by Jory Smith
“Father, if he doesn’t know about Jessica and I; wouldn’t that give us the advantage we need,” Hebe asked.
“I said no. Now you three, who are coming with me, go and prepare yourselves. Jessica, you will be taken back down to earth. Hebe, you will run things up here. Do I make myself clear?”
Everyone agreed that they would follow his demands.
Zeus stood up and added, “For those who are coming on the mission, we will be going to a place that you have never seen before and you will have to prepare yourself for anything that can happen. I am not talking about Ares; I am talking about the plane we will be traveling to. It is unpredictable and dangerous. Athena and I will lose our immortality; we will be as vulnerable as you are.”
Aphrodite had spent the whole day trying to turn Terry and nothing worked. First she tried to sweet talk him, and then she offered him power. When those didn’t work, she offered him the freedom where he could do whatever he wanted, as long as he stood by her side. All Terry did was spit on her and call her a boot ass POG, telling her that when he got free he would kill her just like he did Apollo. That confused her so much she quit for the day. Was that supposed to be an insult? She understood the death threat, but the name he called her was just as confusing.
Giving up, she walked out of the cell slamming the door behind her. She was so vexed that her hands were trembling. She wanted nothing more to do than reach up and wrap her fingers around his neck and squeeze. Nothing she said pierced that thick skull of his. That human is more stubborn than a group of Cyclopes and dumber than them too, Aphrodite thought as she walked through the halls. Can’t he see that I am trying to give him power, power over the universe? Still, the pig spat in my face and gave me nothing.
Aphrodite finally reached her room, and saw Atlanta and Artemis waiting for her when she entered. Aphrodite’s anger grew exponentially seeing them lounging around. It was their fault that she was in this situation with Terry. He was gradually lowering his defenses and soon he would have been hers. Now his distrust and hatred of her was stronger than ever. If they would have let him get away, Aphrodite could have had him under her spell.
“Good, you two are here,” Aphrodite said clenching her fists. “Now I don’t have to search the compound to ring your necks.”
“What are you complaining about?” Atlanta said.
“We got him to the compound alive. That was what you wanted,” Artemis added. “And even that was difficult. That human attracted every beast in a mile radius. The second night he was almost eaten and we would have had to blow our cover if he didn’t cut himself out.”
“Besides, Ares was watching us,” Atlanta continued. “He asked us why the human wasn’t dead after the first day. We had to convince him it would be better to keep him alive and make him suffer.”
“If it wasn’t for us, your human would be dead,” Artemis finished.
“I am having a hard time turning him. Usually I would just offer the man a night’s dalliance with me and they would turn, but he has turned that down and much more,” Aphrodite spoke. She sat down and started tapping her foot. “I have till tomorrow to turn him. If that doesn’t work, our plan may not happen. Any of you have any idea on how we can fix this mess we are in?”
“We can tell the human the truth, unless you actually think Zeus will sacrifice himself for the humans,” Atlanta said.
“There is something else we can tell him,” Artemis added. As soon as all eyes were on her, she continued. “When I reported to Zeus, my servants told me some interesting things. Tereus’ woman, she is a daughter of Metis. Zeus is planning to kill her.”
“Yes, and adding to the fact that Zeus raped his mother, I am sure we can turn the human against Zeus.” Aphrodite got up and headed to the door. “Come with me. We are going to talk with the human now. I will need your healing powers Artemis, and for you to relay to him what you heard.”
For what seemed like an eternity in darkness, light had finally pierced the pod that encased his body. Remembering the joy when he was first chosen to carry out his master’s wishes, now he wished it he was never chosen. His masters never tolerated failure. He feared his masters had kept him sealed till after the Decimation, when all of their enemies would be destroyed and he would be worse than a slave. While his brothers found glory, he would find. He would be worse than a slave to all who had found glory in destroying their enemies while he would live in disgrace for all eternity.
