Miraculous: Minerva

By MiraculousMongoose

Chapter 1

Unna

Lillian slept on her lower bunk. Unna had a peppermint shaped pillow on which she slept. Both human and kwami were sound asleep. Two things, one red and one black, phased through a window.

"Unna! We need to talk!" The red thing hissed.

"Candy?" Unna asked sleepily, half awake.

"I've got a cookie, but Plagg ate the cheese he was supposed to bring."

Unna fully opened her eyes to see Tikki and Plagg. "What's going on? Why aren't you with Marinette and Adrien?"

"We'll explain later. Grab something interesting and follow us." Tikki said.

Unna looked around and spotted one of Lillian's wooden puzzles. She picked it up and followed her kwami friends.

They approached the Dupain-Cheng Bakery and entered through the top, where Marinette's bedroom was. The three kwamis entered the Miracle Box.

"We're here!" Plagg called out.

15 kwamis popped up. Trixx, Pollen, Wayzz, Sass, Kaalki, Xuppu, Mullo, Longg, Fluff, Barkk, Daizzi, Stompp, Roarr, Ziggy, and Orikko greeted them.

"Hey, who's behind you?" Xuppu asked, spotting Unna.

"My name is Unna, and I'm the owl kwami! I brought a wooden puzzle!"

"She's not the reason we're here." Tikki said.

"Then what is?" Wayzz inquired.

"The reason is… They know."

Every kwami but Plagg and Tikki gasped. There was only one thing that Tikki would say with that much graveness. Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities weren't secret to them any more.

Chapter 2

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian was making her way to Ms. Bustier's class when she was stopped by Marc.

"Um, hi, Lillian." He said. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for trying to attack you the other day as Reverser."

"It's not your fault Marc. Hawk Moth is the one to blame." She told him.

"Also, I wish you and Nathaniel the best of luck."

Lillian frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you two dating?"

Lillian felt her face go red. "No… Why would you think that?"

"Because he dropped this in the park." Marc handed her a paper.

She gasped. It was a drawing of her as Brushstroke, but drawn around it were hearts of all sizes. One had lettering in it. "NK+LM?"

"Nathaniel Kurtzberg and Lillian Montgomery." Marc explained.

"Thank you Marc!" Lillian said, excitement dancing in her eyes. She clutched the drawing to her chest and ran off.

That evening, Lillian sat at her desk, doing her homework. After a little bit, she decided to get some fresh air. She grabbed a flashlight, her sketchbook, and some drawing utensils, and opened her window. She climbed up to a flat section of her roof and looked out on the city.

Lillian sighed contently. "Paris is more of a home than Alabama ever was." She remarked. She opened her sketchbook and Nathaniel's drawing fluttered out. "After all, it's where he is."

She noticed a dark figure on a nearby rooftop. Lillian flicked on her flashlight and the beam illuminated Cat Noir.

"What is he doing here? It's Ladybug's night to patrol." She said to Unna.

"I don't know, why don't you ask him?" Unna said.

"That's not a bad idea. Unna, wing it." Athena quickly made her way to her friend. "Nest time." She whispered quietly.

Lillian approached her friend. "I knew owls were nocturnal, but I didn't know cats were."

Cat Noir didn't turn around.  "Hi, Athena." He said glumly.

"Actually, it's Lillian." She sat down next to him. "What's wrong?"

He sighed. "It's partially about Marinette. Our relationship has become… Tested."

"Define 'tested'."

Cat Noir hesitated. "I-I shouldn't say. I'm already putting you and her in danger by talking to you about it."

"It always helps to talk." She told him.

"The thing is… There's a reason Ladybug and Marinette are never seen together."

Lillian's jaw dropped. "You mean she's-?"

He nodded. "Please don't tell her I said that."

"Don't worry." She smiled. "I'm good at keeping secrets. And you should write a note or something to her. So you can talk."

Chapter 3

Adrien Agreste

Later that night, Cat Noir headed back to his home. "Claws in." Adrien collapsed on his bed.

"Lillian's a good friend." He remarked.

"You said the same thing about Marinette." Plagg noted. "Are you just going to keep on switching girls?"

Adrien rolled his eyes. "No, Plagg. My heart belongs to Marinette. Besides, she loves Nathaniel and he loves her. They just don't know the other's feelings yet."

"Love is boring. Cheese is where it's at." The kwami gobbled up a slice of Camenbert.

"Well, I'm going to sleep. So finnish that cheese and settle down."

