Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Sixty-One

"Where is she?"

"She is currently roaming the Valley of Death,"

"I cannot believe such incompetence—I leave for a few minutes and control gets lost," Asteria muttered angrily as she walked toward the valley and was informed Athamas was chasing the moon princess like if it was a poor game of hide and seek; taking the upsetting news with a frown in her face. The minute she returned from Hades' palace she was informed by one of her Moirai what happened with the princess and how she managed to escape from the andromedian's imprisonment. Her long-spiked chains began to hiss behind her as she spotted her in the distance and finally caught up to Athamas "There," she pointed her long dark nail at the white princess in the middle of a valley of living corpses still fighting for her life and sanity.

"What a blasphemy," Asteria turned to Athamas and narrowed her black eyes when she noticed the wound on his arm, "And to think such silly little princess did that to you; are you not supposed to be a trained soldier?"

Athamas scowled at her words, "Clearly, there is some influence from the monster—"

"Ugh," Asteria rolled her dark eyes with annoyance "Such pitiful excuse... watch and learn how things are done." She took a step forward and stomped her spiked heel into the ground to command her long chains to throw aside the corpses and demons and clear a path for them to reach the princess that was clearly struggling to get away "What a little pest you are, Moon Princess..."

Serenity felt like she was walking in circles, she swore she had been in and out of passages, corridors, ruins, and valleys and still hadn't found a proper exit; a way that could lead her somewhere. She wasn't sure just at what point she began to feel so lightheaded but the more effort she put into crossing to another court, the more she felt her life was draining away, one breath at a time. At first, she could feel a warm tug in her chest that would give her enough courage to continue her path but at this point and after she felt were hours of physical and emotional torture, she felt like she was close to meet her end.

Her feet could no longer take her any further, her knees had started to become weak. She was starting to see blurry and her mind was becoming hazy and confused. After taking a few more steps, her body finally gave in and fell to the dirty ground, nauseous and defeated. She weakly looked up with tears in her eyes when she realized that all of her efforts had been in vain when she spotted Athamas walking toward her and Asteria watching proudly as she stood behind.

Asteria whipped her chains to trap her and handed them to Athamas carelessly, "Drag her back and make sure to lock her well this time."

Athamas grinned with madness in his eyes as he did as commanded, "Had your fun already, Serenity?" He said with mockery. The princess tried to stay conscious but the smell of rotten flesh and sulfur was too overwhelming for her to stand, not to mention the pain of the tight chains around her ankles. Her body was turning numb as she saw him kicking the crawling bodies to come close to her; with the remains of energy still left in her body she tried to stand up and move away but the andromedian caught up with her quickly by tugging at the chains and grabbing her long hair and pulled her back into his arms with unmeasured force.

"I told you this place is a maze, no matter how much you try to escape—you will always end up in the same place, you belong to me, Serenity." His hoarse and cold breath crashed against her flushed cheeks then violently threw her back to the ground and dragged her all the way back to her prison with the help of Asteria's chain. "Oh dear, what would the Queen say to look at her always inmaculate daughter in this condition..."

Serenity looked up at him and tried to free herself from her trap but her hands had started to feel numb and weak, so the rest of her body. She didn't know if it was the decoy in the air or the intense disgust she had for the man that a new wave of strength suddenly took over, giving her enough energy to try to fight him back again, "Let me go!" She demanded as she squirmed, trying to break free with panic overshadowing her voice.

Athamas cursed under his breath as he continued dragging the princess with brutal force back to the ruins with clear amazement by the princess' strong will and physical strength despite her current weak condition. Years of training and being a senshi had paid off—he thought to himself with bitterness. Serenity held the chains tight and managed to pull herself close to him and kicked his hand, releasing herself from his grasp for a second time and tried to run away again but Athamas reacted quickly this time and grabbed her by one of her lose pigtails and pulled her back with force making her fall flat on the ground. Serenity cried out in pain with the impact but before anything else she could do to save herself, Athamas had pulled her back up and pinned her against the wall like he did before, "The more you squirm, the more I want you—" he leaned closer but Serenity managed to jam her elbow in his jaw, pushing him back immediately. Athamas growled in pain and turned with fury in his eyes, "Bitch!" He yelped with exasperation and slapped her across the face and pressed her harder against the wall of the putrid cell. His hands began to roam her body once again, continuing where he left off before she escaped the first time; Serenity closed her eyes and let her roll down her flushed and dirty cheeks; she tried to kick him again but she was exhausted, she was emotionally drained and petrified. Her body no longer had enough energy to fight his aggressive touch and the hunger of his hands that so desperately tried to take control of her body as they made their way under the remains of the many layers of her royal gown.

"Endymion!" Serenity closed her eyes as she tried her best to keep her tears under control, "Endymion! Endymion!" She cried with desperation and horror when she felt Athamas' harsh breath in her ear. Her consciousness at this point had started to leave her due to his strong grip on her neck, "Shut up! Shut up! Don't you dare say that name in my presence!" Athamas roared with rage and tightened his calloused fingers around her delicate neck, "The more you reject me, the harder I will ma—" the man suddenly widened his eyes when he felt himself being pulled back with brutal force, releasing her from his trap.

Athamas widened her eyes with shock when he turned and met the face of his assaulter "You... how d—" he growled, but before he could utter another word, Endymion went at him like a rabid beast and threw him against the wall with brutal force. With the same violent treatment, the prince grabbed him by the neck and punched his face with his now bloodied fist, with one hit angrier than the last, he muttered each word with a murderous tone in his voice, "I told you. not. to lay. a finger. on her."

Athamas tried to gasp for air but Endymion punched his nose until he felt it shatter against his fist, "You wanted to breathe, asshole?!" Endymion grabbed a strong handful of his hair and crashed his head against the stone and bloodied ground, "Try,"

Athamas tried to fight back and threw a few kicks and punches that barely touched Endymion's face due to his lack of focus because of all the blood clouding his vision. He turned and managed to punch Endymion in his jaw a couple of times but not even his strongest fist was enough to kick him off of him. His lack of coordination made it easier for Endymion to pull him close to seize him and secured one arm around his neck while the other kept the rest of his body restraint and tightened the pressure enough to cut the air coming into his lungs. Athamas widened his eyes with panic when he felt his body had started to go numb and in a desperate measure, threw a few kicks and punches but it wasn't enough to break the prince's restraint. Endymion narrowed his dark-colored eyes and pulled him close enough to him and jerked the andromedian's head to the side with one strong press until he heard a crisp snap on his neck and let go of his motionless body. With one last glance with disinterest, the prince turned his back on the corpse and used his sleeve to wipe the blood splattered on his face.

