The ILH encompassed Pallas and her forces in a gigantic tidal wave of death. The two forces collided in a thunderous clash of banging metals. Viking battle axes splintered shields, samurai katanas sliced through armor like butter, undead soldiers hacked through flesh, legionnaires pushed through shield walls, the Highlanders let out wild howls, the knights speared with lances, the ninjas vanished in clouds of black smoke as they dealt death, the Celtics howled with laughters as they fought, the musketeers marched, and everyone fought like Hell. There were various warriors from various nations. The Immortals, evil Spartans, and Carthaginians were overwhelmed by the idea of combating so many different forms of fighting styles that all they could was try to stay alive.
The Argonauts rushed up behind Pallas's army and did their part in helping the ILH immensely. Carthaginians, corrupt Spartans, Immortals, and monsters fell by the dozens. The tides of the battle were now reversed. Instead of the Argonauts fighting for their lives it was now Pallas and her evil horde. The Valley of Death's Doors had turned into a killing field.
The Argonauts fought chaotically as the death's of their friends, brothers, and sisters were still fresh in their minds. They fought for those they lost and those they loved. They fought for the future and their own self worth. They fought out of vengeance. They were ruthless and merciless.
The ILH fought in the name of their duty to serve the Gods and the defense of the world they lived in. Chiron's centaur relatives fought for the party and good times. Campers of Half-Blood and Jupiter fought to save their friends known as the Argonauts and to prove they were just as good as them. Lupa's wolves and their wild allies roared as they fought to protect the wild from Gaea's tyranny. Chiron and Lupa, the two mentors of the heresies, fought side by side. Lupa bounded from opponent to opponent, breaking necks with her powerful jaws, while Chiron covered her with expertly aimed shots with his bow.
Nico fought side by side with Hazel. The two children of the Underworld as shadows as they seemed to melt with the darkness. Hazel was riding circles around her brother on top of Arion, becoming a blur, and Nico summoned undead warriors from the ground. Hazel used her control over metals to crush upon the armor that encapsulated their opponents and she would levitate weapons and fling them into nearby enemies. Nico used shadow travel to pounce from target to target as he stabbed with his stygian sword and summoned more and more undead warriors to aid them.
"Nice of you to join the party!" Thalia said to Phoebe and the rest of the Hunters.
"We came to our senses," said Phoebe. "We realized we were being stupid."
"No kidding," said Thalia after taking down an Earthborn, "but you're here now and I guess that counts."
The Hunters of Artemis formed a circle as they shot their bows in rapid fire. Their formation created a fountain of death that discharged arrows.
As Theseus, Hercules, Perseus, Odysseus, and Achilles fought; they felt something different within them and they realized what it was. In the past they had always fought individually, by themselves, and for themselves. They fought for their glory, their pride, and their honor; but they had realized they were fighting for a greater cause. They were fighting for their brothers and sisters who they would they would gladly die for. The majority of the Heroes of Old had already done that. The remainder of them decided that they were not the most beings who resided Universe. The Atlas Mountains is where they would end their past lives, put down their egos, and start new legends. Theseus and Perseus were wicked with their swords, Odysseus was a shimmer of light as hi fired arrow after arrow, Hercules was an absolute beast, and Achilles hobbled on his injured heel as he dual-wielded a gladius and xiphos; they were pure awesomeness. They fought for the ones they harmed and they hoped the lost ones were watching from the Underworld. They fought to make things right, to absolve for their sins, and to bring balance to their lives and to others.
Repent for their sins,
In order to save their kin.
Absolve for their crimes,
To live in bliss for all time.
Some of the Argonauts and the ILH warriors stopped what they were doing just watch the ancient heroes fight. They nodded their heads in admiration and soon went back to fighting inspired by the original monster killers.
