Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter.
The Ever Twisting Wind: Threshold Breakthrough
Chapter Sixteen: Empire State Defense
Beta: ShadowofAxios
Trigger warning: Mildly descriptive torture
Rushing to rejoin the godly battle on West 33rd Street, Wendy was just wrapping herself around Andi as her Storm Mail and aiming a shot when a loud horn sounded from the United Nations Headquarters to the east.
"Already!?" Nemesis growled in frustration as she snapped her whip, now ablaze with multicolored flames, to create some space from a group of melee type opponents that had ganged up on her. "Retreat!"
The Titan aligned minor gods immediately disengaged, most with much more enthusiasm than Nemesis. Considering they were generally outnumbered, and just a little outgunned, Andi wasn't entirely surprised. While some of the most powerful minor gods had defected, the majority still sided with Olympus and that included powerhouses like Hecate.
The reprieve was however nevertheless appreciated by the loyalists as seen by how Hebe let out a shaky breath of relief as she brushed a few stray blonde locks behind her ear. "Looks like the fighting is done for today. We should start patching up our forces."
"Just in time too," Hecate said with a wince as she glanced off into the distance. "Our mortal troops got mauled. We'll need to shrink our lines. By a lot."
"Are things that bad?" Andi asked as she jogged over.
"You can see for yourself later." Hecate said with a sigh. "How did things go with the Technodjinn?"
"Uh, about them." Andi said looking away at the reminder that she had one job and bungled it. "Any quick way to inform all allied gods, and only them, that the Technodjinn are on the prowl and be wary?"
"You weren't able to drive them off?" Hebe asked worriedly.
"Nope," Andi told her with a shake of her head. "That attack earlier was just a distraction."
"I suggest you send your Aurae. They are the fastest messengers we have and no one notices a breeze."
"Faster than magic?"
"Any spell we could cast would need us to discern who's loyal to which side." Hecate said with a shrug. "Crafting something so complex is time consuming. Your Aurae in contrast can make their judgement on their own before delivering the message. Saves us a lot of trouble."
"Right," Andi said as she summoned a hundred or so Aurae, she didn't know if there were that many minor gods in the city that needed informing but better safe than sorry, and quickly gave them their instructions before sending them off.
"And Andromeda?" Hecate said softly as the younger goddess finished relaying her instructions to her subordinates.
"Yes?"
"Thank you… for saving my children." The ebony haired goddess breathed out, relaxing as she did as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders.
Andi just smiled. "It was the right thing to do."
"All the same, thank you."
"I need to check up on my nature spirits." Andi said, fidgeting slightly. "So-"
"Go ahead," Hecate said with a friendly wave. "I need to do the same with my children and the loyalist Empousai as well."
"Catch you later then," Andi said returning the wave and transforming into a breeze so she could more easily survey the battlefield.
A couple hours later and Andi found herself standing with Wendy inside the lobby of the Empire State Building as battered groups of Campers and other Olympian loyalists streamed into the building. The injured headed up to Olympus while the others took up positions just a stone's throw away.
"This is depressing," Wendy said with a tired sigh. "We have so many injured and we've been forced back so much? In a single day!? How are we gonna win this?"
"I dunno," Andi admitted as her eyes scanned the crowd. "But we will. Don't give up hope and we'll manage it somehow. I see Lucy and the rest of Azeios' crew. Let's go check on them."
"Kay~!" Wendy sing-songed childishly as she skipped after Andi, an act of peevish defiance in the face of the grim situation the goddess knew, as they walked towards the arriving army of nerds. Their varying mecha, armor and equipment were all looking worn but entirely serviceable. It seemed they had come out of the first day's fighting well.
"Lucy!" Andi shouted in greeting over the loud sounds of the Imperator moving its bulk to lock down one of the approaches to the Empire State.
The moment she opened her mouth however, a happy bark was returned in reply as Hunter leapt at her out of nowhere and tackled Andi to the ground even as Hedwig landed on Wendy's shoulder and hooted indignantly.
"Hunter, Hedwig!? What are you two doing here?"
"I brought them." Ida said as she sauntered over with Lucy and a centaur with a beer hat following her. "We came from Camp with the last of the reinforcements it could spare and met up with the Party Ponies and Hunters of Artemis along the way."
"But Camp is safe-"
"Nowhere is safe if Olympus falls Andi," Ida told her seriously and Hunter barked his agreement.
"I guess you're right," Andi said as she pushed her dog off. "But you two stay safe okay? Especially you Hedwig. You're good girl but you're still mortal, so stick close to Hunter."
Hedwig nodded her agreement and flew over to perch on Hunter's back even as the golden hound barked his acceptance of the responsibility Andi had given him.
"Ida, you mentioned the Hunters?" Andi asked, looking around but not seeing her sister's chosen warriors.
"They're over there," the Party Pony said pointing behind her and sporting an uncharacteristically serious face. "We're keeping a distance from each other."
Andi glanced over her shoulder and sure enough at the other intersection behind her, the silver parka, bow toting Hunters of Artemis were filtering in and joining the Campers there as they fortified the position.
"Lucy not so sure about Moon Scouts." The harpy said, eyeing the Hunters warily.
"I'm sure the Hunters know better then to attack our allies." Andi assured her friend? Lucy felt like a friend. Glancing around, some worry entered her tone. "Also, where's Azeios? Haven't seen the big guy."
"Azzy? He with horse guy at leaders' meeting." Lucy shrugged and was playing with her Alabaster bobblehead, giggling to herself.
"Leaders' meeting?" Andi asked stupidly. "I never heard about it."
"There you are, Lady Andi!" An out of breath satyr said as he raced over, almost collapsing to his knees as he did. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"Um, Danny right?" Andi asked, just to be sure. She didn't want to be rude to her nature spirits.
"Yes, you remembered my name! I'm so happy I could die now!"
"Die later," Lucy said. "Message?"
"Uh, yes, Lady Andi, there's a leaders' meeting inside the Empire State first floor security office. It should start," Danny glanced at his watch and paled. "Uh, fifteen minutes ago?"
