The Pantheon Saga | Book 4 | Gods of Wrath

by Ekeke, C. C.

  With that, Hugo slammed a kick into Apollo’s hamstring. The ex-hero grunted and buckled, blond hair whipping about. Hugo drew his leg in tight, blasting Apollo in the midsection, followed by fifty superfast punches to Apollo’s face in five seconds.

  Hugo whirled, clotheslining Apollo’s broad chest. Sternum bone crunched, the ex-hero spinning head over heels twice, then faceplanting. Hugo waited for a dazed Apollo to struggle up to his knees.

  Superspeeding several yards back, Hugo dashed forward in an instant with a flying knee.

  The blow hit Apollo’s face with batter-ramming force, knocking him away. Hugo dropped low, charging again. Another well-placed strike should end this. “Goodnight!”

  Apollo, on all fours, snapped his head up. “You first!” He discharged thick eye beams.

  Hugo couldn’t dodge, already committed. Apollo's solar beams walloped his chest. God, the blasts burned like torrents of scorching daylight times twenty. A temporarily blinded Hugo dug one hand into concrete to not get pushed farther back. He blocked the brunt of the solar blasts with his other hand. The heat grew excruciating, even with Hugo’s sturdy costume and durable skin.

  Use more than your eyes, Lady Liberty would’ve said. Hugo listened then for Apollo’s location.

  Ten feet straight ahead. He twisted around the blast and rocketed forward. Before Apollo could react, Hugo clamped both hands over his foe's eyes. He almost immediately yanked them off, but fought the heat and clamped down. The blocked solar energy quickly swelled beneath his hands, which Apollo desperately tried prying off. Soon he was screaming.

  The heat beneath Hugo’s hands soared beyond white-hot, light peeking through his fingers. He couldn’t hold on any longer…

  And the backed up solar energy erupted, flooding the Junction with daylight.

  Hugo got thrown to the ground. Once the brilliance faded, he shook his hands to curb the burning. The gloves were intact but charred. Both hands had to be covered in blisters. Wincing, Hugo shook them again and looked for his adversary.

  Apollo was staggering about, golden-and-white outfit unharmed. His eyes were ruined, blackened holes. He grabbed the air futilely. “Where are you?” he screamed with ragged hate. “Blind or not, I will rip your spine out and—”

  Hugo closed the gap between them with a triple-axle spin, spinning roundhouse kicking Apollo in the jaw. An earsplitting crack bounced off the surrounding buildings.

  Apollo’s head snapped back and he toppled like a chopped tree.

  Hugo sighed. “You kinda suck, Apollo." One down… His amusement was short-lived.

  Nike zipped around the corner, Thor and Vishnu not far behind.

  Vishnu gestured at Hugo with his two right hands. “There,” he cried, red eyes murderous.

  Thor spotted his teammate at Hugo’s feet. “Apollo?” The Viking cracked, showing genuine concern.

  Nike’s anguish vanished when she laid eyes on Hugo. “If you’ve hurt him, you die!”

  The threat rattled Hugo. But he hid that beneath bravado, beckoning Nike forward. “Gotta catch me, sweetheart.” He tore down the streets.

  “How dare you!” Nike dashed in pursuit. The chase was on.

  Hugo zigged and zagged through downtown. Buildings, lights and people smeared together in endless streaks. It baffled him that The Elite were falling for his trap. He sensed Nike close behind, grasping for him but never close enough. This time Hugo easily stayed ahead. I’m faster than her. Hugo put on a burst of speed and widened his lead. Soon after, Nike no longer pursued him. Hugo glanced back in confusion.

  A whooshing noise turned him around. An Escalade came spinning at him.

  Hugo panicked and leaped over the vehicle, Nike springing from behind it to ram him. Again, they rolled around in a tangled heap. This time Hugo backhanded Nike down the block. He zoomed several yards ahead of her spinning body, backhanding the warrior again.

  Nike slammed upside-down into a taxi. The car flipped onto its side. Hugo darted in superfast as she came boiling to her feet with a spine-chilling cry, one sword drawn.

  The two supers collided, moving faster than anyone could see with bone-shaking punches and kicks. To Hugo it was a dance. Violent and unrehearsed, but a dance nonetheless, neither gaining the upper hand. But in a crowded city boulevard, Hugo had to end this quickly. He struck surgically, using his speed advantage. But Nike was the superior fighter. Every sword swing was a killing blow, forcing Hugo to dodge more than strike. He ducked an overhead sword slash—a feint for Nike to palm thrust his chest. That knocked him skidding back, barely able to draw breath.

