Chapter Sixteen: Ascension

Isa dug his fingers deep into his knees, inhaling through his nose and exhaling slowly through his mouth. Deep, controlled breathing exercises were keeping the rabid wolf from taking control. It burned in his bones. The hatred, the fear, the rage…it was threatening to consume him entirely.

What does it matter if that happens? Everything you have ever done for these people—you give and give, sacrifice all your wants for their little whims, and for what? You should leave these fools to their well-earned destruction.

No, he couldn't do that. He was Isa, life-long friend to Lea. Intellectual peer to Ienzo and Even. Companion to Keybearers, Guardians of Light, though he himself was unworthy of such a title. They needed his support. Ugh!

The Keybearers have never assisted you. They have tried to destroy you at every opportunity. You cannot trust them. They are nothing to you. Especially that disgusting Replica. It is a demonic creature, you would do well to destroy it.

"Xion is not an 'it!'" Isa protested. "She's a child!"

"My goodness…this is worse than I thought."

Isa groaned weakly, and looked up. Staring at him through the bars of the chamber was a tall woman with glowing skin, nearly bright yellow. She had long flowing hair, done up with what appeared to be golden tassels and berries. And strange though it may sound, she seemed to radiate peace.

"I don't dare to hope that you have managed to develop the cure for this…wretched…affliction?" Isa asked, gritting his teeth.

"You can't rush these sorts of things," Harmonia said gently. "Now, hold still, please. I need a sample of your selfness for the potion to work most effectively. As your affliction is unique to you, so should the cure be."

"The only reason I became afflicted at all is because of that stupid, useless puppet," Isa snarled, and then shook his head rapidly. He winced as Harmonia reached a hand through the bars to yank out a few hairs. The sudden sharp pain brought Isa back to his senses. "No, no, it isn't her fault. It isn't her fault…she needs to know that."

"The girl, Xion was it?" Harmonia asked. "Yes, she was most eager to help you. She seems drawn to you, in a way."

"Nice kid," the satyr, Philoctetes, grunted. "She definitely has a better handle on what it means a hero than most of the grunts I see. It's about caring about others."

"She is…very concerned with the suffering of others," Isa grimaced. "She's always been desperate to protect those she cares about."

The blasted puppet only behaves that way because it wants to avoid punishments that it rightly deserves for its own incompetence. Just because it lacks any sort of common sense does not mean it lacks the bare minimum of self-preservation. It doesn't know how to feel. It's too stupid to even know what emotion is!

How many times had he coldly, cruelly dismissed the poor child? Mocked her for having emotions that she didn't fully understand? Used her as a tool for cruel machinations? And now he had brought that all up again, and worse, he had actually raised his claymore, Lunatic, against the children. There would be no forgiveness for this, no chance at reconciliation.

Isa looked out through the bars of his chamber and out into the Coliseum arena. It had been nearly two hours, by his estimation, since Lea and the children had left. The sun had set, and stars were beginning to come out against a purplish sky. It had been some time since Isa had had the chance to see the beauty of a starry night, with the recent weeks residing in Twilight Town. It had been longer still since he had had the chance to actually enjoy one, after so many horrible years in the Organization.

"It won't be long now," Harmonia was saying as she mixed strange elements that Isa had never seen before into a small vial. "Once this vial gets exposed to proper moonlight, it should get the last of the magical energy it needs."

How appropriate, Isa mused. Can you feel it, the moon's power? With some good fortune, he may finally be rid of this rabid wolf, before even the return of his friends.

Isa shook his head again and placed his hands on his knees, again. He inhaled through his nose, as deeply as he could. He could still hear the conversations of the others gathered around.

"I'm worried about the children," The farmer was saying to Zeus. "Surely, there must be another way."

"Amphytryon, your concern is touching, but these are Keybearers we're dealing with," Zeus responded. "Hasn't Hercules told you anything about them? As I understand it, he's fought alongside several over the years."

"Well, of course," The farmer—Amphytryon—took off his hat and rubbed his hand against his bald head. Isa chewed his lip. The farmer looked very nervous. "Hercules talks about the friends he's made all the time—he's especially fond of that Sora boy."

"Exactly! Sora's a genuine hero," Zeus chuckled heartily. "And if those children are anything like him, then there's nothing to worry about."

How dare you be so nonchalant! Xion was despondent with despair and guilt over your son! Isa felt a new, different anger prickle inside his stomach. Yes, Roxas and Xion were powerful, deceptively so, given their small bodies and mannerisms that often leaned towards children even younger than their adolescent bodies would suggest—Xion held Lea's hand when they crossed busy streets, among other habits.

"But they're only children," Amphytryon's wife said worriedly, gripping her hands tightly. "I remember what it was like when our Hercules was their age. He tried so hard, but he struggled so much trying to control his strength."

"Yes…we watched him. Watched you take care of him," The pink goddess, Hera Isa believed her name was, said gently. "You were very good with our son."

"We were glad for the chance," Amphytryon said. "Alcmene and I had so wanted to have children of our own."

"And Hercules is as much yours as he is ours," Zeus said firmly. "And I know our son, and I know that he chooses his friends well. It takes a very special person to be chosen by the Keyblade."

More special than you realize…

oooo

Deep within the bowels of the Underworld, two figures had managed to make it to a gravely shore. No, not a shore—more of a riverbank.

Roxas swiped his hands against his sleeves, trying to get as much of the green sludge off as he could. His robes were supposed to shield against the corrupting powers of darkness, but apparently, they could get dirty. He'd forgotten that particular detail from the Organization.

"I have to say, I wasn't quite expecting this."

"What do you mean?" Roxas looked up at Hercules. The hero looked bewildered. And soggy with the green sludge—was some of it in his hair—but mostly bewildered.

"The river," Hercules said. "This is the River Styx. It's where the souls of the dead go when they die."

Souls go here when they die?

"And it's not supposed to be this way?" Roxas asked. It seemed fairly obvious, really—the sludge was thick, like the worst bits of grime from the vacant lot he had cleaned out for Mister Yanushi. If this was what awaited people after they died, then he could understand why this was a problem.

