Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter.
The Ever Twisting Wind: The Gaean War
Chapter Seven: The Eidolon Problem
Beta:
Andi stood in the center of the living room inside her treehouse main house, which was nestled within the magical interior of the balloon of her zeppelin palace. The gentle light filtering in through the windows reflected off the swirling surface of the rainbow arc cascading from the fountain, illuminating the holographic image of the Argo II hovering above New Rome. She sighed, glancing at the Iris Message that flickered with the ongoing events, knowing what was to come.
Alice, the Technodjinn goddess who served as her pantheon's Conscience and Andi's liaison with the machine gods, stood beside her, arms folded, gazing at the marvel of magical engineering that was the Argo II. The magical flying trireme had two sails and a bank of oars, stretching 200 feet long with a gleaming Celestial Bronze hull. The masthead itself was a menacing Celestial Bronze dragon and the ship bristled with visible ballistae and arcane cannons, lined with intricate runes. These devices, along with other less obvious enhancements, had been created by Hephaestus during his exile at Camp Half-Blood for his role in creating the Technodjinn, and before his recall to Olympus under Father's no contact edict.
"Hephaestus always leaves his mark." Alice commented as she continued to evaluate the flying ship that Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus had built. "His son did well too. Incorporating the enhancements is impressive. The ship is a marvel, but it's a shame how it will be twisted by Gaea's hand."
Andi's eyes narrowed as she focused on Leo Valdez, the son of Hephaestus and the ship's proud designer. He grinned, clearly thrilled with his creation, utterly unaware of the Eidolon creeping into his mind. Leo was showing Luna, Andi's old friend and Augur of Camp Jupiter, the Argo II, hoping to convince her and the Romans that, despite flying a warship into New Rome, he and his fellow Greeks weren't a threat. Meanwhile, Annabeth, Piper, and Jason met with New Rome's leadership to discuss the Prophecy of Seven and the Second Gigantomachy.
"It's always the innocent ones." Andi whispered, her voice laced with sorrow and frustration. She could feel the weight of her own helplessness, bound by Father's edict and the Ancient Laws that kept her from intervening.
Ida the Oread, Andi's mentor, crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Hera's plan was ambitious… too ambitious. To expect peace between the Camps, while knowing Gaea still lurked in the shadows… it was folly."
Wendy, Andi's Aurae lieutenant and trusted combat partner, stepped forward, her wild, wind-swept hair shifting as the breeze from the open windows swept through the room. Her voice was tense, brimming with frustration as she looked at Andi. "Can't we do something, anything, to stop this?"
"Not this time, Wendy." Andi sighed, bitterness creeping into her tone. "Father's no-contact edict. The Ancient Laws. Between the two of them… We just can't."
Katie, Andi's Dryad lieutenant, stood nearby, hugging her Mimic familiar, Brick, close as its pseudopods waved in agitation at the situation unfolding in New Rome. "Are we really just going to sit back and let Gaea push us into war? Hera wanted this peace so badly, but it's slipping away."
"And for what?" Alice added, her gaze locked on the Argo II. "All because the Eidolons managed to slip through the cracks. Gaea's reach is longer than anyone anticipated, even here."
And our Heroes won't even see it coming until it's too late. Hunter, the Kyôn Khryseos, added in a series of sharp barks, each as loud and ominous as distant thunder, before letting out a soft growl, his gleaming, golden fur rippling.
The Owl Dragon, Hedwig, perched atop a tree branch suspended in the air by invisible magic, let out a soft, worried hoot. She shifted her wings and spoke in a soft, yet knowing voice. They're walking right into it, aren't they?
Andi's heart twisted as she watched the scene unfold. The Eidolon had fully taken control of Valdez, and she saw the dark malice flicker in his eyes. His hands moved toward the controls for the ship's weaponry, many of which Hephaestus had originally designed as part of his experiments and that Valdez had later incorporated into the Argo II. These enhancements had turned the ship into a weapon of mass destruction. Weapons that, now, trapped in his own mind, Valdez was powerless to stop the Eidolon from aiming at New Rome.
"He's about to fire!" Andi muttered, fists clenching at her sides. "And we can't do a damned thing!"
"No," Alice agreed, her voice quiet but hard. "We can't. Hera's plan to unite the Camps peacefully… it's falling apart, and all we can do is watch."
"It's not fair." Wendy said angrily. "After everything they've been through, they deserve a shot at peace."
Andi nodded grimly. "But Hera's ambitions always come with a cost, and this time, she underestimated how far Gaea's influence reaches."
Ida, ever the voice of calm, though even her tone was strained, spoke softly. "It was a noble effort, though. Unity between the Greeks and Romans could have changed the course of this war."
"But noble efforts don't win wars." Katie said, her voice laced with regret.
The group fell silent as the first of the Argo II's weapons charged, magical energy crackling and gathering ominously in the air. Andi's eyes remained fixed on the image, watching helplessly as Leo, no longer himself but a puppet of Gaea, activated the full might of Hephaestus's creations. The ship's ballistae, reinforced by divine engineering, gleamed with Celestial Bronze tips, launched bolts capable of piercing through the strongest defenses. Arcane cannons, lined with intricate runes, hummed with energy before firing blasts of destructive force toward New Rome.
But the most devastating sight was the head of Festus, the Celestial Bronze dragon automaton, perched at the bow of the Argo II as its figurehead. Once wrecked during Leo's last quest with Piper McLean and Jason Grace, Festus had been painstakingly repaired by Leo and integrated into the ship's design. The dragon opened its maw, spewing massive fireballs with a force that shook the skies. Each blazing sphere of fire rained down upon New Rome, exploding with fiery intensity and spreading destruction across the city below. The explosions rocked New Rome, shaking the earth and causing numerous buildings to crumble. The once-peaceful city now echoed with chaos, and the fragile peace the Twelfth Legion had fought so hard for against Polybotes and his army was shattered in an instant. Andi stood frozen, powerless to intervene as the weapons of Hephaestus tore through the city, and Gaea's scheme to sabotage Hera's plan to unite the Greeks and Romans bore fruit.
"Peace is always the hardest thing to keep." Andi murmured as the vision of destruction filled the room, a slight headache beginning to build behind her eyes. As a goddess straddling both Greek and Roman natures, she could feel the subtle tension between the two facets of her identity stirring uncomfortably within her. Though the differences were minor, barely distinguishable under normal circumstances, moments like these, where the delicate balance of power between the two cultures was threatened, brought them to the surface. Fortunately, the conflict was so subtle that it barely registered, manifesting only as a small headache rather than anything more disruptive. Still, it was a reminder of the precariousness of the peace they had fought so hard to maintain.
It must be infinitely worse for the other gods. Andi thought with a deep frown. Especially those like Ares/Mars with big differences between their Greek and Roman aspects. They must be debilitated by this.
"And now, we have a war." She added, her voice heavy with resignation.
As Andi continued to watch, her focus shifted to Luna, the Augur of Camp Jupiter, who was aboard the Argo II. Luna's voice rang out, a mixture of disbelief and anger as she demanded answers. "Leo, what are you doing? Stop!"
Living up to her status as the Augur of New Rome, the Legacy of Phoebus Apollo's expression quickly turned to horror as she realized something was wrong. "No, this isn't you... It's her. Gaea! I have to get out of here. I need to do something to stop this becoming a war."
Without wasting another second, Luna made a frantic escape even as the Eidolon controlled Valdez turned towards her and drew a Celestial Bronze hammer from his magical tool belt and began advancing on her. Desperation fueled her every move as she leaped from the Argo II, the wind whipping around her as she descended toward New Rome below and offering a prayer to Andi for a safe landing. Given this opening, Andi finally acted and called on the breezes under her command to catch her old friend and carry her safely to the ground below.
