My Version

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A DIFFERENT VERSION OF WHAT HAPPENED AFTER ALL THE GARDE BLACKED OUT AND APPEARED AT A TABLE IN THE FATE OF TEN.

        There are many other children at the table. A boy with shaggy black hair and green eyes. He's about fifteen. A blonde, good looking, fourteen year old boy with intense eyes. All the other guy Garde are here too. There's a skinny twelve year old boy with brown hair who glances around at everyone and looks more curious than afraid.
They introduce themselves as Percy Jackson, Alex Rider, and Gregor the Overlander.
"Overlander? What the hell?" Nine exclaims. "Who are you people?"
"I'm Adam." Adam answers, stupidly. It doesn't surprise me that he's here. He's one of us. Nine's sitting by me looking all too comfortable compared to the shocked faces of everyone else.
Percy Jackson is the first to speak. "What is this place?"
Nine grins at everyone. "I have no clue. I don't know who you people are, but we should probably get back to killing that Mogasaurus-thing."
"Moga-what-thing?" Alex Rider asks with a British accent.
"Never mind." I tell him, shooting Nine an annoyed look. I stare at all the faces, wondering, like everybody else, what we're doing here.
"Johnny, I think Lorien is trying to tell us something." Nine tries to whisper but is overheard by Gregor.
"Who's Lorien?" He asks, curiously.
"It's our awesome planet, dude." Nine says. I shove him. He just can't keep his mouth shut.
Alex asks, "You're an alien?" He snorts, obviously unbelieving.
Percy raises his hand and after I inform him that he doesn't need to, he asks, "Is anyone here a demigod?"
Gregor shakes his head and Alex stares blankly at Percy. "Okay!" Nine yells. "Everyone just say what you are so we can get going and shit!"
There's silence and then Adam pipes up, "I'm a Mogadorian."
"Before you ask, Mogadorians are the evil race that destroyed our planet!" I shout to everyone. "But Adam here is a good Mogadorian. The only good Mog to ever exist."
Then Percy starts clapping for Adam. Nobody says a word, and then Nine claps as well. Soon, everyone but Alex who is still very much shocked, is clapping for Adam. When the applause dies down Gregor says,
"I'm an Overlander. It just means human."
"Then just say human, weirdo." Nine grumbles.
"What are you?" I ask Alex Rider.
He's silent for a moment and then says, "That information is classified."
"Dude, I'm an alien!" Nine declares. "And I'm not afraid to show it, show it, show it. So spill it, bro. What are you?"
Alex sighs. "You're never going to believe me."
"Hey British guy," Percy says, turning to Alex. "This one guy's an alien, apparently. This other dude is a overlander human, and I'm a son of Poseidon. We're all weird. I think we'll believe you."
Nine claps and points at Percy. "Exactly."
Then Alex says, "I'm a spy. I work for MI6. Well, not really. It's more like they make me work for them."
"That must suck." Gregor comments.
"Yes! Exactly! It's not cool like everyone thinks! I've been shot at countless times!"
"Wow!" Percy says, astonished. "I've been in a lot of danger, but it's never involved guns. It's usually just monsters."
"Same here!" Gregor agrees.
"Guns! Cool!" Nine howls.
"No, not cool!" Alex yells.
"Yeah, boom-cool!" Nine exclaims. I elbow him and he elbows me back. I decide to ignore him.
"I know what you mean," Adam says to Alex.
"Thank you!" Alex says, annoyed.
Nine snickers. He's way too entertained.
"I've fought giant rats." Gregor says.
"I've fought Mogs." Nine brags. Then he adds, "and liked it."
"I've fought a Titan and a god." Percy says, as if it's nothing.
"No way!" Alex shouts.
"I killed my father." Adam joins in. Everyone's heads turn to stare at Adam. Silence.
Then Percy says in a disgusted tone, "How is that cool?"
"Cool!" Nine whoops and throws his fists in the air.
"I don't have a father." Alex states. "Or a mother."
"Neither do I, bro. It's all good." Nine says, making an effort to loosen up the tension.
"How is that all good?!" Percy and Gregor shout at the same time.
"They're right, Nine." I break it to him, calmly. "Just . . .Shut up." He shuts up.
"So what's MI6?" Adam asks.
"Military Intelligence." Alex responds.
"Cooler!" Nine yells.
"It's not cool! I've almost died more than seventeen times!" Alex shouts, helplessly trying to get it into our brains that being a spy is uncool.
"Oh," Nine mumbles. Then he adds optimistically, "but you didn't!"
"I've saved the world. A few times." Percy says plainly, again, as of it's nothing.
"So have I. Nine times!" Alex shouts.
"Wow! Way more than me!" Percy exclaims.
"We were trying to save the world but then we blacked out and popped up here!" Nine says, angrily.
Gregor pats him on the back. "It's okay. I know what's it's like. Sort of."
Nine stares at him. "Do not touch me." I've never heard him sound so serious.
"I've got to find a way out of here." Alex announces, standing up and hitting the wall.
"Uh, no duh." Percy says and joins Alex.
Nine and I stare at Gregor, waiting for him to try to escape as well.
Gregor shrugs. "I'll just hang with you guys."