Serenity felt everything moved in slow motion around her. She tried to force herself to stand on her own, but her body had given in and with much helplessness, she let herself go. She was about to hit the ground when a pair of arms caught her mid-air saving her from her brutal fall and pulled her into a secure embrace; her crystal blue eyes widened when she instantly recognized the way her body fitted perfectly into her savior's arms and gasped for air. The warmth was so familiar, the way she was being held was too; she knew those arms by heart but her mind had been playing too many cruel jokes on her lately that even this moment could be a bitter dream mocking her deepest desires. It was until she heard the sound of her name in the only way that could bring her back to her senses, "Serenity..." that deep and warm voice carved in her mind, the same one that cooed her every day and night; the one that made her feel complete and loved. Her foggy sight soon regained focus and pulled back to look into the face of the man she wished so much to see and feared to never meet again and could not contain her tears any longer. Endymion looked into her tear-glossed eyes with the same longing and emotion she was looking at him and put his hands on each side of her face, "Serenitati,"

"Endymion..." Serenity sobbed heavily as she ran her shaky fingers through his hair with desperation, finally confirming the realness of this moment and that the man holding her was not an illusion, but in fact, her husband in the flesh, "Oh, god... oh god... oh god... it is really you! This isn't an illusion!"

The prince shook his head and leaned his forehead on hers with tears falling from his eyes, finally feeling complete again as he silently thanked whoever he needed to thank for being able to endure the journey and find her in what easily could be Inferno's pit. "No love, this isn't an illusion," he pulled her back into his arms tightly and rocked her back and forth for a minute to calm her down, "It's me... I'm here..." he kissed her temples, "I'm here,"

Serenity widened her eyes in shock and let her tears roll down her cheeks without control, finally falling into account to what was happening. She wrapped her arms around his neck and shook her head, still crying her heart out, "You came for me... you found me..."

"Of course I came for you, love,"

"B-But... how?"

Endymion pulled back to look into her eyes, "You're my wife, Serenity. For your bad luck, this boring man can't function without you by his side," he slowly wiped the tears from her face with the back of his hand, "To the end of the world, remember? Although, my vows might have to change now that we're here and say that I would go to every length in the universe if necessary, Luna Bunny." He kissed her nose softly, "I am so sorry for taking so long, but I'm here now, and I am going to get you home." He sniffled softly, trying his best to keep his composure; Serenity looked at him with endless emotion as she held on to him to dear life and nodded with renewed hope.

"Also..." Endymion cleared the lump forming in the back of his throat and pulled back to undo the clasp of Gaia's pendant he was wearing underneath the jacket of his uniform and armor and tied it around Serenity's neck, "You left this at home, my dear."

Serenity widened her eyes when she saw the pendant hanging in her chest and felt panic for having been careless and take things for granted. She felt guilty for leaving him alone without notice in the first place and for thinking she could take matters into her own hands and without risking anyone else like she always did. Her senshi side always made her want to do everything by herself and have things under control, but this time, this was a much more dangerous and serious situation compared to what they have encountered in the past and it was something she could only overcome if she did it alongside her husband, as a team—now she understood, what marriage was all about.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..." Her strained and mortified voice came between heavy sobs, "I was so careless... I didn't mean to leave without saying anything... I didn't mean to—but I had..." she bit her trembling lip; she took a deep breath and looked up into Endymion's deep blue eyes with fresh tears gleaming in hers, "There is something I have to tell—" Endymion shook his head and closed his eyes, this time not able to hold his own tears any longer and nodded softly, "I know..."

Serenity widened her eyes when she felt his hand resting on her stomach and couldn't help crying again when she realized what he meant, "I've known for a while, Serenity..." he muttered softly and looked into her eyes, "I knew there was more to your appearance and symptoms but I was just waiting for you to talk to me about it," Endymion took a deep, shaky breath and shook his head confused, "Bunny, why didn't you tell me?"

Serenity leaned forward and rested her head on his chest, "I was afraid to make you mad, with everything that's been happening... this too..." her fragile body started to shiver as she broke into desperate sobs, "I didn't know how to tell you... I couldn't find the words... I panicked..."

Endymion shook his head and brushed his lips on hers in the sweetest way, "Serenity..."

"I'm so sorry..."

"Bunny... there is nothing to be sorry about,"

"I should have been more careful..."

"No, don't say that—don't even dare to think such a thing,"

"The timing..."

"Don't think about that, time doesn't have to do with it,"

"I can't..."

"Yes, you can,"

"I'm scared..."

"Everything is going to be alright now," Endymion kissed her temple and put his arms around her, "Come on baby, get up..."

Serenity opened her eyes and looked at her husband with tears trapped between her long and dark lashes, "It will?" Endymion nodded feeling like a thousand rusty nails pierced through his heart by the truth hidden behind his words, "Yes, love, of course," he gave her the best smile he could muster to encourage her spirit to continue fighting and pulled her back into his arms and helped her stand up, "Come on... let's get you out of this hell hole... everybody is waiting," he kissed her temple again and put one arm around her waist, "Grab on my arm,"

Serenity nodded and hung on to her husband to dear life as he slowly pulled her back on the feet. She slowly turned and saw a bulk in the dark, dimmed by the soft dismal light from the chandelier in the room and immediately knew it was Athamas' corpse, but for once in her life, she felt nothing—not even pity or disgust. Serenity started feeling more fragile and dizzier than minutes ago and leaned her head on Endymion's shoulder as they walked out of the cell she had been taken and made their way to one of the courts that would eventually lead them back where the portal Hades opened for him was waiting.

"Well, well, well..." Endymion and Serenity stopped and turned to look over their shoulder at Asteria walking from the shadows with a creepy grin on her face, "What have we here?"

O—o—o—o—O

Nephrite was looking up at the night sky, deep in his own thoughts when he saw a steaming mug appeared in front of him, courtesy of Makoto "It's starting to get cold outside..." the general grabbed the hot mug and gave the senshi of courage a soft smile, "Thank you, Jupiter,"

"Mars made a fresh batch of tea and I thought you could use some to keep you awake and warm..."