Maybe Luna can salvage the situation. Andi thought even if she knew it was unlikely at best. With their city attacked seemingly at Greek hands, she could not see how Luna, no matter how persuasive, could calm the Romans' anger. This war, she feared, was inevitable.
Before Andi and her companions could see any more, the Iris Message suddenly distorted. The rainbow image flickered and warped, and a chill spread through the room. The connection had been hacked. The image of New Rome was replaced by that of the Earth Mother herself. Gaea appeared in the form of a woman wearing a cloak made of shifting black dirt that churned as though alive. A veil of dust obscured her face, but behind it, her pale, ashen features seemed to be in a deep, unsettling sleep.
Andi's breath caught as she stared at Gaea's visage, her presence ominous and overwhelming, even through the distorted image. It was a reminder that Gaea's reach extended far beyond the battlefield. That she was now watching them too.
"Earth Mother, what do you want?" Andi demanded, her voice firm as she addressed the Protogenos of the Earth.
"Oh, nothing, little goddess." Gaea replied, her tone smug. "Just felt like rubbing it in that your precious plan to unite the Greeks and Romans has failed."
"Yeah, it has." Andi said with an artful shrug. "It's hardly the only plan on how to fight you."
"Perhaps, but your other plans are just as doomed to failure." Gaea said, her lips spreading into a grin. "With my Eidolons, the Olympian cause is doomed. They can sneak anywhere and possess anything and anyone. How do you Olympians think you can defeat me?"
"You only have three Eidolons in your service," Alice retorted, her voice steady. As a goddess, she held sufficient status to speak directly to the Protogenos of the Earth, unlike Andi's other companions. "That's hardly enough to win the war for you."
"I only have three for now, little machine goddess." Gaea said, her grin turning into a full blown smug smile. "I will have more soon."
"We won't let that happen." Andi told the primordial confidently.
Gaea's laughter rumbled through the air like an earthquake, shaking the room with its ominous force.
"Go ahead and try to stop me." She taunted, her voice dripping with malice. "You won't succeed. Besides, you have bigger problems to worry about."
"What do you mean?" Andi asked despite already having a very good idea what the sleeping Earth Mother meant.
"Oh, you know full well." Gaea told her, her tone even more smug than before. "But why don't you go to Olympus and see for yourself how big the problem is?"
Breaking into another earth shaking laugh, she released her control over the Iris Message and it reverted to showing the image of the Argo II. A scene that showed Percy and the other chosen ones of the Prophecy of the Seven on the airship as it flew away from the devastation that it had left New Rome in due to the machinations of Gaea's Eidolon servant. The son of Poseidon was currently demanding to know why Valdez had done what he did and the son of the forge was explaining how he was possessed but Andi did not pay it any attention.
"Andi-" Alice began but Andi raised a hand to tell her to wait as she turned to Ida.
"Ida, gather our forces. I don't care what we need to do, I want to find out how Gaea is recruiting her Eidolons." She ordered. "However, she is doing it, we need to shut it down."
The Oread offered an obedient bow. "Yes, my lady. I will mobilize all our forces to search it out immediately. Katie, Hunter and Hedwig can help me."
Nodding in satisfaction both with her old mentor's compliance and ability to read her intent and leave Wendy out of her little list of helpers. Turning to Wendy, she continued. "Wendy, you're with me."
"Always, Andi." The Aurae said as she skipped over to Andi's side.
Smiling at her loyal partner, Andi looked towards Alice. "Alice, let's go to Olympus and see if things are just as bad as Gaea said it is."
"Will it be safe for me on Olympus?" Alice asked worriedly. "My pantheon isn't exactly on friendly terms with the Olympians."
"It should be fine. You'll be there as my guest." Andi assured her. "Besides, if what Gaea said is right… Things will be too much of a mess up there for anyone there to care about your presence."
Alice frowned but nodded. "Alright. I trust you. Lead the way."
Without wasting another second, urgency filling her, Andi gathered her powers and wrapped them around herself, Wendy, and Alice, teleporting them to New York and Olympus hovering over the Empire State Building. It was time to witness the full extent of the chaos Gaea's Eidolons had unleashed.
Olympus was as majestic as always, hovering high above New York City like a colossal mountain suspended in the sky. Its gleaming temples, palaces, and grand structures rested atop a massive rocky base, encircled by swirling clouds that bathed the city of the gods in an ethereal glow. Sunlight illuminated the golden architecture, casting a radiant hue across the heavens, while the iconic columns and statues stood as proud symbols of the divine power housed within. To mortal eyes, however, this grandeur remained completely invisible, veiled by powerful magic, as though the massive city did not exist at all. Below, the bustling streets of New York, with its towering skyscrapers, appeared insignificant in comparison, dwarfed by the sheer magnitude of Olympus. A massive glowing pillar, which served as the shaft for the elevator connecting Olympus to the Empire State Building, symbolized the eternal bond between gods and mortals, further adding to the city's awe-inspiring splendor.
However, Olympus' majesty was currently marred by the anarchy that Andi, Alice, and Wendy found it in. The grand city, once a symbol of divine order, was now a chaotic battleground of clashing personalities, with both major and minor gods alike embroiled in the madness. The very air crackled with tension as the once serene halls of Olympus echoed with the sounds of conflict and discord.
Over by the central square, Ares and Mars had physically split into two distinct instances, locked in a vicious duel. The god of war, in both aspects, was wielding brutal weapons, smashing his Roman spear against the Greek sword in a battle of pride and power. Neither showed signs of stopping, and the nymphs nearby were desperately trying to intervene but were easily swept aside by the sheer force of their clashes.
In another corner of the square, Athena and Minerva stood, similarly to her fellow war god manifesting in separate bodies, hurling barbed insults and accusing each other of incompetence. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, had her shield raised as Minerva pointed her spear accusingly. The two goddesses circled each other, both brilliant strategists but too absorbed in their rivalry to see reason. Around them, servants of Olympus pleaded for calm, but it was clear no peace would come from these immortal beings.
Elsewhere, Hermes and Mercury, though still one being, swapped back and forth in a dizzying display of split personalities. One moment, Hermes laughed maniacally, planning some wild trick, while in the next breath, Mercury appeared, cold and calculating, chastising his counterpart. Their arguments were loud and nonsensical, bouncing between jovial humor and rigid order. The nymphs near him whispered nervously to each other, unsure of how to bring peace to the god's unstable nature.
On a nearby terrace, Demeter and Ceres constantly swapped between their Greek and Roman forms, bickering endlessly about the proper care of the harvest and how best to manage the seasons. It was as if their shared identity could not reconcile itself, and the more they argued, the more the fields surrounding them wilted and bloomed in rapid succession. Nymphs attempted to restore balance, but they were no match for the discord sown by the divided goddess.
Even the minor gods were not immune to the chaos. Hypnos, the god of sleep, was battling Somnus, his Roman counterpart, in a surreal confrontation. The two deities manipulated waves of sleep and dreams, casting spells that caused both gods and mortals in the vicinity to fall into deep, restless slumber, only to awaken moments later in confusion. Near them, Hebe, the goddess of youth, and her Roman aspect, Juventas, were locked in a strange, cyclical argument about the true meaning of vitality, as they both simultaneously tried to bestow youth upon their already youthful forms.
Shit! Even Hebe has been affected! Andi thought with alarm. She'd known it was a possibility, but she had hoped it wouldn't be the case. As the leader of the Minor Goddess Society (MGS), Andi had been counting on Hebe to use her influence to help fix, or at least manage, this mess.
And what a mess it was! The chaos stretched far beyond where Andi, Alice, and Wendy had materialized near the elevator that connected Olympus to the Empire State Building. Even from a distance, signs of madness plagued the divine city: shattered temples, brawling gods, and a tense atmosphere that hung over Olympus like a suffocating cloud, with no corner of the realm left untouched.
"Wendy, Storm Mail! Now!" Andi shouted as she eyed the chaos warily.