"I've never seen it that thick," Hercules shook his head as if trying to shake off a bad memory. "And whenever something living falls inside the River Styx, it's supposed to rot away and join the dead…we shouldn't have come out of the River just covered in…whatever this stuff is. This is all wrong."

"I'm not sure I like the other way," Roxas murmured to himself. Stuff like this was what they had been sent to fix, but the way the River Styx was supposed to be sounded pretty messed up. If someone fell in, they would die? Roxas winced, as he remembered Xion goading him into killing her. Axel expending all of his strength into one final desperate attack to protect Sora from an army of Dusks. And they had both eventually come back…hadn't Phil said that someone had only come back from the Underworld twice in the history of this world? Did Hercules know anything about that?

"Now that I think about it," Hercules said thoughtfully. "Didn't you and Xion ask about whether or not there was anything wrong with the Underworld? I didn't know it at the time, but it looks like you two were on to something."

"Well…" Roxas answered. "We did have some questions about that. But I didn't think it'd be anything like this." Now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure what he had been expecting. "At first, I thought it was just the weird mordite sword, since it doesn't seem like it should be here either."

"Well, you're right about that," Hercules said, wiping the last of the grime from his hair. "Man, I wish we had been able to destroy that thing earlier. But Hades got the better of us."

"Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," Hercules shook his head. "We weren't exactly in the best place for combat with Hades. There was barely room to fight in the first place."

"Yeah…" Roxas shook his head. He still could have done better though. The last he'd seen, Xion and Axel had been fighting Hades, but it didn't look like they'd been winning. "There's something else you should know though, I still feel mostly fine. I'm not sure the Underworld Curse is working."

Hercules blinked in surprise and then flexed his own muscles, as if he were only just realizing that himself.

"I feel fine too, now that I've got those chains off, but I thought that might be because I've already used the Olympus Stone before, and it was still affecting my heart."

"Think this is all because of the mordite sword?" Roxas asked.

"Probably," Hercules answered. "It'd make the most sense. I bet if we destroy it, then everything else will go back to the way it was—if Hades is using strange magic, then getting rid of the strange magic's source makes sense. Or at least, I bet you and your friends will be able to restore this world to the way it's supposed to be. I've seen Sora do some crazy stuff with his Keyblade."

"Um…right," Roxas said. "Well, I think we should try to find our way back to Xion and Axel. They'll need our help."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Hercules said, pointing towards one path. "Let's move on out."

They walked on for a while, Hercules making them stop frequently to check whether or not Roxas was feeling fatigued. Roxas shook his head no each time. He felt as strong as he had back in the Coliseum, training with Phil. Well…maybe not quite that strong, Roxas felt a little tired, but it'd been a few hours since then.

Roxas glanced at the cavern walls and paused. They weren't grey and crackly anymore. They were more of a burnt orange, but it wasn't like Twilight Town either. As they went further down the passageway, the walls became smoother and smoother, and the burnt orange became closer to a golden color. Had they already reached the surface? It didn't seem so—Roxas looked up. There was the top of the cave, but no trace of the sky. And even then, it was far too bright. Roxas wasn't sure what time it was, and he didn't think it'd be a good idea to pull out his Gummiphone next to Hercules to check, but even then, it had to be at the very least early evening, and probably closer to nightfall. And further ahead, he could see a glowing golden light.

"Hercules, what's that light up ahead?"

"I'm…I'm not sure," Hercules said. "I have an idea, but I'm not sure. Might be a good idea to get your Keyblades out, just to be safe."

Roxas nodded and summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion. The familiar warmth of his weapons was a comfort in the unfamiliar location. Beside him, Hercules unsheathed his own sword.

They walked on ahead, and as they passed through the passageway where the glowing light was, Roxas gasped.

It was one of the most beautiful places Roxas had ever seen. The sky itself was golden, and there were grassy meadows and beautiful fruit trees everywhere. There were courtyards too—in the distance, Roxas could see what almost looked like a gated arena. A shadowy figure at the top of the gates waved at them.

"Hey, wow! Herc! Ven! It's been years!"

The figure at the top of the gates gave a whoop of joy and bounded towards them. Roxas readied his stance to defend himself, but Hercules gasped as the figure drew nearer. A moment later, standing before Roxas and Hercules was a young man who was probably Terra's age. He had short, dark spiky hair and looked near beside himself with excitement.

"Zack?"

oooo

Xion wasn't sure how long she had been staring at the gigantic three-headed dog. Maybe an hour? Maybe a little bit longer. But the dog was like nothing she had ever seen before. It was impossibly large, as big as one of the Behemoth Heartless, if not larger. How could it have gotten here? Had long had it been here?

Three heads, each of them staring at her. Axel had said once, on the clock tower, that you didn't want to stare a dog in the eyes, because it would take that as a challenge. So far, Xion had followed that advice—though the only dog she had ever really spent time with was Pluto, King Mickey's dog. Pluto was so friendly, it was hard to imagine him attacking anyone. She kept her eyes on the dog's feet instead.

This three-headed dog didn't seem nearly so friendly as Pluto, but it hadn't attacked her yet. So that was a plus. She was in its territory, so it was fair that it might be angry, but all she wanted to do was get out. It was darker here—there weren't quite so many lanterns or torches—so that made it harder to see where the paths and passageways might be.

Slowly, not taking her eyes off the dog, Xion inched her way against the wall. She supposed she could try to go back through the first chamber, back to the wall that Hades had thrown her through, but she didn't want to turn her back on the dog, now that it knew she was here. The three heads still glowered at her, baring teeth that were long and sharp enough to bite her in a dozen little pieces. But as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the chamber, Xion frowned. How long had this dog been down here, anyway?

"Why isn't there anyone here to take care of you, boy?" Xion murmured. She didn't like it in the Underworld. It was dark and grimy and kind of lonely, with nobody to talk to. She'd gotten used to being around others. What must it have been like for this dog, to be trapped down in these caverns? Nobody to talk to it—him. She wasn't sure why, but it seemed like this dog was a boy. But he had nobody to take him on a walk—he was too big for that. And she doubted that anyone had scratched his ears or given him a dog biscuit.

