"Are you sure you know where you're bloody going?" Spike growled at Angel.
"Yes, Spike. For the thirteenth time. My sense of direction is bloody impeccable, as you would put it." Angel snapped at his childe.
"That's more or less what you said in Paris, and it turned out we were bloody lost." Spike snapped back.
"Gentlemen, please, not in front of those who cannot see in the dark." Wesley pleaded.
"Button your gob, poofter." Spike hissed at Wesley. Wesley quickly followed Spike's command.
The two vampires, the Watcher, and Joyce and Dawn walked carefully down the naturally crafted tunnel, leading a large crowd of human survivors. Thanks to Angel and Spike's vampire senses, they had managed to locate all the humans after they had scattered.
Unfortunately, not all of them were still alive.
As they kept walking, Angel was glad the humans had brought artificial light for themselves, as unlike the sewer passages, the cave passageways were pitch-black.
Angel paused, listening.
"You hear that?" Spike asked him.
"Yeah. Told you we were on the right track."
Angel started walking again and Spike followed him without reply.
"What did you hear?" Joyce inquired of Angel.
"Voices." Angel replied.
After twenty more minutes of walking, everyone else could hear the talking as well. Many people were speaking at the same time, obviously in some sort of argument.
Angel made one last turn and walked through a huge cave entrance and stopped. The others followed him through and halted as well.
"You made it." Lucas said as he strolled up to them.
"Luckily. You left out a few key points in your directions. Like all the twists and turns." Angel replied.
Lucas shrugged.
"I had faith in you and Spikey here not to lead the lambs, I mean humans, astray."
Spike almost fired off a nasty retort but Angel shushed him. No point in starting a fight over it, it was done.
Angel looked over the cave. Lucas had definitely made a good choice. The sheer size of the cavern was almost overwhelming. Not only was there more than enough room to house everyone, but also all the supplies and weapons they would need to wage a successful campaign against Demona and her forces. The souled vampire also noted the numerous tunnel openings which undoubtedly led to other caverns. That would make it easy to retreat if they needed to.
"There's so many of them." Dawn suddenly whispered.
Indeed there was. The gigantic cave was filled with vampires, plus demons of every shape, size, and color.
And all their eyes were focused on the new arrivals, their expressions running the gamut from curiosity, to anger, to unspeakable hunger.
The humans fidgeted uneasily, looking at each other and then back at their new "roommates".
"This will definitely never do. We mostly certainly cannot coexist with those foul demonic creatures in the same space. They will be feasting upon us in our sleep, or worse." Wesley whispered.
"You do realize they just heard everything you just said, right mate?" Spike replied dryly.
"O-oh. I had forgotten." Wesley said. He waved nervously at the demons and vampires and they waved back at him mockingly.
He makes a good point. Angel thought. I can't ask the human survivors to share quarters with monsters. Nearly every creature in here either hates human beings or feeds on them.
He surveyed the various tunnel openings thoughtfully, and then walked over to Lucas.
"This isn't going to work. We can't expect humans and demons to be around each other in close quarters like this. The humans look ready to bolt, while the demons and vampires look ready to pounce." Angel said to the other vampire. "I think we should-"
"-Set up separate sleeping areas for the humans and demons?" Lucas interrupted. "Way ahead of you."
He pointed at one of the tunnel entrances and said: "Through there is a very large cavern with an underground river. I thought that would be a great spot for the humans you brought. The river is fresh water and full of fish and other animals. Plus there is a secret opening to the forest, where they can collect wood and fruit and hunt if necessary. I set up the demons and vampires in similar but separate caves. Since they only have two entrances that should make it more difficult for anyone to sneak in unnoticed and cause trouble, plus they can be easily sealed off if necessary with the huge stones in the caves. Satisfactory?"
"Very satisfactory. That'll be perfect." Angel said approvingly.
"And here I thought you were as stupid as you looked." Spike commented to Lucas, as he walked up to them.
"Was that for the "Spikey" comment? You should have spent some more thought on that comeback." Lucas retorted.
Spike scowled, which made Lucas and Angel grin.
As Wesley, Joyce, and Dawn settled the humans in, (and away from the demons and vampires) Lucas looked back at Angel, clapped his hands together, and stated:
"Let's get this proverbial show on the road, shall we?"
There was a morbid silence for a moment. Athena and the others, now safely behind cover, stared at the battle scene in incredulity.
"No fucking way." Xander and Zeus whispered together.
The army leader began to laugh, flashing its incredible amount of razor-sharp teeth. The other monsters joined in.
And then something happened to destroy all mirth and doubt.
Godzilla's furious roar.
The dust fell away, and Godzilla was standing there, completely unharmed!
Demona's creatures' expressions changed to looks of shock and terror.
"YES!" Zeus and Xander declared stridently, pumping their fists in the air.
Eppy ducked back down behind the rocks they were sheltering behind fearfully.
For his part, Godzilla glared down at these pitiful…things…that dared to assault him.
That glare broke the camel's back. His attackers flew into a hysterical panic as the leader attempted unsuccessfully to calm them so they could make an organized yet swift retreat.
It was not to be.
They had been judged…and found…wanting.
The roar of the titan they had so foolishly challenged announced their sentence.
Death by the hells of nuclear fire.
Godzilla's fins began to flash.
His teeth filled maw opened.
They wouldn't even get a chance to scream.
Back in Sunnydale (well under it…)
"So what exactly happened at the church? We heard a loud boom, and well, you know the rest from our perspective." Lucas asked.
"Demona was waiting for us in the cathedral with a squad of her creatures." Angel explained. "Fortunately several soldiers and I had rigged the church with explosives, and when I went back to the church to scout after bringing my whole group with me, she and her goons ambushed me, I triggered the explosives, and the church collapsed on her and her monstrosities. Unfortunately, while her monsters died, she didn't."
Everyone else, even the demons and vampires, stared at Angel in astonishment.
"Are you fucking serious?" Lucas asked in blatant disbelief.
Angel just nodded grimly.
"How the hell can we possibly beat somebody who can just shrug off tons of rubble falling on her?" Lucas wondered.
"How about this mate? We can kick her between the legs. That always bloody works, right?" Spike said sarcastically.
Lucas's eyes narrowed, and his face shifted.
"What's wrong, pillock? Did I piss you off?" Spike sneered.
Lucas snarled, and leapt at Spike. The two vampires ended up rolling around on the ground before Angel pulled them apart.
"Let's play nice children!" Angel chided.
"You want me to play nice? Then tell that prick to keep his fucking mouth shut before I toss him out into the sunlight!" Lucas growled furiously.
