Chapter 13B: Young Men! To You We Entrust Athena

FIVE YEARS AGO

"Well done, sir!" spoke the doorguard to the House of Pisces as he and the others left the inner chambers and greeted the ten-year-old. "He's was a dangerous one, glad to see you in one piece."

"He doesn't even have a scratch," spoke a caretaker as she held her hands. "Would you like something to eat?"

The Spaniard smiled and shook his head no. "I rather not. I must hurry, His Holiness is expecting me."

"You don't need to hurry," spoke a male servant as he gestured his thumb. "We've lived by him for many years. He's quite patient. A Silver was once was late by half a day and he still welcomed him with open arms."

"Yes, he is patient. I just..." Shura nodded before a couple of foot soldiers clapped their hands and cheered.

The Capricorn raised his hand to wave goodbye and make his way forward. He strutted confidently as the others cheered, exiting the main floor of Pisces before he entered lightspeed and put some distance until he was halfway to the Pope's Chambers before he paused. His face was a mix of a smile and sadness. Aiolos was one of the top Gold Saints in Sanctuary and he beat him! This was the reason he spent hours of training and sparring was to defeat the enemies of Athena, but why does it not feel as good as it should?

Even if Capricorn was the Opposition Star to Sagittarius to balance the circle of the Zodiac, Aiolos had a good five years more of experience wearing his Cloth.

Too bad he didn't fight much.

He just ran and dodged, throwing attacks meant to paralyze all the while was also holding the fake Athena in his arms. "He's a traitor," he whispered. "He's a traitor!" he repeated more resolutely as he firmed his face and charged forward. "I killed him…" Shura muttered before he shook his head. "No, the traitor has been eliminated and justice has been restored to Sanctuary!" he moved at light speed. It was time to report to the Pope. He knew he was frantic about the Sagittarius escaping and he should be proud of him.

The two Papel Guards immediately took each handle of the doors and pull it open. Shura spotted the Pope as he held the small baby Goddess in his arms. The Capricorn's dark eyes glanced at his face. Even with a mask, a small shiver came down his back. Lately the Pope had been wearing a mask with red eyes and while on the surface it appeared no different than any other mask the Pope wore other than the eyelids being scarlett, there were times where he swore they glowed and right now was one of them. He raised his hand and as he practiced many times before, he bowed down to one knee, the hand that dealt the fatal blow resting on his leg.

"Well...is it done?" His muffled voice boomed in the room as he stroked the head of the sleeping Goddess in his arms.

"The Traitor has been slain by my hand, Your Holiness," his tone crisp, touched with pride, his eyes remained closed as he faithfully knelt there. He expected a follow up, but instead was greeted with silence.

"Well done. But where is your proof that such an action occurred?"

"Proof?" The ten-year-old turned his head upwards.

"Yes proof. Did you think that your word alone is good enough? If I send you out there to eliminate someone, you must bring me something as proof!"

Shura's eyes widened. He's never seen the Pope this angry before, his red eyes glowed fiercely, illuminating the symbol of the Pope on top of his head: The Colchian Dragon. It was a creature revered in Greek Mythology as the one who never sleeps, never rests, or lower its vigilance. "I will go back sir. Give me one hour."

The Pope waved a hand and watched the Capricorn took off. He turned down toward the baby in his hands before he grabbed the pink blanket and pulled it off, causing the small child to vanish in a cloud of white cosmos. He dragged himself toward the Pope's chair and took a moment to pull the helmet and mask off for a moment. His hair was drained of color, the whites in his eyes were mixed with bits of blood to give it a pink hue that enhanced the dark red glow in his pupils. He pulled the golden dagger, gripping its handle in one hand, before he took the other and gripped the blade, causing blood to trickle between his fingers and gently splattered on the floor. It was so sharp and painful. Once he couldn't handle the pain no more, he let go. "Aiolos...I'm sorry...I didn't want you to see me like that...my friend."

His eyes stared at the wet fluid before he blinked once and saw how dry it became. On the tile, what was once a couple of drips was now a small shifted to the door as it knocked once more and the clock had indeed moved one hour. During the most stressful periods did he lose a sense of time. He feared they were going to become more frequent.

He returned the helmet back on his head and with ease, he took the blanket and filled it with the illusion of a young baby in his arms. He watched as Capricorn Shura and a foot soldier ran up and knelt down before presenting the red scarlet fabric in his hands.

There was so much blood on it that it was clear that there was nothing left to soak, the red tails dripping so much that it was like the steady stream coming from the tips was writing a name on the floor. The Pope's eyes were a brilliant red now, the eye pieces seemingly glowed. He reached down and picked it up and began to examine it.

For a moment, the glow softened as he looked at the edges. They were frayed as if hastenly ripped from some other piece of cloth. It was also some sort of cheap cotton. Aiolos always sewed his headbands to ensure they didn't look ragged and he preferred a soft, but durable cloth and not whatever he was holding that could be passed as something to scrub dishes with. "This is a fake," he muttered.

Shura's eyes widened. He was surprised by the lighter tone in the Pope's voice as if there was a strange sense of joy. But then he turned to the soldier next to him, watching the color drain. He told him that he found it near a boulder where his body must have been crushed. He was running out of time and didn't bother to check for himself. He trusted the soldier, but now he's made a fool of himself twice now. But where could his body be? He examined the area for his cosmos. He followed a trail that was strong with his yellow cosmos that clearly grew thinner and weaker. There was a pile of rock that was clearly painted with his blood, but then the trail was weak and moved in a way as if he was either spirited away or taken in some sort of helicopter. But how could that could be? Sanctuary would know if a call was made from the hospital. How many people have a private helicopter on hand in the short amount of time when he saw the Saint fall to now? Shura watched as the Pope began to twitch wildly as if an inner battle was occuring.

"Where is the body! Where is the false Athena!"

Shura and the soldier next to him felt almost powerless as a powerful cosmos blanketed the room as if they were in a black hole and the floor beneath them was, but mere air. His head felt dizzy. "I don't know, your Holiness," he muttered.

"YOU FAILED!"

Shura stared at the waving grey hair, feeling the murderous cosmos pulsing on against him as if the Pope was reflecting his displeasure. He had nothing to say really. He did fail. "Yes, I did," he weakly replied.

"YOU KNOW THE PRICE OF FAILURE IN SANCTUARY!" His hand raised a ball of cosmos that resembled a small miniature universe.

"Do you want me to try again? There is a trail of cosmos and if I hurry..."

The Pope thrusted his hand forward.

Shura felt his body fall, spinning in a vast darkness before he fell face forward on top of a skeleton. His eyes widened as his instincts immediately caused him to startle only to hit his head and back and collapse back on it. His eyes turned toward the long dried out laurel and the various branches of myrtle all around. The bright white fabric, once would be a Gold Saint's cape would only be wrapped like a robe in death. The Spaniard screamed only to choke when he realized how little air there was. He spun around and attempted to swing Excalibur, but lacked the room needed. His head grew dizzy before he took his fist and focused his cosmos and unleash a piercing blade upwards and caused dirt and rock to start collapsing inside. He thrusted it once more to burn the earth once more before he began to claw the hole until his small ten-year-old body had enough room to inch his way upwards like worm.

