In the small town, Mystic Falls, where Salvatore academy is located the Saltzman family didn't have to go far to see the huge traffic jam. Much of the area had already been evacuated. Proceeding on foot they noticed the area was completely cleared out. All of the cars had been abandoned already, all pushed to the side of the road with large dents in them. More oddly most of the dents were handprints like someone (a big someone) had just paused the vehicles aside. There weren't any injured or dead to be seen so that was a good thing.
"What happened here?" Alaric said following the trail of smashed cars. "It's like somebody just walked straight through traffic."
"Have they not heard of a sidewalk?" Josie commented.
"Apparently not…"
"WOAAAH!" Lizzie suddenly ran off to a particular car "An Aston Martin! I've always wanted one of these! Hey, the keys are still inside too…a dent or two wouldn't cramp my style too much."
"Forget it, Lizzie, we've got a job to do," Josie said. "She was staring at the car a little hard too though.
"I was only joking…but you know it'd be fun…" Lizzie said playfully.
"And stealing." Josie replied sternly "Plus we don't even have licenses."
"(Ugh you're such a goodie two shoes…I bet a lot of these cars are going to get stolen before their owners come back anyways)" Lizzie sighed and hurried after Josie and their father. She noticed that the Sheriff was also present, with about five more officers all waiting guns ready outside of a buffet.
"Dr. Saltzman! Took you long enough. I see you brought the cavalry too." The sheriff was happy to see him.
"We came as soon as we could, Matt. What are we dealing with?"
"I don't know a troll, a giant, or something like that. "The guy appears out of nowhere and starts knocking cars off of the road. We had to clear the area after the panic he caused, but for some weird reason, everyone kept saying they saw a really big bear. I know what I saw, I could believe he's not human, but it definitely wasn't a bear."
"Are werebears a thing?" Josie asked?
"I'm going to find out," Alaric said preparing to go in. "Stay here with Sheriff Donovan girls."
"We're going with you!" Lizzie protested.
"Yeah, we came to help you." Josie actually agreed with her twin sister for once.
"If I need your help, I'll let you know."
"Don't worry girls your father knows what he's doing." The sheriff reassured them.
"But-"
"Butts are for sitting." Alaric cut Josie off before entering the building.
"Still better than magic theory…" Lizzie folded her arms disappointed she couldn't go in and took out her phone.
The shop had long since cleared out and his target had no intention of concealing himself. Sitting comfortably at a booth by himself there was a large boy with rock-solid muscles rippling beneath bronze skin. Long messy dark hair fell just below his shoulders, beneath the mop of hair were such handsome chiseled features you would think Hephaestus sculpted it himself. The boy wore a traditional Greek toga and ornate handcrafted gold jewelry, he was gorging on a mountain of food. He noticed Alaric as soon as the door opened but continued eating.
"Hey big fella, what's going on?"
"Eating." He said in between bites. "Want some?"
"Nah, I'm good. (He can talk? That's good…maybe this can be resolved with just words.)"
"Suit yourself, this place has good food."
"I know. I've been here before, but I've never seen you around here before. Where are you from?"
Realizing he was being interrogated he stopped eating and stood up. He was easily 6'3 or 6'4. "Is there an issue sir?"
"You smashed over a dozen cars causing mass panic and then commandeered an entire restaurant for yourself."
"Cars? Oh, the metal chariots? The drivers were very rude! They would not let me pass so I merely moved them aside. I harmed no one, nor did I expect everyone to panic so."
"You moved them aside? How?"
"With my hands. How else." They were as big as the handprints on the cars.
"(The Greek theme, the monster strength, this powerful aura…)Could your name be Hercules?"
"Aye, that it is. My name Hercules Senju, the son of Zeus!"
"NO WAY! Why is the god of strength here?"
"Nay, I am only a demi-god. That Hercules is of days passed. I have introduced myself, so who might you be?"
"Dr. Alaric Saltzman the headmaster of Salvatore academy."
"YOU'RE DR. SALTZMAN!" Hercules's voice rang out like thunder. Hercules has a flashback of his village elders always telling him if he ever found himself alone go seek out one with a tiger jacket and they named a few names, but he definitely was the one at the top of the list. "I've traveled a long way to meet you! My elder told me to seek out the tigers."
"I see, well what business does your elder have with me?"
"He said you had a fun school."
"Fun?"
"DAD!" Lizzie and Josie burst in after hearing the loud boom but were startled to see them sitting peacefully over a still massive meal.
"What's going on?" Josie asked confused.
"Yeah I was expecting some big hairy bear man but he's kinda hot."
"Lizzie!"
"What? He is."
"HAHAHAHA! They all saw a bear? The mist is something else indeed." Hercules's thunderous laugh rocked the building.
"Mist?" Lizzie asked.
"It is a phenomenon of my homeland. A force that hides the supernatural from those outside the supernatural world. They'll see whatever makes sense to them" Hercules explained. "Hmm?" Something catches Hercules's eye and he gets up and walked past Alaric towards the girls.
"Hey what are you doing?" Alaric jumped up cautiously.
"Hey back up!" Lizzie stepped in front "Vis Dis!" She fired a concussive blast in Hercules's face but it did little to phase him. He didn't even flinch. "That did not go how I pictured it…" She braced herself for a mean punch.
"Hercules don't-" Alaric was moving towards him quickly.
