The sun had risen completely, its bright light shining through the hotel's thin white curtains. Everyone except Sophie had already woken up.

"Sophie, come on! We need to figure out why Ladybug has ice powers!"
Biana urged, attempting to pull Sophie out of bed.

"Give me a break," Sophie mumbled into her pillow.

"Sophie, get up or I'm letting Keefe in here. I'm sure he's DYING to see you!"

Sophie's face turned bright red. She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She pulled the covers down to show Biana that she was going to get up.

"No, I'm good, Biana. You don't need to do that."

"Too bad," Biana giggled. "He's already here."

Sophie hurriedly pulled the covers over her head to hide her crimson cheeks.

"Hey, Lady Foss-Boss," Keefe whispered. He shook her gently. "It's time to wake up."

Sophie's muffled voice sounded from inside the bed.

"Nooo."

He pulled the covers away, revealing a flustered Sophie, squinting as she was exposed to the harsh sunlight.

"Breakfast's only until 9:30, Foster," Keefe mentioned in a sing-songy voice. Sophie's stomach grumbled.

"Fine. But let me get ready." Keefe stood, unmoving.

"That means go, Keefe! Give me 5 minutes."

She shoved him out of the room and closed the door behind him. Sophie changed into a red tunic, embroidered with a gold flower design and black leggings with boots. She brushed through her golden-blond hair until all of her tangles were gone.

"So, how do I look?" Sophie asked him. Keefe blushed. He grabbed her hands and scooted closer to her.

"You look beautiful," He whispered.

She couldn't help but stare into his stunning ice-colored eyes. Ice blue. Her new favorite color. Sophie's face lit on fire, and she turned away.

"Thanks, you... don't look too bad yourself," Sophie gave him a small smile.

Biana grabbed Sophie's hand and rushed her into the elevator along with the rest of the group.

"We need to eat. I'm STARVING!"

They left the elevator on the main floor.

"So," Sophie began, "How did you guys sleep?"

"Fine," Tam grumbled and looked at Dex in annoyance.

Clearly, something unheard of had gone down last night while Dex and Tam had to share a bed. Fitz glared at Sophie like she had done something wrong.

"Stop wasting our time. We came down here to eat, didn't we?"

"Woah, someone's feisty today, isn't he?" Marella teased him.

Although Sophie didn't want to admit it, every one of Fitz's words still hurt her. She looked at the ground. Keefe wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright. You didn't do anything wrong." Sophie looked up at Keefe. His perfectly styled blond hair shined in the sunlight.

"Thanks, Keefe."

They walked to the food court and grabbed plates. They heaped piles of food onto their plates. Hash browns, pancakes, waffles, (nothing meat, though. They were still disgusted by the idea of eating animals.)  Sophie decided not to tell them about the fact that eggs can be in baked goods.

Sophie went to the cereal section and picked up a bowl. She thought about what Fitz had told her. She understood why he was so mad at her, but it wasn't her fault. HE broke up with HER when he found out that she was Unmatchable.

After that, she should be allowed to kiss whoever she wanted. Unlike Fitz, Keefe didn't care if they were automatically a bad match. When Fitz and Sophie were dating, Keefe had even sacrificed his feelings for her happiness. He only cared about Sophie, nothing else. She had made her choice. She had chosen Keefe. Disrupting her thoughts, Sophie collided with a girl and dropped her bowl.

"I'm so sorry." The girl said in English.

"No, it's my fault. I... wasn't paying attention." Sophie assured her.

She looked up. The girl was pretty. She looked about 18 years old, with wavy blonde hair and stormy gray eyes. She wasn't dressed for the weather, considering it was fairly cold outside. She wore jean shorts and a T-shirt.

"Are you okay, Annabeth?"

A guy asked her. He looked around her age, with disheveled brown hair and piercing sea-green eyes. "I'm fine, Percy," she told him as he helped her up.

