Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife
Chapter Sixty-Seven
A/N: The Divinity Series is rated M. This chapter contains violence, gore, and cursing. Discretion is adviced.
A soft knock on the door took Megumi by surprise; since it was night time—around nine in the evening. She went to open the door and saw Kunzite standing at the other side with a serious look on his face, "Megumi,"
"L-Lord Kunzite," Megumi blinked a little startled, the white-haired general gave the young maiden a polite nod, "Have I come in a bad time?"
"No, not at all, please—" she stepped aside and allowed the general come in; Kunzite closed the door behind him and noticed the apartment was dimmed lighted and quiet—very quiet.
"I did not want to press the doorbell, I know it is a little late,"
"Oh, it's alright," Megumi waved her hand and turned to look at him with a soft smile, "Please do not mind,"
Kunzite walked inside looking around and turned his head at the closed door at the end of the corridor and turned his head back to Megumi, "Is Princess Serenity...?"
"Yes, in her room," Megumi nodded and went to sit on the sofa, "She had supper and right after went to sleep." Kunzite sighed softly with relief, "She is finally eating, I am glad,"
"I still need to beg her to eat," Megumi had a sad tone in her voice, "She still has her moments... she could be calm one minute and the next she would break into tears..."
"I do not blame her, it is understandable. No matter how much we ask her to be strong, none of this is something she should be going through." Kunzite walked into the living room, sat next to Megumi on the sofa and let out a soft sigh, "I came by this afternoon but nobody was home, everything alright?"
"Yes," Megumi nodded softly, "Her Highness had to do run some errands but she did not want to go by herself, she asked if I could go with her." She looked up at the general and realized this was the first time in all her time knowing the man that she had the opportunity to spend time alone with him. She remembered when she first started working at the terran palace and saw him walking down with Endymion; it was almost as if it had happened yesterday, they were intensely discussing politics and other agreements the king had made that day. She remembered it clearly because it was the very first time she had seen the prince in person after hearing many stories going around in the kitchen about the beauty surrounding the royal family but also, how random it was to actually see the prince roaming around the other wings of the palace during the day because he was always in meetings and audiences with the king and whenever he had free time, nobody really knew where he went.
It didn't take her long to know the white-haired man was a strict man. Rumors among the help around the palace spread quickly and while no one really had anything negative to say about the royal family or the royal court, there was still gossip echoing in every corner of the palace and Megumi heard most of it on a daily basis. Different to what was known to be a tradition with monarchy, Aurea, the queen's personal maid and Endymion's godmother, chose her to take the role of *maior domūs for the terran prince because she was the only one that met the prince's demanding standards on how to leave things when organizing his personal things in both his study and bedchambers, and also, because she knew how to handle his strict rules of privacy with complete hermeticism.
Aurea noticed Megumi had a quality difficult to find in people—loyalty. Without much preamble and after coming to a common agreement with Queen Gaia, Aurea took her under her mantle and started preparing her for her new role as the prince's assistant. She taught her everything that was needed to be learned, including all that she needed to know about the four celestial generals, the shintennou, and explained their importance in the prince's life and how Kunzite took the role of first in command and the prince's confident and right hand. If there was something Megumi had clear from day one was that if Endymion wasn't available or nowhere to be found, Kunzite always had to be the second person look after. With time, Megumi learned Kunzite was a disciplinary man with a complex character and sense of humor. His personality was usually misunderstood among his peers and the royal household to a point they felt intimidated and even afraid to talk to him but the more she saw him interact with prince the more she realized he was more like a big brother—overprotective and with a bad selection of jokes.
Megumi barely ever crossed words with the man, but now that she got to spend more time with him and without having the prince around to act as an intermediary, she came to notice Kunzite had similarities with Endymion's personality. They had a similar way of thinking and seeing things, both had a similar approach to tackling problems, both were strong-willed and stubborn, maybe the prince a little more than the general but the two were reserved and they always watched over the others in silence and this was a perfect example to prove her thoughts.
Megumi admired the man, she really admired all of the four shitennou because it was until now that she really got to see why the queen had chosen them to be the prince's guardians, but Kunzite had a quality that made him stand out from the rest and his level of loyalty made her feel a greater respect for him. Also, he had an exotic beauty that made it impossible to ignore—lucky Venus. Megumi blinked, realizing she had gone too deep with her thoughts and turned to look at him, "Lady Venus? Is she alright?"
"Yes, she's fine." Kunzite nodded, "She is having a meeting with the girls and the other Shitennou as we speak. I took the liberty to come and check on the Princess, they can handle things without me without any problem." A sad smile graced his handsome face, "I promised the Prince to look after his wife and I intend to keep it," he turned and saw the royal couple's wedding album open and let out a soft sigh when he saw the picture of the prince lifting the princess in his arms with a beaming smile on their faces, "So much has happened in so little time... I cannot believe they were celebrating their wedding just a couple of months ago,"
Megumi looked down at the album and nodded, "Lord Kun—"
"—Just call me Kunzite, Megumi," Kunzite shook his head, "There is no need to keep any formalities between us,"
"O-Oh, no, no, no... I would not allow myself to address you with such informality. I know my place and that you are my superior so I—"
"Your place and mine are not any different, Megumi. You are equally important than any of us. If it was not for you, Princess Serenity would be ill—she is heartbroken, yes, but she is being strong because you are by her side and because you have given her a special support. The girls and Shitennou have paid notice of how fond she has become of you and we could not be more grateful for all of your help." Kunzite gave the young maid a soft smile, "I also know how important you are to Endymion, he cares for you very much."
Megumi blushed, "I am humbled by your words..."
"It is the truth, nothing more." Kunzite nodded, "We are part of Endymion's family, Megumi. We are all that is left of that Elysion we remember so dearly, and we must honor it. We have known each other long enough to put such formalities aside,"
"B-But... you still call him Master—my Prince," Megumi blinked a little startled, Kunzite chuckled and nodded "Well, yes, because he is my Master. I serve him as one of the Shitennou and I must pay my respects—it is an oath I made to Her Majesty and to him, back in the army. But he is also my brother and again, we have known each other for too long to keep formalities at all times, plus, he doesn't like it that much."
Megumi looked down still a little shy about calling the general by his name and turned the page of the album and sighed softly, "Are there any news about him... Kunzite? Have you found anything that could give us a lead as to where he is?"
Kunzite looked at the picture, this time of all of them together smiling at the camera and shook his head slowly, "No..." Megumi nodded and closed her eyes, trying to fight the tears in her eyes. The general sighed softly and patted the maiden's shoulder in a brotherly gesture, "We will, soon enough. This is not over, Megumi... mark my words,"
"I still cannot believe this is happening..." Megumi shook her head, "I want to understand, I want to understand him—my Prince, but, I just cannot seem to grasp the idea of him abandoning Princess Serenity."
"He has not abandoned her, Megumi," Kunzite turned to Megumi when she turned her head to look at him with surprise, "You have been a witness of the devotion they have for each other, you have seen how he dedicates his life for her well-being with your very own eyes. Endymion has not abandoned her, that I am sure—he loves her too much to do such a thing."