Dog biscuit…maybe…can't think of any better ideas…

Xion still had a bag of dog biscuits—she had bought them back at Disney Castle, while stocking up on Potions and Ethers. She had given several to Pluto, who had barked very happily and let her rub his tummy. Since arriving in Olympus, she had given a biscuit to the beautiful horse Pegasus and the friendly donkey Penelope too—and Phil had taken a huge handful for himself. As carefully and quietly as she could, Xion pulled the bag of biscuits from her pocket.

The three-headed dog growled deeply and moved closer to Xion. Its paw was very large—almost as long as Xion was tall. Pluto had been strong enough to knock her over, and his paws were only about as large as Xion's face. Without meaning to, Xion shuddered at the thought of this dog pressing his paws against her. Several biscuits fell out of the bag and the dog lunged.

Xion dove to the ground and curled into a ball. As the dog landed, he sent shockwaves across the chamber. It nearly felt like an earthquake and that made Xion curl up tighter. More biscuits spilled out of the bag. Xion could feel the dog's heavy breathing, hot against her hair and coat. Ugh, the dog's breath was almost as bad as Hades's.

Crunch! Crunch!

Xion peaked out just enough to catch a glimpse of the dog eating up the spilled biscuits. Each head seemed to be eating some of them. Xion glanced at the bag—it was nearly completely empty now. The three-headed dog turned towards her again, and Xion braced herself. She summoned her Keyblade. She really didn't want to fight this dog, but she would if she had to.

The three-headed dog took one massive step and then another and another. It gave a lower growl that didn't really sound like a growl, but it didn't sound like anything else either. The middle head began sniffing deeply. A moment later, a giant, leathery tongue licked Xion from the bottoms of her boots to the top of her hair. Blech! She got a face full of dog-tongue!

Lick! Lick! Lick!

"Aaaah!" Xion yelped, but there was a trace of laughter in her cry all the same. The giant three-headed dog nuzzled her—or at least one head nuzzled her. With enough force to knock Xion to the ground so hard she saw spots.

"Okay, doggy," Xion said as she got to her feet. "I need to find my friends, Roxas and Axel. Oh, and Hercules. Can I go now?"

The three-headed dog didn't answer, not that Xion had really been expecting him to. In any case, he let her go down the passageway. A moment later, Xion felt the tongue at her back, through her robe.

"Aaah!" Xion turned around. The three-headed dog was panting happily at her. Was he trying to follow her?

"I guess you can come with me," Xion said. "I don't really have any reason to say no. It'd be nice to have company. Have you got a name, doggy?"

Pluto had had a collar, and Xion looked and looked, but it didn't look like any of the three heads had a collar. She'd have to come up with a name of her own then.

"I saw spots when you knocked me over," Xion said thoughtfully. "So, I'm gonna call you 'Spot.' Do you like that, Spot?"

Spot responded by licking Xion again. Giggling, Xion walked down the passageway and Spot followed alongside her. She felt a bit better now, having somebody by her side. She walked down one passageway and came to a small cavern that had two other entryways.

"Hmmm…" Xion wasn't sure which was to go. Or, if she needed to, how to double-back. She glanced back at Spot.

"Spot, do you know the way to get back to Hades's throne room?"

Spot nodded and bounded down the passageway on Xion's right. He took such huge steps that Xion had to run to keep up with him. After a few minutes, Xion was out of breath, but Spot was sitting and scratching one of his ears. Xion looked around—there was another passageway with steps going up to, well, somewhere else, but the only other landmark was what looked like a chair. It was large, with carvings all along the sides. Xion took a step forward to sit for a moment and rest, but Spot bit down on the back of her robe and yanked her back.

What was that about? Why would Spot not want her to sit down? Xion looked more closely at the chair. Those carvings…they looked almost like snakes. And for a moment, it looked like they moved! Ick…what if they were really alive?

Xion took a few deep breaths to get her focus back and then went up the steps. Some of the torches were starting to look a little familiar. She rounded a corner, and felt a chill at her spine. Xion summoned her Keyblade and as if they had been expecting it, several Heartless sprouted up. Shadows. Xion slashed her Keyblade and struck them down one by one, but she thought she could still hear fighting further down the way. Somebody might be in trouble! Roxas? Hercules? Axel? Xion tore after the noise, her replica Kingdom Key grasped tight in her hand.

Terra?! A tall figure in red and gold armor was fighting Heartless with a ferocity Xion hadn't seen since the Graveyard. What was Terra doing here? As far as Xion knew, he was supposed to be back in the Land of Departure!

"Burn!" The figure roared, and a wave of fire cascaded from his Keyblade. A moment later, the Heartless, a Large Body, exploded and its captured heart released.

Wait a moment, fire magic wasn't really Terra's style. It was Axel's! She'd found him! She'd found him!

"Axel?"

"Xion!" The figure shouted. "Oh, thank God, I've been looking everywhere for—kiddo, don't move. There's a giant, monster-dog standing behind you…"

"Oh, you mean Spot? Don't worry, he's friendly!" Xion darted forward and hugged Axel around the middle—his armor pressed against her cheek but that was okay. She had missed Axel. She felt his gloved hand press against her hair. "When did you get armor?"

"Armor? What are you talking about? I don't have," Axel looked down at his hand. "Oh, would you look at that?"

"You're just now noticing?" Xion began to giggle. "I'm so happy I found you! And I think Spot can help us find the others!"

"Spot?"

"Yep! He's my new friend! I know we can't keep him at home 'cause he's too big, but he's been a big help."

"Uh…right…a big help…"

oooo

"So…you're not Ven?" Zack asked. He looked at Roxas and scratched the back of his head. "But you look just like him."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Roxas said. "Some people say that we should wear little tags with our names on them, so they can tell us apart."

"Huh," Zack said. "I see what they mean. Sorry about that though, I bet you get tired of having to correct people all the time."

"Yeah…Where exactly are we?" Roxas asked, looking around. "Hercules and I got lost in the Underworld, and we're trying to find our friends."

