out but they weren't able to shine as brightly because of the city lights even if they were in the City Park.


Suddenly she could feel the tug, it was getting stronger now. The young woman resisted the urge to sit up expectantly, it wasn't befitting of someone like her. Smirking to herself, Adelaide wondered just what kind of people these other hosts were like. From what she remembered of the person with the white hair, she knew he was a male and he looked kinda small. Eventually Adelaide did sit up, more so because Cronos made her than she herself, and noticed the movement at the back of the tent. The tent itself seemed to shiver and a gap opened up at the bottom. She eyed the occurrence, leaning forwards slightly. A full head of white suddenly popped out from within the tent, along with the scent of animals. The small kid stood up with an equally small but black-blue haired boy standing with him. The white one seemed stuck in place a look of awe plastered all over his face.


Seeing this Adelaide grinned wide and giggled. She threw her brown locks over her shoulder as if she expected this sort of reaction. “Cronus…” Her grin faltered a bit at having been called Cronos instead of her real name but then again he was the only reason they came looking for her. “Oh please, call me Adelaide, or Adele if you want. That old coot can hear you regardless.” She said rolling her eyes as if it was common knowledge. To some it would seem like Adelaide didn’t understand the importance, the significance of the god that dwelled inside her. She certainly understood but that didn’t mean she had to care. This was still her life for the most part.


Adelaide looked at them carefully, noticing just how cute the two looked. “Well aren’t you two just the cutest things.” Another strong pull kept her from continuing as two more people showed up. One of them was a girl, the other a boy and by the gods he was a fine looking boy. It would seem the taller boy knew the little ones, or at least one of them. From what she could tell he hadn’t noticed her yet which annoyed her. With a frown Adelaide adjusted her clothes, just in time for a gust of wind to catch her cape. Well, looks like everyone's all gathered. Whoopee." A snort escaped her lips and she followed suite with a small clap of her hands. "Now what?" His sarcasm was quite enjoyable but she had had enough. Adelaide jumped down from her lofty perch on the crate, landing just in front of the two kids. Suddenly she grabbed the two and hugged them tight. “My goodness you two really are cute, I could just eat you up.” Putting them down she patted both of their cheeks tenderly, like an old grandmother would.

She then turned her attention to the handsome one. "As for you sweetheart, why not drop the shitty sarcasm?” Her entire demeanor laced with attitude. “You guys have kept me waiting for so fucking long so why not apologize?” This time a sneer appeared but she was being sarcastic. Adelaide paused for a couple seconds, shushing anyone if they were about to say something. “No? That’s fine. Now that we’re all here as Mr. Sarcasm pointed out earlier, let’s introduce ourselves mm? I’m Adelaide by the way but I’ve got Cronos. ” Sweeping her arms out to welcome anyone who wanted to introduce themselves.

"Sorry about - Ah, it's you two." Chester was startled out of his awestruck when someone nearly barreled into him. Moreover for two more titans to have found their way to them left him shocked. The man that apologized to him was incredibly good looking, tall and slim and it looked like he had been dragged to them by a younger girl with long brown hair and determined eyes. His eyes widened at the realization that nearly half the titans were standing before him, right at this moment, after years of not even feeling them. Chester opened his mouth in the attempt to say something back, but his jaw closed and he ended up imitating a fish out of water. Cronus tore his attention away from the new titans.

Chester had tensed the moment he saw Cronus, but the moment his vessel started speaking it broke his awestruck and a huge grin replaced his gaping mouth. Themis was beside him and Cronus was in front of him. This was his family, the family that he had spent all of his time looking for for the last two years. Her name was Adelaide, and she seemed full of life. Even when she spoke so casually of Conus Chester felt amazed. She seemed completely at ease with the situation before her, and Chester wondered if her heart pounded in her chest the way his did when he looked at her.

“Well aren’t you two just the cutest things.” The white haired boy couldn’t keep the blush off his cheeks at the comment on their appearances. He figured that it was because they were young, both Castiel and himself were young, but Chester himself was nearly a teenager now, clearly too old to warrant being called ‘cute’.

Now what. That was the big question and even though had spent all his time fantasizing about meeting his fellow titans and destroying humanity, now that they were there, right in front of him, he felt his mind drawing a blank. How did you even go about bringing the end to an entire species. The powers that Coeus gave him wasn’t strong enough on its own to bring humanity to its knees so he hadn’t even considered wrecking havoc when he had been by himself, but with the other titans his horizons were expanding. But if the other vessels were anything like Chester they would all need to train and build up their individual power. Still, five titans together may have the ability to destroy a city.

“My goodness you two really are cute, I could just eat you up.” That was the second time the woman had called them cute, but this time she pulled both he and Castiel into a warm hug. It caught him off guard and Coeus stirred inside him. Adele did not seem like she would take him seriously because of his age, and that irritated him to an extent. Coming in contact with Cronus was a completely different experience than just feeling his aura, Chester could only describe it as soul crushing. He squirmed away from her grasp and looked at the handsome man who had spoken first.

“Well, isn’t obvious? We are all here for a reason, we should destroy this city.” He said it confidently, with cold eyes and clenched fists, and made sure to run his eyes over all his siblings so they knew he was serious. Chester had long since abandoned the idea of staying loyal to his human side. Only Coeus had been there when he was alone, and Coeus was the one who had granted him the power to escape his old home. He would do anything Coeus wanted him to do, his loyalty resided only in Coeus. He looked at all of them as Adele gave a cue for the group to become aquainted.

“My name is Chester Calico, I’m twelve, and Coeus resides inside of me.”

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_____ Rezu remained unfazed by her remarks; his mother had better comebacks than she did. If this was the best she could do, he'd have no trouble answering right back. "I don't see the need to apologize, princess." The word dripped with sarcasm. Her talent as a performer was great, but other than that he couldn't really say she was very remarkable. Pretty, but again, he'd seen better. "We aren't servants waiting on you hand and foot. Thea may be to Cronus, but I'm certainly not."

_____ Before the woman could continue, a young boy spoke to answer his previous question. He didn't care if it would paint him in a bad light; Rezu simply refused to agree to the idea just like that. "We are not destroying a city overnight." The subject moved to introductions, but he remained reeling from Chester's words. He mentioned the loss of thousands of lives as if it were the natural order of things. From what the model knew of Thea's opinions, it probably was the case. He definitely didn't agree. Coeus likely had a stronger hold of his psyche than Thea did on his own. To Rezu, it felt entirely possible his viewpoint was shaped entirely by the titan. The thought made him uncomfortable; even Thea felt restless at the implications.