"Her Highness is trying to learn our native tongue, she asked me to teach her but, of course, I fail at some things and tend to forget others... not even I, who knows how to speak in Latin, can master it the way Prince Endymion does," Megumi looked at Kunzite and gave him a sad smile, "But it is endearing to see her trying practicing her pronunciation and to try to understand some of the words..."
Kunzite frowned, puzzled, "Latin? How come?" Megumi nodded, "She is convinced my Prince is trying to tell her something through some words he said to her before they parted ways,"
Kunzite arched his brow lightly, "I see," he exhaled, "Well, Latin is complex and baroque, as the Prince would often say. Endymion is seamlessly fluent because all of his lessons and training were in Latin, it was an obligation for him to learn it as heir of the crown of Earth. It is a root of our culture and while we all know it, even I fail at times." He turned to look over his shoulder at the closed door at the end of the corridor, "But, if Her Highness wants to learn and it is keeping her motivated, I will help with her lessons in any way that I can,"
Megumi smiled, "Thank you—Kunzite,"
Kunzite nodded and narrowed his gray eyes with curiosity, "May I ask, Megumi... what were those words? Did she tell you?"
"Mostly loving words, that he loves her and that she has his fate in her hands," Megumi leaned back on the sofa, "But also... he said something that this was something that had to be done and that he had to do it alone," she shook her head confused, "I cannot think of anything that could explain that last quote," she turned to Kunzite and frowned, "But your silence is telling me there is something else to this... you know Her Highness is not that far away from the truth."
Kunzite shook his head and let out a soft sigh, "No Megumi, she is not. But it is important that Princess Serenity is safe and emotionally stable because right now, this planet is depending on her so it won't fully freeze and fall into a deep slumber; we must not let the events during that ancient time to repeat."
"That is what happened then when we went to the Moon that night," Megumi said with wonder as she remembered when the prince used his power to put Earth to sleep. Kunzite nodded, "Yes, he did not obliviate it—he put Earth to sleep so it could heal and start all over again. He reversed Earth's history and Elysion became a land of dreams at the very core of this planet, and him one linked directly to the crystal, it is his energy what keeps this planet pulsing with life. Right now, Princess Serenity is linked to that power—through the golden pendant hanging from her neck,"
"What?" Megumi's eyes widened, Kunzite nodded, "The Golden Crystal is directly linked to the powers of the Sun and we believe Endymion linked some of that power with Princess Serenity. She is the conduit for this planet to keep pulsing with life." The general sighed with worry, "This is giving us some time to monitor this planet but we do not know with certainty for how long the connection will remain—this is what is keeping us hopeful because it means Endymion is alive,"
Megumi felt a lump in her throat, "I am scared, Kunzite," she shook her head and closed her eyes, "Today I saw a different gleam in Princess Serenity's eyes and it scares me just to think the meaning behind it—when it's about my Prince, she does not think things twice..."
"Did she say anything?" Kunzite asked with alarm in his voice, Megumi nodded and looked at him, "She said that in order to move on—she needs to deal with other chapters of their lives. Lord Kunzite, she is slowly taking matters into her own hands and it frightens me not because I do not trust her, but because I do not know the consequences of her actions, because I cannot tell how far will she go with whatever is crossing her mind as of now."
Kunzite's jaw clenched, completely understanding Megumi's fear and let out a heavy sigh, "Do not leave her side Megumi under any circumstance—stay with her, and please, keep me updated," Megumi nodded and watched him pushed himself off the sofa and pace around the living room before stopping by the window and looked up at the moonless night sky, "Please give us a sign brother... please be alright and hurry back."
"Kunzite,"
The white haired-eyes widened when he heard the always silken and delicate voice of the moon princes call him with a more demanding tone, one that could clearly state she was aware of the situation. Megumi turned and felt her blood run cold in her veins when she saw the princess standing in the middle of the hallway with her crystal blue gaze looking at the general so intensely, "Princess, I thought—"
Serenity didn't take her eyes off Kunzite, completely putting all distractions aside and that included Megumi's weak attempt to keep her calm. The general on the other side could see through her sharp determination, it was so clear it was like looking into the prince's eyes and he knew the time to keep his silence was about to be faltered by her enormous desire to have her husband back into her arms.
O—o—o—o—O
Surrounded by endless strings of dark smoke and rivers of fire, suspended in the infinity of darkness Tartarus stood in all its glory right before Endymion's eyes; a place of gore, livid torment, suffering, and torture just beneath his feet. He could hear the hoarse cries of the corrupted and wherever he turned, there was a punished soul, hundreds of wicked souls living in a state of dementia.
After he crossed the bridge, Endymion knew his quest was far from being over and he was aware of the horrible scenarios he was about to witness once he stepped on the actual cursed land, but it was still too horrible to believe it was true. Where he could start, he asked himself more than once as he walked through the stone ruins that led to many open valleys. It was dark, the energy was too dense and heavy and the stench was unbearable; Endymion looked up and saw the dark sky was marked with red tints from time to time, thinking it was because of the effect the heat caused to the pools of blood streaming from the ground. It was the most strange effect, how the energy of those wicked souls could spark energy this way causing it to create massive explosions or thunder in between dense clouds of ash and sulfur.
The long and heavy laments sent shivers all over his body as he walked past a pit with inhuman entities forced to stay trapped in a sort of poisonous slime on one side and another with sinners being whipped by long-limbed demons rejoicing in their haunting cries. Endymion had never seen so much vile torture in his life; he couldn't compare to anything the sense of loss and madness this place encased and the fetid odors only made things worse. There was no clear ground beneath his feet, everything was covered with dismembered bodies, dry bones, and rotten flesh; there were pools everywhere all filled with fluids of he had an idea of what it was but tried to ignore where the sinners were thrown by demons over and over again.
It didn't take long for the poison in the atmosphere to take effect on the prince; it had started to work in stages, and now, he was starting to feel agitated and light headed. He was tired—exhausted. He stopped to gasp for air and looked up at the dark lemures crawling toward him giving him not margin to rest, "Damn it," he muttered and tried to find a quick escape without having to use his strength more than necessary. Ever since he got to the underworld, he has been fighting nonstop and using more energy than usual to be able to survive but he was there on a mission and he had to start thinking how to get to his target without compromising much of the energy he knew he was going to need to head back. Endymion flinched in pain and silently cursed the sharp sting in his chest. He pressed his hand on the side of his heart as he tried to evade the crawling creatures and keep a steady balance and a clear mind.
The demons in Tartarus were clearly affected by the vile energy in the air; their bodies were almost dismembered, their faces were long and burnt—they had no eyes and if they did, they were pitch black. Their limbs were long, like spider legs full of blisters and they crackled whenever they moved. Their skin was charred and blistered and they all were hungry—very hungry. Unlike the underworld, these were not shadows nor hybrid herds of demons harvested by Hades, no, the shape of their bodies indicated they were once both mortals and divine souls but it was because of their sins were so horrible for redemption, they were condemned to a life of endless torture that their bodies had morphed to a point of no recognition.