Nephrite took a small sip and savored the delicate flavor with subtle hints of jasmine, "Always so thoughtful, sweet Jupiter." He turned and put the cup next to him. Makoto looked at him with worry and took a deep breath, "Well, I will leave you alone then, you are probably trying to—"

"No," Nephrite shook his head and looked up at her, "Stay, please." He sighed softly and took another sip of his tea, "I needed the air but not the solitude."

Makoto smiled softly before she sat next to him on the porch and bit her lower lip, "You are waiting for them to speak to you..."

"They always speak, Jupiter..." Nephrite took another sip of his tea, "Even when they are corrupted... even when they are scared... they always send a signal."

Makoto looked up at the sky and took a deep breath, "But you are waiting for them to tell you when are they coming back..." Her forest green eyes widened when he felt his warm hand caressing her cheek and turned to look at him, "It amazes me how well you know me, sweet Jupiter," he smiled softly at his beloved. Makoto leaned closer to the northern shitennou and rested her hand over his, "I have tried to be brave... but I am starting to crumble with dread and worry. With the barrier, nothing has happened after the last attack but it's been two weeks since the prince left to find the princess and there is still no sign of their return..."

"I know Jupiter, but... if something had happened to Endymion, things would have been disastrous by now." Nephrite wrapped his fingers around Makoto's hand, "This is the time when we have to be strong—all together, for them and for the sake of this planet." He gave a soft tug to her hand and pulled her closer to him, "Jupiter," he looked down at her with loving eyes, "If you feel weak, let me be your support—if you are scared, allow me to be the light that will clear the darkness troubling your heart. You are allowed to be worried for them, let me be strong for the both of us."

"Nephrite..." Makoto widened her teary eyes; the general leaned down until his lips brushed hers and took a deep breath, "I love you, Jupiter... lean on me, if you need to cry—use my shoulder. If you need a hug, use these arms of mine—I'm here. I'm yours." Makoto could take her feelings anymore and closed the gap between them with a sweet and tender kiss that slowly washed the troubles in her heart, renewing her faith and conviction.

Inside the temple, Minako was looking out the window at the couple kissing on the porch and pulled away to give them some privacy; she was glad that just like her, her friends had found their heavenly match but most importantly, a shoulder to lean on and a friend to soothe their troubled minds. Since the attack, all eight of them decided on staying at the shrine to be alert and on the call of anything that might happen around the city that would require their immediate attention. Fortunately, Hikawa, despite being relatively far away from everyone's homes, it was centric enough for them to tackle any emergency.

Rei put another pot of boiling water on the coffee table and several options for tea for them to choose; "Nephrite should come back inside, it's getting colder by the minute—he'll get sick." The priestess said softly as she made herself a cup of tea. Minako crossed her arms and smiled softly, "He's fine—Mako's with him."

"He is trying to find answers, he is waiting for the stars to tell him the prince and princess' whereabouts," Zoisite put his empty cup on the table and sighed softly, "I understand how he feels,"

"The suspense is overwhelming," Rei said as she joined the others around the coffee table, "Not knowing what might be happening up there—"

"Or down there—or wherever the Underworld is..." Jadeite finished the sentence, "It's been two weeks and there are still no signs of them..."

"We haven't heard anything from Uranus or Neptune either, I wonder if they managed to find Pluto and Saturn." Rei looked at Minako, then at the shitennou "The security around the cardinal points, is it still going strong?"

"The barrier has not shown any signs of distress—that said, it seems we are in an advantage," Jadeite nodded and crossed his arms, "We will continue the strategy until their return," then turned to Kunzite with a worried look, "Or until our first in command gives us a different order to follow," Kunzite took a deep breath and also crossed his arms, silently trying to dismiss the idea of having to change strategy because he was aware that if he did, it meant Endymion was not going to return.

The white-haired general still had the conversation he had with the prince just days before the princess was taken hostage very vivid in his mind. The reasons behind their intentions and what it had to be done to prevent more damage and fight those who already had managed to cross into Earth.

As Endymion's right hand he had to comply to the prince's wishes but it only left him thinking on how far Endymion would go to win this war. What he predicted had happened already but in a different take, starting with the fact that Ares didn't come to take Endymion to fight as polemarchos in Olympus like they expected it would happen sooner or later. His thoughts then landed on the white princess and the strain and conditions she must be under and felt worried, the prince was right, she was stronger than he remembered, more determined and skilled in battle, but going against an army of malice was too much, even for her. Sadly, Kunzite admitted Endymion's words, she was not tainted by death and as a soldier who fought for love and justice, the one who represented purity and mystery—she had to remain that way—for her own sake.

"People are starting to panic despite any attacks have happened lately, it is all over the news..." Minako sighed and shook her head, "We should have gone after him—it's unfair that we were left behind like this,"

"Endymion had his reasons," Kunzite turned to his beloved Venusian, "Both royals are trusting us to protect this planet, we are on duty." Minako looked down at her steaming teacup and sighed, "Yes, I know that, but still—we should be helping them. I can't imagine what they must be going through just thinking about where they are, it makes my heart cringe with fear."

"Endymion is trained and capable of fighting whatever stands in his way, you now have witnessed it yourself, Venus." Kunzite put a hand on the blonde's shoulder in support, "What he is doing is no easy task but his fate is tied to hers, he will find her—that I am certain."

Zoisite peered at Ami, who was quietly drinking her tea. Despite looking calm he noticed she was not into the conversation the rest was having, instead, it looked like she was having her own internal battle with her thoughts. Her hands were graciously wrapped around her cup of tea as she looked down at the pale golden liquid; she was worried, the blonde general could tell and he wished to know what was going on inside her head.

The European shitennou was not far from his thoughts, Ami was indeed concerned. The past couple of weeks have been like an emotional rollercoaster between erratic encounters and attacks and then the sudden peace that followed suit that put Ami's patience and always centered character to the test. The more she investigated and thought about it, the more cryptic she found everything that was happening around them and the more it confused her since she could not find any clues or answers and it was driving her insane.