Theseus was on his own while he fought off dozens of monsters and Carthaginians. He fought like a savage as he jumped back and forth between enemies, stabbing with his sword, and bashing with his cudgel. A Earthborn snuck up behind him and prepared to drop a boulder on his skull. Theseus noticed but was to late. Suddenly, a green sword burst out of the Earthborn's chest. The earthly monster dissolved into a pile of mud and behind it stood Perseus who was wielding his sword and shield.
"Thanks," said Theseus.
"DOWN" Perseus said quickly.
Theseus ducked as Perseus swung over his head with his sword. There was a sickening crunch. Theseus stood back to his feet and looked to the ground to find a dead Immortal.
"That's twice you owe me," said Perseus.
Before Theseus could retort a charging elephant barreled into Perseus. Perseus was knocked off his feet and he hit the ground rolling. He was painfully tossed head over heels for several yards. The elephant continued to trample him as it's driver was going mad with laughter. Theseus came to the rescue and slashed at the elephant's massive legs. It yelped and hunched to the ground in pain. This allowed Theseus to run up it's trunk and to jump on to it's back. From atop the elephant Theseus killed the driver and all the passengers aboard it. He then stabbed his sword hilt deep into the back of the elephant's head killing it. Theseus jumped down from the war elephant and landed next to the groaning Perseus.
Theseus extended a hand out to him and helped him to his feet. "I think we're even now."
Perseus cracked his neck and stretched. He let out a sigh of relief as he loosened his cramped muscles. "Fair enough," was his reply.
"Hey," called Percy. "What are you two doing standing around? We've got a battle to win, remember?"
Percy Jackson joined them with Annabeth at his side.
Theseus was about to make a witty reply but was cut off by a thundering , "PERSEUS!" It was shrieked by a man with a heavy french accent.
The speaker wasn't a man at all but a giant lion with a peculiar scorpion like tail. Were there should have been a feline face there was a human's instead. The creature had one blue eye and one brown eye; it always wore a sneering expression. It was no one other than Dr. Thorn the Manticore.
"Does he mean me or you?" Perseus asked.
"JACKSON!" Dr. Thorn pronounced it, 'yak-son.'
Percy sighed, "This guy again?"
"I seek my revenge," snarled Thorn.
"Yeah, you and the rest of the monsters in the world, get in line pal!" Percy replied.
Percy, Annabeth, Perseus, and Theseus charged forward. Dr. Thorn launched spikes from his tail. Theseus and Annabeth rolled out of the way while Percy and Perseus blocked the missiles with their shields. Theseus and Annabeth went in to strike but Thorn swatted them away. Percy and Perseus studied each other's shields and made eye contact.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Percy asked mischievously.
Perseus nodded his head. At the same time they hurled their shields with all their might. Percy's wrist-watch shield and Perseus's silver one soared through the air like flying saucers. They struck Thorn in the face with a loud thud and the disks ricochetted off it. Perseus's magically returned to his hand. Percy's was lost in the battle and probably gone forever.
"Why do I always lose my shield?" Percy asked forlornly. "Tyson is going to kill me."
Thorn yelped in pain and crumpled to the ground. He laid on his back as he gingerly pawed at his face, moaning and groaning.
Annabeth took her chance and climbed on top of the monster's chest. "Remember how you kidnapped me three years ago?"
"Not exactly?" was all Thorn could manage before Annabeth plunged her knife into his chest.
Thorn exploded into monster dust. Annabeth rejoined her boyfriend, Theseus, and Perseus and the four of them rushed off in separate directions, leapt into the massive battle, and faced their next opponents
Tyson and his cyclops brothers pounded away with their great weapons and fought in the name of peanut butter and all good relatives of Poseidon. Tyson could be heard bellowing things like, "bad cyclops," or, "bad monster," or, "bad man," as he pounded with his club. Tyson was joined by Ms. O'Leary and Percy.
"BROTHER, DOGGY!" Tyson shouted in glee.
"BROTHER!" Percy responded.
Ms. O'Leary barked.