"Strictly speaking, you are still in the Underworld. These are the Elysium Fields, under the domain of Zeus," Zack explained. "Far beneath the slopes of Mount Olympus, but still in their borders. This is where heroes go to rest after they fall in battle."

"Wait, fall? This is still the Underworld?" Roxas asked. "So…then you're dead?"

It was the strangest thing—Zack didn't look dead. He looked downright vibrant. Roxas paused. He had seen plenty of Nobodies fade away into nothingness, but this…was something different. Zack gave a small shrug and tugged up his shirt. There was a long, ugly scar across his stomach.

"Zack…." Hercules whispered. "How did it happen?"

"I was traveling through the forest," Zack explained. "Had to be about four years after we met, Herc. And I got in a fight with another warrior, one who deeply identified with darkness. I remember what it was like, when Aqua and Terra and Ven were here, and how they fought those creatures, what were they called, Unversed? Well, this warrior was a real creep, he reminded me of them, and he kept going on about how I should embrace darkness and how might made right."

Roxas paused and put his hand to his chin. There was something eerily familiar about that. It…couldn't be.

"And so we fought—and man, he was so, so strong. He could summon meteors out of thin air—I didn't think anybody other than Hades could do that."

"What was his name?" Hercules asked, and there was steel in his voice. Roxas blinked in surprise—it was scary hearing Hercules growl like that.

"Sephiroth," Roxas said, before Zack could answer. "It was Sephiroth, wasn't it? He went after a friend of mine a while ago, but…well, she says it was a tie, but I say she beat him."

"You know Sephiroth?" Zack asked curiously. "Yeah, it was him. Tough son a gun, I'll tell ya. Glad to see you made it out of there."

"She beat him…she…ah, man. Was it Aqua?" Hercules asked. Before Roxas could protest, Zack blinked in surprise—oh, right, he must have known Aqua, if he knew Ven. Hercules shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry this happened to you, Zack. I wish I had been there to help."

"Don't be sorry for me," Zack said firmly. "I mean it, Herc. I fought a good fight—and it was on my terms, I didn't call forth darkness. I had a lot of adventures, and most important, I helped a lot of people before that 's the most important part of being a hero, isn't it?"

Neither Hercules nor Roxas responded to that. Roxas wasn't sure what to say in the first place. Refusing to call on darkness…even when it could save his life? Zack had died a hero…these Fields were where heroes went after they died. Could…could Sora be here? Surely, he was a hero among heroes.

Roxas bit his lip. There was no way he'd be able to ask that question with Hercules around. But maybe…he could find Sora himself. "If it's alright, I'd like to take a look around."

Hercules nodded and turned his attention back to Zack. Roxas looked left and right and walked slowly to a fountain a hundred feet away. A tall figure was crouched down beside it and he stood up as Roxas drew near.

"He's not here," The tall figure said. Unlike Zack, who was young and wore armor almost like a knight, this new figure was much older and wore a long, scarlet robe, and had his arm bound to his chest in a sling. "The one you miss, he does not rest."

"What are you talking about?" Roxas asked. "How do you know who I miss?"

"I have fought alongside a Keybearer before. He connected to my heart. Something that I believe you know quite well," The man sighed quietly. "It is good to finally meet you, Roxas."

"Whoa!" Zack called. "You got Scarlet Cloak to talk! That's the most he's said since he got here!"

"My name is Auron," The man said without a trace of emotion. "If you wished to speak to me, you might have considered calling me something other than 'Scarlet Cloak.'"

Auron?! Wait a moment, Roxas knew that name. Auron…Auron…Auron had been a friend of Sora's! And Hercules had said something about Hades binding his soul to a statue before! And now, here Auron was…in the Ely-seem Fields?

"Auron!" Hercules said, a wide smile stretching across his face. "It's great to see you!"

The man, Auron, gave the smallest of smiles. "Likewise, Hercules."

"Auron, how do you know Roxas?" Hercules asked. "I only met him this morning, but he's a friend of Sora's."

"Yes…Sora…" Auron nodded. "I knew him…though not as well as I wish I did."

"Oh, next time he comes to visit, I'l be sure to bring him here," Hecules nodded. "Sora will love to see you! And I bet he'll get along great with Zack."

Sora would have loved this…wouldn't he?

"Roxas…what is wrong?"

"Um…nothing," Roxas fibbed. "But Hercules, I think we better get going. My friends might still be in trouble."

"You're right," Hercules said. "Zack, Auron, it was great to see you both again. But Roxas and I have somewhere we need to be."

"Well, do you need any help?" Zack asked eagerly. "Any friend of Ven is a friend of mine, and c'mon, Herc! It'll be just like the old days!"

"I dunno," Hercules said, scratching his chin. "It'd be great to have an extra pair of hands, but there's some really strange stuff going on."

"Like that's anything out of the ordinary," Zack scoffed. "I can handle anything…well, except Sephiroth, but I can handle anything else!"

"I dunno—some really weird stuff is going on with the entire Underworld. Hades got his hands on a sword of mordite!"

Auron's eyes widened and his mouth fell open in alarm. Zack looked bewildered but still eager. Roxas wasn't sure which reaction should scare him more.

"Never heard of it," Zack shook his head. "But I wish you both the best!"

"I have…" Auron said. "Once, a long time ago, when I was still in the Styx…"

"Aah!" Roxas clutched at his chest. Pain! Sharp, stabbing pain. The same sort of pain he'd felt when Axel had been destroyed.

"Roxas! What's wrong?"

"They're…they're in trouble! Axel and Xion! We need to go now!"

oooo

Deep in his chambers, Hades was struggling to keep his composure. The flames on his head were flickering between blue and orange. He'd nearly had the blasted Keybearers, but he'd missed his chance! He had known that the tall guy—Lea—was skilled with fire magic, but that was okay. It had actually been a little pick-me-up. Fire couldn't hurt Hades—Lord of the Dead, Ruler of the Underworld. Fire came with the territory.

But those other two brats—the little raven and Double Blade Brat—Roxas, was it? Whatever! They were like cockroaches! No matter what Hades tried, he couldn't snuff them out! It had to be a Keybearer thing. Though Hades had to admit, he hadn't expected the little raven to grab his mordite sword like that. The kid had guts…though he doubted she'd last long against Cerberus. He hadn't fed his dog in a couple of weeks now, so she'd make quite the tasty treat.

