Unfortunately we arrived to late as his new partner, Ian Howe, yes the descendants of General Howe, the redcoat that became an undead draugr to get back at Ichabod Crane. Betsy and I went to Mount Rushmore to find a different treasure all together until they returned from their trip to Alaska.
Betsy found our way into the city of gold while I made sure the path was solid and safe behind us. I simply followed her lead all the way to the Aztec city of gold below Mount Rushmore. When she found it, I took her then and there on the alter the mortals had once used to make sacrifices to their gods.
It thrummed with latent power as we made love and she shook the rafters with her voice. When I was satisfied even the long dead Aztec gods heard her, we made our way out. Then I sealed it all up and we made our way to where the liberty bell was now being held to retrieve old Ben's bifocals.
I hadn't thought about them when I'd seen him working on them before but now it made so much sense. They'd all kept secrets, even from us. Betsy made sure to leave the message that we were watching in the hidden hollowed out stone where the bifocals were.
Her message said we'd meet them where the treasure lay. We then took off and headed to the corner of Wall Street and Broadway. We entered trinity church and sat at the pews to wait. It was two days before they showed up.
When they came in, Ian ordered us to leave at gun point. Benjamin looked at us curiously and I smirked when Betsy pulled a Maze and beat them all down. When she broke Ian's legs and kicked him in the temple last, I clapped. "Excellent work love."
As Ian was the last to fall, his men were already out. Riley, Benjamin's friend flipped out. "What the hell? Is she part cheetah?"
I chuckled. "Take their guns away and use their zip ties. As for Betsy, she's my wife so be more respectful or I'll set her loose on you."
He gulped and I turned to Benjamin. "You got my message."
He nodded. "Yeah, thanks. How, may I ask, did you know about this place and where it was without the map?"
I raised my hand and indicated to it, he noticed my ring before gulping and I nodded as he said. "You're a Freemason, the grandmaster!"
I chuckled at the last part. "Even if I was, I wouldn't be able to confirm nor deny your words."
They each looked at me and I sighed and he's tired to my wife. "You might recognize her ancestor from the history books, after all, she's the spitting image of her."
They looked to Betsy who gave me an annoyed look when Riley said. "The, the flag girl! Something Ross."
Benjamin sighed. "Elizabeth Ross."
I chuckled as Betsy corrected them. "My ancestor was Washington's right hand, assassin and spy. She killed over three hundred redcoats in hand to hand combat and was responsible for over a dozen successful battles and all she's remembered for is a dumb flag."
They looked at her with shock and she snorted before punching me in the arm. I pulled her in my arms before Benjamin said. "While I'd really like to hear those stories and where you came about that information, we're kind of in a bind and the FBI is on our trail."
I sighed. "I'll handle the FBI once you've found the treasure below us. Do note you'll only receive a finders fee for it and credit for the find. I can't help you if you intend to sell it or use it in any negative manner."
He gulped and nodded while his father asked. "So it's here? Below us?"
I smirked. "Bring the pipe and let's see what Benjamin here can come up with. You've my word if he finds it you'll all get credit and the FBI will be dealt with."
I led them to the graves in the basement. There, I waited and gestured for him to lead on. When he came up with the entrance, I helped him open it and Betsy and I followed them in. When we needed it, I brought out flashlights. On the stairs, I strengthened the wood and ropes to near indestructibility.
We used the old elevator system to get to the ledge where Benjamin who looked so much like Nicholas Cage, explained how we should proceed. When he succeeded we ended up in and empty room.
I chuckled and leaned against the wall raising an eyebrow and crossing my arms as he looked to me. "Now it's time to impress me."
He looked around then frowned. "There's no treasure, you've taken it all?"
I shook my head. "I'll make a bet with you. I'll tell you where the Aztec city of gold is if you can impress me here and now. Show me the way forwards."
Riley choked. "You know where the city of gold is?"
I nodded and turned to Patrick, Benjamin's father. "So it's real."
It was a statement and not a question. One said in relief. The confirmation meant their ancestor's name was as solid as the gold the city was made from. Benjamin bit his lip before looking around and started saying. "The Freemasons would've built a second way out."
I let him go from there until he opened the secret door with the pipe as the key. Clapping as it opened, I told him. "The city of gold was moved to a secret place under Mount Rushmore before the president at the time had the landmarks denoting the entrance covered and carved the faces on it."
I walked passed them and summoned an invisible aspect of light to me before having it take all the scrolls from the library of Alexandria and reading them at a pace that would shatter a human mind. When I knew all that they held, I had it remove all magic referenced scrolls and leave the rest. I then entered the chamber and felt out with my magic.
I willed all the artifacts present that had a magic response in them, into my realm. Nearly a hundred in total, most being weapons and armor. Once I figured out the spells behind them, I'd donate them to the society of magic. My aspect entered my realm to study them while I lit the oil that spread the light across the wide chamber.
