Chapter 26: Reporting In
The room was tense. Silence gripped those in attendance as they anxiously awaited a sign. The sudden emergence of the portal above the facility sent the whole base into high alert, and all they could do was wait. Cheryl sat against the wall, nervously fidgeting, doing her best not to fall into a spiral of self-deprecating thought. Amaterasu sat beside her doing her best to ground the fearful mother, assuring her of Vivi’s safety, promising that even now she could still feel her presence.
It was all they had.
Athena quaked at the console, damning herself for getting the young women involved. What would she tell Mary or Cleo if it they failed? She should’ve been there, fighting alongside them. Medi’s assurance to the contrary didn’t help at all. Even as the supportive lamia expressed how certain she was that they’d pull through, Athena’s thoughts could only spin on that solitary thought. The thought of her father killing her and her sisters. The thought that he’d willingly do it to all of the girls who went after them. She hated how useless she felt. She hated-
“Agent Roth!” a voice called out over the comms. The MID agent, who’d somehow managed to keep his cool approached the console and pressed a button, opening the line.
“I read you.”
“We have an update regarding the portal, sir. The anomaly has retracted back into the facility.”
“What of the Prism Girls and the deities?”
“Still no word sir. We’re…”
“Athena, do you read me?” a familiar voice interrupted the report. Cheryl stumbled to her feet and ran over as Athena answered.
“Vivi! Are you okay?” Athena asked.
“We’re all safe,” Vivi giggled over the radio. Athena sighed in relief.
“We’ve completed our mission and captured Zeus,” Annie stated. “We’re getting ready to return to base now.”
“Wait, you… captured him?” Athena repeated, shocked by the revelation.
“We did more than that,” Carmen commented, a chorus of giggles and laughs echoing in the background. “Get this, Vivi and Wisp took away his powers.”
“We couldn’t have done it without you and Riri though,” Wisp added gleefully.
“You… how!?”
“I… don’t know… It was kind of just a feeling Wisp and I had,” Vivi explained. “Grandma says it’s because Wisp amplified my succubus powers which allowed us to siphon away his power and channel it into Riri.”
“Serves the bastard right,” Medusa laughed. “Good job girls. We’ll see you all soon.”
“Roger!” Annie answered.
“Hold on!” Cheryl interrupted. “Vivi!”
“Mom? Is everything okay?” Vivi responded.
Cheryl smiled. “It is now. Just… I’m glad you’re safe. And I’m sorry for letting you go out there. You shouldn’t…”
“Mom, it’s okay. I wanted to be here and help. And we’re all okay. So, please don’t worry, okay?”
Cheryl chuckled. “Oh, sweetie. I can’t not worry. Come home quick, okay?”
“I’ll be back soon Mom! Promise!”
The comms went quiet as the women all took another sigh of relief and smiled at each other. “Who told them!?” Roth shouted, startling them. “You’ve got to be…” he grumbled.
“Roth?” Medusa frowned, concerned by his behavior. “What’s wrong?”
“We have a new mess,” Roth grumbled. “We’re about to have company.”
* * *
The girls flew through the air, crossing over the rocky terrain they’d embarked across that morning. The sky tinged gold as the sun began to dip beneath the horizon. Vivi watched it in awe as the sky slowly became more colorful as they got closer to the base.
“Stop struggling, old man,” Thermia scolded Zeus as he squirmed beneath her jostling the rope in her hands. “Or do you want me to drop you?”
“You do that and I’ll make you regret it, girl,” he snarled. He grumbled as his words betrayed him and his face twisted as if having tasted something vile. "Damn it. I'll get you and that succubus for this!" he snarled at Ceridwen, who grinned in return.
“With what power?” Ceridwen chuckled elegantly, “And you know you wouldn’t have that foul taste in your mouth if you’d just gender her correctly, right? Or were you not listening when I explained that you my spell will fix that tongue of yours for you.”
“You don’t need to repeat yourself, mistress,” Zeus grumbled before gagging on another foul taste invaded his mouth.
