So I'm curious to know what you guys thought of the demons from what I wrote last chapter. I wanted to give a bit of "Supernatural" possession feel into them, which you'll probably notice better in this chapter. Tell me what you think. And now, we continue on to the battle! And the last scene from the battle is written in dedication and recognition of koryandrs-thanks for the idea!
PS. I'm changing the rating from K+ to M for the growing amount of blood & violence I seem to be writing into this.
Chapter 7: Fallen from Grace
Doing all they could to keep running and keeping afoot through the massive tremors flowing through the island, Hippolyta and Philippus raced towards the royal palace, now being heavily fortified by the Amazons in order to protect their Queen. In the heavens, the massive battle continued to ring out as Thor and Wonder Woman kept up their attack on each other unrelenting, the lightning and thunder decorating the skies.
"Has anyone gone to check up on Fiona and her guard?!" Hippolyta screamed to her general so she could be heard above the din of the thunder.
"No, my Queen; in all honesty, I just remembered the gates myself. I don't think anyone had actually thought about it. The gates of Tartarus, I'm guessing, are the furthest thing from the minds of our sisters!"
"Hades!" Hippolyta cursed to herself. Zeus himself had commanded her to ensure that nothing and no one open the Underworld's gates, under any circumstances; if it were opened on her watch, the consequences would be catastrophic, not just for Olympus but for the entirety of Man's World. That was a force that she believed-no, she KNEW-that not even the Justice League could ever hope to protect the planet against.
"Philippus, sent a few soldiers to the cavern to ensure nothing has damaged the gates," the Queen commanded. "Have them report back. We need to figure out a way to stop this battle before they tear both the island and the gates apart."
"Yes, my Queen," Philippus answered before she ran off. Hippolyta then cast her eyes to the battle. No sooner did she do so than Thor crashed into the ground before her, then quickly flew into a backflip, narrowly avoiding the devastating kick that Diana rammed into the ground just where he was lying seconds ago. At that, the Amazon flew right into the Asgardian, resulting in both crashing into another garden.
"Hera, help us," whispered Hippolyta.
"I loved this garden," Diana whispered icily as she held Thor by the throat, blood seeping down from the corner of her mouth. "It held some of the most beautiful flowers on the island. Some of which I had planted myself, and you DESTROYED IT!" With those words Diana flung him over her head into the ground.
"You chose to ram us both into it, Wonder Woman," Thor replied, suddenly grabbing her with his legs and slamming her into the ground also, then jumping up and body slamming into her chest. "You really have only yourself to blame." Before he could do anything else, however, Diana rammed her fists into his face, momentarily stunning him enough for her to land a devastating kick at his crotch.
Never before had Thor felt so much pain.
"Metahuman or not," Diana laughed coldly, "You're still a man." As Thor doubled over in agonizing pain, she grabbed his face and proceeded to slam it down repeatedly on one of the marble chunks unrelenting, hell-bent on breaking his face for the damage done to Themyscera. With each blow, more and more blood spewed from Thor's nose, and he felt some of his teeth begin to fracture with the godly force behind Wonder Woman's hits. To his shock, he was slowly beginning to start to lose consciousness. 'This is madness! I am a god, and I am being bested? By a woman?!' The thought enraged him, more than enough to grab the arm Diana had on his head and pull it-and therefore her-to him, and paid her back in full with a flurry of relentless elbow hits right into her face, just as powerful as her blows. Blood began to flow freely from her nose also, and the trickle by her mouth slowly began to thicken.
"Do you wish to end this now, Wonder Woman?" Thor asked coldly as she fell to the ground, coughing up blood. Her response was to look at him with a murderous gaze and spit blood at him, standing up tall and proud, as an Amazon shoot.
"When your body is burning to a crisp in Tartarus, Thor, only then will I stop," she replied defiantly. She dropped her blade and lasso aside, taking up a fighting stance and motioned for Thor to hit her. The motion was not lost on him. He dropped Mjolnir to the ground and took up a fighting stance as well.
"Very well."
With that the two near omnipotent beings rushed into each other, engaging in an earth-shattering brawl, utilizing the millennia's worth of combat skills each had at their disposal.
A squadron of heavily armed Amazons rushed down the spiraling staircase that led to the cavern holding the gates of Tartarus. When General Philippus had told them the current battle between the Princess and the intruder could very well force open the Underworld, they immediately shivered-the creatures and entities Hades had in there…well, let's just say it would be better for the entire planet if they remained down there. So it was just natural that they head down there to make sure nothing had happened and that the gateway was still sealed.
As they entered the cavern, they saw two things. One: the ground was littered with chunks of rock from the ceiling, the rumblings of the battle on the surface clearly felt down here, and the Amazon guard were either keeping away from the rocks or were struggling to get up from the ground; two: the mechanisms holding the gates locked and secure were still intact.
