Authors Note: Yes, the third installment of the Magical Mayhem series is finally out! I'm excited! If you're just now jumping on, you might want to go back and read the first two stories, or else you will be most likely eternally lost. Take note that my writing is extremely crappy in the beginning. It gets better, I promise. You might have to tough it out a bit. Anyway, on to the story! (:

Disclaimer: I don't own any of JP's or JKR's characters. I just own this computer . . . and the characters and all that other good stuff I made up. So yeah . . .

Chapter -:One:-

Bring On The Apocalypse

I tilted my head back, basking in the scorching sun's heat. The world was ethereally silent all around me. Still, despite the calm and warmth . . . I couldn't help but feel chilled to the bone. There was a deep ache inside, and from it there radiated an icy gloom.

Something was telling me I needed to get my skinny, bird-kid arse back to London.

We had only been in Arizona, visiting my mom and sister, for about a week . . . and I had the itching feeling that I was about to cut our vacation in half. The flock, or rather what was remaining of it, was not going to be happy with me.

Still, instinct was warning me that I needed to get back to my duty of playing protector (AKA destined bodyguard) to the Boy Who Lived, who was also, coincidentally, the prophet chosen savior of the world. My only job was to make sure he stayed alive.

Easy, right?

Yeah, except for that little problem of Lord Voldemort, who's actually being guided by the evil god Arawn, who I'm also supposed to make sure doesn't step out of his line of power. Too bad he's an immortal being. I can't possibly kill him, only stifle his rage.

So covering Harry's back is actually a lot harder than it may seem.

You know what else is harder? Picking between the guy you've probably loved almost your entire life and your soulmate, and I'm not just say that as a figure of speech. I mean legit soulmate. I have the marks around my torso to prove it.

The latter seemed a bit more difficult to me at the moment. Apocalypse? Suuure, I can handle that easy peasy. Hand me two equally amazing guys though, and you might witness me cracking. Don't say I didn't warn you.

With a sigh I scuffled to my feet, brushing the dirt off of my pants. I looked up at the sky again, marveling at it's clear blue color. Perfect weather for flying. I glanced around once more, blinking my eyes at the shimmering mirages the sun cast down on the cracked, dirt covered earth. From the south I could see a small range of mountains chained together all across the horizon. I knew though, that in the North, right past the vanishing point, the town where my mother lived sat.

I fluttered my wings a little, giving them a small stretch. I had been sitting for God knows how long, and I could feel it in the stiffness of my joints. I rolled my shoulders again before taking off with a running start. Once I was high up in the air, far past where most birds would venture, I really poured on the speed. Switching into Rocket Mode was like second nature to me now. It was easy and effortless. If I wasn't careful though, my hands would start smoking and I'd leave a trail of sparks in my wake. People kept mistaking me for a shooting star or UFO. It was kind of annoying, actually.

Ah, the pains of not only being a mutant bird-kid, but also a trainee for the coveted role of Fire-Wielder in this generations Elfen Comanderiaid.

It was still super cool though. I mean, how many of you can actually say when you get mad, you blow off real steam? Because trust me when I say I do . . . and since I have a lot of things to be angry about lately, it's happening quite a lot. If you're unfortunate enough to be standing near when it happens, well you might want to have some burn medicine handy, because you need to be prepared to be scalded. It was also a good thing to have Nudge around in case of these incidents. She was pretty good at putting out my fires, what with her affinity for Water.

Thinking about these things though, inevitably turned my attention to the wavering precipice of rescuing Angel and Gazzy from the evil clutches of Arawn. I had no idea where to begin looking for them. I mean sure, I knew they were being held hostage in Annwfn, the Underworld kingdom of the dead, which probably wasn't exactly the epitome of luxury and comfort . . . There was the minor detail of finding the entrance to it though . . . which nobody, even our trainers, knew the location of.

So to say we were stuck at a dead end would be an understatement.

I would keep looking though, because what choice did I have? I wasn't capable of leaving behind two of my family members. I didn't love a lot of people in this world, and I was sure as hell going to protect the few I did, even if I had to descend into the underworld to do it.

And you can take that to the bank.

- }{ -

I saw the bright, dazzling lights that exploded in the sky like crystals being shattered before I heard the sounds of battle.

Oh great, they were fighting again.

