AN: AUGH! This story hates me! ABSOLUTELY HATES ME! I've never had as much trouble with writing as I've had with this chapter. It MADE ME SO ANGRY!! I RESTARTED THREE TIMES!
Achem…
I decided to combine what was left of chapter ten with something…extra. I've deviated a bit from the original outline, so there's going to be fifteen chapters instead of fourteen.
Chapter Eleven: Catharsis
When Rena sprinted across the field, trailing after Loki, she was more than surprised to see the two 'bad people' standing calmly and expectantly. She was even more shocked to discover that the bad people were, well, glowing. She halted immediately in her step and quickly surveyed the area, "They're still here!" She proclaimed softly to herself, somewhat happy. Rena's Mistress was coming, her walk was far more staggered and slothful than Rena's own, so for now it was just the forever young guardian.
Rena almost hit herself in the head, she had forgotten all about Mr. Loki! She squinted her eyes, and saw that the two teens were alone, "I don't see him." She said surely, finding herself compelled to narrate her surroundings to herself in a lower voice. A tiny bit of fear filled her, if these bad people were able to hurt Loki then she was in a lot of trouble.
But…
But she had to do something!
Rena nodded, resolved, as she prepared to fight the mean guys who had hurt Damien bad, and had hurt Kiriak really bad. She was all by herself, as Mistress had decided to leave Suiren in the field next to Damien, as she was still unconscious from all of the blood loss from the dirty boy shooting her. Both of Rena's small hands clenched around the handle of her pistol as she strained her arm muscles to lift it at eyelevel. Her gaze was narrowed as she attempted to target in on one of the bad people, the pretty girl who had said she was ugly. Two of her index fingers curled around the trigger and she pressed it in with a forced flex.
BANG!
The sound of the shot ricocheted across the area, and Rena was propelled backwards, the force of the backfire too much for her. Her buckled shoes managed to dig their heels into the earth, and she remained standing. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped when she realized that her shot had missed as both of them were still standing and now looking straight in her direction.
Her hands were shaking, the vibration of the bullet still reverberating through the handle and she did her best set of puppy eyes, jutting out her lower lip for effect, "That's not good."
Her thoughts were suddenly cut off as she felt her feet leave the ground, terrified, her head spun around, trying to determine what was happening. The sudden pull around her neck made her look up, straight into a pair of incredibly annoyed amber eyes. "Put me down!" She protested childishly squirming against the hold the Healer had on her collar.
"No way! You just shot at me!" The older girl replied angrily, and in a second a hand ripped the gun out of her small grasp.
Rena blinked for a moment, comprehension dawning, "How did you get over here so fast?"
A tiny smile crept up on the Healer's face, "Want to find out?" She said, almost giddy.
Rena tensed in her hold and smashed her eyes closed. Briefly, she saw the inside of her eyelids turn red, indicating a flash of light, but it faded quickly.
Carlos watched, slightly nonplussed, as Aria and the little demon girl from before came tumbling out of a portal. His arms crossed over his chest and his breathing was completely even despite the total nervous wreck he was in mentally, "Where's the old gal?" He asked simply.
Aria sighed and shook her head. "I'm assuming she's coming later." She looked at Carlos and then held up the gun she had taken from the little girl, who was thrashing in her grip. She winced slightly when a rather forceful kick hit her in the shin, "I got this though."
Carlos immediately took the gun and unloaded it, handing the bullets to Aria, "Are you going to teleport cabbage patch?" He asked simply, gesturing to the little hellion.
She nodded resolutely, her grip tightening, "I'll be right back," She muttered, her eyes fluttering shut as light encompassed the pair.
Carlos gave a half-hearted salute before the flash came and they disappeared from view.
"Foolish," He heard crooned behind him. Abruptly, he swerved on his heel to meet the level gaze of the leader of the Seven Guardians.
Agatha gave a malicious smile as she lifted her cane, "Rena was bait," She said flatly, "You fell so perfectly into our ploy."
Carlos tried to retain his composure, "What are you saying?" He finally asked.
"I'm saying that we weren't late in arriving without a reason," She continued, "Strategy is a very helpful thing."
The surfer's eyes widened, "What did you do?"
