Hearing the cries, she runs amongst the crowd, managing to avoid everyone. She enters the chamber, seeing Ikaris sitting in his chair, as the others are standing around. Each turning at her arrival. Continuing to make her way to her husband as he rises from the kathedra. "Kathleen, you heard them, didn't you?" She moves to the gateway that shows the chaos occurring amongst their friends and allies.
Turning to face her fellow deities, "we must do something!" Walking down the steps, "and why should we?! Why should you after what they did? You may still be in the process of forgiving and recoiling with them. It doesn't mean I don't still hold a grudge for you." he answers his wife. Looking once more to each Eternal, she searches their faces. "Oh, my love, they won't. I have ordered them not to." "But?!" "This also doesn't constitute as needing to interfere, Lady Phoenix." Seeing that more of Earth's heroes are succumbing to the pressure they are facing. She turns on her husband.
"So, you would just stand by and let them die?! They are still our allies and responsibility. What good are we as their guardians if we stand idly by and let this happen again." Turning his back, "my word is law here. And I will not budge on this, and I forbid you to, as well. You have our child to think about." Eros watches the two before he and Hercules move forward.
Kathleen starts moving as Eros (Starfox) speaks as he and Hercules stand by her side. "Cousin, I will keep watch over her if something goes wrong, surely this will pacify you?!" "Aye, Starfox, is correct. And I too will be of assist and make sure nothing happens to her or your child." Hercules adds. Not waiting for a response, Kathleen teleports them to the middle of the battlefield.
Seeing the purple and red behemoth towering over the unconscious heroes, she sees her counterpart whisking her husband away scanning the battlefield for their son, in the process. Hearing the cry, Kathleen moves just as the behemoth's arm comes down, breaking the concrete where they had been. Holding the child closer, "shh, Ray Wagner, it is okay." Looking up at her, "mom?!" Finding where his parents have gone, she follows the mental signatures. Teleporting both of them to safety, immediately relinquishing her hold which he takes full advantage of.
Phoenix holds her arms out, as he runs into them. "RAY!" "Mom!" Wrapping his arms around her neck, he looks to his father. "Kat, what are you doing here?!" "I couldn't really stand by and do nothing. Eros Starfox and Hercules are tending to the others. Though, we shouldn't stray much longer. Kurt take Ray out of here, Phoenix and I will handle this." "But your pregnant, Kathleen, should you be.?!' "Its fine. We aren't cosmic beings for nothing." "Mommy, why are there two of you?!" Kat quickly makes her way to the battlefield. "Focus on your family first, my sister. We will handle it."
Seeing Hercules turning, looking at their opponent just as the fist comes down striking him. Forcing him into the ground once more, unconsciousness taking a hold of him as Eros Starfox barely dodges what is thrown his way. Landing in front of her, "we have to think of something quick. It clearly has us on the defense." He is out cold sent flying before she is able to warn him. Stepping back, she sees Erik and Lorna being raised in the air.
Their bodies spread eagled as their limbs and heads lay limply. Their gasps for breath the only indication they are conscious if only barely. As they continue to move slowly through the air, "this is what happens when I am opposed. They managed to defeat me twice already. I will not allow another time." Her eyes begin to burn white hot. Pushing the gagging noises from her mind, "you are killing them. Did you really think I would let this pass?! Phoenix, I hope you are ready. We can't wait any longer. Not if we want to save them." "I am ready, sister."
Both of their fists encompassed with energy as they punch the giant, sending it flying, creating a crater on impact. "Go check on them." Kathleen tells Phoenix as the titan struggles to get up. Just as Phoenix has finished checking on Lorna and Erik, the creature vanishes. Kathleen recoils. Turning to the laughter behind her, "did you really think I would allow any of you to escape?!"
Seeing the building falling toward her from the corner of her eye, she begins to move though it is a struggle. Her body defying her commands. "Very nice try, Phoenix. But you in any form wouldn't ever escape my wrath. And having offspring only makes it worse. Good bye, though it is a pity you could have matched me if it had been otherwise."
Beginning to shield herself from the weight of the debris, she closes her eyes tight in concentration. After feeling nothing, she slowly opens her eyes, turning to look. To see him holding it in his hands, his knees bent. "Ikaris!" "Did you really think that I would let you and our child, be hurt, my love?!"
The spikes come out, piercing her before she can move. The screams carry as Ikaris throws the building he had been holding to the side. "Aikaterine?!" "I will be okay. Just give me a moment to heal myself." Clutching her side as more pain courses through her, throwing her head back, gritting her teeth. "Okay, we may have a problem, it seems the baby is coming!" Remaining standing by her side, creating the best barrier he can give, given the circumstance.
"Are you sure?!" Halting the process before another surge passes through her, "oh, I am sure. Ahh!" Seeing that Ajax, Thena and the others are assisting Eros Starfox, Hercules and some of Earth's heroes, the titan lets his displeasure be known. "Aikaterine?!" At seeing her standing, breathing hard. "I will be fine. Though, we should really take care of this quickly.