"Got it, Andi!" Wendy shouted as she dutifully transformed into the breeze that was her true form, swirling around Andi and solidifying into the hoplite armor-like Storm Mail. With the madness that had consumed Olympus, it only made sense to be prepared for whatever chaos awaited them, and suiting up in her Storm Mail was the first step.
"Andi, what should we do?" Alice asked, her voice laced with tension as she clutched her gun tightly, her eyes darting around warily, taking in the chaos unfolding around them.
"First things first, we need to find a safe space where we can set up a base camp of sorts."
"A safe space? In this madness?" Alice asked, gesturing to the anarchy disbelievingly.
"I'm sure there is someplace here that hasn't gone mad."
The Conscience of the Technodjinn shot Andi a skeptical look but nodded, motioning for her to lead the way. Hoping she was right and that a safe harbor existed amidst the chaos, Andi, the goddess of breezes, steeled herself and led them into the turmoil that Olympus had descended into.
"Welcome, Andi, Alice." Aphrodite greeted warmly as Alice followed Andi into the main hall of the goddess of love's Olympian temple. Wendy, still wrapped around Andi in the form of Storm Mail, shimmered faintly in the temple's soft light. They had been guided by one of the nymphs in the Lady of the Doves' service, her delicate figure bowing respectfully before departing. Aphrodite's gaze shifted to Alice, a gentle smile touching her lips. "And it is good to finally meet you, Alice."
Alice's eyes couldn't help but linger on Aphrodite as they entered the temple. The goddess of love stood with effortless grace, her golden curls catching the soft light as they framed her flawless face. She wore a flowing gown made of delicate, almost translucent fabric that shimmered with a soft iridescence, giving her an ethereal glow. The dress was a soft, rosy gold, draping perfectly around her figure, with intricate floral embroidery along the hem and bodice. The sleeves were sheer and billowed slightly as she moved, enhancing her otherworldly aura. A slender belt of pearls, adorned with tiny roses, rested at her waist, cinching the gown just enough to emphasize her divine form. Around her neck hung a delicate chain of gold with a single pearl, while her wrists were wrapped in fine bracelets, each decorated with gemstones that caught the light.
Alice, though a goddess herself, felt a small twinge of jealousy stirring within. Aphrodite's beauty was otherworldly and seemingly effortless, accentuated by the elegance of her attire. Alice had always taken pride in her own appearance but hadn't thought much of it beyond knowing she was the most beautiful member of her pantheon. However, standing before the actual goddess of beauty made her feel strangely... ordinary.
Her own sharp, dark eyes reflected her intelligence and calculated nature, but now, even those felt dull compared to Aphrodite's allure. Her short, neatly trimmed hair framed her oval face, accentuating her high cheekbones and delicate features, but the simplicity of her look suddenly seemed inadequate. Slim but toned, her athletic yet feminine figure was displayed by her sleeveless black turtleneck that fit snugly against her torso. A wide belt cinched her waist, emphasizing her graceful posture, while her striking red skirt flared out dramatically with a voluminous, flowing silhouette. The contrast between the bold red and sleek black added a certain sharpness to her outfit, which was completed by black ankle boots with modest heels. Yet, despite her composed elegance, Alice couldn't shake the feeling that her carefully selected ensemble felt almost dull next to Aphrodite's effortless splendor.
Which is to be expected. Aphrodite is a goddess of beauty! Of course she'd be more beautiful than I am. Alice scolded herself as she returned her hostess' greeting.
"It is a pleasure to be here." Alice said, suppressing her feelings and offering the member of the Olympian Twelve a perfect curtsy. "And to meet you, Lady Aphrodite."
"Please, call me Aphrodite." The goddess of love said with a warm, welcoming smile. "You're Andi's friend, and any friend of hers is a friend of mine."
And sorry for making you feel inadequate. The daughter of Ouranos added to Alice telepathically. I can't help how I look. I always take the form of the most beautiful woman in the room.
No, I understand. It's just me being petty. I totally understand. Alice assured the Olympian.
"Thanks for having us here, Aphrodite." Andi nodded, releasing her Storm Mail, allowing Wendy to return to her true form. They both stood now in their natural states in all their naked glory: Andi, a lean and athletic goddess with striking electric blue eyes and jet-black hair styled in a pixie cut that resembled a short, spiky bob, while Wendy, her Aurae lieutenant, appeared with literally flaming red hair, her ethereal form radiating energy. Going skyclad was after all quite a common occurrence for the goddess of the wild and her partner.
"It is my pleasure, Andi."
"Sorry to cut straight to the chase, Aphrodite, but how aren't you affected?" Andi asked, gesturing back out the door of the temple and the chaos in the streets of Olympus beyond.
"Love is love, Andi. Whether I am Aphrodite or Venus, I am the same." Aphrodite said with a shrug. "The differences between my aspects are minor just as yours are."
"Anyone else like us?" Andi asked, her voice almost pleading. The desperation in her tone was unmistakable as she clung to the hope that others, like her and Aphrodite, had been spared from the madness. She needed allies, anyone who could help restore order on Olympus.
"I wish I had better news, Andi." Aphrodite sighed, her voice carrying both exhaustion and determination. "As for the other gods... I don't know. Most have fallen to the madness, and those who haven't either disappeared, scattered, or fled. But some of us, those untouched by the chaos, are doing what we can. My temple has become a refuge, a safe harbor in the middle of all this."
"Who's helping you?" Andi asked, her voice tight with concern. There was a flicker of hope in her electric-blue eyes, as if she desperately needed to believe that they weren't fighting alone.
"Eros and Anteros have been a great help. Eros has been working tirelessly to soothe tensions between the gods, using his influence to remind them of love's power. Anteros, with his focus on requited love, has been by his side, encouraging harmony and balance wherever he can. Together, they're helping my efforts to restore some peace on Olympus."
Alice nodded. As minor gods of love, Eros and Anteros were naturally Aphrodite's subordinates, so it made sense that they were helping the goddess of love in her efforts to restore peace.
"Anyone else?"
"Hestia." Aphrodite smiled, a soft, reassuring look crossing her features. "She's been leading the charge. You know how she is - gentle, peaceful, but firm in her neutrality. The madness hasn't touched her, and she's been here helping me keep things together."
Aphrodite paused, her golden curls shimmering as she glanced at Andi. "Her temple remains untouched. She's kept it as a sanctuary as well, guiding the others who've remained unaffected."
"Hestia?" Alice arched an eyebrow, the skepticism clear in her voice. "The goddess of the hearth and home? I didn't expect her to get involved in something this... chaotic."
"She's not involved in the fighting, Alice," Aphrodite replied gently, though with a hint of firmness. "She's protecting her domain. She's always been a symbol of peace, and right now, that's what we need."
"And the others? Who else is with you?" Andi asked, her voice wavering slightly. She hoped there were more allies - more gods willing to help.
"I've managed to get several goddesses on our side, all members of the Minor Goddess Society." Aphrodite continued, "The Muses are here too. They're keeping themselves detached from the conflict, focusing on their role of inspiring art and creativity. They've been helping the nymphs maintain order, encouraging a sense of calm through their songs and stories."
"That makes sense. They wouldn't be affected by the Greek-Roman divide, right?" Alice mused, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Their roles are more... abstract."
"Exactly," Aphrodite nodded, "And Tyche is with us too. She's been managing fate and fortune, keeping balance where she can. The division between Greek and Roman hasn't really impacted her directly."
"And Eirene? She's the goddess of peace. She's unlikely to be affected and her powers would be a great help."
"Yes, Eirene is with us as well. She's been invaluable, promoting harmony in whatever pockets of Olympus we can reach. She's avoiding the fighting, of course, but she's trying to keep the madness from spreading."
"Smart move." Alice commented, her arms crossed as she absorbed the information. "What about Iris?"
