– Chapter Thirty-Three –

Fire and Thunder

"Really, Hector?" Charis called from the kitchen of their new townhouse. "Must you leave your teabags on the counter? We just moved in!" She huffed, picking up the teabag and sighed, staring at it.

"Exactly!" Hector called from the living room, "We just moved in, we don't have a garbage yet."

Charis walked through the kitchen to the living holding the tea bag up. Her husband was sitting on the living room floors, boxes all around him, as he put together the china cabinet. His steaming cup of tea was on the coffee table beside.

"Hector," Charis scolded, "we have a garbage bag open for this reason."

"Sorry, honey," answered Hector, looking up and flashing her a smile. "But seeing as you have in your hand, could you just toss it for me?"

Charis rolled her eyes, "why did I marry you?" she asked.

"Because you love me," Hector answered. "I distinctly remember a certain trip to a very fiery place where you snuggled up with me and told me you loved me."

"I did not say that!" Charis replied, trying not to smile. "You were the one who said that."

"Oh, yeah," Hector answered, smiling at the memory. "But you were thinking it."

Charis tsked. "You know that Romi's started doing it too? Leaving her teabags all over the place. You could be a better example for your daughter."

"Romi's not here right now," Hector said, putting the finishing touches on the china cabinet and standing up. "It's just you and me – alone."

He wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her.

"Yes," answered Charis, when he let go, "you, me and a houseful of boxes that you still have to unpack."

Hector chuckled, kissed her on the nose and turned to pick up his tea.

"Are you still having problems with the hot water tap in there?" Hector asked.

"Yeah," replied Charis, turning to walk back into the kitchen.

Except when she walked in, there was someone in there already.

"Oh my god," Charis said faintly, dropping the tea bag on the floor. "You can't be here!"

Andromeda took a couple of steps forward.

"Mum, listen to me," Andromeda said, holding out her hands. Charis took a step back, bumping into Hector who had hurried into the kitchen doorway.

"You can't be here," Charis repeated, sounding horrified, "If you're here then…" she trailed off staring at Andromeda.

"I know," Andromeda said, quickly, "please, I need your help. Something's happened."

Death rolled her shoulders and walked away from Neville.

"I'll just give you a minute," she said, going over to where Phoebe was lying unconscious. The zombies had faded thanks to Astaroth. He came up beside Neville, whining and putting his face near Romi's.

Luna and Ginny came running up next, Ginny supporting Luna on her weak foot. Romi's hand was still in Neville's, and he was watching Death with a sort of blank expression.

Ginny dropped to her knees beside them. She had cuts on her face that were bleeding down her neck, but she was ignoring them. Ginny put a hand to Romi's chest. There was so much blood, but it wasn't pumping any more.

"That's not possible," muttered Ginny, shaking her head. She moved as though she was trying to wipe the blood away. Astaroth cried louder.

Ginny glanced up at Luna, silent tears were running down her face.

"Well," said another voice, and the three looked up to see Phoebe standing up and stretching. She had massive claw marks ripped into her abdomen, she shouldn't be alive, but she was anyways. "I think that's enough grieving," she said. "Hand over the pendants."

Neville carefully lay Romi on the ground. He closed her eyes, and tucked some of her red hair behind her ear, so it wasn't in her face. He let go on her hand, putting in over the dreadful hole in her chest.

He then picked up Romi's sword that was lying at her feet and then stood and looked at Phoebe.

"No," he said shortly, his expression determined. Phoebe looked surprised.

"You're best friend just died," she said, "just give them up and you can be with her."

"No," repeated Neville.

"Oh, come on," Phoebe said, waving her hand like he was being silly, and walking towards them. "Just give them–"

Astaroth whipped around and snapped at Phoebe, nearly taking her hand off. Phoebe jumped back. Death came beside her, eyeing the dragon that was still growling warily.

"I said no," Neville said, firmly.

"Fine," answered Phoebe annoyed. "Death?"

"With pleasure," Death sneered, and stamped her foot again. The ground rumbled again, and cracked opened. Ginny stood quickly and fired another arrow at Phoebe, who disappeared and reappeared close enough to pull the bow out of her hands.

Astaroth stayed near Luna and Romi, doing his best to protect both of them. Neville, however, went straight for Death. He screamed and brought Romi's sword down on Death. Death parried it and took a swing of her own.

