Into the Fire Part I_Requiem of Souls

by Christian Kallias

  “I can see why, but Chase put yourself in his shoes for a second. If you had been trapped for thousands of years in a single place, and finally got out, wouldn’t you want to enjoy your newfound freedom?”

  Chase released half a chuckle.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I just figured we could ask my father this question.”

  “Except, technically, for Menelas, it wouldn’t have felt like thousands of years.”

  “Right, the time dilation factor.”

  “Exactly. I don’t know this Hades guy, and I’m not gonna even pretend that I understand how Olympians think, even though I’m quite fond of Ares, but I can see why Hades would want his life back. I think in his place, so would any one of us.”

  Daniel could tell from Chase’s look that he had given him food for thought.

  Chase entered the Victory’s impressively sized and equipped med-bay to see how Poseidon was doing. With a quick glance, Chase noticed Poseidon was no longer in the regen tank where he had last seen him. Chase looked around until he saw the imposingly built Olympian at the opposite side of the room and walked toward him. Poseidon was looking at his cybernetic battle arm in the mirror. Chase could feel he didn’t seem pleased with it.

  “Hello Poseidon, I’m Chase, I— Well, I guess I’m your great nephew.”

  Poseidon sniffed a couple of times, then grunted.

  “Half Fury from the smell of you,” said Poseidon not trying to hide any derogation from his tone.

  Charming. Can he really smell the Fury genes in me?

  “That’s correct, I guess. Will that be a problem?”

  “You tell me; your race has destroyed my world, taken my brother from me, and to top it all off, installed this contraption on me,” said Poseidon, lifting his artificial arm.

  “The prosthetic arm you now possess is Earth Alliance tech, so it has nothing to do with the Furies. At least you can use your limb; that’s gotta be worth something, right?”

  “I suppose.”

  “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but I couldn’t heal your wounds. Just like I couldn’t heal your brother’s. Something to do with the being that wounded you.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “We’re not exactly sure. We think it might be a result of tampering with a life form we haven’t encountered before. As for the Furies, they are not my people. I was born Fury, that is true, but I’ve never aligned myself with them. I hope you can make that distinction.”

  “Or so Zeus said. He thought highly of you, for some reason.”

  Did he now?

  “Well, I hope you’ll learn to appreciate me as well, we’re family after all.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it too much, kid. Look, I know it’s not your fault that Zeus died, and that I shouldn’t blame you for it. But I always hated Furies. They’re just angry, vengeful, utterly selfish and generally vile creatures. Furthermore, I really thought we were done with them thousands of years ago. And while you could very well be the exception to the rule, I can’t seem to reconcile the fact that you’re half Olympian and half Fury. That to me feels like heresy. It stains the purity of our blood.”

  Oh, he’s just a really charming guy, now isn’t he?

  “I’m sorry you feel that way. However, I’d like to point out that Furies are also very picky about their blood purity. I didn’t know Olympians were being that protective of their bloodline.”

  Chase thought he saw Poseidon’s ocean blue eyes flash for just a split second as the god played with his long white beard.

  “Perhaps it’s just me, then. Obviously, neither my brother nor my niece had any problem infecting our blood with the likes of you.”

  Poseidon’s insistence on bringing his Fury genes into the conversation was starting to get on Chase’s nerves. Since Zeus’ brother was family, Chase gave him a free pass. Perhaps it was Poseidon’s way of grieving the loss of not only his brother, the leader of the Olympians, but also their entire world, Olympus.

  “That’s alright. We don’t have to like each other. I just wanted to check on you and see if you’d want to join us on our mission. But that would entail working with other hybrids, I’m afraid.”

  Poseidon sneered. “And what mission would that be?”

  “To go rescue both Aphroditis and my father, Menelas.”

  “I’m not gonna even pretend I give a shit what happens to your father, but I would consider helping my niece out of a bind.”

  How generous of you.

