(Chapter uploaded: October 12, 2022)
Chapter 30: The man who sought to overcome the fate of mankind
(Author's Note)
Hey guys, gals and non-binary pals! Welcome back to chapter 30 of Daughters of Olympus Book 1! There are only FOUR chapters left, my friends, and that is insane to me. Here we are, nearing the climactic battle of the book, so I'll stop talking and let the chapter just begin. Get ready.
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Chapter 30: The man who sought to overcome the fate of mankind
[Recap: "Incoming projectile at seven o'clock!" Isolde suddenly shouted. "Get ready!"
They had been walking and talking for the past several hours without incident, but in the blink of an eye, that all changed. Everything went wrong.
Olympia had drawn her ax and shield just in time to get struck with an incredible force that popped Astraea's ears and sent everyone flying back in different directions.
Deafened and near-blind in the thick clouds of dust, Astraea climbed to her feet, groping blindly for her dropped godkiller sword. Squinting through the debris, Astraea saw Olympia's giant form drop to the shattered earth with a heavy 'thud'. "Olympia!" She screamed.
"Jacquelyn!" Isolde yelled from somewhere in the thick earthy dust. "Portal us out, now!" Astraea heard but didn't see Isolde draw her knives from her belt.
On her left, Astraea barely made out Takeko draw her own katana as a suit of samurai armor formed out of thin air and covered her body.
"Wha- what happened?" Astraea called out, dizzy and disorientated. "Aurora? Sacniete? Are you-"
"Astraea!" Sacniete screamed from somewhere to her right. "Behind you!"
Gripping her godkiller sword, Astraea spun on the spot in preparation to fight, but found herself frozen in place as her heart stopped.
A colossal man stood in front of her, towering over the unconscious and bleeding form of Olympia. The man— no, god, because that's what this man had to be, but he couldn't, not him— clenched his fist as he looked down at her, smiling.
"...B-Bubba…" She mumbled, unsure if she had actually spoken aloud or not. "Is- is that you?"
"The child known as Bubba no longer lives…" The voice wasn't right, but the face, the hair and scruffy beard, the dark eyes with golden rings… it was him, unmistakably him. It was Bubba. But how? Why? What had happened? This… this wasn't right… It couldn't be Bubba.
"W-who are you?"
The god-man rose to his full height— half a foot taller than Bubba had been— and focused his piercing gaze on Astraea. "I am the mighty king of kings, gallant hero of heroes, most powerful god of gods… I am the slayer of the fierce monster Humbaba of the cedar forest, the man who triumphed over the Bull of Heaven, the man who traveled across vast oceans, crossed through the hollow center of the earth, and the man who sought to conquer death. I am the mighty Gilgamesh, the rightful ruler of the cosmos." He took a heavy step toward Astraea, and she could unconsciously hear Sacniete yelling her name, but Astraea didn't move. Didn't think. She couldn't.
"This frail, imperfect, mortal body is weak and dying." The man calling himself Gilgamesh said, reaching out to her. "So allow me to replenish my waning strength with your life force. It is the only useful ability this body possesses."
The hand was an inch in front of her face when Sacniete screamed her name, and, like a blur, delivered a devastating spinning kick into Bubba's face, making him take a half step back. Sacniete landed on all fours in front of Astraea like a jaguar, and only then was Astraea knocked out of her stupor.
"Astraea!" Sacniete screeched, turning to face her. "RUN!"
And before Astraea could react or yell her own warning, the man calling himself Gilgamesh shot himself at Sacniete…]
~Recap End~
Sacniete dodged out of the way at the last second, Gilgamesh's giant fist creating a crater in the earth where she was just a second before. He swung and swung at her, but Sacniete was able to nimbly avoid his blows by performing a series of flawless spins and flips.
Takeko cleared the distance before Astraea knew what was going on, a flurry of blades and arrows like a whirlpool. But Gilgamesh took all of her damage without reacting, then punched the air in front of him and launched her flying back into Jacquelyn. It was like his skin was made of rock.
Still frozen in shock, Astraea stood dumbstruck staring at Bubba/Gilgamesh as Sacniete drew her obsidian daggers and launched herself at him at an incredible speed, her attacks mere blurs. But once again, Gilgamesh shrugged off the attacks with what looked like boredom and annoyance.
"Get away from me, you bothersome gnat." He scoffed, a look of unimpressed annoyance on his face. "You may possess a modicum of speed, but your severe lack of power and skill proves no threat to the likes of me…" He spoke slowly, and had a tone like all of this was beneath him.
"Begone!" Sacniete attempted once again to slice his neck, but was swatted away like a fly and sent shooting into a canyon wall with a devastating 'THUD'.