Some looked like they were ripped apart and sewn back together, others looked like they were skinned alive because their bodies still looked moist, others looked like they were burned with acid, others charred with blisters all over, and others had grown their heads twisted backward. Even if he wanted to, the prince could not make use of his powers in this place because no matter how much he tried, all these traumatized and deformed creatures were going to re-spawn in a matter of seconds. He couldn't burn anything to the ground because the ground itself was heated coal, he couldn't destroy what was already destroyed. He couldn't kill the already dead. He couldn't stop the madness when he was inside madness itself. This was a nightmare he could not wake up from.
This is Tartarus.
Endymion felt his throat dry and itchy like if he was swallowing thorns every time he passed saliva. His lips had turned unusually dry and chapped, they hurt and so did the exposed skin of his face and hands. His vision was starting to get compromised as well, at times it would get blurry and no matter how much he rubbed his face to keep himself leveled he would lose focus right away. The prince knew that coming to Tartarus was not going to be easy, he knew the challenges he would have to face and find a way to overcome this; he knew the sacrifices he would have to make in order to set things back into fair order but he wouldn't be here if he didn't think he could endure it.
When Ares informed him of his father being captured in Tartarus, his mind immediately put the pieces of the puzzle together and it finally made sense—the visions, the pleads, and the incredible urge for him to wake up from his deep slumber. The story of his life has been evolving into something completely different than he thought it was, the more he digs, the more hidden truths he would find, it was a maze and somehow, he was at the very core of that maze. As to why his father, a mortal man, would be sent to this place, he still couldn't understand and if he had survived, that was something he still needed to find out but at least, he needed to give his soul some closure and send it to where it belongs. The prince remembered the king as a noble gentleman, he had a tough character and skill, but he was not a man who chose war over peace just to appease his ego; he was not an egotistical man.
It was clear that Tartarus had become a torture pit for both, mortals and divine souls. Ironic enough, this place didn't discriminate anyone's' nature because it would eventually turn them all into one same kind and they would pay for their sins for the rest of eternity. Endymion was honestly shocked to see how much malice existed in the universe and it was worrying to see it was just as much as goodness. He could understand why the gods have created this place but he remembered clearly in his lessons that it was a place that held titans imprisoned and not this diabolical pit deep below hell itself. Endymion could understand and even accept that those that commit a crime should pay for their sins but he finds it hard to understand why his father, of all people, was punished and imprisoned in such horrible place. If Hades so much has insisted on his desire to have control over their souls why would he send a mortal man with no divine power to a realm that was beyond his control. Tartarus was not the Underworld—not even close, it made sense now why Charon couldn't even attempt to sail the deep waters of Phlegethon further into this realm, it was no longer part of his route. While Tartarus was part of a domain, whatever happened at the other side of its gates was beyond any god's control. This place was their trash bin, a place where souls would be thrown to waste without a care to feed the beasts that lived underground.
Loud growling sounds made Endymion turn his head over his shoulder and widened his eyes with horror when he saw a dark slimy creature of gigantic proportions crawling on the ground. The demon had no eyes, only a large mouth with sharp teeth and two holes as a nose, potent enough to notice and track the prince's scent. It turned to his direction and screeched loudly calling the attention of similar creatures roaming the area. Endymion clenched his jaw and turned quickly to kick one of the demons pulling on his cape and unsheathed his onyx and gold dagger from his leather belt and stabbed the creature halfway and sliced it all the way up to its face and turned to repeat the same with the other two that were launching themselves toward him, hungry for his flesh. Endymion threw a high kick to get another one creeping up on him and created a window for him to escape; his speed while impressively fast it was no competition to the four-legged creatures that followed behind the first demons. Another stinging pain pierced through Endymion's chest and the same wave of unsettling nausea and discomfort started to take over making him lose his balance and blade as he tripped with a carcass and fall flat on the slimy and ashy ground very sure that it was far from being a gracious move from the man that had perfect balance and leaping skills. If Serenity had been there—under other circumstances—she would be laughing with joyful content to see her influence had caught up on him and it pained him they couldn't be laughing about it.
Endymion groaned and tried to look up but he was having a hard time trying to focus his sight on the shadows coming closer to him; he extended his arm and patted the moist ground around him trying his best not to vomit at the disgusting smell from underneath. This was one of those moments when he had to rely on another one of his senses and listened to the congested noises the demons made as they moved closer to sniff his scent trail and made a quick calculation as to how much time and opportunity he had to escape. He lifted his head slightly over his shoulder and spotted the blade he had lost control a few feet from him and dragged himself over without making much noise so the creatures would not notice him moving until he could get a hold of the weapon's onyx hilt. He turned and wiped some of the ash burning his eyes to get a clearer look of the ground ahead of him. Not too far from where he was, he saw a clearing that looked a desert valley with dry branches and scattered bones and thought it was best if he moved toward that direction, not that he had many options, either way. Everything was heavily contaminated, but if he had to choose between falling into a swamp or make his way through a dry patch of land, he had to go with the second option for movement purposes.
Being in this place was sucking more energy from him than he imagined, doing simple tasks were starting to become a real challenge. From blinking to breathing, it required a lot of effort from him not to mention to stand on his feet and keep his balance. Endymion took a moment to compose himself and take a couple of breaths before pushing himself off the ground like a child learning how to walk. Not gracious at all. Again, under other circumstances, this would have given his wife enough material to joke and laugh for weeks. A couple of breaths later, Endymion felt like he could continue his journey but much to his back luck so did more demons. "Ah, goddammit," he turned and punched a demon straight in what would be its face and kicked another one out of his way, "Get off..." he frowned when he felt his cape being pulled and turned to stab it in the head and kicked him away but noticed this time more monsters were alerted of his presence leaving him with not many options to counterattack. Another demon jumped on him while another one pulled his cape making him lose his balance and fall once again. Endymion closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I said... get—" he frowned and tightened his grip on his dagger, "—Off..." Like if he was being charged, sparks started to ignite in his hand and opened his dark-blue colored eyes, "—Me!" He rolled on his back and kicked the demons off him with both feet and jumped back with a new rush of energy and ran toward the clearing with an impressive herd of demons following behind. The terran prince turned to look over his shoulder and stretched his arm out to them and narrowed his eyes as he summoned for the power burning in his hands, "Smoking Bomber!" A vacuum of energy formed in his palm and released a wide piercing light burning the entire herd of demons in an instant. Endymion looked the piles of ash and felt another strong sting in his chest and bent down to catch his breath for a minute, he widened his eyes when he saw the ground had started to crack due to the strong force emitted from him and quickly tried to get back when the ground suddenly collapsed into a massive sinkhole giving him no chance to escape from an imminent fall into its depths.
O—o—o—o—O
"General"
"General Agamemnon,"
"General,"
Agamemnon opened his eyes and looked up at the closed gates of Tartarus and felt a strong chill running all over his body; "Damn it," he turned to the other soldiers he had sent from the army of shadows and saw they were gravely affected by the poisonous energy that poured out when the gates were forced open. Soon after, more soldiers gathered to the general's aid, "General Agamemnon!" One of the shadow soldiers came forward but the dark general stopped him mid-track, "Inspect the perimeter!"
"But—the hybrid..."
"It managed to cross—I will treat this matter with Lord Hades," he turned with a determinant frown, "Stay at the rim until further notice, no one is to come close to this territory."
