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Chapter Text

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Throbbing head pain. That was the first thing Leonardo felt as he peeled his eyes open. It felt like he’d been hit by a truck… had he? He took a moment to mentally assess himself. He shifted his legs cautiously, feeling cold brick on his skin. Other than the pain in his head, the rest of his body felt intact, if not just stiff. Had he somehow fainted on the floor of the lair?

The turtle moved to sit up, groaning quietly as he rubbed his hand on his head. He slowly blinked a few times, trying to focus his vision. It was dim, not dissimilar to the lair, but wherever he was, he wasn’t home. It appeared to be a tunnel—brick lined the floor and the walls as they reached a curved ceiling. Torches rested on both walls, running down the length of the tunnel, flickering gently and causing Leo’s shadow to bounce off the wall behind him. He was sitting at some kind of dead end.

< Oh, good! It appears we are all awake now. >

Leonardo shot himself to his feet immediately, drawing his twin katana out in one swift motion.

“Who’s there?!” he demanded, staring down the tunnel, though no figure revealed themself to him.

< How barbaric! Do you go straight to drawing your swords for every disembodied voice you first hear? >

“Disembodied voice?” Leo mumbled, lowering his weapons slightly.

< Indeed. You are just hearing my voice in your mind, Sir Leonardo. >

That caused Leo’s defense to go back up. “How do you know my name?”

The voice seemed to scoff. < Why wouldn’t I know the name of my dear participants? That would make me quite the rude host, no? >

 “I have no idea what you’re talking about. ‘Participants’? Where am I?”

< Oh dear, I’m so excited that I’d nearly forgotten to properly greet you all! Esteemed participants, welcome to the Labyrinth. >

Labyrinth? Have I been dropped in the middle of a maze? Leo thought, glancing over his surroundings again. He had no recollection of being brought here. Judging by his condition when he first woke up, he may have been knocked out, or drugged. But there was no memory of him being attacked, either. His head pulsed again with pain, and Leo shut his eyes and grit his teeth. Thinking too hard seemed to have hurt his head.

< I am Lord Minos, the Master of the Maze. But you may simply call me Lord Minos…What was that you said?…Hm, that is true, but ‘Master of the Maze’ has a pleasant alliteration to it, does it not? >

“I…didn’t say anything,” Leo replied, puzzled.

< Oh, apologies, Sir Leonardo, that comment was not directed towards you. Your purple brother, Sir Donatello, was noting that mazes and labyrinths are technically two different things. >

“Donnie’s here?!” Leo’s eyes widened.

< Indeed! As is Sir Raphael and Sir Michelangelo. >

“Are they alright?! Where are my brothers?!”

< Halt, halt, HALT! > The voice boomed, interrupting Leonardo’s questions. < I am but one ethereal voice! I can hardly answer any question when the four of you are all yelling them incessantly at once! >

The voice calmed. < Sir Leonardo, we will start with you. Your brothers are indeed healthy. And for the rest of you, Sir Leonardo is in good health, as well. >

“And my other question. Where are my brothers?” Leo reminded, growing impatient.

< If I tell you that, Sir Leonardo, it would hardly be any fun. No more questions from you! Sir Raphael? >

< … I said I would entertain your questions , Sir Raphael, not your threats. >

Leo exhaled through his nose in quiet amusement. If Don was correcting the voice and Raph threatening it, then he can confirm that those two are alright, just like Minos had said.

< …Well if it is pitch black where you are, then why don’t you go somewhere brighter? Or borrow a torch from the wall and see if you come across any way to light it. You’re welcome to use anything you find in the Labyrinth. Have you another question? >

…

< …You are quite amusing, Sir Raphael. I am ‘in your head’ because I am the master of this labyrinth, as I said, and so in being participants within my labyrinth you have become part of this domain, and thus I am your master as well. That is all I will say on that for now. Sir Michelangelo? >

Leo wondered to himself what Minos had meant by that. Being the “master” of a place…that doesn’t explain why it seems as if they were only hearing the voice of Minos in their heads. Although, by their matter-of-fact tone, the Master of the Maze seemed to have thought it was only common sense.

< That is indeed quite the ‘pickle,’ as you called it! Of course, I know how far down it goes, but even if I told you, you would have to ‘take the leap’ either way. Clever play on words, wouldn’t you agree? >

Leo quirked a brow up. It was difficult to make out the exact situation that Mikey was in based on the one-sided interaction he heard…but it sounds like his younger brother may be stuck. He didn’t like the way the voice was egging Mikey into doing something…

“Minos, can you tell Mikey to wait there?”

< Sir Leonardo, I told you no more questions. And it is Lord Minos. >

Leonardo crossed his arms. “It was a request, not a question.”

< Nay, it was a question, and as I said I will no longer entertain your questions! > Minos whined. < Do you have any other questions, Sir Michelangelo? >

Leo frowned. Minos was clearly an unreliable way to communicate with his brothers…was this the only way he could talk to them? …No, it wasn’t! In fact, he could try to contact Master Splinter, and Casey and April, too! Hell, how could he have forgotten about his shell cell?! He patted the sides of his belt.

“It’s gone…” Leonardo mumbled in disbelief, “Where is my shell cell, Minos?!”

Leo’s eyes blew wide as he suddenly stopped breathing. He opened his mouth, trying to yell again, but only choked sounds escaped him as he brought his hands to his throat.

< I said no more questions from you , Sir Leonardo. Do you really not understand such a simple statement? >

More strangled noises slipped out of Leo’s lips as he struggled against the force stopping his breathing. It didn’t feel like someone was choking him, nor did it feel like his throat had abruptly closed up…it felt as if he had simply chosen to hold his breath. But even though he begged his brain to take a breath, his mind betrayed him, and continued to constrict his lungs until there was no air left inside of him.

< I did not wish to punish you either, Sir Leonardo. But I believe with some stern discipline, even the most disobedient dogs can be trained to behave . >

Leo’s knees wobbled as the corners of his vision started to turn black.

< …What was that, Sir Michelangelo? Stop hurting your brother? You needn’t worry, I had no intentions to kill him. But since I like you, I will oblige. >

The blue clad turtle fell to his knees as he took in a large gulp of air. It was as if he had suddenly remembered how to breathe again. He wiped the drool that had slipped out of his mouth with the back of his hand, panting hard as he tried to wrap his brain around what just happened.

< Sir Leonardo, I do hope I have made my request clear now. No more questions from you. Do you finally understand? >

“...Yes…” Leo mumbled, still catching his breath.

< ‘Yes’ what? > The voice sounded like a mother chastising their child. It made Leo clench his teeth angrily.

“Yes , I will not ask any more questions… Lord Minos,” he added emphatically at the end.

< Good dog. > They mocked. < Sir Donatello, I will answer your questions now. >

…

< Ah, you are very astute, Sir Donatello. Yes, I am indeed the fabled king of Crete, and I can confirm that this is my labyrinth. >

The next words the voice said through Leonardo’s head sounded deeply amused.

< …Indeed, the Minotaur is here. >

Minos’s voice sounded like ice, and it caused Leo’s blood to run cold. Don knew about this stuff a lot better than Leo did, but he knew what the Minotaur was. A beast—half man, half bull—from Greek mythology that was contained within a labyrinth, and killed everyone who entered. But that’s exactly what the monster was—a myth. There was no Minotaur…and there was no Minos. Were he and his brothers somehow entrapped with a bull mutant? He wouldn’t put it past someone like Agent Bishop to pull off a stunt like this. 

Though that would not explain the strange voice of Minos in their heads. But if it is Bishop, he shouldn’t be so quick to trust what the voice says. This could all be some kind of elaborate ploy, and his brothers aren’t here after all. Either way, in the end, he will have to scour the entire labyrinth to be sure.

< Do not conflate fables with the full truth, dear participants. > Minos had begun to talk to all of them. < Yes, the Minotaur is here. But not in the way you think. >

< One amongst you four is my precious bull. They will work on my behalf to ensure that the rest of you never leave this place alive. >

What? One of them, a bull? What the hell is he talking about? Leo thought. Last he checked, he and his brothers were all turtles. Although, who knows how long he’s been unconscious for, maybe something really did happen to one of them while Leo was knocked out… 

“You’re insane,” Leo blurted out before he could stop himself.

< That is not the first time I’ve been called that, Sir Leonardo. Countless warrior families had called me all sorts of hardly scathing insults before succumbing to their own insanity and ripping themselves apart within these walls. So much for bonds, eh? >

< And there’s no reason for me to lie to you, Sir Raphael. I had commanded your blue brother Sir Leonardo to stop breathing just earlier, and I’m sure he will attest to that when—if—the two of you reconvene. I am your master. It hardly takes any effort on my end to have one of you become a bloodthirsty beast. > Minos snickered.

Well, there was no use in standing idly. He had to make sure his brothers were alright…and learn more about the situation they were placed in. Leonardo gazed down the long hall, into the darkness ahead. Taking a steady breath, he put on a brave face and began walking down the drawn-out hallway.

< In any case, do be careful if you run into any of your brethren while exploring the Labyrinth. You don’t know who is a turtle and who is a bull, after all.  >

Chapter Text

♥

“Stupid fuckin’ maze…stupid fuckin’ Minos…” Raph grumbled as he blindly groped at the wall. After a moment, his fingers brushed wood, and he yanked the unlit torch out of its holder with more force than necessary.

< It’s Lord Minos. Honestly, this is the third time I’ve had to repeat this… >

“Whatevah,” Raph waved his hand dismissively as he continued forward in the darkness. From the little wandering he did while the Master of the Maze was answering their questions earlier, he had woken up in the middle of a hallway, stretching in two opposite directions, but both ways were fully enveloped in darkness. Although, even if he could see a damn thing, it probably wouldn’t have made a difference anyway; he would have no idea which fucking way to go.

While Raph would be inwardly ecstatic to come across any of his brothers as he walked, he was secretly hoping to run into Leo. The way Minos had said he “punished” him and called his brother a dog left a lump of discomfort settle in the pit of Raph’s stomach. Even if he was injured, his dangerously selfless older sibling would continue to exert himself in order to ensure the safety of the rest of them. Raph had to make sure Leo wasn’t hurting himself even more in the process.

< Sir Raphael, I sense that you’re lonely. Would you like some company? >

“You can take your damn company and shove it.”

< I don’t understand…Shove it where? >

“Up your—AGH, FUCK!” Raph yelled in frustration after his face had hit solid brick. He rubbed his sore snout and let out a string of other expletives under his breath.

< Ah, you hit a turn. It might do you good to tread carefully and keep one hand on the wall, Sir Raphael. >

“Fuck. Off.” Despite the curse, Raph begrudgingly followed the advice and planted a hand on the wall as he continued forward.

Minos chuckled. < My, you’re rather bullish, aren’t you? >

Raph stopped for a moment, face towards the floor for a moment, “What are ya implying?”

< Oh, nothing. Just commenting on your testosterone-driven personality. >

Maybe he didn’t want to find any of his brothers right now, after all.

Raph let out a low growl and then continued to walk forward. He tried to ignore the sense of unease in his chest, telling him his brothers wouldn’t be too eager to stumble across Raph. The thought gave way to an even bigger sense of concern—what if he does lose control if he sees any of the others? What if his anger gets the better of him—again—and he seriously hurts one of his brothers, or worse?

Raph’s previously enraged stride morphed into one of hesitance and self-consciousness. His feet started to drag as he kept his face toward the ground, progressing more slowly. He slowed more and more, until eventually, once again, he had stopped walking altogether.

“...Lord Minos,” the title stumbled out of his mouth unnaturally, “Can I ask ya for a favor?”

♠

“I would just like to confirm: You are King Minos of Crete, and this is in fact a labyrinth, and not a maze?”

< Ah, you are very astute, Sir Donatello. Yes, I am indeed the fabled king of Crete, and I can confirm that this is my labyrinth. >

OK, that makes this easier . Don had found himself lying in the middle of a room—the junction of four different pathways. One of his concerns immediately being assuaged, he randomly picked one pathway and started making his way out of the room, keeping his hand on the wall.

“So, if you’re King Minos, and this is the labyrinth,” Donatello wondered aloud as he took in his surroundings as he strode onward, “is the Minotaur here?”

If this is anything like the myth, then there should be no Minotaur—the monster had been slain by Theseus according to the mythology.

< …Indeed, the Minotaur is here. >

The answer had caused Don to stop in his tracks. His heart thrummed in his chest at the way Minos had responded, sounding deeply pleased that Don had given him the opportunity to inform them.

“I was under the impression the Minotaur was killed,” Don tried to comment calmly.