I kicked it into overdrive then, slicing through the humid, soupy air like a whirling torpedo. I closed the distance between my moms house and my previous location faster than I ever had before. A sense of urgency had kicked in, spurring me on.

As I got closer I peered downwards, picking out the two figures amidst the wreckage easily. They had somehow become encircled in a spherical cocoon of raw elemental power. Flames flicked around the edges, swirling like molten lava. Sharp winds made up the rest, spiraling and twisting in intricate patterns.

I watched for a moment, fascinated by the complexity of it all, before common sense over-drove my curiosity, and I dove straight into the middle of it all. The circle parted easily around me, and it felt like I was slipping into warm liquid. They both raised their hands at the same time, but I lifted an arm on either side and deflected their blows. I stifled the fire leaping towards me with a flick of my wrist, and threw up a wall of flames to halt the vicious wind. They both gasped in horror once they realized for the first time I was standing in their way.

"STOP IT!" I shouted fiercely, and I could just picture my hands smoking and the small wisps of steam streaming out of my ears. "How many times have I told you not to have your spiteful, elemental battles in the middle of my mom's backyard!"

I glared first at Blaze, and he shied away from my gaze. Then I turned to glower at Fang and he looked back innocently.

"Who started it?" I asked, trying to sound calm. My voice came out strained though, and I rubbed my temple in frustration.

"He did!" they both yelled, just as I had expected.

I opened my mouth to reply and the smoke coming off of my body swirled in front of my face, clouding my vision. I barked out an order to Nudge, and she appeared from around the side of the house. I had a feeling she had watched the entire thing.

She didn't need to ask what I wanted. She simply raised a palm, and with a deep breath, a spurt of water cascaded from it, covering me within seconds. The natural heat from my body, which was increased significantly because of my control of Fire, quickly dispersed of it. The steam rose in waves off of my body, and Fang snapped his fingers reflexively, blowing it all away.

"Thank you," I said to both of them.

"No problem, Max! Anytime you need me, I'm right here. Unless of course I'm in the middle of a shopping trip. Then I'd rather you just not bother me, because I don't get to go shopping much these days, and I want to take every opportunity I can get. Winnie is being super tough on me about training. She wasn't happy about us going away, but when I invited her to come, she declined, so I don't really understand how she can blame me. I mean you and Blaze still train, because he came with us, but she didn't want t-"

"Nudge?" I interrupted her, smiling sweetly.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Oh, right," she said sheepishly, taking a few steps back and taking a seat on the porch.

I was facing Nudge, so I didn't exactly see what happened then, but all I knew was that out of my peripheral vision a Bywyd of Fire came tumbling through the air at lightening fast speeds . . . directly towards Fang, who was facing the opposite direction, examining the damage he and Blaze had caused.

A strangled cry escaped my throat, and I swung around, but it felt like I was moving in slow motion. The ball of Fire was moving too fast. There was no way Fang would be able to turn around in time, or even duck for that matter. Without hesitation I dove forwards, right into the striking line.

It hit me hard . . . harder than I expected. I didn't feel the heat, because I was accustomed to it by that point, but the pressure did knock me onto my back. I lay, sprawled out on the scorched grass, gasping for breath.

"Max!" Blaze shouted in anguish, dropping to his knees at my side.

I shakily sat up, knocking his hand aside. With a growl I snarled, "That was low, Blaze. Even for you."

"I . . . I . . ." he stuttered, looking ashamed.

"Just go get yourself cleaned up. I expect this yard to be in tip top shape the next time I see it," I ordered, struggling to stand. Mostly I didn't talk to him like that . . . you know, as if he was a member of the flock and under my leadership. Sometimes you had to put your foot down though, and enough was enough.

I took another wheezing breath before hobbling over to where Fang stood, frozen in shock.

"Come on you nimrod," I mumbled, taking his hand in mine. "Let's go patch you up."

This wasn't the first time they had gotten into spats over the summer. In fact, it happened quite frequently. Blaze would say something that would set Fang off, or Fang would get a little too close to me and Blaze would flip out . . . Nothing that had happened ever before though, could compare to this battle. That was when I knew . . .

I had to choose.

And fast.

Authors Note: So you kind of get the romancing right off the bat. It'll be resolved here soon though. Review and tell me what you thought! I like reviews . . . trust me, I do *hint, hint*.