"B-But this is—"
"Asteria is no longer in charge of keeping these gates closed, it is our duty to act and prevent more leaks until God Hades orders us otherwise," he turned to another group of soldiers "You stay at Thanatos—prevent any remains of Tartarus to filter to the Underworld."
"Yes, General," the soldier bowed his head and turned to guide his troop to another section. Agamemnon turned to one of the soldiers that were still petrified with what happened, "General... how did it manage to enter?" The soldier looked at the stone and bone gates with wonder and fright; Agamemnon narrowed his dark eyes, "We got here too late... let us hope there are no consequences. Tartarus is a deceiving pit of madness. No one that ever enters has found a way out, but... I have a bad feeling about this... this is not right," he turned to face the soldier, "Secure the rim of the Underworld and when done eliminating the trails, retreat to our grounds. The poison that poured from the pit will consume everything that is not from here if it is not controlled."
"What will happen now?" The soldier asked with a worried tone, Agamemnon let out a nervous sigh and shook his head, "God Hades is in Olympus as we speak—I need to inform him what just happened. As to what will happen to us, well, that... I do not know."
O—o—o—o—O
Two loud knocks sounded to calm the loud talking and the stress going on inside the Olympian chamber where the high gods gathered regularly to have their private audiences. Zeus had sent a memo citing them with an urgent marking on their respective notice. Sitting at the right side of a majestic marble table sat Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes, and Athena while on the left side, Hades, Hera, Ares, and Zeus sat with pride and authority like the royal family they were among gods.
Athena, the Goddess of Reason and Wisdom turned to look at the Lord of the gods and shook her head, "It is quite a surprise that you have gathered us here to this impromptu meeting," her deep and warm voice echoed in the room, making her presence known. Next to Hera, the Goddess of Marriage, Royalty, and Empires, Athena earned her rightful place among the High Gods due to her valuable skills and intellect. To many, it came as no surprise when she stepped in to take Chronos' place as an advisor and High Goddess after his disappearance. She had been close to the titan of time for as long as anyone could remember so it came naturally for her to follow his principles as one of his valuable pupils. Athena was the first to defend his stance and the only one to fully understand why he chose to disappear in a loop of time; she was also known to advocate for those titans that didn't follow the lives of those sent to Tartarus, giving her a respected and special place among Olympus.
Zeus crossed his hands over the pristine white marble table, "This is not impromptu, Athena, it is an important matter, it is different,"
"Why is it different this time?" Athena raised a quizzical brow, "Nothing much has changed since Ares gave us a full report of the situation,"
"Something else has happened," Apollo asked crossed armed from his seat, his green colored eyes looked at Zeus with concern, "Fear is rising among divines and rumors have started to spread in our realm; the time for us to give the answers they are expecting to hear is coming close, answers we yet do not have."
"Asteria,"
All eyes rested on Ares, who had his arms crossed across his chest. Athena frowned with disbelief, "The Titan of Nocturnal Oracles and Fallen Stars?" Ares looked at the Goddess of Wisdom, "Asteria was responsible for the disturbances,"
"But she agreed to live under our law," Apollo asked and shook his head, "She was given a task,"
Hera blinked with shock, "Asteria..." she turned to Hades who had been uncharacteristically silent since the meeting started, but instead of him giving the answers, his younger brother continued "She was abusing her position in the Underworld and was taking it as an advantage to go fully unnoticed," he let out a deep breath, "She invaded the mortal realm and the ripples we felt in space was caused by that,"
Poseidon roared with rage and pounded the table with his fist, "I knew she was going to cause problems—what do we do with her?"
Ares turned to Hades who had his eyes closed, "That matter has been taken care of," Hades opened his dark gray eyes and looked at the other gods at the table, "The rebel is no longer something we need to worry about, anymore."
"What do you mean?" Hera asked with a tone of concern in her warm voice and diverted her gaze from Ares to the god of the underworld. Hades looked at her, "It means she has been summited and punished—her soul belongs to me now, it is bounded to Lethe's river." He snapped his fingers to summon a parchment and put in the long table for the other gods to see, "She was forced to abdicate her position by someone more capable, the rebel is not a problem anymore."
Athena leaned closer to grab the contract and gave it a quick read, her deep green colored eyes widened, "Is this who I think it is?"
"Enough with the mystery," Poseidon frowned, "What does it say?"
"It is a contract that binds a soul to the Underworld," Athena frowned, "But not just any soul..." she turned to the lord of the underworld, "You made a deal with Gaia's son,"
All eyes widened with shock and turned to Hades who had a proud smirk in his face. Hera quickly turned to Ares, who just confirmed the news with a silent nod, "It can't be..." The goddess of marriage muttered with disbelief. Hades snapped his fingers again to retrieve the contract from Athena's hands and vanished it into thin air, "The hybrid's soul is under my control now."
"You knew about this?" Hera turned to her husband, Zeus "You knew your brother did this?"
Zeus looked at his wife, then at the other gods sitting across the long table, "Hades informed me of the treaty he made with the hybrid first, yes, I knew about this but I did not think it was appropriate to confirm the news to you until we made sure things were under control,"
"The hybrid is responsible for Asteria's fall," Hades said with pride, "I gave it the task to retrieve her soul and end her contract in exchange for other favors,"
"I knew Titans were going to be an everlasting problem—we should have exterminated them all when we had the opportunity," Poseidon muttered with anger, "This is what happens when you grant freedom to savages!"
"And what is going to happen now?" Apollo turned to Zeus, "The hybrid's soul is under Hades' command, but what guarantee do we have that it will remain that way? What can guarantee us that it will not follow Asteria's footsteps?" He turned to Ares with a frown, "Are you certain it won't escape?"
"The hybrid has not yet been given a position in the Underworld but its soul is bound to my realm," Hades' eyes darkened, "Asteria could move between realms because of her jurisdiction,"
"What are you going to do with it?" Poseidon frowned, Zeus, stood up from his gilded chair "Helios' descendant will remain in the Underworld under Hades' observation—if it is signed a contract by him, there is not much to be done."
"Not much to be done?" Hera frowned with disbelief, "You are sentencing an innocent soul to Inferno, one that has yet not succumbed to its death! One that has not done anything wrong! Is that not a crime?! Why are you doing this, Zeus? How can you allow this!?"
"The hybrid is far from being an innocent soul," Zeus turned to his wife, "Or have you forgotten the crimes its family has committed?!"
"It is unfair to judge one soul for others' crimes," Athena stood from her seat and looked at the king of gods with defiance, "And the one you wish to punish is already imprisoned, what is the point of this? Hera is right, Gaia's offspring has not done anything wrong."
"He slashed and killed herds of my harpies,"
"Those are demons, Hades."
"He murdered Cerberus,"
"A beastly canine that can be respawned by your command."
"Still, a divine creature,"
Athena sighed, "Where are you getting at, Hades?" Hades frowned, "Helios' dynasty is cursed, Athena,"
No," Athena shook her head, "You are just mad because Gaia faulted your laws by disappearing from right under your nose. She was a superb senshi—she tainted her hands with blood in your name—in defense of Olympus. She put her ancient pride of Titan aside and fought for your benefit until she was no longer of use to you. Not even I could achieve her position as polemarchos... it sickens me to learn how poorly and unfairly this situation has been handled. It goes below any honor or matter of safety."