"SACNIETE!" Astraea heard herself scream, charging at Gilgamesh with reckless abandon before she had any idea what was going on. "I'll fucking kill you!" Astraea's fist struck the giant with a blow that shook the stony earth under them, and she had to wince as the aftershock caused her entire body to tremble and her hand to quake.
"My my, what is this?" Astraea's blood went cold as she looked up at Bubba/Gilgamesh, finding him completely uninjured and unbothered. "Does one of you little fledglings actually possess a little power? Or am I merely getting my hopes up?" He grabbed her bloody hand and squeezed until Astraea cried out in pain.
"You look familiar…" The man calling himself Gilgamesh said, looking down at her with the curiosity of someone who just discovered an ant could speak. Not like he was afraid or weary of her at all, but like he found her slightly amusing and interesting. She tried to pull her hand free, but found it locked in place by his iron grip.
"Oh yes, I remember you now, from this mongrel's mind." He pulled Astraea closer, lifting her chin up to face him with one finger. "Astraea Dione Jackson, the young maiden with the strength of several grown men… Yes, I remember now, you and this body competed in a childish test of strength. That was when I decided to take your power as my own, to drain every last drop of your life force like I did his crippled woman and that meddlesome Satyr… but this… stubborn body, wished to protect you from me, so he showed you my true form for the briefest of moments."
Astraea thought back to the party where she and Bubba had arm wrestled. And back to what she had later hoped had been a drunken memory, but, as it turned out, the old man she had seen before her then, was the same one that was before her now.
Gilgamesh.
"Little good it did him, though, as it also allowed me to briefly enter your mind as well… and what I found…" His face morphed into a sick smile as he caressed her wincing face with his free hand. "...Made me desire your body even more. You have almost unlimited potential, and once I steal your strength, I will gain it as well."
"Astraea! Get down!" Jacquelyn shouted, a portal opening next to Astraea's head. Rocks and boulders shot out of it and struck Gilgamesh, making him drop her. Astraea, instead of hitting the earth, fell though another portal and reappeared behind Aurora and the other women. Sacniete was nowhere to be found and Olympia was still unconscious.
"Jacquelyn," Isolde yelled, drawing two Bone Steel daggers. "Open a damned portal to Alexander's inner vault. We'll trap this beast inside there!"
The afro woman nodded, raising her fingers to snap. "Alright, I'll-ACK!" Gilgamesh had cleared the distance in a second, and delivered a devastating blow to her midsection. Jacquelyn was sent flying back, dangerously close to the sheer cliff that was to the side of them.
"Jacquelyn!"
"Surrender, or I will kill you!" Isolde yelled, running at him, daggers ready.
"A teleporter, I see. How vexatious. But only if you manage to get away. You, too, do not possess the power I desire. Do not disgrace yourself by standing in my presence again, useless maiden." He didn't even turn to face Isolde as he blocked her strikes and thrown knives. He simply let the blades bounce harmlessly off his skin before punching Isolde into the dirt.
But the Swedish woman didn't go down so easily, Isolde rolled, got to her feet and was attacking Gilgamesh within a second. She easily dodged around his heavy strikes, effortlessly avoided his attempts to grab her, and mercilessly stabbed at every inch of skin she could reach.
Gilgamesh was incredibly strong and durable, but it seemed he couldn't match Isolde's speed or perfect battlefield awareness. Takeko rejoined the fight, adding her sword strikes to Isolde's knife attacks, and, little by little, Gilgamesh became covered in bloody streaks. He quickly spread his arms apart, then clapped with all his might.
The sound nearly deafened Astraea and sent everyone flying back. Astraea had to grab Sacniete's unconscious body before she went over the cliff edge next to them.
Blinking through the dust cloud, Astraea saw that everyone but her and Aurora were on the ground, either unconscious or struggling to get up. Summoning her courage, Astraea positioned herself in front of her little sister and Sacniete. Gilgamesh watched her action and let an amused smile grace his lips.
"I wish you had run…" He said, his voice low and full of the power of countless millennia. "That would have made catching you all the more satisfying."
"If you want me so fucking bad, then come and get me!" Astraea yelled in defiance, her fists in a flawless boxing stance, her godkiller sword lost somewhere in the rush of battle. "I don't give a fuck who or what you are, I'll kick the shit out of you until you get the fuck out of Bubba's body!"
Gilgamesh chuckled to himself, smiling in a way that unnerved Astraea and, honestly, made her feel dirty. Like he was one of those gross creeps at school or on the street.
"Even as you stand in my exalted presence, you still retain your courage to utter with your vulgar tongue?" His gross, greedy smile turned into a malicious grin. "It seems that I shall have to beat that irreverence out of you. An insect has no right to speak to a God. After I drain your life force and strength, you will know your place."