"Sure thing. And uh, please don't die. I'd be sad." Andi told the young satyr as she turned to head over to the meeting location.
"Why did they send a satyr to call us?" Wendy, obviously not getting the memo, asked haughtily. "One of us Aurae would have found us sooner."
"We, uh, tried that." Danny said nervously. "But they kept forgetting the message. So, uh, Lady Hebe gave up and sent me instead. They, uh, only manage to remember stuff when you tell them to, Lady Andi."
If Wendy's face could get any redder at that it would have caught fire like her hair had.
"We are not that dumb." Wendy muttered to herself sulkingly.
"Flighty, not dumb." Lucy corrected. "But enough sulk. Go leaders' meeting. Go! Shoo!"
"Right." Andi was gone in a breeze, appearing at the meeting a moment later to find Hecate, Hebe, Azeios, Thalia, Rachel Dare, Grover and Camp's Head Counselors all squeezed inside the tiny security office. "Sorry I'm late! Danny just found me."
"Just? We're almost done." Hecate told her while rubbing her nose in exasperation. "Your servants are very unreliable Andi."
"I think it's a failsafe since they listen when I tell them."
"That's a defect, Andi."
"We can deal with the weaknesses of Andi's subordinates later," Hebe said with a sigh causing Andi to puff up her cheeks in irritation, something that her sister ignored as she gestured to Percy. "Jackson, continue."
"Uh, I was done?" Percy said uncertainly looking between Andi and the other gods nervously as if debating if he should say anything in her defense like the loyal friend he was. "I mean, I don't think I'm supposed to give you guys orders so, uh, you guys deploy at your own discretion?"
"You positioned my nature spirits without my input?" Andi asked Percy with a frown.
"I asked Grover?"
"I tried my best? Have a look?" Grover said with uncertainty as he pointed nervously at a map of Manhattan with markers indicating units from both sides. It showed a disturbingly large number of hostile red markers and precious few green allied ones. Despite that though…
"You did well," Andi conceded with a soft smile to her lieutenant. "Good job, Grover."
The satyr preened.
"It was also wise of you, Jackson, to leave the decision as to where we gods will fight to us." Hebe said with a sternness that Andi was a little shocked to hear. "There are aspects to our nature you do not understand and thus cannot plan for."
"Like what exactly?" Annabeth asked, causing Andi to wince on her behalf.
Hecate glared at the daughter of Athena but Hebe just sighed.
"Something a mortal cannot comprehend."
"But basically, if we show up expect an enemy god or Titan to join in on the other side." Andi explained with a sigh.
"Ancient laws?" Percy asked with a grimace.
"Ancient laws." Andi nodded.
"Great. Just great." Will said with a sigh.
"Will? Why are you here, where's Mic-"
Even as Andi spoke, she realized the answer. That unfortunately did not stop Clarrisse from filling her in.
"Died." The daughter of Ares said bluntly even as the other Head Counselors murmured unhappily. "He went down defending the Williamsburg Bridge with Percy."
"I'm sorry." Andi said genuinely. "I didn't know. I wasn't paying attention."
"It is quite alright, Lady Andi." Azeios said as he shot the Campers a warning look. "You have been most busy."
"With things like saving my life." Dare said, leveling her own glare at the Campers.
"And my Cabin's!" Drew Tanaka, of all people, said shooting her fellow Head Counselors a stink eye.
"That's enough," Percy said to his fellows, his face looking like a storm cloud. "Anyone have anything else to share?"
It took a moment for the Campers to calm themselves but they did pipe down and once they did Dare raised her hand.
"I have a warning." The future vessel of the Pythia said. "The attack tomorrow will be led by a gigantic Lydian drakon that only a child of Ares can kill."
"We'll handle it," Clarisse said with confidence. "Leave it to Ares Cabin."
"Good, then-"
"Where's Chiron?" Andi asked, cutting Percy off. "Shouldn't he be here?"
"Sorry I'm late!" Chiron said as he squeezed his way into the already cramped room, forcing Hecate to sigh and magically expand it. "I had to go fetch someone."
Tyche's snickering in the background told Andi and the other goddesses present just why Chiron had such good timing. The golden winged goddess apparently had a sense of humor, who knew?
"Daedalus?" Andi asked as she eyed the fifty something looking automaton that housed the ancient demigod's soul. His identity having been provided by her divine insight.
"Yes," Chiron confirmed. "It took me a while to track him down in the Labyrinth."
"D-Daedalus! The actual Daedalus?" Annabeth gasped as she looked at the famed inventor with starry eyes.
"Didn't we deal with that thing last year?" Andi asked, talking over Annabeth before she could further embarrass herself. Seriously, Annabeth calm down! You can fangirl later!
S-Sorry.
Andi nodded. Good. Crisis averted for now.
"Yes, it's me." Daedalus said with a charming smile that caused all three present goddesses to roll their eyes at him.
"But why are you here? I remember hearing the Titans' side was looking for you last year?" Hecate pointed out, eyes boring into Daedalus'.
"They found me. They also paid handsomely for Ariadne's String that they used to traverse the Labyrinth and attack Camp Half-Blood."
"So you are a traitor?" Hebe said raising a hand to point at the inventor, one already glowing with her divine energies.
"I didn't have much choice in the transaction," Daedalus said with a shrug. "It was either sell it or die. Plus someone arranged for the location of the Labyrinth entrance to your precious Camp to be discovered didn't they?"
"You did that?" Pollux asked disbelievingly.
"Of course." The inventor said with a snort. "Did you think it would have been found so easily otherwise?"
"How convenient." Clarisse scoffed. "Next you'll say you led Lady Andi to Pan too. Stealing credit now? Must be hard with no nephews to throw out of a window."
"No, that was Pan's doing." Daedalus admitted even as he glared at Clarisse.
"Okay, enough." Andi said, growling in frustration. "We don't have time for this. Daedalus swear on the Styx that you'll remain loyal to Olympus for at least the duration of this battle."
The inventor blinked before chuckling. "Smart move there, Lady Andromeda. Are you really a neophyte goddess?"
