Jordan POV-

"Jordan is sound asleep" Thomas said as he closed the door to her 'chambers', or so they called it.

Though he had expected Claire to tell the truth about her whereabouts, he was surprised to know that hadn't been the case. She had made up an excuse about having gone on an important Ianitee mission she couldn't talk about yet.

Thomas reprimanded her about not even leaving a note, but five minutes later he had completely absorbed the lie and accepted it as fact without questioning it further.

Sonja and Tucker hadn't gone to visit yet because they were 'hot' on the pirate's trail. He couldn't see them or the pirates, but based on the world communicator taunts, there was something going on.

Since the people of earth could still hear the world communicator, they all knew that Claire wasn't asleep.

She had taken a quick shower, calmed Tom down, and claimed she was exhausted from her trip and desperately needed a moments rest.

Clearly, her sleep deprivation wasn't that important.

Once Tom left the room and the sound of his footsteps faded to nothing was when Claire's eyes opened briefly to scan the area. Then, she got up from bed, straightened her loose black pajama pants and matching top before looking outside her balcony.

"What do you think she's up to? That girl just escaped imprisonment, if I were her I would have passed out by now" Sonja said from the other side of the living room.

She was sprawled on his favorite armchair with a bag of what looked like chocolate covered almonds with Tom sitting on the floor nearby to snatch a few snacks for himself. Sonja obliged him of course.

"You don't think she is going back to the nether to kill Dianite, do you? Maybe she did notice when he was hanging around just now when she was talking to all those guys. She said she would kill him if he showed up after all" Tom added as he stretched out his legs on the carpet like a lazy cat.

Jordan grabbed his own snacks from the table before him and glared at both of them.

"Why are you asking me?" he complained

Tom laughed

"Cause she is practically you, aren't you somehow connected or something? What I'm asking is, what would you do in that situation?" Tom asked and Sonja nodded in agreement

He considered what he would do...maybe sleep for real. Having been locked up, meeting Capsize...that seemed exhausting enough.

"Maybe she's getting a snack, Claire hasn't eaten much lately, specially since her return." he answered

Neither of his friends looked satisfied with the answer and went back to watching the TV.

It had been a few crazy days now that he thought about it.

The world had gone into outrage at Dianite's betrayal, so much so that the interview they had had been cancelled. In the positive side of things, at least that was postponed and he didn't have to deal with the stress of public speaking for a while.

Jordan had stayed with Claire's parents during her time locked up, he thought they might need his support. So he stayed at their house, helped cook (ordered food online), and talked with them. They could use someone to vent their frustrations with.

He noticed the sorrow their felt for their daughter and her first heartbreak, something most kids would not share with their parents but something the world had seen.

Some people saw her as a victim, saw the whole scenario as Dianite bewitching her into loving him. Others thought she was a fool and that her bad choices were a sign of the evil many had claimed she had.

Then there were those like Sonja who were in pain because of their breakup. Sonja had been claiming that their relationship had been perfect for the past few days, her disbelief was driving her crazy but she wasn't the only one.

As for Jordan himself, he was glad with how she dealt with the issue. He knew their affection for each other had been real but was glad that she knew right from wrong and ended things when they got out of hand.

For a young girl, she was incredibly mature in how she dealt with it, she hadn't cried in pain, listened to breakup songs, eat her heart out, but rather focused on what was important.

He could respect that.

Not that it was anybody's business what her relationships were like of course, technically she was an adult now. Sadly thats all that world had been talking about.

As of earlier that morning, things shifted to talk about her new 'potential' relationships.

Some thought Capsize was the night in shining armor that would save her from the pain Dianite caused, but if his memory served, that wouldn't be the best approach given his possible death.

Others saw Tom as the clear option for comfort given their friendship but Jordan knew she might be reluctant to be with the champion of the man who betrayed her.

Then was the complicated stuff regarding Stefan and his double. That poor guy had had been through enough press the past couple of days that Jordan wasn't sure how he dealt with it.

