A/N: Yeah, sorry for the late upload. Just came back from the hospital since I left home yesterday morning. My little sister had swelling on her face and her hands and my mom and I rushed to the hospital just to make sure it wasn't anything that might be fatal. Thankfully, it was just an allergic reaction and she was kept overnight to let the swelling die down but she's fine now. Had about four hours of sleep(very little from my usual 7 hours), so if there are mistakes, I'll probably fix them when I wake up from my nap.
Okay, now onto the story!
Ritz-Carlton, LA:
A few hours later:
Theo's POV:
"Holmes, you know that Hunters are supposed to be incognito and hidden from their targets, right?" I muttered with a sigh as we stood in front of the extravagant hotel and he scoffed as Jack unloaded our baggage.
"Ah, when do you get the time to live in such extravagance, such magnificent?" He said with a blissful sigh and I rolled my eyes before we both heard a wheeze, turning our heads to see Jack taking deep breaths as he leaned against the pile of luggage next to me.
"May we help, sir?" I turned my head and saw a doorman walking towards us while moving one of those golden trolley-like things. Never learned the same of those as I was never as focused on expensive stuff as most would be.
"If you can, please. I'm afraid my friend might strain his back." I said with a smile and the doorman nodded as he loaded up our luggage, with me trying to keep Jack from mauling him with a jagged hammer as he had taken his job away.
"No bodies." I muttered and he grumbled as he put the hammer away, Holmes just looking amused as we walked into the hotel lobby with the doorman following after us.
The next day, Afternoon:
Unknown Location, LA:
Jack's POV:
"Man~Why am I the scout?" I whined as I sat on the rooftop of a skyscraper, using the Far Sight skill known to all of the Division Lieutenants and Captains to keep an eye on all of the houses of the neighbourhood I was currently monitoring.
Since Theo was currently still figuring out a battle plan and Captain Holmes was too busy with figuring out a new poison to use against him, it was left up to me to go and find out any and all information I could about Iapete…Was his name Iapete or Iapet? Meh, who cares? I'm calling him Ia just to make it easier.
So far, nothing interesting has happened apart from a few grown men leaving for their jobs and kids climbing onto the school bus- Oh, would you look at that~? Now, why would that woman let in another man when the man of the house just left?
I smell a scandal~
"Hah, there's nothing going around here. Why did I have to be put on this mission?" I groaned as I leaned against a railing before my eyes widened as I turned to my next target of observation.
It was quiet, tranquil and far too quiet.
There wasn't a sign of life anywhere, not a single car to be seen in the driveways, not a single pet or animal found in the neighbourhood or a single sign of human life to be found. The most important thing to be seen was the large array of runic circles found all throughout the neighbourhood, with the largest one being found around a double-story house found directly in the middle of the neighbourhood along with a squadron of probably 15 or 16 golems patrolling around the house with the largest field.
'Sensory Fields, Golem Sentires and no sign of life anywhere. Yep, that's definitely my target.' I thought with a grin, but I didn't move away as I kept track of the golems while also finding all of the possible entry points to get to Ia.
Theo would be so proud of me.
At the Same Time:
Streets of LA:
Theo's POV:
'A bit of chronic pain, a slight headache, and a bit of back pain whenever I get close to the suburban district of LA, which means that Iapetus is probably hiding out inside a neighbourhood there.' I thought with a frown as I used a bit of Ice magic to discreetly soothe the headache, watching as pedestrians walked on with their lives, though I did get a few winces and a few grumbles about headaches or aches that have increased over the past few weeks. I also saw a war veteran grimace as he rubbed the stub that was left of his left arm, which means that any old injuries might start hurting as soon as we enter battle with Iapetus.
'As if the battle was not hard already.' I grumbled under my breath before I looked down at the bracelet on my left wrist, unable to make head or tails of the enchantments Hephaestus used to make it. I will always be in awe of the complete masterpieces that he's able to build.
The fact that I found out that he used an old kettle and toaster of his to make these just makes it even more amazing, because I can't even comprehend how he was able to do it.
'And we almost lost him because Aunt Hera tossed him off a cliff.' There were many versions of how Hephaestus got his disfigured head, but according to him, Aunt Hera thought that he was too beautiful to be hers and Zeus' son, so she tossed him off a cliff on Mt. Olympus to make him ugly.
