Nora's Castle
Snowy Tundra Biome
Nora was standing in front of a glowing orb. She wasn't the only one examining the glowing orb though. EnderBrine, an ally of Nora's, was also listening in. The orb was projecting an live image of three blockheads traveling through the desert biome. Two female blockheads, and one male blockhead. One was using a map to guide them.
"Hey! I know them! Steve and Alex are their names," EnderBrine mentioned.
As the three blockheads continued walking, one asked a question about Nora. That question had piqued Nora's interest. She waved her hand to louden the volume of the orb.
"Who is Nora really?" Alex asked, "is she a witch? An evil Queen? Why does she assume the entire OverWorld is under her command?"
"Why do you ask?" Eve responded.
"Well for starters...if this prophecy is real and true, we need to know who we'll really be facing. We also need to know how powerful she is too. Is it even possible to defeat her?" Alex questioned.
"There's a prophecy?" EnderBrine asked as he glanced over at Nora. She didn't acknowledge him or his question. She was too focused on the conversation. "What's this so-called prophecy?" EnderBrine asked, trying to get a hold of Nora's attention.
"Where are you guys headed?" Nora mumbled as she squinted her eyes. The map was barely visible in the projection, but Nora didn't give up that easily.
"The prophecy never lies," Eve answered, "it's never wrong. What's written in the book is what'll help you dethrone Nora. This world has suffered long enough. Her rule must come to an end."
The two blockheads following her gulped. As Nora and EnderBrine continued to listen in on the conversation, one of the blockheads mentioned a name.
"How are you certain that this Scott blockhead is still alive?" Steve asked.
Nora waved her hand in the air. As she did that, the live image being projected from the orb suddenly stopped. The image had been terminated. Nora turned around and began walking away. EnderBrine ran over to her to catch up.
"What was that?" EnderBrine asked.
As they approached the doorway leading back out into the hallway, the two guards standing on each side of the doors, both grabbed the handles and quickly opened them. They then bowed down before Nora as she passed through.
Once they were out in the hallway, the scale of just how tall the ceiling was in the hallway was breathtaking. The ceilings were arched, with candle-lit chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling on strong, iron made chains. The floors were made of dark oak wooden planks. The walls were made of oak planks, and the ceiling portion was made of cobblestone.
The guards that had opened the doors for Nora and EnderBrine caught up to them, but stayed a short distance behind them.
"Are you going to tell me what this prophecy is about?" EnderBrine asked Nora. He desperately wanted to know exactly what those blockheads' plans were and why the prophecy was so important to whatever plan they were formulating.
Nora glanced over EnderBrine.
"This stupid prophecy was written by an author who still lives to this day. Scott is his name. He lives at the edge of the Jungle biome, on a Sandy beach overlooking the ocean," Nora mentioned, "he's been on my watchlist for some time now."
"Is he a threat?" EnderBrine asked, "does he need to be eliminated?"
"Is he a threat? Yes. Does he need to be eliminated? Absolutely," Nora answered, "it's the only way to stop them from obtaining answers as to how they'll defeat me."
"Shall I execute the kill?" EnderBrine asked.
Nora stopped walking. She tapped her chin as she quickly began thinking of a response. The two guards following them also stopped walking. EnderBrine waited for her to respond.
"Not you," Nora said, "leave that to me. Instead, I want you to distract them. Distract them as long as you can. Of course, though, you'll have to change your appearance."
"Who'll execute him then?" EnderBrine asked.
"Your son, NetherBrine," Nora said, "but that's not important. What is, however, is that you will go undercover. Stall them for as long as you can. Make it seem as though you know a lot about this prophecy. Give them answers, but not good ones. Make them believe your lies."
"What shall I do?" EnderBrine asked, "what shall I call myself? Who should I look like?"
"How does the name Benjamin sound? That's a non-threatening name. Make yourself appear as an old blockhead who's wise and true. That should throw them off," Nora said, "can you do that for me?"
EnderBrine became serious. He stared at Nora, slightly nodding his head.
"I can," EnderBrine said, "I won't let you down."
"Good," Nora responded.