Stefan still kept to himself in the lab and everyone took turns taking care of him. The last few times he had seen him, there was an anger in his eyes directed straight at Dianite, of course.

There was also so much...well, worry.

When Jordan had asked about it, Stefan told him that he was afraid his double would make things worse. Stefan didn't trust his other self, even when Furia seemed to care about her maybe in the same way earth Stefan did. He said that Furia's proximity to Dianite might have left him corrupted and that could hurt Jordan.

If she grew to hate Furia, then she may turn all that anger on Stefan upon her return.

Truth was, Jordan felt bad for the guy. If crushes and unrequited love weren't hard enough on earth, this guy had to deal with impossible scenarios and the whole world watching her every move.

Hopefully Stefan could take some time to relax today. Jordan had invited him over to hang out with them and of course make sure Claire was ok since thats all he ever did.

"Well, guess she's just going out like that" Tom said

Jordan turned his attention back to the TV broadcast and found that Jordan had kept her PJs, put on some boots, and strapped a sword on a belt across her hips and was heading out into the night.

"Let me guess, fashion police Tom disapproves?" Jordan mocked

Tom stuck his tongue at him and stuffed five almonds into his mouth, chocolate now pouring from the sides of his lips. Gross...

It seemed quiet enough even with the mobs, Claire didn't seem to pay them any mind. Her expressions didn't give away anything as to her intentions and she was just walking, mind somewhere else it seemed.

"Maybe she is going to visit that good looking pirate" Sonja joked

Just as she said so, Jordan noticed Stefan was leaning on the wall behind them, wincing at the comment.

"Oh, hey Stefan" Jordan said before Sonja could make another touchy comment.

She whirled in her chair and her cheeks burned red with embarrassment and guilt. Thankfully Thomas lightened up the mood as always.

"Hey boyo!!! Come, sit down! Things just got interesting, Jordan is heading out somewhere" Tom said and he dragged Stefan to the couch adjacent to Jordan's.

"I thought she was sleeping, I guess much has happened since I parked the car and made a one and a half minute walk here" Stefan said with a very forced attempt at humor.

Jordan gave him some food and Sonja threw him an afghan from her chair, and they all settled into a semi comfortable silence.

Jordan was just hoping that Sonja had been wrong and Claire really wouldn't go hang out with Capsize. How would Stefan react to that?

How had he reacted earlier to seeing them together, so close and comfortable?

Looking at Tom and Sonja's expressions they were thinking the same thing but were holding back their voices from asking.

Thankfully they all became distracted by Claire's arrival at the priest's house.

"Huh?" Sonja asked

Claire walked right into the priest's building and knocked on his door twice before he answered in his 'PJs' and sleepy eyed.

"Thomas, we are not going on another search tonight....Oh! Jordan!!!, wait...you're back" he said, frozen in shock.

Jordan smiled and hugged him. The priest was awkward with the hug, he looked like a stick. Eventually he awkwardly patted her back and she let go.

"Good to be back" she said before stepping inside

The priest closed the door gently and made his way to his make shift kitchen/ potion making station. Jordan just hoped the priest didn't serve drinks on the same vials he used for potions.

Jordan sat down on his couch and let out a long breath before sagging against it in what looked to be relief.

"How was your romantic get away? I would appreciate it if you left out any inappropriate bits though" The priest said, setting down a mug of something.

Jordan didn't even check to see what it was, she just gulped it down.

"What did you say?" she asked, her eyes flaring with anger

Declan looked confused but sat down and repeated himself for her benefit.

Jordan laughed.

"It's not a laughing matter! Once Mianite informed me of this I had to keep everyone from knowing the truth and make them think you were still out there missing!" he said, setting down his cup and looking her straight in the eye.

"Let me guess, Dia told him that? Well, I wasn't away on a couple's retreat" she said casually

The priest looked stunned, probably woking out other explanations in his head.