_____ Next was another boy whose voice had shown hesitance in contrast with Chester's resolute stance. At least one of the kids had a bit of sanity left in their bones. Gale then introduced herself to the rest of the group, an eyebrow coming up in surprise at her young age. A quick re-study revealed that it was probably true; she'd just appeared larger than life when she forced herself into his presence.

_____ "Rezu Sonova, twenty-one. Model by profession." He sat atop the crate he'd previously leaned on. Being with these people was going to be exhausting, to say the least. Might as well prepare himself for the worst. "As I said earlier, Thea's with me."

_____ "Now that we're all acquainted by something other than Titan names, let's go back to Chester's previous statement." Pausing for effect, he met everyone's stares with a steady gaze. "Whatever everyone else's plan is, I'm not agreeing to destroying an entire city. That's just plain fucked up." If the kid could talk about the loss of human lives so casually, Rezu found no need to watch his language.

_____ "I know about why the titans want to wreak havoc and destruction and all." A non-committal shrug hat accompanied the statement. "But isn't it exactly this same kind of behavior that got them imprisoned in the first place?" He looked pointedly at Adelaide, referring to the story of Zeus and his siblings. When he read about it in the mythology books, the only thing he could say was this is really messed up, accompanied by Thea's laughter in his head. "Killing everyone as a 'prevention measure'," The air quotes only further implied his doubts on the idea. "I'm pretty sure that's not going to work out."

“We… We are?” When the first thing Chester’s declaration was met with hesitance he faltered for a moment. He was more than shocked that one of his siblings was unsure of their purpose. In Chester’s mind it only made sense that they decimate the city they found themselves in, after years of not seeing any titans suddenly finding almost half of them was fate. Gaea had brought them together to save her, and New Orleans just happened to be their ground zero. But when he felt Cas’s hand slip from his grip Chester felt his chest constrict in worry. He hadn’t taken into account that the other vessels would not want to end humanity.

Even when the handsome man chimed in that they couldn’t possibly destroy a city overnight, Chester supposed that at least was a reasonable statement, the white haired boy couldn’t help but think he also had reservations about a species wide annihilation. Ok, even when Chester phrased it as ‘species wide annihilation’ did it sound a bit brutal and drastic, but he knew it was necessary to save Gaea from dying. Only one side would be left standing and it was between the humans and their mother.

The actual introduction of everyone took him away from his panic momentarily. It was especially interesting to learn about Castiel, even though the white haired boy had already known his name learning that Cas was just a year older than him was exciting. He had expected that by the time he had met any of the titans that they would all be older like Rezu and Adele, but Cas and Gale were both close in age to him and that was infinitely more comforting, adults had always been so boring to the boy and he doubted he would feel much differently even if they hosted a titan.

"Whatever everyone else's plan is, I'm not agreeing to destroying an entire city. That's just plain fucked up." Chester’s jaw nearly dropped when Rezu started opposing the war deceleration. He had been nervous when Castiel had shown resistance, but Rezu was flat out rejecting anything of the sort. Chester realized leveling an entire city was ambitious, but this place didn’t have to crumble overnight. The five of them could have at least started reeking havoc, a few weeks and the city could have been at their feet in shambles. Chester was going to propose that at the very least they could start planning their onslaught, but Rezu didn’t stop with just rejecting his ideas.

As the man went on Chester felt as his shock began morphing into anger. Rezu wasn’t simply being disagreeable, it sounded as if the vessel was completely rejecting the will of the titan inside of him. It sounded as if… he was defending humanity. The very thought had Chester’s lip curling in disgust. The boy clenched his fists at his side, the very idea of one of his siblings not putting Gaea as their first priority was sickening. He stared at Rezu with vacant eyes, if one vessel was capable of defying Gaea it was possible that the others were too. His eyes traced over Gale, she was the only one that had not shown any outward apprehension to his suggestion, she was definitely on his side. He moved on to the others, Castiel specifically, looking at him out of the corner of his eye. He had been so relieved when he had first met the boy, but he suddenly seemed dangerous, he suddenly looked like a human when mere moments ago that had been his sister. He snapped his eyes back up at Rezu trying to keep his voice level.

“I cannot believe this. It sounds like you are defending the humans?” His tone cracked in incredulous disbelief despite his efforts to keep it level. “Humans. The ones who are literally killing Mother with each second that ticks by. You say that what I purpose is a prevention measure, but I don’t think you realize that species eradication is the solution here.

Humans don’t even deserve to be defended at all. They take from each other, and they kill each other because their ideas do not align. I’ve read their history books; they have more willing turned on each other because of the color of their skin than because one group has done something morally wrong. They do not embrace things different from themselves, and if they knew what any of us were capable of, the abilities we possess and the titans inside our bodies, we would become their lab rats, they would ostracize us, they would call us aliens and continue to kill Gaea as we became their seventh grade science projects. Humans are nasty parasites that take from the weak and destroy that which does not belong to them. They act in ways that only benefit themselves, yet you would rather stay with them then your own siblings. I cannot believe this.” The boy’s fists unclenched as he finished the rather long tirade. Humans were horrible creatures, and he knew from experience that they were not accepting of those not like their own, ’Why be different when you can be normal’, his father’s favorite saying, rang in the back of his mind. Humanity was not something worth saving, let alone defending.

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_____ Rezu's attention span didn't even last the entirety of Chester's tirade. He got the message less than halfway through. "Siblings? I have more in common with humans than you." Was he defending humans? Yes. Did he think that they deserved a form of discipline for their actions? Also yes. Did they deserve total annihilation? A very strong no. "It's easy for you, thinking only from the perspective of an angry god and a hurt child. But I, not to mention Thea, think differently. She's a titan, she's one of Gaea's children, but she's also a mother herself. She's thinking of the youth, who haven't done a single thing wrong, yet will be punished for a crime they didn't commit."

_____ "Oh, don't think I don't know about a human's many faults." The specific wars and cruelties he mentioned came to mind, as well as images of last night's headlines. "But aren't they simple reflections of what other gods have done? I dare you to tell me that wars amongst the divine didn't happen over something as petty as a flower." He stood from his perch and paced around the small area, commanding, practically demanding their attention. It was times like these that he felt thankful for his natural charisma. "I fucking dare you to tell me each and every atrocity you mentioned wasn't committed by a god in one way or other."