“Remind me never to cross Carrie,” Carmen chuckled. “She’s into some weird stuff.”
“I think it’s kinda hot,” Ichika noted.
“A woman after my own heart,” Melody added.
“Oh, I assumed you wanted to be called mistress,” Annie teased.
“What can I say, a girl’s gotta respect her seniors.”
“You girls are too much,” Ceridwen chuckled.
“You kidding? I think we could all learn something from you,” said Riri. “Well, maybe except Lilith. Oh, but I’m sure Marina and Thermia would enjoy some lessons.”
“Don’t drag us into this,” Thermia objected.
“I… um… think it could actually be kind of fun… I mean… if you wanted.” Marina cutely pushed her fingers together, a blush claiming her face as she shyly glanced at Thermia who blushed in turn.
“I… I suppose that could be fun…”
Sue chuckled. “I could use a little education myself if you wouldn’t mind an extra pair of hands.” The two goddesses blushed.
“And here I thought I was the deviant here,” Lilith laughed.
“Can you all calm down,” Tiamat scolded them. “I’ll remind you Wisp is still with us.”
“Oh, come now, she’s just excited that everyone’s happy, right dear?”
“Yeah!” Wisp exclaimed. Vivi giggling to her side.
“Uh… we weren’t like charmed by your heart space, were we Viv?” Carmen asked. “Everyone’s being kinda…”
“Uh…” Vivi blushed. “Maybe? I might’ve gone a little mad with power there for a moment.”
“So, that’s why I have all these weird thoughts,” Carmen grumbled.
“I’m pretty sure you were having those earlier, Carm,” Ichika countered.
“W-was not!” The group laughed.
“Hmm?” Annie perked up as she looked ahead.
“Oh, the base!” Melody pointed out.
“Yeah, but what’s with all the vans? Those weren’t there earlier.”
“There’s a bunch of people around too,” Ichika noted. “I wonder, what’s going on?”
The group fell silent as they mulled over the question. However, the silence was broken as Vivi noticed a special person. “Mom!” she cheered as she leaned downwards, lowering herself towards the ground. Her wings fluttered as she approached the ground, breaking into a run as she ran to hug Cheryl. “Told you we’d be back soon.”
“I’m so glad. I was so scared,” Cheryl admitted. “I’m so proud of you.” She looked up to see the others arrive. “I’m proud of all of you.” Vivi beamed at her mom as the others all cheered in celebration. “You’ve all had a long day, let’s get you inside.”
“Huh? Shouldn’t we meet with Roth and the others?” Vivi asked.
“Well…” Cheryl frowned as she struggled to answer.
“Mom?”
“Listen, we need to…”
“There they are!” a man’s voice called out. Vivi turned to see a mass of people hurriedly approaching them.
“Dammit,” Cheryl mumbled.
“What’s going on?”
“Someone tipped off the press,” Cheryl explained. “It’s best if we get inside and avoid them for now.”
“O-okay…” Vivi nodded as she and the others made their way to their resting quarters.
“Excuse me!” a reporter tried cut in. “What was that strange light in the sky?” another asked. “What was that massive golem?” asked yet another. “Can you explain what the relationship is between the Prism Girls and the army?” Question after question assaulted the girls as they tried to make their way out of the crowd that quickly swarmed around them. “Is it true that Magenta is really a man?”
Vivi froze in place.
“Vivi!” Cheryl held her close as she tried to push through, desperate to protect her daughter. “How could they ask that?” Vivi could barely hear her mom whisper, a tremble filling her grasp. It wasn’t one of rage or anger, but one of fear. She could tell in an instant that her mother was terrified. And she wasn’t alone. Wisp was whimpering as Ceridwen tried to carry her away. Sue’s gaze darkened and Riri’s fist shook nervously. Even Thermia’s anger from before seem to dissipate as she held Marina close, who did her best to keep herself from crying. And then there was Tiamat and Lilith, both clearly enraged, doing their best to focus on guiding Zeus who grinned darkly.