The mean spirited grin escalated, "I used my gift to reroute the Healer, that's all."
"How did you know she could teleport!" He blurted, obviously not thinking rationally.
"Do you think me an imbecile? I watched the fight between you two and Loki, and observed your fighting," She calmly stated.
"Damn," Carlos whispered, his fist clenching. Quickly, he deducted that she hadn't been able to hear their discussion, or at least he was hoping she'd been too far away.
He didn't have much time to think as she then abruptly swung her cane around, heading towards Carlos's neck, "You're on your own!" She snarled.
"Damn!" He yelled this time, darting under the wooden bludgeon. He somersaulted away from the old woman before quickly standing, his stance crouched.
This wasn't good, and he berated himself for not seeing passed something as simple as this. Of course the old witch, nearly four times his age, would know something along the lines of foresight. Now Aria was probably in danger, and a serious curveball was thrown into their plan. He bit his lower lip as he stared at his opponent. He could do this, it would just take a little more effort.
Without any hesitation, Carlos's eyes fluttered shut and his palms were pressed together, focused. His mind worked overtime as he drew up another method as well as drawing on the energies from the Moon Goddess. His mouth silently worded the Latin phrase, and slowly his hands acquired a gray aura.
He gave a bitter chuckle, "At least something went right." He mumbled, before tensing and preparing for the first strike.
OoO
Aria was more than shocked to feel a clammy hand encase her throat the minute she appeared. She felt her grip on Rena slacken and her feet lift off of the ground and she inwardly thought about how this was an all too familiar position tonight. Her throat seemed to cave in on itself, and a sharp sensation in her neck brought tears to her eyes as she quickly tried to process just what was going on. Blinking slowly, she realized that in her field of vision there was only one object. An object with bright orange hair and piercingly irate eyes.
"Gotcha," Loki snarled, his cockney accent thickened by his rage as his fingers clenched tighter.
Aria's hold on Rena failed all together, and the girl immediately darted away, hiding behind the vengeful Guardian and giggling girlishly. The healer's legs fruitlessly kicked back and forth, making contact with Loki's midsection but having no effect whatsoever.
"Squirm," He hissed maliciously, still obviously angered from the effects of the Daughter of the Moon's purification abilities.
Aria could feel darkness creep into the sides of her vision and gasped frantically for nothing, her air passage effectively closed. Numbly, her fingers pried at the man's hand, but his grip was firm. Her mind quickly realized that if she didn't do something within the next minute, she was a goner. Rapidly, her mind calculated methods of release.
Teleportation was obviously useless, as Loki was making physical contact with her and would only be carried along. Her healing abilities were totally spent, rendered useless to the point where the only damage she could deal the orange haired Guardian was to hurt his feelings with scathing sarcasm. That had long flew out the window as well, what with that not being able to breathe thing.
"Worthless piece of trash," Loki growled, grip tightening even more and the pain was so intense Aria was sure her neck would snap, "I'm going to personally ensure Agatha burns those other Goddess cards."
Rena smiled and repeated smugly, "Burn!"
The will to fight was flowing out of Aria quicker than her air supply, as her struggles continued to only amuse the sadistic man more as each life-sustaining second passed. Putting the last of her energy into a final kick, Aria propelled her foot into Loki's gut, hoping he could see the hatred reflected in her eyes as he laughed at her pathetic attempt.
"What a waste," Loki muttered disdainfully, "To think you managed to destroy Mammon. Worthless girl."
Those were the last words Aria heard, as she felt her consciousness begin to slip.
In her mind, faces flashed.
Jimena was first, the look of disappointment for Aria's failure tonight apparent in her dark eyes.
Carlos followed, and she could visualize him anxiously waiting for her return, which would now never come.
Next was Imy, the laughter and joy removed from her features as she just seemed to stare at her in sorrow.
Riley was after that, her face as emotionless as always, but Aria could envision the anger and bitterness she would have righteously felt coming off of her in waves.
Finally, there was Tessa…
Tessa!