The moment he reached the top, he took breath after precious breath before pulling himself onto the surface, shaking and exhausted. His head turned toward the tombstone of a Capricorn. Which Saint was it? He wasn't sure, the name had faded long ago, lost in time.

He stood up and turned toward the town below. Dawn was breaking out and made it easy to see what was going on. It was far busier than normal. Word must have gotten out about what had happened. How could it not with the explosion at the Pope's Chambers? When he was summoned, he remembered hurrying up the stairs and spotting various pieces of stone littering as far as the space between Aquarius and Pisces.

His body stilled, as the sound of dripping water could be heard nearby. But the thing was, Greece had been in the middle of a drought for the past month. He turned his head toward a mausoleum and gasped at the blood that dripped from the stone with the remains of tissue and flesh painted on the side while blood pooled out the cracks at the bottom. The Capricorn's eyes widened, recognizing the ring of the soldier who gave him the fake red bandana and realizing that while he was sent inside a coffin, the other one was teleported directly in between a wall.

O|=========|O

VOICES

According to Carl Jung, a Swiss Psychiatrist, there exists a psychological theory known as the unconscious collective, where a collection of memories are passed from their ancestors and form instinct to help the newer generation survive. Why do babies know how to nurse from their mothers? How do the butterflies understand the path to migrate and come back home? Supposedly, that is what the unconscious collective is known for.

While the theory of the unconscious collective did not appear until the early 1900s, the concept of the Collective had existed since the first Lemurians and was later possible for humans when the first Gold Cloths were forged.

Lemurians were so advanced for their time, that they had ambitions to travel into outer space centuries before the invention of gunpowder. To pass on their complicated sciences and alchemy, they would share their memories from one to the other in the form of mental pearls of cosmos that could be simply plucked by using telepathy and absorbed within their minds like a block of ice that had melted into a drink. They found it quite odd that humans mimic the same thing through a slow outdated concept where one would transfer their thoughts onto paper and allow others to absorb the knowledge through reading and analysis.

When the first Cloths were being designed, a question arose as to how would the complicated techniques would be passed on to future Saints? So the technique that Lemurians used to pass on their memories to their kin, became the basis for the method needed for the first Gold Saints to pass on their sacred techniques as well as any future moves developed onwards.

When a Gold Saint earns a Cloth a simple fragment of their soul is collected within it and these in turn, became a subconscious voice for the trainee that slowly shapes the user. But as humans evolved, so had the collective and thus Beyond the Grave Moves were born.

Perhaps a message scrolled mysteriously?

Or a technique that failed in life is initiated in death?

But the most common was the whisper in the wind where the past bearers of the Cloth, when they sense great danger upon the one who wears the same armor that touched their bodies long ago. In the past, the only time Aiolos remembered hearing them this clearly was when he was traveling down the mountain cliffs with a baby in his arms.

Run

He did, but he didn't need them telling him that to know that if he was caught, he too would join the collective.

This was the second time, but it was far more specific.

great horn.

great horn.

great horn.

He forgot how quiet it was like a very hushed whisper as if the wind had a voice. He wasn't sure if great horn was what he heard. He was fearful that his mind was deciphering it as great horn, but they were really saying 'thun-der' as in he needed to fire Atomic Thunderbolt to trigger whatever the hell just happened. There was only enough time to do one or the other before Shura would cleave him in half. He relayed the message to Aldebaran and he got it quick.

He pounded the ground beneath them, causing golden cracks to appear and breaking everything unnaturally perfectly as if his strike was not a means to shatter the earth, but to trigger the turn of a key to who knows where they were falling.

Perhaps he didn't stay at his House as much as the others, but he has been there long enough to know that there was no deep foreboding cavern underneath the floor. But Sanctuary was an ocean of secrets. During their monthly meetings, nobody would be surprised if one of them brought up the fact that they discovered another secret tunnel in their House.

Everyone tumbled and when Mu lit up and tried to use his telekinesis to carry them up, he thought he could get a chance to speak with Shura, but instead the collective had other plans. He watched as the Lemurian, the energy radiating from his body vanished like a flame in the wind.

Now they are falling it was in horrific pitch black darkness, save for the golden streaks of from Shura and Aldebaran's Cloths, Zephyr's armor and his bow. He searched wildly for Athena to illuminate once, but the only thing that could be distinguished was the sharp cry of her scream. He knew he was so far from her when the fall occurred and yet he attempted to call back to her, waving his arm frantically to feel for the small hand.

O|========|O

THE LITTLE GIRL

The six-year-old goddess was equally frantic as she clung to the reins of the falling horse that was on until a deep splash of water and a wild amalgam of hexagons lit up the cavern for just a moment for her to realize she had landed in the middle of a large lake. She took a quick breath before she fell beneath the surface.

Her head darted upwards as the stallion struggled and kicked to swim to keep it's head above water. The waters were cold, dark and wild. All she could see was the ferocious hooves kicking around, making it difficult for her to surface without getting struck.

Broken rocks kept dropping from the sky forcing the goddess to clumsy dodged them. Her body was sinking faster into the water, her lungs were screaming, but every time she attempted to swim upwards, a rock or a hoof would blind her. She couldn't hold it anymore. The seal of her mouth gave in and her vision faded. A gold light surrounded her before everything went dark.

O|========|O

He could tell she didn't have much time and neither did the horse. He knew the others were too far not that it mattered. The Gold Cloth, contrary to its appearance, worked quite well underwater. It had to since the first Holy War involved a lot of fighting over the open ocean or boats. He grabbed the girl by the waist and pulled her while grabbing the rope around its neck and leading it to the ledge. The horse gratefully pulled itself onto the solid ground. Horses were surprisingly good swimmers, thanks to their barrel chests providing a means to float. Shura worked quickly as he laid the girl down and performed CPR, an act that he's surprisingly familiar with. Drunken soldiers at public baths make for a stressful evening.

A few rounds in and she coughed out the fluid, grasping her chest. Shura watched her shiver violently, the air was as cold as a stroll through the House of Aquarius. He took his cape and flared his cosmos to dry it off before he wrapped it around her, watching her ease a bit. He felt pangs of guilt for their confrontation up above. "Forgive me, earlier. I truly didn't see you there." Excalibur can easily tan one's skin a shade darker just by being near it and knew the frightening release of its power. Truthfully, he was frightened of it too when he was first learning to wield it. He didn't see the child and his mind was filled with the anger that the Sagittarius was able to travel up this far up Sanctuary. The rivers of Cocytus will thaw before the traitor takes one step into his House.