Riley ended up hugging a ivory statue and the rest looked on in excitement. Abigail, Benjamin's new female friend was excited about the scrolls of Alexandria while the rest were looking on to the room full of gold and valuables.
I picked up the Freemason necklace that was made of gold and was originally worn by the old grandmasters. Sighing, I cleaned it off before setting it back in it's resting place. I then pulled out my phone and made a call to the FBI. Was directed to agent Sadusky, the agent in charge of the case and fellow mason.
From there it was relatively easy to help Benjamin and the others as we left the musty tomb and met the FBI upstairs. Agent Sadusky and I had a word and as he was in the know, I gave him the knowledge he sought to send the culprits really responsible for all the issues to jail.
Ian and his team were charged with murder, theft, kidnapping, assault and even trespassing on government property. I convinced Benjamin to take the ten percent finders fee and split it with his family and those with him that found it.
He offered me a cut and I waved it off. "I'm already rich and I've no need of money. As for the other issue, I'd like you to take credit for that find as well, only, add the Ross family into the cofinders."
Betsy pokes my side as he agreed easily. We left there to let them rest up and meet us at Mount Rushmore where Betsy and I showed them the way the next day. Betsy showed them the path through and all the traps to avoid until we arrived at the city once more.
He made the call this time and had Sadusky with us looking at a literal Aztec pyramid of gold. When we left them, I gave Benjamin a slip of paper denoting where and how to access the presidents secret book and to look on page forty seven when he got the chance.
Betsy and I headed to the coven for one last drop off before we both left for LA. There we stayed with Lucifer and talked to Michael about him taking over hell in my place. Funny thing was, he was the one who actually tried to get the high demons to revolt because he wanted hell for himself.
After getting a few promises out of him, I brought my aspects all together on the beach at the entrance of hell. There my demonic aspect came out and Michael went in. I'd long since gotten the second philosophers stone from Asmodeus and even entered the vaults of hell.
Demons were actually keen on making things at one point, curtesy of my father and the humans they tortured. The philosophers stone was just the tip of the iceberg as several dozen items like it including a special gem, a binding gem to be precise, lay in it's deepest depths.
It was exactly like my coin only filled with far more essence and magic from all the souls in hell who'd been tortured over eons to fill it. As it turned out, the gem was where all the energy went to when the king wasn't absorbing it and since Lucifer never did so, it has an almost endless supply of energy stored inside.
I'd purified it, tossing all the evil and vile waste back into hell before giving it to Betsy to fuel her ascension even further as a goddess. With all my aspects there with us, night fell and with it came my mother. I felt Lucifer, my father, paying attention just outside the reality.
Nyx watched as I joined with my aspects, one at a time until the very air vibrates around me. I went to hand her back her necklace and she closed my hand around it saying. "Keep it, take it with you as a reminder that I love you my beautiful boy."
I nodded slowly before looking to the last of my aspects, my devil side. I merged with him as Betsy completed her ascension and became a being of pure energy. She absorbed a ton of essence from the gem as she met the barrier between reality and goddesshood. When I finished merging, I felt all of the reality tremble and nearly collapse as I grabbed Betsy and exited creating a door on my way out.
When we came out, Betsy flowed and trembled as she took in the stone itself and became a full goddess, radiating power. I was far and away ahead of her as my inner world has started spinning and creating life around a star of essence inside my body.
I'd stored all my stuff inside my inner realm just to be safe as creatures I'd seen, fought and eaten began to be born from drops of essence that rained down as the sky of my inner world came into being. Smiling, Lucifer slapped my shoulder, actually causing me pain as he said. "Well done! So many dead gods, so much torture. Hell, you alone would make a great god of destruction, if your wives followed your path, multiverse lookout!"
I snorted. "Father, meet Betsy-"
I looked to see my mother, Gaia, standing next to her. She looked sad though resigned as I'd seen a world where she was literally a crazy goddess that was hell bent on destruction. She took Betsy saying. "She needs to join the others."
I sighed and Betsy disappeared while Lucifer laughed. "So where to kid? Ooh, I know this great reality that has this talking skeleton as a god and the souls there are forced to live out his stories!"
I shivered. "Pass, I actually want to go home to wait but I'm pretty sure you-"
He shook his head. "Denied! Who wants to see that boring place? All the demons there are dead or in hiding from your opposites toys. They've literally taken a world of fun and turned it boring."
I sighed. "Fine, but I choose the reality still so the original Harry Potter reality. I don't want any demonic surprises and no interference from you, I need to relax a bit after that saw mill of a reality you tossed me into."
He looked offended but snorted. "Fine, I won't interfere, just wait until it's time for your next lesson though!"
He dragged me to the reality I'd chosen and shoved me in while he entered some mortals body to do the deed he most enjoyed.