The shade nervously exited his pod to meet his fate. Looking at his surroundings, he observed nothing had changed. With the feeling of dread leaving his body, he felt much better. Nothing had changed. Just like the first day he was released, he saw thousands of pods just like his but still sealed. In the middle of the room was a black sapphire as big as a mountain. The tension the shade had been feeling left him as he noticed everything was still the same. They are still giving me a chance, he thought.
“SARKATH.” the voice pierced his brain. As it spoke his whole body cringed in pain. “YOU HAVE FAILED US TWICE ALREADY. GIVE US A REASON TO LET YOU CONTIUE ON YOUR MISSION,” the voice demanded.
The shade fell to the ground groveling before the sapphire.
“Masters, I will kill the humans as you commanded. I will grab Zeus and bring him to you,” the shade said as it begged for one more chance.
“YOU HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE TO FREE US. IF YOU FAIL AGAIN, YOUR SOUL WILL BE OURS.”
Pain rippled through his body. It was the worse pain he had ever felt. His blood was on fire and it started to leak from his mouth, the cracks of his eyes, and even from his claws. When his blood touched his skin, it burned like nothing he had experienced before.
“YOU WILL GO TO THE PLANE OF EXISTENCE, BRING US THE ONE CALLED ZEUS.”
Suddenly the pain stopped and he could finally breathe. “I will do as you command, master, though what chance do we have against all of the gods and the humans?”
The pain came with a vengeance. “YOU ARE A WEAK, SARKATH. I DON’T KNOW WHAT WE SAW IN YOU. CHOOSE TWO OF YOUR BROTHERS AND TAKE THEM. THEY WILL HELP YOU IN YOUR QUEST. REMEMBER, YOU ARE ALREADY SET TO DIE. IF YOU SUCCEED, YOU CAN HAVE A CHANCE AT REINCARNATION. NOW GO!”
Sarkath continued his groveling as he crawled away. He accepted the sentence his masters had given him. If he was going to die he would die, but not before he would kill every single one of them that had caused him to be in this situation. He would start with the one named Tereus.
Chapter 20
Stepping through the portal, stunned from how this place looked, Zeus stopped walking and looked around. For the first time, this place had changed. What use to be some resemblance of a forest was now a desert. Wiping the bead of sweat that began to form on his head, he turned to his followers.
“Okay, we are here. Don’t touch anything, don’t attack anything. Just don’t do anything. Any action you take here can have severe consequences.” Zeus said cautiously. His eyes scanned the surrounding area.
“What is so dangerous that we have to be careful?” Amadi questioned while looking around.
“This is where it all started. You have entered the Plane of Existence.”
“What started?” Nicolai asked.
“Everything” Zeus said expecting them to understand. “This is where the whole universe began. If you destroy anything from this place, it can obliterate a whole planet.”
Staring at Zeus with distrust, Amadi found that hard to believe. The only problem Amadi had with Zeus’ statement was there was nothing to destroy. All he saw was sand and rock. How this place could be connected to everything didn’t seem possible Amadi.
“How is that even possible? This place doesn’t look special.” Amadi asked.
Knowing that this wasn’t the time to question Zeus, Athena turned away from the group and acted like she was watching for an attack. Nicolai noticed she still kept her attention to the conversation. Convinced that they were just as curious as he, Nicolai asked Zeus what he meant by ‘everything.’
/> “I have been here many times and it has never looked like it does now. It did not look like it does now. We should be surrounded by a forest, yet it’s just a wasteland,” Zeus said as he continued scan the horizon. “We are wasting time. I believe the Token is this way.”
As they continued their march, he continued his explanation.
“Long ago there was a division, a burst of energy as two forces split apart. What you humans call the ‘big bang’. Instead of being some random event like the humans says it is; this was actually one of many battles between two forces, the Daimōn and the Angelos— The Daimōn consists of the shade and its masters. I believe the Angelos are the creatures made of light and whoever they serve.” Seeing the confused looks on their faces he continued his story. “For eons they have fought each other for supremacy of the universe. This plane is where they come from. As they advanced and their battles grew more intense, they used this plane’s essence to create other planes, dimensions and planets to gain resources over each other. If you want to know more about them, you can read about it. I have written extensively about them in my chambers. For now, we need to stop talking and be on alert.”