Tyson quickly wrapped Percy in a bear hug while Ms. O'Leary licked them both. Immediately after the sappy moment they diverted their attention back to the battle. Tyson grabbed a hold of Percy's arm and flung him into a squad of dracaena. Percy whirled Riptide and cut them to shreds. Ms. O'Leary brought down a war elephant with a few snaps from her razor fangs. Tyson sent a couple Earthborn in to orbit with a swing of his club.
Tyson and Percy fought back to back.
"Hey bro," Percy said to him guiltily. "I kind of lost my shield again," after he stabbed an Immortal.
"Again, brother?" Tyson asked. "After we punish bad cyclops brothers I will make you a new one," Tyson said, stomping on a Hellhound's snout.
"You're the best brother ever Tyson."
"I thought I was the best brother?" Theseus asked in mock offense while walking up to them, twirling his sword and cudgel through enemies.
"What about me?" Frank asked also accompanying them, shooting golden sun arrows from Oriens.
"You're more of a really close cousin," Percy told him.
"Everyone knows I'm Percy's favorite out of all his brothers," said Grover after using his reed pipes to entangle a war elephant in vines.
"And I'm his mean older sister," said Thalia coming in with the Hunters of Artemis.
"Don't forget the faithful girlfriend," Annabeth added while jumping into the fray with her friends.
One by one, the group became larger and larger as more people joined them; Jason, Piper, Hazel, Nico, Reyna, Octavian, Clarisse, Will Solace, Chris Lopez, Butch, the Stoll brothers, Katie Gardener, and many more of their confreres. Percy was glad that they were all there and they all alive and healthy; besides the cuts, bruises, and fractured bones.
Leo, who was completely engulfed in flames when he landed besides them. He extinguished his fire and summoned a hammer from his tool belt and began smashing away at the groin region of unfortunate Earthborn.
"What do we have here?" he mulled gleefully. "I didn't know Comic Con was in town?"
He looked to Percy who had summoned a tidal wave to smashed a group of Telekhine, "Aquaman!"
Then to Frank who turned into a gorilla, "Beast Boy!"
Then to Jason who called down a lightning strike on a war elephant, "Thor!"
"Magneto," to Hazel who used her power over metal lift a few swords into the air and then launching them into evil spartans.
"Excuse me," said Hazel offended. "Isn't Magneto a male character!" However, Leo ignored her.
In the corner of his eye he saw Perseus throw his shield like a frisbee, "Captain America!"
To Will Solace, "Green Arrow!"
Leo noticed the skull ring Nico wore on his finger, "Green lantern!"
"Poison Ivy," to Katie Gardner.
"We're just missing Tyler," said Leo, grinning. "He makes a perfect Batman. Where is he, whatever, he's probably fine, right?"
"Then there's me," Leo said pointing to himself. "The Human Torch, flame on!" He covered himself in flames once more and torched a some Earthborn with fireballs thrown from his hands.
"What does that make us then, the Justice League?" and amused Jason asked.
"Nah," answered Leo. "More like, the Heroes of Olympus, yeah, that sounds so awesome!"
"I dub thee, the Heroes of Olympus!"
Leo broke into a fit of giggle and continued to use his hands like flame throwers while humming, 'Heroes of Olympus,' over and over again to himself.
Hercules cut in on the conversation. "Ready to take on those giants again?" he asked Leo.
"Do we have too?" Leo whined. Hercules gave him a stern look. "All right fine! Lead the way Beast!"
Hercules nodded and bounded through the enemy army in the direction of Death's Doors which Leon and Pallas were protecting. The two Gaea spawn were busy fighting off a large group of ILH warriors trying to close the doors but weren't having any luck.
Before Leo followed Hercules, he looked to Hylla and Reyna, and winked. "Wonder Women and the Amazons!"
Before they could respond, Leo took off into the clouds, and flew in the direction of the giants, to once again do battle with them.
"Why is he so annoying?" Reyna said looking up to Leo and watching him fly into the distance. She couldn't help herself from smiling though. He was a super hero or better.
