Darkness...
Air thinning...
Trapped...
Her heartbeat became intense as she struggled. She was buried alive and there was no escape. Would she die as thus? She was bleeding from the forehead. She had told Shun that Julian is not dangerous. Now she knew that she had underestimated him. Or at least, she had underestimated his friend Sorrento. Never had she ever saw Julian as someone devious, calculating, or violent. He had been scared of spider since he was a little boy.
Whatever kind of person Julian was, it didn't matter. Right now, what matters was to get out of her current situation. Using all her strength, Saori tried break out. She was Goddess Athena, wasn't she? But why she was so weak and powerless?
The more she fought, the more defeated she was.
Athena...
A kind voice rang in her ear.
Athena...
Saori began to see light. Soon she found herself face to face with a woman in white. Her face was bright and her hair was long. She lent out her hand and Saori took them.
"My daughter," she greeted.
Her hands were warm around Saori's; this gave Saori a feeling of love, protection, and care.
"Mother," she whispered.
Metis, Goddess of Prudence, stroked her daughter's cheek. "You are very fierce. You need to calm down."
Saori looked her with confusion.
"Close your eyes, and feel your cosmo within," Metis told her. "Can you feel the power now?"
With her eyes closed, Saori felt the power within her; she could also feel the cosmo of the Bronze Saints, even hearing their voice.
"They are here," she said. "Seiya, Hoyga, and Shun. And there's another one coming."
"Your cosmo is connected to the Saints'," Metis said. "You can feel theirs and they can feel yours."
"They are battling," Saori said.
"The enemy is Poseidon, God of Sea," Metis told her. "Years ago, he competed with me for the patronage of the Sanctuary, and I bested him. We agreed to that each one of us would give the Pope of the Sanctuary a gift. Poseidon offered sea water and I offered olive tree. The Pope of the Sanctuary accepted my gift over his because sea water may be powerful, it is undrinkable due to the salts. My olive tree, on the other hand, provides wood, oil, and food. Since then, the Pope and the Saints swore their loyalty and allegiance to me."
"And now, he wants to take it from me."
"You must fight back," Metis said, placing a crest around her neck. "This will hold the power to defeat him. But your true power lies within you and your faith in your Saints."
"Sagittarius," Saori muttered. "He died to protect me."
"He will come back to you," Metis assured her. "Be strong, my child. Remember, never ever give your heart to a man who holds power above you."
"What?"
Before she could ask more, Metis was gone.
She found herself back in the darkness. She touched her neck and found the crest. She felt different. Her cosmo was growing stronger. This time, she didn't panic because there was no need. She was Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and War. She would never be defeated as thus.
The floor shattered.
Saori climbed out, gasping for air. She got onto her feet and found herself facing a blonde woman. Like Sorrento, she too dressed in red.
"Impossible!" She shouted.
"You are with Julian, aren't you?" Saori questioned. "Take me to him."
"No," the woman replied. "I owe Julian-sama my life and I will never go against his will."
Without a word, Saori ripped the crest from her neck. Within seconds, it turned into a golden spear, bearing the symbol of Nike, goddess of victory.
That woman didn't back down. Instead, she donned her armor Mariner's scales - and launched her attack. Saori successfully dodged it and countered with her cosmo. The blonde woman crushed painfully against the wall. Saori went to her and demanded, "Who's behind this? Is it Julian? Or Sorrento? And who are you?"
"I'm Thetis," she said. "I'm with Julian-sama. He is the God of Sea. Years ago, I was only a fish. I was dying but Julian-sama saved me. I am forever in debt to him. It was I who led Sorrento to him. This is how I will repay him, by making him a powerful god!"
Saori had heard Julian telling her the story of the fish he saved many times. Initially she thought he was being immature and imaginative. Now, it turned out to be real. Only that the fish was a woman named Thetis, not Sorrento.
"You are making a mistake," Saori said. "Your efforts will be worthless. Julian's heart is set on Sorrento. He will never be yours!"
With that said, she turned away from Thetis and went onto the next floor. Julian had tried to bury her alive in the basement. Now she was on her way to face him.
As she ran up the stairs, she saw a flash of green. At first she thought it was Shun; but after that figure came closer to her, it turned out to be Silver Saint Shaina.
"You again," Saori said under her breath.
But instead of attacking her, Shaina removed her mask and knelt before her.
"I am here to protect you, Goddess Athena," Shaina said. "Please let me stay by your side."
"You have come to attack me many times," Saori reminded her. "You threatened to harm me and Seiya. Why change of heart?"
After a long silence, Shaina replied, "I'm doing this for Seiya."
One by one, the Bronze Saints fought against Poseidon's soldiers - the Mariners. They were powerful and loyal to the God of Sea as the Saints were to the Goddess of War. From the thirteenth floor, they made it down to the ninth. By far, three Mariner Generals - Sea Horse Baian, Scylla Io, and Chrysaor Krishna - were defeated.
Exhausted and overwhelmed, Hyoga rested against the wall.
"Hyoga..."
He found his mother standing not too far from him.
"Mama," he whispered and went to embrace her. His mother he hadn't seen for too long. When he was child, they were on a ship together. The ship was sinking and there was only one remaining spot in the rescue boat. His mother, Natasha, dressed him warmly in a fur coat and placed a silver cross around his neck before kissed him goodbye. Before his eyes, his mother went down into the sea. She was dead, but she never left his heart.
"Shun..."
"Brother," Shun's eyes widened as he saw Ikki before him. Saori-san had told him that Ikki was still alive. And now here he was. Phoenix always rise from ashes. Ikki may have been a monster, but he was Shun's only family.
"Seiya!"
"Saori-san!" Seiya saw Saori running to him. He folded her into his arms and held her against his chest.
"Where have you been?" He asked. "Do you know how much you worried me?"
He held her for a long time and then suddenly released her.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have," he said. "I can't... we can't..."
His eyes fixed on hers before a deadly blow beat him down.
"Fools," Poseidon's fourth Mariner Limnades Kasa taunted as he saw the three Bronze Saints he beaten. His ability was to read his enemies' minds and transform into the ones they treasure the most. "This is too easy."
It was quite amusing to see who are the ones these Bronze Saints treasure the most. To Hyoga, it was his deceased mother. To Shun, it was his long lost brother. As of Seiya, Limnades Kasa couldn't figure out what that was all about.
Before he could finish them off, he sensed a strong cosmo.
"What the..."
An attack came out of no where and Limnades Kasa was struck down.
A dark figure appeared before him.
"You like illusions. Let's play," he chuckled. "Phoenix Ikki."