There was a tap on her shoulder. Vivi looked over, realizing they’d made it inside and noticed that Ichika, Annie, and Melody looking at her concernedly. Meanwhile, the girl who tapped her grinned. “Want me to beat someone up for you?” Carmen asked.
Vivi chuckled and shook her head. “It’s okay, I’ve got a better idea.” Carmen nodded and gave her a thumbs up. “Mom.” Cheryl looked at her, a frightened look in her eyes. “It’s okay. I need to do this.”
“Vivi? What are you…?” Vivi returned to the door and took a deep breath. “Vivi, wait! You…”
“It’s okay Cheryl,” Lilith said, grasping her shoulder. “She can do this.”
Vivi emerged before the crowd of reporters. She resolved herself and tried to speak. A cacophony of noise erupted as the reporters clamored for her attention, the bright flashes of their cameras blinding her, preventing her from stabilizing herself.
“Quiet down!” a strong confident voice boomed through the crowd, silencing them. Vivi looked to her side to find Athena beside her. The goddess of justice nodded at her. “Don’t worry. I have your back.”
Vivi nodded and took another step forward. She brought her hands to her chest and took a deep breath. She looked upon the crowd.
“Um… H-hello…” she stammered, her mind quickly second guessing if she really wanted to do this. She felt something firmly squeeze her hand, a quick glance revealing Annie’s red glove holding her steady. She took another breath and tried again. “I’m Magenta of the Prism Girls. I… know that there’s been a lot said about us. Some of it good. Some of it… not good.” she grimaced. “But I stand before you to explain what has happened today. We Prism Girls started as a small group really only hoping to help people since the appearance of the Magical Mist changed everything for us. We suddenly found ourselves with great power, surrounded by people who were in trouble and who needed help.
“None of us expected for things to take the turn they did. The truth is, we learned something that I suspect many haven’t realized yet. That deities, gods and goddesses of many pantheons found themselves reincarnated after the mist exposed the world to magic. And among them was Zeus. I’m sure most of you know the legends about him. He sought to find a way to take control of the world, like he and other deities did when they were alive in the past. That’s what brought my friends and I here today. We wanted to stop him, because we believe the people of our world should be the ones who decide our own fates. And we aren’t alone, either.” Panicked whispers began to fill the crowd.
“I know that it’s scary, learning that there are gods out there. I was freaked out too when I learned that. Not all of them are great people, but most of the ones I’ve met are kind and amazing people. And they don’t want to rule us. They want us to live and choose our own destinies. My friends and I, we were granted a boon by several goddesses who care for us and want the best for our world in the hopes that we could control our own destiny and stop gods like Zeus from taking that choice away. This magic… This power we all now have to live with is scary sometimes, I’ve had to see that first hand. But it’s also a chance to make the world better, an opportunity to help others.”
Vivi took a deep breath and looked off to the side seeing her friends and family. Cheryl looked at her with a frightened look, eased by Lilith gently grasping her shoulder. The succubus goddess smiled at her granddaughter and nodded. Vivi smiled back and returned her attention to the reporters. “And there’s one other thing I wanted to say. Earlier, one of you asked if I was really a boy. That's not true, I'm a girl, but..." She took a deep breath as she mentally prepared herself. "The truth is, I’m transgender. I was born with a body that I didn’t like, one that didn’t fit me… I’m a girl who was born with a boy’s body, and it hurt me a lot. Like many of us, the magic I gained changed me. It made my body into one that makes me happy, that’s made everyday seem brighter and more amazing than I used to think was possible.
“I… didn’t know it for a long time, but I’m a girl. Magic gave me the opportunity to see that and accept that. I was lucky that way, but there are still many of us out there who weren’t so lucky. That’s why, I’m not done yet. I’m not done fighting. Because the world I want is one where all of us are given the chance I was to discover our own truths. To have bodies and lives that make us happy and help us feel whole. I’m going to keep fighting for a better world. A world where people like me can live authentically and honestly. A world where women like me can love who we want to. A world where when someone gets hurt, they can get help and support. A world where none of us have to feel alone and abandoned. So, I ask all of you, please support me in making this world a better place for all of us!”