"Wait, why aren't we helping them?" Percy asked mystified as he looked after Leo and Hercules.
Jason shrugged. "Let's go then!"
The Heroes of Olympus abandoned their current fight and followed Leo and Hercules into battle.
The combined forces of the Argonauts, the ILH, Lupa, the Centaur, Poseidon's Cyclops, and the Hunters of Artemis had Pallas and her forces skirting away and cowering in fear.
Atalanta and Orion stood back to back. Orion swung his club in great strokes as Atalanta fired arrows from her bow rapidly.
Orion looked over his shoulder and said, "Sixty-six," after sending a telekhine sky high.
Atalanta responded with, "Not bad, but I'm already at eighty."
"You are such a liar and a cheat," Orion claimed. He then let out a mighty roar and charged forward.
"Can't hear you," Atalanta said. "I'm too busy killing and getting a better score than you."
Orion responded by letting out an annoyed grunt as he leapt into a group of monsters.
Romulus and Remus giggled with glee as they hacked through Carthaginians. The two brothers exercise had mirrored attacks and defenses. Their enemies had no idea how to deal with a wild force such as them.
"Oh, how I've missed this greatly brother," Romulus chuckled while stabbing a Carthaginian with his gladius.
"Why did we stop doing this again?" Remus wondered.
"I think it's because we died."
"Oh, right!" Remus remembered while ducking under a spear.
Romulus paused in his fighting as he spotted someone in the corner out of his eye. "Is that who I think it is?" he considers, recognizing a familiar face.
Remus noticed what his brother was looking at. "The man who destroyed our empire and our legacy?"
"What was his name?"
"Hannibal."
"Right."
In unison, the twins said, "Let us kill him."
The two charged through the Carthaginians' lines until the twins reached Hannibal. They found him holding off a few ILH members by the carcass of a downed war elephant. The brothers attacked at the same time using the same exact patterns. Hannibal frantically stepped in reverse as he tried blocking their quick strikes. He ushered his men forward but they were quickly dispatched by Romulus and Remus's identical gladiuses. Hannibal stepped back into the corpse of a dead elephant preventing him from further retreat.
The two twin brothers grinned menacingly at the Carthaginian general.
"Greetings," said Remus.
Romulus: "You don't know us-"
Remus: "-because we're a couple hundreds years before your time-"
Romulus: "-but we started the greatest Empire known to man-"
Remus: "-and you destroyed it-"
Romulus: "Are we happy about that brother?"
Remus:"No we are not. So now-
Romulus: "-it is time-"
Remus: "-for you-
Romulus: "-to pay-"
Remus: "-your dues."
Romulus: "Like us Romans say..."
In unison: "...Tempus moriendi."
The two twin brothers of Rome stabbed forward with their gladiuses and impaled Hannibal in the chest. They watched in delight as they saw him squirm in agony and wither to nothingness.
The two twin brothers looked at each other while removing their swords from Hannibal's corpse and shook hands.
"Good work brother," congratulated Remus.
"Same to you brother," Romulus replied. "Now on to the next one!"
The two twin brothers of Rome nodded and were joined by the McDonald brothers. The two pairs of brothers stepped into battle with many chuckles to be had.
Aeneas was alone as he took on the Trojan Warriors. Second to Hector, Aeneas was the greatest spearmen in the whole Trojan army, and this is were he proved it to be true. He twirled his spear in massive arcs, swept legs out from under Trojans, slammed his shield into skulls, and thrusted through the breastplates of armor. Before he realized it Aeneas had crushed his way through the majority of the Trojans. He smashed his way through one final line of them and found Paris in the fetal position nursing a bleeding gut. Aeneas pressed the tip of his spear to the coward's throat.
Paris looked up to him, coughed, and snarled, "Traitor."
"Me, the traitor?" Aeneas asked dumbfounded. "It was not I who joined the ranks of monsters and now serves the dark mother."
