I'm back from my short hiatus with a new chapter for Incarnates Of Olympus. I'm hopeful for a boost in reviews this time. Enjoy.
In a small apartment in Dover, Allegra Martinez was in the midst of a shower. The warm water from the shower head rained down upon her face and streamed through her long hair. The water continued to flowed down her naked figure from her upper body to her torso, to her waste and down the length of her legs. The water continued along the padded floor and into the drain. It felt nice, soothing and calming. Allegra seemed to be in a state of peace, but her thoughts were a jumble of questions with no answers. Tilting her head down, pressing her hands to wall, Allegra couldn't get the images of the day's events out of her mind.
Her new friends, or perhaps 'associates' was a more appropriate term, transformed into literal Gods right before her eyes. Incarnates, they called themselves, and Allegra was apparently one of them. According to Corey Mercer, who was the Incarnate of Zeus, Allegra was the Incarnate of Artemis, while Brad Hendry was the Incarnate of Ares. But while they could transform into their respective forms, Allegra for some reason could not. She turned off the shower, but remained in thought. What was Allegra doing wrong? Why could she not transform like them? There were so many questions she was asking herself and not one answer.
A short stretch of time passed between Allegra finishing her shower and dressing herself. The clothes she chose to wear consisted of a pair of blue shirts and a gray tank top shirt. Her hair was tied in a ponytail that was slung over her right shoulder. Allegra was certainly physically attractive, and she didn't mind the admiration she received from some of the male students at Dover High. But admiration by her peers was the furthest thing from Allegra's mind.
A yellow envelope rested on a nearby table, one that Allegra only read once. She knew who sent it, and she picked it up to open it again. A letter was inside the envelope, which Allegra hesitantly unfolded. She knew who sent the letter based on the handwriting, her heart sinking with every word on the letter. Allegra felt a ceaseless indecisiveness welling up inside of her. Only the faint tapping of something outside her field of view snapped her back to reality. Allegra searched for the source of the tapping and found a white owl outside of her window. Allegra recalled eavesdropping on Corey making reference to a talking owl of some sort. Against her better judgment but perhaps acting on instinct, she approached the window. She slowly opened the window and waited for a moment before the white owl flew into her apartment.
Allegra was startled by the suddenness of the flyby, all while the creature rested on a coatrack. Then, the owl said to the girl, "Greetings, Allegra Martinez, or do you prefer I address you as Artemis?"
Allegra hesitated to reply, but she willed herself into responding, "You're Athena, I assume."
"I am, and the time has come for you to awaken as an Incarnate." Athena informed Allegra.
Allegra was well aware of her apparent destiny as it were, but she sadly knew that it wasn't the case for her. "I am no Incarnate."
"The mark upon your hand suggests otherwise. You are the Incarnate of Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt possessing mastery of the great winds that wash across the world. It is your duty, nay, your destiny to aid in the recovery of Pandora's Box, just as it is for Corey Mercer and Brad Hendry." Athena stated.
Allegra listened to Athena's words but remained unconvinced, looking away with her left hand wrapped around her right arm in despair. "You are wrong. I am not an Incarnate. I'm not this Artemis you claim that I am."
"You bear the symbol of Artemis, just as Corey bears the symbol of Zeus and Brad bears the symbol of Ares." Athena explained.
"Then why can I not transform like Corey or Brad? I tried as hard as possible, but I cannot do what they can." Allegra stated in frustration and dropping onto her bed.
Athena considered what Allegra told her, and she replied, "To be able to change into your Incarnate form requires a clear mind and a focused spirit free of all doubt and distraction. Perhaps something holds you back from achieving that focus."
"Perhaps, or perhaps I'm not meant to be an Incarnate at all," Allegra replied, a heavy breath leaving her lips. Glancing at the mark on her hand, Allegra solemnly concluded, "Perhaps this mark was a mistake."
Athena cocked her head once more before she flew toward the windowsill and, upon considering her next words, she said to Allegra, "Destiny does not make mistakes."
Allegra was about to respond, but the white owl was already gone. She sadly mused to herself, "Primera ves para todo."