Hades pressed his fingers against his thigh. The biggest thorn in his side was losing Wonder-boy. But Wonder-boy was still just that…a boy. A weak, mortal loser who happened to have super-strength. But he couldn't be everywhere at once. He couldn't be back at the Coliseum if he were still in the Underworld.

"Pain! Panic! Eris!" Hades shouted. "Get your rears in gear, and get moving!" He grimaced as the two imps pushed and punched each other up as they walked towards the highest point in his domain. Tonight, the dead would walk again.

"If the Keybrats want a show, then I'll give them a show!"

oooo

"Alright now, Isa," Harmonia said gently, reaching through the bars of his horrid prison. "This tonic should be cool enough to drink. Drink all of it, please."

Isa scowled. He was in no mood for ingesting anything these unnatural beings had used their otherworldly magic to create. This had to be an attempt to poison him. It would hardly be a surprise that any ally of that despicable thing would be willing to conspire with it to eliminate him.

No, no, no! This was neither trick nor trap. This was an attempt to alleviate the bloodthirsty, rabid wolf snarling in his chest. And Xion was not an it.

With trembling fingers, Isa took the vial the ethereal being offered him. This was his only chance to alleviate the ferocity bubbling inside his stomach, blackening his heart, his soul. Isa tugged off the stopper and forced the vial to his lips. The tonic was unlike anything Isa had ever tasted. All at once, he felt his senses be exposed to that which he had always found most pleasurable. The smell of pine needles, the scents from the flowers of the Garden, the feeling of yellowed pages from an aged tome, the taste of…sea salt ice cream? Isa chuckled lightly, but then bent over in pain. He felt heat, blazing heat. As if he had been stuck inside a blacksmith's forge to be refined. Isa yelled in agony as he felt the anger every irrational slight, everything that had fueled his rage for these last horrible hours, burn away. And then at last…peace.

"Ah…ah…thank you," Isa croaked. "And forgive me, for every horrible thing I may have said to you. That wasn't me…"

"Oh, honey," Harmonia smiled, and Isa had to wonder just how old she was, given that she appeared to be of an equivalent age with himself and Lea. "Think nothing of it. Eris and I have opposed one another since very near the beginning, eons ago. Where she brings out the worst in people, I bring out the best."

"Thank you," Isa repeated. He felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. And an urgent desire to find Lea and Roxas and most especially Xion and tell them how sorry he was. Xion's face flashed through his mind, small yet strong, blue eyes refusing to yield to the hurt she carried. How badly had he hurt her? To regress to the old ways—calling her an it? Isa ground his teeth. He would never allow that to happen again. This resolve burned in him as hot as fire.

Wait a moment…was that sulfur he smelled? If the discord had been dispelled from his body, then why did his body still feel the burn of flame?

"Harmonia…I think there may be trouble."

"Trouble, whatever do you mean?"

Before Isa could answer, a tremendous fireball cascaded over the wall of the Coliseum. Haarmonia dove out of the way, and the fireball slammed against the bars of Isa's chamber. Isa flinched and braced himself for impact, but the bars held true. Isa grimaced—he was secure, but the others were not. Through his bars he could see everyone who had gathered in the Coliseum: Zeus, Hera and Harmonia, as well as several other deities from Olympus who had come down to attend the upcoming festivities were running about, trying to get an angle on whomever who was producing the fireballs; Amphytryon and Alcmene were clutching each other and their donkey, Penelope; Philoctetes and Megara were…alarmingly professional, the satyr shoving several barrels together into a barricade and Megara producing Potions and Ethers from a chamber much like the one Isa was standing in.

"Zeus-y!" A voice thundered from far above. "I believe introductions are in order! It's time for you to meet your death!"

An impossibly tall pillar of flame erupted from the ground, and at the top of the pillar was an imposing figure. Isa was acquainted with Hades, having sent half a dozen of the Organization to this world in the past, as well as visiting it himself. But this…was something different. There was something primal, something animalistic in the sadistic glee in Hades's manic expression.

"Yow! Grumpy!" Megara darted towards the gate of his chamber and yanked it up. "Hercules and your friends aren't back yet! Can you fight?"

Isa held out his hand, and at once, his claymore appeared. He inhaled deeply, feeling for the balance in his weapon. For so long, he had used this weapon as a means to intimidate and oppress. How many of Xion's training sessions had he cruelly interrupted, attacking her while she attempted to better herself? He had stood against Roxas when the boy had sought to leave the wretched Organization. And when Axel had sought to free Kairi from her prison…he had gravely injured his old friend. Again and again and again, he had used his claymore to hurt others, so many of them children.

No more. Now…it would be a tool to defend with. To protect the innocent. Isa was no match for Hades in a straight fight. He would have to be more careful.

Isa charged forward, harnessing every ounce of strength he could muster. To his shock, he found himself face-to-face with a creature the likes of which he had never seen before. Not a Heartless, though he could see several of those sprouting up from the ground. The being in front of him had once been a man, but his skin was a pale grey-green. And so, so wrinkled. Isa swung his claymore and the being screeched before dissolving into mush.

"What on earth are these things?" Isa shouted. As soon as he felled the first, two others sprouted up from nowhere to attack. The same grey-green skin, though both of these wore some sort of antiquated armor.

"Two words," Philoctetes called from his barricade of barrels, "You don't wanna know!"

Isa scowled, but with one swipe of his claymore, the two ghouls—he didn't know what else to call them—were quickly destroyed. He looked around the Coliseum—there were ghouls all over the place, as well as Heartless. And above it all, was Hades, sending flames from his fingertips. The brilliant orange and red fire contrasted heavily with the starry night sky. Above the Coliseum, the full moon shone bright.