That morning before school, Adrien took Lillian's advice and prepared a note for Marinette.

*Marinette*

*Mysterious and beautiful, like the moon*

*Midnight blue, her hair shines so bright*

*And every waking hour, I hope to see her soon*

*Eyes that stand out like stars, and they fill me full of delight*

*Tomorrow, I'll still love her*

*Six years, I'll still pretty much too*

*So I just want to say, I love you*

*And to separate, will be never*

He underlined specific letters in each line with invisible ink, so that the underlined letters spelled out 'Marinette, meet me at Eiffel Tower, six PM. I love you, Adrien.'

Adrien put the poem in his bag and exited his room.

Chapter 4

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Marinette could barely keep her eyes open. She had spent most of the past nights thinking about what had happened a week ago. Of course she was grateful for Cat Noir saving her, and even more so that he had closed his eyes so he wouldn't see her, but she still felt it was all her fault.

"Girl, what's wrong? I've never seen you this tired before." Alya asked her.

"It's nothing… Just some sleepless nights…" Marinette murmured, almost falling asleep.

"Hey, Marinette." Adrien walked up to her. He looked worn down as well.

She smiled tiredly. "Hi, Adrien." She stood up to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Adrien smiled brightly. "Here, I made this for you." He handed her a piece of paper before sitting down.

Marinette read what he had written aloud. "Marinette. Mysterious and beautiful, like the moon, Midnight blue, her hair shines so bright, And every waking hour, I hope to see her soon, Eyes that stand out like stars, and they fill me full of delight, Tomorrow, I'll still love her, Six years, I'll still pretty much too, So I just want to say, I love you, And to separate, will be never."

"Your boyfriend's a model and a poet. What luck!" Alya said.

*He's a superhero, too.* Marinette added silently.

That afternoon, Marinette examined the poem at her desk. "Something about this seems a little off." She told Tikki.

"Maybe there's a message?" Tikki suggested.

"You might be right!" She fished out a blacklight and shone it on the paper. "Marinette, meet me at Eiffel Tower, six PM. I love you, Adrien." She smiled. "That sneaky cat has done it again."

"And he wrote you a love poem for it!"

Marinette looked at the time. "It's 5:50. I'm sure he wouldn't mind that I'm a little early. Tikki, spots on!" Ladybug quickly made her way to the tower.

Cat Noir was waiting for her there. "Hey, M- I mean Ladybug."

"Hi, Cat. I got your message. Why did you want to meet me?" Ladybug asked.

"So we could talk about… you know."

"Oh." She sat down next to him. "It's just so hard to wrap my mind around it. Just when life seems almost perfect, something comes to mess it all up again. In this case, it was knowing who you are."

"I know. First you were the girl I loved and the girl whose friendship mattered most to me, then you were my closest friend and my girlfriend, and now, it's a weird mix of both."

"How about being a couple both ways? We could just do what we usually do and hide our identities, and no one's the wiser." Ladybug suggested.

"That's not a bad idea. You're awesome, Bugaboo." He smiled at her.

For once, she didn't object to the name. She just rested her head on his shoulder and they looked out on Paris' glimmering lights.

Chapter 5

Lillian Montgomery

Athena watched Ladybug and Cat Noir from a distance. She smiled. They just seemed so… whole. She accessed the camera on her rope feather and snapped a picture of the two, then ran off, neither hero noticing her.

That night, she landed on her roof. "Nest time." She whispered, so she wouldn't wake her mother. She slipped into her room. Lillian pulled out her phone, where the picture had been transferred to.

"I might just send this to Alya." She mused, a slight gleam in her eyes. She quickly texted her friend the picture.

"Good night, Unna." She murmured before drifting off to sleep.

"Good night, Lillian." Her kwami said sleepily.

That morning, Lillian entered Collège Françoise Dupont. The whole school was abuzz about Ladybug and Cat Noir. Alya ran up to her.

"How did you get that picture? The Ladyblog has exploded thanks to you!"

"I have friends in high places." She replied.

"Come on! I have to know more!" Alya pleaded.

"My lips are sealed." She said, but smiled slightly. Lillian walked off.

Lillian slipped into the art classroom and put a note she had prepared that morning on Nathaniel's seat. She raced out the door to Ms. Bustier's class. "Hopefully I'll see you soon, Nathaniel." She murmured before entering the classroom.