< Do not conflate fables with the full truth, dear participants. Yes, the Minotaur is here. But not in the way you think. One amongst you four is my precious bull. They will work on my behalf to ensure that the rest of you never leave this place alive. >

That did the opposite of settling Don’s nerves. It is apparent to Don that there is some kind of mental manipulation at play here—he couldn’t remember how he had ended up within this labyrinth, and it felt like some force was actively keeping him from attempting to access the memories. He was no stranger to brainwashing, he had seen it done on his friends, his brothers and on himself. But still, something was incredibly off about this whole thing.

When he first heard the voice in his head, he played with the idea that some kind of speaker may have been implanted in his head, thus simulating the feeling of hearing the voice in his mind. But the clarity of the voice, as well as the lack of feedback or static, led him to conclude that that was unlikely. This, in turn, ultimately caused him to cross out Bishop as the most likely suspect. While torture tactics were typical for him, his schemes tended to be more scientific in nature.

Of course, none of this even remotely addresses the question of what Minos had meant by one of them “being the bull.” Brainwashing, yes, it could be, but how exactly did it work? The voice mentioned earlier that it had “commanded” Leo to stop breathing…so in the same vein, are they “commanding” one of them to be the Minotaur, as they said? And what does that imply exactly—is the bull always acting as the bull, or do they just “become” one when Minos decides that it’s time?

Unanswered questions both frustrated and encouraged Donnie. He silently wished he could ask Minos more, but he held his tongue—he’d rather not be the second brother to be strangled within their first hour here.

< Sir Donatello, I was surprised to see you walk into one of the tunnels seemingly without giving it a second thought. It seems strange coming from a calculating individual such as yourself. >

“Well, that’s because if this is really a labyrinth, then it doesn’t matter which way I go. As long as I follow any wall, I’ll eventually find the exit.”

< Ah, I see! Sound reasoning, indeed. I am going to pass your strategy to Sir Raphael—oh, he just walked into a wall. >

Don shook his head and continued walking. He began pondering over all the questions he had again, although that only lasted for another few quiet moments before he met a wall.

Literally. There was a wall in front of him. Had Minos lied? Labyrinths aren’t supposed to have dead ends. With an exasperated sigh, he took his hand off of the wall and looked around.

It was only when he approached the wall closer and looked up did Don realize it wasn’t a dead end at all. The ceiling abruptly opens up close to the wall, just wide enough to fit him and his shell. And if Don squinted he could see that there was an opening up above, likely leading to another tunnelway.

He looked behind him—does he really want to backtrack all the way to the junction to go through a separate tunnel? This was a long enough walk as is…Don leaned himself on the wall and slid down into a sitting position, closing his eyes. How did he and his brothers end up in this situation?

< Sir Donatello, are you awake? >

Don didn’t open his eyes, and mumbled, “Mm, what is it?”

< Sir Raphael would like to speak with you. >

The turtle opened his eyes to that, shifting into a more alert position. “Raph?”

< Correct. I will be passing messages along on your behalf. >

“Wait. Before you continue, I’d like to verify that I really would be speaking to Raph.”

< Do you not trust me, Sir Donatello? >

“I don’t,” he responded candidly.

< You wound me. >

Donatello disregarded the sarcasm and tapped his chin for a moment in thought. “What do Raph and I do about once every couple months when we’re alone on the rooftops, and when did we start?”

There was silence for a couple of minutes before Minos spoke again. < The two of you share a cigarette, and it began after you returned from an endeavor you had in an alternate future. How rebellious! That isn’t very good for your lungs. >

No one else knew about that—it was true, Raph really requested to speak to Don. He took a breath, “Okay, what did he want to say to me?”

< He was inquiring into who you think the bull may be. >

Don looked down at his hands resting in his lap and furrowed his brows, “I don’t know. It’s too early to say.”

And he had doubts that there even was a bull in the first place, but he kept that to himself. He didn’t want Minos to think he was catching on to his trickery, if he was just leveraging a lie as a means to stir discourse between his family.

< He would like to confirm that you do not suspect him. >

“Raphie, of course I don’t think it’s you,” the endearing nickname slipped out automatically, forgetting that he was not directly speaking to his brother, “I haven’t seen Leo or Mikey yet, so there’s no reason for me to feel like it’s any one of you. What makes you think I would outright suspect you?”

A beat of silence.

< He fears that due to having acted aggressive in the past, the rest of you would be uneasy should you find him in the Labyrinth. >

Don pursed his lips, thinking for a moment, before opening his mouth again. “Raph, I’ve known you my entire life. You don’t scare me at all, even when you’re having an anger episode. Mino—er, Lord Minos is trying to get us to distrust one another. And I know you don’t trust yourself, but… I trust you, bro. I always will. You’ll see—once I find you, I’m going to pull you into a big ol’ bear hug without a second thought.”

Another few moments of silence before Minos speaks again. < He thanks you for your words. You seem to have motivated him, Sir Donatello—he is walking with renewed vigor. >

Don closed his eyes for a moment and smiled. Right…his brothers were here, they were all counting on one another. Theorycrafting can wait—Don misses his family. The turtle lifted himself off the floor and walked back up to the wall, peering up the gap one last time with a new found sense of motivation.

“This is going to suck without shuko claws.”

♣

“This is so not cool, your lordliness!” Mikey cupped his hands to the sides of his mouth and yelled to the ceiling. When Mikey woke up, he quickly realized he was lying smack dab in the middle of a small platform, surrounded frontways and back by a gaping hole. He couldn’t even see the bottom of the hole, and he honestly didn’t want to find out how far down it went. I mean, seriously , why does it feel like he was given the short end of the stick? He would love to swap places with Raph—even if the dark was a little unsettling, too.

< You do not need to yell, Sir Michelangelo. I can hear you just fine at normal speaking volume. >

He could see that there was more floor further past the hole in both directions, but it was way too far of a jump for him to be able to make it there.

“Man, why couldn’t I’ve been born a mutant hedgehog? I’d just be able to run along the wall to get over there.”

He trusted one of his brothers to eventually show up with some kind of solution to safely get him off of this platform, but staying still was something that he never really mastered. Heck, he was already getting antsy and he’s been standing here for, what, 15 minutes?

Mikey skirted the edge of the platform, carefully peering down to see if he could make anything out.

Nope. Nada.

He sighed and sat back, hugging his legs and trying to rein in his slowly building energy. He feels like a trapped princess—he feels useless. His brothers had probably all met up with one another already, and what was he doing? Sitting around, waiting for help. Doing nothing, being a dead weight.

Mikey shook the thoughts out of his head vigorously. Depression was totally not his style, yeesh. He released his hunched up legs from his arms, allowing them to swing freely over the ledge. He turned his head up and squinted at nothing in particular.

“Okay, Mikester, think …what would Leo do in this scenario..?” He frowned in concentration. He would probably meditate or something and then throw himself into the dark unknown anyway if it meant saving the rest of them. Yikes.

“Okay okay, not Leo…what would Donnie do? Hmmm—” he drew out the hum as he turned his head around slowly, looking at his surroundings once more. His eyes carefully scanned the walls until they finally locked on to one of the torches resting in its holder.

Lightbulb moment.

Mikey’s face broke out into a wide grin, “Oh man, maybe I’m the smart one after all, dude!”

♥

< Sir Donatello said that he has known you his whole life and you do not scare him. He said that I am trying to create distrust amongst the four of you, but that he trusts you regardless. He also warned you that he is going to hug you like a large bear whence he sees you. >

Raph snorted quietly, his eyes only slightly wet. “Yeah, okay…tell Don I said thanks.”

With that, the red-clad pushed himself off of the wall and began to walk much more confidently. Don—all of his brothers—trusted him. He can’t let his own insecurities distract him from that fact. He has to do his part, be a good older brother for Mike and Don, and help them all get the hell out of here.

He continued to march, gliding his hand across the wall, until his eyes finally picked up something . Far in the distance, he could faintly make out a dim, flickering light.

Instantly, Raph broke into a sprint. “Goddamn—finally!”

His legs pushed him forward, the dim light slowly but steadily becoming bigger and bigger. As he quickly approached the area, the hall gave way to a large room, and Raph’s hand fell back to his side. The light was coming faintly from the ceiling, far above. Raph stared upwards as he sauntered further into the room. Looking closely at the light, he could see some kind of silhouette moving up there.

Getting closer to the center of the large room, his leg brushed something wet. “Eugh, what the hell..?” he mumbled, moving his body to see what it touched.

Here in the room, with only the dim light from above providing little illumination, it was hard to make out exactly what it was that Raph had touched. It felt like wood…and from the tall shadow he could barely make out before him, a rather large pile. As for the dampness, something was off about it…it didn’t smell like water, rather…

“...Oil?” he mumbled, scrunching his snout up at the smell.

His attention was brought back up above him again when he sensed the silhouette shift. He peered upward again. The light was…moving? A moment later, the figure appeared again, looming far above him, holding a lit torch.

Raph could barely make out the orange mask next to the flickering flame.

“No way..! Mike—” he started to call out his brother’s name, but was cut off when the light moved again. He watched the distant figure of his brother drop the torch, through the hole in the ceiling, the flamed stick falling rapidly in Raph’s direction.

Flame, soon to meet oil.

“Mikey!” Raph yelled, “What the hell’s gotten into y—agh!”

Raph hissed, covering his face as the room instantly lit up into a violent inferno. The fire licked at his body, and he felt the moment one stray flame whipped his leg.

The turtle screamed in pain as his oil-dampened leg lit up. He toppled onto the ground, tasting metal as he bit down on his tongue. With the little foresight he had left through the overwhelming need to run , he grabbed a lit piece of wood, and then desperately dragged himself away from the glorified bonfire.

“Mikey..! Mike…why, Mikey…” he tried to call to his brother, his voice now becoming scratchy from the screaming and billowing smoke. He couldn’t stay here to see if he would get a response—he was starting to run out of air, and his leg was on fire. Weakly, Raph dragged himself out of the room, hearing a crash faintly behind him through the searing pain.

Chapter Text

♣

“Mikey! What the hell’s gotten into y—agh!”

Mikey had only heard the familiar voice of his older brother once he had already let go of the torch. After praising himself for his cleverness, the young terrapin had taken a torch from the wall. He dropped it to see how far it would fall, in hopes that he would see it hit the floor after only a couple of seconds—a jumpable distance for him.

What he wasn’t aware of, was the presence of Raph far below him, and a large pile of wood. It was only when he saw the pile ignite explosively and the pained wails of his brother that the realization had struck him.

“Raph!” Mikey yelled back desperately, falling onto the floor and leaning over the edge, “Raph!”

Mikey heard Minos chuckle in the back of his mind. < I didn’t expect you all to get to work on one another so soon! >

“No! No, I—I didn’t mean to!” he replied in a panicked tone, tears welling in his eyes.

< Are you trying to convince me , Sir Michelangelo? Or are you, perchance, trying to convince yourself? >

“I…I…” His tears spilled out of his eyes and towards the flames below. He didn’t know Raph was down there…he didn’t know there was a pile of wood right where he dropped the torch…unless, in his subconscious, he did know, and he tossed that torch into the abyss with the hopes of harming his brother. Because he was the…

“No, no…” Mikey cried, desperately trying to fight against the spiraling thoughts in his brain, “I’m sorry, Raph…I’m so sorry…”

< Hmm. It seems the red brother still lives. Why don’t you go down there and finish the job? >

In the next instant, the ground beneath Mikey rumbled. The section of bricks he was on broke off from the rest cleanly, and Mikey plummeted into the inferno.

He hoped the fall would render him unconscious. Unfortunately, he didn’t hit his head hard enough to be knocked out. He felt blood ooze lazily down his face from right above his browline. He was still lying on the stretch of floor that had fallen with him, and it being brick, did not ignite in flames itself. The surrounding flames, however, licked slightly at the tips of his fingers, and the smoke still steadily filling the area burned his lungs.

He didn’t know how long he lied there for. His vision was going in and out. At that moment, he didn’t care. He couldn’t get the screams of Raph out of his head. If Mikey really had purposefully hurt his brother, then it’s safer this way that he stays where he is, until he runs out of oxygen.

Haha…he sounded like Leo.

“Leo…” Mikey choked out a breathless sob. He was playing hero right now. He was sacrificing himself to keep the rest of them safe…so why was he praying that his big brother come save him now?

He didn’t want to die. He didn’t mean to hurt Raph. He was scared. His body shook as wheeze after wheeze pushed out of his mouth.

“Raph…Raph…” he repeated mindlessly as his vision blackened again. He barely registered it when, after what felt like an eternity, a pair of hands had grabbed him and dragged him off of the spot he was laying and carried him carefully away from the flames.

He could barely make out the splotchy cool color of the mask of one of his brothers. Leo? Had he somehow heard Mikey’s mental pleas to be rescued? He should tell him that Raph was also hurt, that he had to go and find their injured brother and make sure he was safe.

“R…aph…” was all that Mikey was able to breathe out, his windpipe still burning from all the smoke inhalation.

