A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! It means a lot to the writers to know that people enjoy their work. Sorry for the long awaited chapter but now that I have gotten over the small writers block I have fleshed out the rest of the story. I'm expecting it to be between 25 and 30 chapters with a potential sequel. As for the reviews wondering who Tityus is, all should be explained in this chapter. As always enjoy!
When I hit the wall I had expected to feel my skull crack against the stone or even to just die instantly. I was not prepared to be gently caught by a bed of flowers. I fell down to my knees, looking up at the garden I had created in awe.
Well now that I knew what I could do it was time to have fun. I stood looking around the room. Tityus started walking back toward Killian, clearly unaware of my being unharmed.
"Hey moron!"
The giant swiveled around to face me. I picked up a piece of rubble next to me and threw it at his head.
"What magic is this?" He growled at me, unfazed by my attempt to confuse him.
"Not magic," I said, "victory."
"Victory?" Tityus looked down at me for a moment before throwing his head back in a deep laugh. I glared up at him, picking up another rock. "You are a puny Goddess and cannot defeat the mighty Tityus."
"Wanna bet?" I threw the rock with a different aim. It hit exactly where I had wanted it to and Tityus fell to his knees, clutching his crotch. I ran behind him while he was distracted, looking around for something I could use as a better weapon.
The rocks that were around the room were much too large for me to even begin thinking about lifting.
Where were the weapons when I needed them?
I tripped over my dress, fumbling to stand as Tityus's groans died down. I swiveled on my foot, watching for any sudden movements from the giant. My plan wasn't looking so good at the moment. I knew I needed to figure something out before my bones were crushed to make his bread.
Tityus's mighty roar made me stumble back as he stood at his full height and advanced on me. I felt panic begin to settle deep in my stomach and I looked around frantically. I couldn't see any weapon and my time was running out.
"Not so clever when your courage begins to fail you?" I fell back into the table, hearing Killian begin to stir behind me, "I can smell your fear. It makes you Goddesses taste so much sweeter."
He grinned down at me, reaching one large, meaty, hand to grab me again. I reacted on instinct, not even thinking my plan through. As his hand circled my personal space I reached out and scratched his wrist, drawing blood. He yelped and pulled his wrist back to his chest stepping away from me.
I watched as his eyes filled with terror looking down at his wrist. Where is veins flowed, vines and thorns wove through his body, piercing the skin and letting his blood ooze out. He yelled. scratching at where the vines continued up his arm and across his chest. Everywhere his veins were the vines found a new home. Tityus stumbled around, scratched at the thorns that punctured his skin in almost every place. His legs gave out and he fell, shaking the room with his weight.
His screams got higher in pitch as the vines began working their way up to his skull. He scratched at his face, gouging the skin and I forced myself to look away from the gore I had caused. I heard his shouts get louder and louder before they suddenly stopped. Another loud thud and shake of the room marked the end of the ordeal.
I opened my eyes, staring at the giant who still had vines growing out of his limbs. His eyes stared blankly at the wall, his chest no longer heaving with air. I stood on shaky legs, jumping when I felt a hand grasp my elbow.
I turned quickly, ready to put the same mojo on the body that belonged to the hand. Instead I faced Killian. He had several bruises already covering his body and his tunic was torn over his shoulder.
"Remind me never to anger you like that." He cracked a smile, trying to lighten the mood. I looked over my shoulder to the body hidden by the plants at this point.
I could only nod. I felt his hand on my elbow once more, steering me out of the room. We walked through the gaping hole that was once the door and up the stairs, back toward the bedroom. The walk was spent in silence until Peter joined us. He barked happily, some body part from the giant being happily chewed upon by two of his heads.
When we reached the room Killian led me to the bed and I sat down with no questions. He reached for the table with the basin on it, bringing it closer to us. He sat down next to me, towels already appearing neatly folded on the mattress. He dipped one in water, wringing the excess out and lifting it toward my face.
I flinched as he gently scrubbed away the dirt and sweat from the fight.
"You've been cut," he stated quietly, bringing the slightly bloody towel back to the water. I grimaced, poking at the cut I hadn't even noticed on my forehead.
"So have you," I smiled sadly, gently moving the torn fabric away from the gash on his shoulder. He simply shrugged in response.
"I'll heal in a few hours."
"I will too won't I?"
He nodded and began washing the dirt and blood from his arms and shoulders.
"So what exactly was that I just killed?" My tone was as light as I could force it to be but I saw him wince just a little bit.
"That was Tityus. He lived above on Earth when he attacked a Goddess. Her son was able to defeat him and he was sent here to be punished for all eternity. But something has been upsetting the balance in Neverland and he was able to escape his torment. I guess having vultures peck out your regenerating liver for centuries doesn't make you very happy."
"I can't imagine that does."
I stood and walked out toward the balcony. I leaned against the edge once more, looking at where the trees had been knocked down in Tityus's path. I could hear Killian behind me, shuffling his weight between both feet.
"Am I safe here?"
"Well I think the body downstairs proves you can defend yourself just fine."
I tangled my fingers together, glaring down at them. Killian came to stand by me, placing one of the hands on mine to calm my nerves.
"I didn't know what I was doing downstairs. I was making it up as I went along and praying that whatever I did worked."
"Well now you know some of the power you have. Emma you are probably one of the most lethal Goddesses I know simply because you weren't pampered to be feminine and soft. Your mother made a smart decision to leave you to the real world. You wouldn't have been able to defend yourself if you didn't have the same experiences that mortals do."
I shrugged. "I guess so. I'm just so confused by all of this. It's a lot to take it at one time. Kinda blows my mind with what I can do when put into a situation that needs something of me."
"I'm not going to lie to you Emma. Since you came here the first time things have been changing. There will be more times that I need you to protect yourself. But I can help with that. We can train you to handle a sword and we can work on your abilities."
"Can we die?"
He chuckled next to me and I shook my head, a smile tugging at my lips.
"No we can't die. We're immortal. Once we grow to be around 30 you stop aging. We can be injured and feel immense pain as if we are dying. You may even stop breathing or your heart could stop beating for a moment but ultimately we live. Nothing can kill us which is why to some being immortal is a curse."
"So life imprisonment is literally eternity? Remind me to never break the law again."
"Again?"
Killian laughed loud and hard, his shoulders shaking with the movement and his hands clinging to his sides. I lightly punched his arm, letting the smile spread on my face.
"Hey I was a teenager okay? And I only got caught and brought home with the Sheriff once."
"You are going to be a handful aren't you?"
"Well I can tell you that you won't ever be bored with me."
The light talking of the future forced the smile off my face. This was a subject that normally I'd escape rooms to ignore and yet here I was joking around with the man I'd been betrothed to since before I was born.
He nudged my shoulder, catching my hands in his once more.
"Don't worry about the future, love," he smiled at me, brushing a loose curl behind my ear, "I'll keep you safe no matter what okay?"
I nodded and let my head rest on his shoulder. He rubbed his thumb along my knuckles, soothing the bundle of anxiety that settled in the pit of my stomach. I knew that a fight was brewing, I could feel the tension in the air. It was only a matter of time before the war broke out. And I prayed that I ended up on the right side of that fight when it happened.