Chapter 6

Nathaniel Kurtzberg

"Lillian? Is something wrong?" Nathaniel asked his seatmate. She was acting very strange.

"No, no. Everything's fine!" She stammered.

He raised an eyebrow but didn't press it.

Later in the day, he entered the art classroom. He found a letter on his seat. He opened it and read what was written.

*Dear Nathaniel,*

*I've pushed my feelings down for fear I'll ruin our friendship, but now I need to tell you something. If you meet me on the roof of the school tonight, you'll find what it is.*

*See you there,*

*MHL*

"Who could MHL be?" He wondered aloud.

"No clue, but you should check it out." Marc told him. "Someone must really want to tell you something."

"You have a point. I guess I'll meet him or her tonight."

True to his word, Nathaniel made his way to the roof that evening.

"Hello?" He called. "MHL?" He looked around.

"Hello, Nathaniel." A shadowy figure stepped into his view. She had a light pink skirt with darker pink feather designs that went down her knees, with an ankle-length train of the same pattern. Her top was teal and heart shaped. She wore a simple white sweater with some pink flower designs. The girl fully stepped into the fading sunlight.

Nathaniel gasped softly. "Lillian? You're MHL?"

She smiled. "MHL, Montgomery Hope Lillian. My initials backward."

"Why did you want to meet me? Where did you get that dress?"

"To answer your second question, Marinette made it. As for the first one…" She reached into her purse and pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper. "Marc gave this to me." Lillian handed it to him.

His heart skipped a beat. It was the same drawing he had dropped just before Marc had been akumatized.

"Is it true?" Lillian asked. "Do you… love me?"

Nathaniel felt like a deer struck by headlights. "I-I um. Err, uhhh… No! LM st-stands for um, Lee Marvins, my neighbor!" He was making the whole thing up, of course.

"I- oh." Her eyes lost their gleam and her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." She turned and left.

Chapter 7

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian couldn't bear to look at Nathaniel. Her hopes had been crushed.

"Lillian, I-I'm sorry." Nathaniel tried to talk to her.

She looked away. "It's fine…" She got up and took the hall pass. Lillian headed out the door and to the restroom.

In a stall, she began to sob, clutching Nathaniel's drawing. "I dared to hope, and now our friendship may never be repaired." The drawing got smudged by her tears.

"Lillian?" Marinette's voice echoed through. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." She said shakily.

"Okay…"

Lillian didn't notice the akuma heading for her until it was right in front of her. She let out an ear piercing scream as it entered the paper.

"Heartthrob, I am Hawk Moth." The villain spoke to her through her mind. "Your hopes of love have been crushed. I will give you the power to erase and replace love for any one you choose. In return, all I ask for are Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculouses. Do we have a deal?"

Lillian reached for her necklace, but not her miraculous. She pulled out the locket Adrien gave her for Christmas and looked at the two pictures inside. Her father and her friends.

"No!" She shouted. "I am Lillian! Lillian Hope Montgomery! I am not Heartthrob! You can't control me Hawk Moth!" She rebelled against the villain's power. "I am Ath- Kitsune!"

Hawk Moth fell silent and the akuma flew out of the drawing.

Lillian collapsed. She was vaguely aware of someone rushing in, and a pink light before blacking out.

Chapter 8

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

"Lillian? Are you okay?" Ladybug tried to awaken her friend. The akuma was long gone, but Lillian was still out cold.

"Spots off." She detransformed. If there was no akuma to catch, being Ladybug was pointless. Marinette managed to get Lillian upright and put one of her arms around her shoulders, so she was supporting her. She couldn't help be a bit in awe of Lillian. She'd never witnessed someone successfully resist an akuma before, though Ms. Bustier had come close.

"Oh, Cat Noir, Adrien, whatever, if there was ever a time I needed you, it's now…" She murmured as she got out of the restroom.

As if summoned, she heard his voice. "Marinette? What's going on? Ms. Bustier sent me to check up on you two."

She looked up to see Adrien on the floor above. "She fought off an akuma." She explained.

"She what?!" Adrien rushed down. "No one's ever done that before, right?"

"Ms. Bustier came close, but otherwise, it hasn't happened to my knowledge."

"Did you capture it?"

"It was gone when I got in there. Now, can you help me with Lillian?"

"Sure thing." He grabbed Lillian's arm and together they walked off, supporting their friend.

They were almost to Ms. Bustier's door when Lillian began to moan. "Marinette? Adrien? Wh-what's going on?"

"You fought off an akuma. That's no easy feat." She told her friend.