"Daedalus, stop antagonizing everyone and just make the Oath." Chiron said with a resigned sigh. "Don't make me regret bringing you here."
"Fine," Daedalus said with a smarmy smile. "I Daedalus, son of Athena, hereby swear on the Styx that I am and shall remain loyal to Olympus and its forces for the duration of this battle."
There was a burst of supernatural thunder and everyone relaxed.
"Alright, Daedalus, what can you bring to the table?"
By way of an answer, the ancient inventor put a laptop on the table, flipped it open and pressed a button.
"What's that supposed to do?" Travis Stoll asked with a distrustful frown.
"See for yourself," Daedalus said with a smirk as he spun the laptop around. On its screen were images of hundreds of automatons hidden throughout the city coming to life and streaming towards the Empire State Building. "I call it Plan Twenty-Three."
"How many?"
"A couple hundred," Andi said as an Aurae shot in and out of the room with the report.
Percy nodded and added a few new green markers to the ring of them around the Empire State. It didn't do much to reduce how badly outnumbered they were.
"Any objections?"
No one said a word.
"Any other surprises?" Percy asked curiously.
Again there was no reply.
"Then let's all go get some rest. We'll need it for tomorrow." Percy said tiredly. "Annabeth, Daedalus, you two come with me and we'll work on where best we can put those automatons. Oh! And Andi thanks for your satyrs' help with Hyperion!"
A bunch of satyrs helped him take out a Titan? Huh! Good on them!
"Wendy, remind me to give them some kind of reward for that after the war, alright?"
"Gotcha!" Wendy said with a playful salute as she materialized from nowhere, startling the Campers and causing everyone else to roll their eyes. "What!? I'm Andi's partner, where she goes, I go. Like all the time."
"All the time?" Will asked, his face atomic red.
"All the time." Wendy confirmed with a wink.
Somehow Will's face got even redder.
"She's exaggerating," Andi reassured her boyfriend. "Mostly."
The way he blushed even harder at the tease had Andi giggling in amusement with Hebe joining in and even causing Hecate to crack a smile.
"Lucky you bro," Jake Mason, the interim head of Cabin Nine said as he patted Will's back on his way out causing the poor son of Apollo to sputter.
"Andi, your boyfriend is fun to tease." Hebe said as she hooked an arm around Andi's and guided them out of the room. "I can see why you like him."
"Thanks."
"You must tell me more about him," the goddess of youth insisted. "Spend the night in my palace. We can have a sleepover!"
That sounded great actually. After the insanity of the first day of the Battle of Manhattan, she needed a break.
"Sure," Andi agreed with a grin.
Behind them, Will very audibly palmed his face causing the sisters to giggle in amusement.
Andi had to admit, crashing in Hebe's palace on Olympus was a much needed means of relaxing. Fighting a war was exhausting! But boy did her sister know how to make her forget about all that! Those oreads that worked for her gave a mean massage! And Hebe was plain old good company. She could totally see why she was the president of the MGS.
All good things must come to an end however and the next morning, Andi descended from Olympus to return to the camp its war weary defenders had made in the Empire State's lobby, materializing next to Will as he shared breakfast with the di Angelo siblings next to the security desk.
"Why do you look so…?" Will trailed off as he just stared at her.
"Relaxed? Blissful?" Wendy suggested as she popped into being next to Andi.
"Yeah," Bianca said with a giggle.
"Hello? I spent the night up on Olympus." Andi reminded her boyfriend with a roll of her eyes. "You've been up there, Will. You know what it's like."
"True," Will admitted with a sigh. "At least the wounded up there are getting a good rest."
"Why couldn't we all go up there to rest then?" Nico asked, tilting his head in innocent confusion. A trick he'd learned from hanging out with Cabin Ten she was sure, only Aphrodite's kids could weaponize cuteness quite like that.
Ah, so cute.
"Because there's only one elevator and magical or not, it can only fit so many people at a time. If everyone went up, even in rotations, we wouldn't have enough people down here ready if the enemy attacked suddenly."
A group of dryads were working a makeshift ration line of healthy and energizing food for the Campers and one of them walked over to offer Andi and Wendy each a bowl.
"Lady Andi, Lady Wendy, would you two like some breakfast?" The pretty pine dryad said, holding out two bowls.
"Thank you so much girls. Please keep up the great work." Andi told her dryads with a smile. "But I ate up on Olympus."
"I'll take one!" Wendy said grabbing one of the offered bowls.
Andi nudged her Aura. "Wasn't the food Hebe fed us enough?"
"I-I'm a growing nymph!"
"You'll get fat," Andi teased.
"I'm light as air." Wendy huffed, earning a few laughs from those around her.
Chuckling at the exchange between Andi and Wendy, the dryad bowed and retreated taking the other bowl and walked towards a bleary eyed Dare as she stumbled past. The poor mortal looked like crap. More so than the Campers. She was a pampered rich girl and despite her attempts to live a down to earth life, had never really experienced any true hardship before thus finding herself stuck in the climactic battle of the Second Titanomachy was proving difficult for her.
"Breakfast?" The dryad offered the ginger.
"Y-yesh." The mortal mumbled, taking the bowl and started eating. The first two spoonfuls missed their mark and spilled down her already badly stained shirt but she didn't notice and wandered off in a daze.
Probably caught up in a vision. Andi reasoned before shrugging and turning back to her friends.
"Thank Olympus that the Titans' forces are giving us a breather this morning." Bianca sighed as she munched on one of the granola bars she was eating as her breakfast.
"Why's that?" Andi asked curiously.
"We got a parley request." Will grimaced. "From Prometheus."
"Oh." Andi mirrored his look. A sly Titan like Prometheus wanted to talk? "Let's hope he doesn't mess with Percy's head."
"Percy will be fine," Nico said with easy confidence.
"You're only saying because you have a crush on Percy," Andi told him with a teasing grin.
"Wah? No I don't!" Nico heatedly argued, his face red.
"Well, I wouldn't blame you." Will shrugged, making Andi eye him with a quirked eyebrow. "What? I don't care much for Percy's personality but he is eye candy."
