The next day Hope and Gil gave Alaric a summary of their end of the mission in the headmaster's office. Alaric was surprised to hear that Gil was the one who acted, but he didn't do anything excessive, so it was fine. When the question of the priest and foster parents remembering the incident was brought up, Gil assured them a simple genjutsu from a clone he left behind was all it took to make them remember nothing about the werewolf, and think they just kicked the boys out. The most pressing issue in his case was; who was murdered in order for him to fully transform into a werewolf.
While they talked, Lizzie and Josie keep an eye on the three new guests waiting outside in the office. They talked about the events of yesterday too while Hercules looked fascinated at all the new modern things around him, but he wasn't allowed to touch anything after seeing what his 'gentle' push did to those cars.
"Ok so Raf is a werewolf, and the big half naked guy is a demi-god, and you two are witches?" Landon asked.
"Yes I know it can be a lot to take in-" Josie started.
"Oh no after last night I have no problem believing it, but how come I'm the only normal person?" Landon asked jealously. "Maybe I have some kind of power too right?"
"Well, it's possible but you seem like a normal human to me so most likely not…" Lizzie shrugged.
"Can I learn magic?"
"Can you at least speak Latin?"
"Not a lick."
"Fat chance then." Lizzie said nonchalantly crushing Landon's dreams. "Herc don't touch that!" She saw him reaching for something on a shelf.
"I was only admiring it!" Putting his hands up defensively
"Admire with your eyes not your hands."
"(He's like a big kid who's never been outside before…what's his deal)?" Raphael thought watching him. He quickly got over being admonished like it was something he went through regularly, then went back to wandering the room.
"Hmm?" Hercules stopped and looked at the headmaster's office door.
"What's wrong Herc?" Josie asked.
"I can hear them talking about us…" He went to open the door. Everyone was surprised because they couldn't hear a peep from behind the walls.
"Wait. They said not to go in just yet." Josie stepped in front of him.
"It should be fine. I think we should all be present for such a discussion." Josie was helpless to stop him from walking forward.
Knowing they were discussing something serious Lizzie tried too but it made no difference. "Guys don't just stand there! Help us out!" Landon and Raphael were actually curious too, but they helped because the pretty girl asked them to. Hercules still wasn't stopped, in the end only Raphael's strength made any difference.
"I would like to be involved in the discussion of my future." Pulling the door open Hercules easily dragged all four of them inside.
"Hercules? What are you doing?" Alaric was startled by the intrusion. "(He opened the door with brute force? That door had a powerful magical lock.)"
"(I'd be disappointed if he couldn't.)" Gil thought to himself, however he didn't even turn to look at him.
"(How strong is he? I doubt I could even pry that door open!)" Hope turned to see the demi-god pulling everyone into the room.
"I told you all to wait outside." Alaric said.
"He's too strong we couldn't stop him." Josie replied.
Hercules walked up to the desk and said "I'm not fond of secrets Dr. Saltzman, especially concerning myself, whatever you must say of us we should be allowed to hear as well. Are we welcome here?" Hercules childlike demeanor had quickly turned serious.
"I agree with the big dude." Landon said.
"Yeah same here." Raphael added.
The change of atmosphere the demigod brought actually piqued Gil's interest. Ever so slightly he lifted his sleeping mask and a red eye darted around the room taking in everyone's features in the room. He kicked off of the desk and his rolling chair rolled a few feet away. "Color money!"
"Gil what's up!" Hope sprang to her feet. Color money was Gil's codeword when someone 'too strong' was picking on him and he needed her help, but he actually sounded worried this time. She knew he had good senses about certain things especially gauging power, so to see him suddenly back away after seeing Hercules startled her.
"We too close for you to not have pants on!" Gil exclaimed.
"Yeah man what's up with that!" Raphael yelled.
"Ok good I'm not the only one who was thinking that." Landon agreed.
"Oh really, I didn't notice…" Josie and Lizzie had interesting spots on the wall to look at just then.
"Is my toga not acceptable?" Hercules asked he was a little confused how uncomfortable the atmosphere had become.
"Yes, Hercules we really should get you some more modern clothes." Alaric said. "Come with me, the rest of you wait here. I mean actually WAIT here."
A short while later Hercules returns in a Salvatore uniform. Tan slacks, and the black coat over a white button up, which Herc left open. He still wore his ancient jewelry too. "These modern clothes are so restricting…"
"It's the biggest size we had available, so you'll have to make do for now." Alaric said entering the room after him. "And close your shirt if you don't mind."
"Now, back to the discussion at hand! What will become of us?" Hercules ignored the last part.
"Why not let them stay it's clear none of them are normal?" Gil blurted out.
"Ummm thanks." Being a normal human Landon was a little hurt by the comment.
"I don't see why we should split these brothers up" Hope vouched for them. "Raphael will fit right in and I'll help look out for Landon too." Gil wasn't particularly happy to hear he was sharing his bodyguard.
"But what about the body?" Gil asked.
"Body?" Everyone looked at him.
"In order for someone to become a werewolf they have to kill someone after they're bitten. So Raphael we hate to be so blunt about it but we have to ask you who did you kill?" Alaric clarified Gil's statement.
The question visibly bothered Raphael because he knew what they meant. He began to tremble and spoke shakily "I-I really don't want to talk about it…"
"I'm sorry but if you're going to stay here, we need to know you're not a real killer." Hope insisted. Raphael looked to Landon, who nodded for him to go ahead.