Spike's only response was to give Lucas a creepy and condescending grin.
"Let's trying taking a deep breath, figuratively speaking, and walk in opposite directions, shall we?" Angel said, looking back and forth at the other two vampires.
Lucas and Spike glared at each other silently for a moment, before finally following Angel's suggestion.
Angel waited until they sat down on opposite sides of the cavern, and then said:
"It's true that we probably can't injure or kill her directly, so our best chance is to sabotage her efforts as much as possible, and I have a plan to do exactly that…"
Atomic power surging from his mouth, Godzilla swept his blue nuclear ray across Demona's doomed army, bringing unimaginable pain, terror, death, and destruction to his unworthy foes. It was over in seconds, but seemed longer.
As Godzilla surveyed the carnage and horror he had caused, a red beam struck him on the nose. He looked in the direction it had come from.
The army leader was still alive, but very badly injured. One of its arms was missing and its body was caked in its own blood. It roared in defiance and fired its weapon again.
Godzilla snorted in contempt, walked up to this last survivor, and raised his right foot, then brought it down sharply. There was a pained inhuman scream which was abruptly silenced.
Godzilla then roared to the heavens again and again as lightning flashed around him and thunder roared, celebrating his triumph!
"Sweet God in Heaven." Giles whispered.
Don't fuck with the King. Athena thought, a valuable lesson.
But one they learned too late.
Lightning struck the mind bogglingly gigantic dinosaur, but had no effect on him.
Except to make him appear even more terrifying.
Morning.
Eppy, Athena, Faith, and company cautiously moved among the rugged landscape, picking their way with great care. The area was extremely treacherous, and not only because of the visible pebbles that would slide out from under you, the numerous fallen branches and large stones that were an obvious tripping hazard or the tangled brush that threatened to pull you down and puncture you with its thorns.
No, as always in life, the real dangers were the ones you couldn't see.
As Giles discovered almost to his misfortune.
He had been walking along and surveying the horizon when the ground gave way under him. The hapless Watcher had fallen forward only to be caught by Lilith and set back on his feet.
He had nearly been the unwitting victim of a large and deep pothole.
After that, everyone wisely acquired a thick branch and began probing the earth ahead of them to avoid a repeat of Giles's accident. They shortly found and avoided several more potholes as they proceeded.
"Where these holes come from?!" Eppy wondered aloud. "They so well camouflaged even me can't see them!"
"Me either." Spidey replied from where she sat on Athena's muscular shoulder, "My echo sense can't detect them at all!"
"How could that be?" Hera asked, "You two have super senses up the ass!"
"Good question, Miss Hera." Spidey replied, "Maybe they enchanted or something."
"Maybe. They don't look natural, so they were dug by someone." Helen said.
"Or something." Athena remarked.
"Don't say all that. This place is unsettling enough." Xander commented, casting a nervous glance around.
"Me wouldn't be surprised." Eppy said thoughtfully in response to Athena's and Helen's comments.
"Why do you say that Eppy?" Willow asked.
"Because these holes only two days old friend Willow." Eppy answered, glancing back at Willow.
"Who do you think the culprits might be?" Giles asked Eppy.
"Good question friend Giles. Me not familiar with any race that does this, but you never know. So many species come and go from our world, it could be anyone."
"Or anything." Athena remarked again.
Everyone else favored Athena with an amused look before returning their attentions to their self-appointed task.
"Is this going to be your running gag for today?" Bellona asked Athena sarcastically.
"I think it already ran the proverbial course, vomited, and then died." Athena responded with a smirk.
Bellona rolled her pretty blue eyes in a way that oddly reminded Buffy of Dawn for a second.
"We were lucky we ran into Eppy when we first came here. Last night bein' a good example, as it led us to that old ruin where we camped out and slept for the night. That buildin' was robust and secure as fuck. It kept out that nasty storm that came up on us with ease!" Faith said from out of the blue.
"True." Giles agreed. "You have been invaluable as a guide Eppy."
Eppy looked back at them and winked.
"Oh much thanking for your pleasant words! Me trying me best, but there been some changes since me been this way."
"When did you last make this journey?" Diana asked.
Eppy thought about it for a moment and then replied:
"Less than a year if me remember right. It not change all the previous times me go on this trip, but it did this time. That weird."
"Well nobody ever said reality was immutable." Athena said.
"This true, friend Athena."
Eppy suddenly scowled at the ground.
"Damn! There another one!"
Spidey glanced at Eppy to make sure it was out of earshot, and then said softly:
"You know Miss Faith, me agree that the Flipper is handy to have around, but me really have no trusting of it."
Faith looked at Spidey in surprise, but before she could reply, Athena answered:
"Well, that's not exactly shocking, since your two species have been quarreling for centuries, but it's time to break that hatchet and bury it. If you can't trust each other and work together, Demona will take advantage of your division and mistrust and enslave and kill you all. To be honest, she's doing that already. The only way you have a chance is to stand together."
"Well, you got me there, Surrogate Mommy. It a fact we haven't a prayer if we fight the Bad Lady alone." Spidey admitted.
"Nobody's got a chance if they fight by themselves against that evil cunt." Faith commented quietly.
"That true." Spidey concurred.
Athena looked at Faith and thought:
Faith thinks it was by chance that we met Eppy, but I seriously doubt that.
It was just a little too convenient.
Wasn't it?
"I can't wrap my mind around the fact that your "Breather of Fire" is actually Godzilla. I don't know whether to do a happy dance or run away in terror." Xander said to Eppy.
"God-zilla? Oh! Is that your people's name for it friend Xander?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Hmm. That an odd but intriguing name. Do it have any special meaning?"
Xander started to reply, then paused, and said:
"Actually…I honestly don't know if it has a special meaning or not. I'll have to look it up when we get home."
Zeus opened his mouth to comment on Xander's and Eppy's Godzilla conversation when he was cut off.
By the very creature they were discussing.
Godzilla's spine-chilling roar echoed over the landscape some distance away, causing Eppy and Spidey to be paralyzed in terror and the others to pause and look in the correct direction with some alarm.
They waited until Godzilla's bellows became too faint to hear before moving again.
As they proceeded along their way, Artemis noticed that Diana seemed a million miles away (mentally speaking).
"What are you thinking about, Di?" Artemis asked.
Diana looked at her girlfriend, smiled, and answered:
"I will tell you when we settle down for the evening. This is something I'll need everyone's undivided attention for."