"For being a son of Aphrodite you fight well," Paris said changing the subject. He eyed the spear point and then spat, "Finish it."
Aeneas shook his head. "I will let the Fates decide your, well, your fate."
With that Aeneas jaunted off to take on his next opponent.
"Coward!" Paris called off after him. Paris coughed a few more times and slowly awaited his death. A sharp pain erupted through his body. The Fates weren't going to make his passing an easy one.
Tyler and Julia fought like a bats out of hell. Tyler had one thing on his mind and that was Julia. Julia had only a single thought and it was of Tyler. They both rushed from opposite sides of the valley, fighting through enemies, screaming each others names, hoping to meet each other half-way. Julia rode her chariot and Tyler was on his feet. They closed the distance between each other with great haste.
"JULIA!" Tyler screamed as he pounced on to an Earthborn's chest, stabbed it, pounced on to a couple dracaena, and then leapt into a dozen evil mortals.
Nothing stood in his way.
"JULIA!"
Nothing could stop him.
"TYLER!" Julia yelled as she swung her makhaira through a pack of Hellhounds, her horses trample through some Carthaginians, and her chariot ran over a couple Spartans.
"TYLER!"
They were only a couple hundred feet away from each other when a boulder thrown by a Laistroygian hit Julia's chariot. Julia's vehicle lurched, flipped over, and she was flung from it. She got to her feet quickly and continued on by sprinting towards Tyler. However, Hippias and a squad of his Spartans headed her off before they could reach each other.
"JULIA!" Tyler yelped.
Before he could run to her aid, Tyler was cut off by a pack of mangy, black coated, red-eyed wolves. These weren't Lupa's wolves. These were the same ones that had pursued him for five months all over Europe. These weren't just any ordinary wolves, they were Lycanthrope, Werewolves. There was two dozen in all and they formed a square around Tyler. They bared their fangs and growled at him. Tyler gritted his teeth and growled back. He looked to the wolves and then to Julia who wad dueling Hippias. He stepped toward her but the wolves move to intercept him. He tried taking a different path but they moved to meet him. They were like flies to a carcass. Tyler grunted in frustration. They were forcing him into fight. Julia would have to fend for herself for the time being but from where Tyler was standing he could see she was handling her self nicely.
Tyler brought his attention back to the werewolves and postured up for combat. The Lycanthrope parted their ring to allow their leader to step forward. It was a man with greasy and ragged hair, the color of charcoal, and he wore a crown of made of finger bones. His clothing was of tattered fur robes made of wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer, and other pelts. The pale skin on his face was pulled tight over his skull. His teeth were sharpened like fangs. Like his wolves, his eyes glowed demon red and they fixed upon Tyler hungrily.
"Why isn't it the maniac son of Eris, or is it Discordia?" the wolf man growled. "One can never tell with that psychopath of a mother of yours."
Images flashed in Tyler's head. "Lycaon," he remembered. "You and I have unfinished business," he snarled.
Lycaon walked circles around him. "Indeed we do. My pack has been craving for your flesh for quite some time now. You're a psychopath, just like your mother, but you want to know something about psychos? They taste the best."
Tyler ignored him and studied the wolves around him. His training kicked in as he analyzed the stances of his enemies, their size, their height, and their weight. He anticipated their first moves and which targets to eliminate first. Tyler flipped his knife in the air experimentally. The wolves eyed it cautiously.
Tyler noticed their reaction to the weapon. "That's right," Tyler recalled. "The only thing that can kill you is silver and if I remember correctly that is what my knife is made of."
Lycaon barked. "It matters not boy! We outnumber you. We will kill you, we will have our fill on your sweet flesh, and then we will move on to one of your fellow Argonauts for desert."
Tyler smirked. "Well, what are you waiting for then? The food is getting cold."