Aria's eyes snapped open, her inertia disrupted as a somewhat revelation hit her harshly. Mustering a willpower hidden in the depths of her heart, she focused sharply on the illusionist powers of the Fourth Daughter of the Moon. She prayed constantly that something would surface to save her and give her enough time to teleport away from the situation. Her teeth clenched despite the obvious strain, and her eyelids slammed shut, dazzling flashes of red and gold occurring inside her closed eyes. Just this one last time… She pleaded inwardly. Once more…
Aria felt her limbs growing cold and sluggish as her arms dropped and her legs hung languidly. She lacked the strength to hold her head upright, and it would have lolled if not for Loki's intense grip. A sick crack echoed throughout the area and she wondered if it was the sound of the earth, opening up to send her to the underworld like in those old Greek myths. She felt herself falling, and knew it was the end.
That is, until her behind slammed against the hard ground and air burningly entered her lungs. Coughing pathetically, her chest and throat aching, her eyes fluttered open and she teared up as Aria attempted to get her breathing cycles functioning again. Hacking and inhaling viciously, her gaze traveled up to meet that of her assailant's.
Loki stood there, seemingly glassy eyed, and Aria wondered what she had exactly done to him. Soon, he started to make odd, gagging noises himself, and his hand tenderly circled around his own throat, making the pantomime that someone was strangling him. Aria studied him for a moment, entranced with a morbid fascination, before it registered. Tessa's power had come through at the very last possible second, and Loki was now have the experience Aria had, the illusion working like some sort of twisted mirror. Her theory was confirmed when a haze of gold covered Loki's eyes.
Rena tugged on the older Guardian's pant leg, "Mister Loki?" She asked, her concern picking up intensity when she received no response, "Mister Loki? Mister Loki!"
Survival instincts came back to Aria, as she bit her lip and drew power to her, forming a weak circle of white light around herself. The oxygen was passing easier now, and her concentration returned. She quickly gave a prayer of thanks to Selene and an inward vow to buy both Tessa and Imy dinner when this was all over before the light swallowed her whole and she disappeared from both Loki and Rena.
OoO
Carlos felt like his head was literally splitting into two, the pain making his vision blur and starry. Panting, he rested a hand on his knee and sunk slightly from standing, nausea overcoming him. What was most amazing was that it was not from the old bat that his agony was received, but from himself.
The 'borrowed' powers he was wielding seemed to be tearing his own head apart, ripping and pulling in two different directions. His mother's gift of precognition had been barely noticeable when he was using it, seeming to blend right along with his own psyche, but with the addition of Riley's, quite frankly, chaotic power, his struggle to maintain control over both was wearing him down.
Thankfully, the use of Jimena's foresight had avoided him major blows from Agatha, who seemed to be getting more and more skilled at hand to hand combat as their fight continued. He inwardly tried to subdue the empathetic abilities as a whirlwind of emotions catapulted him at every instance, making it incredibly difficult to focus or calculate his opponent's next moves.
Agatha watched her intended victim with a minimal amount of interest, "Seems as if you're killing yourself." Her eyes narrowed with disdain, "Little worms such as yourself should know their own limitations. Fool." She threw in for greater measure.
A white shock of pain hit him, his head throbbing, as he maintained his posture shakily, "Shut up hag." He spat, channeling more intensity into his next possible strike.
The older woman stared at him with her amethyst eyes, smirking coyly, "It seems your little friend hasn't returned. She must be rather tired already, no?"
The teenager almost audibly growled, recognizing the bait and refusing to rise to it. Still, he could not ignore the tremor of anxiety that flowed through him as he thought that it had indeed been a long while since Aria had disappeared into the Guardians' trap.
So far, the fight between the two of them had been little more than a game of cat and mouse. Agatha could only strike at him fruitlessly, as he could dodge and evade all of the attacks before she even thought to launch them. Carlos, for his part, was unable to deal any damage as well. His inner war was making any sort of blow impossible, and Agatha never gave him enough time to try and get Riley's out of control power to submit.
He tried to stay focused on his plan. His strategy was simple, and there was a large chance it would prove ineffective, but it was the only method that he had to stall and cause sustaining harm to the leader of the Seven Guardians. If he had just a few seconds to collect his scattered mentality, he was positive he could end the whole encounter with just one move. Yet where the hell was Aria? She was the crucial component, as she was needed to provide a distraction. Before they had been interrupted, she and Carlos had been working on the use of Riley's powers, and they had easily discovered that in order to achieve the best results, Carlos needed to have absolute attention on the empathetic abilities. Something unlikely to happen when he was trying to avoid being maimed by a senior citizen with a killer right hook.