"You have already explained, and don't need to do so again. But I do thank you for saving me. I am very grateful," she clutched the cape tightly.

Shura couldn't forget the blue in her eyes or her violet hair. "I appreciate your gratitude, but you shouldn't have needed saving." He shook his head in disgust toward Aiolos as he turned to the false Athena that he brought. "He shouldn't have brought you back here."

She could tell that he saw her as nothing more than a young girl caught up a tragic event. "But, I belong here. This is my home. It's his as well."

His breath stilled. She was a baby back then and made the choice to avoid his duty quite simple. He believed in serving Sanctuary and following its commands, but even he was capable of knowing where to draw the line. But she was treading dangerous waters with what she was hinting, for Sanctuary was not kind towards blasphemy. "Careful what you say, child. Twice I spare you, but I can only keep my eyes closed before I must open them once more."

She lowered her head. "You excuse your duty, because I am but a little girl, yet you will not do the same for one you once deemed friend and neighbor?"

The Capricorn sighed. He should have just ignore her, but yet he felt intrigued to keep going. "I didn't spare you because you were a little girl, but because you were a mere tool to further the ambitions of the traitor. You have no direct part in this. Killing you would be no different than for me to slaughter the horse you both rode to ensure that justice prevails. It is silly and pointless." He sat there, a leg drawn, his head leaned against his knee."But perhaps this is my fault as well. You wouldn't be involved as well as many others had I not failed to kill him."

But she knew better than anyone else. "That's not true. By not killing him, you will save many others." So far many of the Bronze Saints and the Silvers have been kept out and those that he's confronted so far, has not fallen either.

But Shura disagreed. "You speak as if I spared him. I did not. I made a mistake. I was cocky and it has brought nothing but chaos and despair here. Everyone who's worked at the House of Sagittarius were murdered by the mobs of Rodario because the people were angry about there being no body. Those who previously worked for it, had to seek asylum through the Pope. His little brother had the luck of the Pantheon just to have survived through this whole mess." He knew. Saga had to pull a lot of strings, savvy speaking, and of course, a touch of Gemini with Galan, just to keep him alive.

Athena's face saddened. Her dream was to unite all her Saints in harmony once more, but since entering here, it was clear that just making it to the top will not be enough. Too much time has passed and too much hatred and bitterness has built up.

That was when he heard a snort behind him. The Spaniard turned his head to see the sandy colored stallion stare at him before taking it's head and nudging his hand as if drawn to the cosmos it felt earlier. Shura narrowed his confused blue eyes. He loved horses, but the one rule he was taught was to never flare one's cosmos unless you choose to chase the horse for the next hour instead of riding it. But this horse was different. He saw the traitor riding it with cosmos and despite all that happened, it held its ground as everyone else in the House of Sagittarius. Shura's hand glowed and watched the animal lowered its head and took in the warmth. "It's not afraid." He motioned it slowly and watched it follow along as if there was a sugar cube in his palm. "It's instincts are not dulled, are they?" he questioned.

It was a welcomed change of conversation. His tense tone seemed ease, even if she can tell by his eyes shifting to the sides quite a bit that he was still on guard for her missing Sagittarius and Taurus Saint. She shook her head no."Not at all. It is the opposite where it's instincts are quite refined and it can understand the difference between cosmos that will be used to attack it and cosmos for enhancement."

He nodded. His eyes studied the patterns on the armor, the carvings indicated Lemurian work. He was no expert in such matters, but when you hung around Sanctuary for so long, one could recognize the patterns. While it clearly didn't have the protection or qualities of the Cloth of a Saint, it seemed enough to keep its body protected. "Te pones la armadura, como yo. ¿Si? Se ve bien en ti. Lo llevas con orgullo incluso si no eres un santo."Curious to see what it looked like, the Spaniard reached over and lifted the small head guard off and chucked it to the side. "Ahora, eres un verdadero santo," he spoke with a chuckle, revealing a pearly smile while scratching behind its ears and watching it tip its nose as if it wanted him to continue.

But Shura paused and pulled away. He needed to stay on guard especially in this strange place deep in the heart of the House of the Sagittarius. "Stay here. If I know where you are at, I will ensure any fight will be commenced a good distance from here."

She watched him take the head guard for Zephyr and strung the rope through the eye sockets before he tied it to a nearby stalagmite. At first it was an odd choice, but her wisdom could then decipher what exactly he was trying to do. The headpiece would serve as an improvised bell. While crude, just like Aiolos, he was the type who will take advantage of nearby resources, no matter how small the advantage would be.

She watched as he seemingly surveyed the cave before she caught the glint of glows like will-o-wisps in the distance. One was fairly large in size, clearly that of the Taurus Saint heading in their direction. The other was small, that could only be illuminated by something modest like the bow of Sagittarius. She watched his disciplined eyes gaze at the smaller, narrowing as if he had found the grail itself. "Please, just wait."

He shook his head. "I've waited long enough. Five years since he tried and failed to replace Athena-"

"I am Athena! Aiolos didn't betray anyone." She reached out her hand with the intention of allowing her to prove herself, but instead he merely turned away.

He rested on one knee and paused before he turned back to her. He gazed at her pleading determined blue eyes. Why did he spend so much time with this child? The moment the water escaped her lips, he should've been there combing the grounds for the traitor.

Instead there he was, chatting like a maid to any guest that would spare a few minutes to gossip. What was wrong with him? "You said he came home, very well. Here he is. It's time I make it his tomb as well." He prepared his hand, the focused glow illuminated his steely eyes and gave each horn upon his headpiece an eerie glow.

Athena clasped her hands. "Do you really think he would carelessly bring me if I wasn't the real Athena?"

"Athena rarely makes an appearance. Her features are sacred. It wouldn't be hard for him to replace her with you and no one would notice," he reasoned before he bit his lip and paused and changed directions toward the large light. "If Aldebaran wishes to challenge me and support the traitor so be it. I will gladly bury them both in the same grave to demonstrate where his loyalty lies," he spat before leapt straight forward from rock to rock before he reached the spot before quickly back flipping into the water while a burst of green cosmos decimated the tip where he stood.

Aldebaran stood there with a proud smile, his arms folded. His eyes shifted toward the dark water. True to Capricorn, the Sea Goat of the Zodiac, he was quite impressed at how nimbly Shura moved upon the rocks as well as the water, his form indistinguishable from the grace of a shark or a Mariner, a necessary skill when his Cloth was created during the first Holy War and Poseidon came dangerously close to flooding the Earth.

The Spaniard swiftly grabbed the ledge and nimbly lepted out, but held his stance. The water that soaked his trainer underneath, dripped between the gaps of his Cloth, a weighted sensation that he ignored in order to focus on the large and yet steady target, one hand fanned out on the ground to provide a means to steady his body while the other drawn across his chest ready to swiftly strike.

