The park seemed darker than usual that night, and it freaked Marquette out. After all, there was already hardly any moon out there. Kearney looked around, seeing no one come for them yet. She had left since a bright trail for this Serene to find them that the only way to make it way more obvious was actually putting up signs pointing the way.
"She will show, right?" Kearney asked doubtfully after they had still been clinging to each other for at least ten minutes.
"She'll show. She wants us way too much," Marquette assured.
"She is right, you know," Serene said off to their left.
The girls turned to face her as one. Serene took a final drag of her cigarette before flicking it to the ground. She looked up and grinned at Marquette. What in hell had they been thinking? The power they felt coming off of Serene was enough to scare Kearney, and this was their first official Follower fight!
"Hello, sister," she said. "And you, too, Maris. Well, Maris's daughter, anyways. Or, well. What are you?"
"Serene, nice to finally meet you," Marquette growled.
"Oh, same here, my darling. Hello, Asheru," Serene said sweetly, glancing over to wear Asheru had finally appeared. "Oh, dearest Marquette, by the way, did your demon ever tell you about your Aunt Celeste?"
Marquette blinked. "What about Aunt Celeste?" She grew cold. Had this bitch done something to her aunt? Celeste, who had done nothing to nobody ever in her life?
"Oh, dear, he didn't. I guess I should tell you." Serene grinned with the satisfaction of knowing it all.
"Don't you dare say a word to her, Serene!" Asheru yelled from behind Marquette. The anger in his words scared both Marquette and Kearney, but Marq still needed to know. What did Asheru know of any of this?
"My, my. What a temper!" The Follower belted out a shriek of laughter, amused by her little sister's ignorance.
"What about Celeste?!" Marquette screamed, losing what cool she had left in her.
Kearney touched her shoulder, trying to calm her. She knew the Shadow Goddess needed to stop it before she did something stupid.
Instead of a girl now stood a black wolf beside Kearney. Marquette hadn't been able to control herself anymore. The wolf leapt towards Serene, who expected the attack. What she didn't expect was for Kearney to use her power in such a way, that she was locked inside of the shadows, as if in a cage. The wolf's jaws clamped onto the Follower's arm roughly, her teeth digging into the flesh, tasting blood. Serene screeched in pain as the blood from her arm flowed free. Her own powers pushed against Kearney's and Marquette's at the same time, trying to break free of both girls. The red head--not being used to using her powers this way for this long--lost grip and balance, falling back and losing concentration. Serene was free to move once again.
Aidrian ran to her and helped her up, the first thing that he thought of. Kearney looked at him, angry. "Go get the girls. NOW!"
Serene knocked Marquette off her arm with enough force to cause her to shift back to human again. The Follower then turned to Kearney, who was still unbalanced and on the ground, recovering. She had lost her seat of power because of these two! She wasn't about to give up when coming so far in destroying them now! She gathered her power and blasted it at the red head, enough so to jolt her back on the ground.
Marquette looked at Kearney, pain ripping through her. She turned her attention to Asheru, who was standing back, ill equipped to do much anymore. She grasped his arm to feed off his energy, fueling her own nearly depleted source. She closed her eyes, concentrating, feeling the energy build within her like he had taught. Streaky black mists wrapped around her arms, and a soft prayer to Anubis--not Selene--lingered on her lips.
Kill or be killed. It was her bloodlust thought, her only thought.
Serene thrusted another blast of power at Kearney, knocking her off her feet again. She struggled to sit up, her breathing hard and painful.
"Well, little one. This is a poor predicament. Now, don't give me such a nasty look. You should be happy I'm ending your miserable life," Serene said bitterly. "Things would only be much worse if you were to live."
She waved her hand slowly, opening a portal. "I'm sending you to Tartarus. Where your soul will be damned!"
Kearney grabbed hold of the shadows, feeling Serene's power try to pull her up. I'm glad I wrote that note now, she thought sadly, thinking of everything that was being ripped from her now. Friends, family, and the search for the truth she never knew.
Marquette saw what was happening, and she wasn't about to let her friend get thrown in. Even though she had enough power to stop Serene now, it would be at the sacrifice of Kearney's life. She quickly mouthed to Ash 'I love you', and ran towards Kearney. Her black soul mists clung to her, casting her body in a shadowy haze as she pushed herself faster than she had ever run. All she needed to do was save Kearney. No other thoughts. Nothing else to remember or care about. Just as Kearney had almost disappeared, Marq tugged on her friends arms, throwing her back against the ground further away. Standing too close to the entrance, her soul mists clung to the portal, dragging Marquette with a force she never had a chance to fight against.
"You'll see me soon, Serene!" Marquette screamed at her sister, fear exploding in her mind as the portal closed right after she was pulled through, the darkness closing up around her.
Serene howled in anger. This couldn't be happening! Kearney shakily got up with the help of a fading Aidrian, who had finally come back. The other Daughters would catch up at any moment. She would have to leave Kearney. Marquette's ending wasn't planned, but it would do for now. The Follower smiled to herself, grabbing hold of Asheru. He would be a consolation prize for her half failure.
"Kearney! Kearney!" Serena ran up to her, grabbing her half-conscious and battered body from Aidrian's arms.
Aidrian half smiled. "Tell her I said bye." He disappeared as well, his only grounded link to this world lost in the underworld.
Vanessa ran up to them, breathing heavy. "Kearney, where's Marquette and Asheru?" She dropped to her knees, seeing nobody but her around them.
Kearney's head rested on Serena's arm. Her make up was smeared, her clothes were dirty and torn. Her eyelids fluttered. "She saved me. Tartarus. Serene to Ash." She fell limp, passed out in Serena's protective arms, unable to make anymore words right now. Sleep. Precious sleep was all she wanted.
Tianna and Catty knelt beside them. Catty frowned. "So, Ash has been taken again, and Aidrian's gone. Aidrian was connected to Marq…" Tears fell down her cheek as she pounded her fists into the ground.
Tianna ground her teeth. "Why couldn't they just wait for us? We should have done this together..."
Jimena walked up behind them. She lowered her voice, and prayed that Marquette wasn't dead.
AN: The reason why Marquette and Kearney lost is because they were actually fighting Serene. If you remember correctly from the books, Maggie said that violence only fuels the members of the Atrox. And also, the reason why Ash didn't fight back when he was taken away was because Marquette had basically drained him of his energy.