“We’re closed, didn’t you hear!”
He reached for the bottle and poured another drink. The figure was still there, motionless and dressed all in black, ominously staring at him. To anyone else it would be intimidating, but he was not afraid of anyone, not since Hades had been cast away. He put his glass down and spun about on his stool.
“All right, what is it you want?”
There was still no answer from the mysterious figure, a well-built man of similar height to him. A hood obscured his face, and as he looked up, his face was still covered by a black mask below the eye line.
“If you came here to rob the place, you chose the wrong club.” Thanatos said angrily but calmly rose from the stool.
Finally, the man descended the rest of the stairs down to his level, stopping well short of him.
“I said we’re closed, so get out!”
The figure was dressed in black moleskin, including the hood, and wore expensive leather shoes. The hood jacket stretched down to his knees and carried silver buttons with some kind of insignia.
“Enough! Come on out!” He went forward and pushed the man as if to usher him away. But as he pushed, he was stopped as if trying to push against a brick wall. He’d expected to shove the man with ease. Something wasn’t right.
“What are you?”
But the man simply grabbed his hand that was resting on the man’s jacket. He squeezed tight until the blood circulation was cut off and then twisted sharply. Thanatos’ arm was almost broken from the action, but before he could protest, the stranger released him, jumped up, and kicked him to the chest while airborne. He was cast back and crashed into the stool he’d been sitting on, finally hitting the bar. The bottle and glass smashed onto the far side of the counter. He was stunned by the power of the mysterious stranger, but also furious as he got back up.
“You came to the wrong place if you’re looking for trouble!”
The stranger didn’t seem bothered.
“This is my club, didn’t you hear me?”
He rushed forward and spun wildly, hoping to knock his opponent out in one, and prove a point. But the man and weaved with expert skill, the likes of which he’d never seen before. He kicked to the lead leg, but he leapt forward and wrapped both legs around him, pulled him to the floor, striking him with an elbow to the head. He was stunned by the power of the strike, and by the time he’d got back to one knee, his attacker was already on his feet. Thanatos grunted angrily as he picked up a stool and swung it at his adversary so that it could not be stopped. Yet he stopped it dead with the sort of strength he’d only seen in a handful of individuals in his lifetime, and this stranger could not be any of them. The stool was ripped from his grasp and smashed across his face. He went down to one knee, blood pouring from his mouth.
“What are you?”
No response.
“No way, you aren’t taking this away from me, not now,” he said to himself. He reached behind the bar and drew out his Olympian blade hidden there.
“Do you know what this is? It doesn’t matter what you are, you can be killed by this blade!”
Still there was no response or even concern for the blade. The stranger didn’t reach for a weapon and came right for him.
“Whatever you are, it’s lights out time.”
Thanatos swung his blade. The stranger lifted his arms, and the blade stopped dead on his forearm, as if meeting armour made by Vulcan himself. He was stunned by what he had seen, and in no time the stranger had closed the distance with him. He drove an elbow into his face, following it with a punch and a kick. They struck his jaw with such immense force he wondered if it was still attached to his face. He was spun around by the massive blow and hit the bar hard, opening a cut on his forehead. He was so shocked his legs almost gave out, and he barely stayed upright.
He turned back around and swung his blade again, but the stranger ducked under it. He thrust, and he voided. He cut upwards, and the man leaned out of the strike. He thrust straight to feint, spinning to cut where he knew the figure would move. His powerful swing found nothing but air as he rose up and struck his chin with a massive uppercut. He was lifted off his feet and thrown across the room, crashing through two tables and landing at the foot of the stairs. Thanatos looked down to find to his amazement he was still holding his sword.
The sword he had always entrusted with his defense. Always believed with it in hand he could beat anyone, no matter the odds. Yet here he was utterly floored by a mysterious stranger. He staggered to get up. He was drunk, beaten, and disorientated.
“What do you want from me?”
Still no response, and the stranger held his ground in the center of the room. Thanatos shook his head and spat out blood. Whatever this was, he couldn’t beat it. He looked to one side of the room where posters covered a window.
“We aren’t done, you and me, you hear me?”
Knowing he wouldn’t get an answer, he ran with everything he had. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the stranger trying to cut him off, but he’d got a good head start and hit the window running. He burst through, showering himself with glass, and crashing onto the road. He cried out in pain as he rolled to a stop, but kept moving. He reached for a truck parked at the lights and climbed onto the back step just as it was pulling away. He looked back to the window to see the silhouette of his attacker watching him. He didn’t even care to try and chase him, as if his defeat was all that mattered. Thanatos tucked the sword into his jacket, spat out blood, and jumped off as they slowed down.
Strangers gave him a wide berth in his disheveled state as he looked back down the street. He looked lost as he winced in pain and tried to work out what had just happened. He was aching all over, worse than he ever remembered feeling, and his head was throbbing.
“Well, that sucked.”
