I got nothing witty to say this time. I just got another chapter up and running so enjoy the ride. One more thing; Val Kilmer, thank you for being our wingman. Godspeed, Iceman.
Zeus and Ares could only watch in horror as Allegra vanish in a literal gust of wind, seemingly sacrificing herself for her new friends. The Cyclopes didn't seem to care, instead redoubling their efforts against the two Incarnates. Zeus was upright and ready to continue the fight, while Ares was visibly furious at the loss of Allegra. The three Cyclopes roared and lumbered forward, closing in on their targets. Then without warning a swirling wall of wind appeared between the combatants. There was surprise from Zeus and Ares, outrage from the Cyclopes. The wall of wind was actively preventing the Cyclopes from getting any closer to the Incarnates, as if it was acting independently. Zeus and Ares shared a glance of confusion followed by realization.
"It's her." Ares declared triumphantly.
A singular figure appeared in the wall of wind, dropping down before Zeus and Ares. Clad in yellow armor, the figure stood up tall and proud. Small wind funnels dance in the hands of the new arrival, who soon raised her head to reveal a familiar face. Zeus and Ares knew instantly that it was Allegra standing before them, now having embraced her Incarnate form. Allegra looked back at her friends before Cyclops One attempted to attack her. Allegra spun around just in time to see the monster lumbering toward her. With a confident smirk, Allegra threw her arms straight forward. A vortex of heavy wind shot forth and pushed Cyclops One back with enough force to send it staggering until it tripped and tumbled to the ground.
Cyclops Two tried to attack Allegra from the side, but it was Ares who stepped between them. He held the monster back with a fire blast. Ares exchanged a glance with Allegra, along with a grin of relief and amazement. Allegra shared the sentiment, only for Cyclops Three to make an attempt to attack. Zeus stepped into the fray, holding the monster at bay with a lightning attack. Cyclops One was back up and, with a mighty bellow, rushed forward on the trio of Incarnates. Allegra instinctively jumped into the air, higher than what was thought to be possible, and manifested what appeared to be a type of bow and arrow from her hands. She wasted no time, aiming her new weapon at Cyclops One and letting an arrow loose. The monster was unprepared for such an attack, and the arrow found its target; the monster's eye.
Cyclops One reached for its eye with a roar of outrage. It started to flail its club in nearly every direction, and it inadvertently clobbered one of the other Cyclopes. It was Cyclops Three, and it was clearly angered by the unintended attack. It struck back, bashing Cyclops One directly in the head. Cyclops Two stormed into the scuffle, tackling Cyclops Three and pummeling it with its bare hands. Cyclops Two and Three brawled with each other as Cyclops One staggered around blindly, all while the Incarnates regrouped to watch the entire scene.
"Shit, those things are all that bright, are they?" Ares wondered aloud.
"Only when they're working together," Zeus replied, and then realization struck him. "That's it."
"What's it?" Ares said.
"We couldn't beat them when they were working together. They acted almost akin to hivemind, but divided..." Zeus surmised.
"...They are vulnerable." Allegra concluded.
Ares nodded and quickly added, "Plus, they're way dumber and they wind up brawling with themselves. So, we turn them against each other..."
"...And then take them out one at a time." Zeus finished.
"Um, boys?" Allegra said.
Zeus and Ares quickly glanced at Allegra before swiftly shifting their focus to the Cyclopes. Cyclops One just managed to yank the arrow from its eye socket, blood seeping out from the wound. It could still see somewhat, and it was furious at what had been done to it. The other Cyclopes shared their anger and started stalking toward the Incarnates. Zeus and Ares closed ranks, Allegra standing just behind them.
"So, how do we do this?" Ares asked.
Zeus looked at Ares before looking Allegra. "Allegra, how many more of those arrows do you have?"
Allegra seemed to conjure an arrow into existence and replied, "Plenty. Oh, and could you call me Artemis?"
Zeus shared a grin with Ares before giving the newly anointed Artemis a nod of approval. The Cyclopes all bellowed collectively as they charged forward in unison. The Incarnates readied themselves right up until Cyclops One, still partially blinded, was looming over them. It swung its club down, forcing the Incarnates to break their formation. Zeus moved to the far right and unleashed a lightning strike, striking Cyclops One along its left arm. The monster moved to retaliate with a wild swing, missing its target by a few inches. This allowed Ares to jump into the fray with a fire blast. The blast caught the Cyclops in the already wounded eye, once again blinding it.