As they picked their way along, their little guide turned to the right and bounded up a steep path. The others followed it up, gazing around occasionally, and then stared, marveling at the spectacular and unexpected sight that greeted them.
"Is that a city over there?!" Willow exclaimed to Eppy.
"Good lord. It is! Who does it belong to?" Giles asked Eppy.
"Oh! It the remains of a Many-Eyes metropolis, friends Willow and Giles."
Spidey stared at Eppy in palpable shock upon hearing that, which Faith and Athena both noticed, and they gazed at their little friend curiously.
"The Many-Eyes came to our world very long ago, long before my peoples' and the Many-Legs' time. They were possessed of great power and intellect, and con-structed many cities such as this one. They ruled our world for some time, and warred against other races who tried to usurp it. Stories say they even battled the Dreaming God and his minions when they came here."
"So what happened to them?" Willow asked.
"They created the Blobbies. That proved to be grave error."
"Are they the same as that creature you told us about before that was preying on the Many-Legs a few weeks ago?" Giles inquired.
"The very same friend Giles. The Many-Eyes crafted the Blobbies to be their slaves, and they served the Many-Eyes for long time. However, like all slaves, they longed for freedom, and revolted several times, until finally, in a Great Revolt, they rose up and destroyed their masters. That happen long ago. Now, they answer to no one but themselves."
"So the Many-Eyes are now all extinct?" Giles asked.
"Apparently, friend Giles. But me have heard rumors that a few of their colonies exist deep in the sea. Me would be interested in seeing one, as me have only seen pictures of them."
"What about the Blobbies? Did they abandon their former masters' cities?" Willow inquired.
"Nope! The vast majority still live in them. That why I picked this route to keep away from that city as much as feasible. Blobbies are truly terrible beings and almost impossible to slay, and they live forever unless killed."
Everyone glanced at the Many-Eyes city cautiously, and then Buffy spoke up:
"To be honest, we don't seem to be that far away from it."
"It not surprising you think that Miss Buffy. Their cities are of such size that it defies imagination." Spidey said to Buffy.
Buffy looked at Spidey curiously.
"They're that big?"
"Yep. Sometimes my people send expeditions into Many-Eyes cities to acquire information, technology, and other useful things, but they not always come back, and not just because of the Blobbies. Me remember one time a group of our people went to one and disappeared, only to show up a month later. We ask them what happened, and they replied they got lost in the city because it's so damn huge."
"Jesus." Cordelia said.
"Took the swearing right out of my mouth." Buffy said.
"How large are they supposed to be?" Faith wondered.
"I remember reading about a Many-Eyes city that had five times the surface land area of the state of California, well, if you viewed it in overall terms, that is." Athena commented.
Giles and the teenagers regarded her with disbelief.
"Holy shit!" Faith swore.
"No wonder they got lost. Christ." Xander commented.
"California? Oh! Is that where you Two-Leggies are from?" Spidey asked.
"Some of us are." Athena responded.
"You from different places?! That interesting! Where the rest of you from?" Eppy wondered.
"Let's see…Athena and company are from North Carolina, Giles is from England, and I'm from Massachusetts. Buffy and her pals are from California." Faith explained.
"Damn, those places you all from have strange and colorful names!" Eppy remarked.
That made Faith and Athena chuckle. The others just smiled, amused.
"What's the name of your homeland Eppy?" Willow asked curiously.
"Me wish me could tell you friend Willow, but it unpronounceable in your language."
Everyone (well the travelers from Earth) looked inquisitively at Spidey, and it replied:
"It's the same for my former land, name pronouncing wise."
"Former? Because of the Bad Lady, right?" Helen asked.
"Right. She took over, enslaved and slaughtered many, and as result we had to skitter for our lives. It was a very dark day. Me miss me home." Spidey replied sadly.
How unsurprising. Lilith thought.
"Me know how you feel Many-Legs friend. We Long-Necks have suffered similar atrocities." Eppy observed in a sympathetic tone.
The people from Earth looked at each other and smiled. They could all see the beginnings of a friendship, a friendship that could lead to peace between the two races.
Before anyone could speak once more, Xander uttered an almost strangled cry and ran past the others, his face very pale.
"What's wrong Xander?!" Helen asked worriedly.
Xander glanced at each of them in a near-panic, and then stated:
"O-over th-there b-b-by tha-t ci-t-ty, I-I s-saw, Jesus Christ! Way of-f…that thi-n—ng…only saw it for a second-d…made me almost piss on myself…"
They all looked at each other in concern.
"It probably a hunting Blobbie. We should increase our pace and leave this area now!" Eppy suggested.
Everyone else nodded, and they all started running away as fast as they could to get the hell out of there!
Nightfall.
Eppy had come through for them once more.
The party was now camped in a rock "tower" of some kind. It was unclear if it was constructed or simply some sort of natural formation. Even Eppy proved to be unsure of its origin.
At the moment, however, their shelter's genesis was obviously of no interest to the little Seal-Neil.
Because for now, play was more important.
Eppy and Spidey were gleefully pursuing each other through the "tower". They almost seemed to be playing some form of tag, but they never actually touched one another. Instead pursuer and pursued seemed to switch roles without warning, perhaps in response to some imperceptible signal that eluded them utterly.
"They are like small children at times." Giles remarked, breaking the silence.
"Unsurprising, since it is highly probable they are." Lilith answered.
"True. I should have considered that possibility, but my mind is fatigued."
Lilith smiled thinly but did not speak further.
As Faith watched her two little friends amuse themselves, something occurred to her:
Eppy is kinda like me and B, ain't it? All three of us are kids that suddenly had adult responsibilities foisted upon us. We shoulda been runnin' around, enjoyin' our childhoods, and what happens? THIS SHIT! Instead of bein' kids, we were forced to become grown-ups before our time.
Perfect example that life is a bitch with permanent PMS!
As dour thoughts continued passing through her mind, she abruptly perceived that the subject of her mental reflection was observing her.
Eppy clearly saw that Faith had become aware of its scrutiny, and it immediately flashed a large ridiculous grin at her and then bounded off, hot on the heels (figuratively speaking of course) of Spidey.
Neil smiled at me like that. Faith thought.
She put her right hand over her quickly moistening eyes.
Big girls don't cry.
Right?
As they watched their two little friends scamper about, Artemis placed her hand on Diana's heavily muscled shoulder and inquired:
"Well? What was troubling you back on the trail?"
Diana's ethereal jade eyes shifted to look at Artemis, then at the others who were now watching her expectantly (with the exception of Eppy and Spidey who were still bouncing off the walls literally and figuratively.)