All the girls were dealing with the situation differently, but beyond the obvious concern about Asteria's unpredictable tactics, Ami's thoughts always returned to float around Usagi and her well-being. Since the moment Mamoru fell unconscious she started to behave strangely making her wonder what might be happening to her; she knew how much Usagi disliked being treated like a patient and even when Mamoru had paid notice too there wasn't any time to talk further about it because Asteria appeared and put everybody on the edge once again.

But it wasn't just Usagi's uncharacteristic behavior, it was how fragile and pale she looked; it was how she always showed exhaustion and averse to all the things she normally liked. She could understand that she was concerned about her husband, but she was leaving all these tiny clues that made her come to a very shocking conclusion, one she couldn't talk it out with the other girls because it wasn't her secret to tell.

Her blue eyes widened when she felt a warm hand taking hers and turned to see Zoisite kissing it softly, "Are you alright, Ballerina?" He whispered to keep the privacy of their conversation intact. It still surprised Ami how the blonde general could decode every blush, every smile, and frown; how could he know her so well? —it was beyond her, but she had to admit how much she loved it. "Y-Yes..." she blinked and gave him a soft, reassuring smile, "I'm worried... about the prince and princess..." she sighed softly, "I am usually good at decoding an enemy's plan but this time it is so complex that I cannot find any thread that would lead me somewhere—I cannot find a path to the fourth dimension, much less to the Underworld. I cannot figure out where Mamoru is right now... or if he found Usa-chan,"

Zoisite looked into Ami's eyes and saw there was a cast of worry he hadn't seen before and felt the urge to dig more into what was really mortifying her aside from the obvious. "Ah, it seems we are out of hot water for more tea, shall I go bring some more?"

"I'll go put more water to—" Rei's eyes widened when she saw Zoisite stand up, "It is alright, Mars—Mercury can lead my way to the kitchen and lend me a hand," Rei blinked surprised and then at her friend, "A-Alright, that would be great, Zoisite, thanks." The priestess turned to look over her shoulder and out the window at the couple snuggled in the porch, looking up at the night sky, "Mako-chan and Nephrite might be in need of a refill, it's very cold outside."

"It's so strange how this planet has been resenting Mamoru's absence—it still amazes me..." Minako leaned her back on Kunzite, who was taking a sip of his tea. "Endymion's life was linked to Earth's fate the minute he was born." The white-haired general said softly and turned to Jadeite who was sighing softly. They knew perfectly well all of this and they got to witness it several times in the past and it didn't matter how many years went by, how many trials they had to confront it still amazed them, the mysticism running through their master's veins.

"He will find her,"

All eyes were on Minako who was looking down at her hands, fighting the tears pooling in her eyes, "I know he will find her—this is nothing, love can overcome anything and they love each other way too much to give up on their promise." She shook her head and shut her eyes tight, "They're too stubborn! We are guardians of two very stubborn royals! This weather change—it's nothing, it just means he's far away but once they come back, war will be over..." her blue eyes widened when she felt Kunzite's hand on top of hers; she turned to look at him with loving eyes; Kunzite smiled softly at her but then turned his attention quickly to his fellow comrade walking inside with a shocked look on his face, "Nephrite..."

Nephrite looked at his leader and first in command and then at the rest and hesitated for a minute before breaking the heavy silence, "The stars have spoken..."

O—o—o—o—O

Endymion narrowed his prismatic blue eyes at the woman in black and tightened his arm around Serenity's waist to ease her growing panic that confirmed that something else must have happened before he found his wife fighting the andromedian for her life. Asteria arched her brow as she continued walking toward them, "But if it is the hybrid—in the flesh," she snickered proudly, "You made it all the way to this place," she crossed her arms, "I am impressed."

Endymion turned to Serenity and looked down into her eyes, "I will get you out of here my love, just hang on a little while longer..." his hand pressed the stone resting on her chest and channeled some of his energy to activate its healing powers and help her regain some of her strength, "Find a safe place for you to hide and wait for me there—you can't fight in your condition," Serenity widened her crystal blue eyes with worry and shook her head, "I can fight,"

"I need you to rest. You need to regain your strength, I'll take care of this,"

"End—"

"Please," Endymion whispered in her ear with a beseeching tone before he slowly let go of her; as much as she tried to pretend she could handle the situation and take a stand, he was right, she couldn't fight in her condition. She was too exhausted to even blink, the heavy ambient and the andromedian's aggressive tactics have truly worn her out. Her mind was hazy and every muscle in her body ached like it never did in her life, it was an indescribable pain. Without much choice, she complied to his petition and quickly spotted a collapsed wall she could use as a hideout; Endymion nodded at his wife, knowing exactly what she was planning on doing and turned to look over his shoulder at Asteria to distract her while his wife took shelter, "So, you finally came out of your rat hole." He muttered dryly, "Like the plague you are,"

"Oh, though words from the hybrid!" Asteria smirked, "I must say, I honestly was not expecting you to survive in this realm. When I thought of luring you here it was with an intention to serve a purpose; your corpse was going to be more than enough," Her black eyes narrowed, "But you had to play the hero,"

"Your stupidity is appalling," Endymion shook his head with genuine disbelief, "How you were granted to be a pawn of the Underworld truly is beyond me." The mocking tone in the prince's voice was enough fuel to tease Asteria's ego and narrowed her eyes in annoyance, "You have no idea with who you are going against with,"

"You don't either," Endymion glared at her, "So you better shut your mouth if you don't want to swallow your own words in the worst way possible, I am done being condescending with you."

"Condescending? You? Have you not realized your fate, hybrid?" Asteria began walking toward them and summoned her power, her dead looking eyes never leaving the prince's "You condemned your soul the minute you mocked my power, the minute you crossed these gates." She stretched her arms to call for her spiked chains to crawl around her arms and body like hungry snakes. Endymion rested his hand on the hilt of his sword and narrowed his dark blue eyes, "You condemned yours when you decided to cross paths with me and threaten my wife's life,"

The taunt was enough to spark the dark goddess fury and make use of her weapons against the prince when she spotted the princess running away and quickly turned to whip her chain to trap her and pull her back the same way she did before but Endymion stepped in and blocked her attempts by allowing the chains to wrap in his arm; he flinched when he felt the now familiar sharp needle-like thorns digging into his skin and quickly peered at Serenity to make sure she was already hidden behind the wall away from the battle zone and gave himself the permission to counter-attack Asteria without holding back. He drew out his sword in one swift move and swung it through the chains, making a loud deafening sound.