The following day after school, Corey and Brad returned to the warehouse where they continued practicing their Incarnate skills. A series of cans, bottles and the like rested on old buckets to serve as targets. The cans were likely set up by Damien, who was noticeably absent from the warehouse by the time Corey and Brad arrived. Corey hadn't heard from his friend since they left school that day, and Damien said he had an errand to run and that he'd catch up later. He never showed, so Corey had to carry on with Brad and Allegra. Brad was already in the middle of practice, launching a ball of fire at one of the cans and knocking off the bucket on which it rested. Corey quickly responded with a lightning blast on a bottle, shattering the object into tiny shards. It didn't take long for the two boys to become engaged in what could've been best described as a friendly rivalry.
Allegra was a short distance away from them, still trying to transform into her own Incarnate form. She was as yet having next to no luck, and the frustration was starting to become increasingly evident. She continued, trying different methods and stances, even at loudly announcing random words much to the confusion of the boys. Brad stopped his training to watch Allegra struggle, almost appearing to feel sorry for the girl. Allegra made one more attempt to coax a reaction in herself only to fail. She angrily cursed her latest failure, even throwing a stiff kick right out in front of herself.
"Mierda!"
"Allegra, you okay?" Corey asked.
"No, I'm not. This is impossible; I can't transform no matter what I do." Allegra snapped.
"Yeah, I don't think calling out words like you're an anime character is helping." Brad quipped while hoping to lighten the mood, only for Allegra to glare angrily at her before storming off.
Corey approached Brad and told him, "Smooth move, man. Real smooth."
"I was just trying to... I mean, you know..." Brad tried to explain, but Corey simply patted his armored shoulder before returning to his training. Brad could only muse to himself, "Shit."
Some moments later, Brad found Allegra sitting crouched outside of the warehouse. "Hey," he said, drawing Allegra's attention and noticing how her face was awash with moisture as if she'd been crying. "I'm sorry."
Allegra wiped the moisture away before replying, "It's okay. You were just playing around," She allowed Brad to sit beside her and she added, "I am starting to feel like a burden to you and Corey."
"You're not a burden; you're just not used to this whole Incarnate thing yet. Look at me; I'm wearing red armor while shooting fireballs out of my hands and I'm still trying to figure it all out." Brad admitted.
Allegra chuckled at the admission before offered her own. "I didn't come to the United States just to study. I... I wanted to get away from my parents."
Brad was silent at first, processing Allegra's word. He asked, "What happened? Did they hurt you?"
Allegra tensed up, even lightly clapping her hands together nervously. "No. They're just very... overprotective. They're also very rich, very influential people."
Brad raised his eyebrows in surprise. "So back home, you're like a princess or the heir to some family fortune or something? That's pretty cool."
But Allegra shook her head, claiming to Brad, "You wouldn't think that if you knew what my parents were really like. They're not just overprotective. They're extremely controlling."
"Controlling like how?" Brad asked, though he secretly didn't wish to know.
"Since I was a child, my parents tried to groom into a 'perfect little girl'. They tried to dictate every aspect of my life to fit into some sort of societal norm. When I grew older and smart enough to see what they were doing, I left home and came to study the U.S." Allegra explained.
"I guess they didn't take your leaving home as well as you'd hoped." Brad concluded.
"They've been trying to convince me to return home, sending letters and such, all so they could groom me into someone I don't want to be."
Brad listened and as he did, he surmised, "You're thinking about it, aren't you?"
Allegra glanced at Brad, a look a defeat in her eyes. "To be honest, I haven't been able to make many friends since I came abroad. I feel like my parents have made it hard to do that."
"You're lonely, but you feel like if you go back home, your parents might make a mess of your life." Brad surmised.
Allegra appeared shamed but still nodded. She replied, "I don't want to go home, but I don't want to be lonely here."
"I think that's your problem right there," Brad concluded. "You've got this conflict of not knowing and that's what's keeping you from transforming like me and Corey."
"What should I do? What am I supposed to do?" Allegra asked, as if Brad had the answers she desperately needed.