Ares landed with a sly grin on his face, seemingly forgetting about Cyclops Two lurching up behind him. The monster reared its club while Ares just spun around to notice. Before Cyclops Two could strike, Artemis unleashed an arrow. The arrow seemed to fly at a rapid pace, missing Cyclops Two by inches. But the monster wasn't ready for the unexpectedly strong gust of wind that followed, sending the monster tumbling to the ground and crashing down hard. Artemis let another arrow fly, which landed right in front of Cyclops Two and caused a wind funnel form around the beast.
Cyclops Three lunged forward to attack the two Incarnates while they were distracted, but Zeus struck first with a lightning bolt. The attack caught the monster's attention, and its shifted its rage on Zeus. Zeus didn't flinch. He seemed to smile, and he even motioned Cyclops Three to him. Cyclops Three bellowed in anger and charged forward, club raised, which was exactly what Zeus wanted. He waited until Cyclops Three was right on top of him, and then Zeus moved out of the way. As he did, Zeus hit Cyclops One in the back with a lightning strike. Cyclops One reacted with a wild swing, unknowingly striking Cyclops Three in the face.
Zeus looked back at the results of his misdirection with a wily smirk. "That had to hurt."
Cyclops Three staggered back holding its jaw. It glared at Cyclops One, still partially blinded and unaware what happened. It was ultimately unprepared for Cyclops Three to retaliate. Cyclops Three swung its club and smash Cyclops One in the head. Cyclops One recovered some of its eyesight, enough to fight back against its equally mindless cohort. Zeus stood back and reveled in his deception before refocusing his attention to Cyclops Two. Ares and Artemis continued holding Cyclops Two at bay. Artemis shot another arrow that embedded into the skin of the monster, while Ares burned it with his fire attacks.
The monster wasn't finished yet. It continued to fight, swinging its club wildly. Artemis managed to dodge one such blow while Ares followed. Ares unleashed another fight blast before conjuring his spear and shield. He faced Cyclops Two head on, blocking and deflecting frequent clubbing blows with his shield. Sensing an opening, Ares thrust his spear forward and landed a piercing stab into the monster's stomach. Cyclops Two roared its disapproval before attempting to strike Ares, but Artemis fired another arrow. The arrow caught Cyclops Two in its neck, stunning it and causing it to stagger back.
Regrouping, Ares asked, "Hey Artemis, think you can conjure up a tornado?"
Without a word but showing a smile, Artemis waved her hands around as though she were performing a magic trick. The area surrounding Cyclops Two began reacting, and then a gust of wind formed. The wind grew larger and surged, rotating in one direction and steadily increasing in speed and strength. Cyclops Two suddenly found itself trapped with a twisting vortex. It was unable to move, unable to see anything and as such, wildly flailed its club around trying to hit a target.
Outside of the tornado, Artemis moved her hands to make it rotate faster. Once the tornado reached a maximum speed, she unleashed a series of arrows into the vortex. So fast were the arrows that they penetrated through the tornado without being swept away. Inside of the tornado, Cyclops Two was being pelted with arrow after arrow and was unable to defend itself. Back outside of the tornado, Ares conjured balls of fire in the palms of his hands. He then hurled them fireballs into the tornado, which quickly caught fire itself. The tornado became a vortex of fire, the heat growing more and more extreme with each passing second. Inside the vortex, Cyclops Two bellowed in pain as it was burned alive. By the time the fiery twister finally die, so too did Cyclops Two; a charred corpse that collapsed to the ground before Ares and Artemis.
Artemis was stunned by what had happened, even looking at her hands as small wind funnels formed in the palms. "Dio mio!"
"Hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about, Artemis." Ares proudly cheered.
"Hey guys," Zeus called out, still holding his own against the remaining Cyclopes. "A little help would be appreciated."
Without hesitation, Ares and Artemis jumped into the fray. Zeus used his lightning attacks to hold the Cyclopes back until his friends intervened. Ares used his fire attacks to get the attention of Cyclops Three, drawing it away from the others. Zeus and Artemis worked together against Cyclops One, still partially blinded but still fighting with more aggression. It suddenly focused its wrath on Artemis, who despite her newfound abilities was still inexperienced. Artemis suddenly felt the blood drain from her face as Cyclops One came for her. Zeus saw this and moved to intercept the monster. He blasted the monster in the back, getting its attention.
