Impossible…

Marcus couldn't believe his eyes. Standing before them, Elliot was casually checking his forearm, where a long cut had formed where Marcus' blade had cut the bear. Not an illusion then…

"Gotta say Marcus," Elliot continued, "When I saw the marks left in the cell door, I was expecting you to be waving around a big, blunt, metal bat, but that thing still has some bite."

"How…" Chastity said. "How are you…?"

"Here?" Elliot answered. "Well, it is the Underworld, so would you believe I'm a ghost? A spirit? A zombie back from the dead?"

"No." Marcus said simply. His sword couldn't have cut a spirit. A zombie…? No, a zombie wouldn't bleed like that. "How are you alive? I… I saw-"

"You saw what I wanted you to see." Elliot cut him off, and in a flash Elliot had pulled a blade from the darkness around them in Persephone's Garden. Elliot spun the blade in his hands, and Marcus couldn't believe his eyes. It was an exact match to Aaron's.

Son of Morpheus… Of course. Dreams are nothing but-

"An illusion." Elliot laughed, and his laugh wasn't as Marcus remembered. This was hysterical, the laugh of a man who was crazy, knew it, and reveled in it. "You saw exactly what I wanted. I placed a nightmare before your eyes, and you bought it. Hook, line, and fucking sinker!"

"I mourned you…" Chastity's voice shook with the weight of her emotions. "I missed you!"

"Well isn't that sweet." Elliot's grin grew even wider.

"Had enough drama?" Hunter called from high above them.

On instinct, Marcus turned his eyes skyward, preparing himself to face the attack he thought was coming. But with the shock of this new revelation, he had forgotten one of Athena's chief lessons during their time together.

"When an enemy has the upper hand, they don't call attention to it. When they call your attention somewhere purposely, it's usually a-"

Trap.

As Marcus' gaze turned skyward, he heard a crack throughout the air, and felt a sudden pressure around his throat. In a moment, he felt himself pulled forward by his neck and realized that while Hunter distracted him, Alicia had wrapped her whip around his neck. The worst case scenario.

He twisted as he fell, his blade flying from his grip, doing everything in his power to regain his feet, but with a whistle Alicia summoned Roxie to her side, giving her the handle of the whip to bite down on. With the hellhound pulling it this way and that, it was all Marcus could do to avoid being choked unconscious, both his hands holding the whip away from his throat, let alone escape.

As he was dragged, he saw that Chastity, now on her own against both Elliot and Hunter, was holding her own, but only barely. The power granted to her by Orpheus' Lyre was enough to grant her increased power, her powers augmented, but between Elliot's bare handed charges and Hunter's constant lightning strikes, it was clear that it was only a matter of time.

"Protect her, Marcus."

Aphrodite's words rang in his mind. He had been sent here for one reason, and one reason alone, and he was failing. Again.

Failed.

Marcus was dragged over plants, slammed against pomegranate trees and through bushes, and still he couldn't escape. He needed to escape. To get back to Chastity. He needed his sword.

Marcus reached out in desperation to the only thing he could. Marcus reached for the wind itself, willing it to bring him what was his. He willed the winds themselves to turn from their directions, from Tartarus, and bring him his blade. But he knew even as he tried it was hopeless. The winds wouldn't obey him, not down here. He heard Elliot's laughter mix with Alicia's cries to Roxie to bring Marcus to her, interlaced with Hunter's hate filled cursing.

I won't fail her again!

Marcus felt himself being dragged over metal.

In desperation he released his hold on the whip, scrambling to grab the metal beneath him before he lost consciousness. The sharp edge bit into his palm, but he was able to gain enough of a grip to bring it up, swinging it at the whip that bound him and cutting it just as his vision started to blur.

Gasping for air, Marcus felt himself slide to a halt, his mind finally catching up to his instincts. The sharp metal he had grabbed had been his sword, halfway up the blade. Just enough for him to cut the whip that had bound him. He pushed himself to his feet, just in time to see Elliot finally manage to get his hands on Chastity, lifting her with one arm and flinging her towards one of the trees of the Garden.

Putting everything he had into his speed, Marcus leapt across the battlefield, catching Chastity with just enough time to place himself between her and the tree itself, taking the impact of both. He gasped, the pain shocking the breath from his lungs. And just when I could breathe again too.

He slid to the ground at the base of the tree, glancing over Chastity in his arms. She was shaking, exhausted, drained of her strength by her new powers, but seemingly unhurt.

"Wow!" Elliot whistled. "I'd heard you gotten fast, but that was impressive!"

Marcus turned his gaze from Chastity to the New Olympians before him. Hunter had landed, pulling his ax off his back to finish the job. Alicia was riding Roxie, Torrington's book held almost negligently in her hand. Elliot, standing between the two stretching as if he was doing nothing more than going for a light jog.

"And you've gotten stronger." Marcus managed to hiss out. "Didn't know that was Morpheus' wheelhouse."

"Oh it's not." Elliot laughed, resting a hand on the sash around his waist. Marcus could see, now that he was closer, the sash had an embroidered letter η (eta) seemingly sewn into the front. "That was more Ares' thing. Hippolyta's thing specifically. Like the belt? Seems those myths of it being a 'girdle' or 'war belt' were both true! It seems to take the shape that most matches what it's owner wants. Now it's totally my style!"

Hippolyta's Girdle of Strength… Fuuuck…

Marcus pushed himself to his feet, using the tree behind him. He lifted his sword, hoping they couldn't see just how exhausted their battle up to this point had left him. Maddie's words echoed in his mind.

"It's suicide Marcus, even for you!"

Sorry Maddie. Looks like you were right after all.

"That's right, Marcus." Hunter said, swinging his ax. "On your feet. I still have to make good on my promise. And I'd rather you try to fight it."

"Hunter, enough." Alicia snapped, lifting Torrington's book in one hand and raising her other, focusing her intent. "Marcus isn't dying here. He's going to join us. One way, or the other."

Before either side could make another move, a voice seemed to call from the void.

"Stop it!"

The ever present mist of the Underworld appeared to take shape, a figure moving into sight straight out of the darkness to stand between the two groups. Marcus felt his arm fall, his blade shifting back to its pocket watch form as his will stopped holding it in place, captured entirely by the figure they saw before them.

"Kelly…?" Marcus whispered.