"Fiona," the squad leader yelled. "Philippus sent us to make sure nothing's happened down here. Are you all ok?"
"We're fine, just a few hits from the falling rock chunks," Fiona groaned as she rubbed her sword arm. "We've been lucky so far-none of the debris managed to hit the gate. What is happening up there?"
"A man came to the island."
"A supervillian from Man's World?"
"No, this man claims to be from another universe, or realm. He wanted to speak with Olympus to 'find a way home.' Then he claimed to be a god of thunder. Fiona, he decimated the entire Amazon army and stood against Queen Hippolyta. Right now, the Princess is battling him-and she can barely stand against him!"
"Hades!" Fiona gasped. "Sister, you must go back and ensure our Queen remains safe!"
"But what about you and your squad, sister?"
"We shall be fine-we will never allow anything to damage the locks upon Tartarus. Go!"
At that, the squad leader nodded and ordered her unit back up, her closely following behind. As soon as they disappeared into the stairs, Fiona's eyes flickered black. She turned to her unit, whose eyes were all the same black.
"The Amazons are none the wiser, Lord Hades-they relay the news that the gates are still secure as we speak."
Excellent, my minion; now that you and the other possess those unfortunate guards, proceed as planned.
"My Lord, this…intruder the Amazon spoke of-if he has caused such destruction upon the island and is as powerful as she says-what if he's still there when we execute the plan?"
Despite my hatred for the Champion of the Amazons, I firmly believe she will find a way to defeat him. And if not, I shall deal with him myself. Thunder God...BAH!
Diana crashed through the trees, landing flat on her back. Despite her having a potent healing factor, she was getting more injuries than her healing could heal. She was covered with healing, old and raw scars, bruises and scrapes. The blood flow had finally more or less subsided from her nose until Thor fired an uppercut to her chin and landed a follow-up punch to her face, sending her flying to the ground where she was now-then it began flowing freely again, into her mouth and down her chin, dripping onto her cleavage and armor.
Diana was one of the most powerful entities to walk the face of the Earth. She was proud and mighty. But if she had to be honest with herself-this opponent was dishing out way too much for her to hand, she feared. So powerful, so strong and durable…the Princess was sure that she held some good internal body damage from all the hits he had landed, and she knew for certain that her nose was broken again for the third time in this battle. He was walking all over her in this battle. Granted, she dished back just as much, but he seemed to shrug it off all the time.
Diana of Themyscera was starting to fear Thor would crush her, and then move on to destroy the entire island.
"Diana!"
She turned to see her mother running to her side, realizing she was back near the palace. She immediately feared for her mother's safety, as the army was supposed to be securing her safety within a fortified palace.
"Mother, what are you-"
"Listen to me! This battle is endangering the seals upon the gates of Tartarus! You must subdue Thor before the cavern is destroyed and the gates are opened, less Hades himself be unleashed upon the world."
At those words, Dian froze and paled with fear. Every Amazon, despite professing fearlessness, knew it was stupid to deny fear of the horrors of the Underworld. Hades, God of the Underworld and its dead hordes, had sworn revenge when Zeus condemned him to eternity there. He had broken out once before a few centuries after Heracles decimated the island-only with the help of Athena, Hera and Zeus himself did they beat him back into Tartarus. That happened a few millennia before she had been created, but the stories terrified her.
"By Hera…mother…I-I don't think I can beat him." The words shocked her, and she felt ashamed at them, but Hippolyta seemed to understand. "He matches me in strength and speed, and his weapon is mighty and…I don't think I can beat him…"
"Then I will help you, my sun and stars. I have an idea." The queen proceeded to tell her daughter the plan. "Just keep him busy long enough to get it ready, my daughter," she finished.
Diana stood with new resolve. "Don't worry, mother. I got this." With that, Diana took to the air to reengage her enemy. Hippolyta, still unfamiliar with modern-day language, frowned in confusion.
"Got what?"
Thor had never been in a fight like this…not even the Hulk on one of his bad days, or the Sentry when he succumbed to the Void, had ever given him such a challenge in battle; or such pain as a result.
His nose was broken, though his healing was slowly fixing that. He had been beaten, battered, hurled, slammed and bangkoked-Hel, was that painful. His armor had sustained serious damaged and his helmet had fallen off somewhere during the brawl. He ached all over and was very sore. His armed hurt to move and his legs were shaking. Not to mention his slash wound from earlier was still bleeding, albeit it was healing. And his face was covered in dark crimson from his nose and mouth.
But he was Asgardian, a prince…an Avenger. And an Avenger does not fall.
