The silence in the cemetery was deafening. And Spike heard Athene let out a sigh that was almost a sob. "You fool." she said softly. "So be it."
A glow started to emanate from her, golden and shimmering, it was joined by the silver shimmer of Artemis as she joined Athene in front of the humans. A third red shimmer began to form as a auburn haired man with a massive upper body dressed in brown leather carrying a huge hammer rose out of the ground on the other side of Athene.
The shimmer became brighter as the colors merged, and Apollo raised his own blue aura.
"You cannot win, stop this, don't make us destroy you, please, Apollo." said Artemis pleadingly.
"That is what you think." and Apollo raised his hand and fire flew from his fingers, but not at the gods he faced. He hit Giles first and the watcher disappeared in a cloud of smoky ash. Willow barely had time to scream before the fire consumed her, and Anya. Buffy he left, perhaps remembering his promise to her. Then a smile as he looked at Spike.
"I have been waiting for this for a long time, young one. Say good-bye to the goddess who cannot save you this time." Apollo intoned.
"Athene…"Spike began, but she gazed at him with such love and understanding, he knew that there was nothing left to say.
I love you, Athene, he thought to her, I never stopped.
And then the fire consumed him and he faded away.
"What? No tears for your lost love, Athene, you become as emotionless as my wife. Hephaistos, you would have her for a wife? Think hard on that.
She is as cold as the ice that runs through her veins." Apollo stated, a little put out at his sister's lack of reaction.
Buffy was silent, knowing that the plan they'd worked so hard on, that they'd risked everyone for, hinged on what happened next.
Athene had followed Spike to the magic shop and had entered after he'd ran out. They'd been shocked but she soon explained that the webpage had been answered. The page was actually a spell, one that could bridge the gap between this dimension and the paradise that the gods had gone to. The Olympus of legend. But a spell of communication only not the one of travel that had once been. Once that bridge had been easily accessible, but as time went on the bridge faded and once there you couldn't return to the earth. Unless someone created a bridge from this side. Athene hadn't understood how to accomplish this. But she knew that the witch might.
So Willow had searched while Athene spoke of the attempts she'd made in the past to contact the others.
Once they had found a spell that would work, and Willow and Athene had invoked it, Artemis had come, then Hephaistos. Those were the only ones that were willing and that Athene trusted to let rise again.
She knew that Artemis was weary of this plane and just wanted Apollo back, and that Hephaistos had never had any interest in this world.
He just wanted her to come home. He didn't have to say so, and he probably wouldn't. He was a silent man, his speech reserved for things he deemed important.
Now, it would be up to them.
Apollo's fire lit a circle around them, only to be quenched by the rain that fell from Athene's storm, his aura frozen by Artemis' cold touch, then the hammer of Hephaistos that smashed it to bits.
Apollo screamed then, his rage lighting fires in the trees and ground all over the cemetery.
Hephaistos raised his hammer again, but halted as Athene placed a hand on his upraised arm.
He looked into her eyes and then stepped back, close enough to guard her but abiding by her wishes.
"Come, and be at peace, brother." she said softly.
"NO!" he shouted, the ground starting to shake around them.
Artemis walked up slowly and touched his face. He fell to the ground in a swoon and she knelt beside him. "Come my love, let's go home." she said gently. And leaning over, she kissed his lips and a glow surrounded them as they disappeared. The fires disappeared and the ground settled as Athene turned to the god of the Forge.
"Go, I will follow." she said quietly.
"This is your promise?" he said finally, his voice soft.
"My promise to you." she amended.
"I will await you." he said, then he raised her hand and kissed it gently before fading away in a red shimmering light.
Athene turned to Buffy, "Success. I thank you. The last time I tried to send Apollo back was when I fought him in Greece. I lost but he fled, releasing Spike, so I guess it wasn't a loss after all."
"How long have you been trying to send him back?" asked Buffy.
"Over one thousand years. Artemis told me that he would never agree to return home, but I was indulgent of my brother and didn't believe her. I thought he just wanted to experience life more. He wasn't the killer that he became then, he wasn't mad. As time went on, he changed.
The sleep didn't relieve his madness, it just gave him more strength to harm. Only returning home would cure the madness. And I was growing weary of this world, I longed for the simple pleasures of my world.
The only thing that held me here other than my brother, was Spike.
His joy of life, his arrogant audacity. He was so like we had been in the beginning. So sure that we would last forever." she paused and smiled at Buffy. "Forever is a long time."
"Will the spell bring them back?" Buffy asked.
"Yes, I will invoke it now. Stand back." And Athene began to chant and gesture with her hands. In a burst of light came Giles, Willow, Anya, Xander and Spike.
