The One Who Lost His Way

AN: First off, Happy Easter!

Second, a small announcement: I'm leaving on vacation this coming Wednesday and won't be back until the following Wednesday/Thursday. Normally, that would mean next week's chapters wouldn't be updated (I'm not taking my computer), but I decided to go ahead and get all four chapters finished for posting this week. I'll post the normal two today, and the other two will be posted sometime tomorrow. That takes care of my absence next weekend and commemorates the holiday all in one!

No Ghidorah in this chapter, but we do get the G-man for a while and another titan battle. And you'll find this one is quite a bit different than Ghidorah v. Amhuluk.

Key:

"Titan speak"

"Human speak"

Character's inner thoughts

"Telepathic communication"

Disclaimer: I do not own Godzilla: King of the Monsters or any characters.

East America Seaboard, 50 miles off the Georgia coast:

Godzilla was in a rather foul mood. Before his very eyes, everything he had worked towards was unraveling. The titans he had forced into hibernation in the hopes of protecting the humans were now being awakened by the humans, just as they awakened him. And then they had the gall to attack him!

Had they forgotten their place in the natural order!?

If everything he'd seen since his hibernation was so rudely interrupted, that possibility wasn't just likely, it was the truth. Massive hives dominated the land, nature itself being pushed out in favor of metal and stone. All over the world, nature itself was under attack as they attempted to control something far beyond their ability, and he could almost feel the planet weep in response. Forests were being cut down, oceans polluted and overfished, the atmosphere becoming too warm and unstable...

This is not what he wanted.

Once upon a time, he actually cared about humanity. After Ghidorah's rampage, he knew titans and humans could no longer coexist. He'd chosen humanity over the titans, but after seeing everything they'd done to the planet in his absence, he was starting to really regret that decision. This was not their planet. They were the newcomers here, yet their unopposed rise to power had made them arrogant.

Perhaps they needed to be put back in their place, reminded who exactly was King.

As tempting as the thought was, he knew Mothra would never allow it. She was even softer to the humans now than even back then. Of course, that was just who she was, an optimist who always saw the best in others no matter the evidence against them. Ghidorah tries to destroy the planet? Oh, they're just confused, just give them another chance. Humans try to destroy the planet? Oh, they can't help it, just give them another chance.

It was infuriating! And the worst part was, she almost always ended up right! She was just so nice and merciful to everything that had proven to be a threat! Seriously, her kindness was almost more effective than his raw power! How did that even work!?

But that's why they complimented each other so well. He was vengeance, she was mercy. He was rage, she was kindness. He was a fighter, she was a lover. There could be no King without a Queen, which is something that others tended to forget. Without Mothra, his rule would become so much more difficult.

He'd never admit that out loud, but he knew that she already knew that.

"What are you thinking about?" He snorted at the sudden question, a sizable spray of water getting thrown into the air. Since she could fly a lot faster than he could swim, she had decided to just ride on his back so they could stick together.

He was thinking about how much of a pain she could sometimes be, but he'd never say that to her. Despite their differences, he still loved her for who she was. Instead, he decided to ask something similar. "Why do you trust them?"

"Who? Ghidorah?"

"Well...them, too. But I was talking more about the humans." She was quiet for a long while, long enough for him to lift his head and look back at her.

"Not all humans are bad," she eventually began. "There are some good ones. Remember the human who stood against the parasites? The one that destroyed their nest?" He huffed and put his head back in the water. He did remember that human. By destroying the nest, he had caused the female to leave the battle, thus giving him the chance to kill the male. That human had probably saved his life, so he had done the same for him. Just when the female was about to strike, he'd killed her, thereby saving the human who'd saved him. "And Monarch is full of good humans, even if they are scared of us."