“Is that who did this to you?” Mikey heard Leo reply through the ringing in his ears.

What? No, Raph didn’t do anything to him. He was the one who really needed help.

Mikey coughed. He was about to try to explain that that wasn’t what he meant, but while he was working up to the attempt at speaking, the turtle carrying him placed him gently down on the floor. They had walked away from the flames, and were now in complete darkness. Faintly, Mikey wondered how Leo was able to navigate in the dark pathways so effortlessly.

“Go to sleep, Mikey. I’ll go take care of him.”

Leo’s voice sounded strange. Everything about him, in fact, was cold and distant. He didn’t even make any attempt to dress Mikey’s injuries. The blood still leaking from his head had covered a significant part of his face now, and was dripping onto his body.

Before Mikey was able to think about it any more, darkness creeped over his mind, and he finally slipped into unconsciousness.

♦

Leo had a rather silent trek down the hallway he was dropped in. After Minos had told them to be careful when they ran into each other, they hadn’t spoken another word to Leonardo. The entity seemed rather immature in Leo’s eyes, so perhaps they were giving the turtle the silent treatment after the back-and-forth they had. Not that the leader minded—he would rather not continue to be tormented by the unknown adversary.

That, however, didn’t mean that that wasn’t exactly what they were doing to his three brothers. The thought made Leo’s mind swirl with unease as he turned a corner. Who knows what Minos was saying to Raph, Mikey, and Don—who knows what they were making his brothers do ? If he was being honest, Leo was still recovering from the suffocation episode earlier. He absentmindedly rubbed his throat as he pressed forward. It was a strange sensation; the way his mind started to follow Minos’s will on its own, he didn’t even have the opportunity to realize his actions were being hijacked until it was too late to resume control of it. With each attempt to convince his mind to use his lungs for their intended purpose, his mind did the opposite and continued to constrict his chest more and more, trapped in a perpetual exhale, until there was no air left to wheeze out.

His heart thrummed faintly in his chest thinking about the prior incident. If the bull—whoever it may be—was being influenced in the same manner, then there was no way they would realize it until they were fully overtaken by Minos’s power. That thought unsettled Leo most of all.

This fashion of manipulation reminded Leo too much of the more spiritual beings he and his brother have encountered. In the past, Leo’s thoughts and actions had been influenced by a witch, grooming him into becoming a weapon of the Foot. He was trapped in the spell for weeks. The aftermath of it left Leo scarred—it wasn’t as simple as instantly becoming unbrainwashed. He was lost and confused—hurt in a way nobody could understand, not even his brothers whom he thought to be dead while under the witch’s influence. Even now, the nightmares still plague the back of his mind, creeping to the forefront in his sleep and times when he is at his most vulnerable.

He wouldn’t wish that kind of torture on anyone. It scared him to think that one of his siblings may be subjected to that next.

He shook the thoughts out of his head before he became trapped in them. His mind had an affinity for leaping straight to anxiety-driven worst case scenarios when it came to his siblings, especially when he wasn’t around to readily protect any of them. After a few more moments of walking, Leo had hit a fork in the path.

The tunnel diverged in two separate directions. To his left, it appeared that the path continued like normal, no different than the one he had walked thus far. The path on the right, however, sloped downward, and the spacing between the torches widened, leaving more room for darkness. Remembering that Mikey was somewhere high up, he was hesitant to follow a road that would bring him lower. On top of that, the left path seemed less daunting. But a feeling in his gut was urging him to take the path on the right.

Making up his mind, Leo took a torch off of the wall and began his descent lower into the Labyrinth.

♥

Raph crawled some ways away before resting on the wall of the tunnel. In hindsight, he knew his top priority should be putting out the fire that was burning away the flesh on his leg, but his brain was screaming at him to get away before anything else. He only stopped because he could no longer hear the crackle of the mass of torches he left behind, and he was back in darkness, save for the torch he still gripped in his hand… and his leg.

Maneuvering the torch out of his way, he yanked one of his elbow guards off of his arm. He took it tightly in his hand and pressed down on the flames stuck to him, biting back a scream as the pain shot up his leg and through his body. He stayed strong, holding the piece of fabric down tightly until the fire finally suffocated, the smoke spilling out between the sides of the guard.

Raph took deep, measured breaths. After he adjusted to the much more manageable but buzzing pain, he tiredly moved his arm to remove the guard and get a good look at the injury. As he started to pull upward, his skin stuck stubbornly onto the fabric, and a yelp escaped Raph’s beak as another jolt of pain ripped up his body.

“Shit, shit, shit…fuck…” he mumbled, trying to swallow his panic. His elbow guard had stuck to his wound. 

Fleetingly, a thought slipped through his mind that he should rip the fabric straight off the wound. The rational part of him quickly shot down the idea before his arm could follow through. With the way it was sticking, it would surely take some flesh off with it. He could…he could still find a way to manage with the state he was in now. He had to find his brothers; he had to be strong.

He was tired of being strong. Raph stared blankly at the wall across from him, his emotions seeping out between his scales, until there was nothing left except the pain. He was drained empty of everything except the hurt. The buzzing, beating, throbbing, aching, stinging, searing hurt.

< It hurts to be the one that has to hurt, doesn’t it? >

It hurts. It always hurts. He was tired of hurting. He was tired of being the one that has to hurt.

< Poor, poor turtle…if only there was someone out there who understood your pain. If only there was a way to get your brothers to know the pain you know so intimately. >

They could understand. If he shared some of it, they would know. Then he wouldn’t be the only one in so much pain anymore. He doesn’t have to be the one that has to hurt. He could make them understand. He wanted them to understand so desperately.

Raph was brought back from his thoughts by the feeling of warm hands on his shoulders. He slowly turned his head up, his bleary vision starting to focus on the figure leaning close to him.

“...aph…Raph? Raphael?”

His vision focused until he finally recognized the face of his brother before him.

“Leo..?” He muttered, still grounding himself back in reality. Leo’s face was wrinkled in concern, but smoothed out a bit at finally getting a response out of his red-banded brother.

“What happened to you?”

“I…my leg caught on fire,” he said slowly, and Leo glanced at the guard wrapped on his leg. 

“Is it stuck?” The blue turtle asked, not taking his eyes off of his leg. Raph swallowed and nodded shallowly.

Leo had the look on his face he gets when he wants to interrogate Raph. But to Raph’s surprise, he didn’t press further about how exactly he got the injury. Instead, he turned his face back to Raph again and asked, “Are you alright?”

I’m not alright , Raph thought. But he couldn’t say that to his older brother. It wasn’t the wound that was hurting him.

“Yeah…it’s nothin’ I can’t handle,” he said quietly, moving his leg slightly, showing that he could move it with no problem. Leo didn’t look convinced.

“Aside from that,” Leo didn’t take his knowing gaze off of his younger brother’s face, “are you alright?”

Raph averted his eyes downward, the thoughts he had earlier playing through his mind again. His eyes were starting to lose focus again, but he quickly snapped out of it when he felt Leo take his hands off of Raph’s shoulders and wrap them around him tightly. He pulled Raph in closer to his body, tucking his face in the crook of his neck as he cradled the back of his head with his hand.

“I’ve got you, brother,” Leo mumbled as he heard Raph’s breath hitch.

“I’ve got you,” he said again as Raph slipped his hands past Leo’s sides and held tightly onto the back of his shell like a lifeline. “I’ve got you,” Raph heard the other say again as he nuzzled his face deeper into Leo’s skin, his stray tears wetting his big brother’s neck and shoulder.

Chapter Text

♣

“This is right…this is just…” Mikey’s eyes peeled open slowly. His head was pounding, and his vision was struggling to focus again. He could barely make out the leaf green figure hovering above him, and the glisten of the katana he clutched in his hands.

“L…Leo…?” he croaked.

“Everything I do, I do to protect you…You know that, don’t you?” Leo’s voice wavered uncharacteristically.

“Leo…what…?” Mikey was still dazed and confused from the head injury, and he struggled to comprehend Leo’s words. His older brother hadn’t seemed to notice this.

“Please, little brother…please, tell me that you understand.”

As Mikey’s vision started to focus, his eyes wandered back down to the katana. He saw a stream of fresh blood steadily dripping from the tip of the blade.

Mikey then remembered what Leo had said earlier, to find Raph. He cautiously turned his eyes back up to meet his older brother’s, “Leo…where’s Raph?”

Leo’s mouth quivered upward nervously, “I took care of him. He isn’t hurting anymore.”

Mikey’s cold blood ran even colder, “What did you do , Leo?”

“I protected him,” Leo mumbled, “Now he won’t hurt anymore. This is the only way…this is right…this is just…”

Leo shakily readjusted his grip on his sword, holding it over Mikey in a strike-ready position.

“I’m sorry for leaving you earlier. I’m going to protect you now, Mikey…No more suffering…no more pain.”

“Leo, stop!” Mikey brought his arms up defensively, closing his eyes tightly, “ Don’t—!”

“Mikey?!”

Mikey’s eyes flew open as he felt his arms being grabbed suddenly, and he instinctively fought against the hold.

“Calm down, Mikey! You’re okay—it’s me!”

Mikey’s struggle slowed as he recognized the familiar voice, and he warily opened an eye again .

“D…Donnie..?” Mikey rasped.

Don sighed in relief and smiled at his younger brother, “I’m so glad you woke up. You had me worried there for a second.”

Mikey quizzically looked around. He was in a lit circular room, the torches resting around them. He felt that his head had been bandaged as well as his fingers on both hands. Donnie was kneeling in front of him.

“What…happened..?”

“I found you passed out in a hallway is what happened!” Don exclaimed, looking away as his shoulders tensed slightly, “Your head was bleeding and you had mild burns on your fingers. I dragged you back in the direction I came from and patched you up.”

Finally, he looked back at Mikey with a more determined look, “Can you tell me how exactly you got those injuries?”

“I…I accidentally started a fire down below me, trying to see how far up I was exactly…I didn’t know Raph was down there and I…I hurt him…” Mikey swallowed thickly, trying to keep his emotions in check as he recounted the events to Don.

“The next thing I know, the platform I’m on collapses and I fall into the fire. I hit my head when I fell and couldn’t think straight, but Leo dragged me out before I became turtle barbecue.”

Don’s eyes widened at that, “So it was Leo?”

“Whaddya mean?”

Don’s lips tightened into a thin line as he thought for a moment, and then said quietly, “Right as I got into the hallway where I found you, I saw a figure walking away…I thought it was just my imagination, but…” Don trailed off before redirecting his line of thought, “You’re sure it was him?”

“I was still kind of shaken up, but…their voice sounded like Leo to me,” Mikey eyed his purple brother nervously, “What’s wrong, Donnie?”

“Something about the figure I saw walking away from you…left me frozen. Its energy…it really spooked me, Mikey. I was skeptical about this whole bull thing, but…with you and Raph hurt, I just don’t think we can afford to take any chances, now.”

Mikey’s heart rate quickened in response to Don’s words. So it wasn’t just him who felt unsettled by that situation. Mikey had originally tried to brush it off as the head injury messing with his perception of things.

“He said…” Mikey gulped, “He said he was going to ‘take care’ of Raph.”

Don steeled, “I think we should find Raph, quickly. I’m worried about Leo, but—but we have to make sure he doesn’t get to Raph first.”

Don shifted away from Mikey, moving to stand but reaching his hand out to the younger turtle. “Do you think you can stand, Mikey? I don’t want to leave you alone, not again. Let me know if you’re feeling any nausea, dizziness, or shortness of breath. I wish I had my penlight so I could properly check for a concussion…”

Mikey mentally assessed himself. It’s true his head was still hurting, but not nearly as bad as right after he fell. And aside from that and the scratchy throat, everything seemed to be in order. He slowly lifted himself up on slightly wobbly feet, and Don quickly reached to help support him, but he managed to stand on his own.

“Thanks, Donnie. I’m okay now. Let’s go find our bros.”

♥

“C’mon, Raph, let’s get you up,” Leo said softly as he readjusted his hold on his younger brother, supporting him up off of the ground while reaching for the lit torch he had abandoned when he approached Raph.

“Ngh…” Raph grunted quietly at the painful reminder of his injury as he moved his leg, “Should we do somethin’ about the elbow guard?”

Leo grimaced, “Best to have Don look at it, I think. You sure you can manage to walk?”

“Yeah,” Raph reassured, moving himself away from Leo to prove that he can stand on his own.

He then looked sheepishly at the floor, “Er…I know I don’t gotta say this, but…”

“Don’t worry,” Leo smiled warmly, “What happens between the big brothers, stays between the big brothers.”

Raph looked back at Leo placidly, pleased to have heard Leo repeat the promise the two of them had made long ago.

Leo flashed a smile back before turning his head and looking at the two directions the hallways offered to them. Raph could see the way his older brother peered cautiously in the direction Raph had come, further into the darkness.