Chapter 4
Aaron cradled his coffee and looked at his gun and badge lying on the counter beside him. He was still a cop, but he’d been on leave for the longest time in his life. He didn’t know if he could ever go back to it after all he’d seen and experienced. The calling was still there, but patrolling the streets seemed so pointless after having fought such an epic battle against Hades. But he did miss it, and the badge reminded him of one thing more than anything else, his partner. He’d not seen Luca in what felt like a very long time. He pulled out his phone and went to the contact list but hesitated for a moment. He wanted to reach out to Luca, but wondered if that’s what his partner really wanted. Maybe he wanted to be left alone. Maybe it was a selfish thing to try and make contact, but after all their time together, he couldn’t leave it be. He sipped his coffee as he mulled it over.
“Fuck it,” he said, pressing to call his number.
He put it on speaker, put the phone down, and continued to sip his coffee as he anticipated the conversation. They’d been partners for just a few short years, but it felt far longer. They’d never been out of touch for more than a couple of days, and he was looking forward to hearing his friend’s voice. The phone kept ringing and finally went to voicemail. A manufacturer supplied voicemail message. Nothing could be less personal. Disappointed, he ended the call without waiting for the message recording to even begin.
“Where the hell are you?”
He wasn’t concerned for Luca’s safety. He knew he could handle himself, and there was no one who wanted to do him harm. He was concerned for his mental state, but he didn’t know what else to do if he couldn’t reach him. He grabbed the phone and sent a generic friend’s text to try and prompt some contact, but he had little hope in getting a response.
“It all affected us in different ways,” he said to himself, grabbed the pot, and poured another coffee. He certainly needed it. He hadn’t slept well in a long time and was pushing his body to the limit every day. He couldn’t keep going like this forever, but he saw little way out of it. He gathered his gym bag and slipped his weapon onto his belt. He had another grueling day of training ahead of him. Ma
ny hours of work before he would get a sword in hand, for he was training to be fitter and stronger than he’d ever been in his life. The next time he fought the gods and their minions, he was determined to be the best version of himself.
* * *
Theodosia walked anxiously back and forth in their facility, her small army continuing their training in the background.
“You’re concerned for him?” Aceso asked.
“Vulcan? Yes, we should have heard something by now.”
“No, I meant Thanatos.”
She froze, realizing how transparent her feelings were.
“I worry about him. I thought he’d seen the light, and moved to a better path. On our side, you know?”
“Thanatos has only ever done things for himself. While it suited him to support us, he did.”
“You think he’s really that selfish?”
“Don’t you?”
She sighed, knowing she felt it, too.
“We don’t need him anyway.”
“We did when we fought Hades. We couldn’t have done it without him. He was the one who got the humans on our side.”
“Maybe, but maybe we should ask ourselves why?”
“What do you mean?”
“Thanatos always has his own reasons for doing what he does. I don’t trust him.”
She scowled, as if she felt she needed to defend him, although it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so.
* * *
Aaron swung a quick strike diagonally at his opponent’s head with his longsword. It was parried firmly, as the back edge of his opponent’s blade came up and over toward his head. He drove his hilt high, but they cut around. Another parry, but he snapped it the other side. He parried that, too, but his shorter opponent came up under his guard with a pommel strike toward his face. He lowered his hands in time, but he looped the pommel over his wrist and levered the sword between his sword and neck. His knee bent slightly as he was about to go down, but he pushed back. He was larger than his opponent, and his commitment to strength training was paying off. As he pushed back, he looped his left leg around his opponent’s right, and kept pressing forward until they went down. Drawing back up but with one knee still pinning him to the ground, and one hand holding his blade in place, he aligned his point against the man’s chest, and he finally stopped resisting.
He got up and hauled his vanquished opponent to his feet. They shook hands before wrapping their arms around one another in a friendly embrace. It was Rick, a small but enthusiastic fighter.
“You’re like a little terrier,” Aaron joked.
“Yeah? I almost had you, too.”
“You could have, but you have to play to your strengths. You’re almost never gonna be the strongest one in the fight, so don’t get into situations where you’re at a disadvantage.”
“Fun, though, isn’t it?”
“Sure, until it’s for real.”
“Those days are past us, though, right?”
He shrugged as if to agree, but his expression turned to concern as the doors to the room swung open, and Zhang swaggered in with two of his goons. Rick turned quickly as he saw the fear in Aaron’s face.
“What the hell are those assholes doing here? Didn’t we kick their asses enough already?”
“Guess not,” he said and moved to address the rest of the class.
“All right, good session, everybody. For those heading back this evening, we’ll recap what we covered here and build on it. Well done, and I’ll see you later!”
They scattered quickly, most rushing to get back to work, as this was a lunchtime training session. Zhang strode forward with arrogance and confidence in his swagger as Aaron’s students rushed to get out and on with their day. But not Rick, he stayed put.
“You’re not welcome here!” Aaron announced.
Zhang said nothing and stopped a few feet away, just smiling with a wicked grin, as if he’d been scheming.
“What’s the matter, you didn’t get enough of whipping last time?” Rick asked.