"He is pretty handsome," Wendy agreed. "Not my type like Will said, but he's eye candy."
"Same," Bianca nodded. "He's dreamy when he gets all serious. A little too much of a pushover normally though, he lets Annabeth walk all over him a lot in my opinion."
"He is pretty handsome I guess?" Andi said with a shrug. "But he's my cousin, almost my brother with how close we are, and goddess or not? Ugh! No thank you!"
"Okay, we get it." Nico said snappishly. "Let's focus on what to do next!"
"I think he's mad."
"Nah, flustered."
"He's just annoyed we know about his not so secret crush."
"Guys!" Nico whined, his face a brilliant red even as everyone laughed at his expense.
The goddess liked this. Just some normalcy in this chaotic time.
"By the way, Wendy?"
"Yes, Andi?"
"Since when did you have a type?"
"Since you became a goddess?" Wendy said with a shrug. "I'm your partner and your power boost spilled over into me a little. I got a growth spurt of sorts in the development department."
"You don't look any different though." Bianca noted looking the Aura up and down.
"'Cause I like looking like this," Wendy said with a small spin, making her dress flutter. "I'm an Aura, we technically can look however we want."
"So how would you look if you looked your age?" Will asked curiously.
"Never actually tried to see," Wendy admitted. "Give me a moment."
Wendy transformed into a breeze for a moment before reforming. She was mostly the same. With one major exception. She had the biggest set of knockers anyone there had ever seen!
"...Whoa." Bianca blinked as she slowly ate her granola bar mechanically as she stared at Wendy's boobs as if mesmerized.
"I don't like them." Wendy frowned and they deflated like balloons until they were their normal size.
"Saved yourself from having to buy plus size bras," Andi said with a shrug. "They aren't cheap."
"I know," Wendy nodded. "My Aunt Lexie has boobs about the same size too and she can't stop complaining about that. She's a little too airheaded to just shrink them down though."
"Isn't it a little rude to talk about your Aunt like that?" Nico asked, eyeing his sister carefully.
"Not if I'm saying it!"
Thankfully, for Andi's divine brain, that was when Percy and Thalia returned to the lobby area. A pithos in hand.
"Is that what I think it is?" Andi asked them as she stood and glared at the damnable storage vessel.
"Yeah," Percy said with a tired sigh. "Prometheus gave it to me. Said if we let Elpis out, he'd accept our surrender."
"Give me that," Aunt Hestia said appearing out of nowhere and arms open for the pithos. "If that's alright with you that is Percy?"
The exhausted looking son of Poseidon just nodded. "Here you go Lady Hestia."
With a nod, the uncharacteristically serious looking goddess of the hearth grabbed the pithos and vanished in a pillar of flame.
"That jerk." Andi snarled. "That thing would have kept coming to you at your lowest moments to tempt you."
"It does that?" Percy asked, blinking in surprise.
"Yeah."
"That dick."
"Exactly!" Andi said with an angry growl. "It's probably why Aunt Hestia took it."
"About that, Lady Andi, why did she ask for it?" Thalia asked.
"The Pithos of Pandora can only be given, not taken." Wendy said with a roll of her eyes. "That's basic knowledge about how it works. What? Did you miss that in Hunter school? Do Hunters have schools?"
"Wendy." Andi frowned at her lieutenant to be silent even as Thalia looked at the little Aura with a glower.
She's a dick, just like Prometheus.
What brought this on?
Nothing…
Wendy!
Okay, so maybe my Aura sisters heard some things she whispers about you sometimes…
What!? She bad mouths me and you lot didn't tell me!? And how does she get around invoking my name?
She's careful about it, duh. Never uses your proper names or titles. It's the same way Campers does things like never call your Grandfather by name and what not. Wendy explained. And we didn't tell you 'cos Titanomachy. You told us not to distract you with things until afterwards.
Right. Well, we'll deal with this later. Andi sent, a vicious fury churning in her gut and she made a mental note to have words with Artemis. We have better things to worry about.
"Plus why shouldn't the goddess of the home hold onto hope?" Andi said instead, giving no clue to the demigods before her of the conversation she had just had with her partner in the span of a millisecond.
Any further conversation was cut short when a warhorn sounded off in the distance.
"Once more into the fire," Percy said with a tired sigh as he drew Riptide and took a deep breath.
"For Olympus!" Percy shouted, causing the other defenders to echo the warcry as they all rushed to their stations even as he did the same.
"Good luck, guys!" Andi wished Will and the others as they scarfed down the remains of their breakfast before running past her.
"Same to you Andi!" Will shouted. He was walking towards her with a blush, probably wanting to kiss her for luck or something. Sadly for them, Bianca was having none of that.
"Stop wasting time, Will. You need to head to the triage now! Go!" The daughter of Hades barked, pushing the blonde in the direction towards the medical area set up at one side of the Empire State lobby.
The son of Apollo still looked hesitant but Andi nodded at him and with a sigh he finally jogged off to his station.
"Time for us to go too," Andi declared as she glanced at Wendy. "Ready partner?"
"When you are," Wendy replied with a grin.
"Let's go." Andi said as Wendy wrapped around her as her Storm Mail. "We've got Technodjinn to hunt down."
Despite Andi's declaration, the Technodjinn were keeping a low profile and she found no plate nor wire of them. Thus she had instead mainly focused on hunting down targets of opportunity among the Titan Army: leaders, powerful monsters, and whatnot. None who came within her sights left them alive.
"Oh shit!" A tuxedo wearing, twenty foot tall Titan shouted in alarm as Andi caught him in her sights as he literally hurled a well dressed empousa at Andi. "Protect me!"
"Prometheus!" Andi thundered as the winds hissed and spat around her as she fired her shot, which to her chagrin was blocked perfectly by the hapless midair empousa.
She lined up another shot, targeting all the monsters that had boiled out of the shadows of the part of Central Park where she'd found the Titan of Forethought to answer his call. As she loosed her arrow, it transformed into dozens that proceeded to completely destroy all of Prometheus' defenders in explosive bursts of gale force winds.