The wolves came at Tyler all at once. He ducked out of the way and jumped to and fro. He slashed and hacked, stabbed and impaled, thrusted and lunged. Tyler lost all control of his movements as his brain went into savage autopilot, the demigod ADHD took over, and he let himself go. He grabbed a wolf by it's throat and slammed it into another two. He kicked, bit, and clawed. He cut with the blade of his trench knife. He punched with the brass knuckles. He pounded with the skull crusher. His knife was the ultimate combination of death. The wolves would try to take him down systematically but he was entropy. They would try to kill him with order but he was havoc. They tried to kill him, period, but Chaos is something that cannot simply be killed.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Lycaon snarled bringing Tyler out of his trance.
Tyler's eyes snapped open and he found himself surrounded by piles of dead werewolves. Tyler hand no time to take pride in his work for a wolf pounced on his back. Before it could sink it's jaws around his neck, Tyler reach over his head, grabbed it by the scruff, pulled it over his shoulder, and slammed it to the ground. He followed up with a quick finishing slash with his blade across the wolf's throat. Without even any time to recover, a solid mass slammed into him, and knocked him to the ground. He laid flat on his back as Lycaon pinned him.
"You will pay for killing my children!" Lycaon snarled as he proceeded to claw and bite Tyler.
Tyler flailed his arms wildly as he tried to defend himself. He felt his knife meet skin and then heard a howl of pain. He felt jaws wrap around his neck and the painful sensation of teeth puncturing the soft flesh of his throat. Tyler let out a howl of his own and began to stab his blade frantically, he punched with the brass knuckles, and smashed with the skull crusher. He stabbed and pounded on anything he could come in contact with. He slashed and felt blood splatter on his skin. If it were his or Lycaon's he had no idea. There was a sickening crunch and for a moment Tyler thought it was the sound of his neck snapping. However, the pressure around his neck ceased, and the teeth were withdrawn from his skin. Tyler withdrew the knife blade out of Lycaon's heart and pushed the dead body off of him. The first werewolf and the King of the Lycanthrope was dead.
Tyler pressed a hand to his bleeding neck and applied pressure to stop the bleeding but it was no use anyway. The damage had already been done. His carotid artery was cut, the blood continued to flow, and seep through his fingers with no sign of stopping. It was only a matter of time before he would bleed out. He laid on his back, gasping for air, thoughts of Julia on his mind, and memories flooding back to him.
His life flashed before his eyes. He saw the times when his dad beat him, when he first arrived on Olympus, meeting his mother, training, being sworn as an ILH Operative, fighting various monsters, going on covert missions, fighting with Julia. His memories of Julia before Hera abducted them was of the two of them always fighting. However there was always the two years after their abduction. The two years that they spent joking, exploring museums, admiring art, and enjoying good times. A smile cracked on Tyler's lips and he wondered if that was the first time he had smiled in years, or if he had ever smiled at all. Joy overwhelmed him as he relived the last two years of his life. Although a majority of it was spent running from police and werewolves, it was the best two years of his life, ever.
Guilt and sadness enveloped Tyler. Not because he knew he was going to die but because he wasn't going to see Julia before he did. He had come all that way to merely perish without seeing her. Tyler tried to get up but he couldn't even move a muscle. The loss of blood was making him go numb. There was a light in the back of his mind that hooked on to him and was reeling him in. Tyler tried to scream in rage but even that was to difficult. Tyler's hands became drenched as the blood continued to pour and the life continued to fade.
"Well, this sucks!" Tyler managed to grunt.
"Don't worry," Julia huffed as she stabbed Hippias in the heart, "I'm coming Tyler!" She dislodged her sword from Hippias's chest, cut through a couple more corrupt Spartans, and broke into a sprint.
Julia turned in the direction of where Tyler should have been but her line of sight was blocked by hundreds of fighting teenagers, satyrs, monsters, and men. Julia pushed past her allies and slew her enemies.
"Tyler, Tyler!" she shouted over the sounds of battle.
She made her way through the battle zone searching frantically for him. Then she saw him. A cold icy hand gripped her heart and she almost fell to her knees in shock.