As the goddess in charge of Iris Messaging, the primary means of communication for the Olympian pantheon, having Iris still on their side was crucial. Especially since Hermes had already succumbed to the madness, leaving their next best alternative for communication unavailable. In times of war, maintaining open lines of communication was vital, and Iris was now their only reliable option.
"Iris is still carrying messages, trying to maintain some semblance of communication amidst all this chaos. She's not affected by the divide either. She has no distinct Roman counterpart to interfere with her work."
Alice noted how Andi took this all in intently, but her hands fidgeted slightly as Aphrodite spoke. She was grateful for the support, but it was clear that uncertainty gnawed at her from the inside. "That's... good. But what about the rest of Olympus? What happens now?"
"Leave Olympus to us, Andi." Aphrodite ssid, her voice soft but firm. "Eros, Anteros, Hestia, the Muses, Tyche, Eirene, and I... we'll do what we can to hold things together here. But you..." Aphrodite's gaze met Andi's, her eyes full of empathy but also resolve. "You need to rally whatever other gods you can and go support the Seven."
"Wait! Me? You expect me to...?" Andi's voice faltered, her eyes widening as the weight of Aphrodite's words sank in. "The Seven? You're saying I'm supposed to be the main divine support for the Prophecy? T-This is the fate of the world we're talking about!"
"You can do this, Andi." Alice's voice cut through the tension, her tone calm but supportive. "You're stronger than you think."
Alice was entirely honest about this. Partly, she was self-aware enough to admit it was because Andi was the Bane of her own pantheon. After all, it would reflect poorly on the Technodjinn if their Bane were weak, wouldn't it? But mostly, Alice knew Andi's strength. She was well aware of the challenges Andi had faced, the enemies she had defeated. Only someone truly strong could not only overcome such obstacles but thrive in the face of them, as Andi had.
Smirking slightly, Alice added. "And besides, you've got us."
"I know it feels overwhelming." Aphrodite continued gently, her voice soothing but resolute. "But the world needs you, Andi. We'll do what we can here, but this is bigger than Olympus. Gaea's plans extend beyond this city, and the Seven need someone like you - a goddess who hasn't been corrupted by the madness - to guide them."
Andi swallowed hard, the responsibility visibly settling heavily on her shoulders. "I... I don't know if I'm ready for this."
"No one ever feels ready for this kind of responsibility." Aphrodite replied softly, placing a hand on Andi's shoulder. "But you are. And right now, you're the best hope they have."
Andi glanced around for support, and Alice offered her an encouraging smile. The goddess of breezes nodded in return before turning to Wendy. The Aura, still silent and respectful, met Andi's gaze and gave a subtle, reassuring nod, her flaming red hair flickering slightly, in a quiet gesture of encouragement. Wendy's presence remained a steady reminder that she would follow her goddess wherever she went, offering strength in her own quiet way.
After a moment of silence, Andi exhaled slowly, nodding reluctantly.
"Alright." She whispered, her voice steadying as she made the decision. "I'll do it. But promise me you'll keep things safe here."
"I promise." Aphrodite smiled warmly, her eyes filled with determination. "Now go. The world needs you, Andi."
"Thank you again for agreeing to help, Janus," Andi said, her voice firm but filled with gratitude, as she, Alice, and the Roman god of choices, doorways, beginnings, and endings teleported into the grove surrounding her temple. Clad in her Storm Mail, formed from a transformed Wendy, the goddess of the wild, breezes, and Wizarding magic surveyed the familiar, enchanted trees of the Forbidden Forest. The site had been chosen by the Nuclear Witches—formerly environmentalist witches she had educated on the virtues of nuclear power—due to its deep significance to her legend. After all, Andi had attended Hogwarts during her mortal days and had been deeply involved in the dark events that led to the castle's transformation into a monstrous entity. This place, steeped in both history and magic, wasn't just a reflection of her past but a constant reminder of the pivotal choices she had made along her journey to godhood.
And the temple they had built was really a work of art.
They really outdid themselves. Andi thought as she, Alice, and Janus walked through the grove.
The temple looked as if it had sprung from the earth itself, blending perfectly with the wild surroundings. Towering trees intertwined with stone pillars, their bark merging with the carved symbols of ancient magic. Soft, glowing runes flickered like whispers on the wind, each representing her domains: the wild, breezes, and Wizarding magic.
The large central tree, familiar and comforting, rose majestically at the heart of the temple. Its branches stretched upward, forming a natural canopy over the stone platform. Andi could see the intricate runes her followers had etched into the platform, glowing softly as they reacted to the breeze that constantly moved through the sacred space. The tree's bark shimmered, responding to the wild energy that thrummed all around.
Alice, walking beside her, admired the delicate balance of nature and magic, while Janus, ever the observer, silently took in the many pathways the temple seemed to offer, each a doorway to different possibilities. Small crystals lined the path, their magical glow pulsating gently, infusing the temple with life and arcane power.
Andi stepped forward, her senses humming with the energy of her temple. This was more than a place of worship. It was her sanctuary - a place where the wild met magic, and the breeze carried whispers of countless possibilities.
"Considering what's at stake," "Of course I'd agree to help." Janus said with a shrug, his two faces - one looking toward the future, the other to the past - emphasizing his control over transitions and time. Dressed in red-hued armor reminiscent of ancient Roman legionnaires, the god embodied the weight of choices and the uncertainty that lay ahead. In one hand, he held a double-edged sword, symbolizing the gravity of every decision, while the staff in his other hand represented his dominion over doorways and passageways. Tendrils of energy swirled around him, adding to the aura of mystery and control that always seemed to surround him. As Janus strode through the grove with Andi and Alice, his eyes - both past and future - remained ever watchful, a silent and stoic observer of the fates and decisions that shaped the world.
"Yet, the others didn't seem to agree." Andi lamented, frustration edging her voice. Of all the gods she'd found immune to the madness caused by the war between the Greeks and Romans - and the subsequent conflict between their Greek and Roman aspects - only Janus had agreed to help. Some, like Hecate and Hades, were understandably preoccupied, trying to keep the chaos from overwhelming their own domains, and she couldn't fault them for that. But others, like Aeolus and the gods of the cardinal winds, who claimed they were simply "too busy" to assist? That both angered and disheartened her. The world was at stake, and they refused to lift a finger! And then there were the cowards, like Attis, the god of vegetation, rebirth, and fertility, who outright refused to get involved because they were too terrified to take a stand. The weight of their indifference bore down on her, making the task ahead feel even heavier.
"We don't need them." Alice offered encouragingly. "We're more than strong enough on our own. Besides, if we really need help we can still call on Hades, Hecate, and even the rest of my family. That's more than enough firepower."
"The Conscience of the Technodjinn is right, Andromeda." Janus agreed, nodding both his heads. "We must have faith in our own abilities."
"You can call me Alice, Janus."
"And I asked you to call me Andi, Janus."
""Very well, Alice/Andi."" The two faced gods said with a polite bow.
Both goddesses rolled their eyes at the Roman god's exaggerated behavior but didn't comment as they caught sight of someone waiting for them on the path leading to the temple. The figure ahead was a striking young woman with an impressive figure and an unmistakably busty form. Her vibrant, long, straight red hair cascaded down past her shoulders, beautifully complementing her fair complexion. Her bright blue eyes stood out vividly, filled with a mixture of warmth and strength. Andi immediately recognized her as a very pregnant woman she knew well.
"Welcome, my goddess, Lord Janus, Lady Alice." Christy McKinsey, Andi's Wizarding lieutenant and the mother to her unborn Half-Blood, greeted as she offered them a deep bow. With the chaos on Olympus, Father's no-contact rule was no longer enforceable and Andi had happily made use of that fact to get in touch with Christy to set up today's meeting.
"Hi, Christy!" Andi greeted with a warm smile, her eyes drifting to the daughter of Apollo's swollen belly. "Wow! You've gotten big."