“The way I came from was lit, and I found a fork at some part. Let’s head back from where I came and take the other path instead.”

< You should tell him. >

Leo started to move, but Raph quickly reached out, “Wait.”

The katana-wielding turtle paused obediently, and turned back to face his brother. “What is it?” he asked.

“Well, I…” Raph had suddenly become chagrined, his eyes looking everywhere except towards his brother, “I…saw Mikey.”

Leo immediately perked up at that, his eyes widening, “You did? Where? Is he okay?”

“I saw him way above me while I was exploring. Where I left him, he was still up there, but…Leo, I didn’t light myself on fire.”

Leo frowned and turned his entire body back towards him, silently asking Raph to elaborate.

“Mikey…tossed a lit torch down into the room I was in. The room was full of wood and oil, and it lit up right away. I only barely managed t’ crawl myself out…”

“How would Mikey have known there was oil and wood down there?” Leo asked, his voice lacking discernable emotion. It caught Raph off guard.

“Huh?”

“Where you started, it was pitch black, wasn’t it? You probably didn’t know there was wood and oil until you felt wood and smelled oil, right? So how would Mikey have known?”

“He…he woulda known, if…”

“If he was the bull?” Leo finished. Raph nodded curtly.

Leo thought for a moment, and then sighed. “I don’t think we should draw any sort of conclusion right now. But we should look into it. Maybe the other path will bring us up to where Mikey is, so let’s go that way. The oil-fueled fire probably blocks off the path that you came from now, anyway.”

Raph was quiet for a moment before he grunted in agreement.

♠

“Hey, Donnie…can I ask you a question?” Don felt the hand he held in his squeeze a bit, and the purple-themed turtle stopped walking to look at his typically much more talkative younger brother.

“Sure, Mikey,” Don kept his voice soft and welcoming. Mikey perked up a little at that, smiling slightly.

“...Where did ya get the bandages?”

Don blinked, and his smile clearly wavered to one slightly more nervous, “Ah, that’s…”

…

“Oh, God—Mikey!!” Don had run up to the unconscious form of Mikey and shook him. Not getting any response, he took deep breaths, trying to suppress the panic bubbling in the pit of his stomach. Gingerly, he placed his hands on the sides of Mikey’s hand, and ran a thumb over the blood oozing down his face. Some had already dried underneath, but a good amount of it was still warm and liquidy, smearing onto his thumb.

He only had his bo staff—he didn’t have any of the medical tools he typically carried around. He didn’t have anything that could stop all of the bleeding, he—

“Please…” he whispered hoarsely, lowering his head so it rested on Mikey’s shoulder, “Please, Lord Minos…”

< Hmm? Oh, please. Don’t tell me you’re actually worried about him now. >

Of course he was worried. His little brother had a gash on his head, and it was bleeding profusely for who knows how long. If it didn’t stop while they were in the Labyrinth, and he loses so much that his pulse weakens, he could…

Don swallowed before slowly lifting his head off of Mikey’s shoulder, and moving away from the other turtle, shuffling on his knees. He placed his hands on the floor, and then he lowered himself, bending at the waist, until his forehead touched the cold floor—prostrating perfectly for Lord Minos.

< Oho. >

“I’m begging you, Lord Minos,” he murmured, “give me something to help Mikey. Anything. Please...”

…

“And then, one of the bricks fell off the wall, and in the empty slot there was gauze,” Don finished.

Mikey blinked, “Huh. You really bowed that low for them?”

Don nodded.

“And they gave it to you? Just like that? Without asking for anything in return?”

“Yeah, just like that” Don sighed as he continued to walk, “I was weirded out too, believe me. I was fully expecting to owe them something after prostrating myself like that.”

It had unsettled Don greatly when it occurred. After a bit of groveling, Minos went eerily silent for a long moment, and then gave Don the gauze without a word. It was strange, to say the very least—almost out of character. He was fully expecting the entity to savor the moment and make a long list of demands and then, in the end, only give him a single band-aid or something. But instead, they said nothing. Just listened to Don, and then gave him what he wanted.

“Maybe you’re their favorite,” Mikey sniggered, lacking energy.

Don laughed pathetically and shook his head, “Please, don’t say that. Too soon.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” Mikey smiled, “Once we’re out of here, though.”

Don hummed approvingly, “Yeah. Once we’re out of here.”

The purple turtle then stopped abruptly, hearing a noise faintly in the distance. It caused Mikey to bump into his shell, and he groaned and rubbed his snout.

“Dude, why’d you—”

“Shh,” Don hushed, “Quiet. Listen.”

There was another noise, and now hearing it, Mikey gasped quietly.

“Sounds like Raph,” Mikey uttered quietly. Don nodded.

“Let’s go.”

♥

Leo and Raph had begun to walk in the opposite direction of the fire, back in the direction that Leo had come. True to Leo’s word, after a few moments of walking, lit torches had begun to line the walls, and soon they were back in the lit halls of the Labyrinth.

“Y’know, I’ve been meaning to ask this…” Leo started, eyeing Raph a touch skeptically, “but what’s with the heart on your cheek?”

Raph blinked. “What are ya talking about?”

Leo pointed at his own cheek, just below his right eye, “Right there. You have a little red heart.”

It’s not like there were any mirrors in here, at least none that Raph found. Who the heck painted a cute little heart on his face?!

“I guess you haven’t noticed that you got a blue diamond in the exact spot you’re pointing, Fearless,” Raph replied smartly.

“Wait, I do?” Leo tried to look down at his own cheek, clearly struggling to make anything out.

Raph huffed, “I guess that weirdo painted our damn faces while we were knocked out.”

< ‘That weirdo’ can hear every word you’re saying! >

Leo’s face immediately went stone-cold and he blinked over his third eyelid, and placed a hand over one of his katana hilts. It seems that he also heard Minos.

“Eavesdropping on us, are you?” Leo said in his leader voice.

< Pshaw, I assure you I am not interested in listening in on your sappy brotherly reunion. If I had the choice, I would eagerly ignore it. >

“So why don’t ya?” Raph growled.

< I think I have gotten to know you quite well during our several conversations, Sir Raphael. I would be reluctant to believe that you are truly this dense. >

Leo blinked in Raph’s direction. Several conversations? he mouthed. Raph tried to mask the shame in his eyes, and quickly signed Later . Leo narrowed his eyes, but nodded. It may make him seem more guilty, but he had had enough vulnerability for a little while.

“Enlighten me , then,” Leo spoke cooly, turning his head away from Raph so he was once again looking forward, “You can’t ignore our conversations?”

The air around them felt tense for a moment as a seemingly calculated silence befell the two brothers.

< … Correct. > Minos finally spoke, voice hauntingly cold and devoid of emotion. < I cannot ignore any of the happenings within the Labyrinth. Even when I wish to. >

Raph saw Leo’s expression change to a thoughtful one at Minos’s last statement. He may have sensed some underlying message in it that is flying over Raph’s head. The blue-banded turtle put a hand to his mouth in thought, choosing his next words carefully.

“And what about the markings on our faces?” Leo ended up moving on completely from the previous matter, likely to avoid angering Minos.

Minos took the bait and audibly perked up at the change in topic. < Oh, I was filled with joy when you finally noticed your symbols! It is your branding as participants and property of the Labyrinth. >

“You branded us?!” Raph yelled. Leo remained silent, but the hotheaded brother could see the anger blazing in his eyes.

< Once again your emotions do nothing but perplex me, Sir Raphael. It’s not like I forced it onto you. >

“What do you mean?” Leo asked.

< You lot picked out your symbols yourselves when you agreed to participate! Do you truly not remember? >

“…Huh?” Raph was totally lost now. He looked at Leo for some kind of clarification, but Leo seemed just as lost as him. His eyes were slightly wide and he stopped walking as he stared into the space ahead of him.

< …Oh, haha, that’s right! You don’t! This is rich! You all have even known which symbol was the Mark of the Bull, but you haven’t any idea now! I’m sure your past selves would be kicking themselves for having offered their memories to me as their entry free. >

“Slow down!” Leo urged, clearly trying to absorb all this new information thrown their way, “Mark of the Bull? Entry fee? What are you talking about?!”

< Forgive my poor memory, dear participants! Of course, I knew at the start you all have parted with your memories when I first explained the Labyrinth, but my cursed attention span had nearly made me forget! This is hilarious!! >

Raph was seeing red, “You’re tellin’ us we paid to go into your freako maze?! And with our memories ?!”

< Yes, Sir Raphael, that is exactly what I’m saying. >

Raph reached for his sai, “You—“

Leo put his arm in front of Raph, signaling him to stand down. Raph glared at Leo and let out a low growl of frustration.

“Take a breath, Raph. I don’t know why we would volunteer for this either, but…if it happened, we had to have had a good reason.” Leo’s eyes flicked to the ceiling briefly before landing back on Raph, “And I’m sure Lord Minos won’t give us a straight answer if we ask, anyway, so we should keep investigating for now. We’re looking for Mikey and we need Don to check your leg, remember?”

Raph grumbled but closed his eyes and took a few breaths, trying to calm his rage. After a few moments, he opened his eyes again and, while his displeasure was still plain on his face, gave Leo a slow nod. Leo smiled wearily and lowered his arm. 

Raph was…really glad he found Leo first. His older brother’s presence comforted him, no matter how embarrassing it was to admit. Although he can tell that Leo is also trying to keep his emotions under control. Minos simply chuckled at their brief episode of anger and confusion.

It was not long after this that the duo finally reached a fork in the path. Leo pointed at the tunnel straight ahead.

“Down that way is where I first woke up. It has a few turns but otherwise it’s a long, straightforward path.”

“Damn, wish all that happened to me at first was walking straight for-fuckin’-ever,” Raph mumbled.

Leo snorted, “I would’ve traded with you if I could.”

The older brother then turned to his right, pointing to the other path, “This is the one I didn’t follow. Let’s go.”

Raph gave the leader a quick nod, and the two walked into the alternate tunnel.

♦

For what it’s worth, the alternate path did bring them higher. When the tunnel began to slope upward, Leo and Raph smiled at one another, hopeful. However, after awhile, it began to taper out, and Raph was back to grumbling unhappily.

“We ain’t nearly high enough yet. I just know it,” he said.

“There’s nowhere else for us to go but forward Raph. We just have to hope that soon we’ll come across a staircase or another slope.”

“This is taking way too long,” Raph snapped, “Don and Mikey can be out there— hurtin’ —and we’re just wanderin’ around!” 

“I’m worried too , brother. But all we can do right now is walk.”

“Then let’s walk faster , dammit!” Raph threw his hands in the air and started speed walking ahead of Leo. The leader could hardly blame him—hell, it was admirable that Raph was as patient as he was for that long. At the same time, Leo couldn’t help but let out a sigh as Raph rushed ahead, starting to voice his frustrations louder and louder.

“Raph, don’t push yourself. Your leg—”

“Is fine , Leo!” Raph interrupted. Leonardo wasn’t an idiot. He saw the way his short-tempered little brother was favoring his uninjured one more as he picked up the pace.

“Jeez, I can’t believe I missed your babying. Why don’t you just chill for a—!!”

Raph abruptly stopped as the tunnel opened up into a large room. His muscles tensed, and he stood firm. Leo instantly started to rush to catch up to him.

“Don! Mike!”

“Raph!”

Hearing the voices of his other two brothers immediately put Leo into full sprint mode. He had to see them—had to make sure they were okay—thank goodness he heard both of their voices call Raph’s name. That was a good sign.

Leo slipped out next to Raph with a smile plastered on his face, eager to finally be reunited with all of his brothers.

“Guys!”

What Leo wasn’t expecting, however, was for his genius younger brother to go straight to pulling out his bo staff once their eyes met.

“Raph, watch out!” Don called urgently, his eyes not tearing away from Leo.

The second oldest brother looked at his immediately younger sibling, mouth slightly ajar and eyes full of utter confusion. He then turned his head to Leo, then back to Don.

“Are you out of your mind ?” Raph asked.

“What? No!” Don snapped back, “Listen, something’s up with Leo!” He raised his bo staff higher, taking a defensive stance as he carefully studied each of Leo’s movements.

Leo could only blink, “Don. What are you talking about?”

“Leo,” Mikey spoke up, his eyes wide with concern, like he had just watched Leo kick a puppy, “Don’t you remember? When you moved me out of the fire after I fell…you acted strange. You left me to bleed out.”

“I…Huh? What?” Leo was nearly at a loss for words as to how confusing this whole situation was, “I have no idea what either of you are talking about! This is the first time I’ve seen you, Mikey.”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with you guys?” Raph, thankfully, backed him up, standing defensively in front of his older brother, “Leo found me after I crawled out of the fire that you started, Mike!” He pointed accusingly at the orange brother.