"Oh my gods, TYLER!" she screamed.
She rushed towards his limp body. She killed two Persian Immortals who stood in her way, threw her shield like a frisbee into a cyclops, ripped off her helmet and used it to beat in the skull of a Carthaginian, and finally she reached Tyler.
She dropped all her weapons and crouched down to examine his body. She was totally leaving her self open for attack but she didn't care. She was confident in the fact that her troops would watch her back. He was alive but barley. Tyler had an ugly gash in his neck, his carotid artery was severed, and he was losing blood too quickly. If he didn't get medical attention soon, he would die. Julia reached to pick him up but Tyler shook his head weakly.
"Julia," he whispered up to her. He was squinting as if he was struggling to keep his eyes open.
"Yes," Julia gulped, choking back the tears. "I'm here," she said stroking his face. "We have to get you to a medic."
Tyler ignored her last comment and smiled, it was becoming a new habit of his. He studied how she looked in her armor, her grey eyes glistening with tears, and her blonder hair loose and flowing. "You look so beautiful."
"You're complimenting me. That's not a good sign. That's means you've lost a lot of blood," Julia said seriously. "Now, let's go, doctor time!"
"Sh," he hushed her. "You're spoiling the moment," Tyler giggled dreamily. She was losing him. "I got a haircut, did you see, it was for you."
Julia forced a smile. "I saw and I love it but we really have to go!" She was desperate.
"Why?" Tyler asked innocently.
"Because you'll die!"
Tyler shook his head. "I remember."
"What?" Julia said hurriedly.
"Everything. The ILH. Mom. Dad. Me. You. Everything. We always-"
"-hated each other," Julia finished for him. "I know."
"But were friends now. We love each other. Hera's a genius, although still a bitch." Tyler coughed violently and Julia's heart sunk even further. "She knew we hated each other and she needed us close. Do you know why?"
"You can tell me when a medic is treating you."
"Julia, just listen we don't have a lot of time."
"I know, that's why we need to hurry!"
"Listen!" Tyler snapped. "You and I both know I'm not going to make it so stop being so gods damn Athena-like and listen!" His voice was raspy and he struggled over every word.
Julia pursed her lips and felt tears streak down her face.
"Hera needed us to form this strong bond so that we would protect each other and care for each other. Our bond has become so strong that if one of use loses each other we become like my mother. That was her plan all along."
"You're scaring me Tyler," Julia said with the tears coming down like a waterfall.
"If one of us dies, the other would become so enveloped in rage they we would become irrational, crazy, which would make us invincible, god-like even. I know it's hard to understand but," Tyler reached a hand up to Julia's cheek and stroked it. His fingers were cold to the touch. She closed her eyes upon the physical connection and kissed his fingers gently. She tasted the salt of his blood. "You're the daughter of Athena, I know you know what I'm talking about."
Julia shook her head refusing to accept the truth. "No," she choked.
"Before I go," Tyler gulped for air. "Two things: One, I'm not the seventh. They thought I was the one in the prophecy but I'm not the guy. I hate prophecies...I guess all we heroes do, if you can call me one," Tyler laughed, " my mom told me a lot of things. She said the life I would save someone. It would be someone I did not expect. She was right. She told me I would forever be changed. Did she know I was going to freaking die?" Tyler laughed again which lead to coughing.
Julia continued to shake her head and wiped the tears from her eyes as she pet Tyler's hair.
"Two, take this." Tyler patted the ground aimlessly till his fingers wrapped around his seven and half inch WWII trench knife. He placed it into Julia's hand.
Julia shook her had furiously now. "NO! I'm not taking that, that's yours; besides, you're going to need it later!"
Tyler took his turn to shake his head. "You'll need it more than me," Tyler coughed, "and remember this; I will always be your shield Julia, I swear it you. I will always watch over you." Tyler inhaled deeply and then exhaled, the air slowly escaping his mouth.
An oath to keep with a final breath.