Christy chuckled nervously, her hand resting protectively on her stomach. "Yeah, Phoenix is really eager to be born. She's been using her magic to speed up her development. At least that's what Chiron thinks."
Andi glanced at Christy's belly, her smile softening.
"Phoenix, huh? That's a fitting name I guess."
"I thought so." Christy said with an embarrassed blush.
"Well, I can't wait to hold Phoenix in my arms too." She said, her voice full of warmth as she shared a knowing look with the expectant mother.
"Neither can I, my lady." Christy said with an eager smile.
Andi smiled briefly before her expression turned serious. "Alright, enough small talk. Let's get down to business."
"Of course, my lady." Christy replied, her demeanor shifting as well. "The Nuclear Witches are gathered in the temple, awaiting your orders."
Andi nodded and glanced at Alice and Janus, who returned her look with silent agreement. Turning back to Christy, she said, "Lead the way."
"As you command, my lady," Christy said with a respectful bow. "Please follow me."
As Andi, Alice, and Janus followed the daughter of Apollo down the path, the goddess of the wild firmed her resolve. It was time to deal with the Eidolons.
Several days after their meeting with the Nuclear Witches, Andi, Alice, and Janus teleported into the depths of Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Deep within the park's vast cave system lay a place Gaea had named the Necraethra, or "Death's Realm." The name alone implied a place where death, spirits, and dark forces manifested, and Andi's servants had identified it as the birthplace of the Eidolons. The desolate opening to the Underworld, created by Gaea to spawn these dangerous spirits, was haunting. Wispy proto-Eidolons floated about, barely tangible, as they absorbed necromantic energy seeping from a glowing fissure deep in the earth. The fissure pulsed with an otherworldly light, casting eerie shadows across the cracked, barren ground. A thin layer of Mist clung to the air, swirling with every ghostly movement. The entire area was thick with a palpable sense of dread, as necromantic energy infused the ghostly creatures, empowering them as they hovered, awaiting full manifestation.
The eerie Necraethra was heavily guarded by a formidable unit of Gaea's army. At the forefront, a phalanx of Scythian Dracanae scrambled to form up, their serpentine lower bodies coiling swiftly as they readied their spears. Flanking them, the hulking Gegeines skirmishers, each with six muscular arms, clutched jagged weapons while barking orders to one another. Behind them loomed the massive Laistrygonian giants, fumbling to raise their cannons repurposed as muskets. Among the chaos, a squad of Empousai witches, their fiery hair swirling with dark magic, hissed incantations as they began to form magical defenses. Clytius, the Bane of Hecate, stood at the center of it all, towering over his subordinates. His booming voice echoed through the cavern as he barked orders, commanding his forces to prepare for battle. "Defend the Necraethra! Do not let them pass!"
"I'll take Clytius." Andi declared, her eyes locked on the towering 20-foot-tall Gigantes. Clad in jagged, shadowy armor forged from Stygian Iron, Clytius radiated an aura of menace. His fearsome helm concealed his face and hair, save for the eerie blue glow of his eyes that cut through the darkness. His draconic legs, covered in blackened scales that shimmered ominously, ended in massive, clawed feet that gouged the earth with each step. The jagged armor he wore was adorned with sharp, bone-like protrusions, making him appear even more fearsome. In his hands, he wielded an enormous serrated Stygian Iron sword, as deadly as it was imposing - fitting for a Gigantes destined to challenge the gods. Andi's voice held confidence as she added, "Can you two take care of the rest of the monsters?"
"That's fine." Janus agreed, one of his heads nodded whilst the other stayed focused on the massing monstrous defenders. "But be careful of Clytius. He eats magic so don't use any against him."
"Ha!" Clytius scoffed loudly upon hearing Janus' warning to Andi before continuing in a voice that dripped with cruel confidence, his eyes gleaming with malevolent purpose. "Do you really think the goddess of Wizarding magic can avoid using one of her core domains? I think not! It is exactly because of my unique abilities that I've been redeployed from my usual post. Mother knew you would show up here soon, Andromeda Aurae, and she sent me with one clear order: to kill you."
"Andi, be careful."
"Don't worry about me, Janus, Alice. I'll be fine," Andi reassured her allies with a firm nod. Summoning her divine weapon, Skyline, she shot into the air like a gust of wind, her form blurring as she charged directly at Clytius, ready to face the towering Gigantes head-on. "He wants to kill me? I'd like to see him try. I sure ain't going to make it easy for him!"
The monsters that Gaea had assigned to defend the Necraethra were the elites of her army. That the Gegeines were actually wielding weapons when most of their kind fought unarmed and that the Laistrygonians were armed with cannons proved that. However, that meant nothing when faced by two gods. With a casual wave of his staff, Janus opened a large portal that resembled nothing less than a horizontal tear in reality above the massed monsters.
"Eat solar plasma!" The Roman god said with one head whilst the other cackled as the portal, which Alice's sensors confirmed opened to the surface of the sun, allowed a torrent of plasma to pour down on the monsters' ranks, reducing hundreds of them to gold dust in seconds.
Any semblance of a formation was smashed to pieces by the shower of stellar matter as Janus' portal sealed, made worse when Alice followed this up with a barrage of deadly sickly neon green energy beams. Scattered by these opening moves, the monsters were easy prey for Alice. Using the Chronometron built into her eyes, she shifted herself slightly out of phase of the natural flow of the space-time continuum and sped from monster to monster and used precise shots to kill them in quick succession. At the same time, Janus was not idle. Using his portals, he teleported from monster to monster like she did, slaying them with expert swings of his staff and sword.
This is a cakewalk. Alice thought with a frown, blowing off the head of an Empousa mid-spell with a single shot from her gun. The group of Dracaenae, who had formed around the vampiric monster as her de facto guards, foolishly lunged at Alice with their spears. Their weapons, however, phased harmlessly through her thanks to her Dimensional Destabilisation Matrix. In an instant, they were reduced to dust by the crackling, incandescent emerald lightning from her Lightning Field. It can't be this easy.
"This is too easy." Janus said as he stepped out of a portal next to Alice in the path of a Gegeine that was trying to charge her from behind. A monster that he casually slew with a swing of his sword. "Outside of Clytius, who Andi is dealing with."
They both glanced to where Andi was indeed keeping the Bane of Hecate busy whilst they both destroyed groups of monsters, some of the last of the monstrous defenders, that were attacking them. A dozen Dracaenae were sucked into a portal to space created by Janus while a mixed group of Gegeines and Laistrygonians were consumed by a single sickly green energy beam that Alice shot at them.
"They are little more than fodder."
Alice nodded at Janus' observation and surveyed the state of their opponents, finding that they had dealt with all the monsters. "And now they're all dealt with."
"Indeed." Janus agreed as the ground suddenly shook violently and a massive pillar of shadow erupted from the fissure that dominated the Necraethra. "Well, it looks like Gaea isn't going to leave defending this place all up to Clytius."
"Looks like it." Alice agreed as they watched as a serpentine dragon composed entirely of wispy, shadow-like proto-Eidolons emerged from the shadow pillar. Its elongated, sinuous body had tiny, skeletal arms and legs with clawed tips. The dragon's form was ethereal, made of intertwining tendrils of smoke and shadows, giving it a ghostly, otherworldly presence. Its fierce head featured sharp, menacing contours, with tendrils extending from it, while large, tattered wings blended seamlessly into the shadowy essence of its body. "Is that what I think it is?"
"By sweet Chaos!" Janus cursed as the shadowy dragon let out a furious roar and turned its attention towards the two gods. "It seems that Gaea put enough power into creating the Necraethra to give it a Daimon." "That's what that is."