  Nike didn’t let up, straddling him again. She reversed her sword grip in both hands, driving down with all her might. Hugo gasped in pained breaths, catching the blade between his hands inches above his right eye. Nike grimaced, pressing harder. “My swords are sharp enough to split molecules, dog!” The warrior’s eyes gleamed. “Imagine how they’ll carve up that beautiful body.”

  Hugo fought down panic, focused on slowly yet steadily pushing the blade away from his face.

  Nike grimaced, realizing that Hugo was stronger. She clawed for another sword hanging from her belt.

  Uh-oh. Hugo shoved the blade between his hands up, slamming the pommel into Nike’s face. She lurched back off him.

  Hugo kicked a leg out from under Nike. As she pitched forward, he zoomed off.

  Every bystander backed away when Nike sprang upright.

  Hugo lurked in a shadowy alleyway nearby, watching and waiting.

  “Hiding again?” The Greek-armored super looked quite demented scouring the crowds. “When I find you, I’ll flay your skin off and hang it as a flag!”

  Hugo cringed. “With what?”

  Confused, Nike checked her empty sword belt. A snarl ripped from her lips. “Return my swords!”

  “Sure!” Hugo zipped out behind Nike, hurling one of her swords.

  A loud, wet SCHUKK preceded a surprised shriek. Nike collapsed to a knee, the blood-soaked blade of her own sword protruding from her left thigh.

  Hugo crouched in another alleyway.

  To his and the audience’s disgust, Nike yanked the sword out by the handle. She grunted while fighting to a standing position. “I will behead you!” Nike screeched, waving around her bloodied sword.

  Hugo dashed forward, swinging Nike’s other sword at her belly.

  She saw him coming and threw herself back at the last second, both arms flung forward. The blade just missed her toned stomach—as Hugo expected.

  He switched the sword to his other hand mid-sprint, reversing the grip. Hugo then turned, straightened and swiped up.

  SLSSSSHH! The city block echoed with Nike’s inhuman screams. She sank to her knees with bloody stumps where her forearms should be.

  The crowds collectively groaned.

  Hugo slammed the sword into the ground, shattering the blade. Nike’s defeat was his singular focus, despite his queasy stomach. “I like my head’s location.” He hauled Nike up by the throat while plucking off her Trojan-styled helmet.

  Nike’s features were severe but not unattractive, dark tresses spilling down in limp curtains. “You better kill me, bastard,” she warned, eyes glazed with pain and rage. “Or I’ll kill you in ways—”

  Hugo headbutted Nike, snapping her head back. Then again. Two more times shattered her nose.

  A fifth headbutt sent Nike flying like a ragdoll. She smashed into a lamppost, warping it and sliding down unconscious.

  Two down, Hugo realized as the crowd applauded. Their loudness forced him to focus harder on finding the other Elite members.

  Until several bystanders screamed and scattered.

  Alarmed, Hugo turned toward whatever spooked them. “Oh FUC—”

  A fist larger than his head sailed in, nearly decapitating him.

  The world became twinkling stars and dark spots.

  Hugo blinked several times, jaw on fire. When his vision cleared, he found himself on his back, a long trail of chewed-up concre
te marking his journey.

  Samson stampeded forward, fury etched into his bearded face. “Let the beatings begin!” he roared.

  Chapter 51

  So much…for…divide and destroy.

  Samson was on top, pounding Hugo’s chest with another piston-like fist. Street pavement fissured beneath his body. Hugo heard his ribs creak, along with Vishnu’s and Morrigan’s approaching footsteps.

  Crowds gathered around the fringes of the street, oohing and hissing.

  Farther back, Thor knelt to check on a motionless Nike.

  No sign of The Vanguard coming or even emerging from the wreckage. Processing all this sensory data, Hugo knew he couldn’t absorb much more of Samson’s barrage even with his durability. His plan to take The Elite out separately was a bust. But even an improvised plan would fail against Samson's power.

  Samson’s beady eyes held only vitriol. He slammed another, bone-shaking blow into Hugo’s stomach. That probably broke something, folding him up. Hugo wanted to vomit.