"Oh, just give up," she hissed. "You can't defeat me." Death managed to get a blow with her hand under Neville's defence, and he stumbled to the right. "I mean really, I don't even know how you managed to defeat my brother."

Neville took another swing at Death. He was losing this battle, he had always been terribly at sword fighting, but somehow he didn't seem to care.

He swung again, and tried to fire a spell at Death. Death knocked his wand away and it struck a tree falling into the underbrush. He grabbed the sword with two hands, and swung it at Death.

Thunder was booming above them, lighting flashing in a raging storm, but there was no rain yet.

"You are going to lose," hissed Death, and suddenly she got under Neville's guard, and Romi's sword went flying away.

Neville stood up, looking at Death, keeping his chin high. Death chuckled.

"If this is how you want to die," she said, "so be it."

The lightening reached its peak and Death raised her scythe to spear Neville.

Then a hand grabbed her wrist, pushing her back a step. Andromeda stood in between Neville and Death, and thrusting out a hand sent a massive thunderbolt from her finger tips directly into Death, and sent her flying away.

Neville let out a breath, stunned and looked behind him to where he had left Romi. She wasn't there. Astaroth and Luna were still fighting the last of the zombies and Ginny was keeping Phoebe occupied. Neville looked back to Andromeda. She didn't look much different, and in fact she still had blood on her front and up her arms. Andromeda wasn't looking at Neville though. She was looking at Death, with the most furious expression he had ever seen.

"Did you really think that you could kill me?!" Andromeda said, fiercely dangerously. Death got to her feet and looked Andromeda up and down, shaking her head.

"But," Death stuttered, "You weren't…"

"Just because I'm not around all the time, doesn't mean I'm not here," Andromeda said. She turned to look at Astaroth and Luna. She flung her arm out and a lightning bolt ripped down from the sky and obliterated the rest of the zombies. Astaroth and Luna looked around surprised. Luna looked shocked, glancing between Neville and Andromeda as though she couldn't process what she was seeing.

Andromeda looked back at Death, who was looking furious.

"Did you really think that I would be defeated by you after seven thousand years?" Andromeda hissed, whipping out another thunderbolt that caught Death around the waist and tore her to the ground. The lightning disappeared and Death tried to crawl backwards away from Andromeda.

"You locked us in hell!" Death spat. "We are Old Ones just like you!"

"You deserved it!" Andromeda growled. "You ruined everything that the Old Ones tried to keep! Even the Titans agreed upon your punishment!"

"They didn't know the full story!" Death hissed. "And they got sent to Hell as well!"

"Well, you'd best say hi to them for me," Andromeda replied, "because that's where you are going – along with your brothers."

Death screamed and jumped forward, but Andromeda twisted her arms and four thunderbolts appeared, bound Death around her arms and legs and slammed her against a tree. Andromeda walked forward and reaching out plucked the chain off Death's neck. Death struggled against the lightning, but she couldn't break free.

Andromeda held up the necklace, there was a small pendant of a tree at the bottom.

Andromeda looked at Death. Death spat at her, but Andromeda didn't react.

She pulled out the three other chains, and held the pendants in her hands. She placed the fourth with them and after a second they changed shape and stuck together until they formed a four sided pyramid. Each side had an engraving of Pestilence, Famine, War and Death of it.

Andromeda looked back to Death.

"Have fun," she said, and threw the contraption to the ground. "In infernis arderet," she hissed. Death screamed, and the wind tore through the clearing. There was a meow at Andromeda's feet and she glanced down to see Zhi sitting there with a glowing jar beside her.

Andromeda glanced at the screaming Death once more and then bent down to pick up the jar. She tossed it in her hands for a moment and then looked around. Ginny was still trying to fight with Phoebe.

"Ginny!" Andromeda shouted. Ginny turned, shocked to hear Romi's voice. "Duck!" Andromeda said.

Ginny ducked just as Phoebe had raised a hand to strike her again. Andromeda chucked the jar of Hellfire at her. Phoebe's eyes went wide and petrified as she looked at Andromeda and then to the jar sailing right towards her. It broke and the Hellfire engulfed her.

Another thunderclap broke over the air, and the fire ball that was the late False Prophet, and Death was sucked into the small hole that the pendants had made by the wind.