Like I said time and time again, the Greek Gods were far more egotistical and petty in the past and I'm glad they mellowed out. Gods knows that Uncle Zeus would have tried to smite me every time I refer to him as Uncle Zeus.
As if in response, the clouds boomed softly and I sighed as I watched a few rain drops fell.
I take everything back. The gods are still as petty as always.
The rain just poured down harder.
A Few Hours Later:
Ritz-Carlton Suite, LA:
"So, from what I found out, Ia is about two blocks from here in a neighbourhood that seems to be void of all life. He has a series of sensory fields written on the entirety of the neighbourhood he is living in as well as the house he is currently occupying. He also has a small group of golems stationed around the house to act as sentries and as warning alarms." Jack reported his info from his personal scouting and Holmes nodded before turning to me.
"So, what information do you have on Iapetus?" I sighed as I finished off my juice before speaking.
"Iapetus, the Titan of Mortality, Pain & Brutal Death and the Titan Lord of the West. He was born as the third son of Gaia and Ouranos and was one of Kronos' three accomplices who helped him kill Ouranos to become King of the Titans. Just like all Titans, he is able to transform into a battle form to exert his full power, but he can still use about 60% of his full power while in his human form. His domain is Odynokinesis, allowing him complete control over pain as well as the ability to increase or decrease pain. Up to today, no one apart from Hades was able to beat him since the only way to beat him was to either have an unbelievably high pain tolerance or have no nervous system at all, which is how Hades was able to beat him by transforming into his Lich form and get rid of his nervous system." I said with a sigh and Holmes nodded with a frown before Jack spoke.
"Should I just go all-out, then?" He asked and I frowned at that as Holmes hummed, looking deep in thought. Jack going all out is…not bad, but it's a bit too…devastating for a lack of better words.
"Let's keep that as a last resort, buddy." I said and he smiled as he nodded before I turned to Holmes.
"Can you use Murderous Phantom to ambush him?" I asked and he nodded.
"It would take a lot of planning, but it should be possible." I nodded before I spoke.
"Good, then if he dodges your ambush, I'll be waiting for him on the outside with Anaklusmos. If he dodges me, then Jack, you're up with Mist." Jack grinned widely at that and I smirked before Holmes spoke.
"What if this entire sequence doesn't work?" I just grinned at him and he sighed as Jack giggled.
"Make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails…" I trailed off at the ending with a waiting smirk.
"Throw away the plan." Both of them finished at the same time as I chuckled.
"Exactly. If he manages to dodge Jack, then it's all-out. No holding back. I'll also place a runic field around the neighbourhood, so that no one can enter or exit and so that no one can get caught in the cross-fire. We weaken him and then we throw him inside the seal. If we can't weaken him, then we lure him into it." I finished my plan and Holmes nodded as he stood up and walked to his room to get ready, with me pulling out the golden fountain pen that is Anaklusmos and softly press it against my forehead.
'Father, give me strength.' I prayed and the sky & ground gave a soft, subtle tremble as Anaklusmos hummed softly, making me smile before I stood up and walked to my room.
Time to get this Titan sealed.
Later that day, Midnight:
Unknown Neighbourhood, LA:
3rd Person POV:
"This is Arctic Huntsman. I'm in position. Is everyone ready?" Theo asked as he hid on the rooftop of a nice house just outside of the runic fields, the golems underneath that were patrolling the streets not even aware of him.
"This is Ripper. In Position." Jack responded as he crouched on a street light, just outside the runic sensory fields on the opposite side of where Theo was. An illusion was weaved around his location, making him invisible to the golems on standby.
"This is Nightmare. Ready to begin." Holmes responded, standing outside the house of where they suspected Iapetus to be. His presence was changed to copy that of the golems to make him hide in plain sight.
"Good. Begin the attack in three…" Jack tightened the grip on his daggers.
"Two…" Holmes slowly lifted the handle of his cane to unsheathed a blade, the edge dripping with a translucent liquid.
"One…" Theo softly uncapped the dozens of water jugs he had left on the ground behind him, litres and litres of water slowly floating above him before he spoke.
"Now." In the blink of an eye, icicle spears rained down on every golem in the runic fields, skewering them into the ground before even more spikes sprouted from the icicles and destroyed the golems. Jack was gone from his position, completely undetectable as he rushed through the runic field, getting to the perfect position.