_____ He turned towards all of them, knowing how to carry himself with confidence and resolution. "I'm going to be blunt; you're all young. Impressionable." Blue-green eyes were uncharacteristically cold as he stared the younger members of the group down. "How much of your belief and resolution is your own opinion, and how much of it is the Titan's? Ask yourself that."

_____ "They're not one-sided, Chester. Humans. They're capable of great cruelty, but also great kindness. They're reflections of their creators." Wren would have a field day if he heard him talking like this. Speaking emotionally and patiently wasn't his forte; he usually kept the first part more or less to himself. That was just so uncool. "My human mother's a smart woman, as frustrating as she is. I love her just as much as Coeus loves Gaea. She has these quotes and words of wisdom that she relays to me every once in a while. For you, I'll give you one of personal my favorites. Revenge is human, forgiveness is divine."

_____ "Do I think they deserve to go unpunished? No, of course not." He idly kicked aside a loose rock. "But if you think everything will go to right after they're gone, then that's naivety speaking." His sigh was audible in the silence of the group, and the young model neared the crates he'd walked around only just moments before. Ten minutes with them and he was already beyond exhausted. "I'm done here. If you share what I think, then feel free to follow after me. But if you don't, then don't bother showing your face until you've changed your mind. Ciao." Without so much a backward glance, he walked away from the immediate vicinity, steeling himself to join the crowds that milled about.

You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me right?” Adelaide looked at the young Titan with a look of scorn. There was absolutely no way she was going to destroy New Orleans. Sure there were a crapload of people that sucked ass in her opinion that didn’t mean they had the right to just eradicate the whole damn place of humans. There was just no way. That cold look in his eyes was almost unsettling. It was almost like looking into the maw of one of their many dangerous animals. All it wanted to do was bite your head off while you showed off to the crowd that you could wave your arm around its face and not get bit. At least the pretty boy was thinking similarly to her.

Adelaide scoffed at the idea that the kid thought he knew the reason they all met up. “I don’t know about you but since when did you fucking know why we’re all here? My reason for being here is my family not for your shitty mission you little brat.” The kid continued on as if killing hundreds of thousands was like watering down an ant hill for amusement. He introduced himself as Chester, the human who housed Coeus. Her pink hues darted to the other kid who accompanied Chester. By his words of hesitance she could tell that he wasn’t exactly on board with the idea. It even seemed he was entirely new to the idea.

The next person to introduce themselves was Gale. She didn’t seem fazed at all by Chester’s words, making Adelaide a bit wary of the much smaller girl. The young girl housed Crius in her body but the performer didn’t really care much about who had who at this point. Finally pretty boy introduced himself as Rezu who had Thea in him and was also a model. “That certainly explains a lot pretty boy.” Adelaide looked at him closely this time, taking note of those handsome features of his.

"Now that we're all acquainted by something other than Titan names, let's go back to Chester's previous statement." Adelaide nodded in agreement. Chester’s idea of spending their family reunion was laughable and quite frankly sickening. "Whatever everyone else's plan is, I'm not agreeing to destroying an entire city. That's just plain fucked up." For once Adele listened to someone other than herself talk and she nodded along with his words. However when he gave her a look she glared at him, “What the hell did I do?” Suddenly a voice spoke up at the back of her head and bit her lip in anger. “Oh shut up you old bugger.” She looked back at the rest of the group as if nothing happened.

The young woman was exactly expecting a huge ass speech from the kid but what a speech he gave. He sounded pretty damn self righteous as if his way was the only way. It certainly pissed her off which was why she stopped listening halfway through. Towards the end Adelaide couldn’t help but snicker at Chester’s words, particularly the last part about humans only doing things that benefited themselves. ‘You’ve gotta be shitting me right. Benefit themselves? Every damn living being on this shitty planet does it. Do you think wolves hunt being careful not to take a mother from her babies. No they hunt the mother because it benefits them. She can fill their stomachs a lot better than a bunch of fucking babies.”

Then the notion of rejecting what they don’t know came to mind and she thought of her family and the circus. Those very words allowed her to give Chester a cold shoulder and not think even for a moment that she’d join his ridiculous crusade of “justice”. Her attention did settle on Rezu as he took up a confident stance and addressed the lot of them, including her. Adelaide was a bit irked by that but she didn’t say anything, at least not with words. Instead she glared at him for pushing her into the kiddies table. She agreed with almost every single word that fell from Rezu’s pretty lips. Adelaide herself has yet to experience the cruelty that Chester and Rezu spoke of. Her entire world was centered around what occurred within the tents. She honestly couldn’t give a rats ass about what happened outside of them. It wasn’t her problem until it arrived at her doorstep and when it does she’ll just kick it right in the ass.

"I'm done here. If you share what I think, then feel free to follow after me. But if you don't, then don't bother showing your face until you've changed your mind. Ciao." Again Adelaide snickered at Rezu’s show of leadership after comparing it to Chester’s false facade. Pink orbs followed Rezu as he disappeared into the crowd and she knew she’d have to meet him but there was no way she was about to follow him.

Turning her attention to the trio of brats, Adele smirked. “And here I thought you’d be a cute little brother. I don’t think I have to say that I agree with pretty boy over there.” She motioned to where Rezu had gone off to. Jumping down from her perch, Adelaide landed right in front of Chester and stood a bit close. She made use of her height as her entire figure loomed over him. The sweetness from before was completely gone and replaced but utter disgust and a savageness that would not falter. “I don’t give a fucking rats ass as to what people did to you Chester but I will say I pity them for having let you go. Unlike you I have a family, a very big one, that loves me for who I am, Titan and all. If you so much as go anywhere near them I will fucking kill you understand?” Her head tilted to the side briefly as she paused for effect.

Taking a step back from the white haired boy, Adelaide began to walk away. She did stop briefly to look over her shoulder, giving Chester a glare that could kill. It was further offset by the sickenly sweet smile on her lips. “Again touch my family and I’ll kill you. Oh and please leave the circus area. We’ve no intention of hiding shitty brats that think they’re entitled to something because they had shitting lives.” With that being said Adelaide walked away from the group.