"Enough! What are you trying to insinuate, Athena?!" Zeus glared at the goddess with threat; Athena narrowed her eyes and shook her head, "You know exactly what I am insinuating, Zeus. If you think I am intimidated by your mighty presence, well, think again. As my King and leader, I have respected you, yes, but that does not mean I am afraid of you and that I will hold back my words. I have done it for thousands of years—millions even, but no more. Just like you, I know how to fight—I earned my rightful place on this table and the throne next to yours proves my skill and value to this realm. Justice is my jurisdiction and this faults it. It is an abomination—an abuse of divine power and I will not stand for it."
"That hybrid has been the cause of many disturbances—"
"I am not addressing myself to you, Hades," Athena gave the lord of death a side glance and arched her brow, "Know when to keep your words to yourself."
Hades growled with arrogance and joined his older brother's rage, giving the goddess of wisdom an angry glare, "I knew your friendship and alliance with Gaia would bring trouble—you are not thinking straight."
"This has nothing to do with friendship, brother," Hera turned to Hades with disbelief, "Have you gone mad... how can you allow this?"
"I support Hades' decision," Poseidon looked at Athena and Hera, "If that is what will solve our problem, I agree to leave the hybrid's soul locked in the Underworld."
"It is a true shame to see this is how Helios' dynasty comes to an end but I also support the motion," Apollo said with a more calming tone in his voice. Athena frowned with disgust, "This cannot be!" She turned to Ares, hoping he would intervene like he always did to oppose his brothers' radical approach to justice "Ares!? You have nothing to say about this?! This is Helios they are talking about. Your Master's dynasty! Are you going to step on his memory this way!?" She turned to Zeus and Hades, then back at Ares, "How can you turn your back on him this way, especially when he was one of the few Titans that fought for on our side?!"
"Enough!" Zeus deep voice echoed loud in the room, quickly silencing everyone in the room, "It is done, this is not something that happened unplanned. The hybrid's soul was to be retrieved either way... its existence represents a threat to us all and the best way to minimize the damage and danger is by locking it in hell. This meeting was to inform you all, not to negotiate his fate," he slammed his lighting hammer on the table, "End of discussion."
Athena shook her head in disapproval, "Well, if this is the end of our discussion then I have no desire to keep wasting my time surrounded by closeminded gods." She turned on her heel and stormed out of the chamber without showing any signs of respect for the other gods; Ares turned to his brothers and shook his head, "I said it once, but I will say it again for the rest to hear—this is far from being over. What you have done, is a terrible mistake."
"Stick to your jurisdiction, Ares," Hades gave his younger brother a cold glare, "You have played the hero long enough. Neither Gaia or Serenity are here to applaud your meaningless efforts... you may have been Helios' disciple but that will not give you any special considerations. It is time to put that army of yours to some valuable use and stop meddling in other's business. Do what you were trained to do and stop meddling into other's affairs."
"You still do not seem to understand the seriousness of the matter, Hades," Ares stood from his seat, "You are right on something, I need to prepare the Celestial Army and stick to my jurisdiction," his eyes darkened, "But if my mission cross paths with yours in the future I will completely ignore the fact that you are my brother and do whatever it needs to be done in order to settle this war," he turned to Zeus with the same demanding glare, "All these disturbances are caused by the gods' endless thirst for power. Since the fall of the Silver Alliance, things have not been the same and all I can say right now is that if we continue this path, we will all meet our doom." With that said, Ares turned on his heel and followed Athena by storming out of the chambers with one loud slam on the heavy doors.
"Ares,"
Ares turned to find Athena waiting for him right outside the main court of the Olympian palace. Her beautiful face was clouded with worry and deception, "I need an explanation to all of this, no, I do not need—I demand an explanation."
"Athena,"
"No, Ares." Athena shook her head, "This is not a game—this is a conscious crime and I cannot accept it."
"My opinion on this matter is the same as yours. I do not agree with the ways of both, Zeus and Hades and I do not support their decision." Ares shook his head, "But as long as Hades has that binding contract over Gaia's son, there is nothing I can do and that infuriates me, because he planned all this behind our backs,"
"How did he manage to get hold of his soul in the first place?" Athena frowned with worry, Ares let out a heavy sigh, "Asteria lured him by kidnapping Serenity's daughter and dragged her to hell,"
"What?!" Athena widened her green eyes, "She did what!?"
Ares nodded, "He was cleverer than all of us, Athena. Asteria had her own agenda but Hades knew how to manipulate the situation to his own convenience and in the end, for Princess Serenity to be freed from Inferno, the Terran Prince had to trade his soul for hers,"
"That is pure corruption..." The goddess of wisdom muttered with rage, "I cannot believe him, I cannot believe any of them!"
"It is no secret that Hades has wanted his soul for thousands of years..." Ares narrowed his eyes, "But this is far from being a solution, Athena,"
"Where is Serenity now?" Athena asked with worry; Ares crossed his arms "She is on Earth, safe and sound. Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter are looking after her—I have been keeping watch over them and have a connection to Mars that allows me to be aware of the situation."
"Ares..." Athena tilted her head low with remorse, "Is there really nothing we can do?"
Ares shook his head, "I am against the idea that this is how things should end," his eyes darkened, "As gods, we may not be able to do something... but there are those with other powers and jurisdictions who can and that is where my hope lies..."
"What do you mean?" Athena frowned; Ares turned to give her a fearless look, one full of determination "Athena, I need your help."
Athena widened her eyes when Ares took her arm as they walked to a private office in the palace. He shut the door and turned to Athena with an anxious glare, "I need to keep this a secret between us, the high gods cannot learn about any of this, especially my brothers,"
"Well," Athena arched her brow as a long string of dark violet hair fell over her right eye, "I believe I left my opinions quite clear back there. I do not stand by their beliefs and for a moment I thought you were taking their side,"
"No," Ares frowned, "I am far from being on their side, but it was best for me to keep a low profile during the meeting if I want to succeed with this plan,"
"You knew about this before any of us, am I correct?"
"Yes, Hades gave me the news before he came to Olympus to inform Zeus,"
Athena sighed and wrapped his fingers on the long silver chain wrapped around her waist, over her black organza gown with silver shimmer, "I found it hard to believe that you, of all gods, stayed silent on this matter."
"Up to some point, I did."
"Up to some point? What is that supposed to mean?"
Ares frowned "What he said is only half of the story and keeping the Terran Prince imprisoned is hardly a solution. At this point, I do not know if Hades is behind all of the disturbances. He says Asteria worked on her own but it has been long since I trusted my brother. I cannot fight this war alone, and I am not talking about the enemy—I am talking about them, the High Gods, which is why I am asking for your help,"
Athena took a deep breath and nodded, "We have been friends long enough for you to know I will always take your side, Ares."