“It’s easy to be a tough guy when you’ve got people to hide behind, isn’t it?” Zhang snapped.
Aaron could tell that was directed at him, and not Rick.
“What are you talking about?”
“Your friend Thanatos got his ass kicked. Left a bloody mess, and kicked out of his own club like the dog he is. You’re all alone now. No one to protect you.”
“You’re lying.”
Zhang just laughed at Aaron. There was confidence in his laugh, and his body language, too, as if he really believed the story he was telling. That worried Aaron, although he tried to not let it show.
“What’s this clown talking about? Nobody can mess with Thanatos,” said Rick.
“Better believe it, kid. Your boy got his ass kicked, and now there ain’t nobody to watch your back.”
Aaron could see the situation escalating fast, and there were still students around, even though many had left as they rushed back to work. One of the goons was eyeing up some of the swords on the wall, and he could see how quickly things could go badly wrong. He had to do something fast, but the only way was forward. He knew Zhang didn’t understand reason, only strength. He passed his training sword to Rick and rushed forward empty-handed.
“You aren’t welcome here, Zhang. Get your ass out of here, right now!” He stopped within punching distance of his old adversary.
“You don’t want none of this, Miller. You can’t handle it.”
“This is a training space. You want to come looking for a fight, you keep it out of here, you get me?”
“Yeah, yeah, I get you,” he smiled, looking down.
It was all a deception, and he came up swinging with a knife drawn from beneath his jacket. Aaron had seen it coming and expected it before the swing had even begun. He’d dealt with enough trouble on the street to know Zhang’s sort. He backed away, bending nimbly at the hips. His newly strengthened core had made him sharper than ever. The blade passed by, but he was in like a flash. He seized hold of the weapon, locking the arm and ripping it from his grasp, before shoving him away. He came back angrily but stopped when Rick stepped up with a sharp messer in hand. He was ready to fight beside his instructor and friend, but Aaron could see how quickly things were escalating. Zhang’s two goons reached into the waistbands of their pants for weapons of their own.
“Enough!”
Everyone froze as they hung on his every word.
“There’s a time and a place for this, if you really want to go down that road. But here is not the place. This is sacred ground, for training, and for personal development. I will not have blood spilled in anger here!”
Zhang was calmed by the words and signaled for his associates to desist. Aaron had appealed to his sense of honor, however twisted it may be.
“Your time is coming, Miller. You’re done here. This place should have been mine, and it will be once you’re gone for good. You’ve got seven days to get out of the city. Seven days, and if you’re still here, we’re coming for you. Get out while you still can!”
His gaze turned to Rick and the others who’d remained. He was trying to intimidate them with his piercing stare, but Rick didn’t look impressed. They turned and headed for the door. As Zhang reached it, he grabbed hold of a bin full of training equipment and smashed it to the floor, scattering equipment across to the far side of the room.
“Seven days, Miller!”
He stormed out. There was concern on a number of faces around the room. A few of them had been there in the epic battle against Hades, but many had not, and were oblivious to all that had gone on. They were worried and looking to him for some explanation and reassurance.
“Don’t worry about Zhang. He’s just a rival from another club, and he’s nothing more than a bully trying to muscle in on our training space. We’re here to stay. I’ll see you next session.”
Aaron knew it wasn’t enough, but he really had no idea what else to say.
; “This isn’t going away, is it? Do you think he’s lying about Thanatos?” Rick asked.
Aaron shrugged. “I sure hope not, but Zhang wouldn’t have crawled out of the shithole he came from without good reason. He thinks he’s got a chance, so something must have changed. There’s no way he’d come near us while we have friends like Thanatos and Theo.”
“Do you think Hades is back, then?”
“I sure hope not. I’d have thought if he were, we’d know about it by now. But who knows? The last time he was in the city, he was real quiet about it.”
“Got to wonder why?”
“Because he wasn’t as strong as he claimed to be. That much was proven.”
“Only just, we pulled that one out of our asses. We couldn’t do it again.”
“Yeah, I know,” sighed Aaron.
“So what are you gonna do?”
It was clear he was eager to help, but didn’t want to take charge of anything.
“Find out what the hell is going on. Lock up for me, will you?
* * *
Aaron furiously stormed into Theodosia’s facility, expecting her to know what was going on, and that she was withholding it from him.
“What can I do for you?” She sounded polite as he rushed up to her looking flustered.
“Zhang and his asshole friends came to my school, threatening me and my students. He says he’s going to take the salle. He also said Thanatos got his ass kicked out of his own club?”
But she drew a blank.
“Don’t tell you don’t know anything, Theo! I am way past that crap.”
“Honestly, Aaron, I know nothing of what you speak of.”
That only worried him more.
“Who told you this, and when?”
There was concern on her face, and it looked genuine.
“I just came from hearing it from Zhang. I was finishing up a class when he busted in and tried to flex his muscles. He says I’ve got seven days to leave town. He was talking like he had the means to back it up, and wasn’t scared of you and Thanatos at all.”
Fallen Gods II Page 5