Chapter 16 – Freedom

The cracks were small at first, but the spread quickly as the surface of the statues was quickly covered. Crash and Crystal looked on in awe, even as Bolt, Mittens and Rhino burst out from the stone, all three taking huge gasps for air as the sun rose up from beyond the ocean. "Why…do I feel…so stiff?" Bolt asked as he tried to gain his breath back. "It's not just you!" Mittens told him in one breath. She quickly flopped to the ground. Bolt looked up, seeing the shock on the faces of his twins. "Crash?" he asked, "Crystal?" his breath still heavy as he tried to move his muscles. "Don't worry daddy!" Crystal said as she tried to hold her father up. It seemed easier this time. Crash turned, exiting the cave and called out, "Anyone who needs the Fenrir potion is welcome to it!" he said, seeing several gorgons turned to stone, "I'll take you to it, all I need is a wagon for my mom, dad and uncle!"

"You can use mine little one!" said a female gorgon with tears in her eyes. She stood near a male gorgon, the man fine but in his strong arms, the statue of small gorgon boy, fear etched in the child's face. Crash's heart just broke, the boy could not have been any older than he was. He saw tears in the stone face as his own tears began to well up. "This way!" he finally said, and turned, leading all of the pleading gorgons into the cave, before looking up, "Can I get a boost?" he asked one of the taller gorgons. The creature reached down, picking up the small kit, and lifting him to the ceiling where he instructed. Crash reached out, carefully picking the moss and holding it above the stone statue, "Bring him over here!" he said to the mother. She carefully moved her stone son, placing him right were the drop would hit the statue's head. Chase was careful, only letting one drop fall to the child's head, cracking the stone, and freeing the boy. The second he was freed, his mother grabbed him, pulling the gorgon boy into a tight hug as she wept for joy, "Ok!" Crash said catching everyone's attention, "I need the next person."

Odin and Sleipnir raced up the stairs, jumping from mushroom to mushroom as they ascended the inside of the tree, "Show yourself coward!" the bearded man shouted, his growl echoing through the halls just as he reached the top. Not an answer was given, forcing him to look around, growling as he tried to find the four armed traitor. Sleipnir walked forward, caution engulfing the horse as he let his instincts tell him if it were safe or not. Odin turned, just as they were about to walk by something. They both saw it, Zeus, trapped inside a large flower pod, the pedals both lying on the ground, and clutching the ice surrounding him.

Odin growled again, and slid from Sleipnir's back. With a simple touch of his hand, the pedals wilted, removing themselves from the Permafrost surrounding his friend. Odin reached out, trying to grab his friend, only to touch the ice, his hand instantly going cold. He removed his appendage, rubbing it with his other hand to warm it back up, "So this is what you have created!" he said, and turned back to Sleipnir. He worked quickly, pulling a rope from the saddle, wrapping it around the ice, and tying it to the saddle of his horse. With a quick slap, Sleipnir took off, dragging the frozen Zeus behind him.

"So!" he heard, and turned to face the azure, "You think I can be defeated by Zeus? I already defeated him once!"

"I try and save my friend." Odin said in response, "I shall be your opponent!"

"You think to defeat me?" Shiva asked as he drew his four swords. "We shall see!" Odin responded. It seemed like the silence between them afterwards would penetrate everything, noise seemed forbidden within the walls where the two glared at each other, until Odin lifted his spear, and raced forward, while Shiva dove for the bearded god, his four scimitars lifted above his head, each of them calling out for battle.

Back outside, Chase knocked a few more giants to the ground, using whatever speed he gathered to push them over as he pounced on their chests. He turned back to the gates of Yggdrasil, hoping to see Odin march out with Shiva in chains. Instead he found nothing, and turned just in time to find another giant reaching for him. He backed off, dodging the hand just as he heard the distinct sound of a horse crying out loud. "Sleipnir!" he said, and ran away from the giant, not even noticing Thor's hammer as it slammed into the beast, shattering it. "Father's steed!" the human god said, and raced on after the kit.

The two reached the horse, Thor reaching up to steady his reigns, and heard a thud behind the eight legged creature. The two of them turned, finding Zeus still frozen, yet tied to the saddle, the ice slightly cracked, and wet to the touch. "It's…melting!" Chase said, and pointed a single claw, "I knew it, I knew there was no such thing as Permafrost!"

"Now is not the time for gloating young one!" Thor responded, "Zeus has appeared, yet Odin has not! I fear my father may be in need of assistance. He is strong yet prideful, and ever so stubborn!"

"I'll go check it out!" Chase said, "You use that hammer of yours to thaw out Zeus! We'll need his thunderbolt to help win this fight!" Thor nodded, and stood as Chase ran off, turning to the hidden kit on his shoulder, "Follow him!" he said, "Keep him safe!" She simply nodded, and dropped from her perch on his shoulder, touching ground and racing off to follow her brother.

Inside the tree, Chase found Shiva and Odin almost at war with each other, each one nearly tearing at the other as they swung their weapons, clashing with the other and dodging as much as they could. "I'm coming Odin!" Chase whispered, and raced on, climbing the mushroom stairs, each step he ascended becoming faster as he went.

Shiva slashed and stabbed, each of his arms holding a large scimitar that he used to deflect Odin's spear, and the curved blade the bearded god held. The two locked blades, and the Azure looked behind his opponent, before pushing even harder. Odin tried pushing back, but found himself off balance, and falling right into one of the pod flowers, quickly becoming wrapped in its pedals, and the pollen quickly putting him to sleep. "To think, the great and powerful Odin," Shiva responded, and lifted two of his swords, one on each side of his body. He held them up, ready to slide the blades through Odin's neck, "At my blade's tip!" he finished, and was tackled by the speeding kit. Shiva was tossed across the floor, slamming into each pillar as he did, falling to the floor, unmoving, each of his blades scattered across the ground.

Chase stuck out his tongue, spitting his disgust at the four armed menace. He quickly turned to the trapped god, his friend, Odin, "Don't worry Odin, I'll get you out of there!' he said, and jumped up, grabbing the tip of one of the pedals, pulling it down to the ground, "That was easier than with Zeus, probably because he was covered with ice!" he said and jumped up again, grabbing another pedal. He repeated the process, completely occupied, not noticing the slow movements of the Azure as Shiva picked up one of his swords.

Down on the ground, Peach walked in, looking up and seeing her brother, happy that he was safe. She jumped up to the first stair, and turned again, spying Shiva as the traitor crept up on the preoccupied kit. 'Chase! Behind you!' she called out through her mind, yet he didn't respond, 'Chase, run! Shiva's behind you!' she tried again, hoping to find a different result, he just continued helping Odin.

Shiva continued, carefully trying to keep his shadow or any noise from alerting the little mixed bread animal, his sword slowly rising up above his head.

Peach ascended more steps, looking up to her brother again, Shiva was just about ready to strike, "CHASE LOOK OUT!" she screamed, and leaned forward in pain, clutching one of her paws to her throat.

Chase turned, not only spying Peach, but getting a glimpse of the blade of Shiva as it came down. With a quick roll, he moved, causing the blade to hit the ground instead, slicing the pod's stem and causing it to spill some kind of liquid on the ground. The tree began to shake, Shiva looking up at the inside as Yggdrasil trembled. Chase raced off to his sister, hoping that what he thought had happened didn't really happen, "PEACH!" he called as he reached her. She trembled with the pain, her paw clutching her throat as if choking.

End Chapter 16