It was a clear contrast to the casual way Aldebaran, folded his arms in the middle of the cave as if gazing at the small waterfall in the distance. However, despite the relaxed appearance, he was equally on guard.

Neither moved for several seconds, but their eyes never broke contact either. Shura, quietly stood up, his hand glowing, the cosmos slowly dried the tips of his weekly trimmed bangs and causing them to waver. He lowered his cosmos ever so slightly to signal that while he will not drop his guard, there was a matter to discuss. "You challenge me, yet you did not provide the winning conditions."

Aldebaran chuckled. Shura...sharp as ever. "You're right, I didn't, did I," he shrugged. "Sorry about that, I was just a little distracted by the fact that you somehow managed to hide on the empty main floor of the House of Sagittarius. What did you do? Tuck that scrawny Spanish body in the complementary wine section?"

It was a humorous pass at his surprise attack. He wasn't a coward, but war was never fair either. "A pillar in the corner, hiding my cosmos, and the fact that you all distracted by my message, merely did the trick," he raised his chin seeking to return back to their original topic. "Tell me, what are your conditions or shall we do this by traditional means?"

Aldebaran tilted his head and cracked his neck. "Traditional as in fight to the death? Mmm, maybe not this time or you'll miss Tantalus' Gyro Stand's half price food special." He watched the Capricorn raise an eyebrow. The Brazillian laughed since he knew how much he hated how inappropriate the name of was, considering the myth of where he served human meat to the Gods. It didn't help that Shura's men are always dragging him there on the nights was off duty. He on the other hand found it hilarious.

Aldebaran's eyes shifted quickly to the clean cut on his helmet. An idea popped up. He wasn't going to kill the Spaniard since he still owed him five Euros. "I'll tell you what, a horn for a horn. How about it,Tío?"

A small huff forced from his chest. After the Brazillian's many attempts despite the seriousness of the matter, he finally succeeded in at least causing him to prevent a small bit of laughter from passing. Anytime someone needed a Spanish translation, they would hear of a Brazillian in the House of Taurus since he was so close to the entrance. One noble managed to drag the Taurus all the way to the Pope before he discovered his mistake. Luckily he was in the same room and was able to help smooth things from there. Aldebaran, like many things, took it in great humor ever since, picking up a little bit of slang from him.

A pity he was not in the mood to joke. "Since you choose not to end my life as the condition, I will do the same." He twisted his body and changed the angle of his hand as if ready to draw out a samurai blade. "When the Traitor is dead, that is when I shall still my hand."

The Brazillian's expression lowered a bit. It was quite painful that another friend was so determined to kill someone that they all once looked up to. "Agreed, except that he's not a traitor. He's just as faithful to Athena as you or I." He pulled his shoulders back a little. It was subtle, but he could see that such a small action was enough to cause the Capricorn to take the tip of boot and grind it a bit on the ground as if a better footing.

O|========|O

Athena turned her head as she watched the figure in the shadow of the water.

Aiolos smiled, his hair dripping wet as he waded in the water. Once they landed in the water, his vision adjusted and thanks to his heightened vision that was bestowed by the connection of his Sagittarius Cloth, right away that he could see Athena was too far for him to reach, even if his legs magically fused into a mermaid tail. He was too far to reach Athena earlier, but saw the whole thing from a distance.

He could see by the way the Capricorn held his guard that he was still searching for him. But since it was the archer's cosmos that was infused within Zephyr's armor, it was easy to mask it by staying close to his stallion. It was an old hunting skill where one must remain down wind to prevent one's scent from startling his prey much like how one with a lower, but similar, cosmos can stay close to a much stronger presence in order for others to think there was one instead of two.

While it did fool Shura, he could tell that his Goddess knew her Sagittarius was close with the slick glances she would pass to him, while ensuring that his presence was never discovered. He was proud to serve someone so clever who kept him safe while providing a means for him to analyze how to go about the one who beat him.

No surprise, Shura was obsessed with killing him...hard.

But what was unexpected was that the way the Capricorn saw it, made seem that him being alive was more of a burden to him and not a means as to finishing a mission as he thought it would be. It was clear that the Spaniard would not reveal such thoughts to him if they were in battle. But when times were a little more relaxed, his guard came down and it gave him a better impression of who he was dealing with. Honestly, the Sagittarius would be quite proud of the fine man that he's become if not for the fact that said man would not be satisfied unless his Greek head was dangling around the Spainard's neck, with his red headband tied around as if sporting a fine necklace.

Something else stood out. Shura refused her hand. Had he taken it, things would be much more simpler since her cosmos could only be that of a Goddess.

Even the flower bracelets that she woven for him and the others still had her cosmos embedded in them. If he did such a thing, and embarrassingly just for her, he had in Japan with dandelions, his cosmos would've left hours ago. Her's was simply that powerful, yet gentle and full of her love.

But Shura wouldn't come close to it and while he did show signs of being a little more lenient and open than he lets on, it seemed like he was afraid to do it, as if the truth was sharper than Excalibur itself.

Aiolos wasn't the only one who noted this observation. Athena too was still struggling with it and was coming with her own conclusions.

Capricorns were fiercely loyal to Athena's cause. Sagittarius were always faithful. The two words could and often were mixed, but there was a difference.

Loyalty was unbreakable, it was the vow and duty to protect her no matter what. He received the command from the Pope to kill Aiolos for carrying a false Athena and therefore through the Pope he was doing Athena's will and despite him going against a Saint that was five years his senior he still fought bravely in her name no matter how misdirected he was.

Faithfulness was more personal and guided by the heart. Faithfulness is through emotion and what drove Aiolos to run and never stop, believing that if he attempted to reason with Sanctuary at that moment, it would have gotten them both killed despite it being improper protocol.

Both were cherished characteristics and both had their weaknesses.

Faithfulness could lead to making mistakes.

Loyalty on the other hand can be so strong and iron clad that it can leave a person blind.

The Goddess turned her attention to her lifelong bodyguard. He was fortunate that the place was full of water everywhere, since it allowed him the mobility he needed when he was separated from Zephyr. It wouldn't surprise her if the Collective of the Sagittarius souls kept this in mind when they sent them all to this place. Who knows? All of the Collectives were mysterious, for they were a product of Lemurians and not of Greek mythology. Besides the times when they help out with moves from beyond the grave, who knows how the passage of time evolved them from merely passing down techniques to aiding them before they would get killed. All she knew was that there was a means to personally meet them and if one did, their Cloth would be greatly rewarded.

But right now, thoughts and ambitions like that will have to wait. Right now, they needed to figure a way out of this place. She crawled to the edge and touched Aiolos forehead with her hand, feeling the soft fabric of his headband. "Do you know where we are at?" she questioned through the cosmos.