A series of magical crests appeared in front of Holmes, with him chuckling before he snapped his fingers and various elemental attacks blasted the house into smithereens. Holmes just smirked before he jumped back, a Celestial Bronze spear piercing into the ground where he previously was as a being walked out of the rubble.
The being was big, approximately 12 feet tall. It had wild silver hair that spiked in all direction, a well-kept beard and bright silver eyes. It was also very thin and lanky, not as one would expect from a divine being, as it was dressed in nothing more than a white tank top and baggy, black pants. It walked out of the rubble towards the spear, Holmes not moving from where he landed as it picked up the spear before glaring at him.
"Can't I have a bit of peace after I just got out of my cell?" Iapetus, the Titan Lord of the West and the Titan of Pain, Morality and Brutal Death, grumbled as he glared at Holmes, leaning against the spear as Holmes chuckled.
"Unfortunately, my good man, we're going to have to ask you to go back into that cell as your presence is causing a bit of a problem for the locals." Holmes said with a smile and Iapetus chuckled as he spun the spear around.
"And who's going to make me? You, a mere human?" He asked with a mocking smirk and Holmes didn't say anything as he sheathed his cane-sword once more.
"Of course." And with that, he slowly disappeared as if he was nothing more than a mirage, Iapetus' eyes widening as he watched his surroundings slowly melt into a crimson puddle.
"Look at your left arm." A deep, garbled voice echoed through the crimson void and Iapetus looked before his eyes widened as he saw the slight traces of a clear liquid on his arm.
"My Nightmare Fuel does work better when it is placed directly into your body, but to activate, it needs nothing more than skin contact." The voice spoke with a gleeful undertone as the crimson liquid under Iapetus' feet rippled before Holmes appeared from it, his head slumped forward and hiding his face from view.
"Let me ask you this, dear Titan Lord." Holmes lifted up his head and Iapetus' eyes widened as he saw the monstrous visage of Holmes' face. His eye sockets were completely empty, blood flowing freely from it as insects crawled out of them. A viscous black slime flowed out of his mouth and nose, maggots crawling around his mouth as snakes slithered out from his nose and hissed at the wide-eyed Iapetus.
"Do you feel FEAR?!" He screeched loudly, even more clones of Holmes rising out of the blood all around him before they all rushed recklessly towards Iapetus.
Iapetus just spun his spear before he attacked the first Holmes to reach him, the spear piercing through his head before it, along with those near him, were blasted back by a monstrous shock wave. He turned into nothing but a deadly monster, piercing and slashing through the clones while also releasing shock wave after shock wave to repel the ones that tried to rush at him.
The Holmes Brigade tried to raise the crimson lake around them to attack Iapetus, but in a bright flash, a raging inferno of silver flames burned away every attack. As the attacks disappeared, most of the flames condensed and formed into weaponry that shot off and burned away the screaming Holmes clones before he glared at the one remaining. The clone was chuckling as it glared at him before he spoke.
"Good luck." Leaving the confused Iapetus behind, it sunk back into the lake as Iapetus remained wary before he gasped. He looked down at his chest, where a bright golden trident was protruding from it. He looked behind him before his eyes widened at the sea-green eyes glaring back into his.
"P-P-Poseidon?!" He coughed out in shock and Theo grinned as he transformed Anaklusmos into its xiphos form and sliced him clean in half from head to groin.
"Nope. I'm Theseus." Theo said with a grin as the crimson lake around them disappeared, the illusion shattering and Iapetus gasped as he tried to reconnect his two halves, looking around and seeing nothing but a thick fog.
As he finally connected his two halves back, he tried to see through the mist before he jumped as he heard the loud ring of a bell, the ticking of a big clock in the background as soft humming echoed throughout the mist.
"London Bridge is falling down~Falling down~Falling Down~ London Bridge is falling down~ My~Fair~Lady~" Out of the mist, Jack slowly walked, dressed in a black suit with a crimson coat and a top hat, smiling and tipping his hat at Iapetus, who frowned at him.
"Good evening there, dear chap! Would you kindly give me your lungs?" Jack asked in a soft tone, confusing Iapetus slightly before he gritted his teeth as he looked down at his chest, where he saw chunks of his chest slowly being carved out.