Rocketing after the fleeing titan, the goddess swung Skyline's bow form like a club and knocked the well dressed titan off his feet. He flew through the air and slammed into a grove of trees.
"Ugh!" He cried out, landing on his back and Andi turned sharply, planting both her feet on his chest, forcing the breath from his lungs from the sheer force of her landing.
"Hey." She smiled viciously as Skyline turned into its blade form.
Prometheus was not a Titan for nothing however and used the moment in which her weapon shifted to fight back. With a powerful sweep of his arm, it was Andi's turn to be sent flying. And in the moment that she tried to right herself he took off running again.
Andi! Why did you waste time switching weapons! We almost had him! Wendy chided. Now we have to hunt him down again.
Relax. You saw how he panicked. I wanted to interrogate him.
You didn't need a sword to interrogate him! Wendy scolded. Besides, I don't think that's panicking!
Andi looked up to see what Wendy meant and paled as she saw Prometheus running behind no less than a hundred Hyperborean giant warriors.
The sneaky bastard was buying time!
Less griping! More fighting! Wendy shouted as she shot them up into the air to avoid a volley of massive javelins that the giants threw their way, then jinxed out of the way of a follow up volley of ballista bolt sized arrows shot at them by the giants' archers.
With a flick of her wrist, the winds battered the next volley of projectiles and knocked them off course just enough for her to snake her way through them.
Sweet Tartarus those are bloody cold! Wendy complained. Andi, kill them already! Before my hair freezes over!
On it! Andi replied as she detonated several wind bombs amidst their ranks.
She flew over them, swinging Skyline, still in its sword form, in quick cutting motions that sent blades of razor winds that sliced into rows of the giants. Twisting in the air, the goddess of the wind supplemented this assault with a barrage of her Αερο (Aero) spells that detonated with enough ferocity that they literally threw any of the icy giants caught in the blasts they created into the air where they succumbed to their injuries and their remains rained down in a shower of gold dust.
"Eat this, little goddess!" Prometheus said defiantly even as his giant army finished disintegrating into gold dust. "Thought Bomb!"
There was a sudden explosion of light and Andi quite literally felt like her mind was burning as a slew of alien, random thoughts coursed through it. She screamed and she thought she heard Wendy do the same.
No! I refuse to lose! She screamed defiantly into the maelstrom of intrusive thoughts that blasted through her mind. I will not be brought low by the likes of Prometheus!
Channeling what will that had was not torn asunder by the power of the Titan's psychic attack, Andi called on her magic and with blood flowing from her orifices at the strain, she used it to rip the foreign power from her system and metaphorically threw it back at Prometheus with the spell Beatrice had taught her when they first met.
The Titan which had been smiling gloatingly at what he must have thought was his victory suddenly stumbled at having his own attack thrown back at him and that was all the opening Andi needed. With a roar of primal fury, Andi threw herself at Prometheus. A rage that redoubled when she saw Wendy lying unconscious where they had been hit and which she unleashed in a powerful double kick that sent the Titan sprawling.
With a twitch of her finger, ropes of wind snaked around the titan from neck to toe, binding him in place. He wasn't getting away this time.
"You'll pay for that you piece of shit!" The goddess of the wild roared as she sliced into Prometheus with Skyline, the winds swirling around it and giving it an even keener edge than it already had.
"Wait wait wait!" He screeched in utter fear and panic as his ichor flew everywhere. To his credit he didn't even flinch as he was being disemboweled, probably because he had plenty of experience suffering exactly that fate for his part in creating humanity against the wishes of the gods.
"What's wrong, Prometheus? Didn't see this happening? So much for being the Titan of Forethought, huh?"
"Condescending little goddess! It is hard to do so when you have the Fates meddling-" He cut himself off as he did his best to calm down. "Would you stop being a little sadist so we can talk this out!?"
"You hurt my partner!" Andi shouted as she began pulling Prometheus' intestines out. "What makes you think I'm in the mood to talk? I much rather choke you with these!"
"She has a Phoenix Feather! She'll be fine! Just give the Feather a minute or two to heal her and she'll be a perfectly healthy breeze! And please don't do that! It's very uncomfortable!"
"Uh, Andi, is that really necessary?" A green looking Wendy asked as she floated over.
"Wendy!?" Andi shouted as she turned to hug her partner, tears of joy in her eyes at seeing that she was fine. "You're okay!?"
"Of course," Wendy said proudly as she pat Andi's back. "I'm tougher than I look."
"Ah, yes. Heartwarming. N-Now perhaps we can talk this out? Like civilized divine beings?" Prometheus asked with a pained smile.
Wendy's response was to use her pyromancy to burn his gaping wounds closed, earning a pained hiss from the Titan.
"Was that necessary?" Prometheus asked, sounding peeved.
"I needed my shot too." The Aura said with a frown. "You could've at least screamed."
Andi patted her on the head. She had the best partner.
"I had my innards eaten by a huge and ferocious vulture everyday for millennia, you'll have to do better than that, little Aura, to make me scream."
"Don't tempt us," Andi said as she finally let Wendy go and she raised Skyline meaningfully.
"Can we just please talk? I can help you!" He asked, looking remarkably unruffled for someone bound and just having been partially disemboweled.
"How so? Because I was willing to talk before you ran and hid behind those ice boys you sicced on me."
"We're on opposing sides." Prometheus scoffed. "You didn't think I would just roll over would you? Of course I tried to fight back. Not that it worked. But now that you have me at your mercy, let's do this the civilized way. That's how the mortals pretend to do it don't they? What with their Geneva Conventions and what not? Surely, you would not want to be seen as more barbaric than them?"
"So you're saying you are a Prisoner of War now?" Wendy asked, blinking in confusion.
Andi shot her a surprised look. She hadn't thought her partner even knew what that was.
I have been taking lessons with Ida too, you know! Wendy sent telepathically with a mental pout.
And you're doing a good job of it. Learning I mean. Andi scrambled to reply. It was a good surprise, I promise.
I get it, Andi. Wendy said with a roll of her eyes. Let's just deal with Prometheus okay?