"Stop pretending you can win against me, mortal!" Asteria whipped her chains in a downward motion and tried to trap and pull the prince along with them with a brutal force different from what was commonly seen in a warrior, especially a sailor senshi. Asteria turned to throw him against a wall but Endymion reacted before he could hit the stone ruins finding the act a little too similar to the attacks and moves Cerberus did with his long tail. He anchored on the ground with the help of his sword and rolled the chain with his free hand and pulled it back with force to create tension, "Your trick is getting old, Asteria," he narrowed his dark blue eyes and pulled out his sword from the ground and swung it in an upright motion cutting the chain and used the crumbled wall behind him as a support to impulse himself up and avoid getting hit from the other chains whipping in his direction.

"You fool!" Asteria grunted loudly, "This is not a trick, mortal, is the true power of a titan!" She ran toward the prince full speed, her sharp heels crashing the stone floors as she dashed through the court and extended her arms to whip another heavy chain but Endymion jumped quick enough to dodge the spikes that barely scratched his face and used his wrist to block the others coming at him and pulled tight to cut them again with his blade. Asteria looked at the living pieces of chains squirming on the floor and clenched her jaw with anger. The dark titaness dashed towards him swinging and whipping the heavier chains under her control, crashing everything in her way and stomped her sharp heel on the ground to make use of her poison-like energy within her to cover everything with dark matter and shadows.

From behind the wall, Serenity watched the battle with horror in her eyes; she felt frustrated for not being able to move freely and help the prince take down Asteria. She tried to stand up when she saw the titaness whip her long chains at the prince several times trying to at least land one hit but her body still was not responding entirely to her command.

Serenity paid close attention to Endymion's every move; the way he held his sword and clashed it against Asteria's chains without hesitation; the way he used his surroundings to jump, dodge, and counter-attack with such quick response was really impressive to see and came to realize that this was the first time she actually saw him be the murderous warrior everybody said he was trained to be. The glare in his eyes was something she had never seen in him before, it was beyond anger—it was a much darker sentiment, it was raw and hostile. Pure thirst for bloody murder.

Serenity pressed her hand against her chest and wrapped her fingers around the golden stone of the pendant and felt her eyes burn with tears silently pleading to make the battle end and not because she felt sympathy or because she wanted the prince to spare Asteria's life but because she knew that the more Endymion swung the blade in his hand the more vicious he would become until he reached the very edge of his reason, risking the good in his heart that made him fair and just, that pure quality that separated him from the rest. She saw Asteria's impressive mastery of her many variations of heavy chains flowing around her body and obeying every command and following every deadly move and felt afraid for the outcome of such brutal battle.

The princess' eyes widened when she saw the shadows crawl closer to where she was hiding and tried to stand up to get away but her body still wasn't yielding to her pleading. The air was becoming thicker, making it harder to breathe and the space smaller, giving her little to no chance to escape; she turned frantic and tried to crawl her way out when she felt being pulled back; Serenity turned and widened her eyes with horror when she saw one of the shadows coiling around her with pure malice.

Endymion felt a sharp sting in his chest that made him jerk in Serenity's direction and frowned when he spotted his wife pinned against the wall. Asteria took this as the perfect opportunity to break his well-maintained cycle of perfect dodging and wrapped her chains around his waist and legs and pulled him down to the ground then threw him against a stone wall that crumbled over him; Serenity turned when she heard the loud crash and let out a mortified sob. Asteria quickly turned to look at her over her shoulder and grinned with joyfulness, "What is the matter, Princess? Did you really think he could win against me?" She turned and began walking toward her, "Is this not what you thought it was going to happen?" Her grip on her weapons tightened and stretched her arm to grab the princess' neck once she got close enough but she was stopped mid-way. She turned to look over her shoulder and saw Endymion pulling the chain with a raged look on his face, "Don't you even dare,"

Asteria clenched her jaw and tried to use the chains rattling in her other arm but those were caught as well with the same impeccable timing "Predictable," Endymion gave her a vicious glare, hungry for revenge and murder. Asteria widened her black eyes with utter surprise, "W-What?!"

The prince used the tension in the chains to pull himself from under the pile of rubble and cut the chains wrapped around him with his sword, "An attack shown to be more than once has no effect on me anymore. There is a reason polemarchos are different from other soldiers,"

Serenity saw a golden aura around the prince and gaped with shock; so many times she heard him being called polemarchos in the past and even now, this was one of the few times if not the first he used the title to address himself. He had been always been too modest with the skills and knowledge she knew he mastered but not once she'd seen him access to this kind of power and she could see that he had reached a point where he no longer showed any specs of mercy in his blue eyes. This was a side she yet had not seen of him, the one he always warned her about and granted him the despicable title of monster.

Endymion narrowed his eyes and pulled Asteria toward him and without any expression in his face or warning, he shoved his knee in her stomach, then hit her jaw with his forearm and finished off with thrusting his elbow on the back of her neck making her fall face down on the ground. Asteria gasped for air and rolled away from him quick enough to give her time to recover and called for her power on the chains again, she looked at him and wiped the dark blood pooling from her parted lip with a mocking grin, "What? Is that it?"

Endymion narrowed his eyes with threat. He dashed in her direction like a beast hunting its prey and raised his golden sword above his head; with one long and unforgiving move, he cut through the thick chains she was using as a shield and grabbed her by the neck to lift her up until they were at the same eye level, "Far from it," he pulled her closer to him and used one of her chains to restrain her while wrapped his arm around her neck, a move very similar to the one he applied to Athamas before he disposed of his lifeless body. Asteria was taken completely off guard as he grabbed a handful of dark hair and pulled down to tilt her head close to him, "He is not protecting you anymore—just so you know," Endymion muttered in her ear "You're on your own,"

Asteria's eyes widened, knowing what his words meant. She grunted and glanced over at Serenity who looked petrified and with a face of pure shock she managed to crack a chuckle, deciding to play her remaining cards of manipulation, "Has she ever seen you like this, hybrid? Has she ever witnessed your true murderous nature?" She curved her blood-stained lips, "Go on, kill me, so she can see why you are called a monster—" she looked at the white princess and chuckled again, "See it for yourself Princess of the White Moon! This is the true nature of your charming Prince—this is the ungodly result of the disgusting union between a mortal and a titan."