Cyclops One swung its club at Zeus, missing him by inches when Zeus jumped back. Without a second thought, Zeus unleashed another lightning strike, only to be clubbed from behind by Cyclops Three. Ares quickly intervened with a fire blast, but he too was swiftly dispatched. Artemis tried to reach her friends but Cyclops One still stood in her way. Fear gripped the newly fledged Incarnate, and she backed away from the monster stalking her.
"Allegra," Brad, not Ares, called out. "Get out of there!"
Artemis seemed frozen when Cyclops One was right on top of her. The monster raised its club, ready to strike. The club came back down hard and fast. Instinctively, Artemis jumped back at the last moment. Ares watched in shock, almost convinced that Artemis was just killed right in front of him. Zeus feared the same from afar, until he caught movement from... above? Ares saw Zeus upward at something before looking in that same direction, and he too was left in surprise.
Slowly opening her eyes, Artemis was left every bit of shocked as Zeus and Ares. "What is happening? Guys, I'm floating."
Back on the ground, a bewildered Ares said to Zeus, "You knew she could fly, right?"
Zeus just looked back at Ares completely taken aback, and then he heard Cyclops One bellowing in outrage at Artemis. It swung its club high, trying to strike Artemis. Instinctively, Artemis moved out of the way. She avoided another swing before conjuring her bow and arrow. Artemis launched an arrow, striking Cyclops One in the shoulder but only barely slowing it down. The monster jumped up, somehow even with how much it potentially weighed, and managed to grab Artemis. Before it could finish her, a combined lightning and fire attack from Zeus and Ares freed Artemis from its clutches.
Cyclops One still wasn't finished, trying to smash Zeus and Ares with its club while Cyclops Three rushed them. Ares saw the monster coming and struck back with a fire blast, burning the monster and sending it sending into retreat. Artemis flew in with a barrage of arrows from above, furthering pushing Cyclops Three back. Cyclops One tried and failed to grab Artemis when Zeus hit it was a lightning strike, which was just enough to keep it at bay. The Incarnates regrouped, seemingly to plan their next move against their enemies.
"Artemis, how fast can you fly?" Zeus asked.
Artemis glanced at Zeus with marked confusion until she realized what he was asking. Without any hesitation, she took off into the air. Cyclops One tried to grab her but she was too fast this time. On the ground, Ares watched with a gleeful smile just before he noticed Cyclops Three rushing for him and Zeus. He quickly unleashed a fire blast to hold the monster, then conjured his spear and shield to meet it head on.
Zeus was left to wait for Artemis to make her move, and that was what happened. Artemis fell back down to Earth until she was right behind Cyclops One. She started flying around the monster, gradually increasing her speed until a whirlwind formed around it. Cyclops One tried to strike Artemis but it couldn't catch her. The whirlwind was so strong that it kept Cyclops Three at bay. As she was flying around the monster at breakneck velocity, Zeus spread his arms out to either side. His eyes were shut and he concentrated hard. Dark clouds formed in the sky above, thunder sounded and flashes of lightning streaked across the clouds.
Ares saw the storm clouds above and shouted, "Artemis, move."
Artemis heard the warning and quickly bolted away from the whirlwind she'd created. Her momentum inadvertently carried her into the waiting arms of Ares. Once his friends were clear, Zeus summoned a massive bolt of lightning from the sky. Cyclops One couldn't get out of the way in time and took the full force of the strike. The monster bellowed in outrage mixed with pain, while Zeus pressed his attack into a full on lightning assault. Cyclops One could only endure so much before, in a blisteringly disgusting display, its one and only eyes seemed to explored. Chunks of bloods rained down before the whirlwind that Artemis created dissipated. The body of Cyclops One stood in place for a while longer, only to finally drop backward with a hard crash to the ground.
The thunderstorm disappeared as quickly as it formed as Zeus brought his arms down. He surveyed the scene, examining the corpse of the monster he'd just slain. Nearby, Ares and Artemis were both still in each other's arms without realizing it. They looked at each other, both seemingly blushing before breaking the embrace. They approached Zeus as he studied the dead monster. Ares gave Zeus a light jab to his arm, to which Zeus nodded his approval. Then, they looked at Artemis, still surprised by what she herself had accomplished.
"Not bad for your first day." Ares said with a light smile.
Artemis smiled back, replying, "Gracias. I mean..."