Following its roar, the Daimon of the Necraethra breathed out a torrent of shadowy flame at Janus and Alice. An attack that Janus rather cheekily returned to the sender by conjuring a portal that sucked the flames into it before they were spat out by another portal that he opened up above the dragon. It did nothing to harm the Daimon however, the shadowy flames just seamlessly merging back into the serpentine spirit's body.
"Would you do the honors, Alice?" Janus asked with an amused grin as she and Janus both leapt high into the air as the Daimon transformed into a single bolt of shadows that slammed into the ground where they'd been standing, cratering the ground and sending a storm of shrapnel flying everywhere.
"Sure." Alice replied with a grateful smile as Janus opened a portal behind her. With a small shot from her gun, she propelled herself through the portal, emerging above the churning mass of shadows where the Daimon stirred in the crater it had created. She found herself perfectly oriented and immediately fired off a shot at the spirit below.
A massive, sickly green beam erupted from the barrel of Alice's gun, striking the mostly reformed shadow dragon - a serpentine creature that had arched itself up like a cobra, roaring defiantly at her. Its defiance was short-lived. The Daimon was soon consumed by the beam, and as the brilliant light faded, little remained of the spirit but dispersed shadows.
"Tsk!" Janus muttered unhappily as Alice teleported to his side. "Looks like this Daimon will be surprisingly difficult to deal with."
"Yeah." Alice agreed as she released a burst of emerald lightning with her Lightning Field to intercept the shadow bolts that the scattered bits of the Daimon of the Necraethra had transformed into and shot at them. "Any ideas?"
"No." Janus admitted as he swung his staff and conjured dozens of portals that led to the bottom of the ocean that shot out jets of highly pressurized water that blasted at the reforming main mass of the Daimon. "We could try destroying the Necraethra-"
Looking away from the walls of shadows that the Daimon had raised from its seemingly excess shadow mass to shield its main body as it re-coalesced from Janus' attack and the beam barrage that Alice added to support it, the Conscience of the Technodjinn glanced at the fissure they were here to suppress. To her sensors it practically radiated with energy. Gaea had truly filled it with a phenomenal amount of her power. Destroying it was not impossible, but it was hard even for gods like them. Even then doing so would likely just force it to reopen elsewhere. No, Andi's plan for it was the better option.
"That won't work." Alice cut Janus off as the god created a matrix of portals around them that sucked in and thus redirected the shockwave of power that the Daimon of the Necraethra unleashed as it finished reforming.
"No, it won't." Janus agreed as he opened up another portal beneath their feet and they fell through it to exit a safe distance away as his defensive barrier of portals collapsed under the weight of the powerful Daimon's shockwave. "Our best option is to just keep dispersing it until it runs out of power to reform."
"What do you think will do that?" Alice asked as she began to charge up the energy in her gun in preparation of the most powerful attack she could possibly unleash against the Daimon.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Janus said with a shrug as the Daimon began gathering shadows in its maw even as it flapped its wings, sending bolts of its shadow stuff at the two gods. The latter of which Janus intercepted by conjuring portals from which bolts of lightning that originated from a storm raging somewhere over the Atlantic. "Just hit it with the most powerful attacks you can. I'll do the same."
"Guess that's the best plan we have." Alice said resignedly as the Daimon fired the shadows it had gathered in the form of a beam of pure darkness towards them.
Janus responded by jumping into a portal and Alice ran away from the beam, powerful enough that it was a real threat even to her divine life, with the help of the time altering capability of her Chronometron. Probably because Janus was essentially blinking from place to place and made it hard for it to lock onto him, the Daimon ignored the Roman and instead turned its attention towards her, tracking the beam of dark energy after her leaving a superheated trench in the ground in its wake.
"A little help!" Alice shouted at her ally as the beam got ever closer to her, the Daimon somehow steadily compensating for the speed that the time dilation from her Chronometron gave her. Not even throwing in a few teleports managing to shake off the beam.
"Working on it!" Janus shouted back as he exited above the Daimon, dropping down onto the serpentine spirit's back. Somehow, he managed to land and stand on it despite its ethereal form, and drove his staff into its back as he did so. With this direct contact, the god was able to channel his power into the Daimon, causing dozens of portals to open up within the dragon's body causing it to implode from multiple points at once.
Sadly, his attack came a moment too late. Just as Janus' portals opened, the Daimon's beam struck Alice. The dark energy washed over her, and though her Dimensional Destabilisation Matrix protected her by keeping her out of phase with physical reality, it drained an immense amount of energy to maintain. The esoteric power of the Daimon's beam quickly overwhelmed the system, and the strain became too great. Alice was automatically forced back into physical reality, vulnerable once again. She thus found herself consumed by the destructive energy of the beam.
"Arrrrgggghhhh!" Alice screamed in agony as the dark energies of the Daimon tore through her body.
The pain was blissfully brief though as Janus' attack quickly forced the Daimon to abandon its own attack as a result of its own agony.
"Alice, now!" "Shoot it and finish the Daimon!" "It's weakened enough to disperse it for good!"
"R-Right!" Alice shouted back, raising her gun toward the draconic Daimon, even as her self-repair systems rushed to repair her badly damaged body. "Eat this, you shitty worm!"
With a pull of the trigger, Alice unleashed a massive beam of sickly green energy at the Daimon, which was still reeling from the portals consuming it from within. In a blinding flash of green, the beam completely consumed the Daimon, dispersing the creature. This time, decisively. Alice could feel its consciousness retreat back into the fissure of the Necraethra as the shadows that had composed its form faded into nothingness.
"Are you alright, Alice?" Janus said as he stepped out of a portal by her side and eyed the by now mostly repaired damage that she had sustained.
"Yeah." Alice agreed. "Is the area clear?"
"Andi is still dealing with Clytius." Janus said, gesturing towards where Alice's friend was still fighting the Bane of Hecate. "But it looks like she'll be done soon."
Alice nodded. It certainly looked like it. "Alright, let us call in the reinforcements then."
Janus nodded and, with a subtle gesture of his staff, opened dozens of portals around the expansive cavern. From these portals emerged Andi's loyal worshippers, the Nuclear Witches. However, they did not come alone. Accompanying them was a swarm of Dementors, herded by the witches using Patronus Charms. The spectral Wizarding creatures wasted no time, falling upon the numerous proto-Eidolons that had been floating around the Necraethra throughout the battle and began devouring their souls with their infamous Kiss, reducing the spirits to nothing. With the defenders either dead or preoccupied, nothing stood in their way.
A fact that brought a satisfied smile to Alice's face. Let's see you recruit more Eidolons now, Gaea!
"He wants to kill me? I'd like to see him try. I sure ain't going to make it easy for him!" Andi shouted as she shot through the air towards Clytius.
Wendy, pour on the speed! Andi sent to her partner, currently wrapped around her as her Storm Mail, with Skyline in its two foot xiphos form and held in front of her for an almighty thrust. Let's try to see if we can't end this in one stroke.
Got it! Here's all the speed! Wendy sent back as she diverted all her power into their speed, transforming them into a veritable bolt of divine power that streaked across the cavern at their Gigantes opponent.
Despite all their speed, the Bane of Hecate acted with phenomenal speed of his own, even by the standards of divine beings, and brought his massive sword up into a defensive guard that allowed him to parry Andi's powerful, superspeed enhanced thrust. Though the strength of the attack still had him skidding back, he was nevertheless able to deflect it, sending the goddess of the breeze hurtling away from him.
Unfazed by this, Andi responded by almost immediately leveling her flight and shifted Skyline into its bow form which she promptly used to fire off a rapid fire barrage of explosive wind arrows at Clytius. To his credit, the Gigantes once more responded with impressive martial skill and with deft swings of his sword, he deflected every one of Andi's arrows.
"My friends are slaughtering your troops." Andi noted as she swapped out her explosive wind arrows for razor-sharp vacuum blades that she similarly launched with each draw of her bow. She nodded in satisfaction over at the battle between Alice, Janus and the monstrous defenders where, within seconds of the battle being joined, the monsters' formation had been shattered, and her friends moved on to easily mopping them up as the enemy struggled, and failed, to regroup.