Aria better not have gotten hurt…or Carlos was just going to have to kick her ass.
His thoughts sharpened suddenly, as he predicted a vicious right leg coming for his stomach. Quickly, he dropped to the ground and rolled to his left, narrowly dodging the sharp kick from Agatha. His eyes were able to tell that her movements had dramatically picked up in speed, and would rival Kiriak's in a few moments. He sprinted as far away from her as he could, swerving sharply to avoid the cane coming for the back of his skull. Oh yeah, the crone was much faster now.
Carlos could feel his stamina slipping, burning cramps and labored breathing a signal of this. He didn't have much time left against her, as she seemed to actually fair better as the time progressed. His sepia colored eyes bared into her violet ones, and a stare down commenced for a few heartbeats.
"It is highly unlikely that you will last another five minutes," She observed primly, "It'd spare everyone a lot of trouble to just subject yourself to fate."
Carlos gave a bitter chuckle, "You wish." As soon as the pair of words left his mouth, mind-racking pain filled his skull as the eclectic emotions overcame him yet again.
Agatha sniveled her nose as if she'd smelt something foul, "Look at yourself, you're pathetic. You have nothing left to fight for-"
Relief filled Carlos to the brink when he noticed a bright circle in the sky, followed by a Healing goddess toppling out of it and landing on a Guardian of Hell's head.
He smirked wryly, "Nice of you to join us." He muttered caustically, sagging to his knees as another bout of erratic powers emerged.
Aria stared at him blankly, flatly observing that she was now sitting on top of an old woman with supernatural powers. "I'm not too late, am I?" She asked.
Carlos shook his head, "Just in time," He stated between grimaces.
Aria smiled lightly, "That's good, I was a little hung up." She cringed inwardly at the lame pun she probably only got, before hopping off of Agatha and teleporting away instantly.
"Underhanded tricks from despicable rodents," The regal leader spat, getting up to her knees, "Rena holds more honor in battle than you pair of insufferable fools."
Carlos rolled his eyes, "I honestly don't give a flying crap about honor. I'm taking you out." He said flatly, immediately sitting down and assuming a standard lotus meditative position. His eyes slammed shut and his breathing evened out and deepened.
The old woman laughed, a harsh and brittle sound, "And how are you going to accomplish this? By napping?"
Just then, another bright flash filled the area, Aria standing up straight and sending a kick at Agatha's head, "Actually, you'll be fighting me." She stated darkly.
"I see, a repose for the uncouth one." She yawned, fanning herself, "I will dispose of you both soon enough and make my way home alone. A shame really, Rena was quite good at carrying my luggage."
Aria's eyebrows screwed together tightly, "How can you take this so lightly?" She asked, somewhat incredulous, as they traded hit for hit, Aria teleporting to dodge most of Agatha's. "Don't you realize that I could have killed your subordinates?"
"I believe you've already managed that with two of them," She said languidly, sending her cane for Aria's temple. She missed, narrowly, "And I apologize for letting you believe that those lackeys were indispensable."
Aria's eyes widened and her breath caught, "You don't care what happens to them?"
Agatha barked out another strangled peal of laughter, "Of course not! Silly little girl. They're nothing but pawns, their power leagues behind mine." Her gaze intensified, "Our master isn't in favor of coddling weaklings like your precious Lunae Mater."
Her astonishment led Aria to receive a rather painful hit to the knee, and her weight shifted towards the ground before she teleported a safer distance away, "Then why all of this trouble for Mammon?"
"It's not about Mammon, at least not to me." The crone gave a rather undignified roll of her eyes, "Those pathetic subordinates of mine probably deluded themselves into thinking this was some elaborate revenge, but it's not." The irises of her eyes began to glow, lightening up with an indigo fire, "It's about restoring my pride and my strength. If word returned to Tartarus that some pathetic little goddess in training bested my lackeys, my credibility would be compromised." She hissed, her attacks now far more intense and rapid, "To maintain my standing, you and the other ignorant Daughters had to be destroyed."