"De nada." Ares replied, to the shock of both Artemis and Zeus.
"You never said you could speak Spanish." Zeus said with surprise.
Ares shrugged and replied, "I'm so-so at best."
A loud roar alerted to Incarnates, and they spun to notice Cyclops Three lumbering toward them still alive. The Incarnates regrouped, preparing to finish the fight that was coming for them. Cyclops Three stalked forward, its club dragging across the ground. Zeus readied a lightning bolt, Ares with fireballs in his hands and Artemis conjuring small whirlwinds in her own palm. Cyclops Three came that much close, and then it suddenly went still and standing dead in its tracked. It jerked, almost as though it was convulsing, all the while dropping its club. What happened next defied reasoning.
Zeus, Ares and Artemis watch as the monster appeared to steadily shriveling away, like it was being drained of its bodily fluids. This was no further from the the realm of possibility, expect it wasn't the fluids being drained away. It was the monster's very life force, its soul. The body lost its shade of color, the one eye becoming pale and lifeless. Eventually, the final breath left Cyclops Three, leaving the withered husk behind. The body dropped forward to the ground right in front of the Incarnates who stood bewildered and confused. Then they found the reason behind Cyclops Three's sudden death. Striding toward the trio, the familiar clocked hood hiding his face from view, came Hades.
The God of the Underworld stalked toward the Incarnate, only to stop and glared at the withered husk he'd created. "Useless." he snarled.
"Hades." Zeus called out.
Hades turned his gaze to Zeus and Ares before centering on Artemis. "So, you've gain a new ally, haven't you? It won't do you any good in the end."
"You gonna try intimidating us again, Hades? That's not gonna work this time." Ares stated, stepping toward Hades without fear.
The Incarnates couldn't see it, but Hades twitched his burning red eyes. Ares took another step before he was suddenly immobilized. Something had grabbed hold of his leg and when he looked down, he found a charred hand gripping his ankle. Another charred grabbed his other ankle, followed by the equally charred upper body of something not human. Zeus and Artemis moved to help their ally, only to be similarly stopped themselves by what was quite literally the hands of the dead. Seemingly hundreds of burnt and charred limbs sprout from below, more than one grabbing hold of anything within reach. All three of the Incarnates were brought to their knees, their arms restrained as though they were shackled by the undead hordes.
Hades strode forward until he stood over Ares, kneeling to meet him face to face. "Do you feel intimidated yet?"
"Get away from him." Artemis demanded, drawing Hades' attention. He stood up to confront her.
Then, Zeus shouted, "Your fight is with me, Hades. Leave them alone."
Hades' attention was soon drawn over to Zeus, and he sauntered forward toward the young Incarnate with a malice in ever threatening step. Standing over Zeus, Hades knelt down and lightly grasped the helm Zeus wore. "You don't get it yet, do you?"
"Get what?" Zeus forcefully asked.
Hades narrowed his crimson eyes on Zeus before telling him, "I don't need to fight you because I've been much closer to you than you realize."
Zeus glared at Hades with confusion when the Underworld God released his grip on him. A plume of black smoke formed around Hades, while the undead limbs released their collective death grips on the Incarnates. Zeus was quickly on his feet and rushing toward Hades, but the black smoke engulfed him completely. Still moving forward, Zeus briefly vanished into the smoke only to come out the other side. Hades was already gone as quickly as he'd previously appeared. Zeus was stunned into silence as Ares Artemis approached him.
"Where is he? Where'd he go?" Ares asked, to which Zeus didn't provide a response.
"I don't understand; Hades sent those monsters, so why would he help us?" Artemis wondered aloud.
This time, Zeus coldly replied, "He wasn't helping us, not by a long shot. He was trying to send a message."
Ares quickly caught on to the notion. "He's trying to prove that he take us all out in one shot whenever he wants. So why not now?"
Zeus shook his head in the negative before he said, "I don't know. All I know is that we've got to find Pandora's Box before he does."
"Where do we begin?" Artemis asked, and to this, Zeus had no answer... yet.
Artemis is here and she's officially joined the Incarnate. She just needed some encouragement from her friends and they came together to defeat the Cyclopes. Then Hades making his appearance was a pure intimidation tactic to emphasize his role as the main antagonist, but his tactics won't work on our young heroes... right? Drop a comment or reaction and I'll see you again in the future. Peace.
IN MEMORY OF
VAL KILMER
1959-2025