Wow, way to go, Raph . Leo mentally facepalmed.

Mikey’s eyes darted to Raph, his face twisting at the reminder, “I—I didn’t mean to, Raph…It was…it was an accident!”

Raph scoffed, “Yeah, you’re soundin’ real convincin’ right now, bro.”

“Guys, stop!” Don finally yelled over them, also noticing the quickly rising tension, “Can’t you see that fighting like this is what Lord Minos wants us to do?”

Oh, thank goodness! Leo looked at his purple brother hopefully and relaxed a bit. Don was always good at being a voice of reason.

“Leo, please…just hand one of us your weapons and let us restrain you.”

What?!

“Why?” Leo couldn’t help but ask with a defensive tone. Don knew he didn’t like being separated from his katanas—why would he even suggest something like that?! And to restrain him as well…what could have possibly happened that had gotten the two of them so on edge?

“Just listen to Donnie, bro,” Mikey spoke softly, holding his hands out in a soothing gesture, “I…I saw you, Leo. You carried me, then left me behind…and said you were going to go ‘take care’ of Raph before I passed out.”

Raph turned to look at Leo at that, muscles taut. Leo could only look between the three of them, mouth gaping like a beached fish.

Finally, he looked to Mikey, noticing the bandages on his head, “How did you get that injury, Mikey?”

“After I accidentally started the fire, the floor below me gave out…I fell.”

“And you hit your head?”

Mikey nodded, trying to figure out where Leo was going with the sudden questions, “Yeah, hard. I kept spacing in and out.”

“So you’re saying, after hitting your head and inhaling smoke for who knows how long, you could somehow make out that it was me who pulled you out of the fire into those dark hallways? And not only that, but you’re absolutely sure it was me?”

Leo hated putting his littlest brother on the spot like this, and it hurt even worse to make him question events he was obviously so sure of. But Leo knew better than anyone that taking away his swords and tying him up was not the answer to this. And he had to prove it to them.

Mikey pouted, “Well…when you say it like that, bro…”

Leo wasted no time turning to Raph, who was now looking at him skeptically, “And Raph! How big was that fire you crawled out of?”

Raph crossed his arms, “Took up the whole damn room.”

“So that means—”

“You couldn’t have possibly seen both Mikey and Raph,” Don finished, taking one hand off of his bo and putting it to his mouth as he started to analyze the situation, “Raph ended up on one side, and Mikey on the other. To have seen Mikey and then Raph, you’d have to have somehow walked through a blazing fire.”

Leo nodded, grateful and finally going slack at having the blame taken off of him.

“But then…who carried me out of the fire?” Mikey asked cautiously, looking around at his brothers.

“There’s only one person it could’a been,” Raph crossed his arms, eyes narrowing at the brother in question, “Don.”

Don blinked, but then looked at the floor, “Yeah, that’s true.”

The other three brothers just stared at Don dumbly. The silence stretched uncomfortably.

The genius turtle looked back up and then flickered his eyes to the other three, confused, “What?”

“I mean…just like that?” Leo said slowly, still recovering from his astonishment, “You’re not even defending yourself…”

“Well, I know it wasn’t me,” Don said, shifting on his feet, “I don’t have any burns on me, and I also saw a figure walking away from Mikey when I found him unconscious. But I know just my word probably won’t do much. If I were in you guys’ shells, I would want more proof than just that.”

“Uh, well, you did patch me up, Donnie!” Mikey quickly reassured, “So I don’t think it was you! Whoever carried me out obviously didn’t care what happened to me, but you got on your hands and knees and begged Lord Minos to give you supplies to help me!”

Don smiled at his little brother, “Thanks, Mikey.”

Leo let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t expecting their group reunion to have started off so tense, obviously, but he was overwhelmed with comfort to see things starting to fall back into normalcy.

“Don, I’m not suspecting you, either,” Leo smiled as he started to approach his other two brothers at the far end of the room, “I’m not going to be suspicious of my family. Raph and I learned some new information on the way here, and I think we should—”

< Ugh, this fluffy brotherly nonsense is getting repetitive. Let’s have some fun, shall we? >

Leo’s eyes immediately went white, and he crouched into a defensive stance, pulling out a katana in one swift motion.

“Leo?! The hell’s gotten into you?!” Raph yelled, reaching out for the leader.

“You guys didn’t hear them?!” Leo said, looking around, “I just heard the voice!”

The other three brothers looked at one another, confused.

< I’m speaking only to you, Sir Leonardo. > Leo could hear the sinister glee dripping out of Minos’s words. < Do you remember when I had you hold your breath? Don’t you wonder what other tricks I can teach you, dog? >

“No, no!” Leo clutched his head, doubling over. He could fight it. Just like that time when he was with the Foot. He will fight it again.

Raph, Mikey, and Don quickly began to approach Leonardo, but he grit his teeth and prayed that they knew to keep their distance from him.

< Such as growling. >

The trio stopped when Leo let out a low growl against his will. He had to fight this.

< And baring your fangs. >

He raised his head to look at them, eyes still solid white, and clutched the katana tightly in his hands as he snarled at his concerned brothers. No…no, he had to be stronger. He will overcome this.

< And attacking. >

Leo raised his katana, ready to strike his closest target—no…it was Michelangelo, bright eyes blown wide, with a haunted look on his face. The look of a little brother who has seen his sibling like this before, being turned against him and toyed with like a mere puppet. Who still had nightmares of losing his oldest brother to a being greater than him—greater than all of them—and being helpless against the forces that always tried to tear his precious family apart.

Not again. Not ever again. 

Leo shut his eyes tightly and groaned, using every ounce of his strength to fight the will of Minos. His muscles burned, no longer knowing if they should be following the command of their lord, or their owner. Finally, Leo spasmed painfully, and he fell onto the floor, his katana clattering next to him.

“Leo!” he heard Mikey rush to his side first, putting a hand on his shell and looking at him with concern.

< Not bad, turtle. Let me try one of my other toys. >

Leo’s head shot up as Don let out a yelp. Seemingly out of the blue, Raph had rushed over and tackled the other turtle onto the ground, growling ferociously.

“Raph! Don!” Mikey called, his eyes darting back and forth. He was unsure if he should stay by Leo’s side, or go to stop the new fight that had broken out.

“Mikey,” Leo grit his teeth as he was regaining his composure, “I’m fine now. Stop them.”

Mikey nodded and moved away from Leo, pulling out his nunchaku.

< Actually, I am quite happy with this new grouping. And you four have been together long enough . >

Before Mikey could rush over to Raph and Don, a wall had suddenly sprang up from the floor cutting him and Leo from their other two brothers.

“Huh..?” Mikey breathed, lowering his nunchaku as he stared blankly at the newly-appeared wall.

“No…NO!” Leo screamed, scrambling up to his feet and banging his fists on the wall.

They were all together. And now they were apart again.

Chapter Text

♠

It felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him when he was tackled onto the ground. It happened out of nowhere—first, Leo was acting aggressive, and then the very moment he stopped, Raph had run at him. He only captured a glimpse, but it was as if the ferocity had transferred itself from Leo to Raph in a split moment.

He didn’t have any more time to think about it. He brought his bo staff up to his face defensively, blocking the blind thrashing and clawing of his older brother. Raph let out an animalistic yell and socked him right on the cheekbone, and Don was violently brought back to a moment that haunts him.

Memories of a mutant warthog and a mutant rhino beating him relentlessly. Memories of the incessant banter of two beastmen and the brute force of a sledgehammer through his shell. His vision warbled as the distorted nightmares seeped into the reality before him. Bebop let out a grunt as he tried to keep Don pinned to the ground—no, or was that Raph on top of him now, keeping him pinned? The ground felt like it was rumbling, shifting beneath him—no, it was Rocksteady, rushing towards him with heavy steps. He knew what was going to happen next—he had to get away, quickly, before that sledgehammer was brought down on him in one excruciating swing. Thankfully, he sensed the moment Bebop foolishly loosened his grip.

“...Wh…—ppened?”

In one last desperate burst of energy, Don squirmed frantically. He pushed Bebop off of him, and scrambled away. 

“ —on?”

His legs were shaking too bad, he couldn’t stand—he fell pathetically back on his rump as he tried to get up, and in a panicked effort, he kicked away from the warthog, his shell scraping across the floor as he backed up to a wall.

The figure (he could’ve sworn it was Bebop, but it was odd—he couldn’t tell anymore) rose up slowly, staying somewhat crouched so he wouldn’t tower over Don who was still sitting on the floor. It raised its hands placatingly, and took slow, careful steps closer to the terrified turtle.

“—sy. Easy. Breathe for me, okay Donnie?” The figure breathed in deeply through its nose, and slowly exhaled through its mouth, “Like that, see? In and out, in and out…”

It was just then that Donnie realized the wheezing noise he had been hearing was coming from him. Eyes locked on the figure, he mimicked it, taking deep, purposeful breaths.

“Attaboy, there ya go,” the figure said softly, approaching just a bit closer. It was starting to sound familiar now, he recognized that voice and shape…it was…

“R-Raph onii-san..?” Don breathed out, sounding unsure of himself.

“Yeah…it’s me, Donnie,” he said. His face twisted slightly—ah, Don had only rarely called him that since he was a child—but it quickly smoothed out, and was replaced with a soft smile. Raph closed the remaining distance and sat down next to Donnie, careful to still give him a bit of space.

“Are ya back with me, bro?” he asked.

“Yeah…yeah, I’m back…” Don mumbled as he finished catching his breath.

He then held a hand to his head as reality settled back around him, “I-I’m sorry, I—“

“No. Don’t say it,” Raph carefully placed a hand on his little brother’s shoulder, “Don’t apologize.”

The purple terrapin looked at his brother with sad eyes, “But I told you I wouldn’t do something like that when we saw each other again…!”

Raph blinked, seeming to remember their talk from before, “What you saw that scared you wasn’t me though, was it? It was them .”

Don swallowed and nodded slowly, averting his eyes.

Raph squeezed his younger brother’s shoulder assuringly, but looked at him wordlessly. It was silent between the two turtles, but a familiar, comfortable one. Like those many nights they have spent together, alone on the roofs of New York City. Young and reckless, feigning maturity as they share just a single lit cigarette. Wondering if their oldest brother or father had found out yet. Joking that they were already good as dead if the two had known. But though the gentle and faint burn in their lungs was an effect of the bad habit, it was unwavering, tender proof that they were alive .

Don shut his eyes, and threw himself into his brother’s arms. Raph’s breath hitched barely in surprise, but after a moment, he moved his arms around Don’s body, holding him as well.

“You okay?” Raph asked.

“Mmhm,” Don hummed, not raising his head from his brother’s chest, “Just fulfilling my promise, at least.”

“Promise?” the sai-wielder mumbled.

The bear hug I mentioned before , the younger turtle thought to himself. He didn’t mind that his older brother had forgotten, though. Instead, Don laughed lightheartedly and tightened his hold, savoring the moment of tranquility between them. “Dummy.”

♣

“No…NO!” Leo’s scream was just an echo in his tympana as Mikey stared dumbly at the wall that appeared up from the floor. Just a moment ago, his brothers were all reunited. And just like that, he was separated from half of them again. What’s worse, the last he saw of the other two, Raph was attacking Donnie. Who knows what’s going on on the other side of that wall now—if they were being forced to hurt one another.

Calm down, Mikester, Mikey stopped the worried thoughts in their tracks before they got any worse, Get your head back in the game.

The youngest brother looked to his oldest, who was up at the wall, beating at it desperately. Mikey walked up to him, gingerly placing his hand over the raised fist Leo was about to strike against the wall again.

“Chill out, dude,” Mikey said, “Breathe.”

Leo jerked his head towards Mikey upon the touch. He was panting, but after staring at his brother’s concerned face, he took a few deep breaths, and lowered his fists.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, “I just got…”

“Frustrated?” Mikey smiled, “Why don’t we leave the anger tantrums to Raph?”

Leo sighed but smiled back tiredly, “You’re right. I’m sorry for losing my cool—Didn’t mean to worry you.”

Mikey used to worry much more frequently back when they were all new to the outside world and the dangers it possessed. It caused him mountains of grief, made it hard to keep himself from just hiding away from the rest of his family so he could escape from the hardships and pains that would brew between them. He loved his older brothers, but all three of them were stubborn in their own ways. After some time, the orange turtle had to accept the fact that if none of them would change, then he would. He started working more towards redirecting his optimism inwards—though he still had his lapses at times—calming himself so he could fit the role the rest of his family most needed depending on the circumstance. If they needed a mediator, he would mediate. If they needed the mood lightened, he would be the jester. If they needed an outlet, he would be the annoying brat to yell at. It had surprised Mikey how perfectly he mastered his roles to keep them together. It was strange to think how, deep down, he felt that he was the one who best controls his emotions, despite being the youngest and “wildest” of the four. But he couldn’t change the cards that life had dealt him. He had already accepted it, the good and the bad, and has made peace with his position within their unit.