"I had a very bizarre dream in the city of the Many-Legs while we took our rest there. Neil appeared to me and revealed that we could not prevail against Demona without the assistance of "The Dragon in the Sea." Then I awoke."
"Wait, he just showed up in your dreams and gave you advice? That seems…Slayerish." Willow remarked.
"Dragon in the Sea, huh? Well, that's not a toughie to deduce, but how can we get Godzilla on our side?" Xander wondered.
"Maybe an enchantment? Or an illusion to trick him?" Zeus suggested.
"Well, when we reach that Seal-Neil colony we are heading to, they could help with the hoodoo, right? After all, they practice magic, according to Eppy." Cordelia pointed out, obviously in support of Zeus' idea.
"That's not a bad idea. Wish I'd thought of it." Willow commented.
Giles looked thoughtful, and then asked Diana:
"What else happened in this dream, if I may ask?"
"I do not wish to elaborate. It was of a…private nature."
"O-oh. I see. I withdraw my question."
Diana smiled at Giles and said nothing.
Even though he was a little embarrassed, Giles spoke up again:
"There is something about this world that truly puzzles me."
"What do you mean Giles?" Buffy asked curiously.
"Where exactly are we?" Giles replied to Buffy and asked everyone else at the same time.
"That's a damn good question. I've been trying to figure it out myself." Ares commented.
"Indeed. I know we are not in Earth's past or future, and this place is unlike every demon dimension I have ever read about, and I have researched a great many. Where exactly did Demona choose to imprison us?" Giles asked in a mystified tone.
"There is only one logical and inescapable conclusion Rupert. We are in Neil's subconscious." Diana replied.
"Good lord. Are you quite serious?" Giles asked in a shocked and disbelieving voice.
"Quite."
"Why do you think that we're in Neil's mind?" Ares asked Diana.
"Simple. Think back on our various encounters here. We have met kaiju such as Godzilla, extinct creatures such as dinosaurs, and beings from the Mythos such as Nyogtha and Great Cthulhu. Eppy and that Athena-Wasp who was tasked to help us were clearly discussing Elric of Melnibone and his race. Neil is an aficionado of all of these characters and subjects, plus there is the fact that Eppy has Neil's face, plus his voice to a lesser degree."
"He does love science fiction, fantasy, and horror a whole hell of a lot. If you're right, we could potentially run into anything." Bellona commented.
"Or anyone." Taryn remarked.
"Yes, those are both reasonable conclusions." Diana replied.
"Does he enjoy The War of the Worlds?" Giles asked.
"He does." Apollo replied.
Nobody looked thrilled by that possibility.
They were all thinking about the potential repercussions of Diana's theory when Faith said:
"Ya know, in my dreams all of Eppy's people have Neil's face."
"Then that only corroborates my supposition." Diana commented.
While the others were conversing about the implications of being in Neil's head…
…they failed to discern that Athena and Lilith gave each other a suspicious glance.
Two uneventful days later…
As the party came over a diminutive mound and stood on the top, a disquieting yet remarkable scene greeted their widened eyes.
Below and in front of them was a vast plain, which surrounded a grand lake. The lake appeared to easily be able to rival the American Great Lakes in size and scope.
But that wasn't what caused their startled reactions.
That was caused by the condition of the area itself.
The plain appeared wasted and deceased, as though it had died from some unfathomable ailment or had been brutally slaughtered by an unknown assailant. The very earth was blackened and burned, as if a great fire had erupted with terrifying force. There were masses of fine grey dust scattered everywhere across the dead countryside. As they continued to observe, they noticed pterosaurs deliberately avoid the area, a maneuver which was imitated by a nearby herd of sauropods. It was as if the animals sensed something unwholesome about the entire region.
The people of Earth and Spidey were astounded and horrified by the sheer desolation and destruction that they saw here. None among them knew what to make of it. Eppy, on the other hand, seemed unsurprised by the grim view.
"What in the hell happened here?!" Neptune asked Eppy quietly. He, like everyone else, was unwilling to shatter the silence which engulfed the sinister yet sorrowful valley.
Eppy looked up at Neptune, studied him for a moment, then looked back at the lifeless plain before them and said:
"This place was slain by a terrible being we call a LifeSucker, an entity that comes from the heavens to feed on all life forces, and in the process, corrupting whatever it touches."
Eppy paused a moment, and then continued, as if it was gathering its thoughts.
"This once was bountiful land. Many creatures and a great jungle flourished here. The lake was overflowing with Finnies and other delicious prey, and as a result, many Long-Necks were drawn to this area. They established a great colony here, with thousands of members. Then the LifeSucker came. It was encased in a rock that fell from the sky and slammed to the ground. Once it emerged from the stone, it began to feed on the life around it, draining their energy. My people tried to flee this frightening and strange contagion, but the LifeSucker prevented their escape. It could steal their willpower as well as their life essence. It kept growing stronger while its victims grew weaker, until finally it had the strength to depart back to whence it came, and it did so, stealing the last of the energy from its prey and they all became the piles of grey dust that you see before you, and as a result of its predations, this valley was reduced to a wasteland. For you see, not even the very ground beneath us is safe from its hungry grasp. It draws even the energy from the soil. Nothing will grow here, in this dreadful tomb of nature, which is why we have named it The Plain of the Dead."
Once it had finished its somber narrative, Eppy looked back at them, saw everyone was a little spooked and led them away. It hardly needs to be said that Spidey and the travelers from Earth were thankful that Eppy was guiding them away from the eerie badlands and not into it.
Real sorry I asked now. Neptune thought. Creepy.
"I am curious, Eppy, about this tale's genesis. From where did it first originate?" Diana asked.
"Ep! It has been handed down from preceding generation to succeeding generation, friend Diana. It a very olden account. Very old story. Me first heard it when me was very young. After me heard it me resolved to see the Plain meself one day. Me somewhat regret that decision, as after me first saw it, me slept near it and had terrible visions. Me have never slumbered in its vicinity since."
"This is probably a stupid question, but could this story be a legend or myth inspired by a natural disaster that happened there?" Cordelia asked Eppy.
"Maybe, friend Cordelia, but me not doubt its authentic-city, since I meself have encountered this being in the recent past."
"You did Eppy? What happened?" Faith asked.
