Buffy snapped awake.
She got up unsteadily, before pitching forward and falling into Helen's powerful arms.
"Stupid question, undoubtedly, but are you okay?"
"S-sure, except for the Twilight Zone Magic Carpet Ride. Where are we?"
"Well, we're on a very tall mountain in what seems to be the middle of the night, but we're definitely not on Earth."
"How do you know?"
Helen pointed at the sky.
Buffy looked up.
"What the hell is that?" Artemis asked no one in particular, ignoring her nasty sword wounds even as Diana supported her.
"I confess I can't tell." Giles said.
"That" was something with electricity crackling around it, in the shadowy and crimson murky sky, if it could be called a sky, as it was pulsating regularly, and it seemed almost… fleshy.
"Take a look at this fucking sky." Athena said.
"I'm lookin'. I'm lookin'. " Faith said, disbelieving.
"Oh… god." Buffy whispered.
"Buffy?" Giles asked her.
"I dreamed this…"
"Well, great! A little warning might have been nice!" Cordelia snapped.
"See that cliff? I'm going to push you off it if you don't shut up!" Hera snapped at the cheerleader.
"Hera, come on babe." Ares said soothingly, grimacing from his wounds.
"Let's go over here now, Cordy." Xander advised.
The irritable girlfriends were steered away by their encouraging boyfriends, Ares carrying the badly injured Hera. For her part, Buffy didn't even notice the exchange, simply staring in wonderment.
The blonde Slayer looked down at the blood-red soil, then across the desolate landscape. A loud peal of thunder rolled ominously through the bloody heavens.
"Oh great." Willow moaned. She walked over to her friend.
"This is the place from your dream?" Giles asked his Slayer.
"Big time Giles." Buffy responded softly.
"I don't think you described it enough. It's so…" Willow began.
"Freaky?" Xander offered as he stood beside them, Cordelia and Oz in tow.
"That'll work." Willow acknowledged.
Buffy looked at Helen.
"I think I can stand. Just felt a little woozy."
Helen released her and stepped back.
"We all were when we awoke, so no shock there."
Helen walked away and stood beside Neptune, speaking to her hurt boyfriend.
"All of us?" Buffy asked.
"Yep. Very unconsciousy." Willow confirmed.
"Bellona is beckoning to everyone." Giles put in.
They all quickly rejoined Neil's friends and listened as Bellona spoke.
"Something's coming. Hear it?" Bellona explained, holding her broken ribs and leaning on Zeus for support.
Everyone listened hard.
"It sounds like, "ep?" Helen said.
"That's the silly noise." Buffy confirmed.
"It's gettin' even closer." Faith said.
"Perhaps we should take cover? We are weaponless." Giles commented.
"No cover to be had." Taryn replied, holding Lilith protectively and looking around, shooting the Watcher's idea down in brilliant flames.
"It's here." Apollo said shortly through his burnt lips, leaning on Zeus as well.
They all saw the shadowy silhouette just before it emerged into the light.
And bore witness to the most astonishing creature they had ever come across.
"What the F-FUCK is that?" Faith stammered.
It looked at all of them with sweeps of its long neck, and made a different noise, one of puzzlement.
"Eh?"
To be continued…
(Roll End Credits Here)