After taking considerable thought into his response, Brad said to Allegra, "I'm just going to be upfront with you; I can't decide the path you choose. Only you can choose, Allegra."
Allegra thought about Brad's response and replied, "I suppose that's true."
"I'll tell you one thing though; you mentioned you don't have any friends." Brad said.
"Yes?"
Brad smiled and told Allegra, "Well, you've got one now."
"Two." a second voice said, and Brad and Allegra found Corey leaning shoulder to the wall with an approving smile on his face.
"How long have you been there, Mercer?" Brad wondered, genuine surprise in his tone.
"Long enough for the mushy stuff," Corey joked with a smirk. "All seriousness though, Allegra, you're not alone here. We're your friends and we're going to help you figure out how to transform. I promise."
"We promise." Brad added.
Allegra managed to provide a genuinely legitimate smile, an expression of gratitude washing over her for the first time in a long while. Corey and Brad returned the gesture, the latter even wrapping his arm around her shoulders. It was as if he was letting her know that things would turn out better now. Allegra believed it now, and Corey felt a sense of pride. That feeling though seemed to gradually fade away when Corey heard something strange. The trees near the old warehouse appeared to be moving unnaturally, and then one of them appeared to shift to one side entirely. Another tree shifted to the other side, all while Corey and Brad stood up and Allegra backed away ever saw slightly.
Without warning, a large monster burst from the trees. It roared a deafening, explosive bellow as it charged forward while swing a massive stone-like weapon in one hand. It possessed a singular eye that was filled with anger and rage. The monster ran at full speed straight for the trio of teenagers, and Corey quickly stepped forward. Corey cut loose with a blast of lightning, which did not even slow the monster down. It used its weapon, its stone club to block the attack. Corey pressed his attack right until the monster was nearly upon him. Brad stepped forward being Corey and unleashed a fire attack, just enough to slow the monster. The stone club ascended up high and then started coming back down. Corey dove to one side while Brad dove to the other, taking Allegra down with him.
"Brad, get Allegra out of here." Corey shouted right before the monster's club slammed into him and sent him careening into the warehouse wall.
Brad helped Allegra up, telling her, "Get inside and stay safe."
"What about you?" Allegra fearfully asked.
"Don't worry about me, Allegra. Just get someplace safe. Go now!"
There was no time to argue when a second monster identical to the first appeared dangerously close to Brad and Allegra. In desperation, Brad pushed Allegra hard to the warehouse wall before engulfing the monster in a burst of fire. Allegra, knowing she could do nothing to help, hastily rushed into the warehouse and out of sight. Brad glanced briefly to make certain that Allegra was out of danger before refocusing his attention on the monster. An unseen force struck him and sent him flying in the opposite direction. Rising back up to a seated position, he found a third monster baring down on him.
It was at the last second that Zeus bolted right in between Brad and the monster, attacking with a quick blast of lightning. The monster was pushed back, but only slightly. Brad, going full Ares, quickly joined Zeus in pushing the monster with his fire attacks, but they overlooked the other two monsters with one charging right for them. Zeus reacted just at the last second and unleashed another lightning blast. The monster didn't even slow down, rearing its weapon back before coming down with it. Zeus pushed Ares out of the way. Both of them fell to the ground right in front of the third monster, and they had to dodge forward to avoid being crushed by the monster's club.
Zeus and Ares rose back up to the feet, standing back to back as the monsters all surrounded them. "What the hell are these things?" Ares loudly asked.
"Let's see; big and burly, giant stone clubs, smell horrible, only one eye... definitely a Cyclops and unfortunately, there's more than one." Zeus replied.
Ares willed a spear and shield into existence while saying, "Okay, great! So, I'm assuming you've got an idea of how we put these things down."
Zeus glanced at Ares with confusion, as though he had no idea what to tell him. One of the Cyclopes brought its stone club between the two Incarnates, separating them for a brief moment. Another Cyclops charged at Ares, who hastily launched his spear at the raging beast. The Cyclops took the spear to the left should and continued its forward charge. Ares blocked the beast's mighty swing of its club with his shield, all while Zeus launched himself skyward and unleashed a bolt of lightning. This time, the Cyclops hand to raised its free hand to block the bolt. It roared in anger and pain. Ares saw his opening, willing another spear into existence as before and hurling it directly at the Cyclops' eye.