"It happen a year before the Bad Lady appeared. One arrived in same fashion as the other LifeSucker I spoke of near our colony, and set about the same predatory and insidious behavior that the first had. However, unlike the unfortunate Long-Necks that settled in the Plain, our elders were already familiar with the danger and knew the correct course of action. They followed it to its lair and waited for it to appear, using themselves as bait, and when it sensed their presence and reemerged, they fought a terrible struggle with it. Two elders fell that day, before they finally managed to destroy the creature with horrible and powerful sorcery. Once it had been dispatched, the elders summoned the rest of us, and ordered us into its nest to kill its eggs. This we did, until they all were gone. While the LifeSucker is fearsome and powerful, and immune to all attacks but magic, its eggs are completely defenseless and a strong blow will slay them with ease."
"What exactly does this entity look like Eppy?" Giles asked.
"Oh! There one over there friend Giles."
Everybody looked around frenetically, then more calmly when they saw nothing, and then looked back at Eppy, who favored them with a silly grin. The obvious immediately dawned on them.
"Okay, that wasn't funny!" Xander grumbled.
"Actually it kinda was." Faith disagreed with a grin of her own.
"No it wasn't. I'm already jumpy enough!" Cordelia complained.
"Looks like somebody sold their senses of humor away. It was funny as hell." Spidey observed.
"Button it bug." Cordelia snapped at Spidey.
Spidey stuck its tongue out at Cordelia, which made her roll her eyes and walk off, Xander in tow. Spidey kept making faces at her regardless.
The others for their part, were clearly pleased by Eppy's joke and Athena ruffled Eppy's hair as she walked past it. That made Eppy hop up and down joyfully and it ran after them to once again recommence its guide duties.
They moved on, continuing their journey.
The next day…
As the party rounded a small grove of trees, they came upon another disturbing and awe-inspiring sight.
Before them was an immense and dense rain forest, but a rain forest unlike any found on Earth. The plants comprising the jungle were clearly nonterrestrial, and of infinite alien variety. Some dripped a green and red slime, which almost seemed to move of its own volition after it hit the ground, while others seemed to possess eye-like structures, which seemed to watch them intently and then there were those which seemed to emit a low raspy whispering but the words could not be made out. As they watched, they could have sworn there was something…or some things…stealthilymoving in there, but it was impossible to be certain because of the jungle's sheer density. The rain forest suddenly moved as though blown by the wind, even though the wind was nonexistent. They unexpectedly received the bizarre impression that the wind shunned this unsettling jungle; for fear that it would anger something within or that it would be ensnared inside the infernal rain forest for eternity.
"This is a holy place, me friends, sanctified by the great goddess She Of The Thousand, from whom all life flows." Eppy stated, obviously anticipating their questions.
"Inside these consecrated woods is grand temple to her. Me plan to go there and make many prayers for our expedition, but me must go alone, friends. Since you unbelievers, you not allowed in the hallowed forest."
They all looked at each other, and then nodded at Eppy. After their tribulations in Nyogtha's shrine, everyone would happily stay out of any holy places involving Eppy's deities!
Eppy nodded in return, and then said:
"One final tip, friends. There be many spirits of me people here, drawn by the infinite life-giving power of the goddess, and they may draw near you, but have no fear in yourselves, for they not unfriendly, and simply have much inquisitiveness in them. Their passing on did nothing to diminish their inherent inquiring."
"Th-thanks. Good to know." Xander replied, obviously anxious.
Eppy winked at Xander to reassure him, then bowed at them all and said:
"Me return in a day. Where will you be?"
The others scanned around and then Athena pointed at a nearby elevated spot.
"We'll be right there Eppy. It's close, simple to hide in and observe the surrounding region without being seen in return, offers sufficient refuge from the climate, and easily defensible." Athena responded.
Eppy nodded in approval, blew a kiss at them, and then took its leave, making its way toward the forbidding jungle.
Once Eppy had entered the ominous rain forest, the rest of the party turned away and made their trip to the area Athena had indicated earlier to settle in.
Faith threw a last look over her shoulder at the eerie woods and thought:
Be safe little guy. I'd never live with myself if anything happened to ya.
Moments later…
As everyone busied themselves setting up the camp, something caught Artemis's eye far off in the distance.
"What the hell is that? Is that a huge pit? It doesn't look natural." Artemis observed.
Giles heard her, walked over to her, and saw what Artemis was addressing.
"You're correct. It appears constructed. Everything is too smooth."
"It leads to the Underworld."
Giles and Artemis looked down and saw Spidey standing between them.
"Well, that seems… unencouraging." Giles commented.
Spidey looked up at Giles and stated:
"Don't worry Mr Giles. Anything coming out of there won't come over here. They don't want to anger the goddess Flipper is praying to. She not to be trifled with."
That actually doesn't make me feel better. Giles thought.
A short distance away, Athena worked on setting up a fire pit.
Her concentration did not occlude her to the reality that her mother was watching her. She was careful not to let her mother become aware that she had perceived her scrutiny.
After she had finished her task, she nonchalantly stood up and walked off.
Diana continued her observation out of her eye's corner until she could no longer do so.
As Athena moved away from the others, she casually looked over her powerful shoulder to note everyone's position, then headed for a distant collection of large stones and walked around them.
This should work. Nobody can see or hear us here. Not even those with super hearing can perceive our little chat at this range. Athena thought.
She then settled in to wait.
The wait was not a long one.
After a few moments, Lilith came around the corner and made her way to her.
"You wanted to talk?"
"Yes. Your mother is watching you closely. Very closely indeed."
"I know."
"She is aware of our plan."
"I think drawing that conclusion is a bit hasty, don't you? She knows something is going on and nothing more."
Lilith raised her eyebrows.
"You shouldn't take what I just said as an indicator that I'm underrating her in any way."
"I would hope not, my friend. Diana is an intelligent and fearsome opponent."
"True. But I would think she would realize the same about me."
Athena looked down at Lilith.
"But her formidable status is why you're here, right?"
Lilith favored the taller woman with a sly and unsettling smirk, which Athena returned.
Athena had chosen an excellent location for their clandestine meeting, and as she had hoped, she and Lilith's ominous conversation had gone unnoticed.
With one exception.
Spidey had heard every word. Its hearing was much greater than she or anyone else knew.
And now the little AA was pondering over this discussion and its intent.
The fall of night.
A lone figure tossed and turned on the rough ground before suddenly sitting upright.
What had awakened her?
Her instincts quickly told her she was not alone.
Faith immediately looked behind her from her sitting position.
Her brown eyes became very VERY wide.
There was a ghost there!
To be more specific, it was one of the Seal-Neil ghosts that Eppy had told them about. It was much larger and taller than Eppy. Perhaps it was an adult when it perished?
The Dark Slayer stared at the ghost.