It was hard to hear his goddess clueless, but if she had no experience of such events in the past, she cannot hope to provide answers. While he was nervous that Shura would be listening carefully through the cosmos like he did when he was trying to reach Aldebaran, but his guess was that Athena was aware of this as well and trust they will not be heard. "I don't. I've never seen this place nor have any memories of such. I can tell you the water tastes unnaturally clean."

It was a strange observation, but it was true and the best proof he could make that this place was perhaps not real. At his home, before Sanctuary, if the rains did not provide enough drinking water, one of the duties he had was to carry water from the river and back. Of course his mother told him to wait until she boiled it, but like any other four-year-old he naturally didn't listen and would drink it straight from the source. He was familiar with its taste. Rainwater was still the best. He actually would set out some cups outside the House of Sagittarius during heavy rains and drink it like a fine wine. But when he was in Japan, it was so heavily filtered that it didn't taste like anything and was devoid of flavor. Since they were in a cave, full of minerals, this shouldn't be the case. "No other cosmos besides the three of us and Zephyr. I can't even feel the miniscule ones of bats, rats or bugs. This place has some light when it should be pitch black in here." It may not be bright, but he could at least see his hand in front of him, unlike when they were in the House of Cancer. "I wish I knew how my brother was doing." When they were at Sanctuary, there was a small sliver of his cosmos that he could keep track, but here it was quite silent.

That was when she took her hand and grabbed his. He turned to her glowing cosmos and felt his use of the cosmos branch out farther. It was incredible! Suddenly, he could sense his brother once more and so clearly as if he was following directly behind him. Not just him, but Marin as well. He could tell they were moving quickly, but not too much to be detected. They were moving under the House of Scorpio since the visions of of skulls was apparent. It was good that they were making good timing and that they had Shura. He couldn't imagine the bloodbath that would happen if the Capricorn had a chance to fight in a narrow space.

However, the problem was that the Sagittarius wasn't exactly sure where they were all at and if Aiolia reached the Pope's Chambers without him, he may face Saga, Aphrodite and Camus alone.

He drew his hands to the sides of his temples. Athena's cosmos was great, but even for him, it was just too much to use at once giving him a sense of dizziness. That is dangerous considering the fact that he was floating in the water.

Aiolos turned toward the two flames of cosmos, one clearly mixed with the natural golden shine of the Taurus Cloth and green cosmos. It made him wonder if this was some sort of divine intervention and the key to getting out was based on the other flame there.

O|=========|O

The two continued to hold their stances. The Capricorn must time his blade carefully. Outsiders see Aldebaran as big and strong, an excellent description if they didn't include slow as well. But those of the Zodiac knew his reflexes were not to be trifled with, especially since they were the fastest among them. Excalibur can release faster than the arrows of Sagittarius, but Great Horn was a tiny fraction faster than the two. It may sound like a meaningless number, but in a Gold Saint fight, as many before him repeated, ever bit mattered. If he didn't give his cape to the little girl, he would've taken it off to speed himself up. If the criteria was not breaking one of his own horns, he would've gladly shed his headgear as well. Never in his life did he imagine the mess that the Traitor would cause.

O|=========|O

FIVE YEARS AGO

"Come back."

Ten-year-old Shura's eyes widened. It was a message through the cosmos, but it was not from the Pope. It was easy to recognize. "Saga?" he muttered as he immediately rushed back to the Zodiac, finding it difficult with the massive gatherings of people who were demanding answers outside of the House of Aries.

He rushed into the House of Gemini and darted his head. "Saga?" He called out. He was about to enter the inner chambers of the Gemini when he felt the same sensation of vertigo occur once more. His body twisted quite a bit until he fell to the ground, his eyes instantly recognizing the familiar scarlet rug beneath him. Why was he back in the Pope's Chambers? To his surprise, the Saint of Gemini was sitting on the throne and dressed in the holy robes and clutching a mask in one hand and a dagger in the other. His face was so pale that if he wasn't blinking he swore that a corpse was there before him. "What's going on?"

Saga jerked his head toward him. His breath was so ragged as he dropped the metal mask and clutched his chest. "I…" he swallowed hard. "I…" he took his hand and pointed it toward himself as tears streamed from his face.

The child attempted to rush at him, only for a clumsy large ball of white cosmos shot forward, the Capricorn crossed his arms to repel it away to the side. "What happened? Where is the Pope?"

Saga screamed as he grabbed the sides of his head before his body went limp and his hair changed to a pale grey color before he placed the mask back on. "I'm afraid, Aiolos killed him." He gestured his hand over toward Star Hill.

O|=========|O

"Why didn't I kill him?" Shura thought as he stared at the Taurus. They continued to hold their stances, but the problem was that his body was starting to ache. His form had to be tense and tight, but while Aldebaran had to remain on guard, his was in a way where he could and has stayed in place all day. He could be dead and still hold that position. He must strike.

"EXCALIBUR!" his voice boomed as the blade came forth, slicing through the air while shattering the ground underneath before it seemingly passed through the Taurus before a wave of green cosmos struck the Capricorn's body causing him to roll to the ground.

Aldebaran gave a little smirk, his arms already recrossed as if he didn't budge an inch.

Shura charged forward, slashing his hand repeatedly at the Taurus, only for it to once more give the appearance of passing through, before the Taurus turned and slammed his shoulder right into his chest.

The Spaniard's eyes widened as he saw the hand come down and immediately pulled away before the Brazillian could break his horn off. He ran to the side at light speed and paused when Aldebaran refused to give chase and simply returned to his seemingly carefree stance.

The Taurus merely smiled and held strong. Many of the Zodiac will taunt and cuss, but he will allow his body to do the talking. Why waste energy? Besides, it was quite entertaining watching the frustration build up in his tiny Spaniard friend in his attempts to break his guard. But he still hadn't taken the horn of the he knew his reflexes and dodging can keep him safe, making the strike was far trickerier when he was doing his best not to kill him.

Shura knew the attack wouldn't have worked, but it was worth a try especially if to test how serious that Aldebaran was about not desiring to kill him. While it was clear that based on the small smoulders of ash on Aldebaran's gauntlets that in the wake of holding back that it did slow the bull down, it wasn't enough. He had to deal with Aldebaran or else things will become tough if Aiolos came out and he was dealing with Great Horn on once side while the Sagittarius was charging forward with Lightning Plasma attacks.

He paused, trying to figure out what was so off with the Traitor. Aiolos was as deadly with his hand to hand combat as he was with his bow with a nimbleness to his feet that made it appear he wasn't even touching the ground. Yet earlier, the Sagittarius was either very sloppy or his legs were injured and was rather surprised at his oncoming blade that he seemingly was willing to give up his life for his False Athena. Shura drew a hand to his chin, but promptly casted the doubt aside. He had to stop thinking about all this. The more he does, the more he became distracted and by challenging two Golds at once, he must take great care and caution.

Shura's gaze zeroed in at the ground at Aldebaran's boots. The solution was right there, staring in front of him and judging by the hurried yet subtle shifts from the bull, he knew exactly what he was thinking. Great Horn was like a solid rock on land, but sunk like one in the sea.