Mikey instead just shook his head, “You’re all good, bro. Now use your leader-brain and tell me what we’re doing now!”

Leo crossed his arms, closing his eyes as he thought. “First,” he finally said, “we should go over what we know.”

“Word! Like Lord Minos lying!”

Leo looked at Mikey, confused, “What do you mean?”

“They said only one of us was the bull. Didn’t look that way to me—both you and Raph attacked us!”

“Hmm,” Leo hummed in thought, “I’m not too sure about that…”

“Uh, but both of you did?”

“No, I mean, about there being more than one bull. It’s true that Lord Minos made us act that way, but…I think it was a ploy.”

Mikey quirked his head to the side. Clearly he was missing something—I mean, his brothers sure acted like bulls earlier!

“When Raph and I were wandering the Labyrinth together,” Leo finally continued, “Lord Minos mentioned something about a ‘Mark of the Bull.’ I think…whoever has that mark is the true bull.”

“Woahhhh woahwoahwoah,” Mikey’s eyes were wide as he prompted his older brother to stop, “You mean you guys didn’t just all have face paint time without me?! I wasn’t gonna mention it, but my feelings were super hurt!”

Leo snorted, “You have one too, Mikey. A club.”

Mikey furrowed his brow, “A what?”

“You know. The card suit? The one that looks like a three-leaf clover.”

“Oh! Well, you have a diamond, Leo!”

Leo nodded, “Yeah, and Raph has a heart. I didn’t really get a good look at Donnie’s, but I’m guessing it was a spade.”

“If that’s the pointy-looking one, then yeah!”

Mikey then frowned, “But, uh, what do they have to do with anything?”

“Lord Minos told us that these are our symbols as participants,” Leo explained, “and that one of them also symbolizes the bull.”

The blue turtle then went on to explain the rest of what he was informed: the fact that they each chose their symbol themself, and their memory being the entry-fee. Mikey could hardly believe what he was hearing. But he could hardly believe a lot of the things that happened to his family, for that matter. So probably not all that ground-breaking in the grand scheme of things.

That being said, if they each voluntarily picked out their symbol, and they knew which one was the Mark of the Bull when they picked them out, then Mikey has a good idea as to which self-sacrificial brother would offer himself up in order to protect the other three. And he was standing right next to Mikey. As quickly as the thought drifted into Mikey’s mind, he shook it away. He was tired of suspecting Leo—he reminded himself that doubting his oldest brother like this was exactly what Lord Minos wants.

“What’s the matter, Mikey?” The youngest was snapped out of his thinking by his older brother’s worried tone and expression.

“Nothing, Leo. I…I’m sorry for suspecting you earlier.”

Leo smiled, not looking the least bit angry or hurt, “It’s okay, Mikey. You were doing what you had to do, to protect us. Though…can I ask you a question?”

“Uh, sure, what’s up?”

Leo’s smile wavered slightly as he audibly took on his leader-like tone, “When that figure carried you out of the fire, it didn’t bring a torch with it or anything, did it? You were brought into a dark hallway?”

Mikey nodded, “Yeah. I could only barely make out a mask, and that’s only because I was close to their head.”

“Up until you passed out?”

“Yeah, Leo. It was pitch black when I fainted.” Mikey frowned, “What’re you tryna get at?”

“Nothing…I hope.” Leo averted his eyes, clearly displeased, “Let’s start moving. We should find Don and Raph again.”

A small bubble of discomfort formed in the pit of Mikey’s stomach, but he tried his best to ignore it as his brother led them to the nearest tunnel entrance, away from the wall, and hopefully towards their brothers.

Mikey and Leo had been wandering the tunnel for only a few moments. It was a strange, winding one. There were spiral staircases leading them up and then down again as they twisted like snakes in different directions. It was as the duo continued their trek deeper into the mysterious path that Mikey had begun to notice a difference in the walls.

“Hey, look! The walls are getting decorated. Nice!” Mikey pointed close to the ceiling, noting the art that had begun to adorn it. Hearts, clubs, spades, diamonds.

“I don’t really like how it has our symbols on them…” Leo grimaced.

“But it could mean we’re getting close to something important, right?! Maybe we’ll find something!” Mikey’s eyes lit up with hope as he bounded forward, looking more carefully at his surroundings.

“I hope so,” Leo replied quietly as he lingered closely behind Mikey. Eventually, the tunnel began to widen, allowing them a wide expanse of room. The brick had steadily turned to white as they wandered deeper in.

Mikey had skidded to a halt when he saw the large illustration on the wall. It was a picture of what looked like four children—three boys and a girl—and a large man with a crown standing behind them. The man’s hands were resting on one of the boys, while the other three looked in his direction with something of sadness and anger.

“What is it?” Leo said as he caught up to his younger brother. His jaw dropped when he looked at the drawing. “Woah…”

“Look!” Mikey exclaimed as he went further down the tunnel, pointing at the walls. “This whole wall is covered in drawings! I think…I think it’s telling a story?”

In the next picture, three of the children—the ones who were looking upset in the first picture—were talking together alone. One held a stick, the other was surrounded by cups, and the third was looking at several coins. He only glanced at it for a moment before his eyes wandered to the next picture, and his eyes widened.

“The Utrom?!”

Leo immediately rushed to Mikey’s side. They both stared at the picture, horrified. In the drawing, the three children were talking to the artistically-rendered pink creatures, holding in their hands a gourd with a green glow.

“How do the Utrom fit into all this..? Is that mutagen?” Leo mumbled, seemingly examining the picture for any clues. Mikey, instead, looked on to the next painting.

It depicted the smiling child—the one who was being held by the man in the first image—splashed by mutagen while fighting his siblings. In the image immediately proceeding it, he mutates into a bull.

“The Minotaur was a bull mutant!” Mikey called to Leo, “Those three kids in the first picture got mutagen on him!”

At the end of the hallway, Mikey had found a block of text. The inscription was foreign to him—possibly Greek—but, strangely, the orange-clad turtle had found that he could…understand it perfectly. He ran his fingers along the indented words as he spoke aloud, as if in a trance:

[ King Minos had had many children, but his love for his child Prince Androgeus was a special one. Amongst his siblings, he was known as Androgeus the Seven-Sword, after an incident in which, as a child, he was told to pick his favorite blade out of a lot of seven. Ill-content with only being allowed one, he had easily convinced his doting father that he was deserving of them all. This incident stoked the flames of jealousy amongst King Minos’s other three children, and the name “Androgeus the Seven-Sword” was only spoken by them with contempt.

Prince Catreus was cleaning a wand gifted to him by the castle’s page as he sighed disheartedly. “Father loves him more than the rest of us. Androgeus the Seven-Sword.”

“He basks in knowing Father values him more than his brothers and sister. Androgeus the Seven-Sword.” Prince Deucalion grumbled, looking down at the three spilled cups he threw onto the floor in a rage as he sipped from one of the remaining two he possessed.

“There is hope still, my brothers. There are talkings around the grounds of strange creatures in Crete, possessing an Ambrosia given to them by the gods. Perhaps we can find a way to have them help us with our predicament and teach him his true place. Androgeus the Seven-Sword.” Princess Ariadne, the eldest child, smiled at her two siblings as she toyed mindlessly with three pentacles.

The creatures had introduced themselves to the princes and princess as Utrom. They had come not from Olympus, but beyond even the stars. The children were overjoyed when the mystical Utrom had agreed to aid them in their task.

It was when, after Prince Androgeus had finished meeting the pure-white bull that their father had recently come into possession of, that his siblings had ambushed him. During the fight, Prince Androgeus had come into contact with the mysterious Ambrosia. The substance had changed poor Prince Androgeus, devolving him into a feral half-bull.

King Minos, overcome with despair, had built a Labyrinth deep within the underbelly of his dominion, housing Prince Androgeus within it. The feral prince had become known throughout Crete and Greece as the monster Minotaur. Poseidon had taken notice of and was impressed by Prince Androgeus’s new form, and demanded that the prince be sacrificed to him. King Minos, deranged by his despair, refused to kill his precious son, even while suffering as a beastman. Enraged, Poseidon had trapped King Minos’s soul within the Labyrinth he had constructed, forced to watch as his son lost more and more of his humanity, anger unquenched as he ripped apart every human to enter.

Before condemning the king for an eternity, Poseidon had informed King Minos of the treachery of his other three children.

King Minos and the Minotaur had suffered for several years, spiraling into madness from the deceit of their family. They knew then that there was no love so strong, no trust so steadfast that even the closest of families can never be torn asunder.

It was then, those several years later, that the warrior Theseus had entered the Labyrinth. In a fierce battle, he had slain the Minotaur, driving into the monster ten blades to ensure its death.

The seven which it had used to love.

One more for Catreus. One more for Deucalion. One more for Ariadne.

King Minos had wailed with despair. In a final act of treachery, his three remaining kin had murdered his poor son. Desperately, he trapped the soul of Prince Androgeus within the Labyrinth, refusing to let it go. He would find a way to bring his son to life again. Monster or not. ]

♥

Don had examined Raph’s burn wound. He had said that the elbow guard would likely need to be cut off and the wound disinfected. He was about to get ready to ask Minos for more medical supplies, but Raph had insisted that he didn’t. He thought that if he had to see Don beg for help from the entity that has put them in this situation in the first place, he might just snap. After some stubborn refusal on his end, Don had finally relented. He wrapped the wound loosely with leftover gauze to protect it from debris, and said he would check it intermittently and made Raph promise he would say something if he started feeling unwell.

Now, the two were walking down an available tunnelway that neither of them had previously explored. Don was lagging behind slightly and holding both of his arms in his hands, clearly closed off. Raph couldn’t blame him, not after the flashback episode he had. He was probably still feeling emotionally strained. Despite this, however, Raph wanted to put an end to the extended silence.

“Lord Minos, uh,” Raph started, cringing a bit at the awkward breaking of silence, “told me ‘n Leo that one of these marks on our faces is the Mark of the Bull. Whatever that means.”

“Mark of the Bull?” Don’s brow wrinkled a bit in confusion.

“Yeah. You know which ones Leo and Mikey had?”

Don nodded, “Leo had a diamond. Mikey had a club. We all have card suits.”

“I don’t s’pose any of ‘em symbolize a bull or somethin’?” Raph remarked.

“Not that I know of,” Don’s gaze lingered to the floor, “They can have a lot of different meanings.”

“Go ahead, lay ‘em on me,” Raph prompted, hoping that giving Donnie something to brainstorm would help get him out of his funk a bit.

“Well, some people see them as representing the seasons. Spades is winter, hearts is spring, diamonds is fall, and clubs is summer. They can also represent the stages of life, with hearts being the beginning, clubs the childhood, diamonds the adulthood, and spades the end.”

“And that’s not even going into things like cartomancy. Some people use the suits as tools of divination. All of the fifty-two cards in a deck have their own meaning.”

“So basically, they can all mean literally anything,” Raph groaned.

Don frowned, “Basically.”

For a few more moments, the two had fallen relatively silent again. They had hit a few forks in the path, taking random ones at each encounter, because what else could they do? They didn’t have a map of the place, and apparently Minos could summon walls whenever they felt like it.

As Raph was, once again, beginning to lose his patience, Don had abruptly stopped in his tracks.

“Do you hear that..?” the purple-clad turtle muttered.

“Uh…no?”

“It sounds like…” Don trailed off as he looked around, listening intently. Then, he began to move with renewed determination, rushing forward past Raph.

“H-hey! Geez, wait up!” Raph called frantically, breaking into a jog just to keep up with his distracted brother.

They rushed into another opening that presented three different paths for them to take. Don paused only for half a beat before he took the rightmost path, not even sparing another glance at the other two.

“This way,” he said hurriedly, not looking back to see if his older brother was keeping up.

“Where are you goin’, Don?” Raph questioned as he still trailed behind, struggling somewhat with his injured leg.

Don leapt over pits and quickly descended staircases with ease. Raph had more trouble, but still managed to keep an eye on his younger brother as he pressed onward. He had no idea what had gotten into him—Raph still couldn’t hear a thing.

Eventually, after several more moments of chasing after Don, Raph had begun to hear a low whirring noise. Like a machine, humming faintly with life. As he continued to follow his brother, the hum grew louder and louder.

Don finally slowed as he reached a wall at the end of a long and winding path. Raph sighed in relief at having the opportunity to catch up to him. But then Don pulled his bo out from its sheath, and began striking the wall repeatedly.

“Mind tellin’ me what the hell you’re doing?!” Raph demanded with some bite. He could vaguely hear the noise from beyond the wall. He didn’t understand, however, where this sudden and intense bout of determination from Donatello came from. He was about to approach his brother closer and put an arm on his shoulder, get him to chill out, when after a few more attempts the bricks that lined the wall that Don was beating relentlessly began to crumble and break away.