The spirit, gazing down at her, returned the stare.
"Uh, hi." Faith said.
It cocked its head at her, then shouted "EP!" without warning and vanished!
Faith blinked in surprise, then stood up and looked around, puzzled and curious.
And instantly realized her surroundings had changed without warning.
She was no longer at the campsite, but instead found herself in a clearing. The clearing was enclosed by bizarre plants that appeared oddly familiar…
Oh god.
Her hands went to the side of her head, and her wide eyes contained signs of a growing dread.
She was in that horrible jungle where Eppy went to pray.
Faith felt her fear starting to mount, but she forced it down.
Shit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!
I need to get the fuck out of here! HOW DO I GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE?!
As Faith cast an uneasy 360 degree glance at her environment, she was once again not alone.
With no warning, one SN phantom after another materialized until she was encircled by them.
The specters watched her with stern intent.
Faith's throat felt extremely dry for no apparent reason. She swallowed hard and managed to ask: "You want something from me. What is it?"
They looked at each other, and then the biggest one stepped forward and answered:
"There a great darkness among you that you and your friends cannot see. It wear friendly faces."
Faith gaped at the ghostly speaker, but before she could respond, she heard a great commotion behind her in the eerie woods. Something huge was approaching.
"What is that-"Faith began.
"What is coming is not for your eyes. You no look." The huge spirit replied.
Faith's doe eyes shot open without warning and she suddenly sat upright and barely restrained the impulse to spring to her feet and flee. She gazed around wildly before realizing it had just been a dream.
Or was it?
Either way, she was safe and secure at the campsite. That was what mattered.
As the Slayer exhaled a sigh of relief which actually seemed to be more like a gale of relief, a despairing and awful thought entered her consciousness:
Oh god. What if…?
What if this "darkness' they was warnin' me about…IS ATHENA HERSELF?!
No! I ain't acceptin' that!
But it makes sense, don't it? The Seal-Neils represent Neil, and he's the good half! And the Athena-Bugs represent Athena, so what does that make her?!
Faith felt the tears brimming from her eyes, and she did something she hadn't done in a long time.
She prayed. Prayed that it wasn't true. That it was a silly fear. That she hadn't fallen in love with the wrong person.
"Please God and Jesus, don't let it be true. Please." Faith whispered to herself.
As Faith fought her growing despondence and insecurity, she was unaware of her perplexed eyewitness.
Spidey stared at Faith inquisitively, mystified as to her depression and sorrow.
Could Faith's behavior have something to do with the unsettling discussion it had eavesdropped on earlier?
Clearly, something had to be done.
But what would that be precisely?
Meanwhile…
Sunnydale had certainly seen better days.
The entire town appeared as if an enraged Smaug had swooped through, burned it to the ground, and then to add insult to fatality, he had personally hopped up and down on each and every building he had torched, and then finally flew off, but not before taking a steaming shit on the ruined town as the final coup de grace.
One would think there would be no signs of life.
One would be wrong.
There was suddenly a furtive movement.
Angel peeked suspiciously around the corner of a ruined clothing store. He gazed charily up and down the street, his sharp undead eyes scrutinizing every shadow and place of concealment. Satisfied with what he saw, he scanned the skies above him.
All quiet.
He looked behind him, signaled the all-clear with a wave of his hand, and quickly moved into the street, heading for the next building, the others following closely behind.
After they had all reached their destination safely, Angel turned and examined his small scouting party to make sure they hadn't lost anyone. Wesley, Spike, and Lucas nodded at him, and he nodded back. In addition to them, he had brought several soldiers and vampires with them as back-up.
Angel repeated his previous examination of the area, and it proving to still be safe, the group dashed for the next structure.
After arriving safely at their new destination, Angel reiterated his assessment of his faction.
"This "Demona" bint isn't bloody stupid, that's for fucking sure." Spike commented quietly, taking a leery glance around. "She has guards on every sewer exit and entrance, inside and outside of town, well at least the ones on the town map."
"Pretty much. Good thing we used one that isn't on the map." Angel replied.
"It makes me wonder how many of these secret portals to the sewers there are." Wesley wondered.
"Quite a few, and that's all I'm saying. Can't have you tattling to the Slayers and Watcher's Council, now can we?" Lucas answered with a smug look on his handsome face.
"N-no, can't have that." Wesley responded, a bit nervously.
"Glad we understand each other."
Before anyone else could speak, a horrid screech sounded overhead and to the east, and Angel and company quickly withdrew into the shop they were hiding behind and concealed themselves.
And none too soon.
A couple of moments later, a squadron of Demona's flying blobs swooped overhead, their eyes sweeping the vicinity. After a few minutes of finding nothing, they flew off to the west.
Angel, Spike, and the others did not immediately depart from their hiding places. They lingered, because they knew what was coming next.
They could hear and smell their approach.
There were quiet growls, snarls, and snatches of gruff and coarse speech from down the lane, and then what they were awaiting appeared:
A ground patrol. A well-armed ground patrol with their equivalent of carbines, pistols, and grenades.
There were at least 30 of them, and they were accompanied by a tank-like creature. As they proceeded, they watched their surroundings suspiciously.
Angel and company waited a matter of minutes more until that patrol had moved on as well, before leaving their hiding places and proceeding out of the shop. They hightailed it down the road.
"Feel like I'm stuck in a damned old-ass war movie." Spike muttered under his breath.
You just have to accept it. Her personal demons murmured into her mind, Once you saw Spidey's people, you knew the fucking truth. You just didn't want to accept cold hard reality because you love her. Love blinds you to one…
…simple…
…fact.
"Athena is Neil's evil side and has been from the beginning." Faith whispered to herself.
Yes.
Face it. The universe loves to fuck you in the ass with a razor-sharp sword.
Repeatedly.
The despondent girl couldn't contain her feelings any longer.
She broke down, sobbing wretchedly, into a fetal position.
The emergence of morning went unnoticed by the grief-stricken young woman.
A couple of hours after dawn, Eppy reappeared, and they packed up their supplies and left their campsite on the hill. Everyone seemed oddly quiet. Perhaps it was the presence of the sacred jungle and the Underworld pit that was affecting their mood, and they were staying quiet to avoid notice from dangers from either area.
Or maybe it was just Faith.
Her terrible disposition was obvious to everyone, and cast a gloomy atmosphere over the rest of the party. No one seemed willing to intrude and inquire as to the reason for her depression.
Except Athena that is.
She walked toward Faith and reached out to her but Faith angrily jerked away and stormed off, her body language showcasing her boiling and increasing rage.