  “We might also fight Arakan again, though I’m hoping to avoid that this time around.”

  There was no doubting it this time; Chase clearly saw Poseidon’s eyes flash intensely.

  “Why would you want to avoid fighting Arakan? Are you some sort of coward?”

  Poseidon’s words cut Chase straight to the heart. Anger was also slowly rising in him, and it would get more difficult to keep the conversation civilized if Poseidon didn’t improve his tone.

  “That’s uncalled for. Especially since I’m going to deal with Arakan as well as all the Furies. It’s just not the main objective for today.”

  “Well, if I come along it might become my main objective.”

  While Chase could see Poseidon teaming up with Oryn, he didn’t like the idea of having rogue elements to deal with on the mission.

  “Only if I permit it,” said Chase coldly.

  “I don’t answer to you. In fact, I don’t answer to anyone anymore now that my brother is dead.”

  Chase turned and started walking away. “You’re welcome to enjoy your stay on my ship then. We’ll drop you off somewhere the first chance we get.”

  Poseidon sighed. “Wait.”

  Chase stopped walking but didn’t bother turning around.

  “Anything else I can do for you?” said Chase without any intention of masking his annoyance with the Olympian.

  “I’m sorry for my harsh words, I— I guess I’m just not feeling well at the moment. I’d very much like to join you on your mission.”

  Chase’s aura started burning, and when he turned back to face Poseidon again, his eyes glowed purple.

  “Very well, but let’s make one thing clear though, this is my ship, my mission and you’ll do exactly as I say, whether or not you agree with my decisions. Oh, and if you try any of your hybrid non-pure blood bullshit in front of the rest of my crew, I’ll space you myself. Understood?”

  Poseidon smiled from ear to ear.

  “You’re a member of my family, alright.”

  “I’d still like to hear it.”

  “Understood, Captain.”

  “Actually, it’s Admiral.”

  10

  The Kyrian dragon roared one last time before unleashing a trail of fire toward Ryonna. The Droxian warrior was ready for it by rolling multiple times to the side to avoid the incoming attack. She grabbed two of her throwing blades from her thigh sheaths and flung them toward the eyes of the beast. The dragon flicked its tail and deflected the blades with ease. One of them boomeranged and planted itself into Ryonna’s left shoulder.

  She growled in frustration before swiftly removing and discarding the blood-drenched blade on the ground with a clang.

  She locked her gaze with the dragons.

  You’re gonna regret this.

  She unsheathed her sword and darted toward the dragon that was already preparing to launch another round of fire breath toward her. When she was about ten yards from the dragon, it unleashed a cascading fury of flames. Ryonna jumped over the column of fire, spun in the air in an acrobatic way and landed on top of the unsuspecting dragon’s head, planting her blade deep into the beast’s right eye. It roared in pain, its terrible cry resonating all around. The dragon jerked its head and sent Ryonna crashing to the nearby ground.

  The dragon flailed its tail toward her, but Ryonna had already grabbed and turned her light blade on. She sliced through the heavily scaled tail with ease, resulting in the beast roaring in both anger and pain a
gain.

  Before the dragon could recover, Ryonna grabbed part of the tail and was sent flying high into the air. She turned her light blade off and magnetically attached it to her weapon belt. She grabbed two more sonic grenades and activated them as she was falling toward the dragon’s open mouth, which was ready to swallow her. She split her legs and landed them at the teeth of the dragon.

  She smiled for a brief moment. “This is going to hurt, I’m afraid,” she calmly said as she dropped both sonic grenades down the Kyrian dragon’s throat.

  She jumped out of the way just a millisecond before a clawed wing flew an inch from her chest, nearly cutting her in half. She spun in the air multiple times on her way down before landing with one foot and one knee on the ground at the same time as her grenades detonated inside the beast’s throat.

  The creature’s head then smashed a yard in front of her causing a loud thud as the red glow inside the remaining dragon’s eye flickered and died. The dragon moaned and wheezed with each long, ragged and painful breath.

