Legacy 201: Divine Witchervention

Part 8

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In the Golden Elysium Hotel, agent Reed carefully opened the door to the stairway and looked up and down for trouble. He snuck in and made his way to the floor where the children were hiding. He needed to find them before the Furies did, since he couldn't protect them and fight demons at the same time. He was about to reach the right floor when suddenly a door above him opened. A Fury entered the stairway and saw him. She screeched and leaped down the flight of stairs. Reed raised his gun and fired, though the Fury managed to avoid the bullets. She lashed out and Reed felt the sharp talons dig into the skin of his arm, causing him to drop his gun. The Fury stared at him and Reed could hear strange voices in his mind. He instantly pushed them out.

"I don't have anything to atone for." Reed said. "My conscience is clear."

"But you have secrets." The Fury hissed.

The Fury screeched again and lashed out, though Reed blocked her attack by grabbing her arm and slamming her into the wall. Reed threw himself at his gun on the floor. He turned and fired just as the Fury went in for the kill. She stumbled back and looked at the bullet hole in her chest, after which she instantly turned to dust.

"Those are none of your business." Reed remarked.

Reed left the stairway and entered a long hallway. He needed to hurry, his fight with the Fury was louder than he had hoped and would surely draw attention. The kids were hiding on this floor somewhere. He turned a corner and saw one of the room doors was slightly ajar. He carefully headed inside and whispering in the back, coming from the closet.

"It's alright." Reed said. "I'm not here to hurt you. I came to get you out of here."

The closet opened and the teenaged girl and her little brother appeared. Both were blond and dressed in beach clothes. They were likely heading for the beach when the Furies invaded the hotel and had hidden in their room. The girl stood protectively in front of her brother.

"Where are your parents?" Reed asked.

"They were already outside." The girl replied. "My brother forgot his sunglasses so we went back. Then they appeared out of nowhere."

"It's alright. You're safe now." Reed said. "I'm getting you out of here."

"Thank you." The girls replied.

Reed peeked into the hallway to see if the coast was clear, after which he signaled the kids to follow. Despite their fear, the kids trusted him and followed his lead. They quietly headed to the stairway and he led them down to the ground floor. The service entrance he used to get in wasn't far, they were almost there. A sudden screech forced them to stop and a Fury appeared in front of them. Reed tried to shoot her, though the Fury took cover behind a plant.

"Run straight ahead!" Reed yelled at the kids. "Don't stop and don't look back."

The girl nodded and began running while dragging her brother along. The Fury attempted to grab them, though Reed fired his gun to keep her at a distance. The kids reached the service entrance and ran to safety. The Fury hissed angrily and leaped at him, though Reed managed to toss her aside. He tried to shoot her, but realized he was out of enchanted bullets. The Fury got up and circled him as she was joined by two others. Reed braced himself for a fight, knowing he couldn't win. The Furies were about to strike when a voice echoed loudly through the hall.

"Stop!" The voice called.

The Furies took a step back and bowed as a young woman with long dark hair approached. She was dressed in a toga and wielded a flaming spear. Reed knew it was one of the Halliwell cousins turned into a Goddess, though it appeared she had switched sides for some reason.

"Leave us." She commanded.

The Furies bowed again and disappeared through puffs of black smoke. Reed wondered what her intentions were and carefully stepped back.

"Who are you?" She asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm with the government." Reed replied. "Your demonic lackeys nearly killed two innocent kids. I came to rescue them."

"Kids?" The Halliwell asked shocked. "Are they okay?"

"They got out." Reed said, noticing how the news affected her emotions. He could use that to his advantage. "What's your name? Why do you serve Rhea?"

"I don't serve her." She snapped at him. "I am the Goddess of Strife."

"I meant your real name." Reed replied. "I know you're human, a witch even. We can help each other. This doesn't need to go any further."

"It's Penny." The Halliwell said hesitantly. "How do you know all of this?"

"I'm here to stop the Titan." Red explained. "You were created to do the same thing, right? That's why you have these powers. So why did you turn on your family?"

"I didn't." Penny snapped at him. "I just needed… This power feels good. It set me free. I won't give it up. I won't go back, so I need to kill you."

"I don't think you want to do that." Reed noted as he raised his hands. "In fact, I don't even think you can. You're a good person, Penny."

"Enough!" Penny yelled at him.

Penny raised her hand and unleashed a stream of fire. Reed ducked and rolled out of the way, taking cover behind a plant. His attempt to get through to her wasn't exactly going as planned. The director had been right all along, he was in way over his head. At least he had gotten those kids to safety, so his efforts weren't wasted. Reed attempted to run, though the floor in front of him was pierced by the flaming spear.

"Nowhere to run now." Penny said coldly.

"Go ahead then." Reed replied as he turned to face her. "Do it."