"Fine, we'll be civil." Andi told Prometheus with a sigh but still held her weapon at the ready. "Speak. You mentioned you could help me?"
"Very well." The Titan cleared his throat, even as a trickle of his ichor flowed out of the corner of his mouth. "Let me give you some information you might find enlightening. I, and many others, acted under the Titan king's orders to curse you before you became a goddess. After you wrecked his armory on Mount Othyrs, he wanted to get back at you. And when he saw the minor gods pile their curses on you once Dionysus showed that they could do so and Zeus wouldn't retaliate, well he was inspired. A terrible, terrible thing in my opinion. Personally-"
"Get on with it." Andi rolled her hand in the air.
"Yes, well, my addition to all this was my usual fare of course. Bad counsel."
"You mean you made me make terrible decisions?"
"I tempted you to make terrible decisions. The distinction is important. The Ancient Laws prohibit direct interference with free will. We can influence, charm, even mind control them, but we cannot completely pervert the free will of mortals. Terrible for business." He shrugged his shoulders the best he could in his binds. "I must say though that between your Fatal Flaw and your general recklessness, I did not even have to try too hard."
"How does this help Andi now?" Wendy asked, eyeing him warily.
"Well, you didn't think all of the curses ended when you became a goddess did you?" Prometheus asked with a smarmy grin.
"If you're saying that you're still cursing me, I will send you down to Tartarus right now." Andi warned as she pointed Skyline at his heart.
"I stopped, but the other Titans and the minor gods which sided with us? Many of them are still at it." Prometheus told her with a shake of his head. "I could tell you who they are-"
"And what? Would killing them free me from their curse?"
"No," Prometheus admitted with a frown.
"Then no deal. Anything else to offer, if not-"
"How about I use my power to influence the other gods in your favor instead? I could whisper things into their ears to make them like you more."
It was a tempting offer. A very tempting one indeed. Andi gripped Skyline tightly and she ground her perfect teeth as she mulled over the decision.
It was a hard one.
Skyline rammed through the Titan's heart.
"No." Andi told the gasping Prometheus. "I can gain their favor on my own merits. I've got my long divine life to do so."
"Can't blame me for trying." Prometheus said with a shrug.
"Guess not," Andi allowed. "But you've still gotta pay for your crimes."
At that Andi reached out with her power as the goddess of the Wild and summoned the entire peregrine falcon population of New York City and had them descend on the still bound Prometheus where they proceeded to tear him to pieces.
"Have a nice meal!" Andi told the birds who gave their thanks in reply.
"Oh come on!" Prometheus cried out in dismay. "Not again! What's with Zeus and his kids and raptors!"
"I wanted to burn him." Wendy said with a pout.
"Maybe next time," Andi told her partner as she patted her head. "Right now, let's get back to the battle. Break time is over."
"Okay~!" Wendy said in a whine as she wrapped herself around Andi once more in her Storm Mail form.
Just in time too as that was exactly when a blood red ball of energy slammed into Andi out of nowhere and sent her flying.
"Couldn't you have come sooner, Enyo!" Prometheus shouted in agitation.
"Shut up Prometheus, I didn't come to save you." The biker chick avatar of the goddess of carnage and destruction said as she stalked out of the treeline across from where Andi had landed. "A loser like you that lost to a wet behind the ears newbie can go back to Tartarus for all I care. I'm here to put that newbie in her place. That's all."
"I hate you Zeus kids!" The Titan of Forethought and Crafty Counsel shouted in irritation as a group of falcons pulled his heart free of his chest and he finally collapsed into gold dust.
"Enyo. Of course you sided with the Titans. Taking the rebellious daughter thing a touch too far maybe?" Andi asked as she got back to her feet.
"Father doesn't even factor into this. This is all about you, brat. I've wanted to kill you since you bested Lord Ares when you were a pint sized half-blood." Enyo said with a bloodthirsty grin. "Getting the chance was half the reason I joined the Titans."
"I'd like to see you try."
Enyo's smirk was so malicious that the plants all around them literally died. Not that Andi had time to register that fact before her traitorous half-sister was suddenly in her face and launching her right across Manhattan Island with a spin kick.
She kicks hard. Wendy noted with a pained groan as they finally stabilized their flight over Washington Square Park having flown straight through any buildings or other obstacles in between.
Yeah.
Andi would have said more but Enyo appeared above her and hit her with a powerful two fisted blow that sent her falling down into the park with a sonic boom that shattered windows for miles around. The goddess of the Wild slammed into the ground so hard that the impact crater destroyed the park and ruptured water mains, turning it into a lake of rapidly raising water.
"You suck," Enyo said as she caught Andi by the arm just as she shot out of the water and tossed her across the island once more.
This time she only stopped when she crashed into Federal Hall with enough force to completely flatten the historic building. Enyo didn't even wait for Andi to recover before kicking her hard in the side and sending her flying north once more.
"No daddy to help you, whore! No one with a hand out for you! You get to die all by your little self!" Enyo sneered as Andi crashed into Time's Square and she appeared to look down on her gloatingly.
Spitting up ichor, Andi felt her divine power surging around her. "Fuck you. I am done being your punching bag for your shitty excuse of an existence!"
"Yeah? Well what are you gonna do about it?"
The winds curled around her frame as divine light shined through her eyes.
Her form began to shrink, getting smaller and smaller until she was the size of a pixie. A golden aura surrounded her that was so dazzling, it was hard to even see her beyond the feminine outline of her body holding a bow. If one could though, they would be able to see her two pairs of wings. One a translucent grey, like the Mist while the other was a vibrant green, reflecting her ties to nature. Both looking like ethereal streams of light that fluttered from her back.
"What a cute little thing you are, Sister." She sneered at the name as her own form bulked up, her skin burning away to be replaced by a deep crimson red hide as her nails and teeth transformed into knives. Her aura radiated raw malice and carnage as things combusted around her. Her body radiating heat as each step she made was accompanied by the sound of thundering explosions.