  Ryonna took back her light blade as she approached the beast’s head, running her hand along her defeated prey’s scaly face.

  “It’s almost over; I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  She then locked her furious gaze toward Argos as she gently pressed the tip of her light blade on the dragon’s temple. She turned her light blade on and off and ended the dragon’s suffering.

  Argos walked toward her with purpose.

  “Not bad for a measly Droxian, but you should run while you still have your legs.”

  The fire in Ryonna’s eyes lit up with unrestrained hatred.

  “I don’t think so. I’ve been waiting for this for a very long time.”

  Argos exploded in laughter. “Well, you’re a courageous, yet fragile, little thing, I’ll grant you that.”

  Ryonna twitched and raised an eyebrow. “Little?”

  “Size isn’t everything and doesn’t always translate into more power, as you’ll soon discover.”

  “Enough pleasantries. I’m starving, and I’m looking forward to eating your heart.”

  “Impetuous, but I like your spirit. Very well! It’s your funeral after all.”

  We’ll just have to see about that, now won’t we?

  Oryn felt like she had been pacing inside the Victory’s corridors for hours. She couldn’t get any sleep. Both anger and nervousness prevented her from even resting on her bed. All she wanted was to be on Erevos again and to kill the man she had thought almost her entire life to be her father.

  I should have known. I should have felt it in my bones that this man was not my blood.

  Nearby, a door opened, and Poseidon walked in, looking her way.

  She felt anger and disdain for the Olympian. She knew he was her uncle but the fact that he hadn’t managed to defeat Arakan, and that Zeus had died as a result, angered her. That anger quickly spiraled into hatred and, without realizing it, her aura grew a substantial amount while also freezing the walls, ceiling and ground around her with every new step she took.

  Poseidon tightened the grasp on his Trident with his now cybernetic arm as a radiant cyan light glowed in his eyes.

  “State your intentions, Fury?” he warned.

  “Don’t call me Fury!” Oryn sneered.

  Poseidon took a defensive stance, and soon water dragons were dancing around him as a green-blue aura radiated around his muscled body.

  “I don’t want any trouble,” said Poseidon. “But I will defend myself.”

  A voice inside Oryn told her to stop walking, but she kept ignoring it, intensifying her aura with each new step taken.

  “Very well,” said Poseidon, as he pointed his Trident at Oryn.

  The water dragons swirled around Poseidon’s body a few times, gaining in speed and intensity before running along his arm and Trident and then darting toward Oryn at incredible speed.

  Oryn growled; her eyes shone like two bright diamonds caught in the sunlight, and, as the watery dragons approached her, they turned to ice two yards before reaching her.

  “I don’t think so!” she growled.

  The water dragons exploded into a million small shimmering icicles, looking like diamond dust. The dust-like particles were siphoned around her feet and danced around her as she stopped and stared into the eyes of a shocked Poseidon.

  “I’ve promised Chase I wouldn’t make any trouble for him while I’m onboard,” said Poseidon. “Please, stand down, now.”

  Oryn heard the words, but they didn’t register. She extended her hands in front of her; each one facing the other as the diamond dust particles flew around her and concentrated between her hands as if attracted by an invisible black hole. Her hands glowed white and icier particles were added into the spiky and shining ball of ice. The way its shape merged and changed defied the law of physics.

  “You let him die,” she said.

  A tear appeared at the corner of Poseidon’s eye.

  “You’re his daughter, aren’t you? You’re Oryn.”

  She answered with a growl before reorienting her hands forward, unleashing the ethereal, icy attack toward her uncle.

  Suddenly, Chase teleported in front of Poseidon, his aura glowing orange, and intercepted the attack with one of his own fireballs. The resulting small explosion consumed both attacks and scorched the walls around them.

  “What the fuck, Oryn?! Poseidon is an ally.”

  The cold melted away from Oryn’s eyes as she came out of her anger trance.