Her mouth felt dry as Aria tried to process this, "You sacrificed your own team for pride?" She stammered, finding the concept ridiculous.
"For power," She corrected coldly, and Aria noticed with horror that the old woman was starting to drive her back, had cornered her to going on the defensive, "Everything is trivial in comparison. Mammon was an insufferable idiot only worth anything because of his spying abilities, and Kiriak's brash temper overrode any sort of benefit to be seen from his fighting prowess." She sighed, in mock sorrow, "Such a loss."
Aria could feel the terror filling her when she realized just how twisted this elderly lady was. Whatever strength she had left was being channeled into an overdrive as she attempted to regain the offensive. Randomly flailing and teleporting as quickly as she could, Aria managed to only land two hits. One flimsy punch to Agatha's shoulder, and a relatively weak kick to the backs of her legs. Straining, she teleported as far away from Agatha as she could, sinking to her knees and breathing heavily in a try to get her bearings.
"Is this all you have now? How disappointing." Came a chiding voice entirely too near.
Aria's head shot up, awestruck when she saw that Agatha had somehow materialized directly in front of her, a veined hand grabbing her by a fistful of Aria's hair and propelling her forward, landing face first in the dirt.
The third Daughter of the Moon coughed weakly, using her hands to push herself up. But before even five seconds had passed, she felt an iron hand grip the back of her tank top, lifting her off the ground and then slamming her back down ferociously. Aria wheezed, the breath knocked out of her, and put all of her focus into creating another teleportation circle.
Agatha stared at the weakly growing lines appearing around her, "Oh no you don't," She muttered, sending a harsh kick into Aria's ribs where she lay on the ground.
The healer cried out as the sharp agony hit her, causing her to loose any concentration. She gasped for air, clawing into the dirt with her fingernails. The pain couldn't get any worse, and Agatha continued her brutal assault, Aria shortly coughing. Stars danced in her vision and she groaned as she realized that her stolen powers seemed to be ebbing, burned out.
"Aren't you going to beg for mercy?" Agatha jibbed, her hair had fallen out of its pristine bun and lay around her face, giving her the appearance of one irrevocably insane.
Aria couldn't find the power to articulate, so she settled for a miniscule, but noticeable, shake of her head.
"How lowly and worthl-" Her words fell away almost as instantly as her hits, as she ungracefully staggered away from Aria, falling onto the ground.
Aria took a few cautious breaths, relief filling her almost as much as dread. Why had she stopped her beating? Was this some sort of demented trap, to lull her into a false sense of security? Her inner questions ceased as a pair of sandaled feet stopped in front of her line of vision. With an aching pain, she rolled her stare up and saw Carlos. His jaw was clenched, eyes widened in fury, and a vein throbbing on his neck.
"Don't touch her," He growled, his fingers outstretched and reaching.
It was just then that Aria noticed despite his wrathful appearance, the more intimidating aspect of Carlos was the surrounding gray aura around him. Aria's eyes dilated as she felt how tightly and synchronized Riley's powers were with his, a complete turnaround from the helter-skelter relationship they had shared when she had returned from Loki's death grip.
"What's going on?" Agatha simpered, her voice faulty and afraid when she realized that her disposition was changing, her malicious attitude fell away in an instant to be replaced with a new, stronger emotion.
"It's called self-loathing," Carlos said monotonously, and Aria's head jerked slightly when she realized that his tone was identical to Riley's when she was using her gift. "I'm going to make you want to destroy yourself."
"Sadistic," Agatha mumbled, sounding almost impressed, before the gray aura engulfed her. Carlos's attention remained on the old woman, watching as her features morphed from refined to disgust, a strange sense radiating off of her.
"Carlos?" Aria whispered, still somewhat shocked, as she got to her feet, wincing at the pain but bearing through it, "How? How did you-?"
Carlos diverted his attention for a mere moment, looking at her with an intensity in his brownish red eyes, and she saw that despite the cool and calm façade of Riley, it was still Carlos at the core of it, "We came to an agreement." He said awkwardly, not knowing how else to explain it.
"'We?'" Aria asked, confused beyond a doubt.
"I'll explain in a moment…" His stare trailed off, back towards the leader of the Seven, and Aria followed his look.