"And the sentiment is reciprocal," Ares bowed his head in respect, "I know how close you were with Chronos, and something tells me there is more to his disappearance than what we all know,"
Athena widened her eyes, "W-What—"
"Athena..." Ares took the goddess' hands into his and brought them closer in a plea for mercy, "I need you to help me locate Gaia."
O—o—o—o—O
With a heavy grunt, Endymion woke from his momentary coma and opened his eyes slowly. He groaned with pain as he tried to push himself off the stone ground with much more effort than before. He felt heavy, as if a magnetic force was trying to keep him pinned down and every muscle in his body felt like it was being ripped apart. He grunted again and flinched when his hand reached his temple as he felt the side effect of having a concussion and reached out his arm to grab his dagger. The prince soon remembered what happened before everything became a total blackout and quickly tilted his head to look up with wonder, greatly surprised to see there was no end to the pitch darkness above, not a single trace of light that could tell me how far he was from the surface, but either way, what surprised him the most was how he was able to survive such deep fall.
With a tumbling step, he tried to keep his balance while trying to stand up. He used his sleeve to wipe some of dirt and moist from his face and looked at the endless darkened road of stone and bone ahead of him. Different from the land above, this cave-like pit was much quieter and had a much denser energy; much more menacing. It felt like a core to something evil, something no even him could avoid feeling less intimidated and afraid.
Endymion took a couple of minutes to try and gather as much strength to continue on his quest and leaned on the stone wall to take a deep breath and frowned when he felt a strong pinch in his chest, very different from the others; this felt more like if his soul was being pulled inside out, like if there was an invisible force trying to guide him somewhere.
"Sol advenit..."
Endymion frowned and turned to look around when he heard a deep cold echo, he felt a cold chill running down his spine, an uneasiness he couldn't get rid of or ignore.
"In suo lucet calidum et radii..."
His deep blue eyes narrowed but his sight was starting to get blurry again making it hard for him to focus on whoever was there mocking his presence. He was sure he heard a voice but at this point, it could be just his mind falling under Tartarus' spell.
The same strong pull called for him again, this time with a much more precise sense of location; Endymion took another deep breath and pushed himself from the wall and started walking ahead with an unsteady pace. A new wave of nausea and uncertainty flooded over him as he continued his way; with each and every step, the pull in his chest felt stronger, making him believe that he was getting close to something. As he went deeper into the dark passage, he started hearing indistinct whispering rustling the heavy silence and how they would become more hostile as he kept going further. His blue eyes widened in horror when he felt something holding onto his leg making him lose his balance and fall to the ground, it was then when he realized he wasn't alone, that this was not an abandoned place but something more macabre.
Endymion tried to stand up but another hand was holding his other leg while another pulling on his cape. He widened his eyes when his vision slowly started to focus again and was able to see beyond the blurry and very weak gleam coming from the torches nailed on the walls and tried to pull back with surprise and horror when he saw a corpse-like person looking at him with murderous eyes just inches away from his face. The prince closed his eyes and tilted his head low to break the visual contact with the demon and he felt it, the piercing force coming from it trying to take ownership of his sanity and feed on his soul. He felt the creature holding onto his shoulders as if it was ready to eat him alive but the prince threw a punch at it and quickly broke free from the strong grasp from the other creatures with the help of his dagger.
The rage and insanity clouding the creature's mind ignited the others that were left to rot alone in that place. Different from the other stages in Tartarus he had seen, and even the ones from Inferno and the Underworld, it was still difficult to believe how deep and how powerful was the power of evil and how many souls it could corrupt. It was easier to be evil than good, pain and fear was easy to manipulate, hatred was easier to harbor and plow. He had seen valleys and clearings full of souls being tortured and punished for their sins in unspeakable ways but this place was more like a death row—a place for those condemned to be devoured by their own torments. Whatever was locked in this place was being fed by the corrupted and askew minds of the bodies scattered here. It was harrowing to see them scream and cry with fear, some of them slammed their head against the walls, others pulled what was left of their hair or flesh, none of them actually conscious of their actions, they all did it on a survival instinct and pure madness.
Endymion felt he had walked miles worth years of his life, he knew him being there was consuming his energy and thereof his life. After all, he was still a mortal man and he was trapped in a realm that fed itself from mortality, no matter what type of heritage he had, he was in a void where time was hardly even relative and so was reality. He was breaking taboos, yes, but he was also condemning himself just by breathing. The air was heavily contaminated, he felt it, his lungs felt congested—worse than when Nehelenia appeared and covered Earth with dark webs. His skin burned like if he had thrown acid on himself, it itched, it flaked and it hurt. His lips were chapped and dry and each time he runs his tongue he could taste the trails of his own blood. His body was giving in, he was slowly being consumed but his pride and determination was too strong to yield, and couldn't allow himself to stop until he rectified the god's injustice acts on them. Their fault was too big to keep ignoring it anymore. He had to set things in the right direction for the sake of Earth and his beautiful, loving wife.
His heart wrenched in pain when he thought of Serenity. With every step he took the farther away he felt from her; that was his torture, one that could easily match the ones the judges of the underworld or any demon in Tartarus could put on a sinner. Being forced to say goodbye to her was the hardest thing he has ever had to do in his life. Endymion could not forget that sad gleam in her crystal blue eyes and the way she pleaded him to go with her. He couldn't stop thinking about the truth left unsaid between them; the fear and guilt in her eyes. The pain in her voice and her broken spirit. He started feeling overcome by grief and covered his face with one hand to give himself a private moment to feel the pain of that silent truth. The second Serenity was taken away he knew things were not going to be easy and what was going to be necessary for her to be brought back to safety and he was prepared for it. He was prepared to kill and eliminate whoever stood in his way to get to her but he was not prepared to deal with all of this in the midst of her wife having an emotional breakdown. Standing in this place ignited him with more resolve and determination to make his way back one way or another. He had to go back.
His tear-glossed eyes widened when he entered what it looked like a dark chamber surrounded by stone walls carved with many symbols and scriptures in "Latin..." he mumbled as he looked around with awe. Inside, the harrowing image was no different than the rest of the long passageway, while not many in quantity, there were still several bodies scattered around and some have even started to decompose and show their bones while still crying for mercy; but that was not what made his blood run cold in his veins, it was who was paying for sins he didn't even commit.
Far in the back, a man with a royal uniform sat with his head leaned back on the wall supporting his fragile body. In a state of complete dementia and senility, surprisingly, the once great king of Earth now living the last strand of his life like the worst of criminals, just like Ares had warned him.
The prince ran toward the king paying no mind of the bodies he kicked or stepped on in his way; his eyes fixed on the man and could not help the mixed feeling of relief and desolation for having found him, still breathing. Endymion didn't pay mind to the tears streaming down his cheeks at the sight of his father being in such harrowing state. Despite ragged and torn, his clothing was unmistakable, his medals were still pinned on the left side of his royal jacket and the one that marked his rank hanged weakly from a royal blue sash with the symbol of his planet—similar to the one he gave Charon as payment. Endymion slowly fell on his knees before the man; it broke his heart to see there was little to almost nothing of the great man he remembered, the man that had taught him everything he was and everything he wanted to be when he grew up. His once broad and strong body was now reduced to skin and bones showing the heavy strain of having lived in this place for more lifetimes he could count. His hair was long and tangled, his face stained with blood and his once playful and sincere blue eyes looked milky and marked with so much fear and pain.