"Love, are you alright?" Spike said, rushing to her.
"Yes, and all are returned now. I thank you all for your sacrifice, and trust. I could not have succeeded without you." Athene stated.
"You're going to leave me, aren't you?" Spike said. Pain was in his eyes, and the rest of the gang backed up to give them space.
"I have to. This is what I have been waiting for, this is what I need. You are the only thing I will miss in this world. " She smiled.
"You can't leave me." he said pleadingly.
"Spike, think, my powers are too great for this world, you yourself mistrust them. The only way we could be happy is if I was like you. And that is impossible. I am who I am. But I would ask one favor of you." she said.
"What's that?" he said sullenly.
Athene leaned over and whispered in his ear. A small smile came over his face. "I can arrange that." he answered.
And turning towards Buffy and the others, Athene raised a hand. "Thank you again, and take care of him for me."
Then she disappeared.
Later that night, as Spike entered the beach house, he looked out onto the beach and saw her, walking in the moonlight.
Walking down to her, he held her in his arms and stared into the amber glow of her eyes.
He bent and moved his mouth over hers, tasting that sweet taste once again. And this time it was she that ripped his clothes off and pulled him down to her, her softness melting under his hard, lean, body.
He made love to her desperately, every thrust bringing a cry from her throat, and when she plunged her teeth into his neck he felt the pain and gloried in it. The darkness came again and he almost ripped her throat with his fangs as he started to feed. The thick, flowing power, ran down his throat and filled his body with fire. He moaned and continued to feed.
Finally he was sated, and he waited for her to take the power back into herself, but she fed only for a bit then stopped, the fire still an ember in him.
She stared up at him, pale and lovely.
"Keep some, to guard you against danger. And to remember me."
"I love you, and I can never forget you." he promised.
She let him hold her then she stood up. "I do have one more gift for you, my love. I left it in the house, in the crypt. Be at peace."
"Probably not, love, but I do wish it for you." Spike said honestly.
"Fair enough. Farewell." and in the gold shining light, she disappeared.
Spike let out a sigh and walked slowly up to the house.
Another woman, gone, and not just away, but to another dimension. It must be a new wanker record.
Inside he slumped down to the crypt and opened it.
"Hello, my Spike, what's the bad boy been doing?" came that countyside drawl he knew so well. He smiled.
"Dru. Hello, pet. What do you think of our new house?"
The third and final part of the Triad.
A glow started to emanate from her, golden and shimmering, it was joined by the silver shimmer of Artemis as she joined Athene in front of the humans. A third red shimmer began to form as a auburn haired man with a massive upper body dressed in brown leather carrying a huge hammer rose out of the ground on the other side of Athene.
The shimmer became brighter as the colors merged, and Apollo raised his own blue aura.
"You cannot win, stop this, don't make us destroy you, please, Apollo." said Artemis pleadingly.
"That is what you think." and Apollo raised his hand and fire flew from his fingers, but not at the gods he faced. He hit Giles first and the watcher disappeared in a cloud of smoky ash. Willow barely had time to scream before the fire consumed her, and Anya. Buffy he left, perhaps remembering his promise to her. Then a smile as he looked at Spike.
"I have been waiting for this for a long time, young one. Say good-bye to the goddess who cannot save you this time." Apollo intoned.
"Athene…"Spike began, but she gazed at him with such love and understanding, he knew that there was nothing left to say.
I love you, Athene, he thought to her, I never stopped.
And then the fire consumed him and he faded away.
"What? No tears for your lost love, Athene, you become as emotionless as my wife. Hephaistos, you would have her for a wife? Think hard on that.
She is as cold as the ice that runs through her veins." Apollo stated, a little put out at his sister's lack of reaction.
Buffy was silent, knowing that the plan they'd worked so hard on, that they'd risked everyone for, hinged on what happened next.
Athene had followed Spike to the magic shop and had entered after he'd ran out. They'd been shocked but she soon explained that the webpage had been answered. The page was actually a spell, one that could bridge the gap between this dimension and the paradise that the gods had gone to. The Olympus of legend. But a spell of communication only not the one of travel that had once been. Once that bridge had been easily accessible, but as time went on the bridge faded and once there you couldn't return to the earth. Unless someone created a bridge from this side. Athene hadn't understood how to accomplish this. But she knew that the witch might.
So Willow had searched while Athene spoke of the attempts she'd made in the past to contact the others.
Once they had found a spell that would work, and Willow and Athene had invoked it, Artemis had come, then Hephaistos. Those were the only ones that were willing and that Athene trusted to let rise again.
She knew that Artemis was weary of this plane and just wanted Apollo back, and that Hephaistos had never had any interest in this world.