"And what's Adrien doing here?"

"When you didn't return soon, Ms. Bustier sent me to check up on you two." Adrien explained.

Lillian attempted to stand. At first she was wobbly, but she quickly regained balance. She gave them a grateful look and entered the classroom.

Chapter 9

Chloé Bourgeois

Chloé clenched her fists in anger as she watched Lillian be surrounded by admiring classmates. She had become instantly popular once she had told them what had happened.

"Fighting off an akuma? Puh-lease. That's not so special! I've done it before." She cried out.

The class stared at her doubtfully.

"Sure, you did, Chloé, and I'm Ladybug." Alix said, the sarcasm so thick you could almost see it.

The class burst into laughter. Even Sabrina couldn't hold it in.

Chloé stormed off, furious.

In her room, her anger only increased as she surfed the web. All everyone was talking about was either Lillian's picture of Ladybug and Cat Noir or Lillian's feat of fighting off the akuma. The little nobody from nowhere had somehow achieved city-wide fame… or something like that. The picture of the two heroes only infuriated her more.

Chloé banged her fist on her desk. She didn't notice the black butterfly until it had entered her necklace.

"Ahh, Miss Chloé Bourgeois. How nice to see you again." She heard the villain speak in her mind.

Chloé grinned. "Hawk Moth, it's good to see you too. I assume you want to give me powers?" She asked nonchalantly.

Hawk Moth chuckled. "Bright as ever, Miss Bourgeois. Like the Roman goddess Minerva, you have excellent tactics. Now it's time to put them to use. I shall give you the power to perfectly impersonate any hero or villain of your choosing. You can infiltrate the heroes and take them down from the inside. All I ask for in return are Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculouses. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, Hawk Moth."

Chapter 10

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian sighed as she sat on her roof. The day had been tiring, and not just because of the akuma. Chloé had gotten extremely jealous about her feat, and nearly everyone else had crowded around her for the rest of the day. The only people who kept their space were Marinette and Adrien, obviously, and Nathaniel.

She pulled out the drawing. "I have no one to blame but me…" She murmured. A tear slid down her cheek and splotched the paper.

Unna flew up next to her. "Would it make you feel better if I called him a poopy head?" She asked innocently.

Lillian managed a weak smile. "I thought Storm was the poopy head."

"Yeah, well, that poopy head isn't here right now, so he can be the poopy head!"

She laughed out loud, but quickly slipped back into her gloom. "Thanks, Unna, but it doesn't change that Nathaniel loves someone else."

She heard the familiar *sheik* of Cat Noir's staff.

"I knew cats were nocturnal, but I didn't know owls were." He said from behind her.

"Ha ha ha." She said flatly. "Not as good as mine."

"I just wanted to check up on you. I mean, fighting off an akuma is no easy feat, not to mention the extra baggage of being a hero." He sat down next to her.

"Truth be told, I don't think I could've managed it if I didn't have this." Lillian pulled out her locket and opened it, revealing the two pictures that resided inside.

"Is that your dad?" He asked, pointing at the first picture. "You look like him."

She looked fondly at it. Her father was grinning as he held a baby Lillian, while Cristine Montgomery, her mother, was laughing as she draped her arm on her husband's shoulder. "Yeah," She finally said. "That's him."

"There's something else bothering you." Cat Noir said. "What is it?"

"You seem to know everything. You tell me."

"Someone once told me that it always helps to talk."

She gave him a dirty look. "Now you're just teasing." She sighed and showed him the drawing.

"Brushstroke? Why do you have a drawing of her?"

"I've had a crush on Nathaniel for what seems like forever, and Marc gave this to me about 4 days ago. He said it meant he had a crush on me too…" She found herself spilling everything to Cat Noir.

He listened patiently to her. When she had finished, he opened his mouth to say something, but a new, yet strangely familiar voice interrupted him.

"Well, well, well. Has the tomcat found himself a new molly?"

They looked up to see a girl leaning against a wall on the roof of a nearby building. She had a skintight suit that was white on the top half, and light blue on the bottom. The colors were divided by a curved v shape that laid slightly above her waist. On her shoulders, she had silver-blue feather designs that looked like wings. A blue rope threaded with black was wrapped around her waist. There was a mask that followed the same color scheme as the rest of the suit. She had short brown hair with white tips, and bright blue eyes. Underneath the rope were five fabric tail feathers.