It didn’t take her long to find Rezu. She knew the circus layout better than anyone. “Say where’re you headed off to pretty boy? You can stay here if you’d like or do you have other places to be?” She stepped right in front him, seemingly coming out of nowhere. For the briefest of moments her thoughts wandered to Castiel and Gale. If such an innocent looking kid was capable of having such thoughts then who was to say they didn't agree with Chester. It would mean they were already at a disadvantage, even if they were just kids.

"Siblings? I have more in common with humans than you." The words hurt more than Chester would have liked to admit. Rezu was nothing short of despicable in his eyes, yet to hear that he did not feel the level of closeness that Chester still felt towards him was undeniably heart wrenching. Coeus did not speak to Chester, all the boy had to work with were images of unworldly things and vague feelings and instincts to act on. The pull towards Thea inside of the model was permanent and unshakable, and despite the growing anger in side of him the boy still had to fight the pinprick feeling behind his eyes as Thea refused him.

As he continued to challenge Chester the boy had to continue to push down the growing sadness inside of him. It burned in the pit of his stomach like flames and with every blink and clench of his fist he smothered the feelings until his eyes were blank with apathy. The titan inside of him loved his siblings, even if Thea was going astray, and Chester couldn’t allow himself to have his goals shaken by her abandonment of the cause. Rezu spoke poetically, and convincingly like a leader should, but his words did not resonate inside the white haired boy. Even when Cronus’s vessel opposed him, with a fouler mouth than Thea’s, it didn’t cause him to flinch.

“My opinion is my titan’s and our alignment in ideals makes me all the more stronger.” It was true, Coeus was willing to supply him power because he was loyal to the titan’s cause. Although the titan had never spoken to him the visions he was shown gave insight into his potential with his magnetism and the use of electricity in his body had amplified is abilities tenfold. But, despite the anger boiling in his stomach Rezu still spoke with reason and understanding, and although he hated it, the urge to kill him was not strong enough to act upon. It was Cronus’s vessel he was having trouble dealing with, she was rude and immature at best.

“… Every damn living being on this shitty planet does it.” The use of vulgarity to describe Gaea sent a surge of adrenaline through his veins that literally seized his muscles. The anger that had remained at a steady boil since Rezu started talking surged through him like an erupting volcano, it was Coeus’s anger and Chester felt the bloodlust consume him in a palpable wave. His heart felt so heavy in his chest that each rapid beat felt painful and it almost seemed as if the entire world around him was vibrating.

Even as she continued on her own tirade, dismissing his past while bragging about how great of a life she had, he couldn’t bring himself to care about it. All he could see was spoiled brat, loved by humans, and in no way worthy of consideration as anything more than that. She appeared so human to him that killing her didn’t weigh on Coeus’s conscious inside his body. Cronus was a capable god, and no doubt could he return in a vessel more suitable to the cause. This one was clearly no good.

“I should kill you right now.” His voice rumbled in a growl and he weighed the possibility of being able to kill Cronus’s vessel. From the way the conversation had been going with Rezu it seemed doubtful that any of the vessels had ever used their titan powers to kill before. Chester had used all the variations of his power to kill humans before, and no doubt he could take down the woman that stood before him. As his magnetic field aligned the small metals bits around them began to pull towards the boy. The iron stakes resistant from their firm place in the ground, and the nails in the crates groaning in protest from being pulled from their places in the wood strained towards him, and as the two adults began to walk away he forced himself to disperse the strong field. The boy couldn’t risk scaring Castiel away, but he wanted to dispose of Cronus’s vessel before she grew accustom to using her power lethally, if that were to ever happen.

The boy produced the handheld tazer from his pocket. A zap from that would send him into electromagnetism, his most powerful state, but the burden placed on his body from using it was tremendous. Plus, the electrocution messed up his mind a lot, and the more often he used it the worse he was at controlling his temper, the boy barely had a grip on it as it was. He turned towards Cas and Gale.

“I didn’t mean to almost lose control back there, but Cronus’s vessel it no good.” Gale was surely on his side, and he turned to Cas as the light returned to his eyes.

“Surely, you won’t leave me, right Cas?” Trying to pull a guilt trip on the other boy did make Chester feel a little guilty himself, but at this point he was desperate for vessels who would stay on his side.

---

It was when the ugly one started speaking out against Gale's ideals, which she happened to share with Chester, that she noticed her clenched fists were now red. It was when he started defending murderers, when he started defending selfish, cruel, inconsiderate, and greedy human beings that she felt her body stiffen. It was then she tried to wash away the sour taste that held her hostage. But no, it didn't wash away. It only grew with every word Rezu added in order to coddle his gratuitous speech. This... rancid taste spread like ivy, until it tainted her very being with a mix of disgust enmity. Her lips curled into that of a snarl and her attitude darkened. If you looked closely, you could see the unmistakable concentration of anger that eradicated the once ambitious yet energetic spark in her eyes.

Gale was... beyond mad. She was beyond angry beyond outraged, and beyond furious! Her rage combined with that of Crius's could only be described as godly. It was miracle that she wasn't bursting into flames this very instant, though that'd probably be another story if she housed Hyperion. Or at least, she would guess so from the way the wind was picking up. What was a slight breeze had turned into an onslaught of aggressive winds. With every second the wind's intensity grew, and Gale feared that if Rezu's nonsense went on any longer it'd turn into a gale. "How much of your belief and resolution is your own opinion, and how much of it is the Titan's?"

Nonsense.

That word stuck in her mind for a while. The wind stop stirring quite violently; now it was more of a rough breeze. Was all he was saying... nonsense? "Ask yourself that."

She did. She asked herself that every day. Was it Crius or Gale? Was it Crius or Gale who was in charge? She even asked herself that on the way here. Her emotions, even the anger she felt now, it was never her own. It always seemed to be mutated, compromised... Gale's mood always seemed to switch with Crius's. Surely it was possible that Gale's opinion switched with his, too, but... no.

"Nonsense!" She growled. Gale lied to herself when she decided she'd said that in order to convince the others. Her opinion was her own! Crius and her agreed, that was all! She spent years of her life looking into humans, trying to reach out to them and being punched in return. She spent those years of her life because she believed in the people around her, she believed in that false kindness! If Crius had some kind... some kind of control over her, then she would've agreed with him immediately, right? Of course. Gale's thoughts were her own, and she--- she knew this. At this point the wind had died down by a lot, as now it was the same small breeze from before. After a deep breath, Gale decided that her anger had seen its worst.