Starry night…

"I call on the moon's pale light!" Isa shouted. As Lea favored fire magic, and the children utilized light, so he drew power from the moon. Isa rose into the air far more elegantly than Roxas or Xion could leap. The moon began to glow a pale green, matching Isa's eyes. He dove forward, slamming his claymore into the ground, sending a great shockwave across the ground of the Coliseum. As many as twenty of the ghouls were destroyed and more came upon Isa, only to meet their end at the edge of his claymore.

Hades gave a howl of rage and descended down from the pillar of flames he had been hovering in. His yellow eyes fixed in on Isa. In his hand was a long blade made of black and purple metal. Mordite.

Isa grit his teeth and raised his claymore. Let him come…

oooo

Lea charged out of the Underworld, Flame Liberator in hand, Xion by his side. Weird things had started happening not long after they had met up again in the Underworld. Well, not that any of this wasn't weird, but even so, Lea was pretty sure that undead beings coming out of the ground and trying to take his head off was weirder than normal weird.

This wasn't the apocalyptic chaos Lea had seen when Radiant Garden had fallen. There were broken down wagons and turned over tables, but no fires or running animals. It wasn't like any of the countless worlds that had been swallowed up by darkness, taken by the Heartless, either—no giant orb of darkness hovering over the horizon. But it was eerie—the sky was pitch black but that just seemed to further illuminate the glowing grey-green of the undead approaching them.

"This is a lot closer to what I had in mind when they said the barriers between life and death had been blurred," Lea said, blasting one undead…thing into nothing with a well-timed Fire spell. Another one lunged at him, but his own Keyblade Armor proved to be an effective weapon in its own right, and he banished the creature just by blocking its attack.

It was strange. Lea had never really been one for wearing armor of any sort before. In the Organization, his black coat had been protection against the corruption of darkness. And then his awesome jacket had worked even better. In terms of actual combat, as Axel, he'd been an assassin. The Flurry of Dancing Flames had snuck in from the shadows, fought fast and hard. That kind of icky stuff didn't really mesh well with armor. Even after getting his Keyblade, Lea hadn't used armor. Yen Sid had said started to say something about how it was "one of the most refined acts of Keyblade use," but Lea couldn't remember the rest—he'd been kind of distracted by having to face Kairi again.

Still, there was no question to its effectiveness in battle. And if anything, it seemed to fortify his strength. Several larger Heartless had sprouted up in the melee, and Lea was able to beat them back without breaking a sweat. Sure, Large Bodies weren't the toughest out there, but when there was a group of them, they could be trouble. Unless you were Lea, and had awesome Keyblade Armor and the best control of Fire Magic out of any wizard in the universe.

Xion didn't say anything as they fought their way back to the Coliseum. She'd gone strangely quiet soon after they had reunited in the Underworld. Maybe something to do with Roxas—Lea was worried about how they hadn't managed to find him yet too. Or maybe something to do with Sora, which was always a possibility, but right now they had more pressing matters.

"Seriously, though," Lea shouted as he cut down yet another undead solider, "Does that Hades guy ever take a break? Who's the god of Not Using Monsters? Think we can get him to curse Hades for us?"

"Axel!"

Lea chuckled to himself as Xion summoned a replica of Isa's claymore and began using it against three grey-green…they might have been horsemen at one point, however long ago that was. She wasn't quite as proficient with the claymore as Isa would be—she was much shorter and couldn't flick her wrist quite as sharply for one. But still, it seemed to suit her well enough, keeping the monsters at bay.

As the last of the undead was vanquished, Xion ducked her head to catch her breath. Lea reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. Through his gauntlet, he could feel her shaking, though he wasn't sure whether it was from fear or fatigue.

"Let's hurry and find the others!" Xion chirped. "Last one to the Coliseum is a…um…the last one there!"

Xion switched her claymore back to her Keyblade and darted forward as fast as her little legs would carry her. Lea took advantage of his long legs to keep pace with her. He sent a blast of fire at one lunging undead solider and it was destroyed as quickly as he could blink. Excellent.

They worked their way back into town—Lea kept Xion in his sights at all times. He wasn't going to risk losing her, not again. Xion, for her part, was attacking everything left, right and center. Anything that came near her, Heartless or undead…thing, would meet its end at the end of her Keyblade.

They came to a vaguely familiar courtyard and Lea wondered whether this was where they had met that little kid with the Sora action figure. Lea winced. He had a hard time imagining the kid surviving long against any of these creatures. He hoped that kid had gotten somewhere safe.

The Coliseum was still standing, which was nice to see. Lea recalled that it hadn't been that long ago that it had been completely leveled. As it was, there were dozens upon dozens of undead. Not just soldiers and horsemen but priests and farmers and shepherds and who knew what else? And more and more Heartless and even some Nobodies were sprouting up from the shadows and broken wagons.

Inside the arena, Isa was fighting Hades. Isa moved fluidly with his claymore, matching Hades blow by blow. Lea shifted Flame Liberator into chakrams and ran to help. But before he could get there, two tiny…things…slammed into him.

"Going somewhere?" One of the things asked. It was short and fat and pinkish. Lea recognized it from Hades's chamber. His little blue friend was there too. Lea grit his teeth. He didn't have time for this. He spread his arms out as far as he could and gave a great war cry. Flames leapt up from the ground and surrounded the two little monsters.

"Yaaah!"

"Yee-ouch!"

Lea grinned in satisfaction and side-stepped the circle of flames, squeezing his fist to draw the fire in closer as he passed. The delay had cost him though—Isa had gotten knocked to the ground and Hades was looming over him, manic glee in his eyes.

Hades cackled and raised his sword against Isa. Lea tore towards them, pushing himself as hard as he could, but he was too far away, he wouldn't get there in time. A tiny figure blurred by him, running faster than any human should be capable of.

Xion leapt in front of Hades, her Keyblade in hand. In a flash, her Keyblade vanished, and in its place was an exact copy of Hades's mordite sword. The twin black blades met one another and then, there was a tremendous flash of black lightning and it filled Lea's field of vision completely.

oooo

Xion gasped as waves of pain travelled through her arm, but she stood her ground. She couldn't yield to Hades. To make even the tiniest mistake now would mean her death. And Isa's death too—maybe jumping in front of him wasn't the smartest option, but there hand't been time to do anything else. And she couldn't, she wouldn't allow Isa to get hurt anymore than she had already had.