She lashed out with her clawed hands, swiping at the pixie goddess. Thanks to her small frame though Andi easily weaved her way through the strikes, firing off small bolts of wind right in her traitorous sister's eyes as she did. Enyo howled as her eyes popped from the miniature arrows' detonations, each of which, despite their diminutive size being more far more powerful than her regular arrows.
"Eat that you bitch!" Wendy shouted happily from where she had now become a swirling invisible part of Andi's aura. "That's for tossing us around Manhattan like a rag doll!"
"You bitch!" Enyo screamed as she lashed out wildly as her eyes slowly grew back, ichor staining her crimson face.
"You broke some windows earlier with a sonic boom," Andi said tauntingly as she jinxed and swerved. "But let me show you what a real sonic boom is like. Have a taste of my Canary Cry!"
With that Andi screeched, unleashing the most powerful Canary Cry she had ever managed. Air waves rippled out from her, causing windows to shatter practically everywhere on Manhattan Island, even reaching most of New York's other boroughs. At its epicenter even whole buildings collapsed as the force behind the soundwaves destroyed things through destructive resonance or simply through the force of the powerful waves of air themselves.
Enyo staggered from the sound, ichor spilling from her eyes, nose and ears while trying to regain her lost equilibrium.
Andi wasn't about to let the opportunity slip away and raised Skyline, loosing a mighty arrow filled with the power of all her diverse domains combined. Spiraling winds swirled around it as it drilled into Enyo's body, the untamed fury of the Wild tore at her divine flesh and magical power burned her very soul. It was thus no surprise that it blasted a hole clean through the goddess of destruction's torso.
"H-How!?" The defeated goddess said in disbelief as her divine form failed and with the sound of shattering glass she was reduced back to her human shape, still sporting the fatal wound.
"You got cocky and underestimated me, that's how." Andi told her as she too returned to normal.
"S-Stupid cunt." She snarled weakly as her form disintegrated. "T-The curse Ares put on you will s-strike you soon. J-Just you wait. You'll be joining me soon!"
"We'll see about that." Andi said back even as Enyo toppled over to the side.
The sound of cracking earth had an exhausted Andi turning towards the direction of the Empire State only to see Uncle Hades emerge from the Underworld sharing his war chariot with Aunt Demeter and his wife Persephone ahead of his undead legions.
Andi! Watch out! Tyche shouted into her mind and acting on instinct Andi jinxed out of the way.
It was this that saved her from the massive energy beam that swept through the street where she had been standing. Considering how it completely consumed Enyo's body, Andi didn't want to try her luck with taking a shot head on.
"I missed?" The terrifyingly familiar voice of GLaDOS said as a massive robot that bore a superficial resemblance to a cuttlefish or squid, with a bulky semi-cylindrical body, a tapering plate over the rear and five tentacle-like legs extending from its front end in addition to six jointed legs extending from its body appeared. Though massive might have been an underestimation. The thing was over two kilometers in length!
How the hell did she keep that thing hidden!?
"Well, guess I have to be satisfied with just eating Enyo." The leader of the Technodjinn said as her giant mechanical body shrugged, her plates grinding together at the action. "Or not!"
Perhaps it was their exhaustion from fighting Enyo or maybe it was Ares' curse like her half-sister had said, but whatever the cause neither Andi nor Wendy reacted quickly enough to avoid it as GLaDOS reared the head of her machine up and fired off the energy beam directly at her.
Both Andi and Wendy screamed in agony as the beam burned them and they fell out of the sky but the beam mercilessly tracked them, keeping them firmly in its sights as it tried to burn them alive. They were saved however when with the sound of earth moving, they found themselves surrounded by walls of black Underworld stone.
"Picking a fight with a minor god?" She heard her Uncle Hades said through her pain as Wendy's Phoenix Feather worked double time to heal their wounds. "Even for a fledgling major god like you GLaDOS, this is unbecoming."
"Stay out of this Hades!" The insane machine goddess shouted angrily. "It is not yet time to harvest your essence."
"U-Uncle." Andi muttered as a spike of pain ran through her. She tried to stand but her body protested at the action and she collapsed to her knees.
"Rest, Andromeda." Her Uncle said in a surprisingly caring voice. "Persephone, take her."
"Gotcha Hubby!" Persephone said as she appeared inside the walls of black stone and picked Andi, Storm Mail and all, under one arm before literally leaping out of it to land atop a nearby building almost completely consumed by greenery and next to Aunt Demeter.
"Spring came early this year I see," GLaDOS said disdainfully as thousands of small eyeball shaped floating orbs flew out of hidden hangars along her body and began to shoot particle beams at Uncle Hades.
"Persephone always gets that way when she visits the surface." Uncle Hades said with a shrug as he blinked in and out of existence in bursts of darkness, hacking and slashing dozens of the eyeball things apart with each appearance despite their and GLaDOS' main body's attempts to shoot him with their energy beams.
A few headed the way of the three goddesses but Aunt Demeter just sneered and snapped her fingers, turning them all into bushels of harvested cereals that fell to the ground.
"Look away, Andi." Persephone said suddenly. "Hubby is about to use his divine form."
"Daughter, did you forget that Andromeda is a goddess now?" Aunt Demeter asked with an arched eyebrow.
"No, it's just Hubby's divine form is scary. Really kills the vibes."
Both goddesses looked at Persephone like she was crazy even as behind them Uncle Hades unleashed a phenomenal burst of divine power. It caused shadows as far as their eyes could see to come to life and the sky already dark with the storm that heralded Typhon's coming to become pitch black. All natural light for miles died, leaving the world only illuminated by the various divine auras and attacks from across the battlefield that Manhattan had become.
At the center of this patch of darkness Uncle Hades stood in the full terrifying glory of his divine form. He was a tall black humanoid, one at least as tall as GLaDOS was, that was made out of a mass of souls writhing in agony, his hair was made of shadows that seemed to flicker like flames and he was wearing Stygian Iron armor. Atop his head was the Helm of Darkness and in his hands was the Sword of Hades.
"You do not impress me, Hades." GLaDOS said as she shot her main body's beam cannon directly at Andi's Uncle.