Present Time
Jungle Biome, OverWorld
"Benjamin?" Steve asked.
Benjamin was standing over by the burning fire. His back was facing Eve, Steve and Alex. The fire was popping and cracking. The smoke was trailing upwards through the chimney and then outside and into the air.
Steve and Alex were sitting at the small table next to each other. The book Eve had taken from the library was resting flat on the tabletop. It was opened. Steve and Alex both were reading its contents, trying to piece together how they were the saviors. Eve was pacing back and forth, thinking deeply.
What if the prophecy was wrong? What if Steve, Alex and Annabeth couldn't defeat Nora? Then what? Will the OverWorld continue to struggle under Nora's rule? These were concerning thoughts to be thinking about right now.
"How is it that this author knew about us way before we existed?" Steve asked.
Benjamin scratched his head and rubbed his beard. He walked over to the table where Steve and Alex were sitting at.
"Time travel," Benjamin answered, "that's the only way he could've figured out who you were. That's the only answer I have for that question."
"Do you know the author in any way?" Eve questioned, "if so, why did he write this prophecy in the first place?"
Benjamin sighed lightly. "I've known Scott for quite some time. Even before he wrote this prophecy. Adventurous. Curious. Knowledgeable. He was a unique blockhead. Always full of mystery."
"Is he still alive?" Alex questioned.
"He's still very much alive indeed," Benjamin said, "in fact, I'm going to pay him a visit once daybreak arrives."
"Do you think he could answer our questions honestly?" Steve asked.
Benjamin sighed and shrugged his shoulders. For one, he didn't know if Scott had the answers. Maybe he did? There was no way to find out for sure. They'd have to be in person to get answers.
"If he wrote the book, I'm fairly confident he'll have the answers you three seek. Period," Benjamin said.
"Wait a second," Eve said as she stopped pacing back and forth. She had realized something that no one else had yet. "How long have you lived here?" Eve asked.
"My entire life," Benjamin said, "why do you ask?"
Eve frowned and crossed her arms. She had suddenly become very suspicious of Benjamin. How could he have lived in this cottage his entire life if the cottage had only appeared minutes ago?
"You're lying!" Eve said, "you haven't lived here your entire life."
"I beg your pardon?" Benjamin said as he scoffed. He had rolled his eyes sarcastically. He knew Eve was onto him. But he couldn't quite figure out why. In his defense, he had lived in this cottage his entire life.
"Who are you really?" Eve asked in an intimidating tone, "you're not the blockhead who you're claiming to be. So spill it."
"You're wrong," Benjamin said, "how dare you come into my house and start accusing me of lying!"
Eve took one step closer to Benjamin. Her arms were still crossed. Steve and Alex were still sitting at the table. The book still opened.
"Stop stalling, you faker!" Eve yelled loudly, "I'm going to ask this one more time…..who are you?"
EnderBrine, who is disguised as Benjamin, scoffed and rolled his eyes again. He was trying his very best to maintain his cover. The way he was acting was the reason Eve was becoming suspicious.
"My name is Benjamin," he said, "that's the truth!"
"No it's not!" Eve responded, "do I have to yank that stupid disguise off of you? Or will you do it for us? You can stop masking your real appearance!"
Benjamin sighed. He let go of his wooden cane. It fell over onto the floor. Steve and Alex were shocked to see him not using his cane to support his balance. Benjamin laughed hysterically.
"I'm impressed," he said, "I really thought I had you all fooled. But, just as I suspected, you're smarter than you all look."
"What's your real name? Who's your boss? Who are you working for?" Eve asked.
Benjamin sniffled. He lowered his head to look down at the floor. He then closed his eyes. After he had done that, the disguise he was wearing began changing. His true identity was finally revealed to Steve, Alex and Eve.
After his appearance was changed, he slowly lifted his head. Steve and Alex jumped up out of their seats, quickly snatching the book up off of the table. They slowly backed away. The true identity of this imposter was none other than EnderBrine himself.
"Surprise," EnderBrine said as he glanced over at Steve and Alex. He smiled evilly. "Told you we'd meet again, didn't I?"