He was in Astraea's face before she knew what was happening, she tried to her arms to block the attack but knew she was too late-
-A giant earth wall erupted between them and blocked the attack. Aurora had saved her at the last second. Yelling from the strain, Aurora pushed Gilgamesh back with a wave of earth, trying to force him over the steep cliff that was only a few paces behind him. Astraea opened her mouth to speak when Aurora yelled at her.
"Jacquelyn is our only way out of here and she's unconscious, so we need to get out of here! NOW! Astraea, pick up Sacniete and Jacquelyn. Isolde, carry Takeko, and run! Olympia is too heavy for us to move, so we'll have to leave her-"
"We're not going to leave anyone." Astraea cut in. "We'll beat this guy-"
"SHUT UP!" Aurora yelled, throwing another wave at Gilgamesh to keep him away. "I'll keep forcing him back long enough for you to get away."
"Fuck that!" Astraea shouted. "You're my little sister, I'm not leaving you behind to fight anyone! Let alone that guy!"
"Everyone go, I'll hold him off." Astraea spun on the spot to see Olympia, bloodied and shaking, climbing to her feet. Her giant war ax was in pieces and her shield was shattered like glass, but she rose to her feet all the same. "Try to wake Jacquelyn up so she can get you out of here! Only once you're safe should you worry about coming back for me."
"No," Astraea started. "We aren't leaving anyone-"
"Alright." Isolde said, her voice lifeless, her hands clenched in silent fury. Then she did something Astraea had never seen her do before; she turned her head to look right into Olympia's eyes. "Farewell, my sister."
With a trembling smile, Olympia threw down her ruined shield and ax, and, with a battlecry, ran through Aurora's walls of earth, tackled Gilgamesh, and sent them both falling over the cliff.
"OLYMPIA!" Astraea tried to run after them, but Isolde had grabbed her around the middle and held her back. "Olympia!" Astraea tried to struggle free, but she was powerless against Isolde's strength as she was pulled from the edge and dragged in the other direction down a canyon.
"We need to go back for her!"
"There's nothing we can do for her!" Isolde's voice was as sharp as her daggers. "That man is stronger than any of us, and the only one who stands a chance of holding him off is Olympia."
"But she's going to die!" Astraea cried.
"Then be glad to know that Odin makes ready the benches for a feast." She said, increasing her speed as she pulled Astraea away, an unconscious Jaquelyn on her shoulder. Takako was up now and carrying Sacniete, who looked the worst out of any of them. Aurora, tired and drained, but otherwise uninjured, brought up the end.
"Olympia knew the risks of joining us, as do we all, and while it saddens me to lose a sister, it pleases me to know that she will soon be drinking ale from curved horns." Her white eyes looked into the sky above them, seeing things Astraea couldn't. "The Valkyries will summon her home."
And as she said that, Astraea heard the earth split in two, cracking underneath their feet even all the way up where they stood. Astraea somehow knew without being told that Olympia had just given her life to buy them a few minutes to get away.
Olympia had only been a few years older than Astraea, only eighteen, and had easily been the nicest and kindest member of Isolde's group, and now she was gone, just like that.
Astraea heard Aurora scream Olympia's name behind her, but found herself mute. Summoning her strength, Astraea pulled free from Isolde and checked on Aurora and Sacniete. Aurora was exhausted, but unhurt, while Sacniete was still unconscious, but thankfully alive. Wordlessly, Takeko, who had been carrying Sacniete, handed her to Astraea with a nod. Astraea took her unconscious friend, surprised at how small she seemed in her arms. Moving her eyes from her sister to Isolde and Jacquelyn, to Takeko and back down to Sacniete, Astraea silently swore to not let anyone else die, even if she had to trade her own life for theirs.
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Astraea didn't know how long they had been running for, had it been five minutes? Twenty? An hour? She had no idea, her mind was going too wild for her to be able to keep track of anything, let alone time. The only thing she was focused on was in her arms.
They followed Isolde's orders, the daughter of Heimdallr being able to navigate the canyons and cliffs better than anyone.
And all the while, they could hear Gilgamesh gaining on them, his thundering footsteps echoing through the labyrinth of sloping canyon walls. It was the only evidence that they were still being pursued.
They stopped for a moment to rest after what felt like several hours, but couldn't have been more than thirty minutes. Isolde kept silent watch as Takeko gave Jacquelyn and Sacniete some Ambrosia, waking the two up and making them strong enough to be able to move with some assistance. They weren't perfectly healed, but it had to do, as Isolde reported Gilgamesh was still on their tail, and they set off again.
"Jacquelyn," Isolde said, watching everything around them as they ran. "Are you strong enough to teleport?"
"I- I think." She said, looking unsure. She was currently being supported by Takeko as they ran, the Japanese woman nearly carrying her as they moved. "I should at least be able to teleport myself."