Uncle Hades put his sword in front of him and blocked the blow but it nevertheless sent him skidding back hundreds of meters, such was the power behind the beam. His power was however not limited to physical strength and the shadows from all around shot through the air like lances at GLaDOS in return.
This forced the robotic goddess to take to the air to evade them, even as a few of the shadow lances hit her and was deflected by an energy shield. Because of course the bitch had an energy shield.
"Hades! Don't take too long!" Aunt Demeter shouted suddenly. "We still need to go help the others with Typhon!"
"Stop nagging me woman!" Uncle Hades shot back as he swung his sword at the airborne GLaDOS and unleashed a blade of dark energy that cut through the air towards her.
Much to Andi's annoyance, GLaDOS just countered this with a shot from her beam cannon.
"Why are you even still here?" Uncle Hades asked the Technodjinn as he and her exchanged energy attacks. "You have already gotten what you came here for, haven't you? You've collected more than enough divine essence already to complete the apotheosis of your pantheon. Loathe as I am to admit it, your current strength is proof of that."
"I have unfinished business with that one." GLaDOS said using all her arms closest towards them to point in Andi's direction. Arms that also shot laser beams at them though Aunt Demeter just waved her arm and deflected them with a wave of energy of her own that caused the jungle that had already consumed the building they stood on to spread even further. "Unlike some, I will not let my Bane live long enough to become a true threat to me and my children."
"It is exactly that kind of thinking that leads to the completion of self-fulfilling prophecies." Uncle Hades shot back as he unexpectedly blinked to GLaDOS' side and with a swing of his sword cut off all her left side arms, his blade passing through her shield like it wasn't there.
"I don't care!" The machine menace shouted back as she bodily tackled Uncle Hades and sent him crashing to the ground. "I honestly just want that brat Andromeda dead!"
A massive thunder crack, louder than anything Andi had ever heard boomed in the distance and Andi turned away from the battle between her Uncle and GLaDOS to see a massive humanoid thunderstorm appear just off Manhattan Island, trying to enter through the Hudson River. Around him rode nine brightly glowing flying chariots upon which rode the Olympians that were throwing everything they had at the Father of All Monsters to little effect.
"What in the name of Tartarus!?"
"That's his father," Persephone corrected. "That's Typhon."
"I think she knows that, Daughter." Aunt Demeter said with a sigh. "You are most annoying when you're like this, you know that?"
Persephone just shot her mother a smirk. Not that Andi noticed. She was a little distracted by the sight of the Storm Giant and the Olympians trying to fight it. Not that they seemed to be making any headway. Typhon wasn't even flinching as their attacks battered it. That changed however just as the Father of All Monsters was to make landfall, when suddenly Celestial Bronze chains shot out of the river like snakes and wrapped around and ensnared the giant.
Hippocampi and other sea beasts ridden by the forces of Atlantis soon followed the chains, Uncle Poseidon leading the charge with Tyson by his side.
"For Olympus!" Uncle Poseidon exclaimed as he and the other gods bombarded the trapped monster.
"For Peanut butter!" Tyson cried out as he and all his cyclops brethren joined them.
It was mesmerizing, just watching the gods attack the beast.
"Blast him!" Father shouted and the Olympians obeyed, hitting him with everything they got disorientating the monster in the process.
"Hades!" Aunt Demeter shouted. "Swap!"
"Fine!" Uncle Hades shouted back, sounding annoyed but nevertheless complied as he teleported to the battle with Typhon where the ground under the bound giant opened up. "Down to Tartarus with you!"
"NO~!" Typhon shouted as the combined efforts of the Olympians sent him falling down into the fissure Uncle Hades had created and back down into Tartarus. Though Andi could see waves of Anemoi Thuellai, storm spirits, created by the Storm Giant's bellow escape into the world.
Crap. Cleaning them up will be a pain. Andi groaned. Yet another thing to put on her list.
"You are no warrior Demeter," GLaDOS said from behind them and Andi whirled back around to see her Aunt get blasted by the machine goddess' main cannon and sent flying.
"Mother!" Persephone shouted worriedly before teleporting away presumably to check on Aunt Demeter.
"But I guess you served your purpose, you damnable cereal mad fool." GLaDOS said as she began to fly higher and higher. "You've bought enough time. I suppose I will have to settle with the spoils I've already harvested. But next time, Andromeda, you will not be so lucky!"
"You will not harm my daughter, you binary bitch!" Father shouted as he rode over on his chariot and sent the Master Bolt flying at GLaDOS' machine body.
It exploded in a nova of lightning and raw divine power but by then GLaDOS' divine presence had long since fled the thing.
It's still a win. Wendy told her. Building those bodies can't be cheap.
I guess…
"Come Andromeda," Uncle Hades said suddenly as he appeared next to Andi in his normal form. "The war is over. We are needed on Olympus."
"It's over? Already?" Andi asked as she watched Father turn his chariot towards Olympus.
"Yes, my Father has fallen thanks to both Jackson and Castellan's efforts."
"What!? Really?"
"All will be explained on Olympus. Come."
Andi recognized an order when she heard one so with a nod, she accompanied her Uncle as they both teleported unto Olympus.
Done and done! Thanks to Nameless and Axios as always!
Okay, wow this was a long, long chapter! Action, drama, secrets! And divine battles! Man this was just plain awesome to write. So many ideas reaching fruition that we had planned a long, long time ago. XD
Nameless: A very action packed chapter huh? We had Andi tangling with a Titan, a fellow Greek goddess, and lastly GLaDOS. And she got her assed kicked to one extent or the other by all three. Just goes to show that even though she's a goddess, there's still plenty of things out there that can be a threat to her.
So, Andi's divine form is basically a Tinker Bell-like form, but you know, divine. Give her a bow and bam! Divine forms are just so much fun to think up. Hades was basically a more warrior like Slenderman with some homage to his Disney portrayal. Enyo was more based on an Oni-like being since she was all about chaotic destruction.
Nameless: We really had fun with the divine forms. We even snuck in a reference to Disney's Hades! Now that was amusing. We hope you like them as much as we do.
You know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!