"Father..."
The king had his head tilted back with his eyes looking up. They were disturbingly dilated and out of focus, the man was clearly dealing with his own mind trap, just like any other soul in this place. "Father... can you hear me?" Endymion leaned closer, "It's me... it's your son, Endymion." He frowned when he put his hand on his face and felt the king's skin was cold and stiff as if he was dead, and also, like a cold flash, he felt the torment happening inside of him, "Please answer me! Father!" He shook him slightly but got no response from the older man. With one shaky hand, Endymion combed his father's long ash-brown hair away from his face to look into his eyes and shook his head with remorse, "What have they done to you?! Why did they do this to you!?" He said with a quiver in his voice and turned angrily at a corpse crawling toward them and punched it away; he turned to the king and leaned his head on the man's shoulder and broke into sobs, "It took me so long... forgive me, Father, for taking this long... I got here too late... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
"S—on..."
Endymion turned to look at him with wide eyes, "Father..."
"My... s-s-son..."
"You can hear me..." Endymion held Eros' head, "You can hear me..." his hand lightly patted Eros' cheek, "Father! Father!"
"Why...?" The question barely left Eros's lips, "Why... did... you do it? W-Why...?"
"W-What?" The prince shook his head and looked down, it was then when he noticed the deep cuts on the king's hands and wrists and frowned with anger, "Who did this to you?!" He grabbed his hand and shook his head with rage "Who did—" his blue eyes widened when a sudden flashback played in his mind showing him the images of the exact moment Eros was fighting the army possessed by Beryl in Elysion while he was trying to make his way back to the palace to help Gaia when a soldier in silver armor caught up to him and chocked him until he fell unconscious. It was like Eros's last memories were reacting to Endymion's psychometry allowing him to access into his mind and finally see what happened after they parted ways that night. Endymion shook his head, "No..." he looked up at the stone wall behind him and widened his royal-blue eyes in realization and turned to his father. "I have to take you out of here,"
The king's breathing was slow and forced; Endymion didn't need any confirmation to know the amount of effort it took for his father to keep breathing. How he managed to preserve his mortality in a place like this was still beyond his comprehension but time was running out—it was now or never, for both of them.
"Father..." Endymion shook the man's shoulders, trying to bring some sense to the king's mind, "I am going to take you out of here... I need you to keep breathing... please, don't give up... don't give up." He wrapped his arms around his shoulders to pull him closer. He closed his eyes and whispered in his ear, "She is waiting for you." Endymion slowly stood back on his feet and carefully carried Eros weak body over his shoulder; much to his surprise, the king was heavy despite being so thin and undernourished. He slowly turned to walk out when he saw the corpses had started to react like angry snakes to the uncommon movement as if they were linked to the king's body. But it wasn't the bodies crawling over him what startled the prince the most, it was in fact, who was commanding them to react this way.
"You managed to come this far—although, I am not surprised. This is where you belong, after all."
Endymion's eyes turned darker when he recognized that familiar thickly voice and turned to look over his shoulder at Athamas walking down the passage, moving the corpses out of his way with an invisible force as he walked into the dark chambers. The prince let out a low growl of pure anger, "How many times do I have to pound on you and break your neck to actually kill you, Andromedian?" Endymion narrowed his eyes, 'You're worse than a fucking cockroach,"
"Your manners leave so much to be desired, Prince of Earth. Is this how you conquered Serenity's heart?" Athamas' lips curved in an unnatural smirk as he walked closer to both men and arched his brow, "I am stronger than any of these demons—stronger than you,"
"I thought you had reached your lowest point when you joined forces with Asteria, clearly, you can go further down—you have no dignity... how disgusting," Endymion muttered dryly, "All for a power you don't even have,"
"Try me," Athamas gave the terran prince a mocking glare, "And see for yo—"
"You are a waste of my time. A fucking waste of space," Endymion tilted his head low as he glared at the andromedian soldier with threat, "Asteria is not here to protect you,"
"Who said I was expecting that creature to protect me? She did me a favor, really. She was meant to die anyway, whether by your hand or someone else's."
"Get out of my way," Endymion's warning tone rose, spiking Athamas' enthusiasm even more, "Ouuh! The monster can be threatening when it wants to be—how saucy." He smirked sardonically, "I see you found the Terran King." Athamas shook his head, "You must be wondering how he ended in this place... yes, it was me. While you were desperately trying to save your traitor mother from the claws of your witch lover, I confronted the man and later threw his body into this pit for my own personal purposes. Although, he is completely useless but again, what can you really expect from mortal beings?" Athamas was enjoying the moment. He knew he was giving Endymion enough pressure to stir and play with his rage; rage he needed to accomplish his mission and finally put his revenge into motion.
Endymion clenched his jaw, trying his best to keep his emotions and enormous desire to crack his neck again. If he wanted to take his father back to safety, he had to swallow it all, even Athamas' snickers he hated without measure, even if his mere presence felt like drinking scorching acid. "You damn piece of shit,"
Athamas frowned "I am surprised he has managed to hang from his string of life in a place like this, while you lived in total bliss in another time completely unaware of the tragedy you put upon your own family—" he pointed the king with an accusing finger, "That man is condemned to this place—no matter how much you try to play the hero in this story, you will not be able to redeem his soul. You are as condemned as he is; you seem to forget the oath you make when you take a title as Polemarchos—the minute you die, your soul belongs to this realm."
"What did you do, Andromedian?" Endymion narrowed his sapphire eyes and shook his head, "Who are you?"
"What I should have done, two thousand years ago," Athamas arched his brow, "I am..." he frowned, startled, like if he had a moment of lucidity, "I am..."
Endymion felt an eerie energy coming from the man in silver armor, in his rage and desperation to see his wife pinned against a dirty wall and under the andromedian's control, he didn't restrain himself despite knowing it could only motivate and feed his killing nature and cracked his neck brutally—again. He was sure he had killed him back then, he felt it, every bone in his neck cracking, but somehow, he had returned. Somehow, he did not die—strangely, Athamas could not die.
Ever since he reappeared, there was something strange about the man. It was clear he had gone through his own catharsis but unlike Endymion, Athamas was not aided by spirits with good intentions; the andromedian soldier had gone the opposite way and made a deal with the devil and not just any devil, but the one he knows is trapped inside this realm "It's eating you alive..."
"No..." Athamas shook his head effusively and grinned, regaining his initial stance, "It is revitalizing me. I finally am, who I was meant to be, and they will know, once I have you dead," he moved his finger from the terran king to the prince "Because you... you are my trophy,"
Endymion peered quickly at his surroundings and dashed with his father out of the dark chamber but Athamas snapped his fingers, immediately taking control of the bodies' will and went after the prince who quickly took his stance and kicked them out of his way but he knew his limitations. He knew that he couldn't get too far under these conditions. Between the heavy weight of his father's body over his shoulder and the venomous atmosphere he was breathing in since he got into Tartarus, he had come down to a point he started losing his coordination and focus. He was using more energy than he should and he knew he could not entirely access the powers of the golden crystal in its entirety because he was aware of its consequences. Endymion couldn't reach for his sword's hilt either because his father's legs were blocking his belt and it would be difficult for him to perform his well-known light-speed unsheathing attack leaving him with no other option but to put him down and take care of the andromedian first and then come up with another plan to get out.