Agatha lay there, her bony hands clenched tightly around her head as her face contorted with a silent scream. Aria couldn't help the repulse that flew through her as the old woman's fate proceeded to reveal itself. Despite the woman's wicked and hurtful purpose, this seemed like an unbearable agony, one the Daughters weren't allowed to inflict.
Carlos seemed to pick up on her obvious distress, "Why don't you teleport her far away from here?" He asked gently, "I can release her from the empathetic influence now that it's been started."
Aria just shakily made her way over, wrapping an arm around Agatha's now seemingly brittle one, mustering enough energy to create a final circle of teleportation, the gray aura dissipating immediately with her touch. Resolved, Aria teleported Agatha to an unknown location, trying desperately not to look at her as she vanished back towards Carlos.
When she returned, she stumbled slightly, surprised when two strong hands caught her around the arms, "Are you okay? Did she hurt you? I didn't mean to take so long-" Came a rushed stammer.
Aria just shook her head, "I'm fine, it's nothing to worry about. What…happened?"
Aria regained her stance, and noticed that his grip was still on her arms. His hands felt warm over her biceps, comforting and reassuring. She felt incredibly awkward in her position, yet still content enough not to ask him to remove them.
Carlos sighed and sat slowly down on the grass, "I'm not exactly sure."
Aria sat next to him, her dissolved strength causing her to sway slightly, exhaustion prohibiting her from keeping her head up. Not even caring about the repercussions, she leaned her cheek on his shoulder, slightly surprised when he didn't object. "Is it over?" She muttered weakly, fatigued.
The surfer nodded somberly, "That was the finishing move, in a few moments, the old witch will…" He trailed off, beginning to feel uncomfortable.
Aria eyed him skeptically, "How could you know that?"
He sighed, "When I was meditating, I heard you scream…" He shook his head, "I was trying to reign in the empathetic powers, like we had gone over, but I was having difficulties. When I heard you cry, something snapped and I couldn't focus anymore." There was a pause before he hesitantly continued, "Then I heard a reassuring voice, and I saw this really strange woman dressed all in white and she told me how to defeat the old broad. After that everything sort of …clicked, I guess."
Aria's eyes widened, as she pieced together the image of the ethereal woman who had saved her life earlier. "What did she say?"
Carlos's mouth twisted slightly, as he attempted to recall the conversation he had while Aria was busy fighting against Agatha.
A high shrill was heard throughout the field, and Carlos tensed instantly upon recognition that the voice was Aria's. "Shit," He proclaimed, breaking his mental concentration and ready to rush over and help the pained goddess.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Came a tranquil voice, smooth and gentle, from behind him.
Carlos paused in his step and quickly turned around, "Who are you? And where did you come from?" He demanded, shaken and surprised by the sudden appearance.
The woman before him was very pale and radiant. Her long blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and her white dress flowed gracefully as she walked over towards him, "I'm no one important," Was all she said, kindly yet with an undertone of moroseness.
Carlos shook a bit and faced forward, "I have to help Aria," He said, determined to ignore the mystery woman. His actions were halted when he felt a surprisingly cold hand on his shoulder.
"If you go there, without being prepared, she will destroy you both," The woman stated sadly, "I can help you save her, but you will need to trust me."
"Help me how?"
The mysterious figure smiled, "You are an interesting person, Carlos Killingsworth." She spoke, Carlos's face lighting in surprise when he discovered she knew his name, "You have your own power, inherited by your mother."
His face contorted in confusion, "What power?"
"It's subtle, but you have a sort of latent precognitive ability," The woman explained carefully, "Have you ever noticed your keen reflexes? How you always manage to avoid danger at the last possible second?"
He stared at her, "That's called luck, lady."
"Then you are an incredibly lucky person, Carlos." She said smoothly, raising an eyebrow and daring him to deny it. He didn't, "Because of your own abilities, you were able to adapt to your mother's powers easily, and using them was like second nature to you." She paused, "But with this power," Her slim hand fingered Riley's card, "You're going to need a stronger capacity, which is something you sadly don't have."
He could feel the frustration rising within him, "Then what do I do?!" He proclaimed.