With a start, Lillian realized the girl was a perfect duplicate of her. Well, Athena.

"I'll stall her, you transform and find Ladybug." Cat Noir whispered to her.

It was obvious that they were thinking the same thing. The girl, whoever she was, was either akumatized, the product of an akumatized villain, or a sentimonster, none of which could be resolved without the spotted heroine.

Chapter 11

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Ladybug made her way across the city on patrol. The moon shone bright and full, which made her think of the time she and Adrien had danced in New York. During nights like this, her mind was clear. No worries about how to juggle her civilian and superhero lives, no fretting if someone other than Adrien discovered her identity. Nothing.

Of course, like all seemingly perfect moments, it had to be ruined.

"Look out!" A girl's voice shattered the tranquil.

Ladybug looked up to see Athena spiraling towards her, but light blue bird wings held her slightly aloft.

"Whirlwind!" Athena used her power to cushion her plummet, but she still wound up face planting next to the spotted hero.

Ladybug rushed to help her friend up. "Athena! Is something wrong?"

"Akuma. Cat Noir. Montgomery." She panted out, trying to catch her breath.

"Akuma?" She echoed, alarmed. "You mean there's an akumatized villain?"

Athena nodded. "I think so. Looks just like me." Her breaths were becoming steadier.

"Okay. Where is it? Do you know who? And since when did you have wings?" The last question was definitely not necessary, but she'd just blurted it out.

"Montgomery place. Nope. Discovered them a few weeks ago. Still not used to them."

"Got it." She readied her yoyo, but paused. "Do you need to recharge?"

"Nah. Got four minutes to use whirlwind, and then five minutes until I detransform."

"Good. Let's find Cat Noir and your doppelganger."

Chapter 12

Adrien Agreste

Adrien groaned as he pushed himself up. The moment that he had shown suspicion of the fake Athena, she had judo flipped him into the alley. He looked at his hands, which no longer sported the clawed gloves of Cat Noir. Furthermore, there was no silver ring or a tiny cat whining for cheese.

"No, no, no, no!" He scrambled around, searching for the ring.

"Cat Noir?"

He swiveled his head up to see who had spoken. It was Ladybug. His face immediately lit up, but it quickly fell when he saw she wasn't looking at him.

"Where's the villain?" Ladybug asked.

He heard his own voice respond, "I don't know. She over*paw*ered me."

Adrien cringed as he heard that clawful pun.

"She was wearing this ring though. I don't know why, but it's purrplexingly like mine,"

This time, both Ladybug and Athena groaned, but Adrien froze. The fake Athena/Cat Noir had his ring.

"Did you see where she went?" Athena asked.

He wanted to yell out that the villain was right in front of them, but he couldn't risk drawing attention to himself.

He couldn't go back to the mansion. He was sure of that. Even if he was let in at this hour, no doubt he'd have to explain where he was.

The obvious answer came to him. The Dupain-Cheng Bakery. Sabine and Tom treated him like their own son. They'd surely let him stay until things were settled.

Ladybug and Athena were still talking to the fake him, so the coast was clear.

He quickly made his way to the bakery he visited so often.

Adrien knocked on the locked door, praying that Marinette's parents would be able to hear him.

He heard footsteps, and soon, Sabine Cheng unlocked the door.

"Adrien? What on earth are you doing here?" She exclaimed.

"Akuma."

That one word caused him to be pulled inside the bakery. There, Tom and Sabine fussed over him.

"Please let me get Plagg back…" He murmured once he was alone. "Please."

Chapter 13

Lillian Montgomery

Something was off about Cat Noir, but Athena couldn't place it. Ladybug seemed to notice whatever it was too, as there was a slight frown on her face, but she tried to pass it off as thinking.

Athena began to think. If the villain could look like her, who's to say they couldn't look like Cat Noir?

"Say, Cat Noir, could I take a look at that ring?" She asked innocently.

"No."

"But we're friends, aren't we?"

"Just give her the ring, Cat. What could she do with it?" Ladybug said.

Cat Noir grumbled, but handed the identical ring over.

Athena examined the ring closely, comparing it to the one on Cat Noir before her. She couldn't find a single difference. But there was one last thing to do to make sure her theory was correct.

She slipped on the ring.

Instantly, it became gold with a circular teal stone in the center. A green ball of light shot out, and faded to reveal the black cat kwami.

"Impostor!" Ladybug shouted. "What have you done with the real Cat Noir?"

