When we were growing up, our parents always taught us that there was a right and a wrong. We were taught that one path was light, right, and led to all things good while the other path was dark, bad, and led to all things evil. However, we were never taught about the shades of grey that occur when the good and the bad blend together. Throughout these past few months, my roommate and I have come to learn what it means to live in the shades of grey....
Grace (Amphitrite’s POV)
“Wee woo!” blare the sirens of the police cars racing through the New York City streets to Times Square. Hearing the call of the sirens, Grace Larsen bolts up from her bed and rushes to change into her superheroine alter-ego, Amphitrite, and flies through the city to assist the police. Upon arriving in Times Square, Amphitrite can only see chaos everywhere. People are running away screaming, the police are hiding behind their police cars with their guns pointed, the news vans are trying to capture everything on camera, and there is smoke and fire everywhere. Not yet knowing what has happened, she has a sinking suspicion that whatever happened was caused by her arch nemesis, Appolonia. While hovering over the crime scene, Amphitrite sees a flash of red and black zooming around and terrorizing the civilians. Seeing her opportunity, Amphitrite becomes a blur of blue and white as she flies to help the people of New York City. Once she gets closer to Appolonia, Amphitrite uses her Hydrokinesis to manipulate the water from the fire hydrants to put out the fires in Times Square. Once the fires are taken care of, she manipulates the water down to her hands and shoots water beams at Appolonia to turn her attention away from the civilians. Appolonia turns to face Amphitrite and prepares for a battle to ensue.
Appolonia’s eyes begin to glow a bright amber as her hair begins to light up in flames and float around her head. Using her pyrokinesis, fire begins to form in her fists and travel up her arms until they are encased in flames. Appolonia retaliates to the attack by shooting fireballs straight towards Amphitrite. Amphitrite began dodging the fireballs, however she missed one and it hit her right in her right forearm. The fireball immediately burned her, and weakened her powers in that arm. Now, Amphitrite was royally pissed. Her eyes and her hair began to glow an aqua color as she summoned all of the water in the area. As the water gathered around her, Amphritrite shoved her arms forward, simultaneously pushing the wall of water at a rapid pace to Appolonia. Unsuspecting of the large attack, Appolonia’s flames were extinguished. Realizing she could not defeat Amphitrite without her pyrokinesis, Appolonia took this opportunity to escape Amphitrite and the police.
Once Amphitrite pulled the water back, she noticed that Appolonia had escaped once more. Gritting her teeth, she accepted the win for today. With the people of New York City singing her praises, Amphitrite called it a day and flew back to her little apartment by Washington Square Park. After flying through her bedroom window, Amphitrite is now back to being NYU student Grace Larsen who lives with fellow NYU student Gabriella Lopez.
Gabriella (Appolonia’s POV)
Successfully escaping from Amphitrite and the police once more, Appolonia flew back to her shared apartment by Washington Square Park. Once she reached the apartment building, she went to the roof where she kept a stash of clothes to change into. After changing out of her alter-ego’s costume, Appolonia became NYU student Gabriella Lopez. Once she was unrecognizable as Appolonia, Gabriella went back to her shared apartment to make dinner for her and her roommate Grace. A few minutes after Gabriella started dinner, Grace came out from her bedroom to turn on the Channel 5 News. As the TV came to live, it began to scream “Breaking News! Appolonia terrorizes civilians in Times Square after robbing a bank! New York’s own heroine Amphritite saved the day, but Appolonia is still on the loose!” Gabriella turns to Grace to ask her opinion on the news report when sees that her arm is bleeding.
“Grace! What happened to your arm?” Grace’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, before she looks down to see that she didn’t heal the burn from Appolonia. Realizing that she has to come up with an explanation for the injury, Grace says, “Ohh that... I accidentally burned my arm on the stove this morning when I made breakfast. Clumsy me!” “Why didn’t you get me to bandage that earlier? After living together for three years, you think I would be used to how often you manage to accidentally burn yourself Grace. From now on, you should just not use the stove ... at all. I will make all of our meals from this point on. Now come on, let’s get you cleaned up. That burn looks nasty.” Gabriella, a third year med student at NYU, drags Grace to the bathroom and forces her to sit on the side of the bathtub while she rummages through the medicine cabinet. Once she found what she was looking for, Gabriella began to clean up Grace’s burn and bandage it up. “There! All done! Now, dinner should be ready by now. Let’s go eat and gossip about the Amphitrite and Appolonia’s most recent battle in Times Square!”