Once there was a sufficient enough opening, Don immediately crawled through. Raph groaned, mentally prepared himself to chase after his brother for another long stretch of time, and followed him through the hole. But when he crawled through, he stopped dead in his tracks.

A massive crystalline structure was situated in the middle of a domed room. It pulsed with a dim red light, humming dully yet powerfully with enormous energy. The walls were decorated intricately with ancient Greek art, depicting men, bulls, and a strange, alien-like creature. The symbols on their faces—hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds—also lined the walls and ceiling, staring towards the crystal in its center.

Don stood further into the strange hidden room, looking up at the crystal.

“What the hell is this place?” Raph asked, dumbstruck.

“I…don’t know,” Don muttered, holding his bo close to him as he kept his eyes locked on the crystal before him. He took a tentative step closer, “The center of the Labyrinth, maybe?”

“Yeah, well, you suddenly got into such a rush, you had me worried for a second…” Raph looked at the walls, trying to make sense of the strange art. His eyes flicked back towards Don, who was slowly walking closer to the crystal.

“I just…heard it. And then I had this urge to just…”

“Hey, don’t do anything stupid,” Raph warned as he took a step closer to Don, uncomfortable with how close his younger brother was getting to the weird glowing rock. Don didn’t even seem to hear him as he slowly reached his hand towards the crystal.

Before he even managed to make contact with it, the crystal pulsed again, releasing a massive wave of energy. Don let out a yelp as the shockwave pushed him back and the floor rumbled. Part of the ceiling gave way as the crashed violently onto the floor. Raph’s body rocked as he tried to keep his footing. The turtle closer to the epicenter of the quake was not as lucky. Raph watched in fear as his younger brother toppled hard onto the ground like a thrown ragdoll, unconscious.

“Donnie!”

Chapter Text

♦

“That’s so weird…” Mikey mumbled, running his fingers along the text one last time, “I don’t know any Greek, but I can understand this..?”

“It’s not just you, Mikey. I…I can understand it, too,” Leo admitted. He saw the same story that Mikey had told printed on the wall. The language was indeed foreign to him, but a strange sense of familiarity settled in the back of his head.

“Dude, I’m so freaked out right now,” Mikey said, laughing nervously.

“If Minos can control the layout of this place, why would they let us walk in here?” Leo spoke to himself quietly. Why would they allow him and Mikey to learn about the history of the Labyrinth? Was there something in it for them, if the two of them had known?

Deep in the recesses of Leo’s mind, something was tugging at him, making him feel unsettled ever so slightly by the story illustrated on the walls. A feeling of wrongness swirled faintly inside him. A whispering, strange voice, barely audible. Lies , it whispered. Lies .

< It’s Lord Minos, Sir Leonardo! You all have been doing so well, why did you drop the title this time?! > The thundering voice of Minos had dispelled the faint whispers in Leo’s brain.

“Awh, he didn’t mean it, your lordliness!” Mikey called to the ceiling.

< Sir Michelangelo, have I told you yet that I like you? I like you. Also, as I’ve said before, you needn’t yell. >

“Lord Minos,” Leonardo interrupted, speaking over Mikey before he could continue the unnecessary banter, “Can you please answer my question?”

The voice’s tone noticeably changed to an exasperated one. < Ever the inpatient one, aren’t you? I let you walk in there because I wanted to. There, question answered! >

Leo grit his teeth slightly, narrowing his eyes in blatant frustration. Out of all of them, he seemed to have had the most difficulty navigating around Minos. Since the very beginning, the Master of the Maze seemed much more critical of Leo, always talking to him with more bite in their voice. Sure, Leo was their leader, trying to protect his brothers and escape the Labyrinth, and Minos likely knew this, but the strange vitriol seems to run deeper than just that.

Mikey seemed to have noticed the look on Leo’s face, and quickly spoke up in an attempt to defuse a potentially dangerous situation. “Uh, your lordliness? D’ya happen to know why we can read Greek now?”

< You do not speak Greek? >

“Uhhh….nooo?”

< Then I take it this is your first time in Greece. How did you all even arrive at the Labyrinth without speaking a lick of the native language? You turtles continue to amaze me. >

“Hold up, we’ve been in freakin’ Greece this entire time?!” Mikey turned to Leo, owl-eyed, “Dude, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I had no idea either! I’m just as lost as you are, Mikey!”

“Greece!” Mikey repeated, throwing his hands in the air, “We’re in Greece, bro! Last I checked, our home was in New York City!”

< New York City? Where is that? >

“Uhm, New York ?”

< Is that in England? You all have some strange accents for Englishmen. >

“New York is in the U.S. of A., Mr. Maze Master.” 

< I’ve never heard of that place before! Must be a small land far from Greece. >

“Wow, your lordliness, you need to get out of the house more often. The USA is—”

“I think what Mikey is trying to say, Lord Minos,” Leo pointedly interrupted his younger brother’s ramblings for the second time within ten minutes, “is that we don’t understand how we’re in Greece when our home is far away from here.”

< Well how am I supposed to know the answer to that? If your home is far, I’m guessing you haven’t walked. Most people travel by carriage, or boat. Don’t they have horses and boats in the U.S. of A.? >

“So you’re saying you didn’t bring us here? Maybe use some kind of power to summon us here?” Leo tried to clarify.

< Who do you think I am, Zeus? >

Leo put a hand to his mouth in thought. If he and his brothers came to Greece on their own accord, then they obviously had to have planned this trip. They must’ve had prior information of this place somehow. And if they had become willing participants, then there must be something within the Labyrinth that they need. Lord Minos’s weakness, possibly, could be hiding somewhere within these walls. He gave the illustrations and text on the wall one last look before settling his gaze on his little brother.

“Mikey,” Leo spoke, looking at his brother with a hardened stare, “Let’s keep moving. I don’t think there’s anything else we can get out of this room.”

Mikey nodded and followed behind Leo as he led them forward. As they walked away from the engravings, Leo thought again of the feeling he had earlier. He had no basis to go off of to feel that the story would be untrue, so why would that be his innate instinct?

The answer might be hiding within his lost memories, he thought. There was not another explanation he could think of.

♣

Mikey was turning the story over in his head, trying to make any sense of it that could help, and why Minos would even show them something like that to begin with. If they didn’t want Mikey and his brothers to know about the history of the Labyrinth, then they wouldn’t have shown that wall to them. Minos had to be getting something out of giving them that knowledge, right?

And when the shell did they learn to speak Greek?!

Mikey feels like he would at least remember studying it. It feels strange that memories of having learned an entire language would be lost to them as part of the entry fee. It seemed the only consistent gap in their collective memory was just the existence of the Labyrinth and coming to Greece. So why could Mikey understand it?

Think, Mikey! The turtle thought hard, using all his brain power as he closed his eyes tightly, Think!

He wanted to be useful to his brothers. He wanted to do at least this for them.

It was at that point that the orange turtle was hit by a strange yet strong pulse of energy.

“Huh?” Mikey opened his eyes, looking around “What was that?”

“What was what?” Leo asked, looking at his younger brother with concern as they walked.

“You didn’t feel it? That— woah!”

Suddenly, the ground had begun to shake beneath the two turtles’ feet. The bricks along the walls let out a low rumble as dust fell from the ceiling. It wasn’t a violent enough quake to cause any damage, but it had left Leo and Mikey disconcerted as they looked around.

< I’m here, Sir Mikey! You called for me, right? >

Minos? No, Mikey thought, the voice was different, younger. And it referred to him as Mikey, not Michelangelo.

“What..? Who are you?” Mikey asked, still trying to keep his balance on the swaying floor.

< It’s me, Prince Catreus! I was lying dormant until you gave me the signal, remember? …Wait, have you not yet remembered? >

“Signal?” Mikey furrowed his brow, before it shot up in surprise, “Wait, are you Prince Catreus from the story on the wall?!”

“Mikey! Who are you talking to? What do you hear?” The youngest turtle vaguely heard his older brother call for him through the rumbling and noise in his head.

< Ohhh, this is not good. > Prince Catreus’s groan echoed in Mikey’s head, < Ariadne is going to have my head for this! And worse yet—Deucalion has won our blasted bet! >

< Sir Mikey, listen well, as we haven’t much time now—Please tell my sister Ariadne that I have blown cover. I’m sure Father has noticed we are here now and will stop at nothing to expel us permanently. You must do this quickly, before Androgeus comes! >

“Your sister?” Mikey’s head was spinning with all of the information Catreus was feeding him at once, “O-OK, where is she?”

“Michelangelo!” Leo called again distantly.

< The one who is hiding Ariadne is— >

< …You. How did you get in here? > The familiar voice of Minos had interrupted Catreus, and it had fallen silent for a moment.

< Father, > Catreus’s voice was laced with anxiety, failing to hide his fear, < Please, I beg of you, listen to me— >

< SILENCE! > Minos’s voice boomed within Mikey, and the orange turtle flinched hard at the overpowering volume, < I will not listen to a traitor, even if it is my son! You wretched, sadistic child, have your brother and I not suffered enough to satisfy you? >

Minos’s voice, filled with emotion, then abruptly turned dark. < No. I won’t let you. It is my turn to make you suffer. >

The Labyrinth had once again begun to rumble and shift. Leo looked around, “It’s shaking again…”

“Leo,” Mikey quickly grasped his brother’s wrist, his face uncharacteristically serious, “We have to go. Now!”

Leo, surprised by his younger brother’s sudden shift in demeanor, allowed himself to be pulled by Mikey. They rushed down the hallway, careful to keep their balance as the bricks moved beneath them.

“Talk to me, Mikey!” Leo spoke, voice filled with concern, “You spaced out back there and were saying weird stuff. Did Minos say something to you?”

“Not just Lord Minos, dude! There was someone else, too. One of the kids from the—eep!” Mikey squeaked in surprise as the floor suddenly gave way right before them. His foot slipping, he nearly fell into the sudden abyss. Leo had tightened his hold on his brother and yanked him away from the ledge before he could slip in.

< You cur! > Leo’s eyes sharpened, cluing Mikey in that he was hearing Minos as well. < This was Ariadne’s idea, was it not? Where is she, you worthless child? WHERE IS ARIADNE?! >

< I won’t tell you, Father! Run, Sir Mikey! >

Before Mikey had the chance to move, Leo was already on the move, ninja senses having fully kicked in. He had made the two of them sprint, barely getting out of the way of a portion of walls slamming together with a crushing force.

“I’m still not sure exactly what happened, but we’ll have to talk about it later. We have to find Don and Raph—they could be in danger, too.” Mikey steeled himself and nodded at Leo’s words. Deftly, the duo dodged attack after attack as they maneuvered through the Labyrinth.

♦

To be frank, Leo was worried sick. Mikey suddenly began acting strange, sensing something that not even Leo had felt, and now saying he’s hearing a voice other than Minos—one that Leo hasn’t heard. What if it was the bull?

Leo dodged a pillar that suddenly shot through the wall and shook his head. It’s impossible to make sense of it all when Minos has suddenly shifted into this crazed state. There had to be a way to make the Master of the Maze stop.

“Mikey,” Leo said in between desperate pants, “Lord Minos likes you. Can you try talking to them?”

Mikey leapt over a wall that had quickly begun ascending from the ground, “Don’t know if you noticed, dude, but the guy is trying to squish me too!”

Leo quickly pulled Mikey out of the way of an incoming pillar from his right, “But they’ll listen to you, at least! If anything, it’ll buy us some time!”

Mikey gulped, and then cupped his hands beside his mouth, “Uhm, your lordliness? It’s me, Sir Michelangelo!”

Mikey barely spun out of the way of a chunk of brick sent his way, “I’m sorry if I made you mad, Lord Minos! Can we talk? Just you and me?”

A few beats later, and the wild attacks had steadily slowed down.

< Sir Michelangelo, > the voice of Minos was strangely level after the assault, < You have wounded me deeply by housing a traitor within you. >

Leo perked up a bit at the word traitor. It wasn’t the bull that Mikey was hearing, no, it was an enemy of Minos—it was one of his other children.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was there. How would I even know your kid, anyway? I’m from a place a gajillion miles away from Greece, remember?”

< Hmm. > Minos hummed, < And is there any reason why I should believe this? >

“I swear he must’ve just hitched a ride in right before we came into the Labyrinth!” Mikey insisted, “Look, that ambrosia that’s mentioned in the story on the wall? That’s a chemical called mutagen, made by these creatures known as Utrom. The ones that came here with that had plans to colonize the Earth. Some of them are OK, but the colonizer ones like those in the story are no good—my bros and I were in a whole war against them—so the last thing we’d do is side with someone who worked with them!”

< Utrom? > Minos echoed skeptically.