Serenity's eyes widened twice in size with shock "T-Titan?"

Asteria choked between laughs when she felt Endymion put more pressure on his arm to keep her restrained, "O-Oh... you did not know?" she tried to catch a glimpse of Endymion's face and grinned with pleasure, "She does not know why you are called a hybrid? You are quite the charm... and a liar," she chuckled and turned to look at Serenity again, "Your precious Terran Prince is nothing more but an unnatural creation of the universe—his existence is heresy because he has titan's blood mixed with one of a mortal's running through his veins, yes, it is as disgusting as it sounds."

Endymion frowned and threw her to the ground and pinned her down with his foot stepping on her head without any consideration, "I am going to rip your tongue off!" He went down and jammed his knee on her back, making her screech in pain; Asteria tried to break free from the restraint and turned her head, finally out of her manipulative charade, "I am a polemarchos, you piti—"

"You are fucking nothing," Endymion growled with disgust, "That is something he made you believe so he could do whatever he wanted with you like the disposable demon you are. You have nothing and apparently, you are not that bright either—you are a laughing stock... a piece of waste taunting my desire to break your neck and spit on your damn corpse."

Serenity widened her eyes and felt her blood run cold in her veins; the look in Endymion's eyes was nothing she had seen before and felt a cold chill down her spine when she realized they weren't even blue anymore. No light reached to them, there was no spark or a merciful gleam in them, they had become close to be completely black. Endymion had reached a stance that was beyond recognition and she didn't know what to do with that revelation; she didn't know what would be of him after he fulfilled the thirst for murder and blood haunting his handsome face; she didn't know what to do to bring him back. It was as if he was enjoying torturing and causing Asteria pain and he wasn't going to stop until he held her head in his hands, until his darkest desires are fulfilled. Serenity wanted to stop him but she was well aware she couldn't, not when she had it clear that this is exactly what he tried to explain to her and the reasons he tried to be away from her when they first met, thousands of years ago.

With desperate measure, Asteria roared with anger and jabbed her elbow on Endymion's jaw to create an opening to break free from his restraint and turned to look at Serenity with a distorted grin, "I will rip your head off!" She ran towards her but Endymion grabbed the last chain attached to her body and pulled her back to stop her right before she could get to the princess; he looked at her and tightened his grip on the chain and narrowed his eyes, "Solaris Ardeat." In response to his low command, golden sparks started to flicker in his hand as he dragged her back and threw her against a wall with unforgiving force. Endymion turned to look at her on the ground and narrowed his eyes, *"Adolebitque ea ad vescendum, et tenebrae super terram ejus."

Asteria widened her eyes as she watched the flames feeding on her chains and quickly engulfing her and screamed in pain; she turned to break free but it was already too late, the shadow she had sprawled all over the ruins were already caught up in flames too, feasting all in the same merciless force. The dark titaness looked down at her shaky hands and panicked when she saw her skin becoming raw and vivid red by the golden flames and it started to peel in flakes "No!" She fell on her knees and let out a harrowing cry of desperation, "Nooooo! Noooooooo! I cannot be defeated! This is not how it is supposed to end!"

"You're right—it's not, but fate can be a bitch sometimes..." Endymion arched his brow, "Squirm to death, like the fucking leech you are," he looked down at Asteria rolling on the ground in hallowing cries of pain trying to appease the flames devouring her and tightened his grip on his sword. He couldn't deny there was sort of pleasure to see her begging for her life the way she did; with his sword proudly catching the light of its fire, he was ready to take her head but in a fraction of a second, he felt a tug in his chest that made him stop and reconsider; the darkness in his eyes slowly lifted and changed to a more sapphire shade pulling him from his murderous trance and took a step back from the burning woman. Endymion took a deep breath and looked up at Serenity leaning against a wall, witnessing all this massacre "It is done—let her go, the contract is yours." He muttered and looked at the princess with both worry and shame as he walked toward her, no longer showing any interest in Asteria's fate despite her harrowing screams.

As he moved closer to his wife, he thought about the dark woman's words and painfully agreed with her; it was true, he didn't want Serenity to see that dark and merciless side of him, but it was already too late, he had been exposed and in the worst possible way. With one heavy sigh, he put his sword back in its sheath and kneeled in front of his wife feeling completely ashamed for his unmeasured and brutal behavior and looked into her eyes with worry but before he could say something to appease the horror of what she just witnessed, Serenity wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her, "No, no, no... don't—her words mean nothing to me," she whispered in his ear and kissed his temple softly, "I love you... to the Moon and back..."

Endymion leaned his head on hers and closed his eyes, "I love you too."

The unusual low tone in his voice startled Serenity and widened her eyes when she noticed he didn't respond to their usual and small declaration of love as he always did. He turned and cupped her wet cheek and leaned forward to kiss her lips softly before wrapping one arm around her waist while the other put her arm around his shoulders and slowly lifted her off the ground, "Let's get you home,"

Serenity nodded and held on to her husband to dear life as he helped her stand up completely and made sure she could move and walked slowly out of the burning ruins. Like a curtain of smoke, the warp that was keeping her imprisoned finally dissolved showing two pillars ahead that indicated that they were close to the exit she so desperately tried to find from Asteria's nest.

Serenity took a deep breath, the first of genuine relief as she walked farther away with Endymion by her side but she knew there was still something troubling him since he was being uncharacteristically silent and she immediately thought it might have something to do with what they briefly talked about before Asteria made an appearance. The princess noticed the tension in his handsome face and the worry in his ever-alluring eyes and tried to stop him to have a moment, "Endy—"

"I wish you didn't have to see that..." The prince muttered with regret and frowned, still unable to look her in the eye as they continued walking, "I wish you weren't involved in this mess..."

"She didn't deserve anything less than that," Serenity looked up at him and frowned when she saw Endymion tensing his shoulders and turned to look at the large gate open in the distance and saw a person walking through. The prince tightened his arms around Serenity's weak body when he saw the gates Hades' promised to open and knew what this meant. "Somebody is coming..." he heard her say softly and took a deep breath; minutes after, Saturn came to view and stood in front of the royal couple with her glaive shining proudly in her hand, "Princess, thank goodness you're safe!" She sighed with relief "I'm so glad,"

"Saturn!" Serenity gave her a soft smile and nodded, "I'm ready to go back and leave all this behind,"

Saturn looked at the prince and tightened her grip on her glaive. By the look in the princess' face it was clear he hadn't spoken to her and she wasn't aware of what he was going to do and it pained her, it pained her to see things happening this way "Prince Endymion... it's time."