Her sword was the exact copy of Hades's sword. Mordite, black and purple and curved, almost like Riku's old Soul Eater. Xion had been aiming to use her replicated claymore again, but the mordite sword seemed to be working well. Xion nodded to herself—she had felt that strange fuzzy feeling when she had grabbed the sword to stop Hades from hurting Axel. That must have been when her body had recognized the sword's data and been able to replicate it…yeah, now she thought about it, summoning Isa's claymore had that same fuzzy feeling compared to the warmth she felt when summoning her Keyblade.

Hades shouted, and Xion wasn't sure she'd ever heard anyone that angry before. Or afraid. Their swords were pressed against each other, and lightning the likes of which Xion had never seen before was shooting out of it. The lightning was black and then white and then black again. And then there were cracks in their swords, thick and jagged, traveling up the lengths of the blades, where the black met the purple.

Hades snarled something, Xion couldn't quite hear. The wind was blowing so, so hard—or was it coming from the mordite swords. Xion pressed harder and dug her heel into the ground, trying to get steadier footing. Hades flared red—Xion could feel the heat radiating off his skin and through their swords and then the white cracks became brighter and sharper. As bright as a beam of light from her Keyblade and then the blades shattered. Xion winced and bit back a cry as shards flew everywhere. Sharp, stinging pain in her shoulder and on her arm and knee.

Xion grimaced and fell back to the ground, landing hard on her side. Behind her, she could hear Isa groaning. Had she struck him by accident? Oh, she hadn't wanted that to happen! Xion leapt back to her feet, staggering. Everything ached so, so badly but she couldn't yield any further. But that was easier said than done—both her sword and Hades sword were destroyed. All that remained of her blade was one large jagged edge—barely longer than a steak knife. Hardly a suitable weapon to face off against the god of the Underworld.

"Raaaah! My sword! You broke it! Destroyed it!" Hades flared red-hot and he grabbed Xion by her arms, cutting her off from a decent angle to use her sword. Not that it would have helped much, given the state of it. Xion dismissed the sorry remains of her mordite sword and summoned her Keyblade in its place. "Feel the heat, you little brat!"

Hades sent waves of fire from his arms and Xion screamed in pain. She squirmed in Hades's grip, but he was so tall and her legs were too short. She could still use her Keyblade though and aimed it as best she could at Hades's chest.

"Blizzaga!"

The ice crystals shot out of her Keyblade and the burning heat Xion felt through her sleeves vanished as Hades staggered. She dropped to the ground again and she felt terror race through her veins. Hades was still looming over her, so tall and strong.

"I've got a place for you—aaah!"

Twin beams of light struck Hades in the chest and he backed away in surprise and anger. Xion's heart leapt in joy when Roxas darted in front of her. Roxas was here! This was great—they gave each other strength. Nothing could stand against them when they were together. Not Xemnas, not Xehanort, and especially not Hades.

"Raaaah! Why won't any of you Key-brats stay dead?!"

"Why won't any of you creeps leave my friends alone?" Roxas snapped back. "Stay away from Xion!"

Hades charged towards them, not even bothering with a weapon. Xion braced herself, holding her Keyblade against her body. Roxas held Oathkeeper and Oblivion outwards, And then, they clashed. Again and again, Hades tried to punch and kick and burn them, but Roxas and Xion blocked every blow. They weren't losing, but they weren't really winning either. And even though she was getting really tired, Xion didn't want to risk giving Hades an opening by stopping to take a Potion…she wasn't sure she even had any left.

The fight continued—Roxas was still going strong with Oathkeeper and Oblivion, hurling ice magic and light magic at Hades repeatedly. But Hades seemed to have endless energy, which made Xion mad. Why were the bad guys the ones who never needed to rest? Hades rose into the air, far above them. Probably planning another one of his fire bursts, since he didn't have his sword.

"Reflega!"

The translucent barrier erupted from the end of her Keyblade, but it was blurrier than it had been the last time Xion had tried it. Hades shot flames from his fingertips and it crashed against her shield. Xion bit her lip—she wasn't sure how long she could keep the barrier up. Reflect magic could be very taxing.

"Atta girl, Xion!"

Axel. Xion smiled—she had her friends with her. Axel and Roxas…and Isa too. She couldn't turn her head and check, but she was pretty sure he was still mostly okay. Which was good—she needed to apologize to him properly for taking so long to help. And wait a moment! If Roxas was here, then that might mean…

"Don't get too comfortable Hades!"

An enormous boulder slammed against Hades from behind, forcing him directly against Xion's barrier destroying it. Xion yelped—it was not a scream—as Hades fell against her. Roxas grabbed her arm and pulled her back and then Axel leapt in from of them. Hades got back to his feet—smoky legs…whatever—but behind him, Xion could see Hercules running towards them.

"Hercules! You're alright!"

"Raaaaaaaaaah! Every time, Wonder-boy! Every time!" Hades shouted. "This time, I'm gonna take you out for good—omph!"

"You talk too much," Hercules snapped, punching Hades in the head. "Give up Hades, you're finished!"

"Finished?!" Hades shouted. "Wonder-boy, I'm just getting started!"

Xion readied herself for a fight but a bolt of lightning sailed over her head and struck Hades in the chest.

"That's enough nonsense, Hades!" Zeus pounded over, a lightning bolt in each hand. "Stand down, now!"

"No! No! No! No!" Hades argued. "I'm not gonna—yaaaaah!"

Zeus lifted Hades up off the ground, not unlike Hades had done to her. Xion grimaced. Hades was in big trouble now.

"You have a responsibility to your Underworld! Look around," Zeus growled. Xion did so. There were still a ton of of those…ghosty people standing everywhere…but now that Hades wasn't really fighting, they weren't either. "It's time for you to go, Hades. Keybearers, come along. I believe I'll need your assitance. "

Zeus marched Hades back towards the Underworld, as Xion followed him with Roxas and Axel. Hercules came too, he had gotten ahold of those two little creatures that Roxas kept glaring at.