"Please... just give me time..." The prince muttered in his father's ear as he leaned him back against a wall and turned with a murderous glare at Athamas who was walking toward him with his weapon in hand. He turned quickly to block the blonde's strike with his sword; Endymion noticed there was a different kind of strength coming from Athamas as he tried to keep the sharp blade away from his face and quickly kicked his wrist to win some space to glide away from the andromedian and keep his father out of their range of battle. He looked at the blonde soldier from the weak flickering light of the torches and dodged just in time before Athamas glided his blade and cut through him. With a loud exasperated growl, the andromedian dashed again, this time with a less calculating technique and clashed his weapon against Endymion's with force, "I wonder what Serenity will say when she learns her darling prince is rotting in Tartarus—when she knows all of her efforts for staying away from me were in vain." Athamas gritted his teeth as he leaned his weight on the sharp sword pressed against Endymion's golden blade. Both men entangled in a brute force battle to keep both blades steady and away from their faces. The loud thundering sound of metal against metal echoed in the stone walls making the corpses scattered on the floors howl in pain and anger, all reacting to the energy bouncing aggressively between both men.
Much to Athamas' surprise, the terran prince was enduring the trial better than he expected but he was starting to show the signs of someone under the effects of going through some serious mental breakdown; his body was also starting to show signs of extreme fatigue and as much as he kicked and punched many corpses out of his way, it was now only a matter of time before the dense energy from this dungeon take full control of his mind and body. He needed to break him, and he knew exactly how to do it.
"She is still as I remembered her—even better," Athamas growled with pleasure, "Her milky skin, her sweet delicate scent... that naïve look in her blue eyes that urges you to take her right there and then." He narrowed his green eyes with poisonous envy, "The moment I licked the delicate skin of her neck to taste her and felt her body shivering under my touch—she is so addictive," he grinned, "Oh and her breathing... those light pants and moans she makes... it just spurges your deepest desires, isn't it? The minute my hand reached for her naked thigh under all those layers of silk while she was desperately fighting for her life, she is like the sweetest of—"
Endymion felt his blood boil in his veins and pushed Athamas' blade with his with force and used that opening to hit his jaw with his fist, then thrust his knee in his stomach and used the hilt of his sword to knock him on the back of his neck sending him straight down to the ground, "You fucking son of a bitch!" he threw himself at Athamas and punched him like a rabid beast on his jaw several times until his blood started to splash his handsome face. His eyes darkened with each punch, letting his rage take over him at the thought of him trying to rape the moon princess—his most beloved blessing, his Usako. The prince had Athamas restrained on the ground with his knee on his throat and his weight impeding him to move; he didn't take pauses between punches, with one fist taking each turn to go directly at his face until he felt his nose cracking each time he landed a new blow. His jaw was swelling up and so were his high cheeks and chin; with a loud choleric growl, Endymion tried to cut the air flow and keep him in place while he continued beating his face with mad anger. The thought of his wife struggling to get free from his filthy grasp, after all, she had gone through was enough to break him and bringing him to a state of raw thirst for murder.
Athamas coughed and spat his blood between forced pants, his face at this point was almost unrecognizable; Endymion yelled with the same rage punched him right between his eyes, "This is for touching Serenity—" he roared hoarsely and stomped his foot on his groin several times until he heard Athamas scream in pain. He lifted him off the ground, threw him against the stone wall and stabbed him with his own sword to pin him in place. Flowing streams of blood pooling from Athamas' face and body were enough to give Endymion the cue that if he wasn't dead, at least he was in enough pain and that it was going to be unable to move for a while and have time to think of a way to get out of that damn place.
The prince's heavy and hoarse breathing slowly brought him back to reality. He turned to go for his father and widened his eyes when he saw a crowd of bodies was piling up on top of him, almost as if he had remains of energy to feed their rotten souls. With impressive speed and coordination, he started pulling them away from the king without paying attention to the grotesque look of their vivid flesh tearing off their bones or the body fluids dripping from his hands. He grabbed them by the head and threw them with force against the stone walls, cracking their bodies into pieces. Endymion's desperation to free his father was getting bigger with every rotten corpse he peeled away from the tangled mass keeping him trapped; the image of his one strong and fearless father reduced to this state where he could not even stand on his own. He finally reached for the last body clinging to his father and pulled him away with force and put his hands on each side of his face to look into Eros' clouded eyes, "I am taking you out of here, one way or another—I am taking you out," he pulled his father into his arms and lifted him up to repeat the process and carry him over his shoulder. Endymion secured his arm around his father's legs and pulled himself up when a strong wave of nausea overcame him, forcing him to take a moment to recover "Damn it," he grunted angrily, "Not now... not now..."
It didn't last long for the shadows to reach him again; Endymion turned to look down at a corpse grabbing onto his leg and started to pull him down with force, he was feeling weak for the amount of energy he put in beating Athamas who was still brutally pinned on the wall with his sword all covered in his own blood and with a very swollen face. Endymion widened his eyes when he felt his knees started to surrender to his body weight and growled to fight the feeling of being pulled down.
Just like it happened with his father, the bodies started to pile up on him and this time his body was needing more than just time to recover. Like hungry hyenas they started crowding him all desperate to suck the life out of him; Endymion tried to fight back but just when he was getting up again, he felt a strong blow on the back of his neck that made him lose the last of his balance and focus. The terran prince hadn't lost consciousness entirely and seconds after being hit he felt being dragged down the passage all the way back into the dark chamber. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by more rotten bodies than before. His first instinct was to turn his head and look for his father, who he had spotted lying on the floor almost lifeless a few feet away from him and pushed himself up with the last string of force he had left in him and went over to the king, but right before he could reach for him, he felt a strong force pulling him back again and widened his eyes in horror when he saw he was being restrained and dragged back by another herd of demons.
"You and I are not the same, mortal, I already told you I am stronger than any of you." A bloodied and awfully beaten Athamas walked closer to him and let out a derisive chuckle, "It does not matter how many times you try... I will not die, I am beyond death itself."
"It won't last forever, whatever he gave you, he is going to take it back," Endymion muttered between growls from trying to free himself from the tight restraint of the demon-like corpses. Athamas shook his head, "I will not be taken anything, and you know why?" He smirked, "Because I already am offering the best deal there is," he leaned closer and pulled the dagger from Endymion's belt and narrowed his eyes as he returned the punch right in Endymion's jaw and kicked him on the ribs, making him fall to the ground; he stood next to him and looked down at him with triumph, his grip on the sharp blade tightened with excitement.
"The seal can be broken by one of royal blood touched by the light of the Sun."
I do not own Sailor Moon just this plot and some of the characters.
A/N: I cannot thank you enough for your support. You know who you are thank you so much. It is because of your reviews that a weekly chapter is possible. The more I get, the better the inspiration and the faster the chapters come. Thank you so much.
*Maior domūs: Latin word for house principal or majordome.