His hand slashed wildly around Aldebaran, shattering the Earth around and causing streams of water to flow around them.

Knowing he would try this, the bull used his backup plan. He turned to his left and leapt over toward a larger and thicker island that was still a ways away from the goddess and Aiolos. But judging by how quickly he tore through the surface earlier, that will not last for long. Aldebaran raised his hands and shot Great Horn once more, striking Shura's side and causing him to tumble and knocking his headgear off.

Normal protocol would be to leave his horns be and assume they will transfer back into the proper cloth box after the battle. Unfortunately the breaking of a horn was the condition. He scrambled over, snatched it up, and tucked it back on his head, feeling it slip before adjusting. He will end this. Rather than cleaving rocks, all he had to do was find the traitor and split him in two.

THAT will stop Aldebaran.

THAT will protect Athena.

and once that nightmare is halved,

THAT will bring peace to Sanctuary at last.

Shura turned toward the light glow that only the bow of Sagittarius could create in a place like this. He took his hand and sent an uncountable amount of strikes at the Taurus. How many? He could care less. It was more than enough for him to sidetrack the bull and rush to the pale glow. Just like how he found him the first time, he will do it again once more. He dove into the water and cut through the water like a missile until he reached the mass of stone before striking it in so many directions that mountain of rock before him were mere pebbles, clouds of dust and debris polluting the air around.

He turned toward the faint glow and swung his hand and a thin blast of air cleared the cloud of dust in front. "It's over!" he called to Aldebaran after he turned to the ground to see the red headband tails neatly sliced into ribbons. The Capricorn knelt down and began to collect the pieces to serve as a part of the proof that the traitor was dead. The head should be it, but he didn't wish to be picking up the sliced cranium in front of the child.

*CRACK*

The whiplash was strong. His head thrown back as an arrow slammed into the horn and base of his headgear.

Shura's eyes widened as he turned toward the spot where he thought the Sagittarius laid when he realized that there was a large pile of Golden Arrows, used to mirror the yellow cosmos, by a large round stone with the red headband tied around it. His eyes shifted toward the shaft as it stuck to the side of his head.

GREAT HORN!

Before he could move, a blast of air struck from behind. An awkward tug was felt before a light airness followed. His body froze as a golden arrow and a semi-cracked horn at the base tumbled down.

"There, he broke off your horn," spoke a voice that the Capricorn hasn't heard in five years. "It took two people, but as you said, you welcome the challenge."

Shura took a labored breath and turned. As he did so, a slight headache followed along with an off-balanced feeling from the broken piece of headgear. His eyes turned toward Aldebaran. He could tell the Brazillian was holding back, afraid of shattering his bones. He would ask for rematch where the Taurus went all out, but had a feeling he would go soft on him once more.

Then, there the Sagittarius was. His curls were still soaking wet, twisted and teased like the stalagtites of the cave. His elbows and the front of his trainer were a bit muddy as if dragged on the cavern surface, perhaps to avoid his detection. His bow drawn, wrapped in what looked like clean spare bandages to null the glow and fool him earlier with the bundle of arrows. He was sitting on his horse with the little girl, yet still his red headband was tied around his head. It figured he would have more than one. Why? No one knows.

But there was one thing that was certain. "Congratulations, you two won that match. You broke a horn off." Shura swung his hand upwards and lit up the catacomb. "But you're still a traitor. My match with Aldebaran is over. But I'm still killing you!"

Part of chess, was knowing the time to pull, and understanding the time to dare. Aiolos gazed at the warrior, his fingers were aching and his bow arm was stiff and sore. The wrong choice will easily kill him, Athena, and Zephyr in one strike, but he held his ground. Shura prefered action over talk. The Spaniard could have easily cycle around the three of them several times over in the time it took the Capricorn to say all that, and figured it was time to call his bluff.

He doesn't ease his grip on his weapon. Dropping his guard would be a sign of weakness or naivety. He holds it steady, fixating the tip on the one who nearly killed him. "Shura...I changed my brother's nappies until he was two years old. If your feet as well as others were too tired, I would carry all of you across the stairs on my back if any of you needed it. I have very little free time. But the time I had, I would give it at a hospital, because I believe that Athena gave me a gift for healing and wants me to use it as much as I could. Do you truly believe that I would kill a helpless baby?"

Silence.

Aiolos waited there patiently and while no answer came out, neither did another attack. His blue eyes shifted toward Aldebaran. He could tell that the Taurus was a bit anxious. Why wouldn't he be? The two of them on Zephyr were so dangerously close to the man who surprised them from behind in his own House! But the Sagittarius raised a free finger in his grip to indicate he will handle the matter now. In Sanctuary, Shura could be as hot blooded as his brother and if he was intending to split him in two, he would've done so by now. Plus the Spaniard was the quintessential definition of a knight and if he was to prove he was not a cowardly traitor, a brave face does not hide behind a larger one.

The archer decided to press the matter a bit harder. "Or how about the one where I supposedly tried to switch Athena with another one that looks exactly like her so I can offer her to Hades, but after I failed," his tone weakened as if the absurdity of it all was too much for even him to say. "I try again five years later with the same fake child?" But it had to be spoken for he could tell that with each word, it was certainly cutting deeper into the Cloth that protected the Capricorn.

Shura didn't even turn to face him, but he finally answers. "I...did... believe it," he quietly admitted. "For the first year..." He did notice things were off later on. That maybe things that he was told didn't quite fit his perspective as he got older. He folded his arms for a moment, a Capcricorn's demonstration of surrender before he pulled them away and slashed carelessly at the Sagittarius. "But that doesn't matter!"

Aiolos took the reins and with a burst of Mach 2, dodged the strikes, but with how poorly they were aimed, he didn't have to try that hard, sensing they were unleashed more out of frustration than anything else. "What do you mean it doesn't matter?" he countered.

The Saint gave an irritated shake of his head as a billy ready to ram the nearest tree. "Do you think Sanctuary can kowtow before the people half a decade later and state the largest scandal in the past hundred years at Sanctuary was a simple mistake?" he spat."My men think I killed you! I have a holiday that celebrates the day that I killed you. I have a drink that I'm too young to try named after the moment I killed you!" he fretted.

It was a string of nothing but excuses. If words were armor, it felt as if Shura was doing his best to protect himself from a mistake he understood he made. Much like how trapped Deathmask seemed back in Cancer, it was clear Shura felt the same way. He was right, everyone did believe the Capricorn killed the traitor and became the hero. The people of Rodario were known for their unconditional praise for paladins as well as their bloody wrath for traitors.

He could then sense that down here, Shura understood the truth but didn't know which choice to take: live with the lie that Aiolos was a traitor or die by admitting that he was never the enemy, but Athena's guardian all along.

