All's Fair in Love and Hate: Chapter 8
Inhaling sharply, Jay ducked closer behind the oversized recycling container he squatted behind, nose wrinkling at the putrid stench of rotting food wafting over from Archie's hiding position. His hand automatically grazed the handle of his xiphos, gently touching the engravings as he peered around the edge of the bin. The rest of the team were also posed in their spots, ready to put up with a fight.
The flash of fire and flap of wings grew ever closer, a shadowy figure attached to the pair of giant, blazing wings. The goddess let out a cackle of a laugh as she landed smoothly on the dirty pavement.
The first thing Archie, from his place behind the garbage dumpster, noticed after his eyes were adjusted to Erida's dazzling wings, was how absolutely disgusting - no, even worse that that - gruesome she looked. He was sure he wasn't the only one who noticed this; Theresa was just visible from his point of view and she looked equally taken aback.
From her matted, tangled hair, to her rough and worn old shoes, Erida was covered - no, encrusted - in dirt. Every inch of her bare skin was blackened with mud and grime, even her face and ears; her layers of clothes were tattered and ripped, and he supposed she had several centuries' worth of clothing covering her torso and thighs. The most recognizable layer of clothes under the dust and dirt was a filthy outercoat and unkempt skirt. The only clean item about her was a rather large golden pendant hanging around her neck, a deep red gem set into the middle, and even that looked a little off-colour. If not for the fact she had just had flaming wings of gold, he could have mistaken her for a homeless woman, so common as they were in New Olympia.
There was no time to ponder her hygenic habits, however, because she had obviously noticed Neil, whose horrified expression indicated how appalled he was at her appearance. She gave out a girlish giggle as she looked upon his handsome face, which in contrast was clean, clear, and positively glowing. Her wings gently folded, retracting and disappearing from sight into her back.
Neil had backed himself against the wall, terrified even though he was protected by the invisible bars. He let out a squeal as she came closer to him, murmuring in a cracked voice, "Ooh, aren't you the nicest thing?"
The goddess reached out a hand, hovering dangerously close to the invisible barrier protecting the blond boy, and stepped directly in front of Theresa's hiding place.
With a silent leap, Theresa launched a tiny capsule straight at the surprised goddess. It opened in the air, five barbs joined to a sparkling unbreakable net, and one by one the points embedded themselves into the ground around Erida, trapping her in a glittering net of wires. Neil let out a very loud sigh of relief as Odie, watching everything by way of a camera attached to Jay's shirt collar, released the bars and let him out. The others stepped out from their spots as well, Jay looking especially relieved that his plan had worked out.
The goddess Erida, however, was not so happy about the turn in events, and let out an indignant growl, eyes blazing. With a hand, she swiped at Theresa through a hole in the netting, long, sharp nails glinting where they weren't encrusted with dirt, surprisingly clean teeth bared in fury. The next few events happened very quickly, giving no-one time to react.
The redhead tripped backwards onto the ground over one of the barbs as she dodged the blow, sending it flying back up and embedding into the ground somewhere else. The change in location allowed a large hole to appear in the netting, and Erida seized the opportunity to escape from the net, pushing off the ground with one strong lunge. Her wings folded neatly out again, still flaming brightly against the dark of the sky.
She hovered above them for a moment, fists clenched in anger, then swooped down upon Theresa. Her arms were stretched out to hit the girl, eyes wide with frenzy. Jay and Atlanta yelled her name simultaneously, Atlanta hurriedly shooting a laser arrow at the furious goddess. It rebounded off her necklace but allowed enough time for Theresa to pull out her own weapon and thwack Erida's wrist.
Swooping back up out of their reach, Erida glared down at the team, an immense amount of fury radiating from her very presence, and threw her head back, wild hair encircling the fierce expression displayed on her face. Before they could do anything, she screamed at the top of her lungs, at the top of her power.
Her voice tore at their ears, shrill and harsh and everything that beautiful wasn't. It was like an animal, tearing at mind and soul and ripping at the threads that left their sanities hanging; cold and cruel but hot and fierce all at once, bundled up in a grating, echoing package.