"That's why I'm here. I came to talk to you about it. First we'll need to have Champwan and Mianite join us. If you would be so kind as invite them here discretely" Claire added

Surprisingly, the priest didn't argue and did as he was told. He must have know it was important given her dry tone and sour expression.

Once the others arrived they seated themselves in the living room in silence.

Jordan didn't know what to make of it and neither did the world as their phones kept buzzing with equally confused news.

Meanwhile, Claire finished the rest of her beverage and smiled at the others.

"I need to inform you of what has occurred these past few days as this could have dangerous consequences for this world. Unlike what Dianite told you, I wasn't were he said I was" she said turning to the god.

She set out to explain the confrontation with Dianite, the things he did to deceive her, the way he locked her up, and all the way up to her escape.

By the end of her tale, Champwan held her in a tight embrace and both Miante and Declan looked furious.

Stefan winced thought out the whole thing, looking like he wanted to destroy the TV or lunge into it to help her, he wasn't sure.

"My guess is that he is angry, and he could take out his anger here. That, or he could attempt to get me back by force once his shock dies down, which means that all who interfere could get hurt. I don't want either of those things to happen, which is why we need to stop him and get ready for this war he has been promising. Instead of pacifying the war, it seems I may have sped up its arrival" she said, tears flowing from her delicate eyes.

Mainte stood up and gracefully paced back and forth across the room deep in thought.

"I can't believe he did that to YOU" Dec said

Claire seemed to ignore his pity and looked him straight in the eye.

"Is there any way we can block off his access to the overworld? He could come after the pirates if we leave it open" she said

Champwan held her tighter and snarled...actually snarled!

Tom laughed at his reactions and began chocking on a cheese puff as a result.

"Or after you! You sure he didn't go after you already?" Champwan asked

Jordan, Sonja, and Tom all said in unison "He did" even though the people on the TV couldn't hear them.

"I don't think so, Capsize said he saw Dianite at my cell when he escaped" she said and then froze.

She hadn't told them about the pirate's visit, or Furia's.

"Capsize?" Declan asked

"Ezra, the prisoner next to me. He escaped shortly after I did, we recently had a...short talk. He's one of the pirates" she said, trying not to look distressed but all of earth could tell.

"Where is he!? We have been chasing them for weeks!" Champ said, standing up in protest

"Not sure, I didn't see him leave" she said almost too quietly

Mianite then stopped pacing and silenced them all with a look.

"Il'l set up a blockade on as many portals as I can but that will leave me very weak and incapacitated for a few days, I'll need to be alone to focus. You lot will all have to look after the land because there is a chance he could find a way to somehow come through and while I'm too busy preventing his armies for coming in he could attack you" Mianite explained

The members nodded their agreement but they looked nervous at the thought.

"One more thing. Just as I kept the secret of the shadows, I need you to keep my past relationship a secret from everyone, as if it ever happened. It could cause more problems than its worth" Claire said

"You think Champwan knew about the shadows?" Stefan asked, uncomfortably fussing with the afghan on his lap.

"If not, he does now" Tom replied

"He must have, even though he wasn't part of the secretly destroy the shadows and pretend he doesn't exist group he is close to the gods" Sonja added

Given the fact that Champ hadn't reacted to that bit of info, they could all assume Sonja was right.

As before, those gathered agreed on the terms and headed out their separate ways but before Claire could leave, the priest stopped her.

"Are you sure you're ready to go against him? You don't know how bad war can get, we cant afford you hesitating" he said with a bit of compassion

Claire closed her eyes and faced away from the priest towards the door.

"Yeah. What bothers me is having to keep another big secret from my friends but if I tell them there is a chance they might be disgusted by my actions and hate me. Tucker and Sonja could even consider it a betrayal in itself, or they could all go try to kill him and get hurt" she said, almost as if to reassure herself

"I undertand your logic and believe you are right, but It's you I'm worried about right now, not everyone else. Do you realize all you have been through lately, I think you need time to sort it out before making war plans" Dec said, he looked uncomfortable, unsure how to comfort a person.