It was hard for him to talk about it but he tried. "It was an accident, we were arguing in the car, and that corner…she always told me to slow down on it but I didn't listen and we had a bad wreck…when I woke up she was…" He couldn't finish his sentence as tears welled up in his eyes. Josie, Lizzie, and Hope were all fighting back tears, his grief was genuine, and he was trying to hold it all in. "Why did it have to be her!?" He sobbed.
"There, there, friend. I offer my condolences" Hercules was the first to console him with tears streaming down his own face, patting him on the back. "We will be here for you!"
"Ow man that hurts!" Hercules' heavy hand nearly knocked Raphael off his feet, but the gesture cheered him up some lightening the mood.
Hope looked at Hercules a little worried, something about him made her feel uneasy. "I'm not sure about this 'we' business. While you don't seem like a bad person, personally I feel sure you aren't, but I'm not sure how many of our classmates will feel about being around the second coming of one of the most famous monster slayers in history."
"You have a point, but we don't need any more giant bear rampages. I think he should stay here so we can watch him too." Alaric said. "What do you think Gil?"
Gil wasn't listening something had been nagging at him this whole time and he was trying to figure out what. "Huh? Oh, Hope and the other top students can handle them, it'll be fine… (Hercules Senju…something about this big idiot seems familiar…)" That's when it hit him. As a little kid his grandpa had taken him to a village in Greece, expecting a fight with the god Zeus in one of his temples. He remembered the village being strange because it had absolutely no modern influence, they lived like people in the height of Greece's mythical era. Even though Taejin found no opponent, Gil met a ridiculously strong child who also loved to fight. Though the boy was much stronger, Gil relied on the martial arts he'd been doing since he could walk and won their tooth and nail battle. The boy's mother oddly wasn't Greek but a friendly woman of a clan called the Senju, a nearly extinct people that Taejin had great respect for. After having so much fun the boys swore themselves as brothers and rivals, but Gil hadn't been back to that village since so in truth he'd forgotten too. "(NO WAY, THAT'S HIM?)" Gil looked at him one more time with his eyes to be sure and he was confident it was him. His village elder even told him to seek out the 'Tigers', the nickname of Taejin Uchiha's group of elite martial artists who defend humans from monsters officially known as the Guardian's. Now that Gil remembered Hercules, he expected Hercules to remember him…which of course the simple giant did not or surely he'd have made it known by now (the masks didn't help). "(That muscle brained idiot remembers my grandpa but not me? Fine I guess I don't remember him either.)"
"Alright it's settled then. We can put Landon and Hercules in the human house for now" Alaric said.
"WHAT WHY?!" That caught Gil's full attention. The human house was his private sanctum. A dorm built specifically for him, the only human of Salvatore. Only his sisters and Hope ever came over. "Let them stay with the werewolves like Raphael."
"A demi-god is mainly human, and again like Hope said HERCULES will not be in good company with monsters. Landon on the other hand is fully human-"
"Why do you all keep saying that? Landon isn't human." Hercules interrupted.
"I'm not?" Landon asked excitedly.
"Herc don't get his hopes up." Lizzie said.
"What do you mean Hercules?" Alaric asked.
"Can none of you feel the monster blood coursing in his veins?" Hercules stood over Landon.
"A little personal space bro?" Landon said chuckling nervously. The monster slayer just called him a monster, that doesn't sound too good for him. The next thing everyone knew Landon was in the air with Hercules hands around his throat. "W-what…the…" SNAP! Hercules broke his neck and laid him on the floor.
"LANDON!" Raphael cried.
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK HERC!" Lizzie yelled,
"HOW COULD YOU!" Hope screamed.
Josie was horrified into silence. Alaric and Raphael were both about to attack Hercules when Gil stepped in front of them. "Wait everyone I think Hercules is onto something." That nagging feeling he had been getting about Landon was like a siren in his head now, there was something he should know about him. He heard a voice in the depths of his soul say one thing as he approached him. 'Hold out your hand to the phoenix king that he may rise again' it said. As his instincts instructed Gil placed a hand on Landon's chest and a surge of divine energy washed over him and his corpse started to catch fire.
"No way!"
"Is he really?"
"HAHAHAHAHA behold the birth of a phoenix!" Hercules bellowed loudly.
"No, the phoenix king…" Gil said as everyone could have sworn they saw the image of a monkey and phoenix laughing together on a cloud in their heads. The flames reduced Landon's body to ash and just as they were dying out a column of fire erupted through the roof, accompanied by the cry of a great bird. In the skies above a giant burning bird circled the school before landing as Landon again.
"Whoa that was fucking badass! Thanks Herc, how did you know?" Landon was ecstatic to find he had such incredible power, so much so everyone almost forgot Hercules just killed him.
"I just felt it" Hercules shrugged. "My apologies for breaking your neck though."
"Uh no problem…" Landon looked at Gil and he didn't know why but he felt compelled to say "Thank you big brother" and he even bowed. He gave Gil a hug, much to everyone who knew him's surprise. He only let hope and the Saltzmans get that close to him, so for a stranger and an old fling of Hope's at that this was very startling.
"Alright that's long enough" Gil pushed him away. "This means Hope doesn't have to watch him right?"
"That's fine Gil, but they're both still moving into human house." Alaric sighed. "And no more killing your classmates Herc!"
"You have my word! HAHAHAHA my friends of the human house let's have fun!" Hercules laughed throwing an arm over Landon and Gil.
"Color money!" Gil shouted.