A/N: Blarrrg, sorry this took so long to get out. My life took an unexpected turn.
Chapter 36: Battle at the Center of the Mind
CORA
"It makes us mortal," a voice says from behind me. It's gruff and old…Odin's here.
"What does?" I ask, not bothering to turn around. I know it's him; can smell his smoky cigar scent right in back of me.
He sits beside me, smooth's out his pants, and his hands are big and paw-like. "The poison," he says. "Gods who once bled gold now bleed red. It's not really the poison that kills, but the injuries it allows to fester. And then we die, feverish and covered in sweat. Like mortals." I look down at Hank's abdomen; at the big, red, angry slice that runs from his belly button to the bottom of his sternum; at the black and yellow bruises on his ribs and face. It's something out of a horror movie. My grip around Hank's hand tightens a little bit, and I feel a little nauseous.
"Why are you here, Odin?"
"You right well brought me here, remember, my little bird? I'm staying to discuss war plans, since a majority of the pantheon leaders are here now. It's funny – we chose to meet at a hotel on neutral ground so no one pantheon would have too much power; but now it seems everyone is running to you Greeks – why are you looking at me like that? Have I upset you?"
Yes, you have, you old creep. Just then, Hank twists on the bed, making a pained groan and oh God could he be…waking up?
"No, girl," Odin says. "He's far, far away."
Please, no.
No.
HADES
The winds of the storm are strong, and the black raindrops sting like ice. Lightning strikes and thunder surround me as I through black mud. The sea is no longer at my side, and the once-soft sand beneath my feet has turned into sludge. Still I keep walking, and though I am cold, the water covering my body is sweat, and not rain.
"A long walk, Hades – but what are you walking towards?" I feel Amon's sweet breath in my left ear, and then in my right. "Oblivion? You know you can't win, right?"
I keep walking, holding my arms to my chest to brace myself against the cold winds. "Ahhh, I get it. You don't know where you're going. You're lost inside your own head. Poor, little lost king. Lost in so many ways. "
I clench my fists, and then another voice appears beside me and hot, searing hands touch my shoulder. "That's right, strike him. You're strong enough. Kill him."
Amon stands in front of me, smiling smugly as the rain beats down on both of us. "You really don't have any sort of control over yourself, do you? You like to pretend you're all high and mighty compared to your brothers, but in the end, you're just as wild and lustful as they are."
"No," I say, the wind of the storm whipping through my ears.
"Says the lost king. Weak and lost, and alone – "
I move to strike him, in an attempt to silence him, but my fist passes through his body, and he is still left there, smiling smugly. "I'm not the one you should be fighting," he says, and I feel another grip on my shoulder; this time tight and rough. "You ever hear of the story of the two wolves?" he asks. Two wolves? "Well, it looks like you fed the bad beast the most."
The black rain beats down on my shoulders, and lighting illuminates the clouds over me. "What do you mean?"
He smiles, nodding at me to look back, and when I do, I see myself; feral and full of rage. "He'll win," Amon says. "He already has." No.
Not this time.
I try to throw a punch, but my…Other Self ducks low, and returns with an uppercut, hitting me right underneath my chin and sending me flying back. I land with a splash in a large, muddy puddle, and the black water that rains down starts to burn as it lands on me. Amon is there, sitting on a large rock. Sitting and laughing at me. Before I can say anything, my Other Self grabs me by the throat and lifts me up into the air. He is stronger than me.
I am suffocating, and the rain burns my flesh as it falls down. As I look down into his eyes, I see nothing but darkness and hate, and his grip grows tighter. This is the end.
CORA
"What's going on?!" The heart monitor is going crazy and Hank's convulsing. No, no, no, no….
"Get her out of here!" Apollo says, and I feel Odin's arms start to pull me away.
"No!"
HADES
I feel myself slipping away, finally ending, and memories flash across my eyes. I remember finally seeing her face again for the first time in 4,000 years, and just as I am about to fade away forever, lighting strikes beside us, and I am let go; falling hard onto the ground.
Somehow, my strength is renewed, and I crawl forward through the mud towards my Other Self, and we begin to grapple. The burning rain seems to have no effect on him; in fact it seems to rejuvenate him. We fight and tear at each other, battling for dominance, and Amon watches; watches, as we are both swept away into the sea by a large wave, and even then, we still fight and tear at each other in tempest. The ocean's water burns like my curse, and his strength grows. He pulls me down into the ocean, with his arms wrapped tightly around my neck from behind.
CORA
I don't know how I manage to break Odin's grip, but I do, and I rush back towards Hank. He's stopped convulsing, but his heart is still beating like crazy, and before Odin or Apollo or someone else can pull me away, I finally say the words I'd been too afraid to say this past month. "I love you," I say. "Don't you dare die on me. I love you." I'm being pulled back again, and I can do is thrash and wail. And then, the heart monitor stops beating, and the world crashes around me.
HADES
I have died once before. It is a strange thing, dying; where one may feel pain and suffering on the brink of death, in death, one feels at peace. There is no pain, no suffering; only tranquility. Yet I know I am not dead yet; and I know my Other Self's arms are still wrapped tightly around me. But I feel strangely numb…and at peace. Then, in the darkness of this ocean, I see a light; so bright as to be blinding, and a strange voice calls out me. It is not Cora's voice, yet…in a way it does sound like her.
"Reach out to the light," the voice says.
"Who are you?"
"You know who I am. Now reach out to the light. She is waiting for you."
And so I do, and I feel a warm, soft hand wrap around mine and my Other Self's embrace disappears as he sinks deeper down into the ocean's depths. As the hand pulls me, I begin to hear voices.
CORA
His heart is beating again. Oh my God, he's alive. And…and…are his eyes opening? They are! He's waking up!
"Hank!" I yell, and this time, Odin lets me go.
HADES
As I open my eyes, my vision swims, and my body and face feel very sore. I hear her voice, but as I try to turn my head, I fall back in dizziness. Then I see her, looking down at me with tears in her eyes. …Are those…for me? "Cora?" She smiles, touches my face.
"Yes," she says, slightly laughing. She kisses my forehead. "Welcome back." I see Odin and Apollo relief on both of their faces as they smile down at me as well, and I shut my eyes.
I am alive.