"Dr. Saltzman you didn't tell me there were goddesses walking among us." He was completely unbothered by Lizzie's attack, Hercules had no issue with someone trying to defend their family either. "So what Pantheon are you from?" Hercules asked Josie seriously. "I know of the goddesses of beauty Aphrodite and Venus, but I've recently learned there are those who carry the title in other parts of the world as well. Be my wife!"
"W-wife! I'm nowhere near ready for something like that!" Josie was shocked and flustered. A demigod just called her a goddess of beauty and proposed!
"HUUUUH? How straightforward can you be?" Lizzie was stupefied at how boldly he just proposed to her.
"MARRY!? You can't just propose to my daughter out of the blue! She's only fifteen!"
"A happy coincidence! So am I. I just turned fifteen recently." Hercules answered.
"No way, the demi-god 'Herc' is our age and coming to our school!?" Lizzie jabbed Josie in the side. "And he's got a thing for you."
"Herc?" Questions Hercules.
"Short for Hercules, like a nickname from a friend," Lizzie answered. "My name is actually Elizabeth but friends are allowed to call me Lizzie, same for my sister Josie her real name is Josette. But my brother's the opposite, but you'll understand that when you meet him."
"HAHAHAHA! A Fine idea indeed! I like the name 'Herc', does this make us friends Lizzie?"
"Yup, if I didn't like you, I wouldn't let you chase my sister."
"I hate to interrupt your friends at first sight moment, but we should be getting back. Hope and Gil are on their way back to the school so we should be there to meet them." Alaric said ushering them out of the building. "We'll talk about your enrollment later."
"Wait I must pay for my meal!" Hercules dropped several gold coins on the table.
"(Are those ancient golden drachmae? The right people would buy this restaurant for one of those!)" Thinks Josie as she takes most of the coins he left and a note to go see an appraiser.
"TO SALVATORE!" Hercules bellowed unaware of the guns trained on him as he stepped out.
"Don't worry, Donovan we'll be able to take care of him there, and he can pay for the damages himself a little later. Just let everyone believe it was a hungry bear."
"Alright Alaric I trust you with these things, but I have to know. What is he?"
"A demi-god. The son of Zeus to be exact." With that, they just had to convince him to ride one of those flimsy metal chariots to return to school.
On the other end, Hope and Gil just arrive at a church. Sitting in the steps is a guy their age with curly brown hair sticking out of his black hoodie. Listening to music on his headphones. Seeing an unfamiliar vehicle pull up, he pulled them out and stood up excitedly when a familiar face stepped out. "Hope!"
"Landon?"
"Wow it really is you, how have you been?" Going for a hug.
"I'm fine, and this is my boyfriend Gil" she introduced Gil noticing he grabbed her hand.
"Oh, I see…" He tried to play it off like he was stretching.
Seeing Landon's visible disappointment she led Gil inside, merely kicking the chained doors open.
"You're going to help Raf?!"
"You stay here Landon." Despite Hope's warning, he followed them as soon as they entered the building.
In the church, some strange ritual was taking place. A young man was writhing on the floor in pain and as a priest and their foster parents stood over him and chanted around him. His bones started to restructure, and his figure started to change as he got bigger and thick black fur grew all over his body, he had been forced into a transformation. As they were preparing to restrain the beast a sword flew and maimed all three of them. None were killed but arms and legs hurt like hell. Seeing the two new arrivals the feral wolf prepared to lunge when he was wrapped up in golden chains. One look in Gil's red eyes and the wolf calmed down and returned to a human form and passed out. Gil threw Landon robes from the gates of Babylon. "Here help your friend out, we'll be waiting outside."
"Umm thanks?"
Outside in the car, Hope and Gil sat waiting on the other two to come outside. Hope looked at Gil who was 'looking out the window at passing traffic. Though his entire face is covered she could tell he was a little upset. "You know you didn't have to go that far to stop them, honestly I could have done it…did you show off because you were jealous?"
N-no…well yes and no. At first, seeing him get so friendly with you I did start to feel a little insecure, but then something else in me made me want to prove myself dominant to him. There's something in that guy that makes me consider him a peer…maybe not a peer but I believe he's a higher level being than many at Salvatore. I feel I should at least acknowledge him, but I want to punch him in the face at the same time…but I can't quite place why I want to do it."
"You think so? He seemed pretty normal to me." Hope wrote it off as Gil paranoia.
"Guys can I get a hand he's kind of heavy!" Landon shouted from the church doorway.
"I'm sure he'll make an interesting rival Gil," Hope said sarcastically. "Aren't you going to help him?"
"Fine, I'm going."
In the car Hope drove, Gil sat shotgun(he was sure to call it immediately) and Landon sat next to his sleeping friend Rafael.
"So umm Hope…" Landon started.
"What was going on in there?" Gil interrupted. "Looked like something out of the exorcist."
"I think that's what it was…our foster parents wanted us to go to that church tonight and then they locked me out. If you guys hadn't shown up I don't know what would've happened."
"You two don't exactly look like brothers," Hope noted.
"We were always fostered together. We look out for each other like brothers, so I don't really see the difference blood or color makes." Landon said looking at his sleeping brother. "But I didn't exactly know he could…turn into a wolf though. Is he"
"Yes, he's a werewolf," Hope answered.
"Wait how did-"
"Alright we've talked enough…Hope turn on the radio." Gil cut in.
"Sorry about him, we'll be able to explain better when we get there, and he's awake," Hope said.
"Where's that ?"
"Salvatore academy," Hope answered
"The rich boarding school?"
"Duh, that one" Gil answered.
"Woah…Gil are you sure we haven't met before?"
Those were the last words said before Gil turned the volume all the way up.