Every one of them dropped to their knees, Jay's withdrawn xiphos clattering onto the cold ground as their hands clapped over their pained ears, trying to drown the high-pitched sound out, failing as the scream echoed in their minds. Even Odie could hear it from the sensitive microphone, wincing in pain as his hands blocked his ears and he bit down on his bottom lip, drawing coppery blood.
The sound echoed, echoed, echoed in all its shrill intensity, even when she had closed her mouth, throat dry and tired from shrieking. It rattled and shook in their ears, made their eyes screw up in pain, left an imprint on their minds. Erida hovered above them, watching with some sort of cruel delight their pained expressions, their pathetic positions, and gave a cold, bitter laugh. Jay was the first to recover, wrenching his eyes open, dazed and confused. His mind cleared, however, and he picked up his xiphos and pointed it at the goddess.
Her eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in annoyance. "Cronus told me you would be trouble!" she hissed angrily as Atlanta, too, stood up, stumbling slightly, but pointed her wrist crossbow at the goddess. Erida seemed very put off that they had resisted her power, crossing her arms. Jay frowned as she said this, and demanded, "You're working for Cronus?"
The goddess rolled her eyes. "Oh, you give him far too much credit," she rasped, in a low, grating voice. "I'm working with him. But that's far too much for you to know..."
Neil stood up, groaning as he patted at his hair. "That was unfair," he muttered, handsome face contorted as he examined the scratches he had received from dropping to his knees. He reached for his mirror.
All of a sudden, Theresa let out a groan behind him, raising her head to face him. Her eyes were wild, fierce orbs, and her muscles tensed tightly as she spotted the blond. Erida gave a smile, delighted, and let out a chuckle as she relaxed to watch. Jay and Atlanta both turned, spotting the girl's animalistic stance. In panic, Jay shouted in their direction, "Neil!"
Neil looked at him, stepping inadvertently to one side. At that exact moment, Theresa leapt in his direction on all fours. Luckily for Neil, his side-step threw Theresa off. Instead of hitting him, as was her obvious intention, she missed completely and rolled into Archie, who still had not seemed to recover from Erida's attack.
Neil blinked. "What?"
Turning his attention away from Neil, Jay instead whipped his head around to check on Archie. "Archie!" he cried, and took a step towards his friend.
With a growl, Archie swiped at the redhead who had just collided into him, slapping her shoulder. Theresa gave an indignant shriek, turning on the violet-haired boy with her nunchucks and hitting him hard in the stomach. He shook his head, dazed, then refocused on the girl with a snarl.
"Jay, we have to do something!" Atlanta said desperately. Neil looked horrified and Erida was still giggling. The brunette turned around, trouble written across his face. "We can't!" he moaned. "Either we get torn to pieces, or they'll tear each other into pieces!"
"Fine!" Atlanta yelled at him, her face setting fiercely. She looked around quickly, eyes roaming across their settings. Garbage, recycling, crossbow, xiphos - come on, there's got to be something we can use... she thought distractedly. Her gaze fell on Neil, his tazer lying, abandoned, on the ground next to him.
A wild idea implanted itself in her mind, and she grabbed it to the protest of Neil ("Hey! I need that for protection!") and the confusion of Jay. Flipping its switch, she threw it, aiming at the two fighting teenagers.
Her aim was, as usual, perfectly on the mark. Flying through the air, it hit Archie first then fell to the ground, a moderate electric charge spreading through his body and out of his left hand, which grasped Theresa's forearm. The charge spread into her body, subduing both of them.
Jay flashed a smile at Atlanta, who had run over to help the two, then turned to look at the goddess hovering overhead. Her fists were clenched tightly and her face stormy as she watched Archie and Theresa open their eyes, still somewhat weak but definitely back to normal.
Eyes blazing, Erida glared at the leader of their group. "This is not what I had in mind," she hissed through gritted teeth, her expression dangerous. Preparing herself to scream again, the team hastily looked at each other, a what can we do? question hanging silently in the air. There was no time for that question to actually be asked, however, before Erida screamed.