Once they both sat down for dinner, Gabriella asked “So, what do you think about Appolonia and Amphitrite? I think that Amphitrite is a weird name. I also think that she tries way too hard to make the people of New York City like her. She can’t really be that good can she? Doesn’t everyone have their own dark secret?” Fearing she might have said too much, Gabriella looks to Grace’s face for a reaction. Grace, secretly clenching her fists under the table, smiles tightly at Grace and says, “Amphritrite actually stems from Greek mythology. Apparently, according to my mythology professor, Amphitrite was the wife of Poseidon. She was rumored to be the personification of the sea. I think her name is pretty cool and fitting for her water themed powers. I also don’t think she has to try too hard to make the people like her. She just does the right thing and the people’s praise follows in return. Also, I think people have secrets, but they don’t have to be deep and dark. What about Appolonia though? That name I haven’t figured out yet, and she is the villain. Shouldn’t she be the one we are questioning? Why does she do the wrong thing? Why does she hurt people?”
Shocked by all that Grace had to say about Amphitrite, Gabriella had to take a moment before responding. Once it fully registered what Grace had said, Gabriella was a little upset how her friend unknowingly felt about her roommate. “I didn’t know that was what Amphritie meant, it actually does fit well with her powers. However, I do know that Appolonia also stems from the Greeks and is basically the female version of the Greek God Apollo, who is the God of the Sun. So, her name kinda fits with her powers too because she had flames and the Sun is basically a big ball of fire. I also see your point about not having to try hard to get the people to like her, but how can we know if she does the right thing? Or what is the right and wrong thing? Everybody has their own reasons for doing things. We also don’t know why Appolonia does the things that she does, but I don’t think we should call her a villain. I don’t think she intends on hurting people, people just get in the crossfire between her and her goal or her and Amphirite. I refuse to believe that there isn’t a reason for what she does.”
After both girls had eaten their dinner and said their peace to the two supers, they both retreated to their separate rooms to prepare for the next day. Grace headed to white door with a light blue G on the right, and Gabriella headed to a black door with a red G on the left. Gabriella shut and locked her bedroom door so Grace could not come in unannounced. Once she knew it was safe, Gabriella opened her closet door and found a secret compartment in her closet. This compartment is where she stashed her Appolonia costume and all of the loot she escapes with. Shoving her score from today in the compartment, Gabriella then forces it shut and out of sight. She then opens up her bank account to see how much more she needs to pay off her mother’s hospital bills and her own student loans from medical school. Realizing she still has a long way to go before she can stop being Appolonia, Gabriella spends another night crying herself to sleep.
Grace (Amphitrite’s POV)
After retreating to her room, Grace unbandages her arm to take a shower. While in the shower, the water creeps up her arm and begins healing the burned area. Grace unintentionally used her powers to heal herself in the shower, now she is going to have to pretend to still be injured or Gabriella will notice! Frustrated with herself for not healing the injury earlier, Grace rebandages her now healed arm to keep up the ruse. She then begins to think over what Gabriella had said at dinner about right and wrong. She was always taught that there was a clear right and a clear wrong, no matter the reasoning. However, Gabriella made her think that maybe some circumstances don’t allow for right and wrong to be so clear cut. Maybe it is not as simple as black and white, right or wrong. Maybe they are living in between right and wrong, maybe they are just living in shades of grey. With that thought in mind, Grace falls asleep dreaming of the possibility that she misunderstood her fellow super, Appelonia.