Penny held out her hand and the spear returned to her. She came closer and pointed the spear at Reed, though he could see the hesitation in her eyes. At that moment, a powerful bolt of lightning shot through the hallway and hit Penny in the chest, blasting her through a wall. Reed looked over his shoulder and saw the one responsible for his divine intervention. The eldest of the cousins, Wyatt, had electricity coursing through his body as he walked toward him. Although he hated to admit it, Reed was impressed with what he saw.

"Who are you?" Wyatt asked.

"That's not important." Reed replied. "That blast will draw Rhea and every Fury here. I hope you have a plan."

"Something like that." Wyatt replied.

"That's my cue to leave then." Reed said. "Thanks for the assist, looks like I owe you one."

"How about you start with your name?" Wyatt noted.

"Where is the fun in that?" Reed remarked with a smirk.

Wyatt smiled and was about to respond when a small group of Furies appeared in a whirl of black smoke. As the screeching demons charged at them, Wyatt raised his hands and fired bolts of lightning at them. Using the distraction as his opportunity, Reed snuck away. There was nothing left for him here, it was a battle between Gods now.

Xxx

Penny groaned as she came to her senses and got back on her feet. The lightning had blasted her through several walls and she found herself in the lobby, surrounded by her Furies. If Wyatt was there, it was only a matter of time before the rest of her family arrived. She thought back to the stranger and how close she was to killing him, though she had hesitated. She looked at her hand and saw it was trembling slightly. Could she really have done it? Her humanity was holding her back again. If she had killed the mystery man when she had the chance, she would have been free these doubts and her pain.

"My Goddess." Megaera called out as she ran over. "What happened?"

"We're under attack." Penny replied. "My family is coming."

"What will you have us do?" Megaera asked.

"Take them down, but don't kill them." Penny ordered. "I want them for myself."

At that moment, the floor trembled and large vines erupted to break open the doors of the hotel. A barrage of light arrows shot into the lobby and vanquished several of her Furies. Penny turned to the door and saw Chris, Henry and Payton entering the hotel. The furies screeched and began attacking, though Chris shot forward in a flash of superhuman speed to knock them back. Henry started firing blasts of green energy at the Furies. Penny stepped forward and deflected the blasts with her spear.

"You are ruining everything." Penny called out.

Another bolt of lightning shattered one of the walls and Wyatt entered the fight. Penny felt her cousins closing in on her while her Furies fought bravely to defend her. The only person who wasn't fighting was Payton. She was slowly walking toward Penny while grass and flowers grew underneath her feet. Annoyed at her calm demeanor, Penny threw her spear at her sister, though it was simply knocked aside by one of her vines.

"Penny, please, we can work this out." Payton said. "I'm your sister, talk to me."

"We have nothing to talk about." Penny replied. "I made my choice."

"No, you haven't." Payton said. "I see the pain and conflict you're in. It doesn't have to be like this. We can fix this together."

"There is nothing to fix, Payton!" Penny snapped at her. "Leave me alone!"

Penny recalled her spear and fired a stream of fire at Payton, though it was blocked by a shield of electricity by Wyatt. At the same time, her spear was knocked out of her hand by an arrow of light. Her sister and cousins circled her while the electric field prevented her Furies from coming closer.

"Penny, stop." Wyatt said. "We're all here for you."

"We're sorry that we didn't see the pain you were in." Chris added.

"We've been selfish." Henry admitted.

"You don't have to do this alone, Penny." Payton said. "We all feel the same pain. We all lost Prue. Please, don't make me lose another sister. Come home."

Penny screamed as she tried to block out their voices, which caused a circle of fire to form around her. She didn't want to hear these things. She didn't want to be reminded of Prue, she couldn't handle losing her again. She was so close to being free of that pain. Her family wasn't there for her when she needed them the most and now they were too late. She waved her hands the circle of fire expanded to knock them all back.

"Impressive." A voice said.

The entire hotel began to tremble as Rhea finally made her presence known. She walked down the stairs of the balcony and looked at the damage surrounding her with a content smile.

"Foolish mortals." Rhea noted. "Even with divine power you cannot overcome your petty needs and emotions. You do not deserve this world."

"I failed." Penny said. "I'm sorry."

"No, you haven't." Rhea replied. "You have lured my enemies here, so we can end this once and for all."

"What now?" Penny asked.

"Do what must be done." Rhea said. "I already told you how to free yourself from the pain. Became the Goddess you were meant to be and take your place at my side."

"Penny, don't listen to her." Wyatt said. "Giving up your humanity won't make you happy, it will only make you feel empty."

"Silence." Rhea commanded.

Rhea raised her hand and four columns of rock erupted from the floor, trapping each of the cousins in stone and making them easy targets. As they attempted to break free with their divine powers, Penny noticed that containing all four of them cost Rhea great effort. She had to make a choice. If she killed her cousins, she would become a true Goddess and be free of her pain forever. However, she would be forced to bow down to Rhea as well. She looked around the room and crossed eyes with Megaera, who nodded suggestively. She too had realized that Rhea was vulnerable.