She shook her head, "It's a difficult problem to solve, even the Daughter who owns this gift has not yet mastered it, not even close. But…" She trailed off, melodic voice slightly withdrawn, "I can make you a deal."
His eyebrows furrowed together, "What kind of a deal?" He said suspiciously.
The woman sighed, "I'm on Selene's side, and Aria is my protected charge. I can not have her fall, especially when she has not yet fulfilled her purpose." Her clear blue eyes flashed, "I can give you the ability to control the empathetic gift enough to bring Hybris of the Guardians down, but in return, you must serve me vicariously through the Magna Mater of the Daughters, your mother."
The confusion Carlos felt had not yet disappeared, "Hybris?"
"Each of the Guardians have a true name, the spirit that is the source of their unnatural abilities." The figure explained, "But we don't have time for that now, Aria is in danger, and I need your allegiance to intervene."
"How will I know how to stop her?" He asked, still skeptic.
"The answer will be apparent once you gain control," The woman said, now seeming rushed, "Please, make your decision."
He snorted, "It's not really much of a choice, is it?" He said, "I accept."
She nodded, seemingly pleased, "Good, I will leave you with my mark, to remind you of your oath."
Her finger tips touched the hollow of his collar, just above the heart, and he felt a slight burning sensation. With her touch, he felt this strange power coursing through him, and his eyes widened upon realization that the turmoil of his borrowed gifts had calmed, the empathetic abilities easy to maneuver and control. He gaped when he discovered what he needed to do.
"The gift of Hybris will be its undoing," The woman said cryptically, "A suiting end for the malevolent spirit. Go, now, before it's too late."
Carlos could only nod numbly as he darted off to save Aria.
Carlos just shook his head, the strange confrontation floating through his mind, he turned and saw that Aria was still looking at him expectantly. He exhaled weightily, as soon as he had turned around, the woman had vanished completely. He himself wasn't entirely sure if what he had seen was real or just some strange type of illusion, as his control over Riley's powers had left him as soon as he had inflicted Agatha with the urge to attack herself. A dull, throbbing ache below his collar bone reminded him of the eerie lady's mark.
Absently, he tugged down the neck of his tank top, and his eyes widened.
Aria gasped, "When did you get that?" She wondered out loud.
There, ironically in the same place where the girls' amulets hung, was a tiny black marking. It depicted a small flame, and above it lay four differently shaped stars. "I…don't know." He muttered, still confused.
Aria stared at him for a moment, her amber eyes boring into the spot in the hollow of his throat, "Well, it's a…cool tattoo." She said quietly, incredibly confused at the expression of bewilderment on Carlos's face, as well as his own lack of knowledge regarding the image etched on his skin.
Carlos stared at it for a few heartbeats more, before the goofy grin returned to his face, "So I kicked ass, huh?" He chirped, the shocked emotion behind his eyes thinly veiled.
The healer scrutinized him for a moment more, knowing something wasn't settling quite right with the boy, but she decided that if he wanted to ignore it, she could as well, "You kicked ass? I was the one who did all the dirty work!" The moment the words were spoken, the serious quality of the situation seemed to evaporate.
Carlos scoffed, "But I brought the big bad leader down."
The healer just rolled her eyes, "It wasn't even your power!" She protested.
He pouted, "You used other powers too!" He countered.
"Ugh, shut up!"
A comfortable silence overcame the two as they sat there in the grass, relief filling both of them now that this hellish ordeal was seemingly over. Aria pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them and still resting her cheek on his shoulder. Carlos leaned back, supporting his weight on his arms. Aria smiled slightly as she observed Carlos out of the corner of her eyes, the boy had saved her for the second time that night. Carlos caught her smile and returned it with one of his own, and a sense of comfort and peace overcame her at that moment. For some reason, despite the fact that they had only known each other for less than six hours, there was a deep connection between the two. The type of bond that could only be instilled when two people both overcame ridiculous hardships.
It was quiet then, and Aria didn't tense when she noticed that Carlos had scooted closer over to her.
She knew that her mind should have been focused on a million other things. Concern over how to return the souls of her friends back, how to defeat the other members of the Seven before they attacked again, or even the guilt of all the lost life and pain that had been caused inadvertently by her. Yet she was almost shell-shocked, her mind taking the experience in stride at that moment as she exhaled happily, adrenaline wearing down and an odd sense of fulfillment taking over when she thought about how there was no pressing or immediate threat on the horizon. It was a time of reprieve.