  He looked up at Samson through hazy vision. The behemoth raised one massive fist for perhaps the killing blow. “I’m kicking your ass into a whole new shape!”

  Hugo coughed out bloody spittle. “You’re…kicking my ass…with…your fists?” Probably an unwise taunt, but he was too punch-drunk to care.

  Samson’s eyes flashed at the mockery. He raised his foot high.

  Oh, god! Hugo gaped as the size twenty-two rushed down on him. He rolled away before Samson’s boot stomped, trembling the whole block.

  There was a footprint-sized hole where Hugo’s head just lay. He scurried to get some distance from Samson.

  But Samson gripped his whole thigh with one hand. “You surprised us once!” he boomed.

  “Actually, twice!” Hugo corrected, desperately clawing pavement apart to escape.

  The big man grunted, hoisting him up. “Won’t happen again.”

  Samson tossed Hugo like a spinning Frisbee toward Vishnu, who stiff-armed Hugo in the chest. Pure agony. Hugo flipped head over heels and faceplanted. A punt to his flank sent him skidding on his face down the boulevard.

  Hugo’s vision blurred from pain everywhere. Each breath was a chore when pushing onto all fours. And The Elite moved in fast to deliver more punishment.

  Blocks away, Hugo heard metal shredding—someone pulling the V-Jet open to rescue The Vanguard. But how long that would take?

  Closer still, Hugo sensed the overeager crowd, chanting and jeering.

  “Get up,” demanded one stocky boy in a Hawaiian shirt, probably Hugo’s age. “After you DESTROYED Apollo and Nike, I bet on you winning!”

  Hugo glared daggers at him.

  “Sorry!” the stocky kid apologized.

  Hugo was never this entitled when watching super vs. super battles. The revelry ended quickly, the crowd backing away from whoever had approached. Powerful hands seized Hugo’s wrists. Suddenly he was dangling off the ground before Vishnu, whose eyes glowed ruby-red. He restrained Hugo with his two upper hands, the lower hands twirling razor-sharp gold chakras.

  Uh-oh. Hard as Hugo struggled, Vishnu’s grip was inflexible.

  Thor advanced, Samson and Morrigan on his tail. “Don’t let him separate us,” he barked. Triumph dominated his bearded face.

  Hugo panicked, completely helpless, until a desperate idea surfaced.

  “Samson,” Vishnu crowed. “We need—!”

  Hugo belted a sonic shout at his grinning face. Vishnu stumbled back cross-eyed, letting him go.

  And Hugo slammed a chop to his throat. Vishnu gagged before getting punted in the balls. The Hindu-styled super doubled over into Hugo's knee strike to the face.

  As Vishnu got stood straight up, Hugo grabbed his waist and heaved back, throwing him into Samson. The teammates collided in a tumbling heap.

  Hugo stepped toward Samson—the biggest threat. Finishing him while he was down might give Hugo an actual chance against the rest of The Elite. A flickering flash caught Hugo’s eye and ignited his terror. Lightning slicing down the street—at him.

  The crowd reacted in awe. Hugo dove out of the way from lightning shredding across two blocks. The concussive impact threw him into a moving car.

  He slid on his behind, stunned but not hurt. The car, however, crumpled at the rear.

  Thor gave no reprieve, stalking him with predatory intent, twirling his hammer. Three copies of Morrigan flanked him, sporting nasty-looking claws instead of fingers.

  Six on one. Hugo climbed to a crouch. Before despair could sink in, another idea brightened his grim viewpoint. Weapons of mass distraction.

  “Your aim sucks worse than Apollo, Thor!” he remarked loudly. “And he’s blind now!”

  The Morrigans gasped.

  Thor turned redder than his hair. “I’LL KILL YOU!” He charged, bull-like and enraged.

  “Thank you!” Hugo smirked, slamming both hands together. The shockwave sounded like a thunderclap, walloped Thor and the Morrigans. All four were dazed while the whole block quaked. Bystanders stumbled, grabbing their skulls.

  “Ping-pong time.” The world slowed... and Hugo blasted a vicious path through his enemies, not pulling punches. He braked farther away, pleased at Thor and the Morrigans sailing in opposite directions.

  The crowds erupted in approval.

  Hugo’s mirth withered at their stupidity. “Get to safety! Now!” His bark sent some scrambling. Most retreated a couple steps, too invested in this brawl.