Right at the edge of the Underworld, there were two figures just coming out. Two men with swords, one a few years older than Roxas and Xion, the other much older.

"Ah man!" The younger man said, his grin almost contagious. "We missed the whole thing! They already got Hades!"

"I apologize," the other man said, his voice quiet. "We would have been here earlier if it hadn't been for the Heartless."

There was something almost familiar about him…Xion wrinkled her forehead in concentration. Had they met before? Or…did Sora know this man?

"Yeah, it could have been real trouble if that dog hadn't come to help us!"

"Dog?" Hades growled. "What dog?"

"You know the one—size of a temple, three heads…much friendlier than he looks?"

"Oh," Xion brightened up. "Spot helped you out?"

Wait, why were Zeus and Hercules both staring at her like she had three heads herself?

oooo

Roxas stumbled back as he, Xion and Axel walked out of the Underworld. It had taken a long time to clear the way back to the Underworld, using their Keyblades to restore regions of the River Styx as they went. The sun was rising over the horizon.

Hades had been taken to this really weird throne in the middle of the Underworld. As soon as Zeus had thrown him on to it, snakes had sprouted from its arms to tie Hades there. It had been…weird. But apparently, it was the best option to keep Hades actually down there for a while.

"He can stay there and think about everything he's done, until he cools off," Zeus said. "So, he won't be bothering you anymore Hercules. You, or your friends."

"That sounds…really great," Roxas said. "Thank you, sir."

"No, no my boy—I'm the one who should be thanking you," Zeus chuckled heartily. "I'm always having to thank Keybearers lately, now that I think about it. But you and your friends saved countless lives these last two days. And using your Keyblade magic to sort the Underworld back to the way it's supposed to be, it's wonderful. I don't want to think about what might have happened to this world if Hades had managed to use that mordite to…well, it's best not to dwell on what might have been, instead of what is."

"Right…" Roxas groaned. He felt very tired. Relived beyond words that Xion and Axel were with him—and Isa had come to his senses too. But now that the threat had been fought back, things were still swimming around in his head. They had taken Hades down, but there was something bugging him. They hadn't caught Maleficent—strictly speaking, they didn't even have proof she had given Hades the mordite sword in the first place.

Roxas wasn't really aware of his surroundings as he walked, though Xion held his hand as they traveled back into the city. Even Axel was quieter than normal. There was an advantage to it though—it didn't seem to take nearly as much time to travel to the Coliseum as it had the last few times…though that might be because Roxas was getting more and more acquainted with the streets of Thebes.

"Wonder-boy!"

Roxas winced and braced himself to have to start fighting again, but it turned out, that was apparently a universal nickname for Hercules. A tall woman with brown hair and a purple dress darted to Hercules and flung her arms around his neck. She stared at Hercules and he stared back at her.

"Hey Rookie!" Phil waddled over slowly and pounded his fist triumphantly. "That was incredible. You and Xion and the tall guy were out of this world! I think you'll be great in the games, but those aren't gonna be for a while."

"They aren't?" Zeus asked before Roxas could respond. "But why? What's wrong with the Zeus Cup happening now?"

"Two words: EVERYONES EXHAUSTED!"

"Indeed…" Isa stood up and glanced down at Roxas, smiling. "By my estimates, Roxas and Xion have been awake for nearly thirty-six hours. With due respect, I think we need to be getting home. Though we will come back to visit."

"Everything does seem to be in order," Hercules grinned. "If you guys have to leave now, it's alright, I think."

"Yeah, and seriously, Roxas, don't be a stranger."

xxxx

Roxas leaned back in his seat of the Gummi Ship. Before they left Olympus, Hercules's parents—both sets—had insisted they stay for a proper meal. Roxas had been so tired, he hadn't realized how hungry he was, and they had eaten so many apples and pomegranates, he'd lost count. After that, it had been a collection of promises to return as soon as the tournaments were back on.

But now they had to return to Disney Castle, to report their findings to King Mickey. And that meant eating sea-salt ice cream, to use the sticks to fuel their Gummi Ship. Salty, but sweet…it was nice to know that hadn't changed.

"After we report to the King," Axel said, taking a huge bite of his ice cream, "I'm gonna sleep for the next week."

Roxas chuckled. Good ol' Axel and his sleep habits. He polished off his ice cream and rubbed his stomach…he'd eaten six bars already. Xion was finishing her fifth and talking to Isa at the other end of the ship in hushed tones. Roxas frowned to himself; Isa had apologized to all of them already, but Xion still wanted to talk to him privately. He hoped she wasn't trying to apologize for allowing him to get hurt in the first place. Xion had been through a lot the last few days…she deserved something special…oh!

"Hey, Xion," Roxas called. "Could you come here a sec, there's something I want to give you."

Xion blinked in surprise but Isa gave her a gentle nod and ushered her back to where Roxas and Axel were sitting.

"Everything alright, Roxas?"

"Everything's great, really. But…um…there's something I want to give you. I meant to give this to you ages ago, but we got the message from the King and then I kept forgetting. Um…this is for you."

This was a lot harder than he'd thought it'd be, but Xion was looking so curiously at him. Roxas reached into his pocket and pulled out…a Potion?

"Thanks, but I still have a few of those. That's sweet of you Roxas."

"What? No, no, no—it's not a Potion, it's a…hold on." Roxas reached into his pocket again and pulled out the necklace with the blue orb. "I had the Moogles make this for you. You're really special so you deserve something special…"

"Roxas, it's so pretty!" Xion's eyes shone like stars. "Oh, thank you! But…I don't have anything for you…"

"Gift-giving doesn't necessarily have to be reciprocal," Isa said. He paused for a moment, "That is to say, it isn't wrong for you not to have something for Roxas, Xion. And that necklace will look radiant on you."

"Radiant? Like Radiant Garden? It doesn't look like flowers or a castle," Roxas said. "It's really pretty though."

"Lea, you are buying these children a dictionary."

A/N: And with that, another chapter is completed! I acknowledge that this chapter took a lot longer to post than usual, but it's also a lot longer. I really enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoy! Read on my dear readers. Leave a comment if you're so inclined. I appreciate each and every one of you!