Well, I guess that's it, isn't it? Athena thought.
I knew this was coming sooner or later. Once the me-bugs appeared, the cat was out of the bag and headed for the nearest tree.
Faith was going to accept what their appearance really meant, but it was going to take a while. She could only pretend for so long that nothing had changed…that things were the same.
Of course, the others aren't blinded by hormones for me, and they realized immediately what the AA's represented. Now they're just waiting for the right time to toss this little revelation in my face and unleash a very exacting interrogation.
With the obvious exception of Lilith of course. She has always been aware of my little skeleton in the dingy closet.
I've been thinking on how to fix this situation. Everyone discovering my real nature was a setback I didn't need. Lilith and I already have that rebellious bitch Demona to deal with. Me being outed, along with my returning memories AND Demona is starting to seriously get under my fucking skin.
And now I have to contend with Faith being pissed at me!
Fucking Fates…always poised and ready to take a shit and piss all over me.
How fanfucking fucktastic.
Back in Sunnydale (or should that be Demonadale now? Hmm…)…
As the party crept through the devastated town, Wesley abruptly spoke up without warning:
"That is an excellent idea Angel to deactivate Demona's nefarious shield, but exactly how would we accomplish this? She is drawing on the Hellmouth's energy to sustain the field after all. It is not as though we can make the Mouth of Hell become quiescent."
"That's true Wesley, which is why we have to give the demons and vampires what they have so longed for." Angel replied.
"Wait; do you mea-"Wesley started, a shocked tone coloring his voice.
"Yes. We have to OPEN the Hellmouth itself."
The others, even Lucas and his vampire crew, gaped at Angel in shocked incredulity.
"Mr Angel! You cannot be serious!" Wesley almost shouted.
"Did you happen to have another little snog with your Slayer whore again?" Spike asked.
"Aren't you all charm?" Lucas observed with an amused lilt to his voice.
"I am very serious. Let me explain. After I thought about it for a while, I realized that aside from the obvious reason, Demona wants to keep the Hellmouth closed because that allows her to better manipulate the Hellmouth's power to keep the barrier around Sunnydale up. With it sealed, she can ensure a steady, predictable, and controlled energy flow. But if it opens and becomes fully active, it will release greater amounts of demonic energies, which will be harder to manage, not to mention the fact that the Old Ones/True Demons will be smashing through. This should, with any luck, cause an overload and make her pretentious force field collapse." Angel explained, pointedly ignoring Spike's spiteful comment.
Angel's companions mused on his words for a couple of moments, and then Spike commented:
"That's a pretty bloody good plan. Of course, it's also a very desperate one, Liam."
"Desperation is all we have, William." Angel retorted.
"I am sincerely hoping that you can reseal the Hellmouth once more, if you manage to release it." Wesley said.
"I have that covered." Angel reassured the Watcher.
Wesley just nodded in response.
"Okay, say your scheme succeeds, then what? Are we abandoning this sweet little Helltown of ours and acquiring the cavalry? Ride back in to save the day, and the night?" Lucas inquired of Angel.
"We may need to muster reinforcements, but remember, we've been cut off from the outside for a number of weeks. The US government and military, not to mention the California National Guard and government have undoubtedly noticed what is going on and have sealed off the area and encircled Sunnydale, trying to discover a way in. Once we drop the energy shield, they'll move in and attempt to secure the city. Demona has a powerful army, but I don't think she can take on the full might of the American military."
"Yeah, that would follow." Lucas agreed.
"There is a complication, however." Angel stated.
"Don't tell us, let us guess. Sentries as far as the eye can see at the school?" Spike remarked sarcastically.
"Exactly, and that's the purpose of this expedition. We're heading to one of the targets that the scouts I sent out earlier discovered and sabotage it. By doing that, we'll get the attention of Demona's forces, including the guards at Sunnydale High, and that should draw a few of them off to investigate, which of course will make it easier to get inside Sunnydale High and carry out my plan."
"Just us?" Spike asked dubiously.
"Of course not. We're one of many teams, all headed to appropriate targets. Some to disrupt Demona's infrastructure and distract Demona's armies, some to attack the high school." Angel answered.
The group stealthily walked in silence for a few moments and then rounded a building corner. Angel raised his hand and everyone else stopped. They all ducked down as Angel used a pair of binoculars he had around his neck to observe something in the distance.
"There's our target." Angel said.
Back in Neil's subconscious, the party, led by Eppy, continued across the desolate landscape, advancing along a wide mountain path near a vast and majestic gorge that made the Grand Canyon on Earth appear small and insignificant. They were all strangely silent, perhaps unwilling to disturb Faith, who hung back at the rear of the group. The Boston native, walked in an almost zombie-like way, dragging her feet, her head down and her hands in her pockets, her eyes wet and heavy with the promise of more tears to come.
As Faith continued her pseudo-shamble, her despondency prevented her from realizing her mounting peril.
She was getting dangerously close to the edge of the chasm.
Athena, however, who, along with everyone else, kept glancing back at Faith to make sure she was alright, was not so blinded.
"Faith! Get away from the edge! You're too close!"
The dark Slayer paused and raised her head, her eyes blazing with barely contained rage, and said: "Fuck you, you fuckin' traitor!"
"Excuse me?!"
"I said, fuck you, you fuckin' traitor! How dare you give ME fuckin' orders! FUCK YOU!"
Everyone else paused, and turned to watch the exchange. They saw what Athena saw and started moving towards Faith.
"You lied to me! You kept things from me! You betrayed me! All this time you've been deceivin' me! ALL THIS TIME, YOU FUCKING CUNT! ALL THIS TIME! YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME AND YOU LIED! LIED! LIED! LIED! I LOVED YOU, AND YOU STABBED ME RIGHT IN THE FUCKIN' HEART! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!"
As Faith ranted, she unconsciously began backing away from Athena, which put her closer and closer to the edge.
"Faith, STEP AWAY FROM THE FUCKING EDGE OF THE TRAIL!" Athena shouted, as she began to lose her own temper.
"NO!" Faith shouted back.
"Faith, listen to Athena. You need to step away fro-"Helen began, with an urgent tone in her voice.
Too late.
Faith took one last fateful step back, and her foot found nothing but air.
She began to fall.
It all seemed to happen in slow-motion, as though the world wanted to watch what was occurring and didn't want to miss a single detail, so it hit the slo-mo button on its remote.
Faith's face, suddenly pale, her dark eyes and mouth wide in shock as gravity pulled her to a very painful and messy end.