Gabriella (Appolonia’s POV)
“BRRRING! BRRRING!” Gabriella was startled awake by her phone ringing. She picked up her phone to see that it was the hospital calling her. Immediately, Gabriella’s heart starting racing with fear. “Hello?” she answered. “Yes this is Dr. Ryan Blatt from the Oncology Department at Manhattan Hospital, is this Miss Gabriella Lopez? The daughter of Mrs. Amelia Lopez?” “Yes this is Gabriella. Has something happened with my mother? Is she alright?” “I’m afraid not ma’am. It appears that your mother’s cancer has spread into her spine and her brain. It is possible that we can remove it, but it is a very risky procedure and she may not survive it. However, in my professional opinion, I do not think she will last much longer without this procedure. Since your mother is not in her right mind due to the cancer, you are legally the only one who can give us a decision about the surgery. I will need an answer by the end of the week. Talk to you soon ma’am.”
Gabriella burst into tears at the thought of losing her mother. She had already lost her father and sister a few years ago when a drunk driver hit them head on, but now she might lose her mother too? It was all too much! She knew her mother needed the surgery, but she was already drowning in medical bills and student loans, even with what she had stolen as Appolonia. How would she pay for the surgery? The only answer she could come up with was to become Appolonia once more. She had to find a score that was big enough to pay for her mom’s surgery, medical bills, and Gabriella’s student loans, and then Appolonia could disappear for good. “I guess it’s time for me to get to work then! Let’s start researching!” After hours of researching, Gabriella found out that an armed truck full of diamonds and gold would be heading to the private residence of billionaire, Derek Payne, in Upper Manhattan tomorrow night at 9 p.m.. “This is it! This can be my last mission. I just have to make sure to be stealthy so Amphritie will not be alerted this time. I have to do this... one last time.. This is for you mom.”
Grace (Amphitrite’s POV)
Grace, tired of Appolonia escaping the clutches of the law, decided to concoct a plan to catch her. Similar to Gabriella, Grace worked for hours to come up with the perfect plan to lure Appolonia out into the open to trap her. With the help of the internet and some false intel, Grace “leaked” that an armored truck full of diamonds and gold would be driving through Upper Manhattan late at night. She knew this was an opportunity that Appolonia would not pass up, and this time Amphitrite would be lying in wait for her...
Gabriella (Appolonia’s POV)
Gabriella had planned everything out to the last detail, and it was finally time to head out as her alter-ego Appolonia. She got dressed in her black bodysuit and red armor, before using her powers to change the color of her hair and her eyes. Gabriella, once a brunette with brown eyes, was now Appolonia, with fiery, auburn hair and glowing amber eyes. Once she was ready, Appolonia opened her bedroom window and flew through the night. Upon reaching her destination, Appolonia flew overhead the armored truck for a bit, observing the scene. There was no one else in sight except for the armored truck and two police cars. It seemed too easy, but Appolonia was in no position to wait any longer, she had to take action. Enacting her pyrokinesis, Appolonia’s body was once more encased in flames, and down she flew towards the loot...
Grace (Amphitrite’s POV)
It was time for Grace to head out if she wanted to get there before Appolonia. Grace started getting ready as her alter-ego, Amphitrite. She got dressed in her blue bodysuit and white armor, before using her powers to change the color of her hair and her eyes. Grace, once a blonde with blue eyes, was now Amphitrite, with flowing, blue hair and eyes that glowed aquamarine. Once she was ready, Amphitrite opened her bedroom window and flew through New York until she reached the armored truck in Manhattan. So far, there was no sight of Appolonia, but Amphitrite knew it was only a matter of time before she showed up. A few minutes later, her suspicion was proven correct. A few yards away, she could see a trail of light shooting towards the armored truck. Appolonia had arrived. “Time for you to go down once and for all, Appolonia.”
Amphitrite used her hydrokinesis to manipulate the water into a bo staff made of ice. With her ice staff in hand, Amphitrite took flight and silently charged at Appolonia. Without Appolonia realizing that someone was behind her, she was struck from behind. The ice staff struck Appolonia in the head, and the ice reacting to Appolonia’s flames, caused steam to rise from her wound. Shocked by the sudden attack, Appolonia turned to find Amphitrite floating in front of her, prepared for battle. Amphitrite then began to use her ice staff to strike Appolonia again and again, each strike being stronger than the last. Once she had gotten several hits in, and she could see that Appolonia was getting weaker, she changed tactics. Instead of the ice staff, Amphitrite was now shooting water beams from her hands towards Appolonia.
