She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew)

In the late August afternoon, Athena was lounging under a beach umbrella on Solmaris coast, enjoying a cold drink, when her phone rang. Then, she answered, "Hello?"

"Ma'am, we have some trouble-the crew of 'The Last Blood' has been kidnapped by terrorists!" The voice on the other end sounded tense. "They are livestreaming the whole thing on YouTube now. The views are skyrocketing; it's blowing up online."

Athena's eyes narrowed as the caller continued. "The government has shut down all official news about it and deployed military forces to Gringger City and Wyomarlo City, where the film was set. It's a rescue mission.

"It seems the terrorists were after Zayn, but he wasn't with the team. Frustrated, they hijacked a supply truck, drugged the crew, and took everyone hostage. Now they're demanding Zayn show up in Wyomarlo within two hours, or they'll start executing hostages every five minutes.

"The livestream has only been up for a few minutes now, so I don't think anyone has had the chance to inform you yet."

Athena stayed calm and opened YouTube, pulling up the live feed. "Got it. Keep an eye on things and update me if anything changes," she said, hanging up.

She didn't need to search it up. The livestream was front and center on the YouTube homepage, drawing everyone's attention. She clicked on it.

The video showed rows of crew members kneeling, hands tied behind their backs, with a wall behind them. More than a dozen guns were pointed their way. The camera didn't show the terrorists, only their gloved hands gripping guns and machetes.

The terrorist's voice crackled through the video, speaking in Osceiton language, chillingly calm. "We've got over 300 'The Last Blood' crew members right here. What you see on screen is just a small sample of our hostages."

He continued, the hint of a sinister smile almost audible. "Zayn has 100 minutes to get here, or we start beheading.

"One every five minutes, twelve an hour. With over 300 people here, we've got plenty to keep us busy all day. Just the thought of it makes me feel... thrilled."

His laughter echoed darkly as he added, "And by the way, we've set up explosives everywhere. Just one of them will take everyone out, including us. So, I'd suggest the officials hand over Zayn without any funny business."

As he finished, the broadcast rolled on, capturing the tense quiet, broken only by a few soft cries from the hostages. But a terrorist quickly stomped over to silence them.

The background sounds revealed the sound of those terrorists eating and drinking, unsettlingly at ease.

Athena kept the broadcast on but looked away toward the nearby shoreline. Her mom and dad were holding hands, watching Josie play in the water, splashing around in a swimsuit and a bright orange float. The sight was warm, peaceful.

She stood up, grabbed her laptop and her phone, and called Rufus. He was chatting with a group of pretty girls on the beach but answered right away. "Yes, ma'am?"

Walking briskly toward the hotel, Athena filled him in. "The Last Blood' crew has been taken hostage. I'm heading back home to deal with it. I will tell my parents it's a lab issue, something technical I have to sort out right away.

"We don't know much about these terrorists. Just to be safe, stay in Uroterin and find a few more people to keep an eye on my parents. Don't let them know what's going on.

"Once I leave, you should head out too. Make sure their location stays a secret."

This time, Athena had come to Uroterin with Rufus and Daniel to act as her bodyguards and help with errands.

At last week's Yundara Got Talent finals, Josie absolutely wowed the audience with a nearly 10-minute opera in Maiselish.

Afterward, the royal family invited her to the palace, gave her a special medal, and praised her for her singing and the cultural exchange she had helped promote.

They had spent the last week in Yundara before heading to Grythos for a little vacation.

Back to Rufus, he knew how serious this was and said, "Don't worry, I will take care of Josie and the rest. I will also set up a private plane for you."

"Thanks for handling all of this,"

Athena said before hanging up. She quickly changed into something more practical, grabbed what she needed, and headed straight to the private airport-no time to pack.

On the way, she called her parents and told them about the lab situation. They did not seem to suspect anything, just reminding her to be careful and to call when she got there. Athena then called Harry. "Go to the underground warehouse at the lab, grab the most advanced, portable weapon, and get it to Zayn. I will send you the password." "Got it, I'm on it." Harry sounded stunned.

Next, Athena called her eldest brother to check on the Donovan family.

She deliberately didn't call Zayn, knowing he was probably swamped with the situation. Calling him now would just add to his stress.

Besides, Zayn had been through plenty of these types of battles before; he knew exactly what to do.

Jaden picked up right away. "Athena, everything good over there in Uroterin?"

His voice was steady, but Athena could tell he was holding back. She asked, "You heard about the production team being kidnapped, right? "I've already got Mom, Dad, and Josie taken care of. They will be fine. I'm getting on a plane back home and will be there tonight."

"Yeah, I got the news," Jaden said. "I'm taking the grandparents to Zayn's security base to keep them out of harm's way. Maria is driving your car to pick up Arthur so they can all head there together

"Don't worry. Other than the four of you, everyone else in the family is under police protection. Nothing will happen to us."

Then, he paused briefly. "I don't think this will last much longer, though. It will probably be done by sunrise."

The terrorists, Jaden figured, must

have been ready to die if they dared to strike inland. Plus, with the area surrounded and both sides going head-to-head, it wouldn't take long to end the standoff. FindNovel

Still, once the sun came up, no one knew how many might be left standing or not.

Athena nodded and said, "Alright, I will take care of them. You stay safe."

"Athena" Jaden hesitated, then added quietly, "If you're not sure, you don't have to push it."

Athena chuckled, her voice as calm as ever. 'Relax, they are no match for me. They won't even know what hit them."

Jaden let out a quiet breath. "Okay, just be careful."

Then, they ended the call without wasting another second.