A/N: Gomen nasai, minna. I've been trying to get my feet on the ground for some time now, and I've just gotten back to writing, so you can expect me to start updating again. Thanks for being so unbelievably patient. I appreciate it. This chapter is unbelievably short. I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you, I swear. Also, since there will be a couple of Olympians missing once I assemble all the senshi, I'm going to have to add a couple of OCs. Don't kill me! I'm trying not to make them Mary Sues. I'm planning to write a separate fic to explain their back stories. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled… The Earth and Sun senshi might show up sooner than you think!
Mars turned to Sailor Moon and pointed to the Silver Imperium Crystal glimmering in the compact on Sailor Moon's chest.
"It's time, your majesty." Sailor Moon nodded and removed the crystal, closing her eyes momentarily as the power of the crystal transformed her into Princess Serenity. She opened her eyes again and looked at Sailor Mars.
"I'm ready. What must I do?" Mars closed her eyes, much as her leader had done, as her own transformation began, and, when it ended, she opened them back up and drew her sword.
"The power of the crystal is required to awaken the Olympians that slumber inside the rest of the senshi. Have Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus touch it, and they will reach their true form, as will you." Serenity nodded.
"I will-"
"No you will not!" Nephrenia was glaring at the princess and the other senshi with a viciousness that would put wild animals to shame.
"I'll not stand by and let you gather power! I will not be beaten again!" The evil queen raised her hands into the air to call upon her powers, and shadows began to cover the entire tent. Mars smirked and charged Nephrenia, taking a quick swipe at the woman's hands. Nephrenia pulled her hands back, and, in that moment, her concentration was broken, and the shadows began to fade.
"What's the matter, Nephrenia?" Mars taunted. "Scared of a little girl's toy?"
Nephrenia snarled in response.
"I do not fear you, you powerless wretch!" The socreress's clawed hand struck out, and the war goddess easily sidestepped.
"Your reaction would indicate otherwise," Mars replied, a bit of a sing-song tone to her voice.
"You dare to mock me!" Mars stopped moving momentarily and stroked her chin.
"Wow, Nephrenia. I think you can shriek higher than Sailor Moon. That is impressive." Mars' overconfidence backfired as Nephrenia caught her by the throat and hauled her off the ground.
"You'll pay for those insults…" She pulled back her free hand and smirked as her nails elongated into six-inch knives.
"You can't keep coming back to life if I suck out your soul, now can you?" The witch was about to run Mars through when there was an explosive shockwave from behind them, and a brilliant, white light filled the tent. Nephrenia hissed, cat-like, and shrunk back, covering her eyes, while Mars dropped to the ground and rubbed her throat, smirking.
"I think you missed your chance."
As the light began to fade, a figure stepped forward.
"Thank you, Mars. Because of your efforts, we have awakened." Silver eyes slowly opened and fixed on Nephrenia.
"Now, we shall deal with this threat." Mars bowed respectfully before turning back to the now-quivering Nephrenia.
"Allow me to introduce the rest of the Olympians." She made a sweeping gesture with her arm to the figure who had just spoken.
"Goddess of the Moon, Selene." Princess Serenity's hair had faded from blonde to a sleek silver, and, while it remained in her trademark pigtails, it was longer, and there were strings of moonstones running through them. Her eyes were no longer blue, but a luminous silver, her lips were tinged silver as well, and her skin was impossibly pale. She was wearing a simple, off-the-shoulder dress made of gauzy white silk that flowed along the curves of her body to pool at her feet. She took another step forward, and the dress seemed to flow as she moved. Selene delicately held out her hand, and Eternal Sailor Moon's staff materialized. The next figure stepped forward, and Mars, once again, did the introductions.
"The Goddess of Trickery and Intelligence, Mercury." Mercury stepped up, smiling brightly.
"Thank you, Mars." Mercury's hair had remained the same, but her eyes had more of a mischievous glint than serious little Amy's did. Her dress was a simple one; it was light blue and sleeveless, falling off her shoulders loosely, and ending at her knee. There was a slit up one side, to allow freedom of movement, and on her feet were winged sandals. Mercury made a quick bow and lifted into the air, flitting over to Nephrenia.
"Oh my! What's this?" Mercury pulled a metal wand out of the evil queen's hair before darting away, giggling.