He was less convinced of that one, though he supposed they did pay attention to his warning about Ghidorah. Still, if it had not been for that one human he saw behind the glass, they would have opened fire. He owed that human the benefit of the doubt, at least, even if most of the other Monarch humans always followed him around and never gave him a moment's peace. If they were bringing tribute like their ancestors, then perhaps it would be different. But no, they were just being nosy.

And now was no different. Two of their submersibles and a growing number of water and air craft were following him even now, and the numbers only seemed to grow as they got closer to land. If he didn't know any better, he'd say they didn't like him being this close to their 'territory'. "Alright...so why trust Ghidorah?" Actually, he hoped it wasn't trust. He hoped she was just being her normal merciful self and there wasn't a specific reason.

"They are...special," she hesitantly answered. His tail stilled in surprise and slight anger, and he ended up drifting to a stop, the waves lapping at his sides, and the various human craft turning to avoid him.

"Explain. Now," he demanded. There was something in her tone that he didn't like at all. She almost sounded afraid to answer him, and she'd only sound like that if she knew he wouldn't like her answer.

She smacked him on the head with one of her arms, and he growled a warning to her. "Don't growl at me!" she snapped. "And if I want to explain, I will. You have no right to demand answers from me."

He snorted again, another spray of water erupting from his nostrils. "Fine..." he relented. As he started to swim again, he tried again. "Then will you kindly explain what you meant?"

"Better..." He resisted the urge to snort again. "And yes, I will, even though I know you will not like the answer." She was quiet for a few moments, most likely figuring out the best way to answer without completely ticking him off. "They are a bridge between our kind and humanity. With them, we can more easily achieve peaceful coexistence. So why do I trust them? Because I have faith in them. I believe the future of this planet depends on them, more than it ever did on us."

She was right. He didn't like it. In fact, he growled again. "And I suppose you'd want me to give up my title to that pretender?"

"I never said that," she replied, her tone calm, though he could sense her own frustration beginning to build. "Just because they are more important for Earth's future right now does not mean we are without our own purposes. We both have our roles to play, and so do they."

Silence fell between them. There was no point in arguing with her, especially since they were on the way to confront another titan. Hopefully, with both him and Mothra there, this wouldn't end in a fight, but for that to be the case, they needed to appear united. Unity begets strength. Division begets weakness. No one respects a weak King.

But no matter what she said, he didn't trust his old foes. They may be allies for now, but they certainly weren't friends. They owed him no loyalty, so he would expect none from them. One day they would challenge him again no matter what was said. The reason he knew that was quite simple. In terms of raw power, they were stronger.

Just because he had beat them previously didn't meant he could do so again. The first, and only, time he'd beat them in a one-on-one fight was when they first fell from the sky. The crash left them dazed and disoriented. That first victory was never replicated once they had recovered. He always needed help to defeat them, usually from both Mothra and Rodan, though he occasionally got help from other titans, as well.

It's why he was so doubtful that this temporary alliance would last. If a weaker individual asks a stronger individual for help, then they just want someone to solve their problems. If a stronger individual asks a weaker individual for help, then they genuinely needed help. And unfortunately, he was the weaker individual in this equation. How long would it be until Ghidorah grew tired of following a weaker King?

Perhaps that was a conversation he and Mothra could have later when there weren't other, more pressing matters to attend to.

He was knocked from his brooding when something splashed into the water just in front of his snout. Rearing back in surprise, he didn't have to look far to see the literal smoking gun. One of the human ships had just fired a shot across his nose. One of the loud aircraft slowly lifted off from its long, flat top, one of their radioactive explosives dangling beneath it. He actually snorted at the sight. Did they seriously think him some mindless parasite?

Other aircraft hovered or circled nearby, guns aimed at him and Mothra. Most of them bore unfamiliar insignias, though he did spy the familiar Monarch symbol on a few. "Good humans, huh?" he couldn't help but snarl, baring his teeth at the interfering humans in warning.

"They're just afraid!" Mothra snapped back, doing her best to appear small and unthreatening.