He just wanted her to come home. He didn't have to say so, and he probably wouldn't. He was a silent man, his speech reserved for things he deemed important.
Now, it would be up to them.
Apollo's fire lit a circle around them, only to be quenched by the rain that fell from Athene's storm, his aura frozen by Artemis' cold touch, then the hammer of Hephaistos that smashed it to bits.
Apollo screamed then, his rage lighting fires in the trees and ground all over the cemetery.
Hephaistos raised his hammer again, but halted as Athene placed a hand on his upraised arm.
He looked into her eyes and then stepped back, close enough to guard her but abiding by her wishes.
"Come, and be at peace, brother." she said softly.
"NO!" he shouted, the ground starting to shake around them.
Artemis walked up slowly and touched his face. He fell to the ground in a swoon and she knelt beside him. "Come my love, let's go home." she said gently. And leaning over, she kissed his lips and a glow surrounded them as they disappeared. The fires disappeared and the ground settled as Athene turned to the god of the Forge.
"Go, I will follow." she said quietly.
"This is your promise?" he said finally, his voice soft.
"My promise to you." she amended.
"I will await you." he said, then he raised her hand and kissed it gently before fading away in a red shimmering light.
Athene turned to Buffy, "Success. I thank you. The last time I tried to send Apollo back was when I fought him in Greece. I lost but he fled, releasing Spike, so I guess it wasn't a loss after all."
"How long have you been trying to send him back?" asked Buffy.
"Over one thousand years. Artemis told me that he would never agree to return home, but I was indulgent of my brother and didn't believe her. I thought he just wanted to experience life more. He wasn't the killer that he became then, he wasn't mad. As time went on, he changed.
The sleep didn't relieve his madness, it just gave him more strength to harm. Only returning home would cure the madness. And I was growing weary of this world, I longed for the simple pleasures of my world.
The only thing that held me here other than my brother, was Spike.
His joy of life, his arrogant audacity. He was so like we had been in the beginning. So sure that we would last forever." she paused and smiled at Buffy. "Forever is a long time."
"Will the spell bring them back?" Buffy asked.
"Yes, I will invoke it now. Stand back." And Athene began to chant and gesture with her hands. In a burst of light came Giles, Willow, Anya, Xander and Spike.
"Love, are you alright?" Spike said, rushing to her.
"Yes, and all are returned now. I thank you all for your sacrifice, and trust. I could not have succeeded without you." Athene stated.
"You're going to leave me, aren't you?" Spike said. Pain was in his eyes, and the rest of the gang backed up to give them space.
"I have to. This is what I have been waiting for, this is what I need. You are the only thing I will miss in this world. " She smiled.
"You can't leave me." he said pleadingly.
"Spike, think, my powers are too great for this world, you yourself mistrust them. The only way we could be happy is if I was like you. And that is impossible. I am who I am. But I would ask one favor of you." she said.
"What's that?" he said sullenly.
Athene leaned over and whispered in his ear. A small smile came over his face. "I can arrange that." he answered.
And turning towards Buffy and the others, Athene raised a hand. "Thank you again, and take care of him for me."
Then she disappeared.
Later that night, as Spike entered the beach house, he looked out onto the beach and saw her, walking in the moonlight.
Walking down to her, he held her in his arms and stared into the amber glow of her eyes.
He bent and moved his mouth over hers, tasting that sweet taste once again. And this time it was she that ripped his clothes off and pulled him down to her, her softness melting under his hard, lean, body.
He made love to her desperately, every thrust bringing a cry from her throat, and when she plunged her teeth into his neck he felt the pain and gloried in it. The darkness came again and he almost ripped her throat with his fangs as he started to feed. The thick, flowing power, ran down his throat and filled his body with fire. He moaned and continued to feed.
Finally he was sated, and he waited for her to take the power back into herself, but she fed only for a bit then stopped, the fire still an ember in him.
She stared up at him, pale and lovely.
"Keep some, to guard you against danger. And to remember me."
"I love you, and I can never forget you." he promised.
She let him hold her then she stood up. "I do have one more gift for you, my love. I left it in the house, in the crypt. Be at peace."
"Probably not, love, but I do wish it for you." Spike said honestly.
"Fair enough. Farewell." and in the gold shining light, she disappeared.
Spike let out a sigh and walked slowly up to the house.
Another woman, gone, and not just away, but to another dimension. It must be a new wanker record.
Inside he slumped down to the crypt and opened it.
"Hello, my Spike, what's the bad boy been doing?" came that countyside drawl he knew so well. He smiled.
"Dru. Hello, pet. What do you think of our new house?"
The third and final part of the Triad.