It wasn't a selfish choice either. Telling the truth meant not just the Shura facing consequences, but the whole household and anyone so much associated with them, including every door guard and foot soldier that he's encountered. It's a lot of men. It's a lot of families. That's a lot of blood and unfortunately as shameful as it was, there were a lot of people in Rodario willing to spill it.

The Sagittarius wanted what was right to be restored, but at the same time, Shura was still his friend and neighbor and that made this very hard for him too. "You were ten years old, Shura. You were given an order and at the time of all that chaos, it felt like the right thing to do. You were a child and you wanted to please and prove to everyone. You didn't have the mentality to question it as you did later. It's okay to look back and realize that it was suspicious and it wasn't the right course of action." Aiolos looked down at the knight. "Now you are older. Now you know better. What will you do? You can kill the two of us and live the lie or return back to the side of truth. I can't promise you that path will be as easy and nowhere near as glorious. But I can promise you three things: in the end, you don't have to die, to ensure your men and their loved ones are protected. We won't repeat what happened to me…two...I forgive you and I believe the Goddess does as well."

Shura turned his head.

Aldebaran was still on the small island that he retreated earlier to. Close enough to knock a horn down, but not enough to halt the hot blade of Excalibur against the two on horseback in front of him.

He would win.

He returned his gaze at them. The archer still has his bow trained at him, not that his gold arrows would do any good against Excalibur, melting it into a splash of metal.

He would win.

The horse was on all fours but it's body was turned toward the water. If the horse ran forward and dodged the first attack, it would be forced to swim and he would easily cleave them in half.

He would win.

Nearly every possible way down here would lead to either his victory or at least his mission accomplished.

But yet, he gazed at the little girl. She was the same baby that Aiolos carried and Aiolos, hasn't changed either. The Capricorn watched her take her hand and offer it.

Shura raises his hand high.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Before he uses it to remove his broken helmet and goes down on one knee and lowers his head. He doesn't need to touch her hand. He could sense her purity even from there. "My Goddess, I, Shura of Capricorn, am here to serve you."

Aiolos relaxed his bow when suddenly a bright light filled the cavern blinding everyone around.

O|=========|O

Mu raised his head as he felt the cosmos of his three friends and the horse appear once more. He turned toward the book and snatched it before he rushed out of the dusty sleeping quarters of the main bedroom before he headed straight down the stairs. In each of the twelve houses was considered the heart of each of the temples. A gold statue of a centaur sat prominently on a pedestal with the missing group surrounding it. "Where were all of you? It was like your cosmos all vanished!"

Aiolos sighed. One knew things were truly mysterious when neither the Goddess nor the Lemurian couldn't explain what exactly happened. His best guess was that the Sagittarius Collective intervened since there was no way they would've had time to calm down Shura on the main floor of his House. Perhaps they read his heart on how much he dreaded facing the Capricorn. Even with the fact that a Capricorn was made to defeat a Sagittarius, he like the others were one of his friends and comrades. "I'm not exactly sure, but all that matters is that we're all safe."

'Very true," the Lemurian agreed before he turned his gaze toward the Capricorn. At first he drew a little anxious breath, but eased when he realized that none of the bitter cosmos from earlier could be felt.

Shura was not at a loss on Mu's immediate nervousness. "Mu, I'm sorry for earlier." He bit his lip. "I was young back then and believed Saga. When you all came here, I had a feeling it was the real Athena and I was a fool to tell myself to go along with it to save myself the embarrassment. I'm sorry!" he profusely apologize until he felt a small hand.

"Do not be so hard on yourself, my Capricorn. Although she was not the true Athena, I can tell you served her faithfully just as you will with me," she spoke as she wrapped a flower bracelet around his wrist. "Walk with us proudly, is all the atonement you must provide."

Shura turned downwards and placed his fist in the other. A gentle warmth, but not like fire. Oh he hated fire. That was how his family was killed. His father literally burned into ashes while tumbling out of their apartment. He turned away from those awful memories and held onto the flower bracelet. He's heard stories of how Athena's chosen would treasure these and judging by the pleasant cosmos that came from it, he could see why. He would swim the River Acheron if she asked him while wearing it.

He looked up toward Aiolos and walked over and raised his hand out, never having formally apologized to him and the Sagittarius merely takes it, gives a strong grip while he reciprocates it in return. This was the way of warriors, an exchange of strength to let the other know they will use it for each other. No words were needed. Once he released his grip, he turned to see a strange look on Mu's face. "What is it?" He watched the Lemurian point toward his headgear.

Aldebaran laughed. "Oh, we had a fight on what would happen first, if he killed Aiolos or I took his horn. Luckily the later happened."

Mu nodded, "indeed! How wonderful. The myth of the Uni-Capricorn has came true! Long ago there was a battle near the shores of Singapore where the Merlions came across the Uni-capricorn, part goat, part fish, part unicorn and..."

Aiolos shook his head. His brother and Marin were travelling through the passageway and if they don't hurry, Aiolia will be by himself in the Pope's Chambers. He turned toward the item in Mu's hands. "Why do you have my prayer book?" Mu was curious, but he wasn't inconsiderate.

The Lemurian immediately diverged from his story and passed it over. "It was open in your room to this page."

Aiolos flipped it to the spot where the spine was clearly pulled. "What the…" The handwriting and language was his style, "I'm not sure what to do. This was not the Pope that I've been training under for the past nine years. He feels younger… almost like a couple of centuries have been taken off of him. I'm worried about Athena and her safety…." he trailed before he continued to read silently. "I didn't write this," he muttered. If he did have iron clad suspicions like this, he wouldn't be dumb enough to document it like this unless he wanted it to be found. Aiolos closed the book and stuck it in a small case on the side of the horse. He grabbed Athena and placed her in his lap. "Come on, let's hurry. We need to reach the Pope's Chambers."

Shura watched as Aiolos guided Zephyr through the exit, slowly ducking his head under the ceiling. "You know, it would be faster if you leave the horse here."

Aldebaran turned his head, realizing nobody informed the Capricorn on how bad the fight between the two left the Sagittarius. It figured the archer was just too polite to not want to guilt trip the Capricorn in the cave even if it would've made it easier to convince him to join them. "Oh… about that…"

O|============|O

PRELUDE TO THE FINALE

O|============|O

Aiolos slowed the pace of Zephyr. Everyone did when they reached this part of Sanctuary when the moisture of the melted snow caps of the mountains met the forbidden frozen atmosphere of the eleventh House of the Zodiac. Nobody liked traveling in this spot, not by the fault of the Saint of Aquarius.

Coming here was almost like a punishment with Shura warning his men that were stationed at the tenth house that if they called him a Uni-Capricorn he would give them duty at the Eleventh House for a month.

Athena was draped in the Capricorn's cape that he gave her while the Sagittarius merely burned his cosmos. There was no point in hiding it since Camus was expecting him. Mu, Aldebaran and Shura didn't need to do anything since their Cloths' kept their bodies at the right temperature.