"Oh, I just deprived him of his miraculous, just like I'm going to do with you!" The fake Cat Noir morphed into a girl with long brown hair and a fox ensemble.

"Lila!"

Volpina lunged forward, aiming at Ladybug, but Athena leapt at her. The two tangled, but Volpina soon overpowered her and snagged her necklace.

Lillian was tossed into the alley. She groaned as she picked herself up, watching the last of her suit disappear.

She heard a strangled gasp from behind her. Lillian whirled around to see Nathaniel, staring at her, wide eyed and pale as a ghost.

"L-Lillian?" He stammered.

"Nathaniel, this isn't what it looks like. I was, uh…"

"Fighting an akumatized villain with Ladybug and Cat Noir?" He supplied. "You're not a good liar, Lillian."

She groaned. "Please don't tell anyone about this."

"I can keep a secret." He told her.

"Cheese?" Plagg whined.

"What was that!?"

Lillian face palmed. "Plagg, you should know that I don't carry cheese. I'm not Cat Noir, so normally it's not my responsibility to feed you."

"W-who's Plagg?"

"Me." Plagg flew out from behind Lillian. "Kwami of Destruction, nice to meet you. Do you have cheese?"

"Plagg!" She scolded. "I'm not sure what Cat Noir tells you, but you can't just go up to someone and ask for cheese." She blinked, finally taking in the full situation. "Nathaniel, I'm going to need you to keep another secret for me."

"Oh no."

"Plagg, claws out!"

Chapter 14

Nathaniel Kurtzberg

*I'm in love with a superhero. The girl I love is a literal superhero. Why does that somehow make sense?* Nathaniel's mind reeled as he stared at the girl in front of him. *I go to try to clear things up with Lillian and I discover the identity of one of Paris' superheroes.*

"Nathaniel?" Lillian asked. "I know this is a lot to take in, and I don't blame you. I know what it's like to have your world turned upside down, but I've always gotten through it. And if I can do that, so can you."

Her normally blue-green eyes were now green like a cat's. Her brown hair was longer and  braided with a single green streak going through it. She donned black fabric cat ears edged with green. She had smooth black clawed gloves trimmed in green. Two crisscrossing lines of green wrapped around her waist, to the back of which a silver staff and a black fabric cat tail were attached. Her black boots reached her knees, and had green wedges that gave her extra height.

He blushed. "Th-thanks, Lillian, o-or Athena, or, uh-"

"Lillian is fine for now." She turned around.

"Wait!" He grabbed her arm. "Be careful. Please."

She smiled. "I'll do my best, but you know about my history of face planting." She said with a twinkle in her eyes. "But only if you promise to stay safe as well."

"I-I will.''

"Thank you, Nathaniel." And, before he saw it coming, Lillian kissed him on the cheek. "And it's okay that you love someone else. We can always be just friends."

With that, Lillian used her staff to vault up and out of sight.

Nathaniel stared at the space she had been. "But I don't want to be just friends." He whispered softly.

Chapter 15

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Ladybug was pinned down by Volpina. She couldn't shake her grip.

"Once I have your miraculous, I will be unstoppable!" She proclaimed with triumph, cackling evilly.

"But you forgot the Black Cat!" A girl shouted.

A figure in black smashed into Volpina, knocking the villain off of Ladybug.

"Cat Noir?"

"Nope. I'm way sassier and funnier, but I have the green eyes and the cat attire." The girl in black said, standing up. "You can call me Katrina, because I'm a force to be reckoned with."

"Athena?" She asked incredulously, because there was no one else who would challenge Cat Noir's sass and puns. "But how?"

"Chloé might've gotten my necklace, but she forgot that I still had Cat Noir's ring." She said.

"Wait, *Chloé*?"

"Why don't you take a look at 'Volpina' over there?"

Ladybug looked to where the villain was knocked to, and just like Katrina had said, Chloé was lying where Volpina should have been.

"How did you manage to land a hit? She managed to overpower all three of us before. What makes this time different?"

"My guess is that her power is to impersonate any hero or villain, so the fact that I'm using a different miraculous means she can't know how I'll act to different people because she doesn't know who I am."

"You know, you joke around so much that I sometimes forget how smart you are."

"Wing it, whirlwind, and nest time. Unna eats candy." Katrina tossed the Owl Miraculous to her.

"Wha- but shouldn't I purify the akuma?"

"You mean the one that's gone?"

"Oh." She said, seeing that Chloé was indeed gone. "Alright. Just don't look." Ladybug ducked out of sight. "Spots off."