“But…” Amadi said but Zeus cut him off.
“I said silence,” Zeus said fiercely. “This is wrong. This place shouldn’t be like this. It looks like everything has been destroyed, but nothing here could ever be destroyed before.”
As they continued their hike Zeus began to worry. Something was not right. We should have come upon the Token by now. Something is really wrong. Looking towards the front of the patrol, he saw Nicolai stopped. Asking what was wrong, he replied. “I see something in front of us. It looks like it’s coming closer.”
“What do you mean ‘it’s coming closer’?” Zeus asked. “We are moving closer to the object?”
“No, it’s like it’s coming closer to us.” Nicolai growled. “It is coming closer when I wasn’t moving. What could it be?”
“It has to be Ares.” Amadi stated.
I hope it’s him, Zeus thought. I don’t want to deal with anything out of the normal here.
“Let’s keep going,” Zeus motioned.
Wanting to get to the token before Zeus, Ares and his companions left one day early. As soon as they arrived, he knew something was wrong. First the plane had changed since the last time he was here. Then the Token was gone. Usually the token was only a mile away where he enters, but after walking all day the Token was nowhere in sight. What is wrong with this place? Where is the Token? Pushing his party hard, they walked non-stop. Collapsing from the force march, Ares stopped for the night. I may not have the surprise I wanted, but I will have the numbers.
The next day, Ares woke his companions early. Having to dump Dionysus out of his bedding, he forced him to take point. It wasn’t till midday when Ares spotted Dionysus stopped. Hopeful that he spotted the Token, Ares ran to him while the other gods tried to keep up. Ignoring the heaving breathing of his companions he asked Dionysus, “What did you see?”
“I didn’t see anything.” Dionysus growled. Not use to hardship, he was getting sick of what Ares was putting him through. “Are you even sure we are in the right place? This place doesn’t look like the plane you described to us.”
“This is the right place,” Ares said staring him down. Waiting till Dionysus looked away, he continued. “It looks different, but it has the same feeling. Something has to be manipulating the plane.”
“Who could it be?” Thantos asked. “You think Zeus is doing something here?”
“No, he is not powerful enough. Besides they are here too.” Coming from the back of the patrol, hades intruded in the discussion. “I can feel my son with them. I suggest we keep moving.”
“Good idea, Hades,” Ares said. “Would you like to take point?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
Ares’ party continued in silence with Hades in the lead. Each god watched their sector, searching for any sign of the Token or Zeus’ group. But the only thing they saw was the desolate landscape. Noticing all of the gods were preoccupied, Terry began his escape attempt. He tried to use his godly strength to break through the chains, but every time he moved them they would clink against each other. I need to make some noise so they don’t hear what I am doing. An idea formed inside his head.
Moving up a head, he got as close to Ares as his chains would allow him. He couldn’t go too far away from Aphrodite who was holding the other end.
“So Ares, what happens when a god dies?” Terry asked. “Do you guys have your own special place in hell or do you end up as nothing? I want to know where Apollo is.”
Ares spun around and backhanded him causing blood to fly from Terry’s mouth. “Apollo was a good god. He was faithful. You would be dead now if it wasn’t for Aphrodite. You better thank her when you get the chance.” He turned to Aphrodite. “Isn’t that right dear?”
“That is right,” Aphrodite answered.
From the front of the patrol, Hade came running to Ares. When he arrived he reported that Zeus was just ahead. “He has Atlanta and the two demi-gods with him. We outnumber him two to one. What are your orders?”
Ordering his party to summon their weapons, they slowly made their way to Zeus and his group.