Wrapping her arm around his shoulder, he takes to the sky. "Are you sure you are up to this?! Once I use my disintegrator beams, I will not momentarily be of much use." Seeing the sweat forming on her face begins to concern him. "I am protecting us from being displaced from this reality like he did to her, once. While doing my best to keep this one from carrying on. I won't hold long given the circumstances. But it should buy the time you need to power up."
Releasing his arm, she moves forward, red and yellow energy enveloping her. "Onslaught!" "My, can't you all just die already?!" Bringing her arms out in front of her, she slowly moves them apart. Straining at the effort it is currently taking as the tear is beginning to be heard. "Get him, my love!" Onslaught starts splitting apart even more, as the visions begin.
The Young Avengers, Xmen and certain Avenger members barricade her. "You know it is all your fault she died. If it hadn't been for you, she would still be here. You aren't a guardian of anything. But a harbinger of death and destruction." Clutching her head, closing in on herself, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" "It's not real, Kid Phoenix, Kathleen Pryce, you are too good to let yourself be fooled." Thena tells her. "Ikaris, NOW!"
The red beams finish the job, evaporating the already disrupted behemoth. "NO! I will find a way to return like I always have. You never told them, did you?! What will they think when they find out the truth?!" Seeing that Kathleen has lost her battle for the moment, gravity taking hold. Before he moves to catch her, Eros Starfox has her in his arms. "Mm…Ik…Ikaris?!" "It will be fine now, my friend."
"Eros, get her back to Olympia!" He watches as the Eternals finish combing the battlefield. "Except for Phoenix Wagner, they are accounted for, yes, Thena?!" "They are." "Good, okay. They can handle it now, when they awaken. We must get back." "Yes, I felt and heard Kat's pain. That baby is coming, there is no stopping it now." Remaining silent, the Eternals accompany him in the air as they make their way back home.
Stepping out of the room, he rushes toward his cousin. "How is she?!" "I definitely am seeing more of her than I had ever expected to." Grabbing his collar, Ikaris pulls him roughly to him. "That isn't an answer. Now try again, my cousin." Eros Starfox simply turns his head, breaking the hold as Ikaris shoves him out of the way, making his way to the room as the screams begin.
The hand on his chest halts him. "Trust me, cousin. You don't want to see what is happening." "I will fight you if I have to, cousin. But I will get into that room. Or I can simply command you." The hurt and shock at these words have Eros Starfox move back. "You aren't the only one that cares and loves her, Ikaris."
"And you should be lucky, for even if you are my cousin, if you had crossed that line. I wouldn't hesitate pounding you into the ground. Blood relations, be damned." "You know me better than that. I never abuse my ability nor would I ever chase a woman whose heart already belongs to another." Slumping at this, Ikaris gives into defeat.
Tapping his shoulder, "Ikaris. She will be fine. She is strong. You know it is almost impossible for beings like us to succumb to death so easily." "But what if she does, if something goes wrong?! I…I can't lose her. We have yet to completely bridge the gap our argument caused. I didn't trust her enough nor take her feeling into full consideration."
"She knows this. She would have to be a fool, blind or stupid not to; and she is none of those things. It's why she hasn't left. And she loves and needs you as much as you do her. It won't matter what happened before, as long as you know better now and move and do better here on forth." Both men turn to the doors as screams of a different kind are heard. Smiles appearing on their faces, "well go!" Gilgamesh tells him.
Walking in, he sees Kathleen reaching for the squirming bundle. "Let me hold him." Struggling to bring him to her, she collapses backward. Hanging onto consciousness, she manages to take ahold of the babe, laying them on her chest. The comfort and embrace silence them. "That's right. Mommy's here." Sitting up straighter, she notices the struggle in their breathing, "what is wrong?"
The nurse moves to take them, "he isn't completely developed yet. We are going to need to." Sitting up, Kathleen struggles to adjust his position to where he is more comfortable. "We can take me for you. He is going to need help." "No, I can do it." She levitates her son but almost drops him before trying again, her hands outstretched as a psychic barrier encases him before turning black, hardening. Ikaris clutches her hand in his as she becomes unconscious, going limp. "My lord, you are going to need to leave. There are still complications."
"No. I can't leave her!" Eros Starfox stands by his cousin's side. "She is losing too much blood for some reason. And she is in no state to heal herself. Mercury and the others are going to do what they can to fix her, it is best we aren't in their way." "Our cousin is right, Ikaris. And while we haven't always seen eye to eye, I value Kathleen and consider her one of my best friends. Please?!" Thena says. Relinquishing his wife's hand, Eros Starfox and Thena flank his sides, offering the support needed in order to leave the operating room; but not before he looks back at the figure in the bed with love, fear, hope and sorrow. As the door slowly closes behind them, to be greeted by the other Eternals and Greek deities.
