Chapter 31

Herry wasn't in the best state of mind to be driving, but he couldn't stand to be home any longer listing to Jay waste time. He made a right that would lead him out of town and to his grandmother's. The turn put the setting sun directly in the center of his window. He groaned and squinted through the light, swatting the visor down, but it wasn't quite low enough to block the sun. He fumbled on the consol for a pair of sunglasses, but found none. Grumbling he leaned over to the glove box and snagged the pair there, ramming them on his face just in time to see the porcupine lumbering across the road. He cursed and slammed on the breaks, he came screeching to a stop. The porcupine stopped and blinked dumbly up at his truck.

"Come on," he growled under his breath. When it didn't budge he whipped into the oncoming lane and zoomed past the animal. He rolled along down the highway, flicking on the radio when he came out his head long enough to realize the silence. A bird call came chirping over his speakers and he remembered Opal had left her iPod plugged in. He snapped off the radio and flicked the device to the far end of the cab. Gripping his steering wheel in white knuckled fists he tore down the road.

A glance to his rear view mirror informed him the small red car that had been behind him all through town had now made the same turn as him. He narrowed his eyes at the small figure in the mirror. It was too much of a coincidence. Theresa had a red car. He slammed his foot down on the break and pulled off onto the shoulder. The car stopped too, pulling off hundreds of meters behind.

Herry grumbled in irritation reaching for his seatbelt buckle. He was just about to jump out of his truck when his PMR buzzed in the cup holder. He paused his exit and scooped up the phone, flicking it open to read Jay's text. Trouble on the far side of town, Theresa's out, we need a ride over.

"Herry," he jumped at his name, looking out the driver door window to see the red car pulled up beside his truck, Theresa in the driver's side.

"You go, I'll head back to the brownstone," he instructed through his open window, only giving Theresa enough time to nod before he tossed his truck in drive.

The scorpion's body alone was the size of a van. Legs blurred together as it scurried, eight of them. It had a hard, plated body, two pincers and a sharp pointed stinger. It smashed its claws into buildings and vehicles. People ran screaming out of the beast's rampage.

Herry zoomed up in his truck, parking it across both lanes of the road to cease its progression. Jay hurdled out of the truck, unsheathing his sword. He ran straight into a battle, knowing his team would be fast to follow.

"Take out the legs," Jay called and zigzagged in close, bringing his sword down on one of its middle legs. The roughly barbed limb fell to the ground, the scorpion quickly skittered around knocking Jay in the stomach with the flat side of its claw, sending him flying through the air and down the pavement of the street. It started scurrying over to him, but Archie lashed out with his whip and removed another leg from the other side of the creature. It raised its stinger higher in irritation and lunged out its claw to grab Archie's ankle. It began dragging him closer, stinger aiming. Archie dug his fingers around the grate of a gutter.

"Guys, I could use some help over here," he yelled. Herry jumped in, smashing his interlocked hands down on the joint of the claw, cracking its thick hide. Black ooze ran out of the wound. With its uninjured claw it whammed Herry in the stomach in an attempt to knock him away in the same fashion as Jay, but he held fast.

"Whoo," he yelled as he was lifted meters into the air, the scorpion brought its claw to its face, eight shining, black eyes observing Herry. He made a sound of disgust at the creature's horrid face, its pinching mandibles twitching. He launched away from the claw when the stinger came down for his head. Stumbling backwards Herry fell on his back and then pushed himself further away on hands and feet. He was shoved up against a flipped car, cornered. The scorpion drew back its stinger like an archer would an arrow.

In a frantic search Herry scoured his surrounding for something to block the stinger with. He yanked free the door from the car he was stuck against and tucked under it just in time. The tip of the stinger punched right through the metal of the car door with a horrid crunch and a drip off green venom dropped onto his shirt. Herry laughed nervously, staring down the length of the stinger, its sharp point glinting in front of his eyes. It pulled back its tail, bringing Herry's makeshift shield with it. With a flick it sent the door tumbling through the air, it crashed on the sidewalk, glass shards spewing onto the road.

Atlanta swarmed over and pulled him to his feet, dragging him to a more open area. She fired off her bolas for its good claw, wrapping it closed. Jay was up again and jumped in to take another leg, but it didn't seem to be slowed by its missing limbs. Theresa followed and knocked off another with her nunchucks. It was still as fast as before with half the number of legs.

Odie had darted into an alleyway to find a safe place to activate his portal shifter. His feet froze to the ground. He was met face to face with Percival. His motorcycle was tucked away in the ally, Opal ducking behind it. Percival had his knife ready in his fist, standing at the corner of a building for clear vantage point of the battle.

"Better activate that," the man said, snapping Odie out of his daze.

"Right," he nodded. He activated the device and nestled it in a nook beside a dumpster. He jogged back to the road, up beside Neil cowering behind the corner of a building. Odie stood with him for a moment as he studied the scene. There had to be a faster way to finish this thing off.

"Come on Neil," he pushed him out into the street, "start helping."

"Ahh," he screeched and fought against the smaller man, "Maybe if I had a weapon I could." The scorpion narrowed in on the pitched sound and scurried over on legs in a blur. Neil screamed again as it brought its stinger up. When it tried to strike down on them it impaled the street light directly above them instead. It burst into a tiny explosion of sparks and the glass from the bulb showered down on them.

"That's it," Odie said, gripping the sleeve of Neil's shirt as he jogged away, carefully brushing the glass shards from his hair.