Claire turned around and smiled

"I'm fine dad, you don't have to worry about me going Taylor Swift crazy over the break up" she joked

Sonja broke the silence in the house by laughing like crazy at Claire's comment, almost falling on Tom.

"I have accepted my mistake and now all I want to focus on is the safety of all, and getting Ianite back" Claire added "Besides, its not like I'm making war plans alone. Our super secret group here is helping out, and I need the distraction of war to get better, I think. Anyways, till the next meeting of The Council of Elrond" She said turning around and waving her goodbyes.

"Council of what?" The priest whispered to himself and Stefan actually laughed, being the only one who understood that reference it seemed.

Dec finally gave up and told her to be careful in the dark on her way back home.

"If she doesn't go all Taylor Swift crazy on Dianite I sure will" Stefan whispered with an angry pout.

The three of them stared at him and laughed until breathing became a monumental effort.

"We'll help! We can be the bad ass Taylor Swift squad going to avenge Claire, I know a place we can get black tights and high heeled boots, oh and we'll need some background fire!" Tom said and all regain of control was once again lost and Jordan's body decided breathing wasn't very important as he laughed and laughed.

*****

Capsize POV-

His sister collapsed against the wall of the giant green castle they were currently hiding out in, laughing at the days events. Clearly she had a good time.

All members of his crew had returned a little while back and he had explained all that had happened at the tree house. Well, all except his odd loss of control around Claire , their proximity...

"What are the odds of that!" Amy exclaimed " I thought you had just been delusional but there really was someone in the next cell"

He wanted to smirk at her and say something along the lines of 'I told you so' but it wasn't the time for that.

"I actually gathered information on that Furia you spoke of. The villagers say he is Dianite's other champion, recently appointed by the looks of it" Rupert said from where he sat next to his sister.

She began braiding his hair and despite his cold demeanor, he didn't complain or reprimand her. He always had a soft spot for Amy.

"He sure sounded like it. Then why would he have been talking to her so casually. I mean, they were yelling and all but they seemed to have know each other, he even mentioned they were friends" Capsize said, voicing his worries

"Maybe she works for him or Dianite" Rupert said as he handed Amy another strip of cloth to tie his hair with.

"She said she would kill Dianite though" Capsize countered.

If he went to kill her or...kiss her...or so she had said.

Perhaps it was a kind of insult from the island and wasn't literal.

"Then again, the Mianitees and Dianitees are friends here. The lines seem to blur here with these people, I'm not even sure they understand the concept of what an enemy is supposed to be" Bluebeard pointed out

His companion then sat next to him, both of them sharpening their blades as they talked.

"True. Lets leave it at that for now. On another note, what did you find out about the girl in the village?" Ezra asked Rupert

Amy stopped fidgeting with his hair and turned her full attention on his report like the rest gathered.

"She has been seen around with Thomas on the markets sometimes but has also been rumored to have been seen on horseback with Lord Mianite a while back. They address her as one of the champions but opinions vary on which of the gods she is allied to, its all just rumors as far as I can tell" Rupert said

Horse back with a god!? The girl did seem a bit different but never in his life did he hear of gods directly interacting with humans in mundane activities such as horseback riding. Never had he heard of a god being on horseback or even near a horse.

"Still, the one thing that seemed like an impossible rumor to me was actually the one all people had in common, the tale of her arrival. Apparently, she showed up a few months back when the tide was high and everything seemed relatively peaceful. Jordan is said to have fallen from the sky and land on a river near by" Rupert added, stunning them all

Both men dropped their blades and his sister just stared at Rupert. He wasn't one to joke.

"She fell from the sky!? How is that even possible! the only river nearby is outside the protected respawn area, she would have died!" Bluebeard screamed

"Oh she was dying alright. The priest had visited the villages nearby, purchasing powerful herbs and potions to save her. From his purchase history, I can assure you she must have been in a horrible state" Rupert added.

Capsize couldn't breathe. That didn't make any sense, a girl falling from the sky?