At the senshi of silence odd request, Serenity frowned at the low tone of her voice, "Saturn?" Endymion nodded at Saturn, "Please, give me a minute alone with her,"

Saturn nodded and stepped back to give the couple some privacy but her eyes were already burning with tears knowing the consequences of their departure. Endymion turned to look at his wife and cupped her cheek softly, "Serenity..."

"Love, what is going on?" Serenity's frown deepened with worry; Endymion took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Saturn is here to take you home, my love," he caressed her flushed cheek with his thumb, "She will help me take you back safely,"

"Oh, okay... let's go then," Serenity nodded with a warm smile and turned to walk but she was stopped by a soft pull on her hand, "Love?"

"Serenity..."

"Endymion, what's going on?" She tried to giggle and brush the awkwardness from his strange behavior, "What are you doing? Come on, let's go!"

"Serenity," Endymion closed his eyes for a minute, "You have to go with her, alone."

"W-What?" Serenity widened her eyes and shook her head, "W-What are you talking about?" The prince looked up at her, "I won't go with you."

"N-No..." Serenity felt her heart sink and started to pound stronger in her chest with anxiety, "N-No... no, no, no... what are you saying?! We can go back now—it's over! Asteria has been defeated... Athamas too! We can go back home, to our home! Come on!"

"Serenity..."

"We're free now!"

"Serenity..."

"N-No, don't be silly! You're being silly! You're being sarcastic... I know you are... this is another one of your jokes I don't get!" Serenity cracked a light chuckle to try to dismiss her husband's comments, still feeling like this was all some kind of morbid joke and tried to pull Endymion to walk along with her but her eyes started to burn with tears when she saw he wasn't moving and that is when she started to feel panic creeping into her chest and made her snap with frustration, "Why are you doing this?!"

"Serenity, please, listen to me..."

"No! No! I won't listen! I don't want to listen! I won't accept this!"

"Listen to me... please!" Endymion intertwined his fingers with hers and pulled her back into his arms and stared into her tear-glossed eyes with determination, "I need you to do something for me," his quivering voice made Serenity realize what he was doing, what he was trying to say and it all suddenly started to fall into place, "No..." she shook her head, "No!"

"Serenity—"

"No!" Serenity broke into sobs and pounded his chest with her fists with anger, "No! Nooo! Nooo!"

"Serenity," Endymion leaned down his head close to her ear, "Baby, you don't belong to this place, you can't stay here. You have to go and fight for the both of us back home... I need you to do that for me. I have to stay here, I can't—" he felt like he was going to break any minute; having to say goodbye to her was the hardest thing he ever had to do, "Serenity please be strong, please be brave, the fate of Earth is in your hands... please... cherish it..."

Serenity's eyes widened and shook her head desperate to understand, "No! Don't say that! Don't say these things to me! Why are you saying this to me!? I can't go on without you! You know I can't do this without you!"

"Yes, you can... you are very strong, you are a warrior princess... my warrior princess." Endymion kissed her tears, "The shitennou and senshi will be there with you in every step of the way, they will look after you... trust them... let them be a part of your life, let them be there for you." He looked at her in the eye and gave her a sad smile, "Also, Megumi... rely on her, keep her close to you, support each other... and please, tell her that I love her, tell her I'm sorry,"

"You can't do this to me Endymion!" Serenity felt as if her body was about to give in, like if her heart was being ripped from her chest. "You are my life! You are my husband! How can you say these things to me!? How can you make these morbid decisions without telling me!? Why are you staying in this horrible place!? Why are you doing this?! Tell me!" The princess put her hands on each side of his face and looked into his royal blue eyes, now gleaming with tears, "What are you doing Endymion?! Why do you say you have to stay!?"

"Please trust me—"

"No! No! We have to go back home!" Serenity shook her head frantically and pulled him down so they could be at the same height, "We have a new house waiting for us so we can eat take-out food while we watch that silly costume show, spend our afternoons taking naps on the couch or eating pancakes every Saturday morning... wake up early and drink bitter coffee, read a boring book, going to the supermarket and dance to the corny music! I promise I'll drive you to wherever you want to go without complaint, I won't shrink or stain your clothes anymore, I won't steal your favorite hoodie! I won't eat the pint of dark chocolate ice-cream you hide at the back of the fridge for when you're having a bad day! I'll cook, I'll clean the vacuum filter—whatever you want—but you have to come back with me so we can do all those things together!" She put his left hand on her belly and sobbed as she traced his wedding band with the tips of her fingers, "What about the promise we made to each other?!" She held his left hand up high along with hers, "These rings mean something! It's our promise!"

Endymion shut his eyes feeling like if his heart was being crushed inside his chest, "Serenity... heavens know how much I love you... heavens know how I devote my life to you, but I can't go with you... not this time..." he leaned his forehead on hers, "Moon Princess, since the very first moment I saw you, you had my fate and soul in your hands... please, don't ever forget it,"

"Please don't do this! Don't leave me! We can do this together!" Serenity pulled him closer between sobs, "Please, please don't leave me alone! I can't go on without you... I can't... End—" Endymion dried her falling tears with his thumbs and took a deep breath, "Please keep the pendant close to your heart, don't let go of it... hold on to it,"

"Endymion! Nooo! Don't do this! Don't leave me alone!"

Endymion kissed her deeply on the lips for a minute and leaned close to her ear, "Luna Reginae, cum subito primum vidi, tu animam tuam... meminerint fatum et tenere quicquid iuramentum. Placere parce mihi, sed suus habebat aliquid quod fieri et non solum non facere. Te amo Pulchra Serenitati, usque ad consummationem temporis." He took the key he got from Pluto and muttered the prayer to call for its power as he looked into her eyes with tears pooling in his, "Custodis Pater Chronos... mihi fecísti vias lucem." He turned over his shoulder to look at Saturn and nodded to let her know it was time. Saturn walked closer and took the princess' hand and pulled her away from him against her will.