"...on this shitty planet..." They say it takes but a few words to set Gale off. Whatever possessed Adele to say such a thing, Gale could not imagine. Nor could she imagine the deformities the woman would have when Gale was done with her. Gaea was the primary reason Gale was on the titan's side. Humans were a secondary matter. The world's welfare was what caused Gale to consider the value of humans. The fact that they didn't give a rat's ass about Mother and the creatures inhabiting this planet was what convinced Gale they were better off dead. So when someone insulted Gaea... A titan vessel, no less, Gale started to get... angry. And the nerve! That the woman chose such... ribald words to describe such a beautiful sight! Adelaide had no right to say such boorish things about Gaea! Had she ever seen the beauty of dawn, as its colors painted the sky and blessed the horizon? Had she ever climbed to the highest hills and basked in the sunlight, felt the grass on her feet, and breathed in the fresh air? Of course not; she would never bother. She was blind. She was like all the other humans. She was cold. She was nothing.

The wind was stirring again; but the start was more abrupt this time, and it wasn't going to die down. As the trash walked away, she couldn't help but glance over at Chester and Castiel. The two C's. Her eyes glazed over Chester as he mentioned his mistake in losing control. She took a moment to sort out what happened, as she'd been so caught up in her anger that she wasn't registering the world around her. And nor was she now. As soon as Chester turned to Castiel, Gale turned away. She was still fuming, and she'd rather they not see. No, Gale never liked being angry. Nor did she like showing anger. All it did was support the false statement that she was nothing more than her father. She'd never be her father. No, she lived to oppose people like him. And the people who dared to compare them on any level!

The wind took a violent turn as Gale thrust a strong axe kick toward a nearby crate. The impact generated a loud thud and the slightest bit of relief for the girl in distress. "Well, it's three against two. That's gotta give us some kind of advantage, right?" She mumbled, assuming Castiel was with them due to his lack of leaving. Though something about the apprehension in his stance told her that he wasn't exactly sure about his place in everything. But surely that could be fixed. "Can the both of you fight? Um, actually, nevermind that. Before we do or decide anything we should get somewhere better than this. I can't stand this stupid circus, with all the stupid smoking and humans and..." She cut off her sentence with a sigh.

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[OOC] "...Gale feared that if Rezu's nonsense went on any longer, then it'd turn into a gale." <--- I have been dying to use that pun since I first created Gale. The satisfaction is real.

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_____ "Say where’re you headed off to pretty boy? You can stay here if you’d like or do you have other places to be?" And yet another one calls him pretty boy. If he had a dollar for every damn time someone called him that, he'd be richer than him and his mother's current wealth put together. His brow furrowed at the "endearment" and a frown marred his lips, but he forced himself to relax. Stress was only going to ruin the appearance he made his living out of. He'd had enough of it for the day.

_____ Rezu stepped around her and continued his merry way, trying to avoid bumping into more people. The woman simply fell into step with him. Was she actually following him as per what he said? "Back to my hotel room, where else?" The reply was as dry as they came. "I hate these kinds of... things." A delicate hand waved in gesture towards the crowds that milled about them. "I got dragged here by a friend; no offense to you or your troupe, I just hate noisy places. I'd probably appreciate the show with less people." He adjusted the sleeves of his shirt, rolling them up to the correct height. At some point between arriving and the meeting with the other Titans, they'd come undone.

_____ Don't you think you said too much? He felt rather than heard Thea pace the floor of his conscious, the familiar pace dulling his irritation. After two decades with the Titaness, she'd become a familiar, if not exactly welcome entity in his mind. The internal conversation continued as he smoothed the wrinkles of his shirt, then running his fingers through his hair like it was practiced routine. Did you think those kids would've listened to something more reasonable? He heard the dejection and resigned agreement in Thea. ... No, you're right. They're beyond reason at this point.

_____ When he was done nitpicking with his appearance, he continued. "Don't tell me you actually agreed with the shit I was spewing just earlier?" A well-kept eyebrow raised in question, looking briefly at Adelaide beside him. When he opened his mouth to speak once again, blue-green eyes looked ahead of him, not wanting to cause an accident with his lack of attention. "I don't even remember half what I said. I just know that death is usually a bad thing, and killing as a conscious act rather than as a necessary means of survival is even worse."

A bit disappointed at having been ignored, Adelaide turned her head to follow him with a pout. Ignored or not she made it her business to know what he was up to. Adele stepped besides him pink orbs looking at him from the corner of her eyes. "Back to my hotel room, where else?" For once Adelaide didn't respond she merely nodded her head. "I hate these kinds of... things." She quirked an eyebrow at his words. At first Adelaide wasn't sure whether to take offense of his words or to brush them off but it seemed the latter was far more likely by what Rezu said next. "I got dragged here by a friend; no offense to you or your troupe, I just hate noisy places. I'd probably appreciate the show with less people." The young woman thought of the idea of being dragged to some place you cared naught for by a friend. She had never experienced that before as she had no friends, at least not the sort of friends that Rezu would have. Those who would be were more like family than anything else.

"None taken sweetheart." Raising her hands as a show of peace. "Well there are always chances for a private show but you don't seem the type to bother." The corners of her lips pulled up into a little bit of a smile as she danced around him before taking a spot by his side again. Folding her hands behind her back, Adelaide looked around at the crowds. While Rezu fixed up his appearance Adele took head of the side long glances she received. It wasn't that unusual really to be stared at because of her choice in attire. If anything Adelaide looked to be enjoying the attention, basking in it even. "Don't tell me you actually agreed with the shit I was spewing just earlier?" Pink locked onto blue-green if only for a moment. She thought about what he said now and the speech he had given not too long ago. "Well not all of it per say. My entire family is human," She waved her arms around her to empathize that her family was the entirety of the troupe. "and as such I've no desire to see them killed off because one kid didn't have the same . . . experiences as I did." Adelaide shrugged her shoulders in a brisk manner.

It was then that a voice in her head spoke up. As usual Cronos chose the wrong moment to speak his mind. Although she was in the company of a her "brethren" and the public she made a face as she mocked the Titan that resided within her. "I don't even remember half what I said. I just know that death is usually a bad thing, and killing as a conscious act rather than as a necessary means of survival is even worse." Putting out the words of blasphemy spewing from the big guy, Adelaide gave him a look. She snorted at his words, realizing all those stereotypes her family told her regarding pretty boys were true. They really were idiots. By her standards that is.

