And we are Back! Enjoy!
"Well this looks like the place." Selina noted. It was midday as the three trekked deep into the Sharp National Woods. The sun peaked through the heavy foliage. A dozen or so meters away the waves crashed into the rocky coast, echoing through the trees.
On their right the Sprang River's Triple Head Falls roared as it gushed hundreds of gallons into the lower river that fed the sea. It was the middle fall that Selina was paying attention too. She could barely make out the outline of a small cave entrance.
"Where are people?" Mark asked. His tomahawks were firmly gripped in his hands, ready to throw down. Selina also noted the strange state that no one was around. Usually Triple Head had few people visiting the falls, especially since it was summer and people would cool off in the pool below them.
"It feels like people are being diverted away." Sam remarked. She too had Panikos in bladed nun chuck form. The three stalked closer to the fall.
"Part of Mist magic is fear. I can since that fear. It's like a fear of not being able to leave that is going out." Sam explained.
Selina gulped. How many times had she been bent on stealing something but suddenly deciding against it? If it was done by this Mist, who knows what else it influenced?
"Ok, more important question where is Batman?" Mark restated.
"Right here." a gruff voice sounded behind them. The Batman was standing on a rock that jutted out over the river. Selina didn't take the time to wonder why she never noticed him. He appeared and disappeared like a shadow all the time, one of his many trademarks. Batman stepped off his rock and joined up with the demigods.
"Have you gone in yet?" Selina asked. Batman shook his head.
"My scans are picking up around sixty heat signatures in there" he explained. "The entrance seems to be guarded but there is a way up through a tunnel on the top of the falls."
"Let's do this." Selina encouraged, not half convinced though. Why was she doing this?
The tunnel Batman led them to was small, narrow and overgrown with foliage. Selina and the Bat had to squeeze through the dark passage way. Soon the tunnel opened up to a small cliff barely able to fit all four of them. Below were the Jarheads, the Hysminai, still yelling at each other and sharping or cleaning their many weapons. The Mahkai, however, were gone.
"They look friendly." Sam noted. "How are we supposed to beat them? They look like they want a straight up fight."
"That's a lot of bears." Batman said all of a sudden. Selina was confused. Bears? Could he not see the Hysminai? "Um Batman now may not be a good time to start with the wise cracks."
Sam slapped her forehead. "It's the Mist!" she pointed to the right of her. The three formed goddess was still chained to the golden apple. The green clouds were still being sucked down into the apple. "All the Mist is being drawn into this room that makes it thicker than normal. Where are the vials?"
Selina reached into her bag and pulled out one full of a white liquid. She handed over to Batman. "Here, you need to take this."
Batman picked up the syringe with care "what's in it?"
Selina shrugged. "I don't know, but it will enable you see through the Mist."
The Bat hesitated for a moment then plunged the syringe in his neck and pushed the concoction in. the Bat all of a sudden glowed with a white aura and stumbled back into the tunnel. Selina followed him out of the cave and into the woods just outside the entrance.
"You ok?" Selina asked. Batman coughed violently, kneeling to earth. Selina laid her hands on him.
"That takes some getting used to." He replied. He lifted his head and met her gaze, holding it for several seconds. Selina adverted her eyes after a while. Her cheeks burned red. Damn! Why did she have such a big crush on the brooding one?
"Come on. We got a job to do." Selina helped him to his feet. She noticed him staring at her. "What?"
"Since are you ready to risk your life nothing?" he asked, a bit more softly than he ever said before to anyone. Selina didn't answer. Not because she didn't want to but because she didn't know. Not yet at least. She just slipped back into the tunnel, Batman in tow.
"That's a lot Soldiers." Batman commented, just noticing the Hysminai. "We can't take them head on. We need to do this quietly." Batman pulled something out of his belt. It was three Bluetooth earpieces. "Take these, one of us needs to stay up and call out strays so we can each take them on quietly. Stick to the edges and shadows. If we are seen it's all over."
The demigods each grabbed an ear piece. "I'll stay. I don't think my tomahawks would like these guys very much." Mark smiled halfheartedly.
"Alright." Sam agreed. The trio of Sam, the Bat and Selina made their way off the cliff and down to the cavern floor.
The Hysminai had set up tents since Selina's dream. The tents looked like they were made out of flattened pieces of various armors from all time periods and tent feet high. The Hysminai were still huddling around their campfires except for a few that milled around the edges guarding the camp and their prisoner. Selina crept along silently along to the left of their decent, trying desperately to avoid the super soldiers.
"Can every one hear me?" Mark asked.
