Disclaimer: I do not own Hero: 108.
Chapter 11– The Pantheromachy:
Dragon Queen was furious. She had helped Rhea hide NoHands, yes, but what was the price? Her beloved children, trapped in the Pit. In Tartarus. In her husband.
And then what? The Heroes all becoming rulers of the world.
And now, with Lin Chung, that eavesdropper from when he had been in his father's stomach, was put in charge of making sure that the Bears stayed in the pit. And because of him eavesdropping, he knew exactly how and when to do what.
So, approaching her children, the Panthers, she spoke to them.
Talking to the leader, Porphyrion, she convinced him, along with Enceladus, to lead their brethren into war against the Olympians.
At first, they had been doubtful, knowing that Lin Chung had been nothing but reasonable to them, but when convinced of the other Olympians' evil, they agreed to attack, and prepared for battle. But Lin Chung suspected it. That was the problem with him.
He was not as smart as some of the other Heroes, but he knew when something was signalling danger.
When he suspected it, Dragon Queen, in desperation, sent the Panthers after him first. Jumpy, the faithful pet, tried to defend his friend, only to fail, and let the Panthers attack Lin Chung.
Surprised at first, he fought back soon enough, but it wasn't enough for fighting against 13 Panthers. Unknown to them, while they were fighting, Lin Chung had ordered Jumpy to lock the gates from the Underworld to the Mortal World.
Eventually, when he was injured severely, Porphyrion allowed him to stay there, bleeding to death, before he joined his siblings to destroy the Heroes. Or, at least, that was what he thought.
To his outrage, when he reached the Gates, he found them locked, and Jumpy defending them. After some spats, with Jumpy determining that he would not back down, Porphyrion led his siblings down again, only to find that Jumpy had only been a distraction: Lin Chung was already on his way to Big Green.
And that was how Lin Chung, bleeding and near to the point of death, interrupted a meeting he was not invited to.
"What is it?!" NoHands roared, seeing the doors open. Besides the Olympians (who were all in the room), only one more Immortal carried the power to interrupt this meeting.
When it did open, however, there were gasps. Only Rosefinch bothered to stand up, run over to her brother, and try to support him. Lin Chung looked up, eyes only on NoHands, seeming to ignore the blood dripping on the side of his head, or his slightly singed hair, or the numerous wounds that covered his body.
"The Panthers." He rasped, blood trickling down his mouth. And then he blacked out.
After Rosefinch and Archer left to take care of his wounds, NoHands looked at the others. Mystique Sonia was frowning. "Weren't the Panthers with us when we defeated the Bears?"
The younger Heroes, who had only ever heard stories before, leaned forward eagerly. Latifah didn't seem to realise this as she went on. "But they listened to Lin Chung. Why would they attack him?"
"What if they're coming up here now?" Kowloon asked, eyes wide.
"They won't." Lin Chung joined them. A dose of Rosefinch's healing and some Ambrosia and Nectar had healed him surprisingly well. "I told Jumpy to lock the Gates. Unless Dragon Queen knows how to exit the Underworld through the Doors of Death, which have been destroyed, there is no other way out."
NoHands nodded in reluctant approval. "Now what?"
Woo frowned. "Are you sure that Dragon Queen cannot get through the Doors of Death?"
Lin Chung nodded confidently. "The Doors of Death still need a few years in order to fully mend to try and be used again. The war with the Bears has destroyed it."
"What about Jumpy?" Sonia piped up, suddenly worried.
Lin Chung shook his head. "Don't worry. He's fine. He can get out any time he wants to." He frowned. "You have to figure out how to get the Panthers to calm down."
"Us?" Latifah asked incredulously. "Where are you going?"
"Back." Lin Chung answered.
Rosefinch's eyes widened. "You just healed and you're going back to fight them?!"
"I can't leave the Underworld in their hands! They'll release all of the spirits!" Lin Chung protested. "They'll find a way to get into Tartarus and free the Bears."
A sigh from NoHands. "Do what you must. We'll discuss this."
Lin Chung nodded, sending them one last look. "Remember. They are opposites of us. They cannot be killed just by us. Only by a Warrior and Hero."