"They should be. They forget who their King is." Ignoring Mothra's pleas, he flashed his dorsal plates, growling at the gathered humans. He counted seventeen ships, two of which were the long, flat ones that carried the flying crafts. Two additional submersibles stalked silent but not completely hidden in the dark waters. Then, there was the small army of aircraft. "Perhaps I should—"

"Something's coming!" she warned him, and he looked around, quickly sensing the same disturbance she was. "Go! I shall try to draw them away!"

She took flight with her signature screech, heading parallel to the distant coastline. Some of the faster aircraft followed, though most stayed to watch him. The fact they still hadn't fired was sort of a miracle, but he paid the humans no mind anymore. Someone else was here, and she didn't seem too welcoming.

He dove, fully submerging himself, to try and find the hidden adversary. His dorsal plates continued to flash, lighting up the murky water with the glow before fading away again, the contrast becoming greater as he went deeper. He expected the human submersibles to follow him, but they weren't. In fact, he couldn't even see them. Before he could ponder their sudden disappearance, something massive slammed into him from behind, making him roar in surprise.

Before he could turn to face his opponent, a very long, very strong body wrapped around him, preventing him from moving. Her face appeared in front of his, and he snarled. She was purposely making an effort to not cover his gills with her coils, though she squeezed a bit harder when he bared his teeth at her. "Fancy meeting you here, Tiamat."

She laughed, as well as an aquatic dragon-serpent could, at least. The sound was closer to a cross between a growl and a hiss, though periodic rather than constant. "Now this is a surprise..." she purred. "Godzilla himself comes to greet me as I make my grand escape back to where I belong. And my...do you look older than I remember."

"Older and less merciful," he growled.

In response, she growled back, squeezing even harder, her coils moving to cover his gills. "Merciful? I think you're reading this situation wrong. You should be the one begging for mercy here, not me!" Tiamat was many things: aggressive, territorial, and much stronger than him in the water. His hope to get out of this without a fight had evaporated into nothingness as soon as he saw who it was he was dealing with.

His roar of pain came out more like a wheeze now that she was cutting off his ability to breathe. With his last remnants of air, he was able to summon a small blast of his fire that took her completely by surprise.

Her coils loosened ever so slightly, but it was enough for him to pry her off his gills with his left arm, push her down with his right, and then latch onto her neck with his jaws, shaking back and forth. She screeched in pain and rage, attempting to constrict him again, but with his arm in position to protect his gills, it was a futile attempt.

In a last resort, she released a cloud of toxin from her jaws which got into one of his eyes and made him let go as he roared in pain and surprise, his left eye burning as if on fire. Now released and with her opponent distracted, she swam straight down, taking him with her since half of her body was still coiled around his.

She released him just in time for him to slam face first into the ocean floor, and he had no time to recover before her jaws clamped onto the back of his neck, and she dragged him across the floor. Right when he was about to counter by using his weight to roll them around, hopefully stunning her long enough for him to attack back, she lifted him up just enough to once again coil around him, her jaws never once leaving his neck.

Fortunately for him, one of her coils was just a bit too close to his mouth, and he latched onto it, biting down hard enough that he heard bones crack. She released him, roaring in pain and even greater fury. Her fins, which were her deadliest physical weapons, were sharp enough to cut through even his tough hide, and she used them to cut a deep gash into his right side and left thigh.

The deep injuries were enough to force him to let go, and then her tail was wrapping around his neck and face. He tried scrabbling at her with his claws, but she was swimming in a circle so fast that the force of it and the forming vortex made it nearly impossible to even lift his arms. "You were a fool to challenge me! You are weak! Your time has passed! You rely on others to do your dirty work!" Just as her speed reached a peak so great that he nearly passed out, she launched down and slammed him into the sea floor again. He merely laid there, groaning from the incessant beating he just took. "Look at you. You can't even stand against me in your own domain. You have no right to call yourself King anymore."