"Yeah." Sam whispered. Selina gave a thumb up to cliff. She didn't hear anything from the dark knight. Probably gave a silent acknowledgement.
"Alrighty then." Mark hummed a bit. "Sam, guy to your right, back to you. Batman, look… never mind, you got him. Bat; kill it or it will just come back after you. They are not human and their souls regenerate in Tartarus so it is not really a death." He instructed. "Selina, right two them."
Selina looked behind the tent she was behind saw two Hysminai cleaning a pair of high tech shot guns. She gripped Oedetorus and snuck in quietly behind them. A few feet away, Selina crouched low to the rock floor and hesitated for only a moment. Then she sliced her whip hard through the air. The tail sliced right through both of the Hysminai necks. Both heads tumbled to the floor right in front of Selina, a crazy look in their eyes, glaring straight at Selina. She gulped as the heads and bodies dissolved into golden dust. That wasn't creepy at all.
Mark kept on the air, warning and calling targets. Batman and Sam had already picked off more than she did.
"Sam, kept left. Back up slowly and to your right"
"Bat, there three around a campfire two tents down."
"Selina, Cover! There is one behind you!" Selina rolled under a loose flap in one of the tents. The tent was thankfully empty except for four oversized beds and a weapon rack full swords, axes and machine guns.
"Ok he passed and alone, you're clear."
Selina slid back out of the tent with the form of a cat. The jarhead looked around at the cavern ceiling like he was just looking at a rock for the first time. Selina whipped Oedetorus around his neck, grabbed onto the other end and pulled. The Hysminai made no sound as he choked to death. He thrashed violently, trying to yank the Celestial Bronze whip off his neck. Selina never let up the pressure. After a few minutes he collapsed into a pile of golden dust
The demigod's predatory assault against the Hysminai lasted for about an hour. Mark's voice was turning hoarse from constant talking. Selina took out at least a dozen more and made almost five close calls. She had no idea about Sam's kill score but when she last saw her; the demigod was covered in golden dust. Selina, however, had seen Batman take out six of the jarheads at once with a batarangs lodged in their foreheads. Selina would guess Batman took out most of the Hysminai.
"Ok I think that's the last of them" Marks chalky voice sounded like it was going to break.
Selina stood up and headed straight for the strange woman chained to the Apple. The other two figures had dissolved, only a starved looking woman laid lifeless on the stone cold store. Batman, Mark and Sam followed close behind her.
"Hecate." Sam whispered in awe and fear.
"Who?" the Bat asked. His eyes were full of deep regret. Then Selina remembered. Batman never took a human life before. This may seem hard for him. She hoped he would find comfort in the fact they weren't human and regenerate back in hell.
"The goddess of magic and crossroads." Mark answered. "She also controls the Mist. If these things managed to chain her up, what hope do we have?"
Selina remembered to what one of the Mahkai said in her dream. "They were meant to challenge gods. I don't think they thought we would take them on."
"Face only an enemy we can sneer." Sam quoted, thinking back on the prophecy.
Batman knelt beside Hecate "Help me with these chains." The dark knight grabbed one of the rust color chains. Selina did the same. It felt heavy in her arms. She tugged at it, but nothing happened. Batman frowned as if something was wrong. He gripped the chain with both hands and twisted. The chain snapped in his hand with little trouble. He grabbed the chain from Selina and did the same.
"Not very good if want to keep some on prisoner." He noted. Not very good?! The chain felt like you need a soldering iron to break it. How did he do that? Selina knew he was strong but not Bane strong.
"No god or demigod could break them." Selina jumped back as the desolate figure filled with life. The two torches caught fire, a little spark at first, but as Hecate struggled to her feet, they burned brighter and brighter. "Hephaestus made them a long time ago as part of a net to catch his wife and Ares on one of their 'dates'."
Hecate rose to her full height. "Those infernal chains drained my life essence into that!" she pointed with disgust at the Golden Apple. Suddenly a white mist swirled around the green mist till the Apple was pouring out the Mist instead of sucking it in. "There!"
Then all of a sudden, the apple disappeared. The last of the white smoke soaked into the floor. "What happened?" Hecate wondered with shock. "Where is the Apple?"
Batman looked down at the ground. He knelt down and studied the floor. "Someone took it and ran off with it." He concluded. He must have found some evidence on the floor to support his theory.
"What, who? How?" Hecate demanded "Why didn't I see him?" she swayed woozily after her burst of anger. Sam and Selina stabilized her.
"Are you ok, my Lady?" Sam asked. Hecate sighed.
"No. the Mist is made of my very essence and I am a part of the Mist. The veil is partially down and has weakened me." She answered "the accursed Apple must be destroyed, it has already started one war too many."