  “I— I’m sorry; I dunno what came over me.”

  “That’s enough, Oryn!” said Chase, letting a large breath of exasperation escape him. “I should have left you on Asgard!”

  Poseidon put his real hand on Chase’s shoulder.

  “That’s alright, Admiral. I believe we all have unexpressed grief at the moment, and it makes us say or do stupid things.”

  “That’s no excuse. I’m also angered by Zeus’ death but right now is not the time to lose our heads. We need to stay focused on the mission ahead, or we’ll lose more than our cool on Erevos.”

  Tears filled Oryn’s eyes, and she couldn’t look directly at Chase.

  I believe she understands, said Poseidon inside Chase’s mind. She’s suffering; let’s not add to her feelings of loss right now.

  Chase wanted to argue, but he could feel the turmoil and confusion inside of Oryn’s heart, and so he teleported both himself and Poseidon somewhere else on the ship.

  Oryn fell to her knees as more tears kept flowing from her eyes.

  When Chase stormed into their quarters, Sarah instantly knew something was wrong.

  “What happened? Are you alright, Chase?”

  Chase let out a long breath of frustration.

  “Everyone seems on edge, and they don’t seem to be willing to listen to reason.”

  “Everyone, including yourself, if you don’t mind me saying.”

  Chase realized his hands were tensed into strong fists. He relaxed them and opened them back and forth a couple of times before attempting a reassuring smile.

  “I’m alright. I’m just frustrated, I guess.”

  “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Nah, that’s alright. It’s not like Oryn will listen to reason anyway.”

  “Do you think she could be a liability to the mission?”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of. I understand where she’s coming from, but I don’t want her recklessness and thirst for revenge to cost her or anybody else their lives.”

  Sarah shook her head from side to side with sadness in her eyes.

  “What did I say?” he inquired.

  “Chase, Chase, Chase…When will you learn that you can’t control everything? Control is an illusion. You may think that if you try hard enough things will turn out the way you want them to, but by now you must have learned or at least witnessed that the universe tends to do whatever it so pleases.”

  “Hence my frustration.”

  “I’m sorry to
add to it; it certainly feels like now is not the right time, but we need to talk.”

  “I think I know what you’re going to ask me.”

  “Do you? Then let’s hear it.”

  “You want to know why I didn’t take you with us on the away team.”

  “Oh look; you were right, you did know. Mind telling me why, then?”

  “I need someone I can trust to cover our asses from space.”

  Sarah’s look grew colder.

  “Interesting decoy, to not say a bullshit answer…now, can I have the truth, please?”

  Chase sighed, but Sarah could tell from his look that he wasn’t going to try to avoid the issue.

  “I’m not entirely lying or anything about you taking care of this small fleet—”

  “Chase.”

  He raised a pleading hand.

  “Let me finish. It is true that I don’t want everyone I love with me on this mission. I— I’d feel better if you stayed with the Victory and made sure you blasted off anything coming our way.”

  “While I appreciate that particular sentiment, I know that you’re afraid of losing me, yet you’re taking our son with you.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to him.”

  “Don’t do this, Chase. You can’t guarantee that, no more than you can guarantee your own safety and you know it. By that same logic, you could make sure nothing happens to me if I came along, which in case you didn’t figure out by now, I want to. Furthermore, we both know Athena is better suited to command the fleet than I am.”

  “That’s not exactly true—”

  “It is, Chase. Without her on the last battle, both Daniel and I would have perished. And if you think me staying on board the ship is safer, I think you’re mistaken. It doesn’t matter where we are during the war, death can strike at any moment, as we’ve all seen.”

  Sarah bit her lip; she could tell from the sadness in Chase’s eyes that this statement had brought back painful memories.

  “Look, Chase,” she continued. “I will abide by your wish if it means that much to you, but you have to understand that putting me on the sidelines hurts my feelings. It makes me think you don’t trust me. And after all we’ve been through, well—”