Nine laughs. "See, Johnny? I am cool!"
I roll my eyes. He is so annoying.
After a while Alex gives up on trying to escape and Percy does the same.
"I think I'm dead." Alex says, more to himself than us.
"Pfft," Percy laughs at Alex. "I've thought that I was dead many times and I never was. And besides, I've to the underworld and it's much worse than this. Just chill."
"I am." Nine puts his feet up on the table and Gregor suddenly seems uncomfortable around Nine. I know the feeling.
"We know!" I tell him. "Now stop chilling and listen up!"
Nine chuckles at me when I get mad but he says no more so I assume he's listening. Suddenly Five's by my side. "John's right. Listen up."
I didn't even know he was here and before I can say anything Nine jumps up from his seat and lunges at Five, trying to strangle him. Five jumps away just in time and Nine almost trips.
"Son of a bitch!" Nine growls. He's breathing heavily. I know it's taking everything he's got not to go chasing after Five.
"Language," Percy says with amusement.
"Right," Gregor nods, agreeingly.
"I don't mind," Alex shrugs.
"Shut up!" Nine orders. Now he's the one annoyed. Then he turns to Five. "You better pray real hard that I can control myself."
"I'm praying," Five says, closing his eyes and putting his hands together. He's only joking but Nine attacks him anyway.
"Shouldn't we stop them?" Gregor asks, worriedly.
"This is entertaining." Percy says, leaning back in his chair.
"WHAT IS THIS PLACE!" Alex shouts, not expecting anyone to answer.
But Adam does. "We already said! WE DON'T KNOW!
"I know that!" Alex yells, with his hands thrown up in the air.
"Then why'd you ask?" Adam shouts.
They're both irritating and before I can shut them up, I hear a guttural cry from behind me. Nine's the won that cried out. But he's not hurt. In fact, he's the one slamming Five against the wall over and over again. Five's turned his skin to metal but that still can't feel good getting banged around like that. Nine won't stop shouting 'take that!' and 'loser!'. I've just about had enough of this. And not just of Nine, but of this place. Why are we here? What is going on?
"GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE, NINE!" I scream at the top of my lungs.
Nine freezes mid-punch. He releases Five, and Five falls to the floor, his skin returning to normal. Adam and Alex have stopped arguing and are now staring at us. Nine walks over to me and stands just centimeters away. He's looks really pissed, especially now that he's towering over me. But to my surprise, he grins.
Then he says in a joking voice, "I'm like shittiest welcoming committee ever, huh?"
I think back to when Nine said that shortly after we first brought Five to his penthouse. He'd just tried punching Five and it hadn't gone so well. "Please don't repeat your jokes. They're not funny anymore." I tell him.
Percy raises his hand again and I roll my eyes. Then Percy mumbles, "I thought it was funny."
I barely hear Gregor whisper to himself, "Nine's so cool." I hope Nine didn't hear that.
No such luck. He has super-hearing. He pumps his fists in the air and shouts, "Yeah boom-cool!"
"ARGH." I say through gritted teeth.
"I can't stand this place! Or you people!" Alex shouts.
"Hey!" Adam says, obviously offended. "Just because I'm a Mog-"
"I didn't say anything about your species!"
"Well, it kinda sounded like it!"
Nine snorts and slaps his hand over his mouth, watching the whole thing play out. Percy is watching as well but he's not enjoying it. Gregor seems extremely worried about Five as he stares at the traitor who's still on the ground. "Is he gonna be okay?" Gregor asks.
"Oh, he'll be fine!" Nine assures him, laughing.
"No, I won't." Five moans, squirming around on the floor.
"He's fine, Gregor. This isn't real anyway." Alex tells him.
"Well, it sure feels real!" Five shouts as he shakily gets to his feet.
"Thanks," Nine says, taking it as a compliment.
"He's really strong." Gregor mumbles. I can't believe this.
Nine heard it though and shouts, "Yeah, boom-strong!"
"ARGH." I say again.
Suddenly, Percy whispers to me, "It's okay. I don't think he's cool or strong."
"Right?!" I shout at him. Then I consider this for a moment."Well, he is kind of strong. I mean, he works out, like, three times a day. He's just not cool."
"Yeah, right." Percy agrees. Then he says, "Maybe he is a little cool . . ."
"NO." I tell him.
This whole thing just makes me want to take a nap on the couch in Nine's penthouse. Meanwhile, Adam's talking to Gregor about his past and Percy starts explaining to Alex what a demigod is.
"But they don't exist. They're just myths." Alex objects.
Percy rolls his eyes and groans. "Here we go again." He says, and continues talking.
"And that's what Vat-born Mogs are." Adam finishes.
Gregor looks disgusted. "Please don't tell me anymore. I think I'm gonna be sick."
"Hey, it's not my fault!" Adam defends himself.
"I never said it was." Says Gregor and they start arguing.
Nine continues to beat up Five. Five dies and everybody's happy. Well, except for Gregor. He started crying. Oh, well!

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