"What are you waiting for?" Rhea asked. "Do it now or I shall crush them myself. Disobey me and you will be next."

"I've made my choice." Penny replied.

Penny gripped her spear tightly, causing the flames to increase. She slowly walked toward Payton and focused all her power into the spear while her sister desperately pleaded with her to stop. It would all be over in just a moment. Penny raised her spear and then swiftly spun around. She threw the spear at Rhea and it impaled her through the abdomen. The Titan cried out in rage as flames began to consume her. She began to glow and violently exploded, sending out a shockwave that caused the floor to crack and the widows to shatter.

"You shouldn't have threatened me, Rhea." Penny noted.

"Penny, you did it." Wyatt said as the rocks that held the cousins in place fell apart. "Unbelievable."

"You saved us." Chris added.

"You scared me there for a minute." Payton admitted. "I never should have doubted you. I'm sorry."

"Don't get the wrong idea." Penny replied distantly. "I didn't do this for you. Rhea was standing between me and real power."

"What are you saying?" Henry asked. "It's over, right?"

"No, it's not." Penny said. "I'm not giving up this power. I am the Goddess of Strife now and forever."

Penny nodded at Megaera and the remaining Furies, leading them all to teleport away through smoke. She called for her spear and turned her back on her cousins. They were a part of her old, mortal life and now it was time to start something new. She disappeared through a column of intense flames, leaving her past behind.

Xxx

At the overgrown Halliwell Manor, Noah was impatiently pacing in the conservatory. The cousins had gone to the hotel in an attempt to get Penny back on their side and vanquish Rhea. He had wanted to go with them, though Wyatt noted that he would only be putting himself in danger. He wished he could do more, but part of being a Whitelighter was putting his faith in his charges.

"I need some tea." Noah noted.

Noah headed to the kitchen, though he stopped when Laura appeared before him through sparkling silver lights. After seeing some terrible dark future, she had gone to her dorm room to paint out the cryptic images she had foreseen.

"You're back." Noah said. "Did it work?"

"I'm not sure." Laura replied. "I created several painting that feel important somehow, but I don't understand them. It was all too vague."

"You were given these visions for a reason." Noah said. "Perhaps we're not supposed to understand them yet."

"Maybe." Laura admitted. "What I saw scared me, Noah. I feel like I've painted the end of the world."

"We'll figure it out." Noah replied as he placed his hand on her arm to comfort her. "Trust me."

"I do trust you." Laura said with a faint smile as she touched his hand. "Where are the others?"

At that moment, the skies above them rumbled and Wyatt appeared through a bolt of lightning, followed by Chris in a flash of light. Henry faded in through green energy and Payton appeared through a gust of wind and leaves. Noah noticed that his hand was still resting on Laura's arm and quickly pulled it away.

"What happened?" Noah asked. "Where is Penny?"

"Well, we have good news and bad news." Henry remarked. "Rhea is vanquished, but Penny has gone off the deep end."

"What?" Noah asked. "What do you mean?"

"She vanquished Rhea, but she refuses to give up her divine power." Wyatt said. "We couldn't get through to her."

"She's still running from her pain." Laura noted. "We have to help her deal with it."

"How?" Payton asked. "I tried talking to her, but she refuses to listen."

"We have to try again." Chris said.

"How do we get her to deal with the pain of losing Prue?" Wyatt asked. "She keeps running from it."

"Well, honestly, we all did." Chris noted. "Whether it was work, parties or sex. We were all avoiding our feelings and each other for the entire summer."

"That's it." Noah said. "I figured Payton was the key because they're sisters, but this is about all of you. She needs her family."

"We already tried the intervention thing, it backfired." Henry remarked.

"Perhaps we shouldn't try talking to her, but letting her feel what we feel." Laura reasoned. "I remember there being a spell that will allow us to project our feelings onto Penny."

"The empathy spell." Chris noted. "That could work."

"Sounds like a plan." Noah said. "Alright, Laura and Chris, you rewrite the spell while Payton and I will focus on finding Penny. Wyatt and Henry…"

"Let me guess, cleanup duty again." Henry interrupted him.

"The city is damaged from the storm and the fight against Rhea." Noah said. "Wyatt can calm the storm while you focus on repairing the damage and wiping memories."

"We're on it." Wyatt replied.

Wyatt and Henry teleported away while Chris and Laura headed to the attic to get the Book of Shadows. Noah sat down next to Payton, who had gotten the map and a scrying crystal.

"Are you sure we can find her?" Payton asked. "She's not a witch anymore."

"She's still your sister." Noah assured her. "If anyone can find her, it's you."

"Are you sure we can save her?" Payton asked.

"I know we can." Noah said determined. "Penny might be struggling, but she is stronger than she gives herself credit for. She can come back from this."

Payton nodded and turned her attention to the map. She swung around the crystal around for a while until it dropped down on a familiar spot just outside of the city. It was fitting Penny had gone there, since it was where her pain started.

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