"We should start getting home," Aria commented softly, tracing her fingers over the blades of grass as she stared at the ground.
"Yeah," Carlos said noncommittally, his eyes still trained on the girl. "Hey Aria?" He said, his voice a little shaky, almost awkward.
Aria, picking up on the tone, lifted her head and saw that his cheeks appeared slightly red, "Yes?"
"Can I kiss you?"
Her breathing stopped for a moment, shocked at how bluntly he had asked. She stared at him, and saw that he was dead serious. The silence ticked on, as she just stared him down. Carlos was on the brink of an outburst, the way she was unresponsive driving him crazy. Sighing, he opened his mouth to just tell her to forget it-
A quiet, but earnest, giggle came out of Aria's mouth, "Are you serious? After the hell I put you through?"
He pouted, "Well I wouldn't have asked if I thought you would-"
She shrugged, "Okay."
Now it was his turn to gape, "'Okay?' You could be a little more enthused." He complained.
"I just battled demons. I'm a little tired." She deadpanned.
He chuckled lightly, "I guess I should just take what I can get then," He mumbled, shifting his weight and quickly, before she could change her mind, pressed his lips to hers.
It took Aria a minute to even register that Carlos had made his move, but when she did, she kissed back expertly, surprised at the warm feeling it evoked in her stomach. She had been kissed before, a few awkward times in middle school, and once even by Ian, but this felt so much different than usual. There was something akin to a spark, and she found herself taking the initiative, her fingers curling around a fistful of his tank top. She felt his fingers thread through her curls, pushing her head forward gently. Her mouth parted slightly as she drew in a breath, and Carlos took that opportunity to meet her tongue with his, velvety and hot.
After a few more seconds, they both reluctantly pulled away, their lips still lingering together for an additional moment.
Both breathed heavily, and Carlos eyed her with a cocky smirk, stretching his arms and folding them behind his head, "So…how was it?"
Aria stared at him, and the sight of his arrogant grin just made her want to tease him. She rolled her shoulders, "Eh."
His smirk faded immediately, "Eh? Eh! What are you talking about?"
She fought desperately to control the laughter building in her throat, "I've had better."
For a moment he looked absolutely crestfallen, until he noticed the glint of mischievousness in her eyes. His lopsided grin returned, "I guess I'll just have to practice then."
Aria rolled her eyes at his implication, but was cut off as his mouth came crashing down on hers again, she resisted the urge to kiss back and playfully shoved him away, "You know, we're going to have to go back to Los Angeles eventually." She stated.
The playful mood between the two faded slightly, as Carlos gazed at her strongly, the implications of returned back to LA hitting him. He would have to face his mother, she her teammates, and the promise he had made to the ethereal figure hung in his mind. "I know." He said somberly.
Aria picked up on his melancholy mood instantly, and almost regretted her earlier statement. This brief rest from everything couldn't last forever, but while they had it, why rush things? "Ten minutes," She mumbled, her smile quirking up flirtatiously.
The surfer stared at her, mimicking the smile as he pressed her tightly against his side, "In ten minutes." He agreed quickly.
This time, Aria kissed him first.
It was nice to forget, sometimes.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
This chapter started out a little rough, but got easier for me to write as I returned to 'my groove'.
Lol ShatteredDiamonds finally got her kiss scene ;) I get so embarrassed writing those, which I can admit, is silly.
Notes on relationships: I'm trying to do different approaches for each relationship in Night's Children: Imy and Art are the typical 'perfect' couple, Riley and Trysten were the awkward, too shy to do anything about it couple, and I'm striving to have Carlos and Aria seem like the couple that are also friends. I'm sorry if it comes off a bit weird ;-;
Up Next: With the battle against Hades's Guardians finally over, Aria and Chuck make their way back home, where everything seems to fall back into place. However, things aren't going to be easy for the pair. Aria is met with difficulties when she is faced with the most tremendous of monsters: her own guilt, and Carlos faces not only his mother, but also the realization of the deal he made. Penance, Part Two is next.
!nym!