"Hey," Neil whined, brushing away Odie's hand from his shirt, "You'll wrinkle it."

"This is taking too long," Odie ignored Neil's complaining and yelled to the group, "Use the charge in the PMRs."

"Explode it?" Atlanta asked and laughed excitedly.

"That's great Odie," Archie said, tossing out his hands and raising an eyebrow, "but how do we get it in the scorpion?"

"Easy," Herry removed the charge from the back of his PMR and clutched it in his fist. He ran straight for the scorpion, it lunged with its stinger. Dropping to the tarmac Herry skid underneath the creature, the stinger barely missed him. The tip imbedded into the concrete and trapped it there for a moment. While the scorpion struggled to pull its stinger free Herry forced his fist through the thick carapace of its underbelly, directly where all the eight legs came to attach to the thorax.

"Ewww," Herry scrunched up his nose and leaned back his head, the insides of the scorpion sloshed against his skin, slimy intestines wrapping around his arm, he deposited the charge deep inside its gut. He yanked his hand free, black tar coating his arm all the way up to his elbow. A river of black oil ejaculated from the hole all over Herry's face and chest. Centipedes ran up his spine, he felt an urgent need to free himself of the slick substance coating him and the sudden choking smell of petroleum. He rolled out from under the scorpion and jogged to a clear distance. Shuddering as he whipped the ooze from his skin the best he could.

Odie pressed the detonator and the creature exploded. The street was splattered with the black insides of the scorpion, intestines hanging from street lights like tinsel on a Christmas tree. Rough fragments of its hide projected out like sharp mill from a grenade. The heroes shielded their heads from the bombard, dropping to balls on the ground. Everyone suffered nicks and cuts from the scorpion's fragmented body. When the shock wave passed Neil jumped to his feet with a scream.

"What is this?" Neil pulled at his shirt, stained with sticky, black splotches.

"I don't know, but it's itchy as hell," Herry said, rubbing the now dried substance from his face.

"Haha," Atlanta jumped up, fists waving, "That was awesome."

"No, that was not awesome," Neil interjected, "That was messy and disgusting."

"Messy and disgusting and awesome," she said with bright laughter.

"Hey, Odie," Archie patted him on the back, "that really was a good idea."

"It's not over yet," Jay said and looked for Cronus. The god had an appalled look on his face as he took in the black gore slathered all over the street.

"Was that really necessary?" he asked.

"What you got for us now Cronus?" Jay taunted.

"This isn't over Jay," he reached a hand behind him and his black portal whirled open. Cronus paused from where he stood on top of a tipped minivan, frozen as he stared at his portal. He reached out his hand to hover over it. The wondering expression on his face slowly morphed into a smile. The portal blinked closed and he turned back to the seven heroes.

"I don't think I'm quite finished with you today," he rocketed off his platform. Landing in front of Atlanta he scooped her up in his scythe. Spinning around he launched her forward, conjuring a portal right in front of her trajectory.

"No, Atlanta," Archie ran for her as she stumbled forward, arms windmilling. Her hands pushed through the dark void and then he shoulders. Archie felt like he was in a dream where he knew he had to run, but his feet wouldn't move. The world swirled to a stop around him. He could hear his blood surging though his arteries. She was almost gone; all that he could see were her lower legs. He jumped, extending his grasp and reaching his hand until it felt like his arm was going to pull from his shoulder socket as he flew through the air. Landing flat on the concrete, the grit there biting into his skin, he grabbed Atlanta's foot, gripping it for life. Archie rolled away from the portal, and Atlanta pulled free. They tumbled together on the road, scraping to a stop.

Breathing coming in labored breaths they looked into each other's faces, Atlanta laying flat on top of Archie. A smile spread across her face and laughter bubbled up from her lungs. He smirked as well, finally letting the relief spread through him. She was safe and sound laying on top of him, digging her elbow into his ribs.

Archie's blood ran as cold as it had seconds ago when he thought she was lost, his muscles frozen in surprise by one simple gesture. Atlanta's lips were everything he thought they would be, a little chapped, but warm against his. It took a long time for his brain to process what exactly she was doing, but only an instant to return her kiss. Somewhere behind them Cronus screamed in outrage and they scrambled to their feet, jumping back to the battle at hand.

Cronus growled and lunged for the closest hero, Neil shrieked and dropped. The god missed his swipe, but his momentum kept him moving forward. He tripped over Neil, hunched like a turtle on the ground, and crashed to the pavement. Percival was steps form the god. He launched himself from the ally, biting the edge of his blade into the skin of Cronus' neck and jabbing his knee between his shoulder blades. Herry was quick to jump beside the older man to help him pin the god. One hand holding both of Cronus' wrists to his lower back and the other smashing his face into the pavement. The god squirmed and growled, but couldn't budge.

"I'll call Hermes to whip up a portal," Odie said, punching on his phone.

"No," Cronus yelled through clenched teeth. He turned his head right down against the road and let out a roar. Fire spewed from his mouth and came licking up around his head. Both Herry and Percival jerked their hands back from the gods head out of pure instinct. With some of the pressure gone Cronus jerked out of his hold. He took off sprinting down the road and down an ally.

"After him," Archie yelled, lashing out his whip. It wrapped around his ankle and the god went down with a hard thud. Rolling to his back Cronus shot a bolt of bright energy from the end of his scythe. It flashed down the road and with painful groans the heroes shielded their eyes. When the retina burning light faded Cronus had vanished, but in the middle of the dingy ally was Odie's contraption ripped in two.