The others, sprinting towards her in a frantic effort to halt her fatal descent.
Xander, who reached her first, and grabbed Faith's hand only to lose his balance and be pulled down with her.
Zeus, the next closest, who managed to snag Xander by his belt and stop their plummet. Xander and Faith were literally hanging in mid-air at this point.
And Athena who was the next to arrive and reached down for her girlfriend with her long arm, using the other to anchor herself.
And then Zeus cursed, which made Athena pause, and her, Faith, and Xander looked down to where Zeus was looking.
And the proper flow of time reasserted itself.
The others had now reached the edge, heard Zeus's swearing, and also looked around and saw what caused Zeus's strong reaction.
Godzilla was lying on the bottom of the rift, apparently deep in slumber.
Eppy and Spidey literally whitened upon seeing this. They became as quiet as death.
"Pull them up…carefully." Athena advised Zeus.
Zeus only nodded, and as he pulled them up, Athena took ahold of Faith causing Xander to release her. As Faith was brought to safety, Xander made a mistake.
In an instinctive effort to get his footing and get back on the relative safety of the pathway, his foot pushed on a stable-looking rock.
Which was not so stable.
For the next thing that occurred was the stone dislodging under Xander's weight and causing a chain reaction until a small rockslide resulted!
Everyone froze, including Xander who was now safely on solid ground.
They all stared at Godzilla.
He did not stir.
"Why did you do that, dude?! I had you! To me, you might as well weigh nothing at all!" Zeus whispered to Xander.
"Sorry." Xander whispered back.
Cordelia just shook her head at Xander, but was obviously relieved he was fine.
"No harm done Xander." Artemis commented quietly.
Xander nodded, and everyone visibly relaxed.
As they lowered their guard for a moment, none of them could have known that a stray boulder from the small rockslide that Xander had unintentionally triggered had started a larger one far below.
Which resulted in a hefty stone bouncing off Godzilla's head.
His eyes snapped open.
"You stupid little bitch! You could have been fucking killed! Is that what you want?! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?! You can hate me; you can curse me, that's fine! BUT DON'T EVER SAY MY LOVE FOR YOU IS A FALSEHOOD! EVER! DO WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER?!" Athena all but hissed in Faith's face as she violently shook her.
Faith did not reply, but her anger and fear were clear from her expression and body language.
The fear was steadily prevailing, however.
"Athena, that's enough." Helen said firmly, putting her hand on Athena's powerfully muscled arm.
Athena spun around violently, the back of her hand almost striking Helen across the face, causing her to jump back.
"Fuck off, Helen. This doesn't concern you."
"Why don't you fuck off?! You're scaring her to death! Look at her! You're acting like a fucking psycho!"
"Oh, I'm a psycho now huh? You judgmental little cunt."
Neil's other friends looked at each other and nodded and assumed their positions.
It was obvious where this was going.
"I would rather be a judgmental cunt than a fucking whore!"
"Yeah? Why don't you "whore" this?"
And Athena kicked Helen in her crotch, right where a woman was most vulnerable: her vagina.
Helen fell to the ground, and that's where it broke down.
Neptune rushed at Athena and knocked her to the ground with a solid right to the jaw.
Athena retaliated with a solid punch to the groin.
As Neptune fell, Neil's other friends quickly stepped in and pulled the three of them apart!
Athena snarled as she struggled in Bellona's iron-clad grip, at least until Hera punched her in the gut and slapped her in the face.
"I'm going to beat some sense into you until you calm the fuck down!" Hera growled.
Faith, Buffy, and the Scoobs simply stared, stunned by what they were witnessing.
And Eppy and Spidey?
As they looked on uncertainly, they sensed a presence behind them, and looked.
They paled.
"UH-OH!" Eppy cried out.
The people from Earth looked at Eppy and Spidey, but they didn't need to ask.
They were staring into the inhuman eyes of Godzilla.
Time seemed to halt.
The people definitely halted.
Xander was torn between joy and terror at the same moment.
Godzilla stared at them.
They stared at Godzilla.
Cocking his head, Godzilla brought his face closer to these strange little creatures that had apparently disturbed his rest.
What were these little…things?
He had never seen their like.
"H-hi." Willow said timidly to Godzilla.
His response was to snort. The powerful and sudden exhalation of air literally knocked everyone to the earth.
"STOP THAT! THAT'S RUDE!" Buffy shouted at Godzilla.
Godzilla blinked, and then roared, forcing everyone to cover their ears or potentially be deafened.
There was an answering roar off in the distance. It sounded very much like Rodan's…but it wasn't.
All present, even Godzilla, looked in the appropriate direction.
Coming towards them, was a gigantic creature that strongly resembled a common housefly. It was mostly black, but had multi-colored wings, yellow horns, and glowing red eyes. It sounded its distinctive call again.
Cordelia pointed at the flying monstrosity and screamed: "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
"IT'S BATTRA! FUCK!" Hera yelled.
Who?! Xander thought, I've never seen or heard of "Battra"! Maybe it's an Ultraman monster?
No one had to guess Battra's intentions, as he emitted red energy rays from his eyes, striking Godzilla directly.
"Oh, shit." Ares groaned.
Godzilla snarled in rage, and his fins flashed an ominous blue. Everyone knew what that meant.
The expression of Godzilla's fury lashed out in the form of his atomic ray, which Battra narrowly evaded. Godzilla's immense and terribly strong tail hit the canyon wall, and the vibration caused stones from high above to fall toward everyone on the trail!
"RUN! START RUNNING RIGHT NOW!" Athena demanded.
Everyone shook off their momentary paralysis and did the wise course of action.
They listened to Athena and fled for their continued existences.
It was almost too late.
Somehow Battra missed with his blood-red rays and blasted the mountain peak above, shattering it and causing incalculable tons of deadly debris to plummet to the path! Everyone dodged wildly, avoiding their potential demise by inches!
As they ran for their lives, Fate struck.
A particularly weighty specimen of boulder crashed directly in front of Athena and Faith, making an improbably wide hole that was impossible to avoid because of its sudden creation.
They fell into it.
Their disappearance did not go unnoticed.
"ATHENA! FAITH! DAMN IT TO HELL! FUCK!" Hera shouted.
Hera ran back, everyone else hot on her heels, their expressions ranging from worry to fear to anger.
But their efforts were unavailing.
There was simply too much rubble falling.
It was suicide.
Reluctantly, very reluctantly, they were forced to withdraw.
As they ran, their ears rang with the screams of the two monsters locked in a fight to the death.
But their minds rang with the last sight of their friends.