A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love

After succesfully recruiting Alabaster C. Torrington and Jacqueline O'Lantern's Ala Alba faction, Basil Hawkins has to face his toughest challenge yet: ex-girlfriend!

Chapter One
The day started slowly in the Shadowcrest, mostly because of Jack Rakan's absence. Without his usual morning training routine, the rest of the house was granted with additional three hours of sleep, Morpheus and Hypnos be praised.

Theo was the first one to wake up. She quietly dropped the silk, green bed sheet and - placing a gentle kiss on her fiancée's cheek - went downstairs to fix some breakfast for everybody. Although the house was usually  operating on 'everyone-makes-his-own-food' policy, Theo felt a need to cook today. Being the daughter of Aphrodite she was 'practically perfect in every way' as said by Basil's grandfather which always made her smile, considering Mary Poppins being one of her favorite movies. However, the only thing she didn't even try to pretend to be good at was cooking; of course, she managed to make some basic dishes but it wasn't anything fancy or restaurant quality. With that in mind, she decided to make today something good for the entire family.

When she entered the kitchen, she noticed Seth sitting, or rather sleeping, by the table. Her violet dye was slowly wearing off, revealing her mousy brown hair spread across the table's surface. She had a simple, white tank top and a loose grey pajama bottom which made her look like she just completed a morning training, although Theo knew that was far from truth; Seth might've been an athletic person but she was possibly the second laziest person in the house.

Only my Basil can top you - she thought. She ruffled the other girl's hair which made the head raise a bit. With bags under her half-closed eyes and a small stream of drool in the mouth's corner she looked like a victim of a crazy party which just ended.

"Huh, hey Theo." Seth yawned, scratching the top of her head. "Where am I?"

"Shadowcrest?" Daughter of Aphrodite tilted her head to the side. "The kitchen?"

"Oh, good." She replied. "So I've made it home. Coffee?"

"Coming right up." Theo smiled. "Rough night?"

"Our target is a real party animal." Seth muttered. "Jack's right now with her during the day so I can sleep."

Theo chuckled as she recalled the unusual request they've received. One of the alumni of Camp Half-Blood, son of Athena, asked Ala Rubra to protect his daughter until her satyr appears. From the start, the girl turned out to be quite a princess; demanding and snobby. However, the coin was good so Stephanie and Jack accepted the job.

The noise upstairs alerted Theo that Basil was awake and in the shower. That means she has about ten minutes to finish breakfast.

"Good morning, ragazze." A man entered the kitchen; he had grey hair combed back, a prominent black moustache and vibrant green eyes. His voice was a little raspy with distinctive Italian accent. It was really a rare occasion for him to come downstairs.

"Mr. Hawkins," Theo greeted Basil's grandfather with a smile. "That's a pleasant surprise. Planning to eat with us?"

"Morning, Mr. H." Seth waved at him carelessly.

"I've just come to give you this." John Hawkins placed three red envelopes on the table right before Seth. "Looked important, so I thought you may want to take a look."

"Fancy." Seth muttered, gazing at one of the envelopes.

"Morning, everybody." Basil Hawkins joined the kitchen. His green eyes, sandy brown hair and five o' clock shadow made Theo's heart skip a beat. As always, her fiancée was looking amazing. He wore plain white t-shirt, loose pants and green slippers on bare feet.

"Hey, Basil." Theo smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Looking good, handsome." Seth chuckled, giving him a bump to the shoulder. "In for another wizard hunting today?"

"Was going to," Basil nodded. "Well, I've already convinced Alabaster and Jackie, that's a good sign." He looked at the table. "What's this?"

"Dunno." Seth replied. "Looks nice though."

Basil grabbed one of the envelopes and opened it. Inside, was a purple piece of paper with a text in golden ink.

The Silver Lion Club wishes to invite Mr. Basil Hawkins to a special musical performance of the amazing Jasmine Night  July 7th, 9 p.m. 

"Well, it's an invitation. Personalized even." Basil said, scratching his chin. Seth grabbed another envelope since none of them were signed

"This one's for Theo." She said, handing the invitation to the daughter of Aphrodite, who opened the last one.

"And this one's Jack's." Theo said.

"Gramps," Basil looked at John. "Ever heard of this Silver Lion place?"

"Si," Older wizard nodded. "It's a jazz club in New Orleans; I did a couple of shows there, nothing special."

"Hey, wait." Seth placed a finger on Basil's invitation. "July 7th. It's today."

"Whoever sent this expects us to travel from Manhattan to New Orleans in less than 12 hours." Basil said.

"It would take at least 20 by car." John said. "Which means person who sent it knows about your magic, Basil."

[WORK IN PROGRESS]