Suddenly a figured stepped right in front of them or Rezu really. Adelaide felt her stomach churn but in a way that wasn't really bad. OH! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was… going…” Looking at the girl, Adele could tell she wasn't far from her own age possibly younger even. Before she could analyze the feeling in her stomach the girl spoke again, this time in an irritating chirpy voice. “Hey, you’re that dancer from earlier!” The dancer waved at the girl, forcing a smile on her face. While she loved being recognized that high voice ruined her potentially good mood. “You dance beautifully!” At this Adelaide perked up a little. Throwing her hair over her shoulder, a smirk settled on her features. “Of course I did sweetheart. Why else would they allow me to dance?” She stood up straighter with a hint of pride in the way she held herself. It wasn’t everyday she got complemented by outsiders since she was often whisked away to some other secluded part of the circus.

Adelaide watched the girl for more complements however she felt that tug and churn of her stomach again instead. This feeling. It can’t be. The dancer was quite to take on a weary demeanor as shown by her leaning back slightly. She could hear Cronos chanting somewhere inside her of finding his sister but he decided not to tell her which one. “Time has set us free.” A chill ran down Adelaide's spine. It was the first time she had ever felt such a particular feeling and she most certainly didn’t like it. The girl’s entire demeanor darkened when she spoke. “Adelaide… keeper of my brother, Cronos.” She blinked unsure as to how the girl was able to speak her name. The dancer didn’t recall ever giving it to her and it wasn’t written anywhere in the circus grounds where a passerby could see. Adelaide took note of the warm smile on the girls lips at least she didn’t seem like she was angry or anything. Of course looks could be deceiving as shown by Chester. “Rezu Sonova. I have not seen who you keep of my family.” Adelaide wasn’t sure what she meant by seen but it was more clue as to which Titan she housed within her.

“You have had a fight with the others?” Again the girl spoke as if she was there but then again had she been there she’d know why they had fought. “What have they done now?” Adelaide shrugged her shoulders as she leaned forwards at her waist. With the way Cronos was acting Adele was cautious. If he was so happy to see this girl it probably wasn’t a good thing for her or Rezu. “Well . . . I’d think you’d know that too seeing as you know just about everything else but I guess not. I’d say the damn matter doesn’t concern you but it does. Whether you’re with us or not I’ve no idea but I for one have no damn intentions of murdering the entire human race.” She spoke calmly yet at various points it seemed tad condescending. The young woman wasn’t one to speak such words since she enjoyed talking but Cronos’s behaviour told her otherwise. Having said that a light trickle of blood rolled down her nose and unto her lips.
Adelaide tilted her head to the side unsure as to what she should do. She’d offer a napkin but she had none and she didn’t know this girl. Then the girl smiled. It was a little unsettling.

“Where are my manners? This form is Haiku... I am Phoebe.” She nodded her head as she racked her brain for information of the Titaness Phoebe. If she remembered correctly the damn Titan was one who could see into the future, someone with a penchant for prophecy. So that’s how she knew our fucking names yet wasn’t aware of what we had fought about. She’ll be a tricky gal to deal with depending on whose side she’s on. Considering Phoebe had control of this Haiku girl, it was unlikely that she’d be with the humans. The poor girl didn’t seem to have any control of her body at the moment. A look of pity glinted in those pink hues of hers but it was gone as she spoke. “So that’s how you knew our fucking names. You already know I’ve got lovely little Cronos but I’ll leave it to Rezu to tell you who he gots.” Standing up straighter, Adelaide was curious about this Titan.

* = Start of graphic imagery
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Breaking News…

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At approximately 9:32 p.m. today in downtown New Orleans what appears to have been a terrorist attack has left many residents in the area shaken and scared. The authorities and first responders on scene are reporting that they had never seen anything like it, the damages ranging from arson to murder… Live at the scene is our New Orleans correspondent Claudia Yeuings- Claudia?

Thanks Janet. I’m here Live in the New Orleans city park where for the last week a foreign circus has taken to performing with seemingly no incident. Today was supposed to be the last day of their New Orleans tour when the unthinkable happened. Now, the authorities here are reporting this as a one man terror attack, possibly armed with explosives from the amount of damage dealt in the amount of the attack lasted. They say it couldn’t have been more than two minutes, and the attacker had already vanished by the time the police and first responders had arrived, but the eye witness accounts of the attack seem a little too farfetched to be true.

I’ve interviewed countless eyewitnesses, and nearly all of their stories report a glowing blue boy to be responsible for all the damage caused. Now, how a glowing child can exist, and cause so much damage and causalty in such a short amount of time is still unclear, but what has reigned crystal clear is the video evidence produced by multiple witnesses at the scene.

What you are seeing on the screen is what appears to be a child, it happens incredibly fast, not more than two seconds, but when the video is slowed down to a frame by frame viewing the distinct shape of a child can be made out in the blue flash. Now whether or not this is even possible will have to be looked into by authorities, but what has been most devastating about this attack is not the loose animals, or arson damage, but the animalistic damage delivered to the performers of the circus troupe. Many are unharmed or with minor injuries, but more than twenty have been severely or gravely injured in the attack, the worst of the injuries were taken by the lead male dancer of the troupe, and the authorities believe that the attack may be race crime and hate driven.—

Ah, hang on, I’m being told that new developments are being made right now. One of our helicopters covering the story has just arrived and is reporting that, as they flew over, the strange scorch markings on the ground aren’t just the random paths the terrorist traveled. We are cutting to the footage now.

What we are looking at appears to be a message, to who we are not really sure, but those marks are an undeniable message reading: UNWORTHY.

This is Claudia Yeunings reporting live from New Orleans, back to you Janet.

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With Cas’s confirmation that he would stay loyal to the titan side the dread that had been pooling in his gut began to subside just slightly. Having the first titan vessel he met stay on his side some how made the boy feel monumentally better. Despite only having a few minutes of a head start in their relationship compared to the other vessels it seemed to make a world of difference to Chester, as if they had been friends for years rather than minutes, and he couldn’t keep the big grin off his face when the boy stayed on his side. He was about to voice his approval of the decision when the wind around them seemed to kick up in a sudden flurry.