  Hugo shook his head. Any disdain evaporated as Samson rose to his full, gigantic height. The big man bellowed and careened headlong at him.

  Hugo quickly scanned the battlefield. The other Elite members were down. Have to take him now…if possible. Hugo leaped up then zoomed back down, batter-ramming his fists into Samson’s face. The shivering blow rocked the big man back but not down.

  Gotta hit him with everything. Hugo lunged, a jumping right cross snapping Samson’s head sideways. A vicious gut punch folded Samson up for an uppercut to the jaw. Hugo kept hitting and hitting, but ducked Samson’s tree-trunk-sized arms when he swung.

  Until Samson shook it off and caught the scruff of Hugo’s hood.

  Too slow, he realized before the big man sank a fist into his stomach. The air rushed out of him again, his body nearly giving out. A succession of jackhammer-like punches followed. Hugo wilted, his mind retreating from the agony.

  Samson hoisted his limp frame overhead, slamming him into the pavement. Dark spots spilled into Hugo’s sight. I'm done...

  “Hold him up, Samson!” Thor bellowed.

  Through the darkness, Hugo felt himself lifted off the ground, a beefy forearm wider than his leg around his neck. through hazy vision, Thor approached boiling with anger. Vishnu and the three Morrigans gathered around him.

  “Hold him…” Thor pointed with his hammer, glowing with voltage.

  That snapped Hugo out of his paralysis. With no other options, he bit down hard on Samson’s forearm.

  The big man roared and released Hugo. The teen ran, barely dodging the fork of blue energy that stabbed Samson. The big man shuddered and spasmed from the electrocution.

  A horrified Thor cut off the blast. “NO!”

  Hugo, leaning on an abandoned family van, hoisted it in both hands and swung.

  Thor got smacked in the face, flopping far down the street, then Vishnu, followed by one of the Morrigans.

  Hugo blew out a sigh and dropped the car. The reprieve was short but necessary. He turned to Samson with weary eyes, praying Thor’s lightning had felled him.

  Through tendrils of smoke, Samson remained on shaky legs.

  Are you SERIOUS? Grimacing, Hugo rushed in, unloading salvo upon salvo of lightning-fast punches to Samson’s torso. He struck faster, harder, fighting through aches and fatigue, each blow juddering the much larger super.

  Time to finish him… Hugo spun with a roundhouse punch, folding Samson up. An uppercut to the jaw blasted the big man skyward.

  “Haw!�
� Hugo cheered. “Yes!” He’d never hit someone that hard before.

  Samson’s flailing legs clipped a roof. Chunks of the ledge crumbled down to the street.

  Hugo stopped smiling. “Shit!” So much for avoiding more collateral damage. As Samson sailed into the ether, movement to the left turned Hugo around.

  The Morrigans dragged Hugo onto his back. The identical trio kicked and punched with wounding abandon. Hugo rolled about to avoid the worst blows, snaking an arm out to sweep one Morrigan’s legs out. Another Morrigan sat on his chest while the third clawed at his face mask.

  Hugo opened his mouth, sonic shouting one Morrigan in the face.

  She toppled over as Hugo twisted, another sonic shout walloping the other clean off her feet. He popped up in fighting stance with fists cocked.

  The three Morrigans vibrated into one woman again. She watched Hugo with unmistakable loathing, fingers extending into claws.

  Hugo lowered his fists. “We don’t have to fight,” he pleaded.

  “Not while Paxton-Brandt exists.” Morrigan’s eyes went cold. “You cannot stop us.” She coiled and pounced, finger claws lengthening to rip Hugo’s face off.

  He sighed expectantly. “I can and I am.” Hugo unleashed an ear-splitting sonic scream, drowning out all other noise. The wail rippled the air, pancaking Morrigan into the side of a bank.

  Hugo advanced, intensifying his attack. Morrigan strained to free herself, but could barely move against the crushing wall of sound. Her mouth opened in a silent, pained cry.

  Hugo made his heart go dead and kept screaming until Morrigan finally sagged.

  He stopped. Morrigan sank without a sound. Worms of dark red oozed from her ears and nose.

  Three down. Hugo shook his head, baffled by his luck. He listened beyond the cheering crowd. The V-Jet was still getting peeled open by Justice Jones. More OSA helicopters were miles away. Hugo turned his focus on Thor and Vishnu, still down a few blocks. Then he heard it.