"This is the magic wand I stole from Apollo, remember Jupiter?" Jupiter stepped forward, a slight smile on her face.
"Yes, Mercury, I do remember." Mars opened her mouth to speak, but Jupiter held up a hand.
"I will introduce myself." She turned to Nephrenia. She was wearing a simple, but elegant dress made of a light green, silky material. It hung loosely off one shoulder and fell almost to her ankles, secured at the waist by a gold sash. Her hair was pulled into a relatively tight knot that left a few curls loose to cascade down her back. On her head was a circlet of laurel leaves, and slung over her shoulder was a quiver of lightning bolts.
"I am Jupiter, the ruler and protector of the Olympians… and not one to be trifled with."
Nephrenia, shook with rage.
"I am not afraid of you!" The final goddess stepped forward, smiling self-assuredly.
"Don't worry, we'll teach you the proper respect." Venus tossed her hair over her shoulder, chuckling slightly. The movement sent ripples down the length of her beautiful dress. It was an elegant, yet seductive creation of pale gold silk that hung off her shoulders, clinging to the curve of her bosom, then flowing gracefully along her legs. A slit on one side reached her thigh, and there were ropes of pearls wrapped around her arms and waist, so long that the ends trailed the ground as she walked. Even more pearls were woven into her hair, part of which had been pulled into a knot at the back of her head, while the rest hung loose down her back. Her only real piece of jewelry was a gold necklace. Instead of a simple chain, the gold had been crafted in the shape of a flowering vine, with clusters of pearls to accent the blossoms. Nephrenia, glancing nervously at each goddess in turn, continued to back away.
"I-is this supposed to impress me!" Mars smirked.
"I don't think you're impressed, Nephrenia. As a matter of fact, if I had to guess, I'd say you're scared stiff right now…" The war-goddess hefted her sword and shifted into her fighting stance.
"Don't worry. We'll put you out of your misery."
Nephrenia's eyes widened and she screeched, "You insolent little brat! I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!" The witch lunged at Selene, claws outstretched.
"Dieeeeee!" Selene, undaunted, raised her staff, and the goddesses behind her raised their hands.
"We will not," Selene replied, lowering the tip of the staff to point at Nephrenia and watching placidly as a flash of light emanated from it, engulfing the charging witch. Nephrenia screeched in agony as she was burned away, then the scream ended as a pile of dust slipped to the ground. The Amazoness Quartet blinked in bewilderment as their clothes melted away to reveal sailor fukus, and the circus tent around them caught fire.
Mars, keeping her sword up in case the four hadn't recovered their memories yet, took a cautious step forward and asked, "Are you all right?"
Sailor Juno rubbed her head and replied, "Well, apart from the major headache, I'm just peachy."
Sailor Pallas looked around for a moment before commenting, "I don't think we're in Kansas any more." Sailor Vesta looked at Mars.
"We were sleeping in the Amazon, weren't we? How did we get here?" Mars lowered her sword and started to reply, when Sailor Ceres interrupted her.
"Now's not the time for idle talk. This place is burning. We need to get out of here."
"What about the animals?" Sailor Vesta protested.
"We can't just let them die!"
Mercury took to the air and announced, "No need to worry. Consider this fire out."
She raised her magic wand and shouted "Mercury Frostbite!" As everyone watched in fascination, the animals' cages, the ground, and even the burning tent itself began to frost over. The fires sputtered and died, leaving relatively little damage in their wake.
Mercury bowed and shot a glance at Mars before commenting, "Looks like fire's not hard to control after all." Mars smirked and sheathed her sword.
"I would attack you for that, Mercury, if you were worth the energy." The girls laughed as their goddess forms melted away.
"I guess we'll be leaving, then." Sailor Ceres stepped forward and extended her hand.
"Thank you ladies. You've helped us again." Sailor Moon shook her hand, while the other girls smiled.
"Going back to sleep?" Sailor Mars asked. Sailor Ceres nodded.
"Until the time is right, then," Sailor Moon declared.
Sailor Pallas flashed a quick smile and added, "Or until we get possessed again. Whichever happens first." The inner senshi stood together and watched as they disappeared, four spherical gems hurtling across the sky.