His eyes flew open as rage built within him. His conversation with Mothra returned to him, as did his doubts about Ghidorah. Tiamat's words taunted him, reminded him that the golden hydra was his better. But all that served to do was increase his rage.

They were closer to the shore than before. She may beat him in the water, but she would be at his mercy once on land. The ocean was normally his domain, but in this case, his salvation would be land.

He didn't even bother saying anything. He merely turned, blasting her full on in the face with his fire. She shrieked in surprise, thinking he'd been defeated. He continued to blast her as he closed the distance, and though she tried to dodge him, he ended up latching onto her neck with his jaw again. This time, however, he threw her even closer to the beach before she could coil around him. Her head actually breached water for a moment, and as he approached, the water grew shallow enough for him to walk. Once he had his feet under him, and he throat in his jaws, it was pretty much over.

She roared again, this time in fear. She could survive and breathe on land, but she was nowhere near as dangerous once out of water. Her fins dug themselves into the ground, trying and succeeding at her attempt to halt their progress towards the beach. Using one last trick, he let her go, stepped back, and spun around before she had any time to retreat. His massive tail hit her hard enough to send the dragon-serpent flying through the air to crash onto the shore.

His footsteps as he approached were like the tramp of doom. Bleeding from his two injuries, half-blind, and still at least partially disoriented from her vortex attack, he was still on his feet...and he was pissed.

She hissed at his approach, coiling around herself as if preparing to lunge. He simply growled menacingly. When she did lunge for his throat, an expected move, he simply caught her with his arms and slammed her head to the ground. As she tried to recover, his foot pinned her to the ground, and he roared his victory to the world now that she was pinned and helpless. "Lucky you that the coastline was so close. I would've killed you, otherwise," she hissed.

He simply pressed down onto her head harder, her coils flopping uselessly on the torn-up sand. "Submit," he ordered. When no response came within the first few seconds, he growled one last warning. "Submit or die!"

Her coils stilled and a furious hiss escaped her. "I submit..."

"As long as I am your King, you will obey me. If you do not, you die when next we meet." He lifted his foot off of her, taking a single step back and never once letting his glare leave her.

"Tough talk...but I'll play nice for now." As if to prove the truth of her words, she bowed before glancing back up at him. "But only until the true King takes his rightful place."

She slithered off into the water before he could say anything, so he could do nothing but silently seethe at her words. Already his rival had a supporter, and she was arguably the best one they could have. Ghidorah may rule the sky, but they were helpless in the water. Tiamat was the strongest of the aquatic titans. With her support, they had someone that could directly counter him in the water. And though Rodan and Mothra could fly, they stood no chance against Ghidorah.

Mothra alit on the ruined beach nearby, her human pursuers gone. In fact, most of the humans were gone or leaving. Before he could puzzle out that behavior—they'd tried so hard to keep him away from the shore earlier—Mothra spoke. "What did she say that would put you in such a foul mood?"

"A warning," was his vague response. He groaned as he stepped back into the water, his injuries stinging upon touching the salt water again. Maybe he was getting too old for this. His kind did have natural lifecycles. Eventually, he would die of old age. As far as he knew, however, he was still in his prime, though probably at the tail end of it. In a few million years, he'd probably be past the age where he should be fighting all the time like this. And that's assuming he wasn't killed in battle before then.

One thing was certain, though. Ghidorah would never become King. This was his planet to rule, not theirs, and he do whatever it took to protect it from them.

Whatever.

It.

Took.

AN: Fun fact: Godzilla v. Tiamat actually happened in Monsterverse canon after the events of KotM, just in the extended lore (books, comics, etc...), and it actually did nearly end with Godzilla's death. I decided to do my own spin on that particular encounter, so I hope everyone enjoyed it.

But seeing as how this was Godzilla's first chapter, let me know what you thought about it? Were his takes on everything believable?

Next chapter has another special POV, this time featuring Alan Jonah himself.

Until Next Time

AdmiralCole22