The third Cyclops reacted faster than expected, shoving its identical cohort out of the way and deflecting the spear. It then tried to slam its club down on Zeus and Ares, both of them barely managing to avoid the strike. Zeus attempted to land a strike with a lightning bolt, only for the first of the monsters, or Cyclops One, to also deflect the attack. Not giving up, Zeus frantically jumped upward. He prepared to send out another lightning bolt, but Cyclops Two caught him in midair and slammed him back do hard into the ground. Ares made an attempt to help Zeus only for Cyclops Three to overtake him and knock him down. As all this was happening, Allegra was watching inside the warehouse with a frightened look on her face.
The Incarnates had to regroup, but they were surrounded by the Cyclopes once again. "Uh, Zeus, I'd really love to hear your idea for dealing with these things."
"They seem pretty protective of their eyes, so I say we go straight for them. How's that?" Zeus surmised.
Ares looked incredulously at Zeus, and then he shrugged his armored shoulders. "I've heard worse. Let's go."
With Cyclops Two bearing down on them, Ares attacked first. He avoided the incoming downward swing of the the beast's club and rushed up the length of it. A new spear in hand, Ares went for the eye. He jumped up, gaining altitude before bringing his spear down toward the eye. Only, Cyclops Two grabbed him from the air and pulled him closer while Ares to break free. He was quite literally eyes to eye with Cyclops Two. It bellowed mightily in his face, the foul stench of its breath permeating the area. Ares, ever defiant, bellowed right back at the monster. This bought time for Zeus to throw a lightning bolt at Cyclops Two, only for Cyclops One to deflect the attack.
Zeus tried another attack, but Cyclops Three was already upon him. He shifted and directed his next attack on the monster, watching as it deflected the attack with its club. Zeus did not give up, unleashing another lightning bolt that, miraculously, struck Cyclops Three in the chest. Cyclops Three stumbled and dropped to one knee, while Zeus saw an opening to land another lightning bolt. Cyclops One and Two closed on Zeus, but Ares jumped in with a fire blast to keep them at bay. Cyclops One pushed through and struck both Incarnates with its club. The impact was so great that even Allegra felt from her hiding place. She was petrified, unsure of herself and unable to do anything.
Those were her friends out there. Corey and Brad were the only real friends she'd made, and they were fighting for her life as well as their own. They were fighting. They were struggling. Allegra could only watch, helpless and unsure of herself. She gazed at the mark on her hand, begging and wishing and pleading for something, anything, to occur. Allegra looked back at the scene to find Corey and Brad still fighting against the three Cyclopes. But the number's game was catching up to them. They weren't going to last much longer. Allegra didn't know what to do, for she was conflicted. Conflicted. That was it; that was what was holding Allegra. Her conflict, her self-doubt, her indecisiveness; Allegra had to let that go. She wasn't about to lose her only friends.
Ares and Zeus continued to fight hard, but the Cyclopes continued to pummel them. Working like some ancient, well oiled Greek machine, the monsters kept the Incarnates pinned down. Ares had his shield up to block the onslaught of club strikes from the monsters. Zeus had a lightning bolt ready, but the Cyclopes made it next to impossible to attack them. Cyclops One had enough, roaring in rage as it reared back its club for one last strike. It was right at that last second that Allegra ran in between the Incarnates and the Cyclopes.
Ares, in horror, shouted, "Allegra! No!" What followed was a flash of yellow light accompanied by a sudden gust of wind that spread across the area. Moment's later, Allegra had seemingly vanished.
So if you may have taken a guess, this chapter puts the spotlight on Allegra and her struggle to overcome her self doubt and finally achieve her Incarnate form while Corey and Brad provide moral support. This is especially true in Brad's case to add another layer to his character. But how are our young heroes going to handle three Cyclopes? And, where's Damian? Hit me back with those reviews. Peace.