He turned to see that the other girl, Gale, was still with them too, looking about as angry as he felt. The wind gusted around her powerfully, and even with her back turned to them he could tell she had reacted the same way he had to Adele’s words, she was probably just as appalled as he was by the situation. He was impressed by the demonstration of her power though, as her body moved the wind moved with her, like an extension of her leg as she sent the strong kick into the side of the box, it was beautiful really. Even if he couldn’t see the wind the boy could still feel its change, the pressure that adjusted around them as she moved. Gale would be a powerful ally.

“Well, it's three against two. That's gotta give us some kind of advantage, right?” Chester nodded at her statement, his mind already abuzz with a plan that was a little reckless, but definitely worth it. It was his debut as a titan vessel in this human dominated world, and his chance to demonstrate the power that he and Coeus had collaborated on. He looked up to meet Gale in the eyes as she continued to talk, asking if they had fighting abilities, and he couldn’t keep the smirk off his lips.

“Don’t worry, I can fight. And personally, I doubt those human loving idiots have ever thought of using their powers as weapons so they are probably worthless anyways.” He looked down at the taser in his hand, running a thumb over its smooth surface and turning it over in his palm. The deadly little instrument was the key to one of his most developed abilities. “… And I’ve got a place for us to camp out in, but first I’ve got some business to attend to. Just… don’t freak out, ok?”

Its not that he didn’t trust the two vessels that had sided with him, but he didn’t know the extent of either of their powers yet, or the best way to utilize them in a combat situation and he couldn’t risk getting caught by the humans from a miscalculation. He wanted to hit that bitch where it hurt though, and he wanted to do it as soon as possible.

The boy pushed up the sleeve of his black hoodie, his arm was as pale of the rest of his body, revealing his forearm littered with tiny snakebite scars. They were small circular puncture marks that corresponded perfectly to the cap of his taser. The taser in his hand was police-grade that he had swiped off an unsuspecting cop, over a year ago, and had rigged it to make the voltage it spat near deadly, he had found that was the only way to give him enough juice to activate his ability.

The boy took a deep breath, tensing his left arm as he pressed the button of the taser, the small device zapped to life with a violent pop. He closed his eyes as he slammed the small metal bits into the flesh of his forearm, wincing as the electricity shocked its way through his body. The process never got any less painful as the magnetic poles in his body began to align and vibrate to hold the charge in his body and a few seconds later the entire boy’s body gave off an eerie electrical blue glow.

The taser fell from his hand and the boy exhaled the breath he had been holding. Electromagnetism was an ability that did not come easy, and once he achieved it the power sent an unimaginable burden on his nervous and muscular systems, but the overwhelming power that came from it was undeniably worth it. He looked towards his two allies, his body sending off small static shocks as he moved. His right arm twitched violently, nearly untraceable in speed, as an electrical impulse sent a nerve haywire. He couldn’t keep the smile from growing over his lips though. His white hair stood on jagged ends, the black hoodie unable to contain the now stiff locks and his head twitched towards the Menagerie.

“As soon as I get back get ready to run. Oh, and watch out for tigers.” He paused, his glowing blue eyes traced over his comrades, and he could hear the electricity buzzing inside him. “Things are about to get electric.”

The boy didn’t have time to hesitate over the lame one-liner as his muscles brought him into action. He shot across the lawn and towards the main circus tent, making it to the destination in a matter of seconds, it was getting later so there were fewer pedestrians wandering the attractions, but there were enough to witness him move. He paused only for the briefest moment and people were pulling out phones to get pictures and videos of him. The white haired boy ignored them, stepping into the big top where he began to wreck havoc. The metal of the bleachers pulled up and curled as he raced by them, succeeding in crushing a few unlucky people who had lingered after the show, but they were irrelevant, the boy was aiming for something a bit more personal. People screamed as the metal inside the tent began twisting and mangling itself, drawing the attention of the others still around the circus grounds.

The boy’s destination was a doorway towards the back of the tent where he had seen the performers exiting and entering, and he ignored the flames that caught the loose ropes hanging as he passed them, more damage that he wouldn’t have to personally cause. The boy had a particular face in his mind, the dancer Adele had performed with, surely a casualty of that size would cause her a fair amount of grief. As he shot through the narrow pass the flaps on either side of him lit aflame, and he was confident it would spread into a horrid blaze. He continued his path, having left Castiel and Gale not even ten seconds ago by the time he reached where the performers were staying. Not one of them reacted at first as the glowing boy appeared in the middle of their group. It wasn’t so much they were slow to react, but that Chester’s mind was moving too fast for the rest of them. Every one around him looked as if they were moving in slow motion, easy targets for him to pick apart.

*The boy squatted slightly, bunching the muscles of his quads before he sprang forward at the nearest performer. She was an older looking woman and he didn’t even bother to look back at her reaction as he sliced her arm clean off, the spray of blood barely grazing him as he darted through the crowd. Skipping over some when handing out varying degrees of damage to the rest. The wounds ranged from things as minor as skin grazing abrasions to lethal puncture wounds hit through stomachs and chests. Moving as fast as he was, clearing a hole straight through the bone of an ordinary person was as easy as snapping pencils, he barely had to think about it.

**

~~The sight made even Chester a little queasy and the jumped back a few paces to examine the damage he had caused. Adelaide’s partner had been left alive, withering in immense amounts of pain on the ground, and Chester left him that way, hoping Adele would find him alive like that. He took a few quick steps back and shot out of the area and leaving a blackened scorch mark behind him. The trail he was leaving left him with a creative idea as he began scorching the ground around him in large looping lines, jumping every now and again to create breaks in his masterpiece. If he did it right the message would be there, not that Adelaide would have much doubt as to who attacked her circus.

After finishing he set his sights on his last task, the menagerie, where he would take less than a second the rip open and apart all the metal cages the animals were confined in, successfully freeing them in one fallow swoop as he spat himself out the opposite end of the tent, sparks and tiny shots of lightening shooting around him as he looked on to the havoc he had caused. Already animals were escaping the tent, and the noise from within proved hell was beginning to break loose. The fire he had started at the main tent had taken nicely as well, lighting up open yard of the circus and spending strong pulses of heat in every direction. He aimed himself in the direction of Castiel and Gale, using up the last of his stored energy in the few steps it took to return to them.