Gabriella (Appolonia’s POV)
Appolonia could not take much more of Amphitrite’s attacks, but she also could not risk failing her mother. With this in mind, Appolonia gained a second wind, and used her pyrokinesis to summon a sword of fire. She made swipe after swipe at Amphitrite, but none of them made contact with her. She had to resort to using her sword to deflect Amphitrite’s water beams from hitting her. She had to get rid of Amphitrite and get the loot from the armored truck! Appolonia, recharged from being hit with ice, flamed back up and began using her fireballs to defend herself from Amphitrite. This was a trick she knew would work on Amphitrite, as it had worked before. The fireballs distracted Amphitrite long enough for Appolonia to escape her and reach the armored truck.
Appolonia made quick work of burning through the metal on the truck. She knew she would not have time to gather everything in the truck, so she gathered as much as she could before Amphitrite could stop her. Once she had as much as she could carry, Appolonia looked around for Amphitrite. With Amphitrite nowhere to be seen, Appolonia headed back towards her apartment, unknowingly being followed by Amphitrite.
Grace (Amphitrite’s POV)
As much as she tried, Amphitrite could not take down Appolonia. She could attack her, strike her, and even hit her, but the two supers were too evenly matched to take each other down. If she couldn't take her down in the streets as supers, maybe she could follow Appolonia and find out who she really was. Pretending to be distracted, Amphitrite allowed Appolonia to steal from the armored truck, and then hid from her. Once Applonia began flying away, Amphitrite began to follow her. As they continued flying, Amphitrite noticed that the area looked familiar. They were flying through Washington Square Park, towards an area filled with apartment buildings. Amphitrite realized they were heading straight for the apartment building that she and her roommate live in. She could not believe that her arch-nemesis lived in the same apartment building as her, and she never noticed!
Finally, Appolonia landed on the roof of the building and began to look for her extra set of clothes that she hides on the roof. Thinking she was in the clear, Appolonia began to deactivate her powers and transform into her alter-ego. Amphitrite watched as Appolonia’s hair turned from a fiery auburn to a dark brown color. She watched as Appolonia changed out of her black bodysuit and red armor into a red tank top, black skinny jeans, and a leather jacket. Amphitrite was puzzled as to who this person could be, she needed to see her face! She called out, “Appolonia! It’s over! Turn around and surrender what you stole!” Appolonia froze, and turned around to face Amphitrite. Upon seeing her face, Amphitrite froze....
Gabriella (Appolonia’s POV)
Gabriella froze, tears already streaming down her face. This is it, she thought. It is finally over, and now my mom will never get the surgery she needs. Turning around to face Amphitrite, she noticed that Amphitrite had a look of shock on her face, as if they knew each other. All of a sudden Amphitrite began changing back into her alter-ego too! Gabriella watched as Amphritire’s hair changed from a brilliant blue to a platinum blonde. She then watched as Amphitrite changed from her blue bodysuit and white armor into a flowered dress and brown leather jacket. All this time, Amphitrite was... Grace? All of this time she had been fighting her best friend and roommate of three years? “Gabriella? You’re Appolonia? I... I don’t understand. Why have you done this? You’re a good person. You know this is wrong! Why would you steal from all of those people? How could you do this? Why would you do this?”
Gabriella then snapped out of her shock, and tried to explain herself to her best friend. “I know I am a good person! And yes, I know it was wrong! But I had not choice!! I was drowning in mom’s medical bills! You know how sick she is! Well, it’s only gotten worse! I did what I had to in order to help her. I tried getting help from the banks, I tried getting loans, I sold her house, I sold the cars, I tried everything!! Even so, I was still drowning in student loans and medical bills, so I resorted to Appolonia to help my mother live. It was wrong, I know that, but it was for a good reason! I told you Grace, not everything is black and white, sometimes we live in shades of grey.”
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