The Eleventh House always felt out of place compared to the rest of Sanctuary. The door guard uniforms were heavy and thick and their hands covered with fur lined gloves. The marble tile was so slick that it was one of the few places where mats were set to prevent guests from falling down the stairs. The Sagittarius wasn't sure by the fact that they weren't pulled if Camus was mocking them or truly offering a gesture of kindness. The only conclusion that was not logical was that Camus wasn't careless.

Aldebaran reached the doors and pulled them open with Shura standing next to him, his hand ready to unleash its wrath. Fortunately, the ice cold door groaned and there, in the middle was Camus, donning his Cloth his arms folded across his chest. If Milo acted like the Prince of Sanctuary, Camus could be mistaken for one in his Cloth despite his fairly low key nature.

Camus turned toward Shura and spies the flower bracelet around his wrist. Looks like Milo has become fifty euros richer. He wasn't quite sure if the Capricorn would take the time to listen, but apparently he did.

Aiolos took his fingers and touched his temple to acknowledge to the others that he would engage in a conversation. "Camus, have you come to a decision?" he didn't hide it, but he knew the Aquarius Saint simply prefered to that method over speaking. Most internationals do since their Greek tended to come out clearer without their native accent even though Camus was fairly fluent in it.

To his surprise, the Aquarius didn't even bother to answer that way either. Instead, he gestured a finger toward the exit and light speed in that direction out of the Eleventh House.

Aiolos leaned down. "You're his neighbor. Thoughts?" he asked Shura.

The Uni-Capricorn drew his hand to his chin. "He draws his greatest strength here in this House, so if he was to battle it would be here. One topic that he doesn't shut up on is teaching." There were times where Camus would actually invite him over for a Pepsi, one of the few vices he kept, just to talk about what new method he worked with on involving a polar bear. "My guess is that he's crafted a test for you," the Spaniard noted.

The archer nodded as he swung his bow around his shoulder before he guided the horse forward out of the eleventh House. The moment he crossed the threshold, the air switched from the dry arctic cold to jungle humidity.

"So close," Aiolos muttered to himself as he took in the view. While everyone could probably see the Twelfth House and the red carpet, he on the other hand, thanks to his connections to the Sagittarius constellation had enhanced vision and could clearly see the balcony of the Pope's Chambers. Standing there, dressed in a dead man's robes was the cause of this mess, was Saga, drinking from a goblet while casually watching him back from afar. Just like they used to from the Ninth House to the Third, the Gemini casually tilted the cup to glint its shiny surface to him while the archer reached from behind to flash the surface of his bow in return.

Athena could feel his heart racing behind her, thundering with the beat of each of Zephyr's hooves, before easing down the closer they got to Saint Camus as if her archer was focusing more on the task at hand.

The Aquarius Saint took a step forward, but his head turned back and forth from the balcony to the archer as if he was making it clear that he and Saga were a mere choice. "Back at the House of Scorpio, I told you wasn't quite sure who I want for Grand Pope. You both hold certain strengths that I find pleasing, but weaknesses that could hold back the greatness of Sanctuary. Others may support or fight against you based on personal relationships and friendship…" He shook his head. "I could care less. Saga has shown his intelligence multiple times, but you tend to be quite modest in such ventures… so here is your test. You and everyone in this group, has to cross the red carpet, with only four techniques...without aid from Athena…. Not even a whisper."

Aiolos turned toward the House of Pisces. "Let me guess, Aphrodite is up there with Saga and if we can't cross in four, you will be the opponent in the Twelfth House. But if we do, you will join us?"

"Correct."

He sighed. Of course the Sanctuary Professor would have this for him before he gestured for everyone to follow his lead through the House of Pisces before they stood in front of the long rose procession of death. Aiolos drew his hand to his face. "Four is an interesting number," he thought. His guess was that Camus probably went through the list of possibilities and narrowed it down to the possible combination with the fewest moves. Aiolos smiled, since he could tell that Camus added the last part at the last second when he realized that the first thing he was going to do was ask the Goddess of Wisdom. Who wouldn't? But he was used to these scenarios. The True Pope would quiz him and Saga on them all the time.

Unlike anywhere else, the staircase winded back and forth to prevent someone from using a move like Excalibur to just blow all the roses away. The solid sides of the staircase cause the air to circulate around in a circle if one tried to use Great Horn by itself. Mu could shield them, but the pollen particles were so fine that if they were covered, the poison would eventually seep in even if he used a large enough psychokinetic barrier around them. Not only that, but that would only require one move and with Camus knowing more about how Aphrodite's poison worked, probably dismissed the possibility, knowing it would fail before reaching the Pope's Chambers.

Aiolos pulled his bow from his shoulder. "At my command, do the following in order. Shura, use a widespread horizontal slash parallel to the top of stair rails. Get it as close as you can without touching. That should dry the flowers out. After that, Aldebaran summon Great Horn, but I want it no more than ten percent of its strength. That should break up the roses into a fine powder."

The Brazilian turned. "Ten percent of my normal strength or true strength."

The Sagittarius' eyes widened. "Normal, big guy... thank you for the clarification," If they did ten percent of what Aldebaran was truly capable of, it will be the pollen equivalent to the second coming of Pompeii. "Mu, I will fire an arrow to detonate it and you throw up a barrier the moment I let go. Everyone ready?" He watched as they all turned toward the rows of roses, while Athena hid her eyes.

EXCALIBUR

GREAT HORN

ATOMIC THUNDERBOLT

CRYSTAL WALL

Saga calmly drank as a wall of fire and smoke flashed between the Pope's Chambers and the House of Pisces. "Has quite a pleasant smell, don't you think?" spoke Saga. "Did you know that determining the type of wood one uses, affects the taste of smoked meat?" He chuckled. "One time, I told Aiolos that I thought the cherry was nice so he…" he paused as he watched the Pisces throw his helmet on. "Aphrodite, let...them pass," he spoke in a firm tone.

"Why?" the Pisces hissed. "I have yet to fight and I will not go down...!" he demanded.

Saga turned his head. "Aiolos has Camus among them now. Any rose you throw he'll freeze. He's your opposition star. If there was any piece he hoped to nab, it was that one. Not only that, but they have Mu, they have Aldebaran and they have Shura. They have a lot of strength." He scoffed. "Let them come, and me and my friend shall talk," he laughed. "He doesn't realize, that while he holds quite a bit of strength, I have the power and power always defeats strength."

O|============|O

Final Chapter: A Game of Thrones

When it comes out: No clue at this point. Hopefully before November 30.

Read the final chapter for the Book of Sagittarius.

Author's notes: We are at the top of Sanctuary. What are some questions that Aiolos should ask Saga? I already have a list (the obvious ones), but if you have some that you would like to ask Big Blue, feel free to comment.