"I'm Annabeth Chase,"

Annabeth told Sophie. She reached out her hand to help Sophie up. Sophie took it. She noticed Percy's eyes widen as they met hers, and he instantly clutched his head in pain.

"I... know you." He clenched his teeth. The water fountain beside him burst, a geyser of water erupting into the air.

"P-Percy?" Annabeth's eyebrows scrunched up in concern.

"H-How'd he do that?" Sophie asked in alarm.

"You... saw that?" Annabeth looked shocked. "Come with me. Both of you."

She grabbed Sophie's arm and led her into the hallway.

"Percy, what's going on?" Percy's back slumped against the wall.

"I... may have been having nightmares."

"And you didn't tell me? Percy, nightmares are a big deal."

"I... didn't want to worry you. They were of her," he gestured to Sophie. "She was crying my name, crying for help. I have a feeling she's not just an ordinary human."

"I'm not."

Sophie realized that she had just met them, but already Sophie knew they were different than normal humans.
She trusted them.

"I'm not human at all."

Percy and Annabeth didn't look as surprised as Sophie thought. They just exchanged a look, as if they knew something Sophie didn't.

"What are you, then?" Annabeth asked her. "A god? A titan?" Sophie laughed but soon realized that they were dead serious.

"Gods exist?" Sophie exclaimed.

"That's... not important. What's important is that you tell us who you are."

"I'm Sophie Foster. I'm an elf. I come from the lost cities for evidence of the Neverseen, an evil group we're fighting."

Annabeth looked at her in shock.

"Are you for real?"

But as she looked into Sophie's eyes, full of determination, Annabeth found the answer to her question.
Annabeth sat down beside Percy.

"So you're saying elves are real? Tell me more."

And so that's how it began. Sophie, Annabeth, and Percy sat cross-legged on the smooth hotel floor, swapping stories of their bizarre lives. Sophie was fascinated to learn that the Greek gods and mythological monsters were real. Annabeth explained that Percy's father was the sea god, Poseidon, and that Percy had water powers. Though Annabeth didn't have any specific powers, her mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and Annabeth was extremely smart and skilled.

In turn, Sophie told Annabeth and Percy about being the moonlark, the Lost Cities, the Black Swan, the Neverseen, and her life before discovering she was an elf. Percy shared that they had received a prophecy from the Oracle of Delphi, which had led them to Paris.

"That makes sense why you could see Percy's water explosion. For regular humans, there is something called the Mist. It changes things that demigods like us see into everyday things that don't scare the mortals. For example, a monster might be walking down the street, and they could think it's just a furry dog or cat." Annabeth explained.

Sophie nodded. She didn't exactly understand the idea of the Mist, but she knew enough to get what Annabeth was saying. When Sophie mentioned that she had seven other elves with her, Annabeth wasn't surprised.
"Do your lifespans happen to be indefinite, by any chance?"

Annabeth asked. Sophie nodded, surprised that Annabeth knew about the elves' long lives. Annabeth explained that the prophecy had hinted at more than a few things, though it was still vague.

"The 'two masked and unknown' are the only people we haven't figured out yet," she said.

Sophie furrowed her brow.

"I think I might just have an idea,"
________________________________
marinette

Marinette felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She picked it up to see MEGAKUMA ALERT flashing in red letters. Marinette's eyes lit up. She had been struggling to hide her ability the entire school day, and she really needed a break. Every time she got nervous or angry or felt any kind of strong emotion, frost began to spread across the palms of her hands.

"I... need to go to the bathroom, Miss Mendeleiev." Marinette raised her hand.

"Uhhh.. Me too, Miss Mendeleiev," Adrien said.

"Fine, fine. Just don't take long."

Marinette rushed to the bathroom and went into a stall.

"Thank goodness that's over, Tikki. Tikki, spots on!" Marinette exclaimed.

She was transformed into the superheroine Ladybug. Her round red ladybug-print mask covered her face. The rest of her body matched her mask: red with black spots. Her deep blue ribbons that matched her hair color turned the same red as her costume. Her yo-yo was pinned to her side, ready for her to use.