"None of my concern." Clytius said dismissively as he deflected Andi's vacuum blades with just as much ease as he had her wind arrows. "Overseeing the Necraethra's defense is of much lower priority than killing you. Mother was very clear on that point."
Oh goodie… Andi thought sarcastically. It seemed she'd earned the personal ire of the Earth Mother. Joy!
It's not like we didn't expect this with how much we've been interfering with her plans lately. Wendy reminded her as Andi decided to try to hit Clytius from as many angles at once as possible and stretching her admittedly lackluster skill at using instances to its limits, created a dozen versions of herself that she sent blitzing around the Gigantes raining down vacuum blades all the while.
Is he diametrically opposed to Hecate or something? Wendy asked, or more accurately thought aloud into their mind link. I mean he's her Bane, right? And she's the goddess of magic, so that's why he's such a good fighter? Sorta like how you're the goddess of the wild and the Bane of the Technodjinn?
I don't think it's always that obvious, but maybe? Andi replied as seeing her vacuum blades weren't cutting it, she switched tactics once again. Merging her instances back into one, she abandoned small-scale attacks and instead conjured a pair of large twisters that she sent hurtling towards Clytius.
She'd expected the Gigantes to respond by pulling off some crazy display of his martial prowess like literally cutting the tornadoes apart. She did not expect him to respond by planting the blade of his sword downward, with its tip resting against the ground whilst he clasped both his hands firmly around his hilt. A move that he accompanied by summoning dozens of spinning magic circles behind his back.
"You can use magic!?" Andi shouted in disbelief as beams of elemental fury and raw arcane force shot out of the various magic circles and blasted her twisters apart. "How does that work!? Aren't you the Bane of Hecate!?"
"That means I'm meant to replace her. Naturally, I'm a master of magic," Clytius chuckled darkly as he adjusted his magic circles. With a sinister gleam in his eyes, the circles shifted, redirecting the destructive spells they were conjuring straight toward Andi, each one crackling with malevolent energy.
"But you eat magic!" Andi whined as she was forced to take evasive maneuvers to avoid being hit by the elemental and arcane assault being shot at her. Doing her best to retaliate whenever she could, launching vacuum blades and wind arrows every chance she got.
"I can eat magic." Clytius corrected her smugly. "That does not mean I do it all the time. It does not hinder my own magic."
Andi, doesn't that mean-
No, Wendy. Andi told her, cutting her off. Are you willing to risk us committing to a powerful magical attack and he just eats it, leaving us overextended and vulnerable.
Yeah…
"That's cheating, you know that?" Andi said in a resigned tone even as she once more split into a dozen instances and poured on the speed as she blitzed around Clytius.
"As the mortals say, all's fair in love and war!" Clytius retorted with a laugh as he effortlessly redirected his fire to try and shoot down the dozen Andis now streaking through the air around him.
He isn't very smart is he? Wendy giggled as she observed Clytius, noting with amusement that he didn't even bother to increase the number of spells he was casting, despite the fact that his number of targets had significantly multiplied and they had all become much quicker too.
No, it doesn't seem he is. Andi agreed as she, in her various instances, took aim at his magic circles and fired off carefully aimed barrages of wind arrows. Arrows that carefully avoided the emissions of the spell but which struck the magic circles that conjured them. The attacks destabilized the delicate magic that maintained the circles, causing them to violently destabilize one after another in a series of explosions.
The explosions rocked Clytius, causing him to lose his balance. Under normal circumstances, the Gigantes would have easily righted himself. But this time, Andi had tipped the scales in her favor. As he tried to lift his foot to regain stability, massive vines erupted from the ground, violently coiling around his legs and yanking him down, sending the towering figure crashing to the earth.
"Time to end this!" Andi declared as she had her various instances all merge back together into one directly above the prone Clytius atop a cloud platform, even as she had more vines shoot out of the earth to bind him in place.
"End this!?" Clytius said with an arrogant laugh as he struggled hard against his floral bonds. "Did you forget that you need a Half-Blood and a god working together to kill one of my kind? Where, pray tell, are you going to find a demigod?"
Andi just smirked. With a burst of divine power, she teleported her trusty boyfriend, Will Solace, son of Apollo, onto the battlefield. He wasn't the only friendly reinforcement that had been called in either as just as she teleported him in, Janus had opened the portals to allow the Nuclear Witches to herd in the Demetors as planned. It seemed they'd already handled their end of the fighting.
We've gotta speed this up.
"Right here actually." Will said cheekily from where he stood next to her atop her cloud platform. It seemed he'd picked up some sass in the time they'd been separated by Father's stupid edict. "My girlfriend called and I came."
Andi pointedly ignored Wendy's giggling at what she dearly hoped was the unintended double meaning behind Will's choice of words.
"What!? No! This can't be happening!" Clytius shouted in shock, redoubling his efforts to break free. Andi, however, was relentless. She channeled even more of her power over the wild into the earth, strengthening the vines that already held him and conjuring new ones to burst forth whenever he tore one apart. Desperately, Clytius tried to absorb the power in the vines, but his efforts were in vain. Though magic and divine power often overlapped, Andi had been careful to use only her divine abilities, leaving him nothing to devour and his ability availed him not.
"It's happening!" Andi said smugly as she offered Will a nod towards Skyline to wordlessly communicate her intent.
Nodding in understanding, he placed his hands over hers, joining her in drawing back her divine weapon. As she gathered her power, she was momentarily startled. Instead of the usual flow of Father's energy - impossible now, with him lost to the madness plaguing Olympus due to the Greco-Roman war - the power she felt was bolstered by the still-sane gods. Their strength flowed from Olympus, lending their support to her cause. As a spear of spiraling wind formed between Skyline's drawn bowstring and its limbs, it pulsed not only with her power but also with the combined energy of Aphrodite, Aunt Hestia, and all the other gods who had resisted the chaos Gaea had ignited.
"Eat a Spear of Heaven, Clytius!" Andi roared as she loosed the arrow forged from the combined raw divine power of herself and her allies on Olympus. The spear of spiraling wind shot forth, swiftly transforming mid-flight into a bolt of lightning that threatened to deal phenomenal destruction upon anyone it struck.
Sadly, the arrow never struck its mark. Mere microseconds before it would have pierced Clytius and sent him screaming back to Tartarus where he belonged, the ground beneath him split open. The Earth Mother, Gaea herself, had intervened, using her power to pull her son into the safety of the earth, rescuing him from his well-deserved fate.
"Damnit!" Andi cursed as her Spear of Heaven struck the ground and detonated in an earth-shaking explosion. The impact left a massive crater, the force of which should have brought the entire cave crashing down around them. However, the supernatural durability of the Necraethra extended beyond the fissure itself and into the surrounding cavern. Additionally, some discreet use of Wizarding magic on Andi's part, including the Hardening Charm to reinforce the structure at the last moment between Clytius' escape and the spear's impact, helped preserve the integrity of the cavern. Aside from a few stalactites falling from the roof, the cave remained largely intact.
Andi! Be more careful! Wendy warned, being fully aware, unlike Will, of the danger that they'd been in of being buried by a cave in.
Right, sorry. Andi replied sheepishly.
"Guess we'll just have to get him the next time." Will said with a disappointed sigh of his own.
"Yeah." Andi agreed before dismissing Skyline and fidgeting nervously. "So, um, Will…"
"Andi, you don't have to explain yourself." Will began only to be cut off as Wendy transformed out of her Storm Mail form and into her favored child-like form.
"Stop!" The Aura said, putting up her hands in a warding gesture. "At least wait till I get out of here before you two start talking about your relationship! Please!"
"Uh…" Will said intelligently at the sight of Andi and Wendy's nakedness. It seems months apart had made him forget about their nudist tendencies.