"Can you make it to Alexander?"
A pause, then, "Yes."
"Good." Isolde said. "You teleport to Tyche Enterprises, tell Alexander what is going on. He has our coordinates, so you can send him back here. He'll be able to stop this beast."
Jacquelyn, shaky and clearly still injured, nodded, stepping into a portal and disappearing. Gilgamesh's heavy footsteps were getting closer. They sped up.
"No offense," Astraea said, panting as she half-carried Sacniete who was still too injured to run by herself. "But how is a rich guy in a fancy suit supposed to help us? What is Alexander going to do, call his lawyer?"
Isolde gave a rare smile, turning to face Astraea for just a moment. "Do not underestimate Alexander, Astraea. That man has the strength to storm Asgard single handedly if he was so motivated."
Astraea deadpanned, "Wait? Are you sure we're talking about the same Alexander here? You mean Alexander Lieber? The richest man in the world and son of Tyche? That Alexander?"
"Ja." Isolde said, her cheeks red. Isolde couldn't tell if it was from running, or if she was blushing. "He did it for me."
Astraea, despite herself and the situation, blinked once, twice, then again. "What?"
"You will see." Was all Isolde said in explanation. "Stop here. There is a cave, we can hide out here."
The group stopped, trying their best to catch their breaths. Isolde kept watch again as Takeko gave Sacniete more Ambrosia. Looking around, Astraea saw that Isolde was right, there was a small cave here that was almost impossible to see. She was sure she wouldn't have noticed it if Isolde hadn't pointed it out. Wordlessly, Isolde and Takeko climbed into it. Sacniete had one foot on a rock to pull herself up when Isolde yelled, "Here's here! Seven o'clock!"
Spinning on the spot, Astraea saw Gilgamesh leap over a rocky cliff and land not a hundred feet away from them. He was too close, if Sacniete tried to climb into the cave, he'd see her. And then Isolde, Takeko and Sacniete would be helpless. So Astraea did the only thing she could, she grabbed Sacniete's blood and sweat stained shirt, and threw Sacniete as high into the air as she could. A good thirty feet up.
"Fly!" She barked, not waiting to check if Sacniete turned into a Black-and-white hawk-eagle or not. Without wasting a beat, she grabbed her sister, summoned her wings, and jumped into the air, flapping as frantically as she could, trying to gain as much altitude as fast as she could.
With a quick glance behind her, Astraea could see Gilgamesh run past the small cave opening that hid Isolde and Takeko without a second glance. Good, it was just what she was hoping for. He would be too preoccupied chasing after her to wonder about where they had gone.
"You could have at least warned me." Sacniete said, flying next to Astraea, their wings almost touching.
"Sorry." Astraea went red despite herself. "How fast can you fly?"
"Faster than you." Sacniete said, sounding insulted by the question.
"I'm sure you're right," Astraea admitted. "I'm not built for speed. And besides, I'm carrying extra weight." She said, looking down to her sister in her arms.
"I'M SCARED OF HEIGHTS!" Aurora screamed helpfully. Astraea and Sacniete ignored her.
"He's still chasing us." Sacniete said, looking back. Astraea looked back as well, finding him jumping over boulders and cliffs like a track and field star. "What's your plan?"
"Good question." Astraea said, having not thought that far ahead. "Aurora?"
"AAAHHHHH!"
"Noted." Astraea said, knowing Aurora wouldn't be any help at the moment. "Let's find the highest peak we can and fly over it, that should slow him down. Or, if we can find a big body of water, that should stop him."
"I haven't seen any water since we got here." Sacniete pointed out.
"AHHH!" Aurora added, helpfully.
"A peak it is." Astraea said, thinking if that failed, they could easily stay airborne long enough for Alexander to arrive with help. Gilgamesh, for all his strength, power and durability, couldn't fly, and had no way to attack them when they were so high up beyond throwing rocks. "Come on," she said, noticing a towering cliff far off to their right. "He shouldn't be able to follow us up there."
To be continued
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(Author's Note:)
So, Olympia is dead. We didn't know her for long, but every death is hard to write, even if it happens off-page. Will it be the last in DOO? I sincerely doubt it.
A short one, I know, but I don't wanna needlessly stretch out anything with fluff. Chapter 31 should be out within two weeks.
Fun Fact: Isolde wasn't lying or exaggerating, Alexander did invade Asgard by himself in order to rescue her once. I came up with that idea a while ago, and decided that if I ever write a companion book of DOO short stories/backstories that don't fit in the timeline of the book, that I'll include it. Would you be interested in something like that? Lemme know.
Question of the Day: How do you think this book will end? Will Gilgamesh get the Tablet of Destinies? Will Alexander get there in time? Let me know!
Next time: So she ran