Ladybug ran out of the bathroom and swung her yo-yo. It latched onto a pole, and she tugged it to fling herself into the air. She landed near the scene where the akumatized villain was.

"Hey, Bugaboo."

Something that felt like a claw tapped her shoulder. Ladybug spun around to see Cat Noir leaning against his silver baton.

"Chat, I already told you," Ladybug's voice was exasperated. "I have a boyfriend."

"Who says I can't talk to you without flirting? I have a girlfriend as well, you know. She is SO pawsome."

Ladybug rolled her eyes but laughed.

"I'm happy for you. She sounds purrfect."

Cat Noir's eyes widened in disbelief. Had Ladybug said a CAT PUN?! His world had changed for the better.

"Thanks, Milady. He seems purr-ty good, too."

"You know, Kitty, I'd love to continue this conversation, but I think we have a Megakuma to catch. Shall we?"

She reached her arm out to him.

"We shall."

________________________________
sophie

"You know, I'd better get going. My friends will be waiting," Sophie told Annabeth and Percy.

"Can we come with you? It's obvious you guys are the eight of the prophecy. Our quest is to fulfill the prophecy."

"Sure," Sophie nodded.

They found them at a table, marveling at the complexity of human foods.

"Sophie!" Biana threw her arms around her. "Where were you? We went to get food and you just disappeared."

"I'm fine, guys. I just met some people."

Annabeth stepped forward.

"Hi, I'm Annabeth. Let me explain."

Annabeth explained to them the same thing she had told Sophie, only pausing for a moment to catch her breath. After she had finished, the seven stared at each other in shock.

"So you have water powers?" A soft voice asked Percy quietly.

Percy looked to see Linh watching him in wonder.

"I didn't know anyone could have water powers besides elves."

"You have water powers?" Percy asked Linh, equally intrigued. Linh nodded.

Percy and Keefe exchanged a look —

"You guys HAVE to do a water fight or something, Percy!" Keefe urged him.

"I was about to say the same thing!"

After Percy went back to his room, he returned holding two clear plastic cups filled with water. Linh's pale blue eyes squinted in concentration as she took a small amount of water from one of the cups and shaped it into a ball, letting it float effortlessly in the air.

With a flick of her wrist, Linh moved her hands in a mesmerizing pattern, causing the water to twist and contort into a variety of shapes. To Linh's delight, the water transformed into various animals, objects, and people alike, each detail so life-like it was hard to believe it was only water. The sight was breathtaking, and the room fell silent as everyone watched in awe.

"Wow," Annabeth said. "It's amazing, Linh."

Percy emptied the rest of the first cup of its water as it drifted into the air. He directed the water towards Keefe's head.

"Yeah, but nothing can beat the good old-fashioned splash, right Keefe?"

Keefe looked up in alarm. The water rolled down his face as it drenched his head. His blonde hair was wet and slicked back. The water droplets on his hair reflected the light, making it seem like he had just stepped out of the shower. Keefe glared at Percy.

"You. did. not. just. touch. The Hair." Keefe fumed.

"Does he usually get this angry?" He asked Sophie.

"Only when it concerns his hair," Sophie explained. "He spends HOURS styling it, and insists that we call him Lord Hunkyhair at all times."

"Lord Hunkyhair?" Percy scoffed.

"Don't act so much higher than him when it comes to nicknames, Seaweed Brain."

"You shouldn't either, Wise Girl."

"Come on," Fitz intervened. "We should get going, then."

"Oh, Sophie," Annabeth ignored Fitz. "You said you had an idea about the 'two masked and unknown?' "

"Right," Sophie said. "Their names are Ladybug and Cat Noir. They're French superheroes here, and they try to keep their identities a secret with masks. That's not the only thing that's different about them. Ladybug has ice powers, just like a froster for elves. We're trying to figure out how that could be."

The ten walked up to the front desk and each checked out of the hotel. They walked out into the sunlight and onto the bustling streets of Paris.