"What's going on?" The ladybug kwami asked after being fed a macaroon.

"It's a long story, Tikki, but I'm going to need you to get these to Cat Noir." Marinette took off her earrings. "Athena, or Katrina, has a plan."

The kwami nodded in understanding. "I'll do my best to find him." With that, Tikki flew off.

Marinette put on the necklace she held. "Hello, there, Unna. I'm going to need your miraculous' abilities. And yes, Athena okay-ed this."

"Do you at least have candy?"

"Unna!" Katrina scolded from afar.

Marinette laughed. "No, but I do have cookies. Unna, wing it!"

Chapter 16

Adrien Agreste/Nathaniel Kurtzberg

Adrien stood on Marinette's balcony, trying to see if he could spot Ladybug or Athena, or maybe, if by some miracle, Plagg. He didn't like feeling so helpless. He'd felt enough of that in the mansion before Plagg came along.

"Adrien? Are you sure you're okay?" Sabine asked, having climbed through the trapdoor.

"Yeah. I'm just worried. That's all."

Sabine smiled. "You have a good heart, Adrien."

"Thanks, Sabine." He smiled weakly as Marinette's mother descended down. *Why can't Father be more like that?* He thought. *Just someone who is supportive and kind. Is that too much to ask?*

He was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't notice the little red kwami until she hissed his name.

"Adrien!"

He looked over to see none other than Tikki, who was holding the earrings.

"Tikki? Why do you have the earrings? Is Marinette alright? Is Plagg okay? What about Athena?"

"Everyone is fine." Tikki assured him. "But in order to defeat this villain, there needs to be a change of the miraculous. Athena recovered Plagg, and Ladybug is using Unna. They need you to become Mister Bug."

"Alright. Where are they?" He asked, taking the miraculous.

"Waiting for you at the Eiffel Tower."

"Got it. Tikki, spots on!"

Nathaniel sat at his desk in his room, his cheek still warm from Lillian's kiss.

"I can't just let her fight alone." He said aloud. "She doesn't have the experience with the Cat Miraculous." Nathaniel sighed heavily. "Why can't I be a superhero?"

He stared at his sketchbook, looking at all the different heroes he had drawn. And not just the ones that Paris knew.

Many of his pages were filled with designs for Brushstroke. Nathaniel sighed again. "If I were Mightillustrator, I could just draw whatever I needed to save the day."

A thought occurred to him. "But I might be able to find someone who could!"

He hopped onto his computer and did a quick search of the residents of Montgomery, Alabama in the past year. He then cross-checked those names with the residents of Paris in the past year. Only six names popped up, but only two of them were important to his search: Flora Mayfield and Carol Mayfield.

Another quick search told him that only Flora was about his age.

Nathaniel printed out the address and went out the door. He was off to find Tropic Storm.

Chapter 17

Flora Mayfield

"Flora?" Her father called up. "A boy is here to see you."

"Ooooooh! Flora has a boyfriend! Flora has a boyfriend! Flora and that boy sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes the love, then comes the marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage! But that's not all, but that's all-"

"Carson, shut up." She grumbled as she made her way to the door.

She opened it to see a boy about her age with red hair that covered one of his eyes.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Nathaniel Kurtzberg, and I'm looking for Tropic Storm."

Flora felt the blood drain from her face. Could this boy actually know she was Tropic Storm?

She decided to play dumb. "I don't know who that is."

"And the girl I love isn't Athena."

"Lillian doesn't have a boyfriend." She said. "Oh poop."

"She needs help."

"I've retired. I can't be in Montgomery, and I'm not needed here."

"Do you have any idea how hard it is just having to sit by while someone you love risks their life? Because that's what I'm going through. This villain managed to take her miraculous."

Flora subconsciously reached for her comb. She could tell that the boy had pure intentions, but could she really trust him? But then again, Lillian needed her, and she couldn't just abandon her friend.

She sighed and took the comb from her hair. "The Flamingo Miraculous is very powerful, make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. I will only give this to you one time, and you have to promise to return it to me."

Nathaniel's eyes widened. "You're- you're giving it to me?"

"Only to help Lillian. Promise that you'll help her."

"I promise I will."

"Thank you." Flora recalled the words the guardian of Sunny's Miracle Box had taught her if she ever were to give a miraculous to another. "Nathaniel Kurtzberg, here is the Miraculous of the Flamingo which grants the power of Creativity. You will use it for the greater good. Once the mission is over, you'll return the miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

"I will do everything I can to help Lillian and the others."