"What is it? We have no idea what we are facing. All we know is that unknown monsters are forming against us." Sam pleaded.
Hecate laughed. "I believe HE can answer better than I can." She gestured to someone behind them.
Two men approached with a military vigor. The taller one was overly buff, olive skin, scarred all to hell and wore black jeans, combat boots and a bullet proof vest. His red sunglasses had fiery glow behind them. A large Sniper Rifle was strapped to his back.
The second was leaner, less frightening to look at. He was older, like fifties older. He wore Korean War army fatigues. He had long salt and pepper hair with two thin braids that connected in the middle in a bun. He had full Gandalf style beard. His blue eyes were full of sadness and determination.
"Ares." Sam whispered under her breath. "Grandfather."
Grandfather? Wow, Sam had two powerful grandfathers. Selina thought having Carmine Falcone as a grandfather would be bad enough. But Ares? She would have to wait to see how that would work out.
"Now, granddaughter" Ares smiled, his voice boomed. "I guess that arrogant son of mine did have some good children."
Ares looked around at the tents. "Hysminai." The man next to him nodded.
"What are they?" Batman asked. "And why are they here?"
The man next to Ares closed eyes and sighed. "They are Spirits of Combat."
"And who are you?" the Bat asked.
"My name is Polemos. Like Ares, I am a god of war." The man explained. "These Hysminai were under my command once."
"Your command?" Sam puzzled. "Once?"
Ares chuckled "They were the main fighting force of Olympus. Before their mother called them back."
"Who?" Selina asked. "Who is their mother? I saw a shroud of a woman who might be pulling the strings in a dream once."
Ares looked at Hecate. "It was the Apple, right?" Hecate nodded in agreement. He turned back to the other four.
"Their mother, your main enemy, is Eris, the goddess of strife." Ares explained. "She thrives on chaos and hardships and I fear her appetite has grown too much. She wants the world in chaos now. She has declared war on Olympus in the name of strife."
"How can she declare war on Olympus?" Mark asked. "Zeus and the other gods are too powerful."
"Eris feeds off of chaos and discord. In it, she grows more power. She only recently declared war, fter the Mist was crumbling." Polemos answered. "And since her children formed the forces of Olympus's army and military might, we stand as seemingly outmatched."
Batman looked around at the encampment. "Then Olympus's might was pretty small if it amounted to fifty or so giants."
The gods suppressed a smile. "Ah the mortal after Phobos's own heart." Ares commented. "This was a small detachment of the Hysminai army. They number in the millions for every battle that has ever taken place. I believe this one was called the Battle of Midway. No, with her children and the Apple, this may not be a good war, even for me."
"What is so special about this Apple?" Batman asked again of the gods.
"It is the Apple of Discord." Hecate replied "It was first created after Eris learned she was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the parents of Achilles. She did not like that, so she created the Apple, laced with strife, and wrote 'To The Fairest' on its side. Eris brought it the wedding a said only the most beautiful can have it. This stared a fight between Hera, Aphrodite and Athena who would get it. Poor Prince Paris of Troy was forced to judge a beauty pageant. The goddesses even tried to bribe him for it. Hera offered political power, Athena wisdom of the ages, and of course, Aphrodite said she would give him the most beautiful woman. He gave it Aphrodite and he fell in love with Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta. But the Apple was still meant to cause strife and by taking Helen from Menelaus, Paris started the Trojan War and destroyed his city. It is a powerful weapon meant to cause wars, chaos and unhappiness and giving Eris more power. You must find it and destroy it."
"Why us?" Selina asked.
Ares smiled. "Eris doesn't believe in a demigod's strength. She has found ways to protect herself and her forces form the gods, but she thinks little of you. Only you can beat her. We cannot. But even though the prophecy says you will beat her, you cannot do it alone. There is a Son of Eris here in Gotham. He can tell you exactly what you are dealing with. But you also need to find a way to dispose of an ancient goddess. Only one other god has fallen before, and you must find his killers. Polemos here will guide you." The war god slapped the Polemos on the back. "Plus there you will find the truth. A truth that will overcome the chaos at the end. Or so Apollo tells me. I wish he would stop speaking in riddles."
"What will Olympus do?" Sam questioned. "Just sit back and watch?"
Hecate shook her head. "No, Olympus has a bigger job to deal with now that Mist is crumbling. Now go! And stop this madness!"
Hecate and Ares disappeared in twin flashes of light. Polemos looked at them expectantly. "Come on, let's go! Time isn't on our side! We have a son of Eris to find!"
And with that, the five left the cavern for Gotham.