He glared at Jack, who chuckled as he raised his daggers before slowly walking back into the fog. Iapetus just growled as he focused on his wounds, healing them slowly while also removing any pain he felt from them, making his mind focus once more on what's happening around him as he gripped his spear tightly.
Silence reigned in the misty atmosphere for a few seconds as Iapetus kept looking around before he spun on his feet, the spear in his grasp being coated in silver flames before he thrust it in front of him. The mist in front of him evaporated into thin air, revealing Jack leaning under his spear while one of his daggers were stabbed into his calf.
"Hello~" Jack said in a cheerful voice before the mist wrapped around him, Iapetus swiping his spear down and dissipating the mist only to reveal him missing, right before he groaned as a dagger sliced into his back with the jagged blade of the dagger ripping out bits of flesh.
"Come out and face me like a man, coward!" Iapetus roared, his wounds closing and the pain of his wounds being turned into nothing. The only answer he got was Jack giggling before he gasped as Anaklusmos cut through his ham strings, making him fall to his knees just in time as Holmes' cane-sword pierced through his mouth and out the back of his head.
Iapetus was not even fazed by the attack as he glared up at Holmes, quickly stabbing at him only for it to go through Holmes as he gave a familiar chuckle before dispersing into a familiar crimson liquid. The crimson lake appeared once again, now also turning the mist pink as dozens of Holmes clones and Jack clones appeared around him.
"ENOUGH!" Unfortunately, all of it was naught as Iapetus was clad in a bright silver glow, the clones, the lake and the mist being disintegrated by the light as Iapetus grew taller and taller until he was towering over the double story house he was living in. Jack gave an impressed whistle as he looked up at the Titan, Holmes spinning his cane besides him as he chuckled.
"Shall we show him the wrath of the 6th Division, dear Jacky-boy?" Holmes asked as he sheathed his sword, a light green aura appearing around him.
"I think we should, Captain." Jack's voice warped at the end of his sentence, sounding as if thousands of voices were speaking at the same time. As he looked up, his eyes were nothing but pitch-black voids as he glared up at Iapetus, who had transformed into a silver ethereal being clad in silver spartan armour, his spear clad in a raging blaze of silver flames as it had expanded to fit him.
"Then, let's show him, Jacky-boy!" Holmes exclaimed as cracks appeared on his body, blood flowing freely from the cracks before he shattered. Jack's flesh bulged obscenely as he grew bigger and bigger and he gave Iapetus one final monstrous grin before he popped. Blood and flesh flew everywhere as Jack turned into a pile of flesh and blood. Iapetus looked shocked at seeing the mortal kill himself before he chuckled.
"See what happens when a mortal lays eyes on a Titan?! Hahaha! You mortals are nothing but weak!" Iapetus roared in glee before he gasped as he looked down on his body, seeing his arms fall to the ground along with his liver and his kidneys.
"Oh~Mista! Can I have your liver?!" A little girl's voice exclaimed happily.
"Don't listen to her, Mista! Let me have it!" Another girl's voice shouted, this one a bit older than the first.
"No, I can have it!"
"I'm taking his arm!"
"No, I am!"
"His left arm is mine!"
"No, it's mine!" All around Iapetus in the mist, the voices of girls of all ages echoed, some sounding younger than 9 and other sounding far more mature. As the mist slowly disappeared, Iapetus' eyes widened as he saw the groups of females walking out of it, all of them dressed in black leotards and twin crimson, jagged daggers in their grasps. The most eye catching was the one at the front, a voluptuous woman with bright silver hair and crimson eyes, a large scar going diagonally across her chest.
The reason she was the most visible was the fact that the skin on her chest was completely gone, revealing pulsating muscles and organs.
"Ladies, what time is it?!" The female asked and they all giggled before looking up at the wary Titan.
"Time for a massacre!" All of them screeched in glee before a sea of crimson mist appeared around them, coating the neighbourhood and sky in a thick crimson fog as Iapetus looked around with a wary gaze.
"And now, it begins." Theo muttered with a smirk from where he was watching the battle and there was only a second of silence before all hell broke loose.
A/N: Writing, too busy writing! Also, good news to everyone, to make this story keep up with The Unholy Wolf, I'm making it double chapters on a weekly basis…maybe…perhaps…we'll see if I still feel like it a day from now.
Woo!
Now, with all that said, enjoy, read, review and I'll see you all in the next one. Until then… Ba-Bye~!