"Sorry." He said, snapping his eyes away from where they were wandering over Andi's body to look her squarely in the eyes. "Yeah, um, sure."
"Good." Wendy said with a pleased nod. "Then I'll go make sure you two are left alone for a bit while you talk. Andi, don't forget-"
"Yeah, I know, we still have work to do so it won't take long." Andi said, practically, and not literally even though she totally could, reading her partner's mind. "Who's the goddess here anyway?"
"You are." Wendy said easily whilst sporting a teasing grin. "I'm just your humble lieutenant offering you a reminder about your duties."
"Yes, yes, thank you. Now shoo!" Andi urged, waving at Wendy to get going already. "I have important relationship stuff to talk to Will about."
The Aura just giggled and transformed into the warm southern breeze that was her truest form and flew away, her laughter trailing behind her. Andi watched her go for a moment, making sure she was out of earshot, before turning back to Will.
"You can look, you know." Andi told her boyfriend, who had snapped his wandering eyes back to her face when she'd turned to him. "If I minded you looking, I would be wearing something."
"But-"
"Will! Ogle me. I like it." Andi told him bluntly.
Blushing, he nodded and allowed his eyes to drift downward to trace a path up and down her front, lingering every so often on the swell of her breasts or her neatly trimmed garden around her womanhood. A sight that had Andi smiling proudly. Yes, she was a goddess and knew she was divinely beautiful but that didn't mean she didn't appreciate proof that her man found her gorgeous.
"So, as I was saying," Andi said after a brief moment of luxuriating in the fact that Will was still very much attracted to her. "I'm sorry that the first time I spoke to you in months was me asking you for help fighting a Gigantes."
"Don't sweat it." Will assured her, looking her in the eyes as he did. "I get it. We're at war."
"Even then…"
"Just, uh, promise me that the next time you get a chance to relax, we'll spend some time together, okay?" Will asked, his voice hopeful. "I mean, you can't be fighting this war non-stop, right?"
Andi didn't have the heart to tell him that she did and probably would. That said, there were lulls in any war, and whilst she couldn't completely step away from it, she had gotten good enough with her instances that she could probably send one down to spend some time with Will. So she wasn't lying when she answered his request with easy confidence, "Done deal."
"Good. Then um…" Will trailed off, clearly not sure what to say.
"Now, I think you best get back to Camp. Much as I want you by my side, you're Head Counselor of Apollo's Cabin and with Percy and Annabeth off fulfilling the Prophecy of the Seven, they need you. But first-" Andi said as she pulled Will into a kiss. It had been a little sudden, so she hadn't expected much of a reaction from her boyfriend, but his initial surprise quickly faded, and soon he was returning the kiss with just as much enthusiasm as she was.
"T-That was…"
"Wonderful." Andi finished for Will when he trailed off. "I missed kissing you."
Will just nodded his agreement, causing Andi to smile at him brilliantly.
"Okay, so I'll send you back now." Andi said, gathering her power to teleport Will back to Camp. "Say hello to everyone for me, especially Christy. And give her belly a little pat from me to say hi to baby Phoenix, okay?"
"Sure, but about that, I know the circumstances and everything but I can't help but be a little pissed that Christy is the mother of your first Half-Blood anyway." Will asked with a pout. "If you had a Half-Blood I wanted to be the father."
Andi blushed at that before replying coyly. "Well... Play your cards right after the war ends and I'll let you father Phoenix's next brother or sister."
"I'll hold you to that promise." Will said, looking eager at the prospect.
Blushing harder, Andi just leaned in and offered Will one last quick peck before finally teleporting him back to Camp. Clutching her chest over her heart as she steadied its runaway beating in the wake of their conversation, the goddess of the wild took a moment to recompose herself.
When she finally did, she found that she'd been joined atop her cloud platform by Janus, Alice and Wendy. Seeing she had regathered her wits, Janus turned to address her, "Do you really think turning their spawning ground into a home for the soul eating Dementors of your Wizarding World will work to contain the Eidolons?" "Will the Dementors truly eat the souls of all the proto-Eidolons that might emerge from the Underworld?"
"100%? No. I don't think any idea to contain the Eidolons I could come up with is sure to succeed. I'm not Athena. But I think it should work. Don't you?"
"I wouldn't have agreed to help you implement it if I didn't." Janus said with a sigh. "I suppose I'm just worried."
"We all are." Alice chimed in. "There is a lot at stake in this war."
Andi and Janus both nodded, falling into a contemplative silence as the Nuclear Witches finished herding the last of the Dementors into the Necraethra. Not that much herding was required once they were past the portals. As soon as the specter-like creatures emerged and sensed the defenseless proto-Eidolons, they descended upon them like ravenous wolves. With the steady stream of new spirits emerging from the Necraethra, the Dementors had an endless feast, transforming the cavern into a paradise where they could indulge in the one thing they cared about: feeding. Freed from the task of managing the Dementors, the Nuclear Witches turned their attention to warding the entrances and exits of the Necraethra. Though they couldn't trap the Dementors, no Wizarding magic could, they could set up alert wards, prepared to signal in the unlikely event that the creatures attempted to leave.
They shouldn't. Not after I used my authority over them as the goddess of Wizarding magic to order them to forever stay here. Andi thought as she watched her followers work on the wards. But even then it doesn't hurt to be careful.
Considering her authority over the Dementors was incomplete as demonstrated by how she couldn't just order them to come here to Necraethra and needed the Nuclear Witches to corral them and herd them here, it was best to be safe rather than sorry. Though their resistance to her commands did beggar the question: what exactly were the Dementors if they could defy her, even partially, like they did?
It's not important right now. Andi thought as Janus suddenly burst out into a laugh, causing her to turn to him questioningly.
"What is it?" Alice asked before she could.
"Oh!" "it's just that I can't wait to see Gaea's face when she learns how one of her trump cards was sealed away like this."
Alice grinned at that. "I would pay good money to see that too."
Laughing as well, Andi nodded. "Me too."
All three gods shared a laugh at the thought. Their good mirth lasted a good long moment, but all good things must come to an end and they soon sobered, descending on a contemplative silence as they watched more of the Nuclear Witches pour out of the portals floating stacks of building materials with them with the Levitation Charm.
"Andi, do you think we can really prevent Gaea from recapturing this place? I doubt the Dementors would fight her if she offers them souls to eat elsewhere to make up for their lost buffet. Will the Nuclear Witches manage on their own?"
"Yes, Andi." "They are mere mortals after all." Janus added worriedly. "What if the Daimon reforms?" "Would they be able to handle it?"
As the Witches moved to construct fortifications in the passages branching out from the entrances and exits of the Necraethra, including barracks for future guards, Andi responded to her fellow gods' uncertainties with quiet confidence.
"Considering the Necraethra's Daimon is linked to the proto-Eidolons under its care and they are being consumed as soon as they emerge by the Dementors, it's unlikely to regain enough strength to reform. As for other threats… I have faith in them." She said, her tone resolute as she watched the Witches work with purpose and determination.
Done and done! Thanks to Nameless as always!
Woo! Now that was a heart pounding chapter, no? My favorite was Andi exploring her temple. Her ego needed it, jk. But the Clytius part was a lot of fun! So we hope you enjoyed it all. At least Janus is more friendly in this verse, haha!
Nameless: We know we made Clytius different from canon. That was me trying to use AI to produce a good image of such but coming up with what our AO3 readers see instead and liking it so much, I decided to run with it instead. Considering the Gigantes should be able to change their appearance like the gods and monsters, I don't think this is an issue. If you have any thoughts on this, please feel free to let us know via a PM/review/comment.
Nameless: On another note, we received specific feedback that Alice's last fight didn't quite meet expectations. Please let us know if this one was an improvement.
You know what to do! Smash that review button and tell us what you love! No flames and peace off my peeps!