"NO!" Julia wailed. "NO!"
She pounded on Tyler chest. "Wake up!" She grabbed him by his limp shoulders and shook him violently. "PLEASE DON'T! Please, no, no!" Julia looked up to the clouds.
"WHY!" Julia screamed to no god in particular.
Julia rested her head on his chest. She didn't care there was a battle going on around her and she didn't care that she was crying openly. Her tears washed the dirt and blood from her cheeks. She had worked so hard to find him and when she finally did, he ha to die, he just had to.
The seventh is revealed,
Who was hidden behind a shield.
"Why?" she muttered one more time.
Because. The fates work in mysterious ways.
It was Hera speaking in her head, or was it someone else?
"Shut up," Julia replied.
There was no answer. Julia's sadness was replaced with anger. She looked back to Tyler's face. She had always remembered him to be brooding and scowling all the time, but there he looked almost peaceful. She looked deeply into his black eyes. At first glance they only held darkness and the cold, but if one looked deeper, they could find warmth. Julia placed her finger gently on his eyelids and prepared to shut them one last time. As soon as her finger tips made contact with his skin, a shock traveled down her arm, and up her spine that jolted her. Tyler's eyes turned bright red and red smoke emerged from his mouth and nose. The smoke curled upwards and entered through Julia's own nostrils and mouth. She felt her brain fill with the red mist and her thoughts became hazy.
A voice entered her head:
They will pay for that they have done to my son! Daughter of Athena, we have work to do. Gather your weapons, fight!
Rise!
"What about his body?" Julia asked, looking at Tyler's corpse. She didn't want to leave it for the vultures.
He will need it.
"Huh?"
Rise!
Julia lost control of her body. She gripped her makhaira and with her other hand she feed her fingers through the grips of Tyler's knife. She stood to her feet and examined the battle around her. She looked to Death's Doors to see the Heroes of Old, the Prophecy of Seven members, and other warriors doing battle with Pallas and Leon. They weren't making any progress.
Julia narrowed her eyes and walked off into that direction. As she walked a red foggy aura emitted from her skin. The red smoke steamed from her nostrils, eyes, and mouth. Several Immortals came to intercept her. They swung their weapons but Julia didn't even bother to block. Their swords made contact with her skin but they merely bounced off her harmlessly. Julia fired back with a swing or her sword and slash with Tyler's knife. The Immortals dropped like rocks. She made her way to Pallas and Leon while she threw enemies aside easily. Most of them cowered in fear by just looking into her eyes. They were forced to make a choice; die or run in fear. Most chose the latter. Julia fought threw the horde of enemies till she reached Death's Doors and the two giants. Her allies were fighting them the best they could but it was to no avail. They needed a god to kill a giant.
"ENOUGH!" Julia barked as she jumped into the battle. "THEY'RE MINE!" Her voice alone made her allies slowly back away. She spoke with the authority of a greek goddess. It was almost like one was speaking through her.
Slowly, they backed away and gave her space. They were either going to have to back off or fight her. It only took one look of her red eyes for them to make their decision. Her allies were blatantly against watching her fight on her own but they understood what was happening, and what they needed to do. They decided they would provide cover for Julia and protect her from any outside source while she did what she had to do.
"YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO HIM!" Julia screamed at the two Giants.
"What do you suppose you're going to do against two Giants, little girl?" Pallas brayed through her goat like laugh.
"Kill you for starters!" Julia told them matter-of-factly.
"Oh ho!" Leon roared in laughter. "Did you hear that, 'kills us,' she says!"
"I heard her brother! If she wants to die, then let her come!"
Pallas raised her hand and made a, 'bring it,' gesture. "Your move, Daughter of Athena!"
Julia grinned a Tyler grin. She twirled her makhaira and her trench knife experimentally, just how Tyler would have don it, just the way Eris would have done it. Slowly, Julia walked forward with no allies behind her or beside her. It was just her against the world.
Wisdom's daughter walks alone.
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