Sarkath watched from a distance as the two parties confronted each other. It took most of his energy and the energy of his brothers to change the plane. Too bad they had to sacrifice themselves to do it. The other shades wanted to go and capture Zeus as soon as they saw them, leaving Sarkath without his vengeance. That was something he couldn’t allow to happen. Sarkath accepted that he would die, but he would go with dignity knowing that his enemies perished before him.
I hope my manipulation hasn’t messed things up too much. Right now I just have to wait until the perfect opening and I can have all three of them. Knowing the consequences of manipulating this place could have, he didn’t care. He was going to have his revenge even if his masters had to pay.
About to move to take his revenge, a sharp pain pierced his body as a voice entered his head. “SARKATH, YOU HAVE FAILED US FOR THE LAST TIME.YOU THINK YOU CAN HIDE FROM US? YOUR BODY IS OURS!”
The pain increased until he couldn’t bare it, and as quickly as it came it stopped. Looking down he saw his body as another shade stood over it. Looking towards the direction he was moving the brightest fire he’s ever seen came into his view. Before the silence of death overtook him, he saw the body of his master hungrily waiting for his soul.
Watching Zeus and Ares talking, Nicolai stood there watching everyone. He had been in situations like this before, and could tell when things were about turn for the worse. This one was reeking of the signs that it was going to turn into a massacre. First was Ares’ men, Thantos and Dionysus were itching for a fight. He watched as they gripped their weapons tightly, watching for the sign to attack. Nicolai looked to his right and saw Amadi staring down Ares. On his face was a quizzical look.
He was about to turn his attention to Ares, but saw something off in the distance. Looking at it closely he could tell it was nothing natural. There was only one thing that was that black. He pushed his thoughts to Amadi. “Amadi, can you hear me?”
“Yes, I can.” Not taking his eyes off Ares, Amadi eyed the god that was supposed to be his father. “Looks like we are in trouble. You did notice the shade right?” Amadi replied.
“Yes, I just saw him. Can you link to Terry? I can’t seem to get ahold of him. We need to prevent what is about to happen.”
“Let me try.” A few seconds passed. “Nicolai, Terry is on and he can hear what you have to say now.”
“Here is what’s going on. I see that shade we fought in the compound to your left,” Nicolai informed. “We figured out that Zeus is not planning to sacrifice himself to save you. He’s planning on using your life force to save himself.”
“I know,” Terry responded. “I haven’t come up with an idea to stop it though. I have been busy.”
“I ha
ve a plan in place,” Nicolai assured him. “That shade may make things a little bit complicated, but here is what I’ve come up with...”
After hearing Nicolai’s plan, Amadi nodded to acknowledge that he understood his part. Terry wanted him to kill Athena, but he wouldn’t. With both Nicolai’s and Amadi’s pressure, Terry accepted to have Athena knocked out instead. It would be easy in this plane since she was just as vulnerable as he was now.
It’s not like he didn’t love her, he just didn’t love her the way she wanted. His love was for someone else. And if he read the signals right, that other person loved him back. Athena would be his wife though, but it would only be for political reasons. He had grown to respect her with the highest regards; after all, she was somewhat like him.
Terry received confirmation from Amadi and Nicolai to complete their part of the plan. He was angry Amadi didn’t want Athena dead, in his opinion, they all needed to die. They all played a part in his torture and they would all pay. Most of all, Zeus would.
He will scream so hard for what he did to me, he thought. Then Ares will be next. They will all pay.
Pivoting his body slightly, Terry was getting ready to run at Ares when it was time. Anxiously he waited for the perfect moment when Ares’ full attention was going to be on Zeus. The two brothers kept on yelling back and forth. Ares had his battle-axe in hand getting ready to strike Zeus. His whole body was ready to strike Zeus, but something seemed to be holding him back. Instead, Ares kept on yelling at Zeus, demanding his surrender. Zeus of course, kept demanding Ares’ surrender. On and on it went until Terry couldn’t take it any longer. Noticing that Ares’ weight was all on his back leg, Terry decided now was the time. Without word from Nicolai, Terry sprung the attack.