He couldn’t have been gone for more than two minutes, but when he shot back to them the boy was completely exhausted. Everything hurt immensely now that he wasn’t on the high electromagnetism gave him, and the headache that always accompanied the ability was beginning to bloom nicely. His chest was heaving with an effort to get oxygen back into his system, and he was completely soaked with the blood of the people he had injured. He looked towards the two of them with a weak smile, and continued to pant, sweat beginning to drench his skin as his humanness caught up with him.

“We’ve gotta get out of here, fast.” He panted, forcing himself forward with heavy feet, even taking a few steps proved to be too much for him as he tripped over the unevenness of the ground, barely catching himself as his forearms connected with the ground. Coeus was stirring inside of him, itching at the edges of his mind to keep him conscious, and he was glad for it. The last thing he needed was to pass out in the middle of enemy territory.

---

Watch out for tigers and run like hell. Gale could do that. But she could do more than that, too. But nevermind that. If Chester wanted to destroy the circus on his own, that was okay. Did she want to destroy it too? Well, yeah, but she would respect his decisions. He probably had a good reason, right? Yup, probably.

Well if he was going to destroy the circus she'd might as well have a front seat. Nodding, she started making particular motions with her hands. As if on cue, the wind began to whip around her like a mini, invisible tornado. Concentration sunk into her features as she slowly propelled herself into the air, a familiar rush of ecstatic energy flew through her veins. Her hands never stopped moving, tracing invisible circles as she rose higher and higher into the night sky. She didn't fly that far from the ground, the reason being she didn't want to be seen. Instead of soaring high into the sky she didn't go higher than the closest tent's peak. Gale hovered in the darkness, most of her form obscured by the animal tent. The girl watched as a fire erupted, and almost smiled. While one hand kept her afloat, another summoned a strong wind. Her expression evolved into a light-hearted smile as the flames transformed into an inferno.

A warmth spread throughout her body similar to the feeling of sipping a cup of hot chocolate. For a brief moment Gale wondered if she was starting to feel the warmth, happiness, that she'd always longed to have, but after further exploration she decided it was probably just from the heat of the blaze.

Today was the day the titans began the end of humanity... And to think they weren't doing it together. Gale's face twisted into a scowl when thought of the other two, but her expression softened when she remembered that at least a few of the titan vessels had some sense in them. "Castiel, right?"

Her smile had returned when she waved to the boy. "Themis," The titan inside her corrected. Gale couldn't help but roll her eyes. Themis was... mind control, if she recalled correctly. Her smile grew, as mind control would be very useful to have on her side. Though lurking behind the smile was the slightest bit of anticipation as she recalled his hesitation toward the titan side. What if he turned? The thought struck Gale like one would strike their prey. Quickly and silently and more than anything, out of the blue. Having been taken aback by her own thought train, she accidentally dropped a few inches, but smoothly recovered, reassuming her position in the air.

"That's a nice name. Castiel, I mean." She pinched her lips at the comment. It was all she could think to say. Gale was never the conversation starter...

Her eyes locked on the destruction in front of her instead of the person she was attempting to talk to. Was it rude? Maybe, but she'd rather just gaze at the swirls of red and orange. Gale, worst conversation starter and rudest conversationalist. Yikes. She could imagine Crius nodding his head in agreement. A short laugh escaped her lips, loud enough for anyone close to hear.

Gale stared into the blaze for a while, thoughts running wild. Her mind jumped to many different topics, all irrelevant and small. Mostly memories of the past, each one consisting of completely different scenarios which all managed to stick in her head for whatever reason.

It was when Chester came back winded as could be that Gale stopped spinning in the past. Her hands stopped moving immediately, the wind stopped supporting her and she fell to the ground with increasing speed. She pulled off the landing with a kneel, then a small sprint in Chester's direction. The moment she sensed his presence in the wind, the way his breath lingered and his stance staggered, she knew he was on teetering on the edge of consciousness. It was when he tripped after but a few steps that she deduced that he could not run on his own. Not well, at least. Just then, an idea popped into her head. She bent down to help him up, then threw him over her shoulder. "You said you had a place for us to stay." She commented, a sense of urgency sweeping over her. "Where is it?"

Chester felt his chest heaving in effort as his body slicked his body with sweat. In the distance he could hear the chaos he had caused swell in volume before dissipating over and over like tide meeting the beach. He wanted to see Adelaide’s reaction, he wanted watch her come across the carnage he had dealt to the people she cared about, see the pain twist its way into her face when she saw the dead and wounded, and he wanted to see her snap when she saw that male dancer torn apart. But, that wouldn’t be possible with his current state.

He fist clenched in frustration and he didn’t move until Castiel grabbed him by the hand and hauled the white haired boy up to his feet. As soon as he was up Chester felt his legs giving out almost immediately, he felt like a newborn deer figuring out what legs were used for, but before he could fall Gale was next to him, supporting his weight. He gave a grateful smile to the girl and adjusted himself slightly, without having to worry about standing all the other pain he was feeling came to the forefront of his mind. Electromagnetism did bad things to his body, that he was aware, but it was a vital ability to keep him stronger then titans that would not stay loyal to the cause.

He was caught off guard when Gale didn’t stop with just supporting him and literally hoisted him off the ground. He didn’t fight it too much though, the pounding headache made the thought of taking a step daunting, and his limbs tingled in ways that made the idea of running just as intimidating. The boy didn’t usually like to submit to letting others help him, but seeing as Gale was a titan it kept a lot of the edge and wariness off his shoulders.

He looked over when Castiel started speaking, his voice didn’t waver the way it had been. He sounded confident and sure of himself and he scanned the boy. It seemed like the titaness inside the boy had taken the reins, something he didn’t know was a possibility. Coeus had never even spoken to Chester, much less overshadowed his consciousness to act out on his own. He smiled at the boy and gave a slight nod, acknowledging that he had noticed the change. Themis was right though, and he wasn’t doing well. His consciousness was barely there, and the sound of sirens were growing louder with every passing moment, they didn’t have time to wait around any longer. Not to mention the predators prowling the circus grounds now.

“I’m staying in an abandoned house downtown, its only like four blocks away from here.” Chester took a deep breath, his voice was coming out whispered and breathy, and as he tried to focus his voice he could feel the darkness edging his consciousness. “The street is called… Westchisher. The house is dark blue, and its got this… cast iron fence. Hard to miss.”

Unable to keep his eyes open, the boy felt his awareness leave him.