This scream was neither as loud nor as powerful as the previous one, but it still brought the team to their knees, clutching at their ears. It echoed as much as the other, the vicious, shrill note reverberating in their minds.
Atlanta struggled to rise to her feet first, teeth clenched as she stumbled forward. She turned to face the others, looking over them hopelessly.
Again, Neil looked up with a pained expression. "Do you have to keep doing that?" he complained, rubbing at his precious ears.
On either side of him, Archie and Theresa managed to stagger upright, groaning. Archie cursed, his ears ringing as he picked up his whip. Theresa shook out her mane of red hair, spinning her nunchucks, ready for anything.
Jay squatted still, eyes closed as the vicious scream echoed cruelly in his ears, tearing at his mind. No, he thought desperately, no, I don't want to -
His vision swam, red mist sliding over his eyes and swathing his senses in thick crimson nothingness. Once they finally parted, he stared up at the blond in front of him, something unrecognizable welling up in his heart.
He was angry, that he knew, and he was going to hurt something. And he knew that he didn't like - no, hated - the blond standing in front of him. Well, do something about it, a voice whispered, before his mind stripped down to its primal instincts.
Unexpectedly, Neil dropped down, tying his clean white shoelace into a neat knot. Jay, too slow to register this, swung his xiphos at the other boy, where his neck would have been had he not kneeled down. Theresa's face went white as she saw him attempt to slash at Neil.
The blond stood up again, gaze drifting across at the other three's expressions. They stood stock-still, staring at him - or, rather, behind him - and he frowned in annoyance. "What?"
Before they answered, though, Jay lifted his sword again, eyes wide with frenzy, and swung at Neil's neck.
Neil looked down at his feet, realising the absence of the usual weight in his pocket, and rolled his eyes. "Oh, gosh," he muttered, and kneeled to pick up his golden mirror. Admiring himself in it for a moment, he didn't realise how close he had just been to being eternally seperated from his beloved head.
Erida let out a shriek of fury, seeing Jay miss again. Her shriek startled the others into action; Archie pulled out his whip and extended it, the thin cord wrapping tightly around the blade of Jay's xiphos. With a yank, Archie pulled the sword out of Jay's hand, letting it fall several feet away with a metallic clang.
Neil slowly turned around, eyes wide, and looked directly into the eyes of Jay. The blond gave a whimper, stepping back. "Down, boy!" he cried, a hysteric note of panic trembling in his voice.
Jay crouched, eyes still wild. Spots of red were marching across his line of vision, along with streaks of violent black. Like a panther posed to catch its prey, his eyes sought out Neil, following his every movement, and he leapt.
The brunette pushed Neil down to the ground, pawing at his face, and the blond looked around desperately for a second, trying to push Jay off his chest. With a heave, Neil pushed Jay upwards and away from his own body, quickly reached a hand to grasp the handle of his tazer, and swung it across in a wide arc to meet Jay's side.
Theresa immediately rushed over to Jay's side, worriedly placing a hand on his shoulder as soon as he slumped from the electric shock. His eyes closed, then fluttered open again. "Oof," Jay muttered, raising a hand to his aching forehead. "Thanks, guys."
Archie and Atlanta had already turned away, facing Erida. The goddess pouted at them, hands on her hips, and began to say something, but Archie stopped her. Pulling a hand back, then lashing it forward, Archie slashed the goddess' arm with his sharp whip.
With a cry, Erida clapped a hand to the cut as she tumbled to the ground. Her wings retracted and she glared stormily at the team, who now stood solemnly across from her in a group. "If you want a fight, you'll get a fight!" the goddess shrieked, eyes wild. Between her fingers, thick pale liquid oozed slowly from her wound - not blood, but ichor.
Producing several small objects from her pockets, Erida let go of her arm and rose upwards, wings barely forming before she sharply swept down upon the group. With a bird-like cry, she flung the tiny capsules in their direction, and rose again just as she was about to crash onto them.