“Yes, Utrom,” Leonardo chimed in, “They have a history of creating mutant animals, like us. And like your son.”

< So you all were once human, too? These Utrom have also got somebody to splash you with their…”mutagen?” >

Leo and Mikey glanced at one another, only a flash of nervousness in their eyes before tucking it away.

“Yeah,” Mikey lied.

A tense silence settled for a moment, before Minos spoke again. < I see. How cruel. However you were fortunate that a god hadn’t asked for you as a sacrifice. Sir Michelangelo, if you focus hard, you should be able to expel the hitchhiker from your soul. I will keep a sharp lookout for signs of any of the other traitors. >

Mikey nodded before closing his eyes in concentration. A few moments had passed before he opened them and said, “He’s gone…”

Minos hummed in approval. < Yes, very good. I do not sense him anymore. If either of you happen to sense or hear that witch Ariadne, let me know immediately. She is the most dangerous of them all. >

“We’ll be careful,” Leo said quickly as he grabbed Mikey’s hand, “C’mon Mikey, let’s keep going.”

Leo was relieved that his youngest brother had managed to save their shells with his quick thinking. But now he had a new mission to complete. He had to find Ariadne.

The two continued their exploration, a bit bruised from the confrontation, but no worse for the wear.

After some time had passed, Leo put an arm over Mikey, halting him in his steps. Mikey looked at Leo perplexedly, and when he saw that his older brother’s gaze was fixed on the space before them, he turned his head forward. In the distance, a turtle-shaped figure was limping slowly in their direction.

As the figure got closer, Mikey saw the familiar hue of green. His eyes glistened with joy as he waved his hands above him in a big wave.

“Donnie! It’s you!!”

The purple banded turtle looked up from the hip he was covering and towards the duo. His eyes immediately sparked to life, “Leo! Mikey!”

He rushed towards them in a limp, using his bo staff to support him. The other two turtles rushed as well, quickly catching up to their injured brother.

Leo hovered his hands over Donnie, hesitating to touch the other as he walked around the purple-themed turtle, inspecting him, “Don! Are you alright?”

“I’m…ngh, fine…” Don tried to assure, though the pained noise that escaped his mouth didn’t slip by Leo or Mikey.

“What happened? Where’s Raph?” Leo asked, concern riddled on his face.

“...It’s him…” Don clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, looking away in shame, “I tried to stop him, but then he hurt me. I had to get away…”

His eyes met Leonardo’s again, shining with pain, “It’s him, Leo.”

“Walk me through exactly what happened,” Leo’s tone was serious; already he was forming plans and contingencies before the other turtle began to reply.

“Well,” Don sighed, “after we got split up, Raph and I wandered around for a bit, trying to find a way back to you guys. But then we started hearing this weird buzzing noise, which we felt was strange, so we followed the sound. The noise ended up coming from this…glowing crystalline structure. As we were investigating it, it suddenly started humming louder, and then released this massive wave of energy through the ground—” Don gestured widely with his arms, but suddenly flinched at the painful reminder of the injury on his side, letting out a quiet grunt.

“Easy, Donnie,” Leo said, rubbing a soothing motion on his brother’s shoulder, “So that would explain the sudden earthquake.”

“And the burst of energy I felt right before it!” Mikey exclaimed. Don’s wide eyes snapped to his younger brother.

“You felt something right before the earthquake?” he asked, surprised.

“Yeah! Didn’t you?”

“N—no, I didn’t feel anything strange,” Don said, jolting again at the pain in his side. That was odd. Did Donnie hesitate just then? Or was it because of his injury?

“Anyway, the ground started shaking violently, and pieces of the ceiling started breaking off. It was after all that happened that Raph…attacked me. It wasn’t like before when you and him got violent, Leo. He was yelling about not letting me escape. That he wouldn’t stop until we were dead…”

Don finally focused back on the blue-banded turtle, “What do we do, Leo?”

Leo thought for a moment. Donnie and Mikey were injured—Mikey was probably still in fighting condition, but Donnie didn’t seem to be able to do much anymore, now relying on his bo as a walking stick. However, that crystal that Donnie mentioned is without a doubt an important and mysterious part of the Labyrinth, and on top of that, they had to find Raph.

“Do you know the way back to the crystal?” Leo asked.

Don nodded, “If Lord Minos hadn’t changed the way I came from, that is.”

“OK, good. Show us the way back. But I don’t want you getting close to that crystal again, got it? You’re in no condition to run into any more conflict. Just point us in the right direction when we’re close, and Mikey and I will check it out.”

“It’s just a bruise, Leo. I’ll be okay.”

“No, I won’t allow it,” Leo shook his head, “We can’t afford to be reckless. Just stay behind me and Mikey if there’s any trouble, got it?”

Donnie frowned, but nodded, “Understood.”

The trek towards the crystal was eerily quiet. Don quietly led them back from where he came, and Leo and Mikey remained alert for any signs of Raphael. But the space around them remained deathly calm—making their steps feel like they echoed loudly down the expanse of the Labyrinth.

Leo realized that despite no longer being actively assaulted by Minos, the entity had not spoken a single word to them yet again.

“We’re getting close,” Don’s voice tore Leo away from the fleeting thought. Leo had recognized this area—it was the long stretching hallway he had woken up in. Close to the deadend he had originally noticed, there was now a gaping hole.

“Oh, good,” Mikey laughed nervously, “I’m dying of suspense over here.”

“It’s relieving that the path hadn’t changed,” Leo sighed.

“Say, Leo, do you think this crystal has anything to do with the Utrom?” Mikey asked. Leo shrugged.

“Utrom?” Don looked at his brothers incredulously.

“Oh, we found this big story on one of the walls of the Labyrinth! Get this: the Minotaur is a bull mutant!”

“I theorized that might be the case—but how did the Utrom mutate him?”

“The bull is one of Minos’s sons. His siblings made contact with the Utrom and they got mutagen from them somehow. They splashed it on him,” Leo replied.

“That’s terrible,” a sad expression settled on Don’s face, “To be mutated by your brothers and sister…Why would they do that to him?”

“Yeah, that’s what we’re still trying to figure out,” Mikey said, crossing his arms.

Leo stopped in his tracks.

Mikey turned around first, “Leo? You good?” The youngest’s voice caused Don to stop as well, looking over at the oldest.

Leo didn’t take his eyes off of Donatello, “...What did you say?”

“‘Why would they do that to him?’” Don repeated, looking to Leo, then to Mikey, brow creasing in confusion, “I’m confused.”

“You said ‘brothers and sister.’ Mikey and I didn’t mention their genders. How did you know only one was a girl?”

Mikey’s eyes went wide as he turned back to his purple brother. Don let out a small laugh, “C’mon, you misheard me. I definitely said ‘brothers and sisters.’”

“Mikey?” Leo turned to look at the youngest.

“Uhm…I think I heard it the same as you, Leo.”

“Then I misspoke!” Don said nervously, “You guys are acting totally paranoid. It was a slip of the tongue, that’s all.”

Leo took a tentative step forward, closer to the bo-wielder, “Y’know, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask, Don.”

“Okay?” Leo noted the way Don’s hand tightened on his bo staff.

“Something about the incident with Mikey has been bugging me this whole time. You were the one that found him and moved him out of that dark part of the tunnel while he was in and out of consciousness.”

“We still have no idea who got him out of the fire, Leo.”

“But aside from that, you still found him in the dark section of the Labyrinth and moved him somewhere else to treat him, right?”

Don frowned, “Yes, that’s right.”

“How?”

“...How?” Don raised a brow, “I…lifted him up and carried him out?”

Leo’s voice took on a deeply serious tone, “How did you manage to do that, without a torch, when it was pitch black?”

“I…” Don hesitated, “Of course I had a torch.”

“No you didn’t,” Mikey quickly chimed in, taking on a more defensive posture, “I may have been kind of out of it, but there was definitely no light. And you never mentioned having a torch or anything until now.”

The overwhelmingly tense moment stretched on as Don looked between his two brothers, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Mikey and Leo could practically drill holes into him with the way they were staring him down, waiting for him to give any other excuse. Subconsciously, Leo hoped he would. He didn’t want to believe that Don could be the bull. He didn’t want to believe that any of his brothers were.

Don eventually closed his eyes, let out a long sigh, and then looked back at them. The eyes that met Leo didn’t belong to his brother. They were cold and threatening.

“The card suits and tarot share some history, you know. It’s known that the four suits are derived from the minor arcana.”

“Uh, what?” Mikey furrowed his brow in confusion. Don looked over to him.

“Let’s start with the club. Otherwise known as wands. Creativity, strength, youth and energy—these traits encompass the wand arcana. It only makes sense that it is associated with the fire element. Fire is a powerful, high-energy source, but if not properly controlled, can hurt those around it. I’m sure you know that well by now.”

The turtle closed his eyes, “The heart. Cups. Raw emotion, healing, bonds with others…Like water, our emotions are malleable; if we can have a good hold on it, it can be simple to keep them stable. But it’s easy for others to affect it as well, cause ripples in the ocean of your feelings, to create tidal waves or drain it dry completely.”

“Don?” Leo said quietly, trying to find any trace of his brother in those eyes.

“The diamond,” Don continued, opening his eyes and staring straight at his older brother, “Pentacles, or coins. A representation of that which is material—of our possessions. Of making what we desire a reality.”

The purple-clad turtle shakes his head, “Actually, what’s most relevant in this case is that the pentacles arcana is associated with the element earth. Stable, nurturing, ever-supportive—it described her well, my sister.”

Donnie smiled, “That describes you well, too. Doesn’t it, Sir Leonardo?”

In half of a breath, Donatello had rushed at Leonardo, swinging his bo staff. Leo raised his arm defensively above his head, no time to unsheathe either of his katana. The thick staff whacked his forearm with excruciating force—thankfully there was no sound of cracking bone, but it was sure to leave a deep bruise. The bo creaked as Donnie pressed down hard.

“She’s hiding within you, isn’t she?” Donnie—or rather, Androgeus, the Minotaur—growled, “I don’t need to sense her to know. Of course she’d have chosen you. She's as predictable as ever.”

“What…are you talking about..?” Leo grunted out through gritted teeth, the continuous pressure of the staff becoming unbearable on the developing bone bruise. Then, swiftly, Androgeus moved the staff, swinging for Leo’s legs next. The weapon smacked roughly into the side of Leo’s knee, and he let out a pained wail as he crumpled onto the floor.

< You truly believe I hadn’t suspected this? > Minos’s voice suddenly echoed in their heads. < Catreus may be gone, but the boy would never be sharp enough to make it this far on his own. I had known Ariadne and Deucalion were still lurking within my walls. >

“Leo!” Mikey’s nunchaku wrapped around Don’s bo, pulling it away from Leo before it could slam down on him again. Androgeus scowled, turning his attention to the orange turtle.

Androgeus gave the staff a few frustrated tugs, but Mikey kept his weapons wrapped tightly around it, holding it still. After a moment, the Minotaur smirked, then swung the staff widely, causing the nunchakus to swing with it. Caught surprised by the move, Mikey was toppled over by the momentum, his weapons slipping from his grip and flying across the tunnel. He didn’t even have a chance to get up before the end of the staff jabbed into the back of his already concussed head, causing his forehead to smack into the floor. His body sagged as he went out cold.

Leo swayed on injured legs as he struggled to stand once again. He unsheathed his katana as he stared down the monster hiding under his brother’s skin.

< I was rash earlier in my assault against you two. Androgeus deserves vengeance against his siblings more than I do. He deserves to be the one to destroy what is left of them. >  

“You can tell her it’s alright to come out now. She should stop being a coward,” Androgeus said.

Something pricked in the back of Leo’s head, and he raised his katana defensively. The staff clanged against Leo’s steel.

< Sir Leonardo, I do apologize for having tricked you earlier. If Catreus had escaped, so be it, but…Ariadne must be destroyed. Deucalion, too, if he is around. >

Leo grunted and clenched his teeth, struggling to keep his sword up as Androgeus applied more and more pressure. Donnie was not usually so strong he could overwhelm Leo like this. Is this an effect of the bull?

“Come out,” the Minotaur growled, “Come out, Ariadne, and face me! Or I will beat that body you’re in until you do!”

Leo’s bad knee buckled now under the weight, and he fell once again to the floor. His arms throbbed as he still tried to fight off the staff. Androgeus chose instead to start swinging it against his sword repeatedly in a brutal rage. Each swing brought a jolt of pain through Leo’s injured arm.

Androgeus began yelling frantically with each swing, “Come out! Come out, life ruiner! Come out and look at what you made me become!”

The bo was brought down harshly again, and Leo’s arm had given up on him. The sword was pushed away from his head. The turtle barely had time to even blink before, in one violent swing, he was knocked over the head, and the world around him faded to black.