Hades came forward, seemingly unharmed, striking him with a backhanded blow of his glaive. His armour took some of the blow, but the edge slicked into his shoulder and forearm. He was thrown back, and a ferocious barrage followed it until he was finally beaten down. It seemed like it was all over.
“You pathetic human, this world is mine!” Hades yelled, even though he continued to spurt blood from the gnarly wound.
Aaron had never fought so well in his life, but he was beaten down once again. He had accepted defeat. He looked around, but Grace had gone. He felt glad about that as Hades lifted his blade for a finishing blow.
“Get away from him!”
Thanatos and Mars strode into view and vanished in a blinding array of light before appearing as their angelic selves, in all their armor.
“What a pleasant surprise!” Hades turned back to this new and unexpected threat.
Thanatos looked to Aaron with a real sense of concern that Aaron never could have imagined. It gave him hope. Hope in a way he had not seen before.
“This is not your world to command!” Mars roared.
“Then stop me!”
They both charged at him with everything they had. The room erupted into clashes of lightning and sparks as they engaged, raised off the ground as if weightless, and moving as if they had gravity. Mars darted back and forth, attacking from all angles, as did Thanatos, who would not match his speed. Hades backed away, taking the first barrage of blows. A single kick caused Thanatos to be launched out of the combat. He landed near Aaron.
“Go, save your friends!”
“I can’t leave you!”
But Thanatos pointed down at a deep wound in his stomach he hadn’t even noticed.
“Go now, while you still can!”
Aaron looked back to the doors they’d come from and saw Grace peering through at him. It was all the reason he needed to take Thanatos’ advice. He clambered to his feet, content he’d managed to hold his own for a while, but still disappointed in himself. He rushed to the doorway and grabbed Grace as he ran on.
“Are you okay?”
“No, are you?”
“Not even close,” she wept openly.
But the fact he’d found her alive was enough. It was the best he could hope for as he looked back one last time to see the epic battle of the gods unfolding. As their blades met, huge sparks flew, and blinding light erupted all around them. He rushed onward, half supported by Grace as he continued to bleed.
* * *
“Come on!”
Thanatos had never seen Mars so angry, but Hades obliged and closed with him. He struck Thanatos away and engaged Mars directly. They cut and parried as sparks flew, but finally came to grapple, each holding one another’s blades as they tried to counter the other.
“You’ll never win. You can never win,” growled Mars.
“You’re wrong,” scowled Hades as he put one last push into his blade and drove it deep into Mars.
“No!” Thanatos screamed.
He’d not felt such a heart wrenching loss since the death of Zeus, and it was a painful reminder of that dark day. He ran forward as Mars slumped and thrust his blade deep into Hades’ side, relishing his victory.
* * *
Ava had just got Aaron clear of the building when they heard an almighty explosion. A massive light ignited within the building, shattering every one of the windows, inside and out. They both dropped to the ground as they were showered with glass. They covered their eyes to protect them from the blinding light, as if a nuclear explosion had erupted before them. It died down after ten seconds. Aaron opened his eyes and squinted. The entire building had collapsed, all the five floors of it. He looked all around for survivors. Carter and most of his people had gotten out. Mikey and Rick were coughing out dust as they climbed out of the collapsed foyer.
“Its done, we really did it?” Rick asked in amazement.
Aaron couldn’t help but look on at the wreckage with suspicion. He turned as he heard several vehicles tear off into the distance. He looked just in time to see Maximón hanging out of the sunroof of a limousine, giving him a wave.
“Son of a bitch,” Luca said, coughing up smoke and dust.
Aaron dropped down to sit on a piece of debris. There was no sign of the immortals they had entered with. He forced himself back to his feet and looked at the faces of those around him. They needed good news. They needed a victory, and he had to give it to them. He looked to Grace and was relieved to see she was okay, and took some comfort in that. They could hear sirens and didn’t need to be told they had to get out of there. They left without any more words.
* * *
Aaron entered Theo’s base of operations for the first time without her. He paced around, studying everything, as if looking for things to remember her by, but he stopped. All those who had returned were now looking to him. She wanted him to become their champion, and that’s what they were looking for. He didn’t like the idea, but he accepted it as his responsibility, and climbed up onto a table to address the weary survivors.
“The battle is won, but the war is not over!”
They gathered around to hear him speak.
“We came here to protect our own, protect the city, and protect the world. We did those things. Celebrate this day, because they are few and far between. Take this win while we can get it. We have a lot of work ahead of us! I pray to god that Hades is dead, but even if he is, we have Maximón to deal with. The war goes on, the fight goes on. We are here because we know we have to be.”
He took a deep breath just as he realized Aceso was coming around.
“Today we didn’t fight as mortals and immortals. We fought as one. We fought evil with good, and we will continue to do that so long as one of us draws breath! This war is not over, but by god we are going to end it. Who will stand with me and fight!”
The room erupted into ecstasy. He finally had their trust and their support. Aceso lifted her arm and saluted him, showing she finally believed in him. He’d never been in a worse state of affairs, and yet had never had such an overwhelming support by those willing to fight and die for what they believed in. He drew out a hip flask and opened it.
“To those we lost today, they will never be forgotten,” he said, holding up the flask.
“They shall never be forgotten!”
His words were echoed about the room. The war was not over, but finally he knew his place in it all. They all looked to him, and he knew what had to be done.
THE END
Fallen Gods II Page 24