Taking the chance, Jay slashed one flaming wing with his xiphos and Theresa tried to strike her leg with her nunchucks, barely missing. At first, nothing seemed to happen as she rose above them again, but Jay's sword took on the acrid stench of melting metal, hissing quietly as the sharp edges wilted.
He groaned, tossing the sword to the ground, and produced his extendable staff. Looking around to make sure everyone was alright, he spotted Neil recoiling from something on the ground. "What's wrong, Neil?" Jay shouted as the goddess swept down upon them again.
"Look!" Neil cried hysterically, voice rising in pitch. Fending off Erida for the second time, Jay and Archie both uttered - though one with slightly more impatience - "What?"
"It's eating away at the ground!" the blond answered in panic, voice cracking at his last word. "The pellets!"
"Acid," Atlanta comfirmed, glancing at the tiny pool of hissing liquid before resuming her task of shooting lasers at Erida. "Don't let any of those things touch you!"
The goddess, hovering above, flung another round of tiny acid-filled capsules at the team. They luckily missed their mark, though one managed to eat away at the side of Neil's trouser leg as he whimpered. One of Atlanta's lasers hit Erida squarely in the shoulder, and the goddess let out another bellow of pain.
"You're all making me very angry!" Erida shrieked, and reached inside her coat again. This time, instead of a handful of the tiny acid-filled containers, she produced a pure golden apple.
It shone brilliantly, even the tiniest bits of light refracting off its polished-to-perfection surface, and seemed to have a pulsing light of its own, bright and soft white light that lit up the entire alley. It held a perfect shape, round and beautiful, with a leaf of thinly moulded gold attached to its golden stem. The gold was rich and deep, not a dent on its smooth surface, only a small inscription on the base of the apple in neat looped writing which was in a different language.
As soon as she pulled it out, Atlanta and Theresa both froze, eyes glued to the beautifully glittering artifact. "Focus!" Jay shouted at them in frustration, his grip on his xiphos tight. Both of them took no heed, still gaping at the brilliantly shining apple in Erida's dirt-covered hand.
Slowly, the goddess flicked her wrist, her fingers almost elegantly straightening out to let the apple gently slip off her long, slender fingers. It fell as if in slow motion, tumbling through the air in slow revolutions.
Both Atlanta and Theresa reached out, fingers stretched and weapons forgotten, to the golden artifact. Jay opened his mouth, trying to tell them not to touch the apple, when they both grasped hold of it at the same time.
Instantly, their wonder turned into greed. "Oh, give that!" Theresa cried, pulling the apple away from the other redhead. She happily stared at it for a moment, fingers caressing the smooth golden surface. Atlanta gasped, eyes narrowing, and snatched it back. "It's mine! I had it first!" she retorted angrily.
The two girls began shouting at each other, heaving the golden apple to and fro and exchanging a few vicious scratches. They didn't listen to any of the other three's pleadings, nor respond to any other distractions. Archie turned violently back to the goddess, fury written all over his face. "What did you do to them?" he demanded angrily, pointing the handle of his Hephaestus whip at her.
She sighed, as if in pity. "Oh, they did that to themselves," Erida cooed, voice very uncomfortably pulling off the expression. "I just hurried up their reaction."
Jay furiously tried to hit her with his staff, missing by more than a foot as she dodged the blow quickly. She gave a laugh. "Oh, you're pathetic," she said viciously, and threw back her head, letting out another sharp, shrill scream.
The leader of the group collapsed with his eyes squeezed close, trying to shut his ears to the horrible sound. It echoed in his ears, ringing painfully in his mind and memory, red, red, mists clouding his vision and taking over his senses.
The last thing Jay remembered before the red mists parted and gave way to wild black streaks and marching crimson spots was thinking, I let them down again.
thisisadivider
A/N: Oh, cliffhangers. I originally intended for this chapter to include more, but it ended up being so long there wasn't a point to keeping all of its content in. This is also the first time I've written any action of this sort, so please review with any crit or opinions you have on the topic!
Next up: more fighting, more screaming, Cronus' appearance, and more!