Standing up once more, he faced the direction where he flung Wonder Woman, through the trees, hearing the now painfully familiar sound of speedy flight and prepared his body to take the full brunt of her tackle as Diana slammed into him, both continuing the battle.
*15 minutes later*
Hippolyta finished mixing the ingredients together and began mashing them into powder as quickly as she could. In the distance, she could still here the battle raging on, the thunder and lightning decorating the heavens. She knew she was running out of time.
Philippus stood next to her, a pitcher of water in hand. At the queen's request, she handed it to her and watched as she mixed the powder into the water, watching it dissolve into the liquid. At once she took a small knife and dipped it into the concoction.
"My queen, are you sure this will succeed?"
"If it doesn't, then may Olympus have mercy on our souls."
They were about 80 feet apart. Around them, the carnage of trees, fountains, statues and temples laid, chunks of marble and stone that were unlucky enough to feel the repercussions of the battle. The ground was marked with various dents and craters.
Sometime in the battle, they had decided to resort back to using their weapons again. That only made the fight even more draining. Now, Wonder Woman and Thor were all but exhausted.
Diana knelt, supporting herself with her sword as she breathed laboriously, each breath taken a struggle in its own right. Her body was battered and almost broken, littered with bruises and cuts. Blood oozed from her nose and mouth, and stained her armor, boots and leaked out from a nasty gash on her left arm from where Thor had turned her sword against her. Blood leaked from a few injuries on her legs, coating the beautiful smooth skin with a dark, foreboding crimson.
Thor could barely stand, breath also quite a labor for him. His blonde hair was stained with dirt, dust and blood, to the point where one could barely see the gold color. His cheek held a slowly healing gash from Diana's blade, blood dripping from it at a steady pace. He had lost a few teeth and his nose and mouth also oozed blood. His gloves were tattered and chinks from his armor were slowly falling down, revealing heavy bruises and cuts that leaked blood. His hand somehow had the strength to hold onto Mjolnir.
They looked at each other, believing more and more that they could not defeat the other. Of course, they weren't about to admit it.
"Come, Wonder Woman," Thor rasped. "I am clearly getting the best of you. Stand down, before you kill yourself."
"Really, Thor?" Wonder Woman retorted. "You're in as bad a shape as I am. Besides"-she struggled but failed to get up-"I'm still in good enough condition to take you down."
It took all his remaining strength for Thor to lift Mjolnir to the skies. "If that is the case, then you will come to regret your decision." Lightning began to crackle as Mjolnir glowed, and Diana knew he was getting ready to fire another lightning blast, and she knew she'd never dodge or escape it. Meanwhile, Thor didn't know if he had it in him to fire one last blast…his bones ached…he knew that if he did manage to do it, he'd be drained.
"Diana!"
Both warriors turned-painfully-to see Hippolyta as she arrived, backed by a squad of Amazons, and threw a knife at Diana. She knew immediately what this was and caught it by the hilt. Turning to Thor, the look of confusion evident on his face as he tried to figure out what was going on, she used her last bit of strength to stand up and throw the blade at him.
"HERA, GIVE ME STRENGTH!"
The blade flew, lodging itself right into Thor's slash wound, enticing a loud roar of pain from the Norse deity. Dropping his weapon, he forced himself to kneel, digging the blade out of his wound. Before he could yell out a flurry of Asgardian slander, the waves of dizziness and fatigue bombarded him like hail on Jotumheim.
"What…manner of sorcery..?" he mumbled as he tried to stay conscious and aware, his legs buckling under him.
"That, Thor, was a sleep poison," Diana said as she painfully walked over to the Asgardian. "It would usually take a bit longer to take effect, but your fatigue and pain from our battle…is apparently too much, and the poison takes affect rather quickly. You won't die from it, but it will keep you unconscious and sedated for quite a while even after you awaken again."
"Treachery…you claim to be…honor-" Thor mumbled before he collapsed, the poison taking full effect. He was taken by the poison, as it ate at him, his body welcoming the sense of peace and promised comfort.
Diana painfully placed her leg on his back, in her typical victorious pose. "I've beaten you, Thor. My home is safe again. I have proven I am your better." She was surprised to hear a slurred chuckle.
"No…You resorted to trickery…You haven't beaten me…" Thor said, and with those words he fell into unconsciousness. But his words did the trick, as Diana realized she really didn't beat Thor-basically she cheated. The battle was a draw before her mother…her mother….
Diana collapsed onto the ground, her battle with Thor finally taking its toll on her body. The strain was too great for her. The last thing she heard before going unconscious was her mother screaming her name.
Shame…I thought she could actually defeat him. Seems that they are both just too well matched to figure out which is the stronger.
Sooo... maybe that ended differently than what you expected. Reviews please?
Next up on Monday: The Invasion from Tartarus begins and Thor's capture! (Not necessarily in that order.)