"No! No! No! Endymion! Nooooo!" Serenity tried to cling to Endymion until she could no longer hold on any longer and was pulled into the vortex in front of them and disappeared seconds after.

"I'm sorry my love, I'm so sorry," Endymion looked up and let the tears pool down from his eyes and took a deep breath before looking at the gates in front of him and kept walking forward while he mourned the painful and inevitable separation from his beloved wife in silence.

O—o—O

Inside the burnt ruins, Asteria was found close to meet her demise by the lord of darkness himself; he stood by her side and looked at her with both disgust and satisfaction. Asteria was now to a point of being unrecognizable, her hair was gone, her skin was blistered and scorched red like hot coal. She could no longer move; her body wasn't hers anymore—nor her soul; she was now confined to the terran prince's punishment and what would happen to her after this, was uncertain.

"How ironic, the titaness of the oracles and fallen stars... has fallen to her demise," Hades muttered with a cynic tone, "Oh, just look how the terran left you—burned to a crisp."

Asteria slowly moved her head but still couldn't meet the lord of death's eyes, "Milord... help... me... the hybrid... he..."

Hades clicked his tongue and crossed his arms, "I thought he passed the message— I suppose that is fair, after the deal I made with him," he walked around her to meet her face, "Your fate is mine rebel, always has been. You underestimated my power—you thought I did not know,"

"W-What?"

"But the truth is, rebel, you condemned yourself the minute you decided to lie to my face and pretend to be on my side; I specifically gave you a task and you did whatever you pleased—you opened portals, broke taboos, disposed of my army—crossed from realm to realm like if I was non-existent..." Hades narrowed his deep gray eyes, "Just with who do you think you are dealing with, you disgusting waste of matter?!"

"I-I am... a polem... archos... a Ti—"

"You are not a real titan, Asteria, you are their leftovers; creatures of the night who thought they could fight for a rebellion and for power that was not even granted to you in the first place by nature and your appalling condition is clear proof of it. All you had was a gift from me, sure, you were skilled with weaponry and you were above the rest in terms of efficiency but that does not make you any different from their lowly descendance."

Asteria felt like her body was ripping apart, all she did was futile in the end, she tried to move but a dry chuckle from the lord of the underworld made her glance at him with fear, "It is pointless, they will not stop—the flames. That is not a common fire, I have seen it before, titan power, which only proves my previous words concerning your worth." Asteria's eyes widened when she saw Hades calling for his majestic scythe, "As agreed, I will grant the hybrid a minute of my time to offer him your post—he is much more qualified to excel in this position."

"I may be condemned to live as another rotten soul in this realm, but this... this... is not far from being over..." Asteria muttered catching Hades' attention "Even in my condition, I will still get to find out just what do you fear the most, Lord of Death..." Hades narrowed his eyes but remained silent; Asteria coughed and chuckled weakly, "Darkness will rise... from underneath your feet... and not even you will be able to stop it... in the end... my mission has been accomplished... rot in your own realm, God of—"

Hades swung his scythe to put an end to her contract. Her body started to rot and scale with ashes caused by the golden fire burning her flesh and started to flow in the air like fiery specks of dust, "Lethe—this one will be delivered to you, drown her soul in your river and do whatever you think suits best with it, get Charon to follow my command." He turned to look over his shoulder and narrowed his grey eyes when he repeated her words in her mind and realized Endymion was nowhere to be found, proving his fight wasn't over, "You lowly scoundrel... what have you done..." he muttered with disgust at Asteria and disappeared without noticing another presence close.

The soft sound of footsteps crashing the debris of stone and marble echoed inside the destroyed ruins until the person was caught into the light of the fire feasting on Asteria's remains. Athamas stopped right next to Asteria's charred corpse laid and looked down with his pitch-dark eyes, "Quomodo congemuisti... scilicet res bene sis, facis ea tibi."

O—o—o—o—O

Saturn and Princess Serenity appeared at the gates that divided Tartarus' grounds from the underworld, right close to the Asphodel Meadows. Thanks to Saturn's power and the key Pluto gave the prince and that he later handed to Saturn, they had managed to reach there safe and sound, as strange as it sounds, the worst part was over but they still needed to figure out a way out since clearly Hades had washed his hands on the matter and just complied to his part of the deal with made with the prince on letting the princess go but he never said he would offer any further help.

"Endymion!" Serenity gasped with urgency and turned to run back to him but Saturn pulled her from her arm to stop her, "Princess!"

"Take me back to him! Take me back! Take me back Saturn!" Serenity tried to break free but Saturn wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her into a loving embrace, startling her, "S-Saturn..."

"Forgive me Princess—" Saturn shook her head, "Please forgive me for not being able to do more for Prince Endymion... for not being able to bring sense into Father," she looked up at her with deep sadness and shook her head, "But what I can do know is to listen to the prince's request and take you back to Earth safe and sound—please Princess, allow me to be of service and take you out of this realm,"

Serenity couldn't help her tears and covered her face with helplessness; Saturn tightened her arms around her, "The prince did it so you could get out of this place..." she looked up and dried the princess' tears with her gloved hands, "We will find a way... we won't stop fighting, but for now... I must take you out of here,"

"Well, this is one unexpected surprise... "

A male voice startled both women and turned to look at Charon sailing his boat close to the shore of the meadows, "More souls... living souls..."

Saturn quickly raised her majestic glaive and put it in front of Serenity, giving Charon a silent and very threatening introduction. Saturn looked at the cloaked old man in his longboat and frowned, waiting for the man to introduce himself. Despite being the daughter to the god of the underworld, she was not allowed to roam the realm freely, usually and as senshi of silence, she had to remain in her post in Tristan Castle with her mother, Persephone, and just visit Hades' throne when she was summoned to perform a task. So, to her, being able to walk through such mythical lands was all new to her too.

"Ah... I see..." Charon stopped paddling and saw the white princess standing behind Saturn and exhaled softly as he pulled his cloak back to reveal his face. The ferryman nodded when he remembered what he talked about with the prince before he left in search of Asteria and let out a soft chuckle with both surprise and admiration, "Damn you boy, you did it."

The Divinity Series is rated M. Violence, cursing, and intimacy may occur.

I do not own Sailor Moon, just this plot and some of the characters.

*AN: Feed on its darkness and burn it to the ground.