She handed him the comb. "Now go. Help her."

Chapter 18

Lillian Montgomery

Katrina vaulted over Chloé, who was masked as Riposte, narrowly dodging a slash from her sword.

"You hoo! Over here!" Ladybug yelled, waving her arms. "Bet you can't catch me!"

Chloé growled and lunged at the heroine, but Ladybug was too quick.

"Hey, wanna-bee! Try me instead!" She shouted. Their plan was basically to keep Chloé occupied until Mister Bug showed up.

She blew a large raspberry at the villain, being at her utmost peak of being annoying and irritating, which was pretty high.

She wasn't sure how long they would be able to keep it up, though, as Chloé was getting wise to them.

"Now, how did that vixen put it? Oh yes," She laughed sadistically and shifted to a form that she knew all too well. "I am Minerva. I have power over everything and everyone."

Katrina froze. She knew exactly what Minerva was referencing. "No." She whispered. "No, no, no."

"Katrina?" Ladybug had rushed to her side. "Katrina, what is it?"

She didn't answer. She had never let on how much Hecate had impacted her. She still had nightmares about the villain, even though she had been defeated nearly six months ago.

"Katrina, I don't know what's wrong, but if you don't move soon, Minerva will get your miraculous!"

"Too late!"

She stood frozen as Minerva lunged for her ring.

"You know, I thought you were traumatizing enough even when you weren't akumatized, but Athena certainly thinks otherwise." A voice called as a quill whizzed by, stopping the villain.

Katrina was shaken out of her stupor. "St-Storm?" She stammered. She would recognize that quill anywhere.

"Tropic Storm is retired. I'm a one-time holder. Call me Mightillustrator."

Chapter 19

Nathaniel Kurtzberg

Mightillustrator had to fight a smile as Katrina stormed over to him. Her furious face just didn't look all that scary with the cat costume.

"You promised you would stay safe!" She yelled.

"Civilian me promised. Mightillustrator didn't." He replied. "And I couldn't just stand by."

"I can handle this. You've never wielded a miraculous before. I can't let you get hurt, Nath- Mightillustrator." She said in a much softer tone.

"And neither can I."

Katrina's face suddenly flushed bright red. "I- uh-" She tripped over her words.

He laughed. "You're starting to sound like Marinette."

"Y-yeah. I guess I am." She laughed self consciously.

Neither of them said anything for a moment, creating a highly awkward silence. Subconsciously, though, they were slowly drawing closer.

The pair locked eyes, cat green upon aquamarine. An unsaid message passed between them.

Is this really happening? His thoughts raced. Am I really going to-? His thoughts were interrupted by a snobbish voice.

"Just kiss already!" Minerva called.

Katrina simply shrugged, and, just like before, she kissed him. But this time it wasn't on the cheek.

Mightillustrator and Katrina locked hands, and for that moment, nothing in the world mattered other than the fact that they were together at last.

"Does this mean we're dating now?" She asked as they pulled back.

He grinned. "It absolutely does." And with that, he kissed the girl he had fallen in love with once again.

Chapter 20

Gabriel Agreste

Hawk Moth scowled as the purified akuma fluttered back to his liar. When Minerva had been distracted by the two heroes kissing, the obnoxious Mister Bug had managed to break the necklace that the akuma had infected.

"One day. One day very soon, I will get your miraculouses, Ladybug and Cat Noir." He vowed. "No matter how many heroes join you, the villains will always outnumber and overpower you."

"Sir?" Nathalie asked, approaching him. "Perhaps you should stop. People are becoming more resilient to your akumas. Today was the second time you tried to akumatize that Lillian girl, and also the second time someone managed to resist your akuma. You might just have to accept that Emilie is gone."

He sighed. "Nooroo, dark wings fall." Gabriel turned to Nathalie. "But with every new akuma, I learn something new about those heroes. Things that I can use against them. Like with Hecate. The only reason they won was because of Athena. And now with Minerva, I now know that one of her deepest fears is Hecate."

"Sir? What are you getting at?"

"I won't rest until I have her back, Nathalie. I will do whatever it takes to be with her again."

"Sir?" Nathalie asked again.

"It might be time to call on Miss Rossi's talents again."

"Are you sure?"

